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Where Dr. King Once Stood, Tea Party Claims His Mantle
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/us/politics/28beck.html?_r=1&ref=us
Where Dr. King Once Stood, Tea Party Claims His MantleBy KATE ZERNIKE
Published: August 27, 2010
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LinkedinDiggMixxMySpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalink. WASHINGTON — It seems the ultimate thumb in the eye: that Glenn Beck would summon the Tea Party faithful to a rally on the anniversary of the March on Washington, and address them from the very place where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech 47 years ago. After all, the Tea Party and its critics have been facing off for months over accusations of racism.
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.But many of the busloads of Tea Party activists expected in Washington this weekend do not see any irony or offense. In fact, they have come to see the Tea Party as the aggrieved — its loosely affiliated members unfairly characterized, even persecuted, as extremists.
Eighteen months ago, many were moved to the streets by a belief that they had been not listened to by their representatives in Washington. (“How dare they ignore us?” reads a sign often seen at Tea Party rallies.) Now, encouraged by Tea Party leaders and people like Mr. Beck and Andrew Breitbart, whose BigGovernment.com is a source of news for many Tea Party supporters, they have adopted the language of the civil rights movement to describe their cause. Their sense of persecution has become a galvanizing force.
Consider the response last month when the N.A.A.C.P., the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, called on Tea Party leaders to denounce racist elements in their ranks — citing signs with racist slogans at Tea Party rallies.
Tea Party Patriots, the largest umbrella organization for thousands of local groups across the country, posted a petition on its Web site calling for the N.A.A.C.P. to revoke its resolution “condemning the Tea Party movement as ‘racist.’ ”
“It is nothing less than ‘hate speech’ for the N.A.A.C.P. to be smearing us as ‘racists’ and ‘bigots,’ ” the petition declared. “We believe, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a colorblind, postracial society. And we believe that when an organization lies and resorts to desperate tactics of racial division and hatred, they should be publicly called on it.”
On his radio show, Mr. Beck said he had not intended to choose the anniversary for his “Restoring Honor” rally on Saturday but had since decided it was “divine providence.”
Dr. King’s dream, he told listeners, “has been so corrupted.”
“Judge a man by the content of his character?” he said. “Character doesn’t even matter in this country. It’s time we picked back up the job.”
He later added: “We are the people of the civil rights movement. We are the ones that must stand for civil and equal rights, justice, equal justice. Not special justice, not social justice. We are the inheritors and protectors of the civil rights movement. They are perverting it.”
It has become an article of faith among Tea Party groups that any racist signs at rallies — “Go back to Kenya,” directed at President Obama, is just one example — are carried by Democratic plants sent in to make the Tea Party look bad.
In March, when members of the Congressional Black Caucus accused protesters at a Tea Party rally against health care of spitting on them and shouting racist epithets, Tea Party leaders suggested that those episodes had not occurred, saying there was no video proof.
At a rally in Searchlight, Nev., a week later, Mr. Breitbart argued that black Democratic lawmakers had set out to provoke the protesters. When they did not make racist comments, Mr. Breitbart said, the Democrats simply accused them of doing so.
He looked into the crowd and said it proved that the Tea Party was not racist. “I see black faces, Hispanic faces. I’m Jewish,” he said. “Shalom, Nevada!”
In response to the N.A.A.C.P. resolution last month, Mr. Breitbart claimed reverse racism. He publicized a video of an Agriculture Department official, Shirley Sherrod, saying that she had discriminated against a white farmer. The video turned out to be heavily edited — in fact, Ms. Sherrod had helped the farmer and had actually been telling a longer story to make a point about the need for racial understanding.
Still, Tea Party leaders say they are outraged, as anyone would be, by accusations of racism: they do not see themselves that way.
FreedomWorks, a Washington advocacy group that has encouraged the growth of the Tea Party, is planning to take out full-page newspaper advertisements highlighting black, Hispanic and Jewish Tea Party members to make the point that the movement is diverse. It is also sponsoring a new documentary about black involvement in the cause.
Tea Party supporters argue that it is progressives who are fomenting racial division.
In a rally in April here at the National Mall, Deneen Borelli, a black conservative, told the crowd that Tea Party supporters were in an impossible position: “If you are white they call you racist or a redneck. If you are black, they call you a token, a traitor, an Uncle Tom.”
