These FOX NEWS cultists are indeed a powerful voice in American politics, which is quite disgraceful, though still appropriate. But the following adage has never rang more true:

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. — Homer Simpson

The Tea parties are all about manipulating the ignorant masses to get all riled up and protest. Just ask some of the protesters what they stand for; you’ll get uncomfortable, poorly thought out opinions and talking points. The elites such as Rush and Newt are unapologetically responsible for these, hoping to line their pockets even more

Just some of the people going to these events and those supposed grass root americans have no problem with these people spewing misinformation and crediting Glen Beck for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPMjC9mq5Y&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UASS1qFAIQ8

Tea Party express

http://www.examiner.com/x-5738-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Video–912-Tea-Party-Express-organizer-gets-exposed-by-Anderson-Cooper-and-CNN-panelists

“Tea Party” leader Mark Williams appeared on a CNN panel on “Anderson Cooper 360″ last night and promptly set to work discrediting himself and his movement. Williams denounced those carrying blatantly racist signs against President Obama during the tea parties as “no more part of the mainstream of America than the hippies who wear ni pple clips and feather boas in San Francisco streets during so-called peace demonstrations.”

Cooper had done his homework, however, and caught Williams blatantly misrepresenting himself: “What you’re saying makes sense to me here when I’m hearing what you say but then I read on your blog, you say, you call the President an Indonesian Muslim turned “welfare” thug and a racist in chief.”

Williams shrugs and responds, “Yeah, that’s the way he’s behaving.” An incredulous Cooper asks Williams if he really believes Obama is an Indonesian Muslim and a “”welfare”" thug. The tea party leader digs the hole a little deeper: “He’s certainly acting like it. Until he embraces the whole country what else can I conclude.”

Monday, January 11, 2010 7:01:50 PM

Cartoonist receives death threats, from teabaggers

Cartoonist response

“The cartoonist, Mark Fiore’s response:

To all of you who have written emails and comments, I really wish I could respond to every one of you. I truly appreciate your taking the time to write, even if we may be on different sides of the political fence. If there is one thing that my politically mixed San Francisco/Idaho background has taught me, it is benefit of continuing a discussion even if you don’t agree. Too often these days, the Left and the Right immediately shut down if you are deemed to be from the opposing camp. Here’s to good discussion even if we don’t agree.

Now please don’t kill me ”
http://texaskaos.com/diary/6332/cartoonist-receives-death-threats-from-teabaggers

Not grass roots

“At first, the conservative movement was all tantrum, rant and hyperbole. From the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Feb. 19 — a month after President Obama took office — CNBC reporter Rick Santelli ranted about the White House’s plans to bail out millions of underwater mortgages. He implored “the silent majority” to say “no” to the administration’s wasteful efforts.

“We’re thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July,” he shouted. “All you capitalists that want to show up to Lake Michigan, I’m going to start organizing.”"

In the months that followed, the groups grew — and the protests got angrier.

With the help of provocative sound bites about the intimations of rebellion — like saying Texas should close the borders and secede from the nation — the activists got noticed. Tea Party Patriots could be heard on talk radio, cable TV and the evening news.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121237459

In Dallas, the local Tea Party claims 14,000 members who have subscribed to their e-mail list. It’s not a political party — rather the group stands for five basic principles: limited government, fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, the rule of law and national sovereignty.

The group doesn’t run candidates of its own. It doesn’t even endorse candidates. Instead, it creates scorecards for candidates on issues that express the five principles.

In 2010, the group tells NPR’s Robert Siegel, it’s looking to grow — to locate like-minded, fiscally conservative people, educate them about future candidates and make sure they get to the polls.

“Everything we do needs to be about getting people to the polls that agree with our point of view, and to help those candidates that are aligned with our five principles,” says Ken Emanuelson, a Tea Party organizer in Dallas who is also a patent lawyer and “”"”"”"”Veteran of many Conservative Republican campaigns”"”"”"”"”"”"”

Inflated numbers

http://www.newshounds.us/2009/10/27/tea_party_express_ii_orphaned_by_fox.php

Three of the guests it looks like are tea party folk…should be good for a few laughs. I’m sure Louise will be listening intently for certain platitudes to use later.

Hannity admits Fox news doctored footage of november tea parties

Hannity was using 9/12 footage to back up his inflated claim that 20,000+(although even the most generous estimate caps it at 10,000) protesters showed up.How does one “mistakenly” take 2 month old video and caption it with “earlier” when Fox had ample footage of the present rally.

Its just like Glenn Beck, Malkin and other Conservative media figures that made the claim that the 9/12 rally was 2 million strong when their were only 70,000 tea partiers.They also posted pictures on their sites from a different protest on Washington to make it seem like these protest are well attended.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/politics-other-controversies/814944-hannity-admits-fox-news-doctored-footage-3.html#ixzz0cVAXgiur

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/hannity-tea-party-footage-daily-show/

I am a member of The Dallas Tea party and a neighborhood coordinator for my zip code area.
The information about the Dallas Tea Party listed by Michael above is correct.
I might add that I have never heard a racist comment or any discussion on where Obama was born at any meeting.

“Three of the guests it looks like are tea party folk…should be good for a few laughs. I’m sure Louise will be listening intently for certain platitudes to use later.”

Brett have you seen this yet?

Learn To Speak Tea Bag
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120344047

it has been on NPR for over a month but not until Bill O’Reily stated it was bad is when the emails came flooding over a month later.

What struck me about some of the “tea party” types was the complete lack of civil discourse and the capacity for being extremely nasty, and devoid of compassion for the human experience. I saw one clip from last summer of one these town meetings, it was in New Jersey in which a woman in a wheel chair with a serious disease was driven to tears by the people yelling at her when she was trying to speak. The journalist, who was making the video confronted one of the men who was yelling at her to shut up. When he was informed of her being in a wheel chair and ill he just said something to the effect that he did not care. This sums these idiots up.

The other good one was the woman at the Barnie Frank town hall meeting who kept on insisting that the health care bill was going to have death panels. Frank, true to form told her debating her was like debating furniture.

On Point is giving these extremest a voice, which I feel has already been done. You did a show last summer on them. While I understand the need to cover the political spectrum it seems to me that the platform of this group is ignorance, intolerance, and the slippery slope towards fascism.

One year ago, FreedomWorks astroturfer Dick Armey said the “bubba vote” would prevent the election of Barack Obama. Here’s the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGMhj3n1n_s&feature=player_embedded#

Wheelchair-Bound Woman Shouted Down At New Jersey Health Care Town Hall (VIDEO)

Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the man who recently “let it be known” that he’d step in should Gov. Corzine drop out of the New Jersey gubernatorial race, had his hands full at a town hall meeting in Red Bank last week.

More than 1,500 people showed up to talk health care, but things quickly turned ugly. Much like the unruly town hall meetings that have been going on across the country, the angry crowd held up bizarre and nonsensical posters of protest while hurling insults at Rep. Pallone, and each other.

A new low for these meetings may have been set when the crowd shouted down a wheelchair-bound woman with “two incurable auto-immune diseases” who had the gall to

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/02/wheelchair-bound-woman-sh_n_275472.html

By the way it seems the Republican candidate for senator in Massachusetts Scott Brown has taken endorsements from these groups, as well as the the pro life groups. In the debate this past Monday he denied that he did. He also said he was fro a woman’s right to chose. Talk about flip flopping. On the one hand this guy admits he will take an endorsement from anyone even if he does not truly support the agenda.

Thanks Michael that’s the incident I was thinking of.
Those people are out of line, there is no way anyone watching that footage can come away thinking this group is nothing more than thugs.

Could you please ask your panel 1. What is the uniting force that motivates the tea party movement? and 2. What polticians or commenators other than Sarah Palin speak to the concerns of the tea party movement?

Sam,

Dick Army, Michele Balkman

White supremacists are joining the tea baggers.

They aren’t just “the stupid”.

They are also “the dangerous.”

Michael posted: “In Dallas, the local Tea Party claims 14,000 members who have subscribed to their e-mail list. It’s not a political party — rather the group stands for five basic principles: limited government, fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, the rule of law and national sovereignty.”
This could be appealing, but the modus operandi is, or appears to be, in short, “ugly,” as stated above. Even pathologically selfish in orientation.
The Massachusetts Senate race does seem to pit these principles against something more liberal, with a big appeal to the pocketbook issues. But I ask you, has the free market done what the nation needs?
Small government, for instance, does not help if you’re wanting an undercover agent on an airplane. I don’t travel with my own guards. I could not do that cheaper than government, period.
I guess we’ll hear Sarah Palin on Fox expounding on these things. Wherever Eleanor Clift dares keep the conversation open, I pay homage.

Ok, no “analysis” from Jack Beatty, so hopefully we won’t hear any “teabagger” slurs on the air.

Did today’s guests ever criticize the Bush/Cheney administration for making the government too powerful?

This is not a small-government, libertarian sect. This is a theocratic, radical right, homophobic rabble of rubes.

Well I’m from the NY-23rd and the Tea Partiers can take their ignorant meddling and go somewhere else next time around. The outside groups and money fatally damaged our Special Election in November. You folks don’t know what you are doing and the damage you are doing won’t be confined to just one district come November. Your Tea Party boy, Doug Hoffman, didn’t live in the district and screwed up things royally. Think twice before you jump in somewhere else with no understanding of the issues and the direct.

Fruitcakes!!! They are nothing but fruitcakes! And it’s too bad that those of us who have more common sense can not drown out their dribble!

The Tea Party opposes high taxes. What is its position on LOWER tax rates paid on unearned income(i.e., capital gains and dividends) vs. on income earned by hard working citizens?

Thank God for the Tea Party Movement. I’ve been voting against people for years. Neither party reflected my views. Both parties wanted more Government expansion and more Government entitlements and more of my personal liberty. Every time I turn around the Gov has a new CZAR or agency to control yet another part of my life. Most of the people I talk to are considering the Constitution Party. It seems to be the only clear choice for our country. I’m not a racist, not a radical, I just want to be left alone to raise my family and keep some of the money I earn.

“Nationalized Socialism?” Did this guy really just compare universal health care – even in the weak, corporatist form likely to become law in the US – to Nazism? Tom, your guest is a clown.

Why on earth are these people on the radio? I love your show but why not have random crazy people also interviewed. Are there no sane or normal spokespeople for this supposed movement? Good grief.

Your guest is conflating socialism and fascism – i do not understand this connection.

Can your panel explain why the government is responsible for the “increasing costs of everything” and not the companies pulling record profits while their employees are losing their homes?

Your panel is defending the rights of the companies that are taxing this country of it’s wealth and natural resources and forcing the middle class into poverty.

‘Tea party’ = synonym for racist slack jawed yokels. This moron was just on talking about how ‘the government’ took over whole industries. Hey, those industries (i.e. Ford, GM) were hemorrhaging money then got bailed out by ‘the government’, which at this point is really every American taxpayer.

After 8 years of dumbing down the American populace under G.W. Bush, this is what you get, a ‘grass roots’ organization of stupid people.

For another grass roots movement of dummies, see the ‘Know Nothing Party’ of the 1840s and 1850s.

If this country is the police state they say it is turning into, hundreds of the racist “revolutionaries” would have been shot down in the street by now.

And LOL at this schmuck saying that Jews should be afraid of a new Holocaust because of the healthcare bill.

I cannot believe you are giving these extremely dangerous people a forum.

Did that guy seriously say that this healthcare bill is National Socialism, and that he can’t understand how Jewish people can support National Socialism?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?

I wasn’t sure about this topic but I am now thankful these people are given a platform to share their views for what they are: ill-conceived, illinformed, illogic drivel.

Something doesn’t square here. How is it we have a government that is blamed for taxing the proletariat, and yet that government is the puppet of special interests (I read that “international corporations and their affiliated banks etc.”)? How is it the corporations are served by the taxing of yours truly? To vote against the puppet candidates of the special interests seems to be equivalent to voting “red,” as the Tea Partier said. But special interests are not Big Government, right?

Tom, please keep pressing your guests about racism:

“Photo Shows Tea Bag Movement ‘Founder’ Holding Sign with N-Word (Which He Misspelled)”:

http://imgmi.net/2/28b4631f.jpg

Image with link and discussion:

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/aliw9
/photo_shows_tea_bag_movement_founder_holding_sign/

The pablum and completely unsubstantiated statements being parroted by the guests would be laughable if they weren’t so sad. They talk about the fact that American’s just want to be free but then they oppose gay marriage.

I am listening to the current speaker – he talks of the transfer of wealth from the middle class to third world countries. Doesn’t he know that the total GDP the US provides as overseas aid is less than 0.05%?
If he cares to compare the transfer of wealth from the middle-class to the wealthy, he will find that the economic policies initiated by President Reagan are the start of the collapse of the middle-class. The top 1% of the population or control more than 80% of the wealth of the nation.
On taxes, they also need to get their facts right. The Bureau of Economic Analysis provides data on GDP and taxation. In 1961 the Federal Government extracted 12.4633% of GDP in tax. In 2008, the last year for which figures are available, the Federal government took 7.4965% of GDP.
The growth in tax has been at the State level. In 1961 the States took 9.471366% of GDP, in 2008 12.46832%.
So what are these folk whining about? They demonstrate their ignorance every time they open their mouths – like describing the Health Care bill as ‘National Socialism’. What a joke – it makes one question whether the speaker has even read the summaries of the Bill.

Nationalized Socialism? What sort of twisted nonsense is term?

You must take this person, Jeffrey McQueen off the air. What an OUTRAGEOUS claim: to equate health care reform attempts with National Socialism in Germany. It’s not appropriate to give a platform to such ignorant, inflammatory declarations.
What do thse two people stand for? “Freedom” “Liberty” they say. Who doesn’t??!

The Right has a minority agenda of protecting wealth and power. It’s an agenda they can’t be honest about so they appeal to emotions… God, Gay’s, guns and patriotism… and count on low information voters who can be easily swayed.
I’ve yet to head a Tea Bagger that has ANY ability to grasp the fiscal straights all the Right’s irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy, off-budget wars, etc have placed us in. They continue to believe that only problem is spending and insist taxes are too high. Sadly WE THE PEOPLE have now used up over $11 TRILLION in “services” since 1981 we have NOT paid for… and there’s NO way to ever pay this down with spending cuts.

Who are these “grassroots” people who can afford the $500+ to attend the Tea Party Convention?

Tom, these people are spouting urban legend after falsehood after flat-out lie. Please do not let the lies stand.

“Dick Army, Michele Balkman”

Both are beneficiaries of taxpayer funded programs.

Here is Bill Moyers’ research on Mr. Armey:

“For most of his adult life their leader has benefited from just the kind of government, tax-supported health care he’s fighting to keep them from having too. When Dick Armey taught economics at the University of North Texas, for 13 years, his health insurance was administered by the state and supplemented by the taxpayers. When he was elected to Congress, he was covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan. And when he retired from Congress 18 years later he was ensured by that plan until he turned 66 and Medicare, another government program, kicked in. All the time he’s been making some half a million dollars a year working for FreedomWorks and raking in lobbyist fees amounting to what he recently called ‘a darn handsome pile of sough.’”

Here is some info on Bachmann from truthdig.com:

“But data compiled from federal records by Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog that tracks the recipients of agricultural subsidies in the United States, shows that Bachmann has an inner Marxist that is perfectly at ease with profiting from taxpayer largesse. According to the organization’s records, Bachmann’s family farm received $251,973 in federal subsidies between 1995 and 2006. The farm had been managed by Bachmann’s recently deceased father-in-law and took in roughly $20,000 in 2006 and $28,000 in 2005, with the bulk of the subsidies going to dairy and corn. Both dairy and corn are heavily subsidized—or “socialized”—businesses in America (in 2005 alone, Washington spent $4.8 billion propping up corn prices) and are subject to strict government price controls. These subsidies are at the heart of America’s bizarre planned agricultural economy and as far away from Michele Bachmann’s free-market dream world as Cuba’s free medical system. If American farms such as hers were forced to compete in the global free market, they would collapse.”

I find this to be a frightening movement shrouded in religious symbolism and blatant racism that has no place in a group that purports to defend The Constitution.

In particular, these people are extremely ignorant as a group when they say it is foreigners “stealing” our money. It is our own Banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan and Industrialists that have sent the vast majority of our money overseas and rigged our tax system in great favor of the rich and are slowly destroying the Middle Class and Poor.

How do Tea Party politics differ from Libertarians?

The guest just said that the Health Care Bill is National Socialism and directly licked it to Nazism. Clearly this shows his total lack of understanding not only of the bill, but also of basic political distinctions. These people will say Obama is Mao and Hitler in the same sentence and not recognize the problem. A minimum amount of factual knowledge should be required before someone is given any credence or a forum in which to speak.

Shame on both of you for attempting to voice intelligent (yet so historically incorrect)arguments and giving a nod to the tea party methods of Hitler associations, etc. Boy are you guys missing the boat on our founding ideals..I fear a 21st century KKK, similar rhetoric and fearful, racist judgement.

Where is Massatusits?

I don’t understand the woman from Dallas who says “We just want to live our lives.” Who is stopping any Americans from just living their lives? The current administration didn’t cause the economic collapse of GM or the banking system. When she says the Tea Party movement is against higher taxes and big government, I always wonder if these are the same people who say don’t raise my taxes but give me more services, more police and fire protection, better schools, a stronger military, better security against terrorism and – by the way – do it without raising my taxes or making the government any larger. You simply can’t have it both ways, in my opinion.

Why are you so angry at government interference? You say you’re concerned about their influence in American companies, many of their policies are put in place to PROTECT the American people from the corporate pigs who exploit them. If goverment is not able to protect it’s citizens who will? And to the gentleman from Michigan, as both a Jew and an African American, I say that we have more to fear from those who call Obama a Nazi than Obama himself.

I’m disturbed by the anti-intellectualism and inconsistency in this movement. There were never proposals for “death panels”, etc. Although they claim to be non-partisan they are almost universally republican. I’m unclear how they can be so anti government when it comes to social welfare programs and yet strongly supportive of the Bush Cheney terror policies which were a direct attack on our civil liberties.

I live in Canada. Your guest just equated nationalized health care with nazism. Is he seriously saying Canada’s system harkens back to nazi Germany? That is patently absurd. The rest of the world is watching what is going on in U.S. politics and we just keep scratching our heads.

Massa-too-chets.
Nuc-yeh-lar.

Please follow up on the statement that American Jews should fear health care reform because of their experience with Holocaust!

That is an insane statement that should not go by undefended.

While starting out as a good idea, the Tea Party has devolved into a rightist minority (viewpoint) movement. The social stance(s) taken reflect a deeper level of control by gov’t. Fiscally, the idea of unfettered capitalism they support would wreak havoc on our country.

Medina & McQueen are blowing smoke with their claims of the racists signs about Obama or implying he’s a Nazi are from a few members of the tea party movement while essentially calling Obama a communist (McQueen’s not concerned with him being black but his being “Red).

To have these two people coming on the air to calmly try to convince us that a very vocal minority is actually a majority is just as ludicrous as the thought the broadcast is from Boston, MA – this home of the oringal and true tea party.

I hear a lot about “loss of freedom.” What are the top 5 freedoms that have been lost under Obama?

I’m astonished that WBUR/NPR is giving time to these deluded propagandists.
“Nationalized Socialism” is a term invented by the tea-partisans and means nothing – it has nothing to do with the Nazis, and everything to do with fear-mongering. Shame on you for letting the term by with no question.
And on the other end of the political spectrum, accusations of “socialism” against Obama merely betray the ignorance of those making the accusation – surely On Point knows better than to let this stand without challenge.

Also, I’m loving the “I’m not a racist because I have a black friend.” arguement.

The “tea party” movement is a bad joke, as demonstrated time and time again by the shallow arguments made by its members. The very idea that Obama is some kind of commie supervillain “red” trying to undermine America is absurd. To hear someone toss around the term “red” like that – completely unfounded, without a scrap of legitimate evidence – harkens back to a fearful, ugly era of American politics and Mr. McQueen ought to be ashamed of partcipating in those kind of tactics.

“Please follow up on the statement that American Jews should fear health care reform because of their experience with Holocaust!”

These people should be ashamed of themselves. Comparing a health care bill to the hollocaust and Obama to Hitler amounts to nothing more than hyperbole and does a great disservice to the survivors of that bleak era of human history.

As a non-partisan with political beliefs that fall on both sides of the spectrum, let me clue the “Tea Party” goers in as to how they look to outsiders: sour-grape reactionaries with no official platform, throwing a temper tantrum that amounts to grasping at straws.

As a direct and proud decendent of Paul Revere and other revolutionaries, I find it offesive and presumptuous that this group uses the “Tea Party” title for it’s movement. Have your movement, just get your own name.

Tom
You are doing a great job interviewing these people. There is a lot of empty air time when they search for an answer to a specific question.
I would like to hear the Dallas woman speak about how she lives her life — does she have a job, a house, health insurance? What would happen if sh lost one of those?
And the man — would he rather the auto industry totally collapsed?
I listen every day and you are so good at what you do.
Sincerely,
Maria B.

The Tea Party folks are afraid of a changing world and changing country in which they will have to compete on a level playing field with those who have been previously artificially held down (i.e. minorities, and the poor).

This movement is predicated entirely on racism. Their arguments and justifications to the contrary are specious and disingenuous.

Where is the balance in this discussion? Why is there not a historian or sociologist (or psychologist!) to place this movement in an appropriate context?

This is the latest manifestation of a particularly dark impulse in the United States. From Know Nothings to the Klan to Teabaggers…

It seems abhorrent to me that the your ditto head panellists draw parallels to the rise of fascism in Europe but seem completely oblivious to the fact that it was the propaganda arm are of the Nazi party that promoted the politics of hatred and gave rise to Hitler.

Fox news = Paul Joseph Goebbels

Tom,

I applaud this effort to give voice to a range of people on the political spectrum. However, where’s the counterpoint? Let’s hold these people accountable for what they are saying. There is such a thing as historical fact and these folks are a sad expression of American ignorance. Are they seriously comparing Obama to the leadership of National Socialism and in almost the same breath comparing him to Mao? Please.

-David

This rhetoric is precisely why this conservative movement alieninates moderate Americans today. The tea party movement represents a culture based on preconceptions, assumptions and prejudice. This branch of conservatism is hostile to facts, pluralism and objectivity or being informed in general. In spite of the facts, these individuals are opposed to the very existence of common law, believed (and continue to believe) that Iraq had WMD’s and was involved in 9/11, think that Barak Obama is not an American citizen, think that global warming is a total farce, and honestly believe that in less than one year Barak Obama has ruined America. The people of the tea party movement represent one of the great paradoxes of the Information Revolution: people who have access to facts and information yet choose to remain willfully ignorant.

These people need to crack a history book! The massive wealth transfer out of the country as the result of globalization is the goal of capitalism–read ANYTHING from Adam Smith to Milton Friedman (or Thomas Firedman for that matter) and you will see that the goal of capitalism is the erosion of national sovereignty in exchange for freer markets. Get your facts straight.

The Tea Party is robust and influential? On who? And why? Your guests today have made it clear that this so-called movement is not about anything beyond general displeasure with government. Well, I’m generally displeased too, and have been for some time. I’ve listened to “Tea Party people” plenty now, including today’s speakers, and they clearly has no specific issues or causes to get behind. Nothing about this “movement” is well articulated. This doesn’t look like a movement to me, it seems like a lot of noise, and often times, angry, disturbing noise. Maybe local and national media giving so much air time to the Tea Party is the real problem here.

The proposed health care bill is nationalized socialism?! — your guest obviously knows nothing about socialism. Perhaps your guest would like to eliminate all federal and state funded essential services such as police, firefighters, teachers, road workers, social workers, etc., those could be dangerously socialist things we’ve got in this country.

What about FOREIGN POLICY? Libertarians are vigorously anti-interventionist, against Bush’s wars and now Obama’s.
Since military spending is about 50% of our discretionary spending, Tea Partiers should be anti-interventionist.

Your guests don’t accept the premise that any of them are racist, yet look at what one of your guests just said: He compared the Obama health care plan to socialism and, in turn, to the incineration of his Jewish relatives in Nazi Germany!

This is the tip of the iceberg. If this is what members of Tea Parties are saying on polite public radio, one can only imagine what they are saying in the privacy of like-minded hate rallies. This movement is backward thinking, paranoid, and delusional.

Ironically, though they claim to represent the freedom to live your life as you please, the consistently draw the line at the freedom to choose or the freedom of gay couples to marry. Let’s hope that they are a last gasp of intolerance and an historical footnote.

These have to be some of the most ignorant people ever to be interviewed on NPR.

A blizzard of lies and hate.

The Tea Party movement has a racist element. Photos below

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss288/MoronsWithSigns/teabagfounderdalerobert.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patjarrett/3917622960/sizes/m/in/set-72157622360754218/

The gentleman guest who is speaking on today’s show is making some pretty bizarre connections between Nazism, Fascism, Communism, and Obama’s administration and the current health care reform. Does he not realize that we already have socialized health care? I mean, really – what does he think Medicare and Medicaid are? The current bill is about reforming those outdated social welfare systems so that they work better and so that insurance companies don’t keep ripping everybody off or denying coverage. It’s not about instituting some kind of communist plan to annihilate American citizens. Communism killed 200 million people. I’m a conservative, and I don’t support a lot of what the Democrats want to do, but I think that people in the tea party movement who make comparisons like this this really do a disservice to moderate, rational conservatives. I also think it speaks to a broader cultural shift away from reason and rationalism and into the realm of scare tactics and misinformation. Spreading fear and misinformation is more aligned with what the Nazis did to convince citizens to turn on each other, than the process of democracy that are going on in Washington D.C.

The Tea Party scares me. I don’t want a second Revolution. Are the tea party people willing to use violence? Who will be accountable when violence happens?

