- 12345 College Boulevard in Overland