Polls show that the movement has not attracted blacks proportionate to their representation in the larger population. And some Tea Party leaders acknowledge that.
FreedomWorks advises Tea Party leaders to put Hispanics and blacks on stage at rallies to show that the movement is not racist.
Alveda King, a niece of Dr. King, is scheduled to speak at Mr. Beck’s rally, and many Tea Party supporters say this is evidence that they hold no racial animus.
Lloyd Marcus, a black singer who has performed on the cross-country tours of the Tea Party Express, often introduces himself by saying, “I am not an African-American, I am a Lloyd Marcus American!”
In a letter posted Friday on the social networking Web site Tea Party Nation, Mr. Marcus wrote, “Glenn Beck’s values and principles are far more consistent with M.L.K.’s values than the black civil rights leaders who have sold their souls to the anti-God, anti-family and anti-America progressives for political power.” He signed it, “Lloyd Marcus, unhyphenated American.”
In the Tea Party’s talk of states’ rights, critics say they hear an echo of slavery, Jim Crow and George Wallace. Tea Party activists call that ridiculous: they do not want to take the country back to the discrimination of the past, they say, they just want the states to be able to block the federal mandate on health insurance.
Still, the government programs that many Tea Party supporters call unconstitutional are the ones that have helped many black people emerge from poverty and discrimination. It is not just that Rand Paul, the Republican nominee for Senate in Kentucky, said that he disagreed on principle with the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that required business owners to serve blacks. It is that many Tea Party activists believe that laws establishing a minimum wage or the federal safety net are an improper expansion of federal power.
Critics rightly note that Dr. King spoke over and over of the need for this country to acknowledge its “debt to the poor,” calling for an “economic bill of rights” that would “guarantee a job to all people who want to work and are able to work.” In Mr. Beck’s taxonomy, this would make him a Marxist.
Even if Tea Party members are right that any racist signs are those of mischief-makers, even if Glenn Beck had chosen any other Saturday to hold his rally, it would be hard to quiet the argument about the Tea Party and race.
Where Dr. King Once Stood, Tea Party Claims His MantleBy KATE ZERNIKE
Published: August 27, 2010
LinkedinDiggMixxMySpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalink. WASHINGTON — It seems the ultimate thumb in the eye: that Glenn Beck would summon the Tea Party faithful to a rally on the anniversary of the March on Washington, and address them from the very place where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech 47 years ago. After all, the Tea Party and its critics have been facing off for months over accusations of racism.
.
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.But many of the busloads of Tea Party activists expected in Washington this weekend do not see any irony or offense. In fact, they have come to see the Tea Party as the aggrieved — its loosely affiliated members unfairly characterized, even persecuted, as extremists.
Eighteen months ago, many were moved to the streets by a belief that they had been not listened to by their representatives in Washington. (“How dare they ignore us?” reads a sign often seen at Tea Party rallies.) Now, encouraged by Tea Party leaders and people like Mr. Beck and Andrew Breitbart, whose BigGovernment.com is a source of news for many Tea Party supporters, they have adopted the language of the civil rights movement to describe their cause. Their sense of persecution has become a galvanizing force.
Consider the response last month when the N.A.A.C.P., the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, called on Tea Party leaders to denounce racist elements in their ranks — citing signs with racist slogans at Tea Party rallies.
Tea Party Patriots, the largest umbrella organization for thousands of local groups across the country, posted a petition on its Web site calling for the N.A.A.C.P. to revoke its resolution “condemning the Tea Party movement as ‘racist.’ ”
“It is nothing less than ‘hate speech’ for the N.A.A.C.P. to be smearing us as ‘racists’ and ‘bigots,’ ” the petition declared. “We believe, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a colorblind, postracial society. And we believe that when an organization lies and resorts to desperate tactics of racial division and hatred, they should be publicly called on it.”
On his radio show, Mr. Beck said he had not intended to choose the anniversary for his “Restoring Honor” rally on Saturday but had since decided it was “divine providence.”
Dr. King’s dream, he told listeners, “has been so corrupted.”
“Judge a man by the content of his character?” he said. “Character doesn’t even matter in this country. It’s time we picked back up the job.”
He later added: “We are the people of the civil rights movement. We are the ones that must stand for civil and equal rights, justice, equal justice. Not special justice, not social justice. We are the inheritors and protectors of the civil rights movement. They are perverting it.”