I want to improve the country, But tea party style “freedom”, the freedom to get rich, is a freedom that allows Enron felonies and Wall Street corruption. Freedom must be balanced with responsibility. What kind of responsibility are the tea party people willing to accept? Toward the poor? toward the environment? Toward sick people?

I hear demonization of Oboma and his cohort. This doesn’t sound reasonable to me. Tea party people and rhetoric scare me.

My question for the Tea Party members: Assuming they acknowledge the depth and severity of our financial crisis & the Great Recession, what would they have done differently over the past 18 months as compared to the policy prescriptions of Ben Bernanke, Henry Paulson, Tim Geithner, Barack Obama & George W Bush?

I understand that your guests want to disavow the racist slant of the tea party movement. However, if racism were a significant part of a party I was affiliated with, I would leave the party. Plain and simple. It isn’t a minor trait manifested in fringe members. It is a major deal breaker.

How was the Tea Party name chosen? I assume from the Boston Tea Party. However, in line with their seemingly total lack of understanding of history or politics, do they realize that those “patriots” in the Boston Tea Party were not protesting citizens, but merchants working to continue their existing monopoly on tea imports. I suppose business monopolies and support of obscene profits fit the current members too.

I’m also from Texas and am disgusted by the panelist from Dallas. No one is suggesting that all of the Teapartiers are racist, but she’s pretending she has NO idea about prejudiced sentiment. This is pathetic.

Yes, Lori, I’m sure non-racist people live in Dallas. What a joke! And congrats on mentioning ‘one’ black person in Texas who might agree with you. Furthermore – thanks for ‘liking’ black people. Bleh!

Learned college educated supporters of the President who have studied and written papers in college about Totalitarian & Communist leaders are bad and Bigots and Nazis who are members of the Tea Party are not??
Sorry but I am at a loss to understand the Logic!
Great Show, thanks for shinning the spotlight!

The caller who said the e-mails he received seemed racist was trying to begin a dialogue about it. Ms. Medina has her head in the sand if she doesn’t know some of this is going on. Better she acknowledges it and keep on encouraging the Tea Party to avoid that road–rather than attack Harry Reid, who is no more the one voice for Democrats than the racist members of the Tea Part are the only voice. It doesn’t sound genuine.

I am angry that you are giving such publicity to this group of ultra conservatives who spread hatred. Comparing this movement to 13 original states and 13 at the Last Supper is horrendous. As a practicing Christian this is totally unbiblical. I know we are in a free country and should hear all sides but enough is enough of this group. Let them disavow some of the hate speech, posters, lies that they spread and then maybe I would listen to them. Would you have an ultra conservative Muslim group critical of the American gov’t featured on your show?

Nice to give those right wingers the chance to vent their views but know-nothings need to be corrected or at least challenged as they disseminate their lies.

It is revolting to hear semi-truths, bts and pieces a la Foxie “news” spouted freely without challenge.

I’m listening to these “tea party” folks bristle about how damaging the Obama administration is and will be to this country. That said, Obama hasn’t declared an illegal war (Iraq), didn’t disembowel the constitution (illegal wire tapping), didn’t/doesn’t have a vice president who committed treason (Valerie Plame, War racketeering) and made the global community hate the U.S. as a result of “bring it on” actions and deeds.

Obama’s black, so what. Bush is an inarticulate dumb bell. And, as soon as the paranoid right stops bristling and wallowing in a bi-partisan orgy, then we can work together to undue the last 8 years of republican rape and pillaging of the U.S.

Jeffrey McQueen is contradicting himself. He accused Pres. Obama of being a socialist and anti-American because, in part, he associates and is supported by SEIU. Then, later in the conversation he insists that unions are not socialist. This seems to be endemic among the tea party spokespeople I have heard. Any idea they don’t like is socialist and nationalized (ie: healthcare), but something very similar in structure, but that directly benefits them now (ie: Medicare, fire departments, public schools, etc) are necessary and the “government should keep their hands off them!”

Wow! Armed insurrection? Really?

Your guests’ claim that money going to the “third world” has broken the American Middle class is blatently false, unless they mean not paying for two wars in the Middle East by cutting taxes and ballooning our deficit.

Is freedom equated with the cut in regulations that led to excesses and collapse in the financial and housing industries?

Why are these people allowed on the radio?!! Comparing Obama to Hitler, saying they are fearful he will round up Jews and they need an armed revolution? A bunch of crazy racists. Totally irresponsible of NPR to even give these people a platform to spew their hate.

Right-wing populism. Very scary. We need to keep our eyes on this. It’s a slippery slope. There’s a new documentary about how racist groups are finding their way into the mainstream through such movements as the tea-baggers.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/11/white_power_usa_the_rise_of

The question was ‘what makes Obama a socialist in your eyes?’ Jeffrey McQueen’s response was ‘the people he’s surrounded himself with…’
Yeah, I think he’s way too conservative because of all the Republicans he’s got up there, Robert Gates, Rob Lahood…

These people are not patriots, nor do they have any place in the America that I know and love. To threaten violence they way Mr. McQueen did – to turn to the “bullet boxes” – proves that the “tea party” movement has absolutely no legitmacy. None.

Dude just said bullet box,

He’s selling the flags, right?

It seems as though the Tea Party are rather misinformed and reactionary. This is parallel to what caused racism in this country to begin with. Those in the upper-class minority created hate in the poor whites against the black slaves to prevent the two from organizing against the rich upper-class minority. Now corporate america uses the ideal of rugged individualism and constitutional worship to rally the emotions of privileged white masses against “socialism”. God forbid we should actually have concern for our neighbors and countrymen. IT seems they are more concerned with rhetoric than actual change.

Jeffrey McQueen is an extremist a right wing extremist and On Point just gave this man a half hour of time. He is using threats and is as far from an American as one can get. He is also using the same language that Joseph McCarthy used in the 50’s, watch out for these people.

This is an ugly part of our country. That’s my opinion.
I find everything said by these two disgusting and repulsive.

the fact something like the “TEA PARTY” is getting any air and light shows how under-educated and under-informed the general public has become. Back in the olden days they called it “snake oil salesmen”

Tom asks “what do you hear in the Tea Party message?” I hear a bunch of poorly-informed conspiracy theorists. They are largely influenced and organized by Glen Beck and other TV personalities. For the most part, their arguments just don’t hold up to serious scrutiny.

The BULLETT BOX? These people are crazy. We live in a democracy. vote your conscience and the MAJORITY will win. That’s how our country works. I am in the military and I have sworn and oath to protect and defend the constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic. These guys need to watch what they say.

These spoiled brats effectively belittle people with real problems. With genocide in Darfur abroad and healthcare bankrupting citizens domestically, it makes Tea Party activists sound like sniveling brats.

Wow, that bullet box comment made by McQueen was a bit scary.

They can’t even agree with each other…one suggesting violent insurrection and the other playing down any such activity. Same goes with the fractured message. Denial of racism is disingenuous at best but will further prove to be a dividing factor among their own group. If they ever actually gained any respectability they will self destruct themselves the same way the GOP has fractured their own party.

Bullet box? Did this guy really just say that one of the options that the tea party will resort to is the bullet box? What did he mean by that? Assassination? Who are they planning to shoot? Surely the American public cannot possibly support this sort of movement.

These guests are unbelievable. They have the opportunity in three years to campain for, and vote for, the candidate of their choice.

Instead, they hurl vague accusations at the current occupant of the White House and call for the “bullet box” (Tom clarified this point to truly mean armed revolution.

Sadly, this irrational response is now taken as a legitimate substitute for disagreement on policy issues.

Perhaps exposure to the light of day will help limit these kinda-sorta neo Nazis

It is not surprising, but shocking non the less to hear your guest today misquote Christian scripture and misinterpret and misquote American history. These people are going down the same road and using similar reasoning that created the KKK after the Civil War and caused the Red scare of McCarthy in 1952. The only real thing that is Un-American is the intolerance they exhibit. But you can find this in American history as well, whenever the people that have been in control through the use of lies and propaganda lose power and are unable to change and grow for the true benefit of the whole of the country. Freedom is responsibility to act responsible for the benefit of everyone.

One of the Tea Party members just made allusions to an armed revolt. He sincerely hopes they don’t have to resort to the “bullet box” (if the ballot box, soap box and jury box don’t work). He then mentioned the increase of arms sales when Obama was elected.

The Tea Party movement is rooted in fear, misinformation and paranoia. They’re armed to the teeth and have no clear leadership, no clear goals beyond starting a revolution because they lost an election. I’m not really sure what makes them a reasonable option for public discourse.

It seems as though now that the left has become the “establishment”, they can’t handle peaceful dissent, therefore they attack the messengers with false accusations such asracism. There are so many citizens out here like myself who feel as though our voices aren’t being heard, we are standing up now to let our opinions and beliefs be known. The citizens of this country are not “extremists” simply because we exercise our right to “free Speech”.

Enraged, that’s how I would describe these people. I’d like to put some points for thought:

- They talked about government putting caps on bonuses or salaries and CEOs being fired. My thoughts: the government (and the tax payers) gave them a huge amount of cash. Cash in this country is power, if executives had played nice, the government wouldn’t have done much, instead billions of dollars were disbursed as bonuses. Although I don’t like it (and I have my reasons not to), I am not surprised that this happened. The other option that we could’ve had is to have no TARP, that would’ve sent us to a long depression, as or worse as that in the 1930s – we should be thanking Bush (he does get credit here) and Obama for this. The argument could be that the auto industry is surviving without TARP, not so sure about that, but the counter argument is that people don’t rely on cars for money.
- Tea Party seems to have some sort of distributed leadership where it is okay for a chapter to say “oh we didn’t know that the other chapter did that, we never did that”. That’s baloney, organize yourselves… you should be lucky that NPR gave you time.
- Finally with regards to the close-call on Christmas bombing, I heard rumors that the extreme opposition actually helped/enticed the thing to happen; to help them with their anti Obama sentiments (security, loose faith in the system, take focus from healthcare, etc). Extremism is bad in any part of the world, be it communist, religious, or conservative.

I truly fear for the future of our nation. Either these people (tea-party members, truthers, birthers, Palin, Beck)are incredibly simple-minded and ill-informed (and proud of it), or they are cynically manipulating the masses for their own gain. I don’t know which prospect is more disturbing or more immoral.

I strongly urge all here who are form Massachusetts and disagree with these rubes to go out and vote on Tuesday the 19th. Vote for Martha Coakley, I’m an independent by the way.

Everyone seems surprised to find some extreme comparisons and extreme activists in this movement, but that’s not everyone. Has anyone here even looked at any of the comparisons or political cartoons of King George III at the time of the first revolution?

Or, heck. look at the some of the signs of protesters from the 1960s, and who they said were “fascists”, etc.

Get some historical perspective, people. These people are no more extreme than many such movements.

The Tea Party is full of BS! And they keep stating how bad and wrong the Obama Administration is and the Bush Administration were the ones that ruined this country for 8 years. Not one time did the protest against the Bush Administration. This proves how racists this Tea Party is has beend and they should be banned!

You’ve addressed the Tea Party racist issue already, but after the last guest’s comment about resorting to the “bullet box” you really must cover this as fully as you can.

There is nothing new in the teabagger movement — D. W. Griffith’s 1915 film Birth of a Nation has all the symbols you see in today’s Tea Part movement: disenfranchised white rage, racism and threats of violence against elected blacks (the chief one being the “mulatto” Silas “Lynch”).

Your two crackpot guests represent Griffiths words in the film: “The former enemies of North and South are united again in common defence of their Aryan birthright.”

Birth of a Nation a.k.a. “The Clansmen” is online at the internet archive. Watch it yourself to see a major source of this movement’s ideology.

Oh, and I forgot… let DEMOCRACY work… if things go bad, things will change with the next administration. Just like Tea Part let Bush Jr stay in even though they didn’t like many of his policies.

Also and correct me if I’m wrong, wasn’t PResident Bush the one that gave all the banks a bail out? Hmmm!

The lack of critical thinking on the part of the individuals representing the Tea Party is obvious.
They are dispensing views filtered through their own life experience. This experience is highly influenced by the vitrol of partisan politics. Their arguments are simplistic and would be laughable except for the fact that they are obviously going to be incapable of retracting their philosophy. They would have to admit their foolishness. The comment about the “bullet box” was stupifyingly pathetic. Praying on the fear of others, and making a living doing it, is a tried and true career path which can be quite lucrative.

If the Tea Partiers are all about less government, why don’t they just join with the Libertarians? There ‘platform’ is less government, people will do the right thing on their own.

Of course history, especially recent history, proves that there are a lot of “as long as I get mine” people. The LAST thing we need is ‘no oversight’.

I truly fear for the future of our nation. Either these people (tea-party members, truthers, birthers, Palin, Beck)are incredibly simple-minded and ill-informed (and proud of it), or they are cynically manipulating the masses for their own gain. I don’t know which prospect is more disturbing or more immoral.

They are both. Palin is an anti-intellectual. While I would not call Palin a nazi this kind of ideology was used by them and her idea of how to run a country would be disastrous for us.

First, where was the Tea Party when Bush selected to cut TAX for the millionnaire?

I am sick and tired of TEA Party–they are nothing, but people conspiring to murder.

When companies were shipping American jobs overseas, where was the TEA PARTY murderers?

If you are not a Republican, GET LOST. OKAY.

TEA PARTY IS NOTHING, BUT A MILITIA MOVEMENT.

As long as most people have food and water there will not be a real revolution in this country. But fascists feed off the fears of people that this will come. Your guests today are capable of inciting riots, very similar to those during the 1930’s. The remark about using the bullet box demonstrates their disdain for the rule of law.

They do have a point however, because the lawmakers have become their own ruling class: a group of liars and hypocrites who are not even attempting to govern. I’m as frustrated as they are. The difference between me and them is that I know that government is necessary for a country to even exist, let alone overcome the problems we all have.

A true republic puts pressure on our elected representative by giving them realistic ideas, not threats.

Most of the tea party members benefit immensely from domestic policies that the government that they profess to abhor, they just won’t admit it. One example of many is the huge farm subsidies that benefit parts of the country (not just farmers) from whence many of the tea party members come.
Most of the members also have a distinct ignorance about whether their policies really comport at all with the original “tea partiers” (i.e., 18th century Americans). Those people would be aghast at what the tea partiers are proposing.
Fred – yes, they are incredibly simple-minded and ill-informed, and, in keeping with that fine American anti-intellectualist tradition – proud of it.

Following up on the Paul Revere post above about the name of the Tea Party movement: The original tea party movement, according to grammar school history I absorbed, was against “taxation WITHOUT REPRESENTATION,” not taxation in general.

Well, after reading the majority of the comments posted here, one thing has become crystal clear to me: the Tea Party certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on ignorance and hate.

The tea party crowd is a frightening movement that preaches divisiveness and hatred. Obama had barely taken office before they were all over him, which certainly seems to be a racist reaction. They are full of criticism, but offer no alternative solutions. Any student of history knows that the failure of the government to intervene during the depression is what led to disaster in 1929. The fact that our economy is still standing proves that the government intervention was
needed.

I guarnatee that at least 90% of these “tea partiers” supported our initial “involvement” in the Middle East. I would almost promise that these people thought that it was ok to go in and drop bombs when a Republican president was in office, but now that a Democratic president is trying to pick up the pieces, we’re “medling” in foreign affairs. I just don’t understand how people can be so self-contradictory and not see how ridiculous they sound. If this were really about policy, they wouldn’t stumble over themselves when asked specific questions about specific policies. They don’t know what they’re against, they’re only watching Fox News and passing around “Obama is Muslim” email forwards and regurgitating what they read and hear.

It makes me furious that these people are getting any media coverage at all. It’s only giving them credibility where otherwise they would have none among the general, intelligent population. Seriously, who in their right mind would ever say, “we’ll go to the bullet boxes” and try to substantiate a revolution with ammuniation sales statistics?

Fiscal responsibility? Please, Mr Continetti, on your way out of the program, take it to Wall Street. I will pay your subway fare.

Isn’t asking where the Tea Pariters were during the Bush administration rather akin to asking where the War Protesters are during now? Come to think of it, where are the war protestors now?

Where were all these voices when (King) George Bush was ruining our economy by spending unchecked millions in Iraq, enabling the banking royalty of this country to line their pockets at our expense and burdening our grandchildren with poor health care choices and enormous debt? The “tea party” name is misleading and is really trying to mask the bigotry and jingoism that insecurity about our changing global world has brought out in these people. They are trying to cling to the past instead of embracing change that can – surprise! – be beneficial to them and many others. Let’s ask them some history questions… we’ll see how well referenced they really are in the foundations and values of our country including all of the ways we have changed and adapted since our revolution. As a woman, I am pretty glad that we saw the light (since 1776) and I get a vote!

Why do I get the funny feeling the unemployed guy from Michigan is or was cashing his socialist unemployment check?

I feel that many people don’t understand the situation of their lives, they don’t know what cases the demands and provisions of their life experience. What action of revolution will bring freedom? The formation of a smaller government? If this, than I believe they are wrong:

One of your guests said that the problem is with rising costs, and she connects costs with the size of government. While many costs may be laundered through a government, the real costs may not actually be in it. Consider for instance the action of the human population in the last century: we have mined out much of the easily attained metals and minerals on the face of the earth; cut down or destroyed most of the large, healthy trees; over-fished and poisoned the oceans; depleted and stressed our freshwater supply, polluted it too; and desertified or degraded a full third of the worlds good cropland. Lord knows what else we’ve done or caused, like species mass-extinction. And the global human population is half again larger than it was 30 years ago. Only our technical innovation, and improvements in efficient use of resources, has allowed our continued growth in the face of so much destruction. Do the tea-partiers seriously think smaller government would reduce costs and increase freedom?? Maybe the freedom to suffer disorganized catastrophe by our own hands, because the costs are elsewhere. Revolution is needed — in that they are correct — because the activities of the last century will not continue, and change, but far beyond mere change, is need to survive in this drastically changing world.

If you want evidence of how stupid these tea baggers are they demonstrated against Detroit auto makers on Monday.

Detroit? Detroit which got chicken feed compared to what the banks got?

When I see them in front of Goldman Sachs and Chase and Bank of America and Citi then I will know they they stand for something other than stupidity and hate.

Why is it anyone that disagrees with the left is preaching fear, racism, hatred, etc ? Look at your own leaders, Gore; Global warming crisis, Pelosi and Reid; Healthcare crisis, Rahm Emanuel; never let a good crisis go to waste,
Reid; President Obama had a good chance to win because he didn’t speak “Negro”.

The caller who said “You’re listening to two of their leaders here and they are extremists” was right. One of them, Jeffrey McQueen, clearly said on this program that if the Tea Partyers don’t get what they want in this phase of their effort, their next step will be armed rebellion. If a Tea Party leader is that comfortable talking about armed rebellion on a national radio show, what must be on the minds of their followers.

What a jarring transition to go from the BBC World News to the barely articulate Lorie Medina whose arguments sound like those of a precocious 5-year old. “We are for FREEDOM.” “Well, ahh don’t know that racist gentleman.” “There’s a black person here in Texas who we like.” The fact that such a dim person could get so much airtime is puzzling and problematic.

This really seems like a natural consequence of people who embrace so thoroughly a national identity they have no way of coping with globalization. Yet it is a nationalism that is a result of and the consummate purveyor of expansionism. The only way to maintain a purely national identity within the global framework is to effectively take over the world, which obviously won’t work. So an alternate means of exporting Western civilization emerged, not simply corporations but technologies–the very means of communications, transportation, etc. It wasn’t conscious, perhaps, but it has occurred. All of which goes a long way to explain little things like major media-fueled “grassroots” movements, a demand for the president’s birth certificate, etc.

If you are interested in the fundamental nature of the Tea Party “movement”, you may wish to read “A New American Tea Party” by John M. O’Hara. He is a new, young author that has done extensive research on the entire matter. I was looking for background information and found this book. I think it was published just a few weeks back. I picked it up at Barnes and Noble. Michael, from Wisconsin

The contradiction that stuck me most about the tea-partiers was this. They clearly are “leaders” of this movement (they organize, and they often make comments that purport to represent the broader spirit of the movement), yet they constantly try to deny that the movement has any leaders and they claim that it’s just a bunch of individuals standing up together. This move lets them deny any association with the plainly shocking antics of their fellow protesters (threats of violence, racist e-mails, slogans, and imagery) and yet still somehow claim to speak on behalf of a broad social movement. Well, which is it?

The frightening thing about the Tea Party Movement is that so much of what they stand for is based on untruth.
It seems that their understanding of issues is limited.
Health care reform= halocoust, Obama is a Communist.
Government is bad and useless. Much of this comes from the pathology of unscrupulous talk show hosts and politians who deliberately distort to appeal to the emotions. If teapartiers want to be taken seriously, let them deal in facts, not simplistic, victimhood, nonsense.

“Bullet box…armed rebellion?!?” ~Tom Ashbrook

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.” ~John F. Kennedy

Where were these “TEAPARTIERS” when George W. Bush orchestrated the largest redistribution of wealth in modern history to the rich of this nation. Any sane American recognizes this movement for what it is. Its pure hypocrisy at best and directed at the first black president under the guise of reminiscent Americana. Give me a break… and its journalists like you Tom that give voice to this movement which only reinforces their delusion. Who’s the next guest the KKK Grand Wizard? Sadly true independent conservatives are mute and ineffective. “The greatest enemy in our struggle to stop oppression and injustice is always the insidious etiquette of silence.” Author unknown.

I am so impressed with Tom Ashbrook – How he could be so calm in the face of such blather. He is SO much more controlled than I. Thank goodness for the reaseoned, thoughtful comments on the air and on-line. The Tea Party Movement appeals to the worst in humans – FEAR ( especially xenophobia), GREED and ANGER. Add a healthy dose of ignorance and it is, as many have said, truly FRIGHTENING.

So far, the only thing I can take away from the Tea Party’s mostly incoherent grassroots message is a heart-rending defense of America’s enduring peculiar institutions: the supremacy of handful of entitled men and the women who love them by way of everything that Jesus would never do. Rather than the American Revolution, perhaps the Tea Party would do better to adopt the Civil War as it’s symbol. Then the Union can do what maybe it should have done then: broker a bloodless secession, give them some land and then offer immediate asylum to everyone who wants out of whatever alternate version of the America the TP comes up with.

People, please take a breath. There are so many wrong assumptions being posted that it makes one’s head spin. Because of a few crank protesters that make some knee-jerk, cliched, or even racist remarks, that obviously doesn’t mean they speak for the vast majority of the protesters. Of course, most of you realize that. Though you want to use those remarks in a disingenuous way to try to make a weak point. Try to to be better then that.

Jeffrey McQueen used the Constitution as an example.
One thing he forgot to mention is amendments. The Founders, who for the most part were Humanest and Rationalist, designed the Constitution to be changed to be fluid. If we went by McQueen’s interpretation African Americans would not have the right to vote and maybe slavery would still be legal. Women would not have the right to vote. He should look up some of the amendments say 13 through 22 for starters.

Those who were paying attention last year know that these “organizations” are not grass-roots, but were started by conservative folks like the oil baron Koch brothers, special-interest healthcare groups and fear-mongering media personalities like Beck.

If this “movement” has nothing to do with President Obama, why did it suddenly appear mere months after his inauguration? Where were they when BushCo was shredding the Bill of Rights, starting illegal wars and committing treason? Their hypocracy is matched only by their ignorance.

Neither guest had a coherent message that made any sense. The lady from Dallas bemoaned that she just wants America to be free again. Well, who’s been getting in your way, lady? Has the government kicked in your door because of the things you’re saying? Has anyone come to burn down your church? Has any mob come to lynch your family?

Of course not! And yet, it was the other Tea Partier who suggested that such actions might need to be taken if he doesn’t get his way.

Why are people so afraid when people freely assemble to express their views? Isn’t that was one of the freedoms that we all hold dear? It’s a shame that so many of you are afraid to hear from people who you don’t agree with. But, isn’t that the idea of that freedom? Go ahead and debate the issues, that’s great. But why do you feel the need to belittle these folks that are just excersizing their freedom over issues that the care deeply about?

The posters here are far too kind to the Tea-Party people.
By and large the few people defending the T-P people on this site sound even more deluded.

“Why are people so afraid when people freely assemble to express their views? Isn’t that was one of the freedoms that we all hold dear?”
Posted by Mark

People fear what they fail to understand; and so few understand freedom.

Mark because they are intolerant. I am not saying they do not have a right to freely assemble. I’m taking them to task on the ideology of this so called movement.

I heard Jeffrey McQueen make statements that were pretty scary. He alluded to using guns to make change. Which is not a right. He used the Constitution to back his ideas, leaving out the amendments. The movement or whatever it is does not seem to be doing what your advocating. Have you seen them at town hall meetings? I’m sure there are lots of them who are not racist and act like decent people at meetings. However what I saw this past summer and fall was not democracy, it was thuggery.

I dont know the man who was on with Lorie Medina but he does not have anything to do with the Dallas Tea Party.
We dont condone violence.
The group here in Texas is involved in educating votes to candidates that are fiscally responsible.
Thats it-

The gentleman that called and said he is receiving all the racist emails, He’s not receiving them from The Dallas Tea Party group.I know because I’m a member.

When the first bailout was taking place during the election-That started the first spark for me-The majority of Americans did not want the bailout and they passed it anyway. Then the passed Cap and TAX without READING it, again without majority support of the American People, when I was looking around on the computer from people who felt like me, in my area-I joined a few groups on line who were from the surrounding Dallas area-I did come across one group that at some point I received a very disgusting email about Michelle Obama-I- along with many other spoke out right away about it and were throw out of the group.That showed me it was a group thinking that way and not just one nut in the group.
Perhaps that mans family belongs to that group
I have never, never, received anything at all from the Dallas Tea Party or its members that has been questionable. I wouldnt be in the group if I had.
Our elected officals are supposed to represent US-They have been voting against what the people want.No one is happy with the Healthcare bill-They brought votes to pass that-Do you think that’s okay?