It has become an article of faith among Tea Party groups that any racist signs at rallies — “Go back to Kenya,” directed at President Obama, is just one example — are carried by Democratic plants sent in to make the Tea Party look bad.
In March, when members of the Congressional Black Caucus accused protesters at a Tea Party rally against health care of spitting on them and shouting racist epithets, Tea Party leaders suggested that those episodes had not occurred, saying there was no video proof.
At a rally in Searchlight, Nev., a week later, Mr. Breitbart argued that black Democratic lawmakers had set out to provoke the protesters. When they did not make racist comments, Mr. Breitbart said, the Democrats simply accused them of doing so.
He looked into the crowd and said it proved that the Tea Party was not racist. “I see black faces, Hispanic faces. I’m Jewish,” he said. “Shalom, Nevada!”
In response to the N.A.A.C.P. resolution last month, Mr. Breitbart claimed reverse racism. He publicized a video of an Agriculture Department official, Shirley Sherrod, saying that she had discriminated against a white farmer. The video turned out to be heavily edited — in fact, Ms. Sherrod had helped the farmer and had actually been telling a longer story to make a point about the need for racial understanding.
Still, Tea Party leaders say they are outraged, as anyone would be, by accusations of racism: they do not see themselves that way.
FreedomWorks, a Washington advocacy group that has encouraged the growth of the Tea Party, is planning to take out full-page newspaper advertisements highlighting black, Hispanic and Jewish Tea Party members to make the point that the movement is diverse. It is also sponsoring a new documentary about black involvement in the cause.
Tea Party supporters argue that it is progressives who are fomenting racial division.
In a rally in April here at the National Mall, Deneen Borelli, a black conservative, told the crowd that Tea Party supporters were in an impossible position: “If you are white they call you racist or a redneck. If you are black, they call you a token, a traitor, an Uncle Tom.”
Polls show that the movement has not attracted blacks proportionate to their representation in the larger population. And some Tea Party leaders acknowledge that.
FreedomWorks advises Tea Party leaders to put Hispanics and blacks on stage at rallies to show that the movement is not racist.
Alveda King, a niece of Dr. King, is scheduled to speak at Mr. Beck’s rally, and many Tea Party supporters say this is evidence that they hold no racial animus.
Lloyd Marcus, a black singer who has performed on the cross-country tours of the Tea Party Express, often introduces himself by saying, “I am not an African-American, I am a Lloyd Marcus American!”
In a letter posted Friday on the social networking Web site Tea Party Nation, Mr. Marcus wrote, “Glenn Beck’s values and principles are far more consistent with M.L.K.’s values than the black civil rights leaders who have sold their souls to the anti-God, anti-family and anti-America progressives for political power.” He signed it, “Lloyd Marcus, unhyphenated American.”
In the Tea Party’s talk of states’ rights, critics say they hear an echo of slavery, Jim Crow and George Wallace. Tea Party activists call that ridiculous: they do not want to take the country back to the discrimination of the past, they say, they just want the states to be able to block the federal mandate on health insurance.
Still, the government programs that many Tea Party supporters call unconstitutional are the ones that have helped many black people emerge from poverty and discrimination. It is not just that Rand Paul, the Republican nominee for Senate in Kentucky, said that he disagreed on principle with the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that required business owners to serve blacks. It is that many Tea Party activists believe that laws establishing a minimum wage or the federal safety net are an improper expansion of federal power.
Critics rightly note that Dr. King spoke over and over of the need for this country to acknowledge its “debt to the poor,” calling for an “economic bill of rights” that would “guarantee a job to all people who want to work and are able to work.” In Mr. Beck’s taxonomy, this would make him a Marxist.
Even if Tea Party members are right that any racist signs are those of mischief-makers, even if Glenn Beck had chosen any other Saturday to hold his rally, it would be hard to quiet the argument about the Tea Party and race.
As per your post I would agree about leaving the Constitution in place so I am concerned about efforts to revise the 14th Amendment. The issue can be dealt with by the Supreme Court updating pre-existing laws. That much has been done with other issues. For example much of current technology didn't exist at the time of the Constitution and required specific legislation of its own as to what was Constitutional. For example when phones and could not be wiretapped which is especially relevant as regards terrorism. There should be continuing efforts to help people who are impoverished be able to support themselves and move out of poverty into the middle class. That would not mean having to have programs that would provide support to them for life. The book that first spoke of poverty and specific solutions and had the idea of creating a poverty line was Michael Harrington "The Other America" which regardless of whether people agree or not is worthwhile reading and the specific concerns that it first detailed were from Appalachia so no it wasn't a race issue specifically. However that area of the country is still impoverished and has poor medical care and class discrimination is a factor. There has to be a discussion on how to address poverty and I agree public benefits for life is not a workable solution.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/socialsecurity/pensions.asp
That is a link on the social security, and definately dont kick the dog! I like them better than people!
You said: None of todays politicians are the "free thinkers" we were promised during this last campaign. I think most of them can be bought, and the others are for sale for a price yet to be determined.
My response! AMEN!
Good chatting with you and you have a wonderful day.....
And as for the healthcare issue, You will have to dig on that one as I have long since forgotten the urls! lol
That is a link on the social security, and definately dont kick the dog! I like them better than people!
You said: None of todays politicians are the "free thinkers" we were promised during this last campaign. I think most of them can be bought, and the others are for sale for a price yet to be determined.
My response! AMEN!
Good chatting with you and you have a wonderful day.....
And as for the healthcare issue, You will have to dig on that one as I have long since forgotten the urls! lol
Too funny but too right at the same time. Listen, about blowing a vote...thats another item of contention with me and the system. You vote and my vote dont mean a thing with the electoral college still in place. It favors the 2 major parties, and even then its slanted because of the system and people holding down party line affiliation.
Tell me what you find on them paying into social security. I could be wrong, but I may be wrong about that! LOL Its been my understanding that they have a different system.
As for health care..... I dont for a second believe that what you and I would get would be the same that the politicians get. There would certainly be a priority. There is now, I dont see how it would change. I also believe that face of health care would change. My family doctor told me one time...."you know what you call the doctor who graduated at the very bottom of his class with the crudest idea of internal medicine??? You call him doctor". I think docs wages will go down substantially, the standards of health care will go in the bucket. DO NOT get me started on big pharmacutical......these sons-a-guns are the worst in the lot. Between them and frivilous lawsuits, and toss in some crummy red tape...they have done almost everything they can to screw that system up. I dont think there is a damned politician with the answers to the health care problems. Dont get me wrong! I think we all should be able to get health care, and quality health care. There is just so many things about this whole thing that is up in the air. Too many questions unanswered, and the ones that are being answered are being answered by the same jerks we've been talking about above. (Politicians)
An old timer once told me, "You can put a top hat and a tuxedo on a pile of bull***, but its still bull****". I imagine the same can be said for politicians. None of todays politicians are the "free thinkers" we were promised during this last campaign. I think most of them can be bought, and the others are for sale for a price yet to be determined.
Well, now that I got all of that off my chest, I think I will go kick the dog, beat the wife and kids and rob a 7-11. (Thats a joke of course....the dog didnt do anything wrong.) LOL
Tell me what you find on them paying into social security. I could be wrong, but I may be wrong about that! LOL Its been my understanding that they have a different system.
As for health care..... I dont for a second believe that what you and I would get would be the same that the politicians get. There would certainly be a priority. There is now, I dont see how it would change. I also believe that face of health care would change. My family doctor told me one time...."you know what you call the doctor who graduated at the very bottom of his class with the crudest idea of internal medicine??? You call him doctor". I think docs wages will go down substantially, the standards of health care will go in the bucket. DO NOT get me started on big pharmacutical......these sons-a-guns are the worst in the lot. Between them and frivilous lawsuits, and toss in some crummy red tape...they have done almost everything they can to screw that system up. I dont think there is a damned politician with the answers to the health care problems. Dont get me wrong! I think we all should be able to get health care, and quality health care. There is just so many things about this whole thing that is up in the air. Too many questions unanswered, and the ones that are being answered are being answered by the same jerks we've been talking about above. (Politicians)
An old timer once told me, "You can put a top hat and a tuxedo on a pile of bull***, but its still bull****". I imagine the same can be said for politicians. None of todays politicians are the "free thinkers" we were promised during this last campaign. I think most of them can be bought, and the others are for sale for a price yet to be determined.