At what point in this pointless program did Tom actually give a counterpoint to the idiotic generalizations spewing forth from the mouth of either of these teabaggers? At no point. I think I would have at least called on the female teabagger from Texas to explain her remark about being “against so much regulation”. Is she for real? It is precisely the lack of regulation that allowed for the near total collapse of the housing market. On Point should BE on point occassionally, not some wishy-washy lets let everyone have their say stenography service which passes for media today. No more air time for idiots.

People are afraid of people freely assembling in large numbers to express their views when their views are blinded by self-righteousness, lack logic, and are laced with subtle or even overt references to racism and violence.

I certainly hope that Mr. McQueen dunt bring his bullet box to massaTusetts.

If you have a racist bone in your body on this, you are a sap. The people you should be upset with are white bankers on wall street. Obama is not even particularly popular amongst blacks and he was chosen for the very purpose to make race a distraction from the real problem ..

I believe the drive behind many of the Tea Party goers is a dissatisfaction with the operation of our federal government, regardless of which party has been or is now in control. My hope is that the Tea Party evolves into voice of the independent voter who simply wants Washington to act in a fiscally and socially responsible manner, and that it will work to get the best candidates into office. The ultimate goal should be to prevent the Republicans and the Democrats from ever achieving a majority position of power. Perhaps then they will learn how to work together.

“I heard Jeffrey McQueen make statements that were pretty scary. He alluded to using guns to make change. Which is not a right. He used the Constitution to back his ideas, leaving out the amendments.”
Posted by jeffe

@ jeffe:
Whoa! What Constitutional Amendment(s) are YOU “leaving out”? What do you think the 2nd Amendment is about, the right to hunt ducks with a 12 gauge? I find your lack of understanding Constitutional rights “pretty scary.”

I have a few points and it is probably best to bullet list them:

1. I believe that in some ways the Tea Party is going through “normal” growing pains. A loose group of individuals with varied points of view attempting to make change. If the movement persists it will become more structured, unified, and clarified overtime.

2. I believe that at it’s core and in the future the Tea Party will solidify itself as an ultra-conservative organization in both social and economic stance. Overall they will winnow out as an anti-tax, anti-regulation, anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-immagration group.

3. I do find their rhetoric to be a little shallow and lacking personal accountabilty. They really seem to be playing the victim to any opposing point of view. You are either with them or against them. When you make your stance that black-and-white you become more attractive to those who take similar extreme stances for instance, white supremists you are either a white american or you are not. If the Tea party maintains their hardline view they will not garner enough support from mainstream folks and thus will become a fringe organization.

4. Jeff McQueen already revealed more of his poker hand than he should have. As a leader of the organization to come out and use the term “Bullet Box” is a clear indication that he aligns in many ways with the extreme malitia group mentality which most (not all but MOST malitia groups) also support a racist agenda.

5. Laurie is no better than Jeff but she is on an oposite extreme. As detailed as Jeff is she is extremely shallow with her points and knee jerk. Government’s LACK of regulation and oversight coupled with extreme greed on the part of corporate CEO’s and board members is what got us in the state we are in. Government FAILED to protect the people when it deregulated the financial industry. Goverment also FAILED the people when it bailed out AIG and the auto industry, we could have been a little more demanding of those institutions if they wanted money. Laurie strikes me as a typical Dallas Socialite/Idealist. Stay at home mom, board member of the PTA, Boosters, Slipper Club, probably has a 6-figure household income, church on Sundays, football practice or cheerleading practice for the kids on Saturdays. The prototypical upper middle class nuclear family. Living a very different reality than most people. I also noticed the long silences from her when asked detailed questions. Her relaince on the argument “I am tired of taxes, of big government, of government running our lives” and her inability to articulate at a much deeper level what this means does not make a strong platform for socail change. I also am disturbed by her inability to even recognize that the Tea Party movement has attracted a substantial racist element. Yes harry Reid did make some racist stements but that is avoiding the issue. The Tea Party does in fact attract a lot of racists, more than the democratic party does for sure.

6. To the caller Pat from KY point, I am tired of Laurie’s shallow and unarticulated rhetoric as well as Jeff’s “Bullet Box” extremist views BUT we need the media to cover them. We need to see and know everything we can about the Tea party movement. It is the only way that we can objectively begin to determine if any of us want to join their movement. I am open to learning more about them just as I am open to learning more about the republicans, democrats, and libertarians. I want more information on them not less. I want folks like Laurie to say “I don’t know anything about racism in the Tea Party movement” and I want the media to call her on the carpet when racists are found to be members of the Tea Party. In my heart I want Laurie to be proven right b/c racism really bothers me but the only way we can ever know is to learn more about the Tea Party not less.

7. Lastly, whether I agree with the Tea Party agenda or not I agree with their right to organize and attempt to make change. If it is change that you don’t agree with then you should support or start a group that stands in opposition to the Tea Party, that after all is your right.

There are so many very good and informative comments written here, including a couple who write, in general terms, “So, what are the tea party member’s problems with Obama, since Obama, has surrounded himself with many pro bankster (read – republican) conservatives?”
So many disengenuous comments by the far – right wing guests: “The tea party has no leaders, etc., say most, but esp. Lorie Medina: What a joke!! What do they consider Dick Armey, others, and herself in the tea party? In an authoratarian movement and government such as the type the tea partyiers would really like to set up (Perhaps there are links from the tea party members to the “reconstructionists” movement [They dream of replacing the Constitution with the bible], there are always those who rise to the organization’s authoritarian positions.
BTW: I wonder about that lady from Groton, MA. who said she is a member of the tea party. Is she doing anything in that town to counter the extreme power grabbing of many of the town boards, in that town? Some close family members were trying to sell land in that town, and the hoops those family members had to go through just to obtain the approval of of the conservation board for “permission to sell the land” was/is astounding, even compared to other towns in MA.
I think she should get to work in her own town of Groton, MA!!.
Perhaps we can hope that the republican party splinters itself into so many bits and brands, like GM.

Todd,

Interesting point. So, because you fail to understand this movement, is that why you fear it? Maybe you don’t understand what true freedom is all about. Thank you for reinforcing making my point.

Todd I’ll try to make it simple for you. I used those amendments as “examples” of how the Constitution has more to it than the second amendment. Something people of your ilk seem to forget. Your complete lack of understanding of what I am talking about scares me. My point, being that you did not get it the first time was that the Constitution is a FLUID document that was designed to be amended.

For the record I would repeal the Second amendment.
It’s abused by way to many people.

Two points: the Obama with a Hitler mustache is a LaRouche thing, NOT a Tea Party symbol.

My other point, as a moderate, the venom being thrown at Tea Party supporters here is stunning. I see the country slipping towards socialism. I loathe Obama’s actions is his first year. I think he has done a horrible job. Am I not allowed to say this without being call a racist? Is this not America? And why the hypocrisy?!

The right to bare arms is not meant to mean the right to overthrow the government by force. It was designed at a time when local militias were needed to protect and support the Continental Army. One could argue that the National Guard is the modern out growth of this.

It is not your right to overthrow the government using a weapon. You might like to think so, but that’s not what the Founders had in mind.

By the way go and try to weld a weapon in the halls of Congress and see where that will get you.

Mark – nobody said they shouldn’t assemble freely. What folks are saying is that NPR should not give them a national platform to express views that verge on hate speech (comparing a Obama’s health care bill to Nazi-ism and the Holocaust? Really?) without a rebuttal from someone armed with facts to refute their nonsense. Without a couterpoint some listeners might take what’s said at face value when it’s clearly a pack of outright lies disguised as nationalism. Maybe it’s the Tea Party members that are closest to National Socialism, being that it espoused individualism over collectivism, racism over tolerance, competition over cooperation, gun ownership over gun control, “common sense” (ie, propaganda) over facts and science, and fear over truth.

Racism is alive and well in America and is one of the main driving forces behind the tea party movement.

It’s not PC to be racist but if they can wrap it up with something else that makes it OK in their minds.

Where were these people when we had a white president who spent us into the poorhouse for 8 years?

David you can say negative things about Obama it and I’ll join you. For different reasons however. I’ll support anything you say, it’s your right. I might not agree with you, but I wont stop you.

I even support the right of the Tea Baggers even though I loath what I have seen and heard from them.

My idea of a healthy democracy is one where we can debate these things without being told to shut up.

David – of course you have that right, just as others have the right to refute it. But when people are actually making racist comments they should definitely be called out. Maybe someone should point out the difference between “National Socialism” and “Socialism” to Mr. McQueen. I’m in Canada, which has many aspects of socialism intertwined with capitalism and so far it has served our population well. This fear mongering concerning the term “Socialism” seems to be the new McCarthyism.

David

I watched a half hour documentary showing the kind of people joining the tea party. They were white supremacists.

I can’t link to it because it was taken off of YouTube for some reason.

It was SCARY!

The lack of regulation that led to the current housing crisis was led by Barney Frank and Maxine Waters. They continued to support Fannie and Freddie even as these organizations imploded. Don’t blame “white bankers” or Bush…come on! (I love the white banker comment, as if all the bankers in the US are white and they alone caused the problems).

Obama’s support of ACORN is a real problem, not “white bankers”.

Ok David if you want to believe all of that I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.

Obama’s support of ACORN is a real problem, not “white bankers”.

Now your being silly.

David,

The billionaires who are running this control through control of the government led to the mortgage meltdown.

Open your eyes.

It was all orchestrated because the end game of the banks being bailed out by the taxpayers was always planned.

The poor people in this country don’t have power. The rich do. When you realize that to the fullest extent you will understand how this country really runs.

“Todd,

Interesting point. So, because you fail to understand this movement, is that why you fear it? Maybe you don’t understand what true freedom is all about. Thank you for reinforcing making my point.”
Posted by Mark

@ Mark:
If you are representative of the movement, then maybe I don’t understand it! Because, you’ve just made a rebuttal disagreeing with me, when I was actually AGREEING with you in my above post. My position couldn’t be more opposite than that which you’ve misconstrued from my post—please reread it.

“Interesting point. So, because you fail to understand this movement, is that why you fear it? Maybe you don’t understand what true freedom is all about. Thank you for reinforcing making my point.”
Posted by Mark
—

I don’t fear it because I don’t understand it. I fear it because it is empowering people to believe that there may come a time when they must start taking up arms against fellow citizens because their preferred candidate lost an election. And from what I’ve seen on the internet, there are a lot of people who are on board with this plan.

Marcy,

No one is saying that the Dallas Tea Party Chapter is racist. What is true is that the Tea Party movement, in general, does attract and is appealling to racists. Why is that so difficult to acknowledge? That doesn’t make YOU a racist, it doesn’t make the movement racist (yet), it simply means that the Tea Party’s platform is more appealling to racists than a republican or demogratic platform. You loose credibility if you do not aknowledge the good AND the bad of the Tea Party movement.

Maybe Marcy can shed a deeper light on her and the Tea Party’s understanding of exactly what caused the circumstances our nation faces today? Further what are the REAL steps to be taken? Give us some meat, some depth, something concrete. Don’t just say “The people didn’t want it” or “Stop raising taxes” those arguments don’t cut it. I would love nitty gritty details. Does the Tea Party movement bring new, fresh, detailed ideas to the table on how to make things better OR is it simply about rhetoric that anyone can glean from surfing the web or listening to Glenn Beck?

Show us that you are more than just a group of people who are “Fed-up” and simply taking to the streets. Show us your plans, strategies, and the details of the reforms you wish to bring about. Yes, like the Founding Fathers the Tea Party is angry and fed-up BUT unlike the Founding Fathers I don’t see any serious intellectual debate. I see no framing of serious detailed issues or an agenda. I see few real answers being proposed by the Tea Party.

I fear that the Tea Party is simply creating a new polar extreme. I see no consensus, no unification, no real attempt to address the issues that face real americans (regardless of political affiliation, social status, race, etc). The Tea party seems to be stuck on the “revolution” part of Founding Fathers story. What they have failed to move towards is the detail changes, ideas, and aticulated NEW vision that can make this country better for ALL, not just those who want lower taxes, no abortion, and no gay marriage.

Sorry you’re being silly.

Check this out: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/11/white_power_usa_the_rise_of

Scary stuff, but some of the language used by Jeffrey McQueen is the same these white supremacist are using.

Dave, I think I have a one reason for their hypocrisy. They (many of the people on the left that loathe the very idea of people protesting against what they believe) are the intolerant ones. They spout about freedom and tolerance until people actually challenge their points. Then, all they want to do is try to discredit them, call them cranks, so they don’t have to debate them. They are the ones that are afraid of the freedoms on which this country was founded.

Hi:

The vast majority of us in the Tea Party movement are peace loving people, however uderstand if we are forced to choose between peace and freedom, I expect freedom will be chosen. Unfortunately, I was cut off before I could explain the boxes (soap, ballot, jury and bullet) should be used in that order. I do not advocate violence, but it is clear the purpose of the Second Amendment was not put in place so we could hunt. It as put in place to protect us from domestic enemies. Enemies who threaten our national sovereignty.

Jeff McQueen

“They spout about freedom and tolerance until people actually challenge their points. Then, all they want to do is try to discredit them, call them cranks, so they don’t have to debate them.”

This sounds an awful lot like what you’re doing, quite frankly. Are people who disagree with you supposed to just smile politely and nod?

You have the right to assemble and to say whatever you like. You do not have the right to be free of criticism. That door swings both ways.

one more link on the link between the anti-emigrant, right wing groups and white supremest groups. They are all trying to get into main stream politics via groups such as the Tea Party. Think Glenn Beck.

http://www.bignoisefilms.com/videowire/106/106

Jeff

If you had any understanding of what is going on in this country you would be protesting the banks.

They put a gun to the head of congress and said hand over the US treasury or we will pull the trigger. And congress caved.

THAT IS FASCISM.

But tea baggers seem to be OK with FASCISM.

“Unfortunately, I was cut off before I could explain the boxes (soap, ballot, jury and bullet) should be used in that order.”

Fret not, it was clear that you only intend to take up arms against the government and possibly fellow citizens if they did not bend to your will in court.

This was not reassuring.

Once again, people continue to say that the bankers were the root cause of the economic crisis. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!! Why is it so hard to understand that it was the government, through Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, that continued to provide a market for the mortgage lenders to make those risky loans? Folks, it really isn’t that hard to understand. When Freddie & Fannie continued to buy up these loans ( they held almost 75 % of the nations mortgages), then why would you think that the lenders wouldn’t make these loans? I know, it is hard for you to blame such a huge government entity. You like blaming the capitalists. It just fits into your world view.

“Todd I’ll try to make it simple for you. I used those amendments as “examples” of how the Constitution has more to it than the second amendment. Something people of your ilk seem to forget. Your complete lack of understanding of what I am talking about scares me. My point, being that you did not get it the first time was that the Constitution is a FLUID document that was designed to be amended.

For the record I would repeal the Second amendment.
It’s abused by way to many people.”
Posted by jeffe

@ jeffe:
You can’t make simple for another what you complicate for yourself. If the Founders of the Constitution had designed it with the intent of facilitating its amendment, they wouldn’t have written Article V in such a manner as to make its amendment an onerous process. Amendment: Impossible? No.; Necessary at times? Yes.; Frequent? Never! The Constitution does not GRANT rights, it PROTECTS rights—individual and inalienable rights. It was not designed to be so “FLUID” that the very rights that it protects could be amended away. The purpose of the 2nd Amendment is to ensure the protection, BY THE PEOPLE, of all the other amendments. WE are ultimately responsible for maintaining our rights, not the government. Unfortunately, our rights are being continuously diluted/abrogated, as the Constitutional amendment process is too often circumvented by the illicit use of Presidential Executive Orders and Signing Statements.

Jeff McQueen I just watched a film that clearly links White Supremacist groups to the Tea Party movement.
How do you respond to this? Some of your statements sound almost verbatim to the ones I heard from neo-nazis and the so called minutemen vigilantly groups. Language such as equating Obama with socialism and other so called “foreign ideologies”

Do you know of JT Ready? What does the number 88 mean?

Just what does “Take it back” mean to you?

Debbie, please criticize people’s points of view if you disagree with them. Who ever said you shouldn’t. I just don’t see a valid reason to take personal shots at those people.

Forget Marcy and Lorie… Jeff! Please explain, give us the details. Give us something more than “Bullet Box” rhetoric do it on this forum or post a link where we we can get into the details and see the NEW vision, plans, and agenda of the Tea Party! It is not enough to say “Cut taxes”, “Stop illegal immagration”, or “stop wasteful spending”. What IS wasteful spending? What SHOULD we spend on? What SHOULD be done with AIG, Goldman Sachs and Citicorp CEO’s? Should we attempt to reform banking laws to prevent this from happening again? If so what are the reforms the Tea Party recommends? What should we do with regards to Gay Rights? How does the Tea Party propose to fix our failing school system?

I get it, I really do… GOVERNMENT IS BROKEN. Tell me how the Tea Party can fix it! If the Democrats have it wrong and the Republicans have it wrong show us how the Tea Party has it RIGHT! I care less about party affiliations and more about getting things done that work and work well… Tea Party show us something different! Show us what WORKS!

I am not being cynical or sarcastic… I really mean it… What are the things that are not being done that need to get done? Details… details… details… I am tired of rhetoric from the left and the right. Show us something that WORKS! You have our attention… now say something to keep it!

Others on this forum may not be open to your ideas… I am! If it works and is of real benefit to our nation I am all for it… but if you only have repackaged conservative rhetoric then save it… that has gotten us nowhere… same for repackaged liberal rhetoric… Give us something different and of VALUE! I for one am all ears!

Instead of complaining and organizing rallies to divide the country, join politics and policy making organizations to help make the change you like. Instead this is creating divisions, ill feelings, and polarizing people instead of helping. I am offended at all the extreme comparisons to natzi-isms, socialized massacres etc. Public education is organized socially and I don’t see any huge public movements to fix it and it is in dire straits.

Todd what do you mean? I am well aware that changing amendments is a difficult thing to bring about.
However the Constitution was designed to allow for these.
I keep hearing people on the right using the Constitution as an excuse to back up their ideas and they seem to only use the original document to back up the argument.

If you did that women would not have the right to vote, and African Americans would still be slaves. Obviously this is not the case, so to sit here and argue with me about this is kind of silly don’t you think.
We don have rights written into our system, it’s called the Bill of Rights.

Unfortunately, our rights are being continuously diluted/abrogated, as the Constitutional amendment process is too often circumvented by the illicit use of Presidential Executive Orders and Signing Statements.

I agree with your there, both parties abuse this.

George:

I have been protesting the banks and you can see me on YouTube in Chicago protesting to End the Fed. Please don’t assume I don’t understand who the bandits are, I believe I do.

I also know NAFTA would not have become law if 29 Democrat Senators (including Dodd and Kennedy) did not vote for it, and is 102 Democrat representatives did not vote for it.

I do not advocate protectionism. I advocate reciprocity. Foreign car makers enjoy a 50% marketshare in the U.S. However, in Japan, Korea, Germany, France and Italy over 70% of their counties marketshare is still supplied by their countries car makers.

Tom asked what we hear in the Tea Party roar. I hear ignorance. They don’t know what socialism is. They don’t know that social security, unemployment insurance, and Medicare are socialism. They don’t know what Naziism is. They don’t know what their own movement is. Their ignorance is astounding and truly frightening.

Mark, I’m not actually seeing a whole lot of personal attacks. I do see a lot of people concerned about serious air time given to a movement that claims to have no leaders, but there are people speaking for it. And those people are using faulty logic. But we’re supposed to remember that these people who are speaking for this speakerless movement are not speaking for the movement, even though they are, so even though we disagree with these people, it doesn’t mean we disagree with the Tea Party because these people speaking for it are not actually speaking for it and for its members.

Mostly it’s just confusing and difficult to take the Tea Party seriously if it can’t even commit to what it actually is. It’s somewhat comical. Except for the part about the looming threat of civil war.

Nathan you should do some research on what is going on with the Tea Party and the language they use.
There are some direct links between extreme right wing groups and the Tea Party. They will deny it as they have today, but a lot of these extremist groups view this movement as a way to get into the main stream and to popularize the xenophobic ideology that they have. “Take back America” has a different meaning to a white supremacist than it does to most people.

This group is not as innocent as these people are saying. It is diverse in the level of conservatives and so one but they have nazis in there and they don’t even know it.

A point of information for the record: The first permutation of a universal health care system in Germany was instituted under Bismarck, not Hitler. So was the German form of Social Security.

I worked for a time for the Leukemia and Immunogenetics Research Group of the German Research Society (SFB 120 der DFG) before the reunification of Germany. The only leukemia patient we could not treat was a man who had fled East Germany decades before; the DDR authorities refused his sister an exit visa that she might have come to Tuebingen to be tested as a potential bone marrow donor (living-related transplantation). The patient succumbed to his leukemia for lack of a compatible bone marrow donor.

We never turned away a patient because he could not afford to pay. We never turned away a patient due to his immigration status. We never turned away a patient for his political views. We never turned away a patient because his insurance company refused to pay for “experimental” treatments or delayed so long in paying that the patient died waiting for his appeals to be processed. We never turned away a patient due to his race, ethnicity, religion, or any other reason.

So kindly get your facts straight before you impugn some of the most decent doctors, nurses, lab techs, and researchers I have ever had the privilege to work with.

Nathan:

Regardles of your political bent, most Americans will agree the quality of life in America was best in America in the 1950s and 1960s. Many families were supported on a single income. Many folks had vacation homes, two cars and confidence in our government.

Since then, most families can no longer survive on one income and we’ve seen a huge break-up of Black families in America (which is a SHAME!). I blame welfare, and government interferrence in the market for this erosion of our quality of life.

I also blame our goverment for writing trade regulations that favored foreign companies and governments, financially American workers and unions. THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED. Reciprocity should have been insisted on. (If I were a schill of large corporations, I would never make this statement.)

“This group is not as innocent as these people are saying. It is diverse in the level of conservatives and so one but they have nazis in there and they don’t even know it.”

Jeffe, this is what concerns me. Because the idea of the Tea Party is left so wide open, people are becoming involved with ideologies they aren’t even aware of. I know that not everyone who considers themselves a member is a racist, but they are aligning themselves with that element.

Until they shore up their goals and ideals, find some leadership and make it clear what they stand for, it’s the wild west. And yes, you have to focus on the most extreme, most dangerous elements of a group like this. They need to be identified so that the members can decide if that’s who they want to align themselves with.

To make the claim that the health care bill is a step towards National Socialism and that Jews should not be in support of this is ridiculous. The speaker should then also be asking Jews to not use the national highway system, Public Libraries, municipal water supplies, fire departments, police and other publicly funded institutions as they are yet another example of National Socialism.

Mark,

You are RIGHT! Our current economic situation is the fault of government but it goes deeper than Freddie and Fannie. Deregulation coupled with the greed of corporate CEO’s fueled this. Don’t place all this at the feet of Government. Yes Government took away the regulations but corporations then pushed the well beyond the edge of the envelop for the sake of lining their own pockets.

Government fell asleep at the wheel but it was what private enterprise chose to do when they discovered that no one was watching that ultimately put us in this mess. Government created a system that provided to opportunity for this to happen but it was the AIG’s, Goldman Sach, and Citicorps of the world that opted to take advantage of the system.

Simply because you can get away with something doesn’t mean you should do it. I can probably get away with speeding, cheating on my taxes, smoking pot, probably even stealing from my neighbor BUT that does not mean I should do it.

Simply claiming that it is all the fault of “Government” is an extremely simplistic and inaccurate potrait of what has gone on. In that regard you have offered nothing better than the rhetoric we heare from the left and from the Tea Party…

Nathan:

Oops . . . “financially damaging American workers and unions.” is what I meant to write.

Jeff

“most Americans will agree the quality of life in America was best in America in the 1950s and 1960s.”

If you amend that to “most straight, white, Christian male Americans will agree the quality of life in America was best in America in the 1950s and 1960s.”, I will wholeheartedly agree.

There is so much wrong with this country and its politics that I welcome any voice of protest. Too many Americans are sitting around and taking it. At last some people are getting up and uniting around the idea that they’re not going to take it any more.

You keyboard protesters aren’t getting anything accomplished. Why criticize those who are at least trying? Don’t agree with them, then get active, but don’t take away their right to protest.

If this Tea Party movement was as organized as some on the left would like to believe, then maybe they would have a more unified voice. But since it is a grass roots movement that has sprung up in every part of this country, is it any wonder why it is hard to put a single label on it? This is not a nationwaide coordinated movement. It is a natural and organic and healthy occurence. There is no reason to be confused. It is what it is, whether you agree with some or all of them or not.

Don, following up on your comment:

“Finally with regards to the close-call on Christmas bombing, I heard rumors that the extreme opposition actually helped/enticed the thing to happen; to help them with their anti Obama sentiments (security, loose faith in the system, take focus from healthcare, etc). Extremism is bad in any part of the world, be it communist, religious, or conservative.

Although the person making those rumors is clearly exercising his freedom of speech rights, don’t go around believing everything you hear. Of course, if you do believe it, you have every right to rely on your freedom of speech, that this country so rightfully grants us!

Josh:

If you think the Healthcare Bill is about health or care, you’re sadly mistaken. Ronald Reagan warned us if Socialism ever came to America it would be disguised as a healthcare bill.

The healthcare bill is about government taking over one-sixth of our economy. If you don’t understand this, you need to stop drinking the koolaid.

Jeff

To those of you who on the extreme fringe of your political propensity, I can only say “We in the middle are tired of you and your insane rambling. We will render your vote useless at the polls! The middle will rise-up and once again rule this great nation.

Jeff

The healthcare bill as written is about giving for-profit health insurance and drug companies more profits from the pockets of the people.

It’s called crony capitalism. It’s not Socialism.

Nathan, the government was anything BUT asleep at the wheel. They beacme an active participant in the mortgage industry. that is when the problem started. When people use the word deregulation, they are twisting the true spirit behind the word. Deregulation, since the early eighties, was meant to get government out of the way of buisness so that free market capitalism would be unleashed. What happened in the housing crisis was just the opposite. Government wanted to influence the housing market so that more loans would be made to people who would normally not be able to take out a mortgage because of their risky credit status. If government would have just left well enough alone, then these banks and other mortgage lenders would not have made these loans. Please remember this distinction between Deregulation to free up markets, and the changing and loosening of rules to arrive at a certain outcome.

Jeff:
Reagan is not someone you should be looking to for good economic ideas. His trickle down theory doesn’t work and has led to massive income inequality and the destruction of the middle class.

I totally agree that things are messed up in politics on both sides of the isle, but Reagan’s ideas are the ideas you should be fighting against!

I have also received numerous forwarded emails (with hundreds of names) from the tea party movement. The racist material is so robust, I can’t decipher the healthcare message. The emails are sent in 20 point, bold, uppercase, red typeface with comments about President Obama being a MUSLIM, etc–it is quite clear that the message is not really about healthcare. So I now hit delete before I even open them. Then there is Fox “News” commentary/support of the tea party–so full of racism that my husband and I swear Glen Beck is a white supremacist. For the tea party movement to claim they don’t know the pro-white tone of the tea party exists? Well, that can’t be true. I have always been a Democrat but I do enjoy hearing from the Republicans. What I want to know is where have the intelligent Republicans gone? The ones who could discuss politics without all of the racial hatred? I do miss the healthy debates our country used to have.

I perceive the tea-party as a symptom of Republican & corporate strategy to spread fear among the masses in order to gain / regain power – what they’re about, basically. These forces twist & mislead reality from the White House, Democrats & anybody opposed to their views & use it to prey on all of us out here who are genuinely afraid of the current economic climate. The majority won’t comprehend the ramifications of issues & proposed reforms, so we do the best we can with our vote.
I believe in Barack Obama. It’s refreshing & inspiring to have a leader listening to ALL VOICES, taking time to correct “misinformation” & moving forward – with backbone & integrity – to make things better for all of us.
I encourage tea-party members to operate directly with leaders, decision-makers in their community & give of their time to realize effective results in a peaceful, intelligent manner.

Josh:

The national highway system, our libraries etc did not involve the U.S. Government taking over 1/6th of our economy. Currenty 52% of Americans rely on the government for their paycheck. Should we inctrease that to 72%?! How long before you realize there is only a small productive minority of us supporting a massive parasitic majority?

How much of your income are you willing to redistribute before you declare yourself a slave of the State? Do you have a right to your income and your labor, or is it the property of the government to redistribute as they please.

Conservatives, recovering liberals and independents are waking up all across America, and no longer accept the Government has our best interests in mind. The way to fix things is to return to many of the values of our Forefathers . . . and NO this DOES NOT INCLUDE SLAVERY.

In fact, according to Amnesty International modern global slavery today is nearly 3 times larger than slavery at its peak in the 1860’s. They estimate 12 Million people live in forced labor globally today, compare to 3.9 million in the 1860s (according to US census records). Slavery must be stopped, and trafficers must be brought to justice, including UN military leaders, who were instrumental in trafficing women from Eastern Europe to the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

Jeff,

Thanks for the response but you have not given DETAILS. Is there a link anywhre that gives something more than rhetoric?!?! This is not the 1950’s and 1960’s. People are not able to survive on a single income. Are you hinting at the notion that if we reformed ourselves socially back to the thinking of the 1950’s and 1960’s things would just somehow “work out”? Are you saying that the ideology of “A woman’s place is in the home”, “A man should go out and be the bread winner”, “Children should be seen not heard” and “It’s a MAN’s world” is the ideas we must embrace in order to make this nation a better place? please tell me that the Tea Party movement has something more for us to pin our hope on…

A second home? how does material ownership translate to better schools, stronger economy, a more dynamic and educated work force? I am getting the impression that the Tea Party movement is more about going back to the way things were in the 1950’s and less about looking ahead and forging a NEW path in the 21st century. Or do you really believe that America’s best day are behinds us… days when african-americans were segregated, when woman who worked out of the home were frowned on?

Where is the Tea Party’s plan? What reforms are you offering that are DIFFERENT from the Democrats and the Republican?!?! Or are you trying to embody deeper “truer” Conservative values (or Liberal)? Is the Tea Party movement something truely NEW? The impression I am getting is that it is an ultra-conservative movement… What are YOU? Please give details! Give us a LINK that tells us what the REAL MEANING AND PURPOSE OF THE TEA PARTY IS!

The more you avoid the questions, the more you stall on providing details, the more you refuse to give us a link, the less credibility you have.

You start to mention trade regulations HOWEVER rather than offer an alternate solution you simply say “That should never have been allowed” WELL Jeff, what SHOULD have been allowed? What SHOULD we do now? STOP pointing out what should not have been done and what the problems are. START showing us examples of what NEEDS to be done and how the Tea Party can do it! Again I agree GOVERNMENT IS BROKEN but what are the NEW ideas the Tea Party can offer and propose that will fix it? What in 2010 (not 1950) should we be doing that will work for ALL americans?

The longer you delay in answering this or providing a link to these details the more you loose my attention…

“Jeff

The healthcare bill as written is about giving for-profit health insurance and drug companies more profits from the pockets of the people.

It’s called crony capitalism. It’s not Socialism.”
Posted by George

@ George:
On the contrary, crony capitalism is merely socialism for the rich!

Re Scott Brown, R candidate from MA running for Kennedy’s seat…

The person who called him a flip flopper was half right. He’s a half-truther too. He’s always talking about how he “drives a truck.” Well, let me tell you from years of personal experience, he uses his truck to transports his state-of-the-art, no-less-than-$10,000 bicycles to triathlon races all around this region. I have been at races with him for years. Every year it seems, there is a new, shiny big-bucks bike. Common man truck driver my arse. The biggest narcissist you will ever meet.

Are these people really comparing the Health Care Reform the the Holocaust?

Racism shrouded in “patriotism”

Democracy is being prepped for failure, right now, right here in America. There is a reason why what we have on these shores has been called the “American Experiment,” mostly having to do with skepticism on the part of those who believe that the average citizen is incapable of meeting his or her responsibilities in a system of popular government. The issue back then was education, and we’re seeing today that it still is.

I don’t care how many sheepskins you have. In my California community I see high school students out on the streets at 2:00 p.m., and unless their school days begin at 7:00 there is very little hope for a country that is losing ground to the developing world every minute of every hour of every day of the year.

They say that people get the government they deserve. I say that if they don’t want none, they shouldn’t get none. Let the “tea baggers” and the libertarians go without paying taxes, whad’d'ya think? But when it comes to collecting on public services like education and emergency medical, we taxpayers should be able to say “Sorry … you’re not on our list” How would that strike you, Mr. & Ms. Libertarian? We know how much you hate government “intervention” when you see that it’s benefiting your neighbor. But your day will come … someday.

Someday you’ll reach the age of folks you now see as “throwaway people”… all those spongers living on Social Security and Medicare. These programs aren’t open to you, are they? And you just hate it. The fact is that it has to get personal and hit home first, doesn’t it, before that “dim bulb” brightens.

How sweet it would be if you and your tea baggers were to actually gain a great enough majority to really do away with the very government that could have been there to help sustain your misery into and beyond your own “throwaway years.”

Great article on the four biggest myths about current healthcare legislation.

Afraid of health care legislation?
By Steven Findlay

Polls show that about half the country is still opposed to or skeptical of the health reform legislation entering the endgame in Congress. This could threaten final passage or undermine sustained support if the legislation becomes law. Those of us fighting for passage must face this fact and do a better job of convincing you doubters that the bill is, on balance, worth it.

http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2010-01-13-column13_ST_U.htm?csp=N009

These people are merely Al Qaeda in America. They are religious fundamentalists, profoundly undemocratic and advocate violence against the public.

Their leaders – Beck, Limbaugh, Palin – are the fanatical mullahs of Fox. They are not elected and do not take responsibility for either the ideas they push or the actions of their followers.

This program fell into the facile trap of allowing interviewees to simultaneously represent a faction’s palatable ideas and blame the unsavory ones on “lone gunmen.” Without leaders who are responsible to the membership, there is no need to either reflect the overall internal opinion of the group or to negotiate with outside entities. It is a “take-it-or-leave-it” attitude that fosters the most vocal and shocking beliefs because majority opinion is replaced by the loudest and most lurid channels.

Besides being childish and craven, this has a more devious aspect: It sets forth their entire platform as an ultimatum. There is no mechanism for bargaining within a democratic framework, and those more inclined to work with those outside the movement are shouted down by the extremists.

Tea Party activists have worn guns to confront elected officials. They threaten armed insurrection and use racist imagery to incite violence against our elected President. The leaflets I have seen at gun shows and such venues are stomach-churning in the depths they plumb to irritate the resentful white entitlement sentiment into flaming bigotry.

Both AQ and TP believe in an exclusionary policy in which those who disagree with them must either knuckle under or leave. They believe that contacts with other countries can be tightly controlled. This kind of thinking couldn’t keep us out of WWI; it is hopeless to the point of laughability that anyone could think that we can dictate terms to the rest of the world now. There is no “away” where we can put all the people, industries and philosophies with which a fundamentalist might disagree. ObL may have eluded the entire military might of the wealthiest country in the world by hiding in the caves of Pakistan for nearly a decade, but he is still stuck in a cave in Pakistan. He is not the captain of his destiny. Similarly, shutting out the rest of the world (and the vast majority of Americans) would cost the US precisely the freedom Mrs. Palin crows about so loudly.

If Tea Party ramblings were rewritten with “Christian” replaced by “Islam”, these people would have been tossed in Gitmo long ago.

Well it would appear that the parrots are “all shagged out after a long squawk.” The Tea Party belongs to the middle and we will have it! Fascists, Nazis and those of you who think Nikita Krushchev was misunderstood when he said, “We will bury you!”, are not welcome.

>> The lack of regulation that led to the current housing crisis was led by Barney Frank and Maxine Waters. They continued to support Fannie and Freddie even as these organizations imploded. Don’t blame “white bankers” or Bush…come on! (I love the white banker comment, as if all the bankers in the US are white and they alone caused the problems).

I was making a point that Obama is controlled by Wall street and that the real source of power in many/most cases flows from someplace else. That’s why the system is broken. If you think it could have something to do with a black pres, that is ridiculous.

That B. Frank and the dems caused the problem is a repub interpretation which I don’t believe and neither do many others. Glass Stiegel though supported by Clinton was a repub plan and no repub pres will fix the wall street problem. That seems to be why we need a 3rd party and we need to go back to paper ballots as well because the electric voting machines can be rigged ..

“Todd what do you mean? I am well aware that changing amendments is a difficult thing to bring about.
However the Constitution was designed to allow for these…We don [sic] have rights written into our system, it’s called the Bill of Rights.”
Posted by jeffe

The first Ten Amendments to the Constitution ARE the Bill of Rights. So, what do you think ensures that these Rights are protected? The ability to Amend them? In very specific instances perhaps; but, in general, I think not. The true purpose of amendments is to perfect existing inalienable rights for the equality of all (such as recognizing suffrage and abolition), not to abrogate them. The intended protections are built into the document itself. The Constitutional authors weren’t stupid comrade. As I’m sure you’re aware, they provided Constitutional Checks & Balances within the framework of government to prevent any one of the three branches from abrogating the people’s rights.

BUT, the fail-safe to possible corruption of this power-triangle was the people’s ability to protect their rights for themselves—by force, as a last resort, if necessary. NOT force against one another, per se, but rather against the use of a government standing army against its people—which is how widespread tyranny in any nation ALWAYS manifests itself. It is our DUTY as citizens to do so. Read this excerpt from the Declaration of Independence if you remain unconvinced. To wit:

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

~Declaration of Independence, 1776

Nathan:

I have plenty of details and how we could corroect many of the problems Americans currently face, such as: Health Care, Foreign Trade, Bringing Manufacturing back to America, fighting the global issue of slavery, strengthening families in America (all races, creeds and colors), getting government to work for us, defending our national sovereignty, ending the Fed, a Far Tax, Limiting government, strengthening education and putting America back to work.

I probably left out a few important subjects, but as you can see there are many issues. Most of these issues and their problems are not new. Which is frustrating since many of the answers have already been tried and tested in our past. For Democrats and Republicans to ignore the tried and true solutions, tells me they are ignorant of history or they have an agenda . . . which do you think it is?

I am sorry but the the teabagger movement tickles the crap out of me. The very loud and uninformed screaming about liberties that are not being taken away from them. I have no clue why a homemaker is worried about capping executive salaries it doesn’t affect them and these are the same people who screamed deregulation and were outraged that the Madoffs of the world took they’re savings. The liberties that they are complaining are being taken away from them are were taken away by Obama’s predecessor and they were weren’t screaming then, what change I wonder? They are shouting the the middle-class is being taxed away but whose tax regulations are we still under. And if this were a truly a grass roots movement and if the leaders disagree with the radicalized racist messages portrayed under their name, THEY would be the ones speaking out. THEY would ask those people to leave. THEY would come out with statement saying they are strongly against any racial messages and they do not want their message movement hijacked and derailed by this. Their silence and not disassociation with those groups speak volumes. Saying you know one or two black people in the movement sounds far worse, like you need a validate that you are not a racist. Finally I would come up with a better name for my movement, Google the word teabagger and look at the first result.

“If Tea Party ramblings were rewritten with “Christian” replaced by “Islam”, these people would have been tossed in Gitmo long ago.”
Posted by MB

@ MB:
Wow. So, Gitmo is just ok by you, huh? Wow. If ignorance alone qualified one for “enemy combatant” labeling, you’d be subject to the same fate.

Wow. It seems to me that only someone completly plugged in to Fox News at the exclusion of any other source of information could possibly be taken in by this idiocy.

NPR ombudsman just stated on TOLN that the word Teabagger is going to be a swear word, and it was not in NPR standing to have the cartoon on its website. But than in the same sentence she states NPR needs to find a cartoon that will offend the liberals on NPR. I would send her a compaint about how see can say one thing and do another i.e. bad cartoon no more than i.e. we need a cartoon to offend liberal to make it fair?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122494626

Todd the context of that particular passage is clearly aimed at King George III. It was not written to be used to overthrow what was then only a Continental Congress.

Of course interpreting the Constitution is a whole career.

IF you must give these folks a forum on NPR, why not provide context and intellectual heft by having them delineate their supposed tenets with people holding opposing views?
Well, though, really it might not matter. These are the bullies and ignorant people of old. Give them their white sheets — we just need to stay alert and call this movement what it is: people seeing that the metaphor has changed with the election of Obama and mired in their own hatred and fear.

The Tea Party movement is the most recent example in our history of the advance of the unscrupulous and the uncultured. Immediately in this show the guests betray a lack of expertise on the histories they reference. The male guest referenced the common right wing constitution myths right off the bat. Not all of the colonies actually participated in the constitutional convention, and those participating were engaged in drawn out, arduous debate in order to compromise high principles with regional self interest. It was not some harmonious get together. Let us remember that the document permitted the continuation of slavery. The founding fathers had a real fear of direct democracy. It was taken as a given that a large population could not be relied upon to be well informed enough to make important decisions. Thus the constitution also prevented general elections of the president (the president was selected by designated electors then) and instituted property taxes as a voting qualification. It is a complicated history and beware any person who claims to ‘embody the spirit’ of it. Lastly, It is also the only secular constitution in the world, which the religious love to forget.

And I was dumb struck to hear the comment about how Jews shouldn’t support the health care bill because “it really is national socialism.” Really? Do explain to me the details of the Nazi public healthcare program? I bet you’ve looked into it. These people have no respect for distinction in this regard. Red (communism) =/= socialism =/= fascism. National healthcare certainly is a principle of socialist governments, stick with that point if you dislike the idea. But you can’t just throw the word “national” in front of “socialism” all willy nilly. He uses national socialism to mean something like ’socialism at a national level,’ but socialism already means that. National socialism is a vague term but in any case would describe a combination of socialism with nationalist principles. But he declares it so, without a shred of support. This in the midst of the guests acting shocked to hear people accuse them of opportunistic references to fascism.

Gee Jeff your so nostalgic for the 50’s and 60’s.
Let’s see African Americans and Jews could not go into restaurants. In the South we had Jim Crow laws and segregation. Ivy league schools had quotas for Jews and anyone of color. These were meant to keep them out by the way. The military was segregated until the Korean war.

Women were supposed to stay home and cook make babies.
Here’s another fact you left out, the wealthy paid more taxes than they do now, a lot more.

The other thing you left out, was the prosperity was in part funded by the GI bill and a score of Government projects such as the interstate highway system.

Jeff your cherry picking eras to make support your argument when it’s clear that we can’t go back to that age.

Cars were death traps then as well and people smoked and drank way to much. Lobotomies were given to “unruly children” and women who were deemed “difficult”.

It was the end of decent public transportation, and good civic planing went out the window.

Look up Robert Moses.

Here’s one other thing the 50’s gave us Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American committee which did so much damage to this country.

Jeff are you advocating this kind of thing? You seem to use words such as “socialism” and “communist” a lot.

Well I’m just a small cog in a large pond, but the way I see it, you buttered your bread so lie in it. Besides, the monkey’s in your court.

Listening to the program right now.

These people are stupider then stupid.

The transfer of our wealth to 3rd world countries is the cause of our problems not the banks?

Calls Obama Red then equates that to being a Socialist?

Do these people even owe dictionaries?

The health care bill is compared to Nazi Socialism?

Jesus, do they have any idea what’s even in it?

Complete idiots. Are Americans really this ignorant?

No wonder America is failing.

Jeff, the status quo over the last 20-30 years have only worsened all the topics that you mention.

What are the tried and true solutions? The only thing I can see is good so far is that the rich get richer and that we can all reach for that (and trust me, I want that opportunity).

The other part of me feels that this is not sustainable anymore though. Jobs are exported (and they should be if you take a true capitalist approach), Americans lose jobs, poverty goes up, we end up with a social problem -> which is just starting — mark my words, it will only get worse. We’ve seen this happen in latin America already.

On the other hand Europe seems to be doing just fine even though their more socially aware (note, not socialist as in the 60s) agenda. Notice how France that considered by Americains as very socially is very close to us in terms of GDP/cap – but they have 5 weeks vacation, 6 months paid maternity leave, and crappy unions (I hate them).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave
This tells me in terms Europe is more efficient in how they work and that leads them to better quality of life.

See how also Europe has a similar number of millionaires (fewer) but similar population numbers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millionaires.
This tells me in terms of opportunity, America and Europe are similar.

How do we catch up??

How do you propose we change anything by not changing the status quo? Or what do the tea partiers propose? I just see complaining of not wanting to change, and no proposal for change.

I forgot to put the link to vacation rules:
http://www.nupge.ca/news_2007/n04jy07a.htm

Alonzo Torres you should check out this short documentary on the White supremacist groups, some of them are in the Tea Party.
I don’t care what these people say this is a white based group, the fact that there are a few Blacks in the ranks or even Hispanics means nothing. The language is all about being a certain class of white who feels threatened by the changes we have had in here in the last 20 years or so.

http://www.bignoisefilms.com/videowire/106/106

Tom,

You did a great job as moderator.

I am especially concerned about Jeffrey McQueen’s come\ment about giving our tax money to third world countries. I am concerned about what happens when President Obama announces US aid to Haiti in the coming days- which I am sure he will, and rightfully so.
With Haiti’slegacy of slavery and revolution, it could get nasty.

Might me time for one of the President’s famous speeches.

Jeff,

Please forward me a link or pont me to resources so we can lern more about the Tea Party movement, the details of it’s platform and what it proposes to do to help fix america.

I agree there are plenty of issues and I don’t expect you to answer them all here… so again PLEASE point us to the resources that detail the Tea Party plan for:
Health Care, Foreign Trade, Bringing Manufacturing back to America, fighting the global issue of slavery, strengthening families in America (all races, creeds and colors), getting government to work for us, defending our national sovereignty, ending the Fed, a Far Tax, Limiting government, strengthening education and putting America back to work.

All of the above sound like great and noble causes. Again point us to where we can see the DETAILS and LEARN more about the Tea Party platform. This is the at least the 6th time I have requested that you point us in the right direction. I am willing to read and learn show me what I should read…

Jeff, You sound a lot like the Patriot/Militia movement from the 1990s to me. And we all know how that ended. You write the following in regard to your bullet box remark and your use of the Second Amendment to justify it,

“It was put in place to protect us from domestic enemies. Enemies who threaten our national sovereignty. Jeff McQueen”

Who are these domestic enemies you are suggesting might be shot? The President of the United States and everyone who voted for him? It kind of sounded that way listening to you. You must remember that Obama won with a wide majority, and central to his campaign was health care reform. That’s what the majority voted for. Are you suggesting that the majority are all Reds or proto-Nazis? This is ridiculous. And it it also ridiculous to claim that your movement stands for liberty when you suggest that your members are arming themselves to have their way through force if they can’t get it through the ballot box. What you are expousing is not liberty or democracy, but it definitely is revolution. But this is not 1776. America is not a colony subjected to British rule. What you are revolting against is the majority of Americans who chose Barak Obama as president and supported his platform.

I asked a friend who’s a tea party supporter about her anti-federal-spending stance and whether she felt that way about the subsidies her ranch gets from USDA, increased lately because of the drought. She looked at me as though I’d gone mad.

A major minus for the tea partiers is ignorance, not to say innocence. Many don’t actually know what’s really going on (and what’s really going on is bad enough!). They know Fox.

They’re fighting the wrong enemies.

Culture War or Civil War

The angry Tea Baggers portray themselves as religious patriots seeking freedom from an oppressive federal government.

The federal government is the Union government that won the Civil War against the separatist Confederacy of the South steeped in a religious conservative social culture where plantations were the economic norm. The Tea Baggers see themselves as the victims of history extending back to the Civil War. The enemy of the conservatives is the union strong holds of New York Wall Street and Washington as co-conspirators against the populist religious Bible belt.

The Tea Baggers and Preppies, persons who see impending disaster and are preparing themselves with guns and other survival stockpiles, believe America and the world are headed for Armageddon.

The Armageddon anticipated by the religious coming of the Lord is a foreboding for the coming of a civil war by victimized Conservatives seeking vengeance against the Northern Liberals who won the Civil War. Among other issues, immigration reform and socialism are anathema to the religious conservatives.

Immigration reform is a threat to the Conservative movement. The Anti-immigration stance is primarily against the people south of the Border, who were defeated and relinquished the South-Western area that became Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California. These people speak Spanish, and are likely to give their allegiance to the federal government they want to gain citizenship and become a voting adversary against the rise of the Confederate conservative revenge.

Socialism is also a threat to the Conservative movement because a government that provides for the common welfare will strengthen the allegiance of the people to their government, an allegiance that will thwart the desire for revenge. The anti-Tax and small government policy is an ideological pretext for eviscerating the competent functioning of a national government that would justify its overthrow.

It is not without reason that so much of the vitriolic tirades against the federal government that is led by a free Black American (not an emancipated Negro) also include calls for state succession from the Union. Like President Lincoln before him, President Obama now stands at the precipice of saving the Union as much as he has had to save the nation from economic collapse.

The Culture War in America is an impending Civil War to be fought in the streets of America between gun-toting conservatives against the governmental structures of law and order; first by taking over local governments and institutions much like southern governments were able to do after the Civil War. The characterization of government as evil to be resisted by the religious patriots has already radicalized many of the conservatives who view participation in representative government as collaborating with the enemy.

We only need to look at the struggle of Mexico to regain control over their streets from insurgent drug cartels as a foreboding example of the coming right wing civil disorder in America.

“Todd the context of that particular passage is clearly aimed at King George III. It was not written to be used to overthrow what was then only a Continental Congress.

Of course interpreting the Constitution is a whole career.”
Posted by jeffe

@ jeffe:
And if the Continental Congress of then had been co-opted by King George III to continue the oppression of the colonists by the Crown—what then? As I see it, we are today facing the same situation. Merely replace King George III of then with the corporate multi-national oligarchy of today, which has co-opted our Congress to further their self-serving goals, and with no regard whatsoever for individual rights.

Indeed yes, interpreting the subtleties of the Constitution, or even the Declaration of Independence, can be an arduous task—but, by no means is it impossible. Common sense alone will reveal 95% of its original intent.

Jeffrey McQueen and Lorie Medina are not being very honest.
If they do not think that there are a lot of racist and racial overtones in this movement they are either blind or choose not to see it. McQueen’s jargon is also very similar to Gordon Baum and the Council of Conservative Citizens, who are racists, period.

On Point needs to do a follow up in this show and it needs to invite some of the people who have been following this group and how the more extreme elements of the right are involved.

It’s all very well for Lorie Medina to say she is not racist and that she has a black friend, (eye rolling here) but to sit there on a national radio show and just out and out lie or be so naive to the realities of the group she represents is the height of arrogance.

Tom I have to ask, did your producers do any research for this show? I found out in less than hour about the direct connections between the Tea Party movement and the white supremacist movement. Did you know this and just laid off, due to the inflammatory nature of it?

There is no point in talking to liberals anymore, we’re just delaying the inevitable. Bring it on!

What a joke! All they have is criticisms and no solutions. Where were the solutions to the problems? Where were they for the last 10-15 years? Cutting taxes is not a panacea for all of our country’s woes. If it were after Bush cut taxes for the wealthy we should have seen a rise in economic growth. We saw the opposite. Private sector job growth was flat the last ten years most of which was under the Bush Administration. Bush bankrupted our country with two wars, horrible tax policy and the unprecedented expansion of Medicare with no revenue. I don’t buy the argument that Obama’s skin color is not a problem.