Well, now that I got all of that off my chest, I think I will go kick the dog, beat the wife and kids and rob a 7-11. (Thats a joke of course....the dog didnt do anything wrong.) LOL
LOL, I cannot argue with anything you say. Me, I am an independent but had to go dem to vote in the Presidential election. Yup, I voted Obama and still stand by my decision until proven otherwise. One thing I did do research on tho is them not paying into social security. They do. And the healthcare reform being set into place is the very thing the government has. Unless my information is wrong? Again, it comes back to finding the facts doesnt it? And yes, I listen and watch fox, used to be a major supporter of O'Reilly, even got the cups and hats to prove it. I believe in hearing it straight and not getting it in the paper. Yes, I watch MSNBC, and CNN as well, and agree these programs are slanted as well. So off I go researching on the net to find some middle ground somewhere only to be reminded that the two parties rule.Even the Independents are slanted one way or the other by what they hear on the news. So anyone not having the time to do the research is screwed and get to choose one or the other. I too have voted Republican, I voted for bush, and even wasted a vote for Ron Paul once upon a time. However, with that said, the one thing the last two years have done for me is to turn me totally against the republican party. So now what does that make me? hmmm
To me right now the Republicans are a bunch of dirty rotten lying scoundrels on a power trip, and the dems are acting like a bunch of yellow bellied chicken livers and I dont much like either one. (not talking about republican voters here), the republican party. Thought I better clarify that! lol
To me right now the Republicans are a bunch of dirty rotten lying scoundrels on a power trip, and the dems are acting like a bunch of yellow bellied chicken livers and I dont much like either one. (not talking about republican voters here), the republican party. Thought I better clarify that! lol
I think they have also become pro's at playing into what people fear the most. It's just all about votes...I for one would love to see a Prime Minister elected here that actually cared about me and my life...not just getting reelected. I don't vote anymore for who I think will do the best job, I vote for who I think will do the least amount of damage. Sad.
You are too correct on the news and where we get it from. Depending on the network, it is going to be slanted one way or the other. For a laugh, listen to an hour on say MSNBC then listen to FOX. (About as far left and right respectfully) Often they will be talking about the same events or occurances politically, but take things out of context to better shape their opinions.
How does one decipher the truth??? Hell, you've got me on that one. I try to rely on common sense, but that stuff isnt for rent or sale. You either have it or not, and I guess ones common sense lays on the same side of the fence that we were born on.
How does one decipher the truth??? Hell, you've got me on that one. I try to rely on common sense, but that stuff isnt for rent or sale. You either have it or not, and I guess ones common sense lays on the same side of the fence that we were born on.
Ah, the pictures depicting the President in a fashion that isnt favorable is nothing new. These same kind of dolts did the same thing to Bush, Clinton before him, the older Bush, Reagan. Whats happening now is with all of the media right at our fingertips, this crap is readily accessible.
Ive been a registered republican since the age of 18....I am way older than that now. Ive voted for local politicians on the democratic side, even voted for a President on the democratic side (thinking he was the lesser of both evils...and he was his first term...hint, hint, hint) The govenor of our state is a Democrat (I voted for him 2 times) and has done an incredible job. We're one of the few states in America that is sitting financially pretty.
With politics, I dont know if we are electing the right people for the job. The whole system in America is corrupt. Too many back room deals, (something this President claimed wouldnt happen and that there'd be more transparency) but that is politics! Until the system is repaired, its going to operate at its crippled capacity that is operating in now.
I'd suggest for America, no career politicians on the National stage.... take the money out of it, make politicians subjected to the same programs as the commoners....(why should a politician be able to tell me what kind of health care I can or cannot recieve, when they get the best.....why is their retirement different from mine? Why do they not pay into social security as I am expected too) It's the political system run amok. Until its fixed, these problems will keep arising regardless of whom we put into the White House. These are talking heads, saying whatever their handlers think they need to say to get elected, then go where the money is...... its pitiful!
Ive been a registered republican since the age of 18....I am way older than that now. Ive voted for local politicians on the democratic side, even voted for a President on the democratic side (thinking he was the lesser of both evils...and he was his first term...hint, hint, hint) The govenor of our state is a Democrat (I voted for him 2 times) and has done an incredible job. We're one of the few states in America that is sitting financially pretty.
With politics, I dont know if we are electing the right people for the job. The whole system in America is corrupt. Too many back room deals, (something this President claimed wouldnt happen and that there'd be more transparency) but that is politics! Until the system is repaired, its going to operate at its crippled capacity that is operating in now.