The tax argument is bunk too. In the stimulus there was a tax cut for lower to middle class Americans, one third of stimulus was tax cuts. The transfer of wealth in this country is not reflected in the tax code. The transfer of wealth I see is caused by stagnate wages and high health care cost.

Todd I agree with your point here, corporate multi-national oligarchy of today, which has co-opted our Congress to further their self-serving goalshowever I don’t think using violence is an answer. Mind you I would love to tar and feather a few of the CEO’s who brought on this mess.

I’m not sure what the answer is, making it illegal for corporations to lobby as if they are individuals that can hide behind the 1st amendment seems a good place to start.

There is no point in talking to liberals anymore, we’re just delaying the inevitable. Bring it on!
–Posted by Stacked

So I assume by this comment that you sir are advocating violence. Pretty juvenile if you ask me. Here’s a little advice for you Stacked, we live in a country in which people have different points of view. One should learn to live with this. There is also a population shift taking place, white Anglo Saxons are also losing the majority and power and this will only increase in years to come.

If your solution to this is violence, your going to lose.

To credit Bush with “success” reg 9/11 is absurd. His reaction was and is a complete disaster. Our invasion of Iraq is just one of many.

Why should these people be allowed without challenge to coopt the principles of the Founding Fathers? They throw around “we the people” and “freedom” and “liberty” as if they own them. Would they have preferred the financial system to collapse? Would they like a continued lack of financial regulation? Would they prefer that people continue to go bankrupt for lack of health care? Let’s talk specifics.

I mean resistance. But since YOU bring it up, the American Revolution was fought against a much more powerful force, and they one. I don’t fear what you speak of. And as far as different points of view, you mean to say anyone but a White Christian Conservative Man. That you can not be today. All these manipulative calls of change. Well, I ain’t changing. It’s fine the way it is, and it’s been fair all things considered. As fair as this life will ever get. So long as the Constitution is upheld, there is no need for violence, but if it’s not…our own FOUNDING FATHERS gave us the DUTY to go to war! As far as “Juvenile” well, by your definition, the very creation of this nation was “Juvenile” so you should probably find a more “Mature” nation to live in. This one isn’t for you. This is a FREE nation, and believe me…it’s going to stay that way!

“…making it illegal for corporations to lobby as if they are individuals that can hide behind the 1st amendment seems a good place to start.”
Posted by jeffe

Yesss! Bells & Whistles on that one! The practice of giving corporations “artificial person” status, and thus the same rights as a natural person should be repealed, post haste! We have the lobbying efforts of J.D. Rockefeller and his money to thank for, among many other injustices, “buying” the piece of warped judicial logic which set that precedent.

“I don’t think using violence is an answer.”
Posted by jeffe

@ jeffe:
I agree, I don’t think violence should ever be a first resort; however,…

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.” ~John F. Kennedy

I love the tea baggers! This country desperately needs voices other than the dominant two. If they can become a full blown third party, all the better. I’m sure the progressives sooner or later will come up with their own version, if the greens or socialists don’t already represent that.

As far as what tea baggers stand for… Beyond jingoistic shouts of freedom and low taxes I don’t think they even really know. Seems like a coalition of the ignorant, regressive, cheap, toothless, and manipulated. They can claim some noble purpose, but you just have to take inventory of the signs you see at their rallies. Just listening to the two guests makes me cringe. Listen to the things Jeffrey says. Reds, National Socialism, he’s part jew, part son of the revolution, and he apparently pronounces nuclear “Newkyaler”. They also are Bush deniers, yet dollars to doughnuts they both were bush voters.

All the above said, I still love their movement.

Sorry dslaby, but I totally have to disagree with you on this. The Tea Party movement is not part of an evil conspiracy to “Re-take the South”. Certainly there are lunatics within it that wish for such a thing, but that’s not the main aim.

The thing which really frightens me is that the Tea Party has no aim whatsoever. Listening to them talk reminds me of one thing and one thing only. Radio and TV shock-jocks who get paid to create controversy, because controversy = listeners = ratings.

Seriously, how often do they answer a question without making an attack of some sort, a deflection, an allegory, or some wild-ass metaphor that just flat boggles the senses. Do they even know that socialism and facism are polar opposites on the political spectrum?

No, they don’t. Because the bulk of them are simply parroting what they hear from a media that *makes its money* by keep them angry so they’ll tune in again. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s what is actually happening here.

They keep watching Fox News, because “It’s the only media that tells the Truth.” And ‘The Truth’ just happens to be whatever the right-wing market base wants to hear; +1.

It has become a hideous cycle of outrage and pandering, filled with shockjocks parroting angry people who parrot them in turn, ad infinitum. Just like a game of ‘telephone’ except it never stops.

Are there legitimate political concerns in there? Hell, Yes. Can you even hear them through this hurricane of circular logic and hearsay? Hell, No!

So yeah, the Tea Partiers do spook me. Because they aren’t stating their own beliefs, they’re stating a marketing campaign in disguise.

Seriously, would you just go checkout the Heritage Foundation or some other reputable source.. It’d make me alot less jumpy, and I’m your audience; remember?

This is a seething pustule of discontent, harkening back to some illusion of freedom that never existed and a complete inability to acknowledge the real problems of today and the actions that are needed to deal with it. We had the Taxpayer Revolt in California which led directly to the complete ruin of the state, brought to you by the same folks.

None of you liberals realize that every slight, every insult, every dismissal, makes us stronger! Keep it up, you’re doing great! Arrogant Snobs…I love ‘em, they make it too easy to sign up more members!

They are a bunch of crazy barking dogs who spits and bites. Sadly since they bark so loud, they are becoming a vicious force, watch out! Someone has to come up with a strategy to calm them down, like throwing a bone at them.

None of you liberals realize that every slight, every insult, every dismissal, makes us stronger! Keep it up, you’re doing great! Arrogant Snobs…I love ‘em, they make it too easy to sign up more members!
Posted by Stacked

I’m not insulting you, I take people like you very seriously. You’re not fooling me however, this populist rhetoric is a thin vale of white power and the racist agenda that it represents.

Good things these people aren’t arrogant snobs — they just claim to understand what the Founding Fathers intended better than any of us and to be “We the People”. Real humble.

****None of you liberals realize that every slight, every insult, every dismissal, makes us stronger! Keep it up, you’re doing great! Arrogant Snobs…I love ‘em, they make it too easy to sign up more members!****

How can an insult be made on someone when one doesn’t know what that means??

All the serious name calling, insult on Obama, bear no responsibilities of the damage done by Bush adm., demonstrate no fairness on your own belief & principles, etc…..,
they are enough insult Tea Party has done to themselves. Don’t start something you can’t bear…..

So Jeff ~~
You replied to Nathan:

Bringing Manufacturing back to America, fighting the global issue of slavery, strengthening families in America (all races, creeds and colors)

I’ll bet you are just as in favor of strengthening same sex marriages and their families. You’re going a really long ways out of your way to show us that you haven’t a bigoted bone in your body, aren’t you? So why, then, didn’t you reply, “all races, creeds, colors and genders?”

Don’t bother to answer. Your reasoning is all too obvious.

“The Tea parties are all about manipulating the ignorant masses to get all riled up and protest. Just ask some of the protesters what they stand for; you’ll get uncomfortable, poorly thought out opinions and talking points.”

Michael, good point, but to be fair, I’ve attended a good number of “leftist” rallies where some/many of the participants were equally clueless about the issues when asked by reporters.

Is it wrong to insult the insulting?

“Yesss! Bells & Whistles on that one! The practice of giving corporations “artificial person” status, and thus the same rights as a natural person should be repealed, post haste!”

That would indeed solve many problems that plague our societies and bring in much-needed (more of) ethical component into business.

And to take the left to task, where are the anti-war rallies and protests which were so common when Bush was the President, and all the moral outrage that resulted in news of people dying in Iraq and Afghanistan? As far as I know, the US government is still in Iraq and has sent in more troops to Afghanistan; and people – both Americans and non-Americans – are still being killed there.

Point being – hypocrisy, rationalizations and compromising on one’s ideals (anti-war in this case) are not unique to the right.

The Tea Party is almost as offensive and hypocritical as it is absurd. Today’s “On Point” just amplified my belief that they are manipulative and quite dangerous. For them to say they are defenders of the Constitution and the beliefs of our forefathers is absurd. They are dogmatic zealots abstaining themselves of every sin, except greed of course. The Tea Party convention will cost around $349 to attend. Yeah, that’s a reasonable price for a group that is supposedly so in touch with the average American.
Also of note, was their blatant absence during the Bush Administration, cementing the fact that they are on board with deregulation and the premise of huge corporations running every aspect of our lives as long as the bottom line on their end of the spectrum is in the black.
Finally, to make parallels between their views and Jesus and the Apostles is borderline sacrilegious. Never have I heard a woman so convinced that her Party has their fingers on the pulse of America and their ears to the mouth of God. If they were so concerned with public well being and were truly spiritual leaders, then maybe, just maybe they would be holding their meetings for all who could hear as opposed to leaving out those who live paycheck to paycheck and those who happen to have a video camera. Remember, the Sermon on the Mount did not have a cover charge.
In closing, their fingers are not on the pulse of America but rather somewhere else. I’ll let you all decide where they have stuck their fingers.

Folks:

The best I can do is address one issue at a time. Many in the media and Democrat Party members would love to paint the Tea Party folks as racist, and I can assure you it just isn’t true. An easy way to prove this is to invite you to a local Tea Party protest so you can see for yourself. Tea Parties across America have included many Black speakers, and have also raised campaign funds for many black candidates, like Lt. Col. Allen West of Florida. Don’t believe me, go to the the YouTube videos and you can see this for yourself. Here in Michigan, Black leaders from Joshua’s Tree spoke at our Tax Day 2009. In Columbus, Ohio a young Black woman spoke athe the Ohio Sovereignty Rally, again you can see her on YouTube and hear the people in the crowd cheering for her. We helped her get elected!

Many people in the Democrat Party are afraid you will accept my challenge and come to a Tea Party rally. They are afraid, you will discover the government does not have the right to continually confiscate your wages and redistribute them. They are afraid you’ll discover Freedom is more important than Peace. They are afraid you’ll discover behind our anger is genuine love for our fellow man. They are afraid you will discover we are not racists, but would give our life’s blood to ensure no American becomes enslaved, especially Black Americans who have already endured so much. They are afraid you will discover we are against the new taxes hidden in the healthcare bill on Cadillac policies, which many UNION members fought for, and were guaranteed. They are afraid you will discover we are not in the pocket of big corporations, and that we gueninely lement the loss of family farms, closed textile mills, steel mills, auto factories etc . . .

They are afraid you will discover NAFTA would not have become law if 29 Democrat Senators and 102 Democrat Representatives had not voted for NAFTA. Included in those who voted for NAFTA were names like, Kennedy, Dodd, Baucus and PELOSI! After what the Democrat Party has done to the working men and women of this country, how can people vote for them AGAIN? The top ten most economically challenged cities (including my Detroit) have been run by Democrats for decades! BUT DOES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE FOLKS IMPROVE! NO!

It is time to stop accepting excuses from your leadership. It is time to expect results! If you continue to vote the same liars and promise makers in office and expect different results, is this not the definition of insanity?! You deserve better! We deserve better. RESULTS NOT WORDS WOULD BE A TRUE REVOLUTION IN POLITICS . . . ON BOTH SIDES! It is not us against you. It is us against most of the politicians . . . and if you can’t see that, then it is you against yourself. God Bless you all I wish you all the best in 2010.

“Point being – hypocrisy, rationalizations and compromising on one’s ideals (anti-war in this case) are not unique to the right.”
Posted by millard-fillmore

A breath of rational fresh air—thank you!

The tea party movement as a whole is a dangerous fear-mongering movement reflecting a great deal of ignorance and hatred towards anyone who does not agree with their ‘ideas’. At the same time they do not offer any feasible solution to our economic, social, environmental problems. Their perspective is reactive and quite militaristic.

@ Jeff McQueen:

I totally hear you mon ami; but, the root of problem is NOT solely democratic, or republican—it’s BOTH. And, BOTH parties are equally culpable. In reality, it isn’t even two separate parties; since BOTH parties have been bought and are owned by the same corporate lobbying money. No matter which party holds office, it’s ALWAYS the same agenda that’s followed.

Wow! I check in at 6:50pm and it’s an ideological food fight! And…whatzis? Over 270 comments?!

I thought Mr. Ashbrook was waxing just a tad too hyperbolic during his introduction to the show in sounding as though this “movement” is some sort of an avalanche of activity.

Of course, Mr. McQueen is a piece of work with his Obama–he’s “RED!” Universal healthcare=Nazism. No satisfaction at the ballot box=satisfaction at the bullet box! Etc.

Ms. Medina was equally a few synapses short of fully firing on all cylinders. Let’s see, she wasn’t aware of any racism in Tea Party sentiment?!?! She likes a black person in Texas, so, well, she must not have any problem! (In the very mild confronting of the issue of racism found in the “Party” by Tom, all I heard from each of the first two guests was something about not being able to speak for others/or no awareness. There was no denouncing at all by either guest of the inexcusable rhetoric and racist signage readily seen and heard by any regular schmo with a tv! Early on, Ms. Medina said Obama’s inauguration was the last straw in a long spiral downward for this country…no,that’s not racist! [sarcasm]I also found Ms. Medina to be denying there are any leaders in the Tea Party. Well, maybe there are no good leaders, but isn’t she the leader of her chapter in Dallas?

Some of the phenomenon that is known as the Tea Party movement comes straight from the masses being discontented, but it is ginned up and distorted for political purposes by conservative celebrities, e.g., Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, O’Reilly, Palin, and by conservative politicians, for example, Michelle Bachmann, Jim Demint, to name a couple.

Most of what one hears by Tea Party folks (they are neither a “movement” nor a “party”) is just a lot of very simplistic and vague platitudes–aside from the ignorant references to Socialism–like “we believe in freedom” or “we are tired of all our rights being taken away” or “we’re going to take back our country.” I think our country is in its healthiest state when there is robust debate from all perspectives. An intelligent discourse, no matter how heated, is healthy, but this drivel doen’t promote reasonable and robust discourse.

No mention of Fox “news”…hmm? No mention of conservative organizations bankrolling Tea Party activities…? Maybe that would make it seem less grass rootsy!

I’ll have to return after giving some music lessons to read some more of the comments.

“The tea party movement as a whole is a dangerous fear-mongering movement reflecting a great deal of ignorance and hatred towards anyone who does not agree with their ‘ideas’. At the same time they do not offer any feasible solution to our economic, social, environmental problems. Their perspective is reactive and quite militaristic.”
Posted by Liz B.

Spoken like a true devotee of the CNN/MSNBC spin. Did you learn that perspective from watching “Wolf Wiskers” in the Sh*t-Your-Britches Room? The Tea Party movement, like any political initiative, is far from perfect. However, the Tea Party does indeed have some valid and feasible ideas; such as demanding that our government officials return to applying the Constitution as it was intended, for the protection of ALL people’s rights. But, perhaps the most important message that the Teabaggers have to offer is this: the status quo is not the solution to what ails America. At the very least, that message deserves to be acknowledged.

[...] [...]

OFF TOPIC

PLEASE HELP THE HAITIAN PEOPLE. THEY ARE BADLY NEEDED OF HELP. PLEASE DONATE TO RED CROSS AND SALVATION ARMY.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF INTERNET SCAMS. BE SURE TO DONATE MONEY TO LEGAL INSTITUTIONS NOT TO INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE.

THE FILIPINO PEOPLE ARE PRAYING FOR THE HAITIAN PEOPLE

SALAMAT (THANK YOU)

The tea party supporter on air expressed surprise that Jewish people would support the current health care initiatives, purportedly because they represent a step towards socialism. His argument is perplexing becaus the state of Israel has COMPULSORY, UNIVERSAL health care administered by government funded HMOs.

****Tea Party does indeed have some valid and feasible ideas; such as demanding that our government officials return to applying the Constitution as it was intended, for the protection of ALL people’s rights. But, perhaps the most important message that the Teabaggers have to offer is this: the status quo is not the solution to what ails America. At the very least, that message deserves to be acknowledged.****

If the Tea Party were just as loud and peaked their movement during Bush Administration, I may give them more credit than they deserve right now. Unfortunately I only see their hypocrisy of their “feasible” ideas.

They insult of word of “principle”. Principle shouldn’t be applied whenever you “feel like” it or as a political tools. It should be applied any time when it is challenged or threatened. And plenty of constitutions were challenged by Bush Adm. Where were they???

Mr. McQueen, with all due respect, I would take up arms to defend YOUR right to free speech when you discuss making changes through the ballot box. However, when you make thinly veiled threats of armed insurrection (“change through the bullet box”) against the United States Government, then in my opinion, you are flirting with treason and I would take up arms to defend this country against you.

****Is it wrong to insult the insulting?****

No one is trying to insult Tea Party, they do it to themselves.

Hypocrisy = deal breaker

justanother you said:

If the Tea Party were just as loud and peaked their movement during Bush Administration, I may give them more credit than they deserve right now.

Honestly, many of us were extremely angry with many of the Constitutional violations in Bush’s Patriot Act.

Ben Franklin said: “People who will trade freedom for safety, deserve neither.”

Many of us are like frogs in hot water . . . we don’t get excited until it get so hot we can no longer sit in the hot water.

We Tea Party patriots are extremely angry at both parties, many believe they are just two heads on the same snake.

We wouldn’t be in the mess we are in today if politicians on both sides were held accountable.

What surprises me is how many people, just don’t get it and think we are fear-mongering Republicans. They use the words and talking points, like “Teabaggers are racisit” because they accept anything they hear out of the Democrat Party leadership without question. How intelligent is that?

What makes me smile is when Democrats approach me at Tea Parties and complain about George Bush, and I agree and then they don’t know what to say? Because they have been so programed everything is Democrat vs. Republican. When you tell them they both need fixing they are lost.

It’s not treason when it’s defending against a government that says that because you have a body; are born, that you must do business with private business. It’s not treason, when your government say’s you must fork over you hard earned tax dollars to deadbeats. It’s not treason, when everything you hold sacred is shat upon, and you’re expected to take it! God Pray they keep f-ing up. God pray a reckoning! This is a Christian nation based upon freedom and liberty, not forced charity at your own expense! You guys keep doing what you’re doing! I swear that these tired, these downtrodden, these unwanted masses that you despise so much will put your words in your own “educated” know-it-all mouths and make you eat them! Hallelujah! The workers and simple men and women glean, what you have convinced yourself that you can not know!

Jeff McQueen posted (in re since the 1950s and ’60s: “Since then, most families can no longer survive on one income and we’ve seen a huge break-up of Black families in America (which is a SHAME!). I blame welfare, and government interferrence in the market for this erosion of our quality of life.”

He continues: “I also blame our goverment for writing trade regulations that favored foreign companies and governments, financially American workers and unions. THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED. Reciprocity should have been insisted on. (If I were a schill of large corporations, I would never make this statement.)”

Mr. McQueen can rest assured, WBUR and OnPoint have spent many, many hours addressing each of these issues, and there are surely many more to come.
Just to take the issue of health care: The health insurance issue seems resolved in favor of the insurers (what I call the low-hanging fruit), and still this is an issue for the Tea Party people. I thought they were in favor of the insurers having their way.
There was a time in the era of the early Cold War and McCarthyism when the health care available was in the comparative dark ages. And not too many years before that, there were candles and outhouses, do-it-yourself childbirth and toothpulling and lice. Not to mention the horse and buggy.
Not to mention Indians. No, we don’t want to go backwards too far, really. But a certain retreat from excess would go a long ways towards what the world would see as a morally defensible way of life.
So we have McQueen’s flag, Revolution2, which he says reflects that the first revolution was the 13 sitting at the Last Supper with Jesus, and the second was the 13 colonies, far more fractious in their collaboration, but coming together under one flag.
I don’t like the religious overtones to that at all.

Where was all of this “righteous” indignation prior to the election of Barack Obama? And for all of the talk of wanting to “living our lives”—these are the same people who are against abortion rights and don’t support gay marriage. The hypocrisy is spectacular…only in America…

James Moser

Listening to what I said, you will hear me say “hopefully we won’t have to use the bullet box,” but clearly the 2nd Amendment was not put in place so we could all go deer hunting. Our Right to Arms is to allow American citizens to protect ourselves from enemies foreign AND domestic. How many times will you allow our politicians to trample our Constitution before you defend it? The Constitution does not defend itself. Can politicians not go too far in your eyes? I do not advocate violence. I am confident we will stop Obama’s march to Socialism in 2010. I am confident in the ballot box and expect the jury box will also be used by many state attorney Generals to limit Federal Government intrusions into state sovereignty. The balance of power between the states and the Fed is about to change leaving many to scratch their heads trying to figure out how will work. I have confidence in the American people, once educated to make the right decisions for themselves and their families and for the sake of their fellow Americans regardless of race, color, creed, sex etc. . .

Hate to tell you, Stacked, but this is not just a nation of Christians. And some of us are sick and tired of you bashing us over the head with your so-called Christian ideals. Most Christians I know do not want to be associated with your hateful rhetoric and violent fantasies. Stop being afraid and start being thoughtful. You might learn something…

By the way, didn’t Jesus advocate being your brother’s keeper?

They are afraid, you will discover the government does not have the right to continually confiscate your wages and redistribute them. This is called taxes and the Constitution clearly states that these can be collected.

I don’t have any problem paying taxes. I have a problem with how they are spent and on waste, pork, corporations that don’t pay enough and agribusiness’ that get absurd subsidies that were originally meant for small family farms.

I already posted some links to some very unsavory people who are claiming to be part of the Tea Party movement. Of course Mr. McQueen chose not to address it and instead pulled out some “black folk” he knows to show that his group is inclusive. My research into this movement shows it to be predominantly white, and one would be hard pressed to find any African Americans or Latinos involved with them.

I’ll post the links one more time.
http://www.bignoisefilms.com/videowire/106/106

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/11/white_power_usa_the_rise_of

The other topics mentioned in Jeff’s reply I agree with on some levels. NAFTA has been a disaster for this country and Mexico. I also have a lot of problems with how the health care bill has been put together. Personally I’m for a single payer system and this has been discussed in other threads on health care.

I don’t trust the Tea Party movement, I do think it would be silly and misguided for the Dems to ignore them and for liberal commentators to make light of them.
The message I see is based in fear, and is obliviously based on white conservative angst. To say this is not the root is absurd and for Jeff McQueen to try and spin this as something other than that is disingenuous.

Hate to tell you that it will be defended “by any means necessary!” “In GOD we Trust” You bring this fight…there is more than enough to check you.

@ Jeff McQueen —

****What makes me smile is when Democrats approach me at Tea Parties and complain about George Bush, and I agree and then they don’t know what to say?****

I’m very glad you are still smiling, good thing. And I got something to say to you, I’m not happy with the performance of either party. But you had EIGHT years of opportunity to “organize” your Tea Party, and raise your voice to protest, why gave Bush EIGHT years to do the damage, and gave so little time to the current president, and beat him up like he created all the problems. What’s even funnier is you think other people don’t go alone with your belief are fools being manipulated by party’s ideology. Ha, here’s a test for intelligence, we can so see through your convenience of showing righteousness “We Tea party don’t like Bush either”, it goes to square one — where were you guys??

HYPOCRISY is like skunk, you just can’t cover it no matter how hard you try.

These people are brownshirts-they have absolutely nothing to say. More Fox news–they worship lies like truth.

Why should these fascist mindwipes get so much publicity and not Anti-war groups, or European-style socialist groups, or environmental groups that attack gov. policies and corporate filth, why not 911 truthers?!

These people have no idea what they are talking about–publicity for high-school drop-outs!

Is fascism better than socialism? This dinosaur rhetoric in America is crazy ridiculous.

Its sickening to hear these teabags (in the prison-break sense) juxtaposing the 13 colonies to apostles and America somewhow to righteousness. More Christian-creationist-jihadist crap!

Bush and Cheny were Darth Vader and the Emperor. They feel nostalgic for Cheney/Bush torture.

I don’t know who you will have as a candidate, but I have already done what I can to vote for representatives who will see to it that one-man/one-vote gets a fair shake, and that moneyed interests will not speak louder than the humans beings to be represented. That individual ran without the financial backing of special interests and did amazingly well. But his race convinced me that he was as good as his word. Another politician might accept non-public campaign financing and still get in office and vote to cut off those same purse strings, but it is not likely.
Come to think of it, you would be against that shift. You wouldn’t want any tax dollars to support campaigns. All campaigns would be financed by the people with the deepest pockets.
Anyway, that’s what you need to do. Find a leader who has all the right connections to know how all the wiring is wired, how the whole world is rigged, and yet is willing to undercut all those pals and potentially unwire the whole USA and with it possibly the world, in the interests of a New Order. Yet that leader does not have the Old Order in his bones. That leader has the Order of 1965 in his bones. Find me that individual. Find me that world.
Or just get a lot of gunpowder and make a big splash and find a place in history books, a very black place. It would be a lot easier, granted, but a “splash” is not the same as progress.

It’s obvious WAR is coming.

****It’s obvious WAR is coming.****

Haha… indeed.

It is “common sense vs. nonsense”

Tea parties are a militia movement. They’re idiots, racists, scary, liars … maybe even bankers (well, I didn’t see the last comment but it’s coming). It’s interesting how similar at least in tone are these comments to what you see on the right wing sites. They call you dopes, racists, facists, and ignorant. They also like to use extremists as examples of the progressive movement.
I’m mostly conservative (though not on moral issues). I think Bush was wrong on just about everything. However, the problems we’re having today started long before Bush. He made them worse (by a lot) then Obama outdid Bush’s wreckage in an impressively short period of time.
I think that people who say such one-side, black and white statements like many of these who’ve commented are part of the problem. Demonizing the other side locks you into a pattern of thinking and marginalizes you to the other side. Essentially, we’re forming camps.
Too many conservatives are dug into the perception that health care change is a progressive plot. Progressives are dug into the perception of fat cat insurance companies manipulating the congress. Both sides have painted extreme pictures of the other. Climate change, the war, immigration have all become our encampments.
If the comments on this site are examples of how people really think, then the left is as hungry for simple minded generalities as followers of Hannity. The good news is that I don’t think those who comment on this show are representative of most people. The bad news is that those who simplify complex situations get all the press.