I'd suggest for America, no career politicians on the National stage.... take the money out of it, make politicians subjected to the same programs as the commoners....(why should a politician be able to tell me what kind of health care I can or cannot recieve, when they get the best.....why is their retirement different from mine? Why do they not pay into social security as I am expected too) It's the political system run amok. Until its fixed, these problems will keep arising regardless of whom we put into the White House. These are talking heads, saying whatever their handlers think they need to say to get elected, then go where the money is...... its pitiful!
I dont listen much to HLN, and admittedly all you hear is down party lines. And what gripes me is the fact that neither side is presenting the truth and the people are confused as to what truth is. I spend hours trying to decipher it. As much as I agree in free speech, I do think something needs done to make sure truth is revealed. As long as the distractions are going on, there are as you say, always something going on in the background. Unfortunately you talk about what you hear on the news, and what you hear is generally slanted. So depending on ones own experiences in life and their stature and their personal needs, and the crapload of misinformation is the result of the vote. There are very very few non partisan places to go for information, and television is not one of them.
I caught the news this morning while still in the fog getting ready for work. My wife (a little on the left) listens to HLN every morning. The 2 brief interviews they had stated that this rally was "all about the people, not the politics".
In my personal opinion, we as a people take some things far too serious and others not serious enough. Within the 2 major political parties, you have 2 sides fighting it out and refusing to meet anywhere in the middle. For them, it is all about guarding the party lines. These folks will preach to the people, get the votes they need to be elected, then get into D.C., take their payoffs, and ignore the people. IN the mean time, 3rd party affiliations are growing at incredible speed further muddying the waters. You've got registered voters not only holding down the party lines, but a new breed of voter who will register to vote in the primaries, contrary to their political beliefs, and vote for a candidate on the other side who they think their real candidate will beat.
The interviews I heard this morning pertaining to the Beck rally were all about the politics and the people in politics. Throw in the mix of a few known religious people and you have a great stew of controversy and discontent.......America, holy ****! We've got to pull our collective heads out of our a$$eS, get together on the real issues and get some things taken care of in THIS country and quit worrying about everyone else. WE are in a shambles, our economy *****, far too many people out of work..... we spend too much money on foreign trade and arent making money on foreign trade. WE have issues here at home that we need to get taken care of.
In my personal opinion, we as a people take some things far too serious and others not serious enough. Within the 2 major political parties, you have 2 sides fighting it out and refusing to meet anywhere in the middle. For them, it is all about guarding the party lines. These folks will preach to the people, get the votes they need to be elected, then get into D.C., take their payoffs, and ignore the people. IN the mean time, 3rd party affiliations are growing at incredible speed further muddying the waters. You've got registered voters not only holding down the party lines, but a new breed of voter who will register to vote in the primaries, contrary to their political beliefs, and vote for a candidate on the other side who they think their real candidate will beat.
The interviews I heard this morning pertaining to the Beck rally were all about the politics and the people in politics. Throw in the mix of a few known religious people and you have a great stew of controversy and discontent.......America, holy ****! We've got to pull our collective heads out of our a$$eS, get together on the real issues and get some things taken care of in THIS country and quit worrying about everyone else. WE are in a shambles, our economy *****, far too many people out of work..... we spend too much money on foreign trade and arent making money on foreign trade. WE have issues here at home that we need to get taken care of.
Yesterday was the focus on the civil rights movement and as much as some might like to claim they were apart of it,or to reclaim it, how many had to sit in the back of the bus,thanks to our ancestors. Easy to talk when you have not walked the walk.
I wholeheartedly agree with both of you.
You make really good points, and that is really how I see much of it as well. Everyone seems to think they know whats best...it's like the arm chair quarterbacks in football. I would love to know what they would do differently. Personally, I think politicians in general are a bunch of blowhards (Canadian, American, et al)...just about all of them. They use people that are suffering to make political points, while they sit in their big houses and collect massive paycheques. I don't believe the majority of them...along with these folks like Beck, etc. etc. (and yes, I am talking both sides here) care about real folks. They care about the $$. It's one of the reasons I actually like Obama...I feel like he has made some tough choices that were less then popular. Agree with those choices or not, I totally believe he is trying to do the right thing. Otherwise, he would just stick with what is popular and affirm his reelection. I also find it interesting that for the most part he is doing what he said he would do. He said he was going to reform Healthcare..it was a huge part of his platform. He is trying to deal with illegals..but realisticly...the problem is a very old one and cannot be resolved overnight.