Ok, I guess I’m getting a bit preachy.

That’s what the arrogant, oppressive, British said about the Colonists. What’s old is new again. The result will be the same. Bye.

Mr McQueen,

You have yet to make a compelling argument that PRESIDENT Obama is a socialist. This is merely right wing propaganda and scare tactics. I’m sure that in retrospect you would like to retract the treasonous comments you made on national radio earlier today. For your sake I hope that the FBI is that forgiving. You plainly are inciting armed insurrection.

While I believe that Americans have and should have the right to bear arms for whatever reason, it’s a little irrelevant in the 21st century, don’t you think? A handful conspiracy theorists armed with Budweiser and shot guns are somewhat impotent in the face of the United States Military, no?

It is indeed unfortunate that hard working and thoughtful Americans find themselves too busy keeping the economy going to get involved in counteracting the Foxzombies.

News Flash! The National Guard, and a large portion of the Army are on our side. It’s going to be a short war.

I can’t believe no one has invoked Godwin’s Rule yet! Comparing the health care bill to Nazism some 20 minutes into the program confirmed for me that Jeffrey McQueen isn’t playing with a full deck. Although I was going to try to be a tolerant liberal and hear these people out–maybe learn something–Mr. McQueen’s fatuous claim that his Jewish ancestry is the reason he fears health care reform struck me as a particularly awkward. I couldn’t listen anymore. Sorry, Mr. Ashcroft: I had to turn off the radio.

First, Jeff you still have not provided DETAILS, a link, an address that explains in any depth the Tea party platform! A brochure? Book? You should not have to answer EVERY question and talking point on this forum nor would I expect you to represent the ENTIRE Tea Party platform… simply point us in the right direction. Show us where to go… This is now my 7th request for DETAILS.

Second, Can everyone PLEASE STOP using the term “Tea Bagger”?! It is disrespectful and only serves to create friction. Are you interested in LEARNING or simply shooting down ideas that are different from your own? Jeff et al deserve to have a public forum and deserve respect. I would expect nothing less from him in listening to my ideas… He deserves the same from you. If you cannot rise above name calling you are part of the problem that is dragging america down. Grow up!!!

Give the Tea Party the opportunity to put their cards on the table. We can then look at them and decide for ourselves if their game makes sense. Open the doors let us hear the DETAILS and determine for ourselves if we agree or not. Just point us in the right direction… In the end I might not agree with Jeff (then again I just might!), but at the very least I would have a better understanding of him and he would have a better understanding of me… THAT IS CERTAINLY A GOOD THING… isn’t it?

‘The bullet box’–what the–not angry–thses people are crazy. They are willing to kill people because they disagree–thats fascist and dictatorial–not democracy, not what we think of as American, or even Christian.

Real concerns? Gimma-a break–these people need to be locked up so that cant hurt, thining, rational, caring people.

What’s best for this country, he says. Obama has reached out across the isle like other in the past–o much so that we have one party,not two.

I would like ot see independent thinkers in governemtn as well, but these people are totally totally misguided and pyscho hateful small-minded petty petty people who got left behind in evolution.

These braniacs are willing to pull out the guns–to ‘defend’ the nation–they would unleash chaos and fascist police to oppress the spiralling madness.

America is third-world rogue.

Why dont they turn their bullets on themselves nd do the world favor?

Tea and a Cookie are good enough for me.

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith, economist (1908-2006)
This applies to the Tea Party. Their concerns are so misguided. These conservatives sound like they would fit right in with the tyrannical regimes, telling other people how to live and what to believe in. They would do well in Iran.
I’m belong to the Coffee Party myself or is that socialism?
Opal,
NYC

‘on the fringe’–get real–they’re on NPR smart guy–representing the tea party–they are the core of this brownshirt movement funded by corporatocracy.

Holocaust! Our current corporate health care is the holocaust! thefact they get so much attention by the media suggests they are the government. The american experiment is falling.

There only purpose is to shut down dialogue and democracy–tools of fascists!

The Tea Party movement is trying to convince us that government is evil and needs to be feared (except, of course, when a Republican is in charge), but, they never speak ill of corporations. They scream about bank bailouts, but, never direct any of that anger toward the bankers that ran their businesses into the ground and wrecked the economy. They’re angry about government restricting the bonuses of business leaders, but, show no anger toward those business leaders who took taxpayer money to pump up their failed businesses. What ever happened to personal responsibility? The freedom they say is being taken away has nothing to do with civil rights or any freedom guaranteed in the constitution. The freedom they’re talking about is the freedom of big corporations and the rich to do whatever they want with no government regulation or interference of any kind. I don’t want government telling me what to do, but, i don’t want corporations to tell me what to do either. I don’t trust the Tea Parties.

You sorry Conservatives should never use hate speech like this!!!!
*These FOX NEWS cultists
*no more part of the mainstream of America than the hippies who wear nipple clips
*should be good for a few laughs
*lack of civil discourse and the capacity for being extremely nasty, and devoid of compassion
*bubba vote”
*this group is nothing more than thugs
*White supremacists
*“the stupid”.
*“the dangerous.”
*pathologically selfish in orientation
*“teabagger” slurs
*This is a theocratic, radical right, homophobic rabble of rubes.
*Fruitcakes!!!
*random crazy people
*sour-grape reactionaries
*like-minded hate rallies
*the most ignorant people ever
*ultra conservatives who spread hatred
*A bunch of crazy racists
*poorly-informed conspiracy theorists
*These people are crazy
*Your two crackpot guests
*TEA PARTY murderers?
*a healthy dose of ignorance
*Their ignorance is astounding and truly frightening.
*Racism shrouded in “patriotism”
*radicalized racist
*These people are stupider then stupid.
*Complete idiots
*are a bunch of crazy barking dogs
I cannot remember a time when I have heard so much venom, degrating comments and inflammatory speech hurled at a group of Americans as I have seen today. We have gone from debating the issues to character assassinations. United we stand, divided we fall.

I am listening to these two try to put a “mainstream” voice to this movement. I don’t buy it. I don’t think they represent the majority of Americans. I hear her saying that we want our country back, we want to be able to choose our own careers…all I hear is fear, especially since no one is making you choose a certain career. Like the signs in their movement they go from accusing Obama to being a socialist to talking about tax increases in the past year that haven’t materialized. The majority of us that voted for Obama wanted a public health care option, I guess that makes the majority of American’s socialist. And to pretend that many tea partiers are not racist is asking us to ignore what we see and hear with our own eyes at these events.

****I’m belong to the Coffee Party myself or is that socialism?****

Well, it depends. Tea was mainstream in Britain in the late 19th century. Coffee was sort of a “underground” drink, so go figure.

I too will love to join Coffee Party, after my appetite for tea is shattered.

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
–Samuel Johnson

Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about.
–Mark Twain

It’s easy to see how so many poorly educated americans are falling for “Tea Bagging”. After all Fox News reported on the “Boston Tea Party” so hey let’s do that.

No doubt that there are some honestly ignorant folks getting suckered by the propaganda of the Dominionist Right-wing. Will they find out that they’re be manipulated before it’s too late? (If they have the personal courage to realize it)

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t vote for the Democrat flim-flam (but still hoping). Nader would have been my guy. (Democrats getting red in face) Don’t even get me started on the Palin horse.

Republican Pres. Nixon signed-away your future NOT pres. Obama. (look it up on the internet) (hint: economics)

Highly recommend reading “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America” by Chris Hedges (also the child of a preacher if you think that’s a credential)

You will know what to call poster named “Stack”.

Lorie Medina was gushing with admiration when discussing George Bush as “the Man Who Kept us Safe”. What about 9-11? What about Anthrax and the Shoe Bomber? Would she have introduced Clinton the same way? Of course not! These people try to convince us that they’re bipartisan, but, it’s a lie. They spent 8 years trying to destroy Clinton and now they’re doing the same to Obama. They’re complete hypocrites.

@ david,

****I cannot remember a time when I have heard so much venom, degrating comments and inflammatory speech hurled at a group of Americans as I have seen today. We have gone from debating the issues to character assassinations. United we stand, divided we fall.****

Those are the reflection of Tea Party’s character of making irresponsible accusations toward other people. They started the “shouting”, and expect some people sit there to remain silent?

“Stacked” is just plain scary.

Stacked I’m a progressive who not only owns a rifle but is a pretty good shot. I have nice German Mauser.

What your advocating is pointless and will only solve nothing. I suppose what the likes of you really wants, if your for real, is to have this proto fascist state in which only white people like yourself live in.

Or you could be a troll.

James,

The right to keep and bare arms is not irrelevant in the 21st century… In this very day there are military dictators running rough shod over their citizens… granted it is in Africa but it is happening today! Whether you like it or not in some parts of the world “21st century thinking” means taking firearms out of the hands of citizens and then forcing your will on them.

Russia assassinates reporters who write unfavorable articles about Putin (recall the events of 3 years ago)? Political opponents are poisoned in former soviet block countries. Woman are stoned to death for allowing their faces to be seen in public… ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING IN THE 21ST CENTURY! And don’t think it can’t happen here in America. Human nature dictates that those who have the most power will tend to abuse that power and use it against those of us who have less power. In a strange way I am comforted by the fact that there are more LEGALLY own guns in the hands of private citizens than the police and military have.

The actions of Enron, Adelphia (remember those crooks?), Wall Street, Vladamir Putin, Wall Street, Slobodan Milosevich, Goldman Sachs, AIG, Omar al-Bashir ALL have something in common… They have abused their power and authority in the name of self-interest sacrificing those who do not have as much power or influence. One leaves a trail of dead bodies the other leaves a trail of finacial ruin, bankruptcy, and poverty… Either way those who have little have even less when the powerful are through with them…

The right to bare arms is our nation’s last hope against ultimate oppression. I think that the militia groups and possibly the Tea Party are thinking they need to rise up now… Personally I don’t think we EVER need to take up arms against our government. The mere fact that we are armed, have the right to vote, assemble, speak freely, and worship as we please ensures we have the ultimate power. WE JUST CHOOSE NOT TO EXERCISE IT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT.

Are those of you throwing around the term “Tea Bagger” really trying to contribute to positive political discourse or are you resorting to name calling because a particualr group of people are organizing, expressing their views, and getting traction? You could stop the name calling and spend that energy organizing yourselves… Maybe offer something counter to the Tea Party? Hmmmmm?

Here, your liberal voices rule, but only here. Many silent brothers and sisters. It will be startling to you when it comes, you non-Americans. You’ve been mistaking silence for complicity, you fools!

Lots of WARS are won by “brains” not guns.

Obama reminds me a lot of Benito Mussolini, two failed and self-absorbed demagogues.

Really folks?
So its OK for both our “major” party’s to pilfer the now-defunct lock box and pad the transportation bill with everything from Medicaid funding to new fire trucks?

Both the Democrats and Republican’s have proven their inability to lead. In fact, TARP was opposed by VOTERS 100 to 1 and yet it passed on party lines. Last I checked my elected official was in DC to represent…I know its radical to say…ME, the VOTER who put them there.

God forbid a third party were to form that had libertarian views at the forefront. In a time when our fiat money system and the degradation of our economic enforcement by BOTH Democrats and Republicans have taken us to the brink of bankruptcy, you’d think the voting sheeple would spend their day reading news and books rather than drinking Big Gulps.

****Here, your liberal voices rule, but only here. Many silent brothers and sisters. It will be startling to you when it comes, you non-Americans. You’ve been mistaking silence for complicity, you fools!****

Why do you assume people not agreeing with your hypocrisy have to be liberals? How about a day to day ordinary person with a little bit of sense and compassion without a label??

“stacked” is not scary, he’s obvious. Scary is my Israeli cousin who is in the Special Forces, he’s very nice and personable, loves his mom, but he would cut your throat in a second if he had to and you would never know what was coming. That’s scary, the unexpected.

Scary is the Argentine junta from the late 70’s and 80’s who made thousands disappear.

While I believe strongly with the central views of the tea party movement (as incompetent as our crooked politicians have proven to be… with regard to doing the right thing for our nation, as opposed to themselves), it’s unfortunate that the extremists get all of the press.

I wish Mr. McQueen hadn’t so irresponsibly used firearm and use-of-force banter. This is the sort of thing that makes it easy for socialist media to make tea party participants look crazy. Shame on you Sir.

I usually listen to “On Point” even if I find the subject matter distasteful, but I had to turn this program off midway through. I’ve seen and heard enough of the tea party over the past months to see that they are, in my opinion, an obviously racist, fascist, right-wing group that is using the “angry voice shouts the loudest” tact to get publicity, while simultaneously trying to present themselves as a group that represents a valid political viewpoint.

****Here, your liberal voices rule, but only here. Many silent brothers and sisters. It will be startling to you when it comes, you non-Americans. You’ve been mistaking silence for complicity, you fools!****

Your comment should apply to liberals’ silent brothers and sisters for eight years. During Bush’s 8 years, liberals’ voice were not heard & never gotten louder then yours less than one year after the new president took office.

And shame on Democrats that never defended for liberals when they were being labeled by neo-cons.

You got one thing right, liberals can’t out shout you with voice and irresponsible rhetoric, but with words, you have no chance.

“socialist media” now your sounding like Mr. McQueen.
Lets be serious, the media is anything but socialist.

So Ken what part of the Tea Party platform do you think works?

I like the the thinly disguised white supremacist angle with slogans such “take back the country” and the anti-immigration platform that only targets poor Latinos.
Take the country back from who exactly?

The banks and wall street? Big pharma or the health insurance conglomerates? Who?

Sam, we haven’t even gotten “serious” yet. You’re mild mannered constitution is in for one hell of a shock boy! That’s sad…all this time, you haven’t realized who you’re really dealing with in the nation. Oh well…

****LOL! Naaah, seriously, I’ll “F” you up if you mess with my liberty or my freedom. Just sayin’.****

Now I like that tough talk, shouldn’t you have talked like you got balls about say 3 to 5 years ago?

Stacked do I have a country for you!
How about Argentina circa 1980? You would have fit in well there. Or, how about a nice paramilitary death squad in Guatemala, I hear they sport the most fashionable in designer death squad apparel.

wow,

Looks like a lively topic. I’ve got to type this in because a search didn’t find it:

Ron Paul
Rand Paul
The Revolution
End The Fed
HR 1207

To all you liberty minded folks, I only hope that what started out as a true and genuine evaluation of where our republic has ended up doesn’t get co-opted by the neoconservative establishment.

Hank

I was. It takes time. Nothing has changed. Put down the Kool-AId. The enemy is still the enemy, Black or White. That’s what you liberals don’t understand. Nothing is perfect. The stand may be late, but it’s real…right now, and deadly serious. Get on board! Obama is a shill!!!

Jeffe, I don’t give a plug-nicle about Argentina. That’s not my land, and not my people. They can burn for all I care. I care about AMERICANS!

Stacked all politicians are shills. You just figuring this out?

Stacked do you read history?
Do you know the period I’m alluding too? I used Argentina as a metaphor to what your advocating for in this country.

I don’t have to figure anything out. I have the 2nd Amendment. I have GUNS! I have VOICE! I have true POWER! I live in AMERICA!

I liked the woman’s last comment about where were the tea partiers when the deficit was rising. I question that too. It seems like the well-organized movement debuted 1/21/2009 the moment after Obama said we’ll have to spend some money to get out of this downturn.

I further question the organizers who are supporting Congressional leaders who claim to be fiscal conservatives but weren’t just shy of over a year ago. I also question why no Democrats have hopped onboard the tea party train if it really represents an accurate cross-section of America. There are some conservative Democrats. Where are they?

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL USE THIS ENERGY IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET RE-ELECTED TO POWER BY MASQUERADING AS NON-BUSH REPUBLICANS. THEY WILL DROP THE TEA PARTIERS AS SOON AS THEY’RE RE-ELECTED, JUST LIKE REPUBLICANS HAVE DONE WITH THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT (e.g. – they’ve never challenged Roe v. Wade as they promised to do, have they?).

While I agree that a lot of the goals are noble, I strongly feel they’re being used to garner votes and elected officials will drop them upon re-election or will disassociate themselves strongly if anyone gets crazy and starts shooting.

****I was. It takes time. Nothing has changed. Put down the Kool-AId. The enemy is still the enemy, Black or White. That’s what you liberals don’t understand. Nothing is perfect. The stand may be late, but it’s real…right now, and deadly serious. Get on board! Obama is a shill!!!****

What took you so long?? Benefit of doubt for 8 years?? All of a sudden Bush left, now you are enlightened??

Hypocrisy = Skunk

I care about ponies and flowers…

Seriously, have you read any history? How about Roman history?
How about Robert Graves’ translation of Suetonius’ The Twelve Caesars. You want learn how to rule a country some of these men had it down. Tiberius was an “interesting” king.

His “I Claudius” is great.

Check this out:

http://www.npr.org/news/graphics/2009/mar/bracket2012/

You want change? Here it is.

****Jeffe, I don’t give a plug-nicle about Argentina. That’s not my land, and not my people. They can burn for all I care. I care about AMERICANS!****

American + guns + not my people = fascist

I see, Mr. McQueen, you are on this forum. I don’t set out to be disrespectful…but judging by your platitudinal, sound-biting, faux-patriotic, armchair-conservative, garden-variety, neo-libertarian, mish-mash, junkyard philosophy and incessant, inaccurate conjuring of Socialism and the Constitution, you understand neither Socialism nor the Constitution. (Also, your pretentious inference that somehow because of your ancestry you speak for true Americans and the Jewish community is laughable, at best, and seems to indicate an exclusionary mentality.)

You mistakenly believe that Nazis were Socialists and all discussion of the Constitution consists of a noun, a verb, and ends with bearing arms!

Mr. McQueen, you suffer from a form of reactionary romanticism (“reactionary” meaning a nostalgic return to some ideology perceived to be better long ago, not “reactive,” Mr. McQueen). It’s as if you and your ilk believe we are living in a time around the Revolutionary War period and you have to gather an armed, private militia to save America and protect your rights.

You also indicate that you believe the Constitution is a static document that has never had any need for being amended, has never had a need for challenge, is sacrosacnt, and has been destroyed by government in recent history.

Your basic concepts are ignorant in the truest sense of the word, and your glib rhetoric borders on being inflammatory at points. You insinuate violence, as if you have something in mind that has to do with shooting/killing government officals/law enforcement, if, say, you have to pay higher taxes or become further dissatisfied in some way or something. Your modification of that language in this forum, to your sense that you now say you think you will get satisfaction at the ballot box (I guess you now wish us to believe you mean you were just using hyperbole with that “bullet box” idea), makes little sense. Are we to believe, either you’ve never voted before or you’ve always been fooled your entire adult life when voting but now you will not be fooled? So, if you are fooled again, will that be when the bullet box comes out? If not, under what conditions, specifically, will you and others use weaponry to enforce your point?

On the show today, both you and Ms. Medena expressed fears about what this nation will turn into if we continue farther down this path
of “Socialism”(universal health care, regulatory oversight of business, etc., for example). You both struck a tone that was eerily very similar in tone to the way white supremacists sounded off about their fears for this country during the Civil Rights movement. (No, I didn’t say you are a white supremacist, I said you have a similarly ignorant fear of change.)

USA, love it or leave it!

Obama isn’t a US citizen!

Verily, god is mild, and is fond of mildness, and he giveth to the mild what he doth not to the harsh.
–The Prophet Muhammad

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
–Mahatma Gandhi

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.
–Mahatma Gandhi

Brett your brilliant.

Obama isn’t a US citizen!
Posted by Stacked

And your a lousy citizen, go figure…

Gandhi advocated armed resistance, outside of India, because he stated that passive resistance would only work inside of India because of it’s culture.

Look, America is a white Christian nation, if you don’t like that…leave. If you stay and try to change that…you’re probably going to get messed up. Simple as that. We didn’t kill all those Indians for nothing. It’s been good here. You really think we’re going to let it go without a fight? LMAO!

****USA, love it or leave it!****

Oh, please, don’t bring me back the memory of Bush talk.

I misspoke: It was the Christian Coalition, not the Religious Right.

****America is a white Christian nation****

How old are you? What did they teach you about American history at school?? Or you just like to misinterpret??

OK Stacked your winding people up here. I’m not sure what your agenda is but I’m starting to think your not who you say you are. By the way Gandhi never advocated armed resistance. Where do you get this stuff?

Mahatma Gandhi was born in Porbandar in the present state of Gujarat on October 2, 1869, and educated in law at University College, London. In 1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to establish a law practice in Bombay, with little success. Two years later an Indian firm with interests in South Africa retained him as legal adviser in its office in Durban, where he later became the first so-called “coloured” lawyer admitted to the Supreme Court.

Just before Gandhi was to return to India, he had to travel to Johannesburg on business. He booked a first-class train ticket – and was ordered out of the train because of his colour. He spent a cold night in the non–European waiting – room at Pietermaritzburg railway station. This experience made Gandhi decide to remain in Natal and help the growing community of Indians imported to work on the sugar plantations.

In 1894, Gandhi founded the Natal Indian Congress to agitate for Indian rights. In 1896, Gandhi began to teach a policy of passive resistance to, and non-cooperation with, the South African authorities. Gandhi considered the terms passive resistance and civil disobedience inadequate for his purposes, however, and coined another term, Satyagraha (Sanskrit, “truth and firmness”).

Wow! It’s hard to believe that “Stacked” reduces his position to, “USA, love it or leave it!” Or, to that other crass nugget, “we didn’t kill all those Indians for nothing!” Or that genuinely bigoted and racist one, “America is a white Christian nation!” He makes Mr. McQueen look kind of reasonable!!:-)

Looks like we’ve got our own resident Archie Bunker!

****Look, America is a white Christian nation, if you don’t like that…leave. If you stay and try to change that…you’re probably going to get messed up. Simple as that. We didn’t kill all those Indians for nothing. It’s been good here. You really think we’re going to let it go without a fight? LMAO!****

That’s right, the “white American” killed all the “American Indians” as winning chips on the gamble table to keep their white supremacist status, so whenever that status is challenged, what’s your next genocide? Don’t even ask, it’s a no brainer.

At the end of the day, you finally give in your true color — racist, fascist & crazy bunch.

Brett I think this guy is a troll or just trying to wind people up. All his statements are cliches.

Thanks, Michael, for your early comments and links revealing some of these “Tea Party” folks for who many of them really are, particularly the leaders and spokepersons for the so-called “movement.” (You know, those folks Lorie Medena claims don’t exist.)

Thanks, jeffe, and you’re probably right about “Stacked” being a troll. Although, there are people in this world on his stunted level!

Brett did you see this? This stuff is scary.

http://www.bignoisefilms.com/videowire/106/106

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/11/white_power_usa_the_rise_of

Go to USRevolution2.com founded by Jeffrey McQueen. You’ll find that home page is selling “Made in USA” flags. I thought I was in wrong web page, since I was looking for a web page of a “serious” movement thay claim to be.

It is so obvious those people are profiteers and opportunists to scam ignorant people.

The Tea party goers are like people who live in glass houses.They shouldn’t throw stones.

They should see the info from this Dr.Horowitz movie

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2860538828528453481&ei=xLhFS8_zKIzOrALTkOG9Aw&q=Walter+Burien&hl=en&view=3#docid=-8674401787208020885

I would like to propose a “New Rule” anyone who uses Nazi’s or the Holocost to substantiate their point of view automatically looses the debate… Come on, are we really that hard-up that we can’t come up with something better?

It is obvious that those who listen to the rebroadcast of OnPoint are not as tactful or respectful as the morning crew. It is a shame really… There were some good ideas being debated (I did not agree with all of them) but still good ideas…

My hope at this point is that the extreme Right (which I am convinced the Tea Party is… Jeff never gave me any resources or details to study) and the extreme Left go out into the streets and wipe each other out and leave rational, free thinking, responsible adults behind then maybe we can move beyond name calling and rhetoric and move toward answers.

All of us (louise and stack included) cannot even begin to hold a light to what the Founding Fathers were and what they represented. Somehow, despite their differences, they conceived something that I believe is truly GREAT… in the 21st century with all our education, knowledge, and spirit we can do nothing better than play schoolyard games, name calling, and finger pointing…

We deserve to be where we are today. WE MADE THIS COUNTRY WHAT IT IS… I am ashamed of all of us. We don’t deserve better.

“The Tea Party movement is trying to convince us that government is evil…but, they never speak ill of corporations.”
Posted by Matt

@ Matt:
To label the government as evil IS to speak ill of corporations! Just who the hell do you think is running—or, more accurately, RUINING—this country?

In all fairness I want to point out that Jeff actually had the guts to go on the air of a decidely liberal radio show and defend his point of view, give everyone access to his name, his business, his email address etc..

I may not agree with what he says BUT he came out and said his piece and did it publicly and for EVERYONE to hear. I respect him for that…

The incoherent and misdirected anger of these guests shows you how Hitler came to power.

This is my protest against Jeff McQueen — His statements on the show were alarming to say the least.

How is this guy and his movement any different from terrorism?
This is the same “if you are not with us, you are against us” mentality and has me really worried.

So their ideology is not presently in vogue, they should face the decision that people made in 2008 and respect it. People voted the President in office and they should be civil about registering any disagreement.

The covert threat of extremism is not representative of the United States of America as I know it.

Simplifying the options as the choice between freedom and peace being mutually exclusive of each other is logically fallacious and is an exaggeration of current circumstances.