I also have no issue with the TeaParty activists. I have no doubt that many are there for the right reasons...they care about their country..not a thing wrong with that. More should stand up for what they believe in in this world. Where I run into trouble with them is when I see all those nasty signs...such as the ones showing Obama with a ring through his nose, or dressed like Hitler. That just turns the whole thing into a joke..and unfortuantely that is what the world sees.
It was incredibly disrespectful to the great Dr. King (who was the real mccoy are far as I am concerned) to have this rally where and when Beck did. And to say he didn't knwo it was that day? Come on, I am a Canadian and even I knew...he tried to capitilize on one of the greatest men in recent history. And that was wrong.
I also have no issue with the TeaParty activists. I have no doubt that many are there for the right reasons...they care about their country..not a thing wrong with that. More should stand up for what they believe in in this world. Where I run into trouble with them is when I see all those nasty signs...such as the ones showing Obama with a ring through his nose, or dressed like Hitler. That just turns the whole thing into a joke..and unfortuantely that is what the world sees.
It was incredibly disrespectful to the great Dr. King (who was the real mccoy are far as I am concerned) to have this rally where and when Beck did. And to say he didn't knwo it was that day? Come on, I am a Canadian and even I knew...he tried to capitilize on one of the greatest men in recent history. And that was wrong.
I get your point, but I'd go as far as to say that Beck is as much a racist as the good Reverends Sharpton and Jackson.
Of course Beck is in this for himself. It insures him a pay check. He is in it for himself as Al Sharpton is in it for himself, as Jesse Jackson is in it for himself.
What I'd really like to see is any of these "know it alls" like Beck, Mike Church, or anyone on the left run for office. You know why they dont? They'd take a pay cut if they got elected President.
Politics/politicians are all full of hot air, and these know it alls are a bunch of blow hards.
Of course Beck is in this for himself. It insures him a pay check. He is in it for himself as Al Sharpton is in it for himself, as Jesse Jackson is in it for himself.
What I'd really like to see is any of these "know it alls" like Beck, Mike Church, or anyone on the left run for office. You know why they dont? They'd take a pay cut if they got elected President.
Politics/politicians are all full of hot air, and these know it alls are a bunch of blow hards.
Now I have had to sit and think about this, and what this all means. I honestly have no clue. I have no problem with this rally, as it is their right to hold one. Do I think for one moment that this was not intended to be done on this date. NO. No accident about it. But what did I notice about this whole thing. I noticed that while beck was talking all about god and restoring honor, the crowd that was interviews were on the politics of it all. Do I believe Beck is doing all this to bring people back to god, Not for a nano second. I believe beck is for beck and is responsible for creating/adding to the very division and diversity he spoke of. He does not have the actions of a true christian. I have watched his shows and listened to him distorte and twist the truth to his way of thinking and I have heard his racism straight from his mouth. So my question is. Will the real Glen Beck please stand up. Is he a prophit or out for profit. I say the latter.
The Tea Party movement was not founded on racist principals. It was founded to put the power back into the hands of the people. Washington does not listen to America. They take their payoffs and make their deals. Come reelection time, they go back to their constituents and pay great lip service to their worries and concerns. Then they return to that vacuum of power, Washington DC. Business as usual.
They've voted themselves outrageous salaries and benefits. They exclude themselves from legislation the rest of us are burdened with. Even the staffers have their student loans paid off for them. Should they be voted out of office, a golden parachute assures them of a soft landing. All at taxpayer expense. Ousted Senator Alan Simpson who is now an Obama adviser, referred to Social Security as a *** with 3000 nipples. Although they and all federal employees don't pay into Social Security, they raid our "retirement funds" on a regular basis. After all, they won't be hurt when there is no more money left for those who have paid into it for years.
The Tea Party was formed in reaction to Obama and the Democratic held congress's actions. Obamacare wasn't popular when voted in and even less so now. We want border security but instead Obama sues Arizona. It's his policies that Tea Partiers don't like; not his skin color.