Sure we are in a recession – but the America I know doesn’t give up. We are down, but not out. We dust ourselves, reassess our situation and frequently roar back to top. We work hard, put in more effort, work in extra hours and pull ourselves up. Sooner or later we will be back up on our feet.

Republicans or Democrats; Conservatives or Liberals — everyone should be alarmed and register their protest at this ideology which seems to be promoting to silence any dissent by force and selectively picks and chooses from the Bible and forms their own interpretation.

How are these guys different from those Islamic terrorists? They do the same thing.

The America I live in, the Americans I work with, do not subscribe to such notions.

We welcome others warmly. We open our doors to people in need, we send help to those who need it. We stand up for the under dogs.
And we believe that holding a civil discourse is the prime pinnacle of our democracy.

The moment we abandon civility and scream people down without even so much and carefully thinking about the options – that moment will be our biggest loss.

I consider this Tea Party movement to be no different than Islamic terrorism.

Draw the parallels yourself – the similarity is chillingly apparent.

Wow. This broadcast sure prompted ignorance and arrogance ad nauseum, from both the left and right.

Nathan…Well said. Thank you!

Love the implied continuity between the Christian Last Supper and the thirteen colonies!

You can’t make this stuff up, it is so bizarre.

We can all rest easier knowing that people like the “tea-whatevers” have access to their “bullet boxes”.
It’s the American Way, I guess.

White Americans killed the Indians? That’s what they get for being weaker! Law of the Jungle! Not to mention, the Indians killed whites. Raped and killed women, put babies on a spear, and warred and killed each other. The Indians were no saints! They were just the LOSERS! TOUGH!

The tea partiers have a right to free speech, just like the KKK, but do they have the right to be granted an NPR forum on the show and blogs? It wasn’t too painful for people to listen to them, and they were exposed, so to speak. But Tom also didn’t do much in the way of challenging them, nor did he really get to a lot of follow-up questions to statements they made in general, which would have further shed some light onto their mindset. Tom gets a C+ on this one…

Stacked your a real piece of work. I’m not sure if you really believe the stuff you post here, but in case you are for real may I suggest you read a little history.

You seem to get your view of history from John Wayne films. Nothing wrong with John Wayne he made some good films and all but they are fictions, just like your take on American history.

I suggest you look up the Trail of Tears and the broken treaties with the Cherokee nation. While your at it look up Wounded Knee.

By your theory the Jews and all victims of the nazis were “losers” and it was tough.

That was the craziest hour of radio I’ve heard since the short wave days. What a couple of clueless morons.

We have a lot of problems and as a liberal, I have problems with what Obama has become after his election, and there is clearly room for criticism.

These two yahoos, however, have showed their complete lack of intelligence on every issue they talked about.

Truly frightening that these people not only got a national forum, but also find people who agree with them out of ignorance.

Have love Jeffrey McQueen’s introduction. 13 being relative to the colonies and the Jesus disciples. He then closes his message of love and concern by chambering a 30.06 round, safety off.

if the objective for NPR was to rally “their” base by exposing the lunatic fringe of this movement I believe giving these two folks airtime will have the desired effect. If the objective however was to present two sides of a long standing and valid argument than giving airtime to ANYONE who defends comparing ANYTHING about our country or our government to the Holocaust, of all things, was quite troubling. If you want limited government…fine…but it comes with a price…stay out of a woman’s private business, stay out of a gay couples private business and by all means care for your elderly and educate our children because public education and medicare are indeed socialist policies and people, they are quite expensive. The sheer lack of compassion, foresightedness and legitimate point was breathtaking yesterday. The right wing staggers me.

Just wondering IF Jesus ever said one should protest the Govt/Ceaser or Taxes to the Ceaser?

Anyone want to comment please?

mcqueen threatens violence; he said “bullet box”. he’s looking for any reason to go rogue and finding it.

The theatrics of the self-styled tea party crowd might be somewhat amusing, but if we compare them to the original participants and their colonial associates, we must conclude the contemporary version is pathetic.
The originators of the tea party model knew without question they would not be shot by video cameras and shown on the news that evening. They understood they would be shot without mercy by regulars of the British Army and buried shortly thereafter.
The leaders of the uprising we honor as our American Revolution were not talk radio hosts, pundits and think-tank mouthpieces. They were men of achievement, property and learning who knew they were putting their lives and fortunes on the line for their ideals.
These men, too, were practical thinkers, not mere protesters. They wrestled with large ideas, and in the course of twelve years they debated principles that have come to define a democratic republic. In so doing, they ultimately drafted the greatest document of governance the world has ever known: The Constitution of the United States.
No, there is nothing to admire in the current tea party fad. Ironically, its proponents are reminiscent of the self-declared student revolutionaries of the fabled Sixties. They appear to be better groomed, a little older and a little fatter, but the stuff of lasting, substantive history they are not.

I think what is really at play here is that for decades, the Liberal Elite, and Socialist leaning Educators of our country have convinced themselves that everyone in the nation has been on board with their “progress.” They’ve shut themselves off inside a bubble, and dismissed the majority of the people who work in this country as “ignorant,” “bumpkins,” “rednecks,” and “racists” while laughing it up with their colleagues of similar ilk. They’ve been doing this for so long, they find it a shock to find out that the majority of the working people in this nation saw no benefit to themselves from their “progress” and were never on board, and knew the whole time what they were though of! The scene from Fight Club where they abduct the mayor in the bathroom and dress him down, is exactly the right metaphor for what is happening here. You may THINK that you are in charge, but you’re really not. All this time you’ve been on our grace, and now, you’ve pissed us off. We’re the ones who do the living and dying, and working, and tax paying…the message is…DO NOT F**K WITH US! And boys and girls, we’ve got the numbers, and will and means to MAKE that stick! Now you’ve been having a high time at our expense, but now you’re going to back off. This is your wake-up call Liberal dreamers! Don’t make us have to get the “big stick” after ya! Your “progress” was always the illusion WE allowed you to have. We don’t care for it, and you’re going to respect that. It’s our way this time!

Stacked, if there were a mayor to put in the bathroom, the Tea Party would find said mayor, I would hope, and explain to the electorate and vote said mayor into oblivion. As it is, the enemy is more elusive. Once it was easy to say that Communists were the enemy. A single misstep and the entire world would incinerate, them included. Now, with no such obvious enemy, you point at “liberals,” by which I suppose you mean Democrats, although you say both parties, skipping the fact that plenty of conservative values are represented in both parties. So pretty much everyone is under the gun. There must be a way of saying this: You’d be killing the beast that feeds you, shooting yourself in the foot, if not the heart. Your aim is just woeful.
What have you been doing to help us understand and fix the problems? Just throwing up smoke and noise? Threatening all and sundry, rather randomly?

To me it’s simple. Everything worked in the 80’s, for everyone! Just roll everything back. At the very least, leave us working people to go to our jobs, pay our taxes, speak our mind, and drink our beer, in our neat, plain, but cozy homes. Let us go hunting when we want to go hunt. Stop telling us we’re “stupid!” We are the wind beneath your wings for crying out loud! Basically, leave us a pleasant little life, give us our freedom of expression, and values, and religion, and stop telling to “EAT CAKE!” Otherwise, the outcome will be the same the first time that was said! It won’t be good for anyone, but our lives are falling apart, and everything we know and believe in is being spit upon! You really think it’s reasonable to expect us to take that lying down? Our backs are against the wall!

Stacked you’re arrogance is only matched by your aggression. If your for real I have to say your a powder keg ready to go off as in postal. You seem to think that your “type” is the only one that is the “real American” and that just because you’re pissed off now, for whatever reason, that the people who do not follow the same ideology as you are the enemy.

Comments such as this one: the message is…DO NOT F**K WITH US! And boys and girls, we’ve got the numbers, and will and means to MAKE that stick! You are one angry guy and I hope you get some help.

One more thing Stacked, making threats of violence like you’re doing is a possible felony, are you aware of that?
I’m not sure if you’re crossing the line with the law, but have with me.

Go get bent! I’ve done nothing illegal. Go get your Mind Gestapo and do your worst! Guys like you…

That was the most infuriating, frightening piece of radio I’d heard in a long time. Regardless of what your views or criticisms are, at least boundyour arguments in fact and logic. We all think we’re right, and have a right to our own opinions, but when people get so enraged and start a “movement” based on misinformation and a total lack of understanding of the issues they are debating, it really makes me scared. I am not sure how these individuals justify their Christianity – besides all the hate speak and hints of violence (bullet box??? was he serious??? yes…that’s a much better option than than the ballot box…geez) these people ought to understand that Jesus Christ could care less about our political system, our tax system, or anything else – and to think that the creator would care more about America than any other place in the the universe is not only ridiculous but incredibly egotistical – something Christ was not. What Christianity teaches is far above any of this and can be summed up in the single phrase – do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.

I really hope NPR records the IP addresses of people who post and can track Stacked to the FBI and Secret Service.

Track away honey! This is a FREE nation, and I can say anything I want! At no time did I make any pointed, specific threat to anyone, just general venting. Your attempted intimidation of my right to free speech might be a Civil Liberties violation though! If anyone’s getting watched hon, it’s you!

Stacked, I can relate to your frustration, of course not on every issue. I also feel government failed us, they let greed to run wild. The lists go on and on. But the fundamental difference between us is our approach and final goal — ours is peace & love. Yours is “I want what I want, or else I will use violence and murder” That separates us.

There are alternative ways to solve things. And your mindset about ’socialism” is so rock bottom wrong. Your image of liberals is also wrong. There are lots of blue collard and rednecks are liberals. It is the way of thinking, not a way of life style. I own guns, part of my family also hunt, and I am deeply frustrated with our government, but that doesn’t make me a Tea Party member, that doesn’t make me more inferior or superior than others.

Haven’t you noticed some of your comments of information have been corrected with facts, that proves your information sources are questionable, and if you are a true independent thinker, you should challenge your sources.

I’m not here to impress any of ya’ll. And stop putting words in my mouth. I never once advocated violence and murder! That comes from your own psyche. You read that into what I’ve been saying. The only time I even alluded to armed revolution was if the Constitution was not upheld, and that’s a DUTY to do under the Constitution. If it came to that, it would be a LEGAL action under the Constitution! You liberals are in total power. All of this is going down on your watch, because you love to twist our generosity and system to your ends, but can’t stand it when the shoe is on the other foot, and somebody doesn’t “fall in line” with your way of thinking. I’m not for your kind of “progress.” It’s destroying the country! And if I oppose you, TOUGH, that’s the way it is in this nation. I’ve got my right to do so, and there isn’t a darn thing you can do to silence me! “Peace & Love” is forcing private citizens to do business with a Corporation because they are born? That’s the VERY DEFINITION of FACISM! I will continue to oppose you at ever turn. I’m not interested in what your views are. I want you out of my pocketbook, and I want you hands off my body! And just look at the remarks here. You guys are now trying to intimidate me and put words in my mouth. Make no mistake, we are at war with each other, right now. The difference is, The Constitution and Bill of Rights are on my side. You are behaving like mobsters!

“I really hope NPR records the IP addresses of people who post and can track Stacked to the FBI and Secret Service.”
Posted by Gina

Ah yes! Dispatch the Thought Police! Straight off to Room 101 with Stacked!

Be careful what you hope for Gina—audacity can cut both ways.

I listened with astonished intent to this program.

The “Tea Partiers”, “Intelligent Design -Creationism”, “Climate Change Deniers”, and the rise in popularity of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and hundreds of lesser lights are all facets of the same social phenomenon.

I like to call it America’s “Ignorenaissance” (Stephen Colbert – you have my permission to use that word on your show). The other commenters here have already covered the issues well – the fear and hatred of immigrants, fear and hatred of a black President, fear and hatred of intellectuals – they are all part of the mix. They have always been around, however, they’ve rarely possessed the kind of media echochamber/sounding board that exists today via the Internet and Fox News.

Whether it was voting for the President you’d most like to have a beer with, or burning Dixie Chicks effigies, or showing up at political rallies with Hitler signs and loaded guns – over the course of the past decade a sizable portion of the population has decided to embrace a political philosphy who’s touchstones are not really Ayn Rand or Thomas Jefferson but who more closely resemble Archie Bunker and perhaps an alcoholic serial domestic abuser.

The rise of the Internet and of Fox News show a direct correlation to the rise in the ability of ignorance and misinformation to compete and thrive in the marketplace of ideas. I know correlation and causation are not the same, I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.

Ironically, think about where Fox News would be now without Bill Clinton – and since we know that Al Gore practically invented the Internet – I suppose the credit ultimately goes to them for establishing this New American Ignorenaissance. Something to ponder.

The reason Tea Party movement is very questionable is its “timing” and its “hidden agendas”. Tea Party packages itself up with legitimate reasoning to use their supporters’ frustration and anger to rouse them up.

And stop putting words in my mouth. I never once advocated violence and murder!

Yes you did more than once.

Look, America is a white Christian nation, if you don’t like that…leave. If you stay and try to change that…you’re probably going to get messed up. Simple as that. We didn’t kill all those Indians for nothing. It’s been good here. You really think we’re going to let it go without a fight? LMAO! Let it go without a fight? Kill all the Indians.

There is no point in talking to liberals anymore, we’re just delaying the inevitable. Bring it on!

I don’t have to figure anything out. I have the 2nd Amendment. I have GUNS! I have VOICE! I have true POWER! I live in AMERICA!

****LOL! Naaah, seriously, I’ll “F” you up if you mess with my liberty or my freedom. Just sayin’.****

What do you call these comments? These are threats some are thinly veiled others are pretty straight forward.
You say your armed and you’ll mess people up if they mess with your “freedom”.

Like I said I think your taking up to the edge of legality. Do you understand what that means? Or are you just someone who only knows how to solve his problems with violence.

And when your called on it you cry foul and whine about it.

Now I see why Hitler, Goering, Goebbels and Himmler had to commit suicide. After the World found out about their devious plans to provide socialized health care in Germany and occupied countries, that was the only way out for them. Sounds like it had to be the most important accusation against them in Nuremberg, too.

One thing I still can’t reconcile is why were Nazies so afraid of Russians and were tripping all over themselves to surrender to Americans? After all, Russians were socialists, while the Americans inherently hate national healthcare. They are so-o-o-o conservative. Wait, so were Germans… I am confused again.

Great job, Tom and producers. This piece was illuminating. And astonishing.

That was a fact about the Indians. They lost, and that’s what they got for losing. It’s a fact! It happened, and that’s the way the world worked then! And “fight” doesn’t have to mean violence! You want to see that, because you’re violent, just like most liberals. Violent thieves! Jeffe, you don’t count. Nothing you say to me means anything. I’m gonna do what I’m gonna do. I’m going to take down the liberal criminals, and set this country right! I want trials, jail sentences, and freedom returned! The Democratic party is FINISHED after the 2010 elections, and Obama is going to be a one term President. And our normal American values are here to stay! END…OF…STORY…”pal!”

Robert Puglia

Please play the interview again and sharpen your listening skills. Clearly I said ” . . . hopefully we on’t have to use the bullet box.” What part of that statement do you not understand? I am confiddent we will stop Obama’s long march to Socialism with the ballot and jury boxes. I don’t advocate violence, nor do I believe it will be needed.

You really aught to listen better before running around like “Chicken Little” crying” “The militias are coming! The militias are coming!” You probably still believe Global Warming is real even though the scientist were caught fixing the data . . . ”

Jeff

“hopefully we on’t have to use the bullet box.” What part of that statement do you not understand?”

The “hopefully” part is a little unclear. Just remember you are not the only one with bullets.

Randall . . . go back to where ever you got your education and ask for a refund, and lay off the koolaid.

Remember Confusious said: He who professes his own intelligence, proclaims his own stupidity.”

Get Well Soon

Where is Massatusetts? In addition to his new American flag is the Texas Teabagger renaming the states too?

Jeff, please answer me this basic question — why is it okay when most of Republican administrations spent your tax money on our military expansion, homeland security and literally intrude our privacy and rip of our liberty, but all of a sudden it is not okay under Democrat Party? Use one standard, no double standard here. Liberty is liberty, it shouldn’t be applied whenever you feel like it. When Republican was in the office, where were you guys?????????????????

I have asked this question many times in this forum, none of Tea Party supporters can give me a reasonable answer.

At the end of day, you know who you are.

Remember Confusious said: He who professes his own intelligence, proclaims his own stupidity.”

Posted by Jeff McQueen, on January 14th, 2010 at 3:41 pm EST

Confusious not to be confuced with Confucius.

You crazies who think we are “fringe” or “extreme” are missing a key point. We’re still here trying to talk to you. The real “fringe” and “extreme” have been preparing for REAL, violent WAR since last January. If you think we’re the “hardcore” then you’re in for one hell of a shock! You creme-puffs don’t have a clue what you’re really facing.

ahh Stacked I’m so upset. I thought we had such a good relationship.

Your showing your true colors, your not an American.
Your ideology is more akin to a totalitarianism or a theocratic state. You want trials, you want jail sentences.
For what? Not agreeing with your political and religious views. You need to take civics class. Do you even have a high school education?

****You crazies who think we are “fringe” or “extreme” are missing a key point. We’re still here trying to talk to you. The real “fringe” and “extreme” have been preparing for REAL, violent WAR since last January. If you think we’re the “hardcore” then you’re in for one hell of a shock! You creme-puffs don’t have a clue what you’re really facing.****

Aren’t you?? Keep threatening people with coming violence.

I’m not threatening anybody! But if you think there aren’t a huge amount of people out there that are ready to pull out the guns…well…okaaaay! I’m here to try and get some of you to see that you need to back off! I’m your friend believe it or not. There are others out there that are done talking. Those are the people you need to worry about, not me!

As a matter of fact Jeffe. I’m a high school drop-out. What of it? Am I less of a person in your eyes? I didn’t have rich parents, or suck off the hind tite of the government, or ask for hand-outs. I went to work at 16! Stunning that a “white guy” is like that isn’t it, bigot!

This is why human may never reach peace, because some people like to solve problems with force and violence. One step forward, 5 steps back.

With all these years of our government’s advance military technology paid by our tax money, you really think you can win your revolution war with your guns?

“There are others out there that are done talking. Those are the people you need to worry about, not me!”

What’s their plan, exactly? Take over local post offices, bridges and banks? Fire on Fort Sumter? What is it that we need to worry about? Judging by what I saw on TV, most of them are probably Medicare recipients, anyway.

Your pretty defensive about it. I was just wondering.
So I gather your not much of a reader?

Your calling me a bigot. Now that’s rich coming from a guy who dismisses all American Indians as losers.

*****I’m not threatening anybody! But if you think there aren’t a huge amount of people out there that are ready to pull out the guns…well…okaaaay! I’m here to try and get some of you to see that you need to back off! I’m your friend believe it or not. There are others out there that are done talking. Those are the people you need to worry about, not me!*****

No one is scared of you, or the people you mentioned. When you support those people you mentioned, and justify their way of solving problems, you are not a friendly bunch already, therefore you are not friends.

You may be able to shoot very well, but you pick a wrong target!

He’s talking about the skin heads and the neo-nazis.
Some of the lower ranks in the military and every crack pot white person with a grudge who feels like the America is theirs.

Stack you made the decision to drop out high school, now your angry because you feel threatened by things you can’t control.

I never thought otherwise. We know you hate us, working class people. That’s nothing new. As far as Military Technology, uh, yeah, um, okay! It’s not as if the MILITARY isn’t actually on our side of this anyway! LOL! You obstinate cuss’ are smokin’ something. You just keep on doing what you’re doin’ slick. We’ll see. Anyway, I tried. And yes, the Indians lost. That makes one a loser. Marie Antoinette thought just like you guys do. The look on your faces if you keep beating people down is going to be priceless. Again, I’m one of the people, like the ones interviewed trying to talk and get a point across. It’s the other that won’t talk anymore that you should worry about, and they are dead serious, and they are legion! Believe me or not, it doesn’t matter.

Oh boy, your digging yourself a huge hole pal.
I come from a working class family.
My grand father worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yards.
My father became a dentist but he went to City College on scholarships and the GI bill.
My mother was school teacher. I work in education.

I don’t make a lot of money, and your proving to be a stereotype. Self imposed angst brought on by external conditions (things you can’t control) and a complete lack in the ability to rationalize situations and make good decisions. I was going to ask if you were under 21 as you sounded as if your about 16 years old. However it seems to me that no matter what your age you still think like an adolescent.

Doesn’t matter what you think. I’m here. I’m an adult. I have no criminal record. I pay my taxes. I vote. I am not interested in what you think Jeffe. You’re obtuse. You work in education? That’s about right. The Socialist, Communist, Entitlement mentality is strongest there. But you’re my employee boy. My taxes pay your salary. So you’re gonna do what I say, ya’hear! LOL! You make your living off my taxes. My labor. You don’t know what earning your own keep is. You have no standing.

****As a matter of fact Jeffe. I’m a high school drop-out. What of it? Am I less of a person in your eyes? I didn’t have rich parents, or suck off the hind tite of the government, or ask for hand-outs. I went to work at 16! Stunning that a “white guy” is like that isn’t it, bigot!****

Less education or higher education does not determine a less or more of a person. It is how much we care about all life on earth, not only ours and our own social circle. When we only view our circle of life worth more than others, we stop viewing others as “life”, we view them as an enemy target who we can get rid of with forceful way.

No one is born inferior or superior than any other. But we are the “product” of our environment and social circle. But when one reach certain adult age, we are responsible to challenge our upbringing and social circle, good or bad.

Believe me, love & peace requires much more courage than hate, fear, greed & violence.
Hate, fear, violence can not scare and take over a peaceful soul.

Water is the softest and most powerful element on this earth.

**** never thought otherwise. We know you hate us, working class people. That’s nothing new****

I don’t hate you, there’s not a single hatred feeling run through my mind when I read your comments, only sadness, not in a sarcastic way.

******** never thought otherwise. We know you hate us, working class people. That’s nothing new*****

Since when working class people are being hated?? Like I said, it’s the way of your thinking, not your class or your life style.

****Jeff, please answer me this basic question — why is it okay when most of Republican administrations spent your tax money on our military expansion, homeland security and literally intrude our privacy and rip of our liberty, but all of a sudden it is not okay under Democrat Party? Use one standard, no double standard here. Liberty is liberty, it shouldn’t be applied whenever you feel like it. When Republican was in the office, where were you guys?????????????????

I have asked this question many times in this forum, none of Tea Party supporters can give me a reasonable answer.

At the end of day, you know who you are.****

Jeff, where are you whenever I ask you a serious basic question?

Well, now, children (I think you know who I mean), you have demonstrated your inability to master your emotions and present a cogent, civilized argument. The good news for our society at large is that we adults are working diligently and quietly every day to be certain matters are addressed pragmatically in a “grown-up” manner. Now, please sit quietly in the corner while we take care of business.

A Progressive Comments On The Tea Party Movement:

The Tea Party Movement strikes me as the new fascism in search of a Leader (or Fuhrer). The Alaska Werewolf, aka Sarah Palin, doesn’t qualify. either intellectually or by political savvy. She acts as Banner Girl for the Movement so far. But Tea Party needs a Hitler, Stalin, or Mussolini or Mao to really take wing. If our Jobless Recovery continues, if we can’t extricate ourselves from continuing economic hardship (for the population at large, but not for bank CEo’s, thanks to Obama’s heroic bailout of the Wall Street disaster-mongers through his lavish and Socialist distribution of the people’s money), then popular fury will undoubtedly produce a Man–or Woman — On A White HOrse who will promise to lead us all to Victory, Sweetness and Light while actually taking us straight to disaster.

Two further comments: Wan’t it George Santayana who said that not to understand or learn from History is to be condemned to repeat it? And isn’t the misapplication of Socialism to the bailout a blatant betrayal of everything that Mr Bush-Lite Obama promised in his election campaign? I campaigned for the guy, voted for him, am sorely disappointed in his performance to date. He has sold out on the Public Option in health care (meaning he has failed to do anything more than empower the insurance and big pharma companies). He has embroiled us in an unwinnable war in Afghanistan, thus hastening our power and cultural eclipse in favor of rising China and Asia (the subject of a previous On Point program) and done little or nothing to wind down our tragic and irresponsible war in Iraq. Well, Onward and Downward seems to be America’s motto. I suggest we invade naughty Iran, arrogant China, snooty Russia and rich little Liechtenstein all at once. Maybe, as with our glorious victory in Grenada (the last time we had one), we’ll win in Liechtenstein –with an army 10 persons strong, given that’ll be all the available force we’ll have left– and a budget of $35.00, the last of our treasure. Then we’ll get the TeaPartyers, their escutcheon being Sarah Palin, their leader Paul Pot Jr, she riding her broomstick. And like the Roman Empire we’ll be off to Oblivion.
Tom Bransten, optimist (it could be worse. Maybe!)

I wonder if this forum reaches the highest number of comments on OnPoint history.

well mr. “stacked”…I think you are absolutely correct…I can’t speak for anyone here but myself and if I knew you…yeah I’d probably hate you! I hate evrything you stand for anyway. you’re a loudmouth with a rock for a brain.

Did anyone notice this from Stacked at 12:42 today?
“To me it’s simple. Everything worked in the 80’s, for everyone! Just roll everything back. At the very least, leave us working people to go to our jobs, pay our taxes, speak our mind, and drink our beer, in our neat, plain, but cozy homes. Let us go hunting when we want to go hunt. Stop telling us we’re “stupid!” We are the wind beneath your wings for crying out loud! Basically, leave us a pleasant little life, give us our freedom of expression, and values, and religion, and stop telling to “EAT CAKE!””

Then he goes on about the intolerable present as follows:

“It won’t be good for anyone, but our lives are falling apart, and everything we know and believe in is being spit upon! You really think it’s reasonable to expect us to take that lying down? Our backs are against the wall!”