Liberals fear the Tea Party to the extent that an Oregon school teacher Jason Levin was caught red handed operating a website that encouraged people to pretend to be right wing racists with signs to boot and show up at Tea Party events. The same was done at a Rand Paul Jr event in Kentucky. If it's so racist, why the need to invent false evidence? Many liberals are just flat scared of the Tea Party.
The Tea Party wants a government that holds to the Constitution. One that listen to the people. The Tea Party wants people to take responsibility for themselves. And scares the liberals who want total federal control over everyone's lives down to their socks. Heaven forbid we rid this country of the victim mentality. The TP's would also like to see a return to God in this country. They don't want to force anything on anyone. But just want the unencumbered right to pray when and where they wish.
False accusations have become so common that I barely listen to them anymore. Sadly, they've played that card so often that is now totally worn out. The public just doesn't care anymore because it's become such a common (and lowly) way to denigrating those whom you oppose and fear. Setting up a movement to appear racist is really beyond the pale. If they really were, there's be no reason to set up impostors. Sad state of affairs. And NO ONE has claimed the $100,000.00 reward offered for a video tape of John Lewis being called the N word at a Tea Party rally as was alleged. With so much media in attendance, if it had really happened, someone would be $100,000.00 richer today.
They've voted themselves outrageous salaries and benefits. They exclude themselves from legislation the rest of us are burdened with. Even the staffers have their student loans paid off for them. Should they be voted out of office, a golden parachute assures them of a soft landing. All at taxpayer expense. Ousted Senator Alan Simpson who is now an Obama adviser, referred to Social Security as a *** with 3000 nipples. Although they and all federal employees don't pay into Social Security, they raid our "retirement funds" on a regular basis. After all, they won't be hurt when there is no more money left for those who have paid into it for years.
The Tea Party was formed in reaction to Obama and the Democratic held congress's actions. Obamacare wasn't popular when voted in and even less so now. We want border security but instead Obama sues Arizona. It's his policies that Tea Partiers don't like; not his skin color.
Liberals fear the Tea Party to the extent that an Oregon school teacher Jason Levin was caught red handed operating a website that encouraged people to pretend to be right wing racists with signs to boot and show up at Tea Party events. The same was done at a Rand Paul Jr event in Kentucky. If it's so racist, why the need to invent false evidence? Many liberals are just flat scared of the Tea Party.
The Tea Party wants a government that holds to the Constitution. One that listen to the people. The Tea Party wants people to take responsibility for themselves. And scares the liberals who want total federal control over everyone's lives down to their socks. Heaven forbid we rid this country of the victim mentality. The TP's would also like to see a return to God in this country. They don't want to force anything on anyone. But just want the unencumbered right to pray when and where they wish.
False accusations have become so common that I barely listen to them anymore. Sadly, they've played that card so often that is now totally worn out. The public just doesn't care anymore because it's become such a common (and lowly) way to denigrating those whom you oppose and fear. Setting up a movement to appear racist is really beyond the pale. If they really were, there's be no reason to set up impostors. Sad state of affairs. And NO ONE has claimed the $100,000.00 reward offered for a video tape of John Lewis being called the N word at a Tea Party rally as was alleged. With so much media in attendance, if it had really happened, someone would be $100,000.00 richer today.
You've hit the nail on the head! We had a regional political issue here in the west pertaining to the delisting of the wolves from the endangered species. A gentleman closely associated with the opposition of the delisting infiltrated a gathering of pro-delisting folks and had an obnoxious sign portraying himself as a real jerk...the idea essentially was to make the pro-delisters angry.
Regardless of where you stand on that issue or an issue for that matter, there is always opposition that is going to do to make your side look bad. Its happened for decades.
This all fits into the scare tactic issue. I find it amusing how things like this can #1 be considered news, and #2 the story can be taken out of context and used to benefit and discredit both sides of the coin.
Only in America.....bless us all
Regardless of where you stand on that issue or an issue for that matter, there is always opposition that is going to do to make your side look bad. Its happened for decades.
This all fits into the scare tactic issue. I find it amusing how things like this can #1 be considered news, and #2 the story can be taken out of context and used to benefit and discredit both sides of the coin.
Only in America.....bless us all
Racists are to the Tea Party, as Terrorists are to Muslims, as Aryans are to Christians.
There are A-holes in every group. And since the Tea Party is so anti-Obama, racists find it a fitting group to be part of.
There are A-holes in every group. And since the Tea Party is so anti-Obama, racists find it a fitting group to be part of.
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