I’m thinking that “trust fund babies” to some extent know they have it good because of fate, but those who had it especially good with regular employment and steady-state reality, thanks in part to unions and the legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Depression era and the GI bill, all that momentum — those people forgot about the part of the American spirit that came over here, with life expectancies of 25 years, went out West without expectations of regular jobs or anything like ease. True, modern American does have a “let them eat cake” attitude. But you can cut loose the old fashioned way. A lot of us have; it’s tough, but nobody calls the shots except yourself.
As to the fascist streak, that’s when somebody seizes control without elections, by deciding the elections are worthless, and then imposes all their unelected values, trouncing those of everyone else.
And everyone else, since the government is at that point no longer a vehicle for cultural cohesion and responsibility one to another — and in a bid for sanity — everyone else creates a quiet religion of one sort or another, humanism in some guise or another, as a way to establish, separate from the powers inflicted, a way to remain a viable society. Think “Underground” behind the Iron Curtain. Think antebellum slave culture/religion.
People can find ways to be socially “viable” in spite of seizures/power/government.
And right now it seems for the Tea Party, the humanism they are concocting in adversity needs another name.

****The bad news is that those who simplify complex situations get all the press.****

True.

Mr. McQueen,
On the show, you said you think Barack Obama is a Socialist. You said you think the healthcare bill is Socialism; and, by inference, in your remark about Jews ostensibly going along with the healthcare bill, you think the Nazis were Socialists. All of this from a person claiming that others need to be educated…It would behoove you to learn about Socialism; its history and practices; what it is and what it is not. This learning would benefit not only you but your “party,” being that you are a kind of spokesperson for them. Unless, of course, you truly believe you know something about Socialism that the rest of the world doesn’t know, and has never known, about its history and practices? If so, please pass that on, sir.

Also, you seem to be backing away from your “bullet box” idea in your subsequent comments on this forum. Yet, I listened intently to how you phrased your comment on the show, and within what context you made the statement. Any reasonably intelligent person would have heard your statement of “hopefully we won’t have to use the bullet box” which followed the listing of other less extreme resources at one’s disposal, such as, “the ballot box,” then the “jury box,” as if the meaning is: if there is no satisfaction at the ballot box or jury box then the next course of action is the “bullet box.” This was especially reinforced by your rhetorical statement afterwards to Tom Ashbrook asking him if he knew of the increase in ammunition sales, lately. Under what conditions, specifically with regard to using them against the government, would one use firearms to threaten or injure/kill?

In your other comments here and on the website where you regularly blog (what is it? ResistNet, or something? It’s not your site where you sell your flags for profit–although you may write similar sentiments there), you contradict yourself with regard to the Constitution, as well as with what is the appropriate use of using firearms for threats/violence. You say that it is one’s “duty” to bear arms if the government violates one’s rights under the Constitution. This implies that you don’t currently think your rights under the Constitution are being violated (because you haven’t yet taken up arms), yet claiming your rights have been taken away and continue to be taken away is at the foundation of your “movement.” Very confusing! It also can be interpreted that you do advocate the use of firearms as one of your rights in resolving human rights violations with the government. You aren’t specific, however; your message is muddled and, you have to admit, it could easily be misinterpreted, particularly considering you never mention proper ways of filing constitutional lawsuits or having any legal recourse.

Lastly, two things:
1)Sorry you lost your job in the auto industry. It is really tough in Michigan; I hope that state can turn itself around, truly. I’m sure some jobs were saved by the bail out of the auto industry, though, whether one agrees or disagrees with that action on the part of the current administration. Your job wasn’t saved, however. You’ve condemned the auto industry bail outs. I wonder if you would feel differently if yours was one of the jobs saved? Also, are you saying that because your job wasn’t able to be saved, all jobs should have been eliminated in the auto industry, that the whole industry and all jobs, goods and services directly or indirectly should have collapsed to change economic structure abruptly and teach those in power a lesson?

2) When you responded on this forum to Randall, Robert Puglia, Josh, and others, at times, you made insulting statements about their education, intelligence, habits, knowledge and understanding, etc. Perhaps you felt justified to retort in such a manner, but others in your “party” do see you as someone to look up to, and considering you are using the media to advertise what the “tea party” is all about, shouldn’t you attempt to engage others better and do more than simply state platitudes about your ideology and insult those who don’t agree with you? The result sounds like someone standing on a soapbox rather than looking to interact with others and send a message increasing understanding of who you are.

All of this nuance probably doesn’t matter to you, but I could be wrong, Mr. McQueen. So far, there is nothing in what any “tea partier,” you or otherwise, has said that states a clearly defined set of specific objectives and the specific actions associated with them. Additionally, I have heard there is no allegiance in the “party” to any party, establishment ideology, political group, etc., that “tea partiers” criticize the Democratic Party, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, and the like. I find this a bit disingenuous–although it may be attributable in some part to plain old ignorance on the part of folks within the “tea party”–because I have only heard “tea partiers” repeat conservative ideology. Never ever any liberal ideas. You criticize liberals in an absolute sense, yet you only show some small concern for some Republicans’ previous actions. Overall, you are in agreement with the Republican platform, all Conservative views, and most past Republican actions (except Bush’s increased spending). Never ever any liberal views, ideas. etc….ever!

justanother,
I was wondering too if this topic/show/blog has acheived some kind of record in number of comments?!?!

The people attending the Tea Bag parties are fine Americans who want to protect America from Obama and his socialist thugs. The group that scares me is A.C.O.R.N.!

In these last two days of very heated and sometimes vitriolic discussion, it appears to me that a false dichotomy has been established that would put evil liberals at one end and evil conservatives at the other. I wonder if it might not make some sense to look at one issue that seems to make a lot of people all over the political spectrum angry and see if it should be viewed through that liberal v. conservative lens or not.
From the 1980s on, through the Reagan years, the Clinton years, the Bush years, corporations, with financial support from big banks and investment houses, increasingly discovered that they could increase their profits and the dividends to their shareholders by moving industry offshore, much of it to China but some to Malaysia and other places where less attention needed to be paid to decent wages, decent hours, decent work conditions, environmental and other concerns. We call this globalization but in essence it is the same process that happened within the U.S. decades earlier as when New England, heavily unionized, lost its textile industry to the relatively un-unionized south who now in turn has lost its textile industry to Thailand et al. Now we import into America the same goods we used to make HERE except they are now made under conditions that would be illegal in this country.
So we are left in the U.S. with fewer good-paying jobs and with all the ill-effects that that situation brings with it. Was it a liberal conspiracy against the working class that has brought this about? Was it conservative fascism that has brought this about? Do either of those hypotheses help us understand what has happened and continues to happen to us? Is this not the history on this issue for the last three decades?
I think this is what bothers me most about this entire “tea party” dialogue: It has us fighting among ourselves and doesn’t recognize the forces that have almost brought us to ruin and may yet do so.

All you folks may be in for a rude awakening very soon. The storm clouds have not gone away.

McQueen referred to the health care bill as Nationalized Socialism?!? The health care bill, in its final form, will be closer to the corporate welfare characteristic of the Bush administration than to anything resembling socialism.

Ashbrook could barely contain his incredulity.

Not sure if anyone has gone on Jeff’s Website but if check out the video section the top few are

Site Description
Videos
Sean Hannity -Military Outrage
Sean Hannity -Congressman King and
Congresswoman Bachmann Discuss House Call Event promoting the tea party, and is the clip where Jon S exposed the protest # to be fasle.
Bill O’Reilly – Brit Hume Think Whites Are “Frightened” By Obama,
Glenn Beck -Judge Napolitano was the featured speaker at the Ohio Liber-Tea Party,talks about how happy and excited the folks where for the protest and to speak, towards the end he say “Very big fans of Glen Beak i must of sign 150 copies of Common Sense, the Glen Beck Common Sense”
Greta Van Susteren-Glen Beck talks about his “”"New Book”"(no interest in making money right) “Argue with idiots ” note the outfit on the cover
Greta Van Susteren-liberty Council interviewing Jason Rink,when asked if he had a job, it seems to stumbles and than asked again he says “I rather not say, work-in the financial world than changes the subject. Check some of the posters, “its not a anti-obama rally or anti-tax rally but a pro-liberty rally”.

For a group of folks who claim no affiliations to left or right it sure has alot of Fox News video references and host, One would think Fox is helping promote these events.

“The people attending the Tea Bag parties are fine Americans who want to protect America from Obama and his socialist thugs. The group that scares me is A.C.O.R.N.!”

This is what I have been reading all day at Boston.com regarding the Senate race.

What the hell is it with this “meme”? Louise, do you even know what ACORN is? Or is all you know what Glenn Beck told you? What are “Socialist thugs”? You make our President sound like a gangster. Do you understand how ridiculous and disrespectful that sounds? Good God, and you people think the left were conspiracy freaks.

You know what? Just because YOUR candidate lost it doesn’t mean there is some big conspiracy. Maybe the voters agreed with the other candidate!

Never has any POTUS been demeaned, disrespected, and vilified—before he was even sworn in— as this man. It makes rational people question the motivations behind those that do with such fervor.

What scares me is that as you see from these forums, you can’t argue with these people. They twist things, deny, backtrack, and the classic—shift the focus back on you (or liberals). It scares me that they have irrationally demonized Obama and the Left as some “enemy” that must be defeated.

Gina, that was exactly my point. I kept asking Jeff McQueen a very basic but self contradictory question, he seems to disappear every time.

Some comments say both sides can’t conduct a civil conversations. How could you when a group of people already had so much air time on TV and radio attacking and making false accusation toward certain policy and the president.

I have tolerated Bush era for 8 years, all the names calling/labeling on liberals or anyone disagree with them. Bush is gone, but we got another group of people coming out (oh yeah, right, they have waited this moment for 8 years) attack people like some programmed robots walking around repeating same words.

When G. Bush was first elected first term, although I wasn’t his supporter. But I never had any ill feeling about this guy until years later by his performance. I happened to talk to a store owner who has been a Conservative for his whole like, he couldn’t believe Bush cut children’s health care for his war. He was so outraged & disappointed, he lives in a very conservative southern town. With that being said, no matter which side we are on, we recognize right and wrong. I’m thankful I had Conservative friends with conscience and reasons. They are ashamed of Tea Party’s hidden agenda.

@Alan Shulman,

Very true. The problem is Tea Party are not interested in factual reasoning. They have already made up their mind, to them, case is close.

That’s why I challenge their self contradiction, which they seem to have trouble being confronted by.

to justanother:

Please don’t misunderstand. I believe in and appreciate the pointing out of inconsistencies in any ideology that replaces reasoned and evidenced-based argument with unthinking emotional responses and verbal venom.

I have myself sent a personal letter to Mr. McQueen requesting that he refrain from future comparisons of any Obama/Democratic policies with those of the Third Reich, whether in their theory or intent, on the grounds that such comparisons are historically groundless, misleading and ultimately both dishonest and dishonoring to the memory of ALL who suffered under that regime. Such comparisons do damage to the civil discourse on which a democracy’s survival will depend.

The Tea Party represents a return to what made America great. Family, Integrity, Responsibility, Respect, and fair-play that goes BOTH ways! No Tea Party supporter here has used the word “Hate.” But several Liberals have. Liberals are like spoiled children, who lash out when they don’t get their way, and blame everyone else for their problems except themselves! Liberals respect University Degrees over Pragmatic Genius, settlement rather than taking a stand, and compromise rather than truth! We are the legacy of the Founding Fathers. You guys are the result of 50 years of Communist Infiltration into our school systems and Public Works. You have bopped along all these years thinking you were in control because WE always tried harder. Now we can’t, and now you get to know that you were never in control at all. It was always our backs you were riding on! Now the Found Fathers will work for us, not you! We will restore the Republic, and you will all learn your true place! It’s simple math. There are more of us than there are of you, and no matter how “stupid” you think we are, we will overwhelm you at the polls, in the streets, and by any means necessary! We will make this nation great again, and repair the 50 years worth of damage your cause has done. You are confused, spoiled children who have forgotten who made it possible for you to become so. In the most simple words: DADDY HAS COME HOME! This nonsense will stop! We will not tolerate broken laws, bent systems, or anything lacking in excellence. We’ve carried you all. You’ve spit on us. You reap what you sow! Next time, remember who your benefactors are, and be more respectful!

I have no doubt many of you hate me. I expected that. My cause represents what was always best in America, and you strive for what we are today: Broke, a Joke, a Slum, and a Shame! If you hate what my cause represents, the GOOD! You are against what the Greatness of America, and are my enemy!

****I have no doubt many of you hate me. I expected that. My cause represents what was always best in America, and you strive for what we are today: Broke, a Joke, a Slum, and a Shame! If you hate what my cause represents, the GOOD! You are against what the Greatness of America, and are my enemy!****

You seem to really enjoy using the word “hate”, huh?

Gina, you’re just upset because “your” president is a hopeless, lost, and incompetent clown.

To Alan Shulman:

I fully agree with your civil & graceful approach. And I hope you do get a response letter from Jeff McQueen. If you do get it, can you ask Jeff if you can post it on this forum. Because he never responded my question.

I found it so odd, that while the Tea Party’s certain criticisms toward governments overlaps mine, but somehow their timing is so odd. That gives people sufficient reason to doubt their intention.

For a forum that is riven with accusations about what a pathetic dialogue is going on, consider this: How often when you are seeking to make up your mind do you know when that happens? And then announce that?
I am thinking of certain voting bodies that deliberate — they gather information, determine all the interests and positions, and then make a time certain for decision.
This is not that sort of debate. Justanother or Nathan was looking for the kind of gathering of details that a deliberative body would need, but that’s not what’s going on here. It seems to me from my own family’s stories that Americans have been the black sheep, the misfits, from time immemorial, and probably always sounded trapped and infuriated — until they found that next frontier.
And there is no back yard or new frontier that seems promising. No gold rush, for example, to lure people around Tierra del Fuego or across the Rocky Mountains with Conestoga wagons. But dislocations make people come to America nonetheless, because we have a tradition of accommodating the displaced, those too antsy to settle for second best. Or third.
A parent with a certain type of child would know: You can’t squelch them; you have to give them elbow room (Daniel Boone), turf to control of some sort. Then the little terror becomes a great boon, no pun intended.

to Ellen Dibble,

Here’s my winks!

“You guys are the result of 50 years of Communist Infiltration into our school systems and Public Works.”

Yet 30 plus years were Reagan economics? are you calling Reagan a communist?

“You have bopped along all these years thinking you were in control because WE always tried harder.”

Tried harder in what?, it seems school was not one,was it civil rights? women rights? or making sure every american can get health care? or preventing outsourcing of blue collar jobs? was it paying for 2 wars? maybe further increasing the gap between rich and poor?was it trying harder to get rid of glass/Steagall Act?

” Now we can’t, and now you get to know that you were never in control at all.”

I was under the expression the year of 2000 to 2006, the congress,senate, and WHite house was under Republican Control?

“It was always our backs you were riding on! Now the Found Fathers will work for us, not you!”

Yet you stated eariler that conservative were in control the whole time not liberals, which is it?

” We will restore the Republic, and you will all learn your true place! It’s simple math. ”

What place is that? What math?algebra, geometry, calculus or basic math?

“There are more of us than there are of you, and no matter how “stupid” you think we are, we will overwhelm you at the polls, in the streets, and by any means necessary!”

But you lose at the polls in 2008, how is that possible if there more of you than us? Are you referring to like minded folk like yourself or are you adding independents, moderates?

“We will make this nation great again, and repair the 50 years worth of damage your cause has done.”

Again Reaganomics, and Republican Control from the early 90’s to 06’s

“You are confused, spoiled children who have forgotten who made it possible for you to become so.”

You lose a election and now you want your country back? Sounds like a spoil child to me.

“In the most simple words: DADDY HAS COME HOME! This nonsense will stop! We will not tolerate broken laws, bent systems, or anything lacking in excellence.”

So of course your first concern would be more regulations against those nasty banks, More investments in schools wait that were communist come from right?Also Health Care would have to be tackled since it’s ranked over 30th in the word far from excellence right?

“We’ve carried you all. You’ve spit on us. You reap what you sow! Next time, remember who your benefactors are, and be more respectful”

Weren’t you on the thread about slavery and complaining how people use it as being victims yet your statement is entirely what your complain about earlier.

Most don’t hate you i’m guessing but pity you. No matter how you try to paint these tea parties as all american, freedom loving folks, the videos, your actions, Jeff actions shows it nothing close to it, and any moderate within such movement is mute, or does not have the gull to call out the racist, bigots, and misinformed.

I’m sure if the tea party planners were a bit smarter they would get on camera denouncing some of those signs and folks and explain to them why there wrong, this would give you guys a better P.R. look and give you a fake out to say at least your group does not think that way, instead in hopes of getting as many as possible many tea party folks promote such behaviors, encourage it for political purposes.

You may be a troll like some think but maybe not i meet people just like yourself, some so brain washed i could not believe it, one a good college buddy of mine who when the election was going on was sending the nastiest email about obama being a Muslims, a Kenyan and terrorist i confronted him and showed him why it was not true, even obama saying the oath on the bible, and he believed it, the only source he would read or listen to was FOX’s and this was a college educated Masters degree Guy who couldn’t even look passed his biased and hatred for obama.

Mr. McQueen is from Royal Oak, Michigan. Wasn’t Father Coughlin, the 1930’s right wing demagogue from Royal Oak, MI? Maybe there is something in the water supply…

Ellen,

Not sure as to what you expect others to treat these people after they show, promote, misinform and incite hatred and fear. It seems like we are expected to say nothing and let this snowball, and that’s many in the party want. No challenge and if any challenge to it must be paired with a supporter, but when they speak it’s one sided or at least they hope.

NPR has made the mistake, much like CNN, and MSNBC that there have to be a opposing view to anything, and everything no matter the weight one sides has compare to the other, example would be the birthers on NPR, CNN, where they will pair a objective or middle of the road reporter, guest, think tank with a far-right guest and call it balance. The guest USED in his own words Nationalist Socialist, RED in referring to Obama and the Bullet Box, The tea party rallies had this or worst no speakers at the rallies condemned any of the behaviors and comment.

I wonder if you would be so open to discussion if they had a show on Holocaust deniers, Or a Show on White Supremacist stating his view as to why blacks to be slaves? Or a show where a Mecian Drug Lord justify disolving people or cutting off there heads?

It seems over and over again, (I posted videos if you like to watch) that many of misinformed and bigoted, and it seems the ones who aren’t seem to fail to calm such actions down within there personal groups as the caller noted about his emails(if true) and they can diss out and call others names but can’t take it when people come back at them.

Just a few day also the Ombudsman of NPR just announced a filter for the word Tea-bag cause it offended people, the Word torture cannot be used in involving water-boarding and her response to the TEA BAG cartoon was it was not up to NPR standards once she said that she said they should have a cartoon offending the liberal on NPR to counter it.Cause see scared the right will see NPR as liberal leaning show she is running right to overcompensate .

Not all things are equal and giving these folks mouth pieces(often making fools out of themselves) just encourages the fringe to act out and distort information much like the death panels cause the main reason they been getting such attention has not been peaceful, thoughtful, non offensive, but viral, racist, and bigoted is what is landing them on the news and talk radio.

[...] Nazi-inspired and reminding people that Barack Obama is an Indonesian Muslim. Oh, and remember to vote our way or we shoot you. On-Point Host, Tom Ashbrook: Joining us from Royal Oak, Michigan, is Jeffrey McQueen, founder of [...]

The above post is typical Liberal twisting and lying. The Tea Party is about INTEGRITY, and LIBERTY, and guess what? Anyone would transgress that deserves to be shot according to the CONSTITUTION! DON’T TREAD ON ME! That’s what we’re saying, and if you don’t agree with that, you’re not an American!

What? No Mark Potok popping in to call these people dangerous terrorists who need to be rounded up? I’m a bit disappointed.

Unfortunately, yes: the Tea Party movement has been largely hijacked by Glenn Beck, Fox News, and the NeoCons. The original modern tea party was in Boston where participants dumped copies of the 9-11 Commission Report into the harbor.

Then they were about getting Ron Paul elected. It was a rapidly growing grassroots movement that was very dangerous to the establishment, so Glenn Back jumped in to make it look like a bunch of foaming-at-the-mouth 80- IQ lunatics

Heh, walk a mile on our shoes buddy. You’ll forgive a gangbanger who never worked, paid taxes, or even understood one thing about the Constitution, because “he’s had it hard, but he’s really a good boy deep down”, but you’ll turn and bite the had that has fed this nation as soon as they won’t “lay down and take the abuse” anymore. We’re just standing up for ourselves, finally, instead of redoubling our efforts to make up for a lack of it on the “educated elite’s” part. You think that because we don’t have the “sheep skins” that some of you have–financed by our tax dollars mostly–that we have low IQ’s. You’re continual dismissal of our real issues are done at the expense of all of our detriment. I have an I.Q. of 138. I’m a High-School drop-out. I have no criminal record. I’ve always been a loyal citizen. I’m probably actually smarter than most of you here, but I don’t talk or look like you, so you think it’s ok to wave me aside. There are so many like me in the Tea Party. You’re just fools. Sad. We have legitimate grievances to air, but you refuse to speak with us as if we are on an equal footing. That’s why we are forced to be so aggressive. We are fighting for everything we hold dear. The real issue here is that for the last 50 years, the backbone of this nation has been ignored. You won’t ignore us now. You can’t afford it.

Nice hit job, NPR. You guys certainly know how to construct a straw man and knock him down.

And to those of you warmly embracing the soft tyranny of this administration, shame on you.

Shame. On. You.

The Tea Party movement consists of millions – MILLIONS – of American citizens from all walks of life. I’ve scanned the posts here, and the consensus seems to be that those in the Tea Party movement are racists, fascists, nazis, brain-dead, stupid…pick you own favorite epithet.

The choice of Jeffrey McQueen as representative of the Tea Party movement was a deliberate one. If your purpose is to portray the Tea Party movement in the most negative light possible, you could not select a better person. It would be like selecting Al Franken to represent mainstream Democrats.

I understand and accept that the vast majority of NPR listeners are leftists. I get it. But what bothers me most is that you glibly put PARTY and IDEOLOGY before COUNTRY.

“I get it. But what bothers me most is that you glibly put PARTY and IDEOLOGY before COUNTRY.”

So are you.

“I understand and accept that the vast majority of NPR listeners are leftists. I get it. But what bothers me most is that you glibly put PARTY and IDEOLOGY before COUNTRY”

Proves my earlier post that even when NPR has 2 conservatives on over half the show, Tom asked softball questions, it was still too liberal or lefties, how dare people chanlenge this movement, why couldn’t NPR find a better spinster to present the movement, i mean the leaders of the Dallas group and USRevolution group don’t represent the Dallas group and USRevolution group huh?

I guess Listening to FOX and believing it is balance is the problem these folk have with other News Sources that don’t present the Far right view with a center right view as balance. If you watched the show it had 3 supporters or the rally and 1 against and the 1 against was paired with the Palin Guy. (Dam Liberal Biased).

“And to those of you warmly embracing the “”"”soft tyranny”"”"” of this administration, shame on you.”

The above statement just proves yet again the thinking of tea party folks that Obama is some type of Dictator and must be stopped.

Oh and Stacked for someone claiming a 130+ I.Q. you seem confused about your history, and counter-dict yourself over and over again as i pointed out.

Again Reaganomics.

Note in Stacked comments of the 50 years it was all the liberals fault nothing about conservatives.

I usually enjoy listening to On point, but I only got half way through this program. The two Tea Party people were incoherent, ranting and mostly didn’t seem to be able to answer questions. When the guy claimed that the health care bill is national socialism and started ranting about how he has Jewish heritage and that Jewish people shouldn’t support the bill because of this I thought Tom would have to pick him up on it. But for some reason he let it go. But I mean, come on, only a real fruitcake would claim that the health care bill is equivalent to the gas chambers in nazi Germany. The the woman claimed that the sharing of possessions by the followers of Jesus isn’t socialism, that it’s only socialism if the government does it. Well that’s wrong as well. Socialism is the acknowledgment that we live in a society and that we have a responsibility to help each other. She was distinguishing between state-socialism and collectivism.

Both were incoherent and had no convincing arguments whatsoever, indeed no arguments based in reality at all.

MIchael, you make the common mistake of picking things apart only to miss what’s being said. You’re a “Forrest for the Trees” kind; very common today. That’s why I didn’t bother responding to your desperate attempt to go myopic. Maybe I do have an 80 I.Q. How would that change anything? I’m still here. I’m still a force that has affect. Now maybe you start to get the picture. Your arguments don’t matter. The “cows” (as you probably think of us) are restless, and no matter how smart you may think you are, you can’t stop stampede once it gets going. You’d better start backing off and calming the herd by giving them some of what they want. I know this is new to you. Most of you liberals have lived your whole life not actually realizing where you really live, but it’s too late in the game to worry about that now. The storms brewing, you’d better take heed, and start “educating” yourselves that just because you are educated, you can’t do whatever you want.

Stacked,

or you failed to respond cause you can’t, why state a I.Q. when it is not true?

How to Stop a Stampede
Whether it’s a pack of herd animals or a crowd of scared people at a soccer stadium, a stampede is a lethal and chaotic event. Like a tornado or tsunami, a stampede will destroy anything in its way if it is not stopped. Controlling or stopping a stampede is not easy, but it can be done. Follow these steps to weaken a stampede and stop it.

#
1

Coordinate with the managers of the herd or crowd. The first and perhaps most important thing is that the people who are supposed to be in control remain in control. This means that managers of the herd or crowd acknowledge that a stampede is forming and that they follow a unified plan about how to deal with it so that they don’t end up contributing to it.
#
Step 2

Turn the stampede on itself. Cowboys, or herd managers, have dealt with animal stampedes by turning the stampede on itself. This task is not easy but it is effective. The cowboys must coordinate in order to turn the front of the stampede into a large arc that ends in the middle of the stampede. The animals, confused and confronted by themselves, should stop stampeding.
#
Step 3

Channel the stampede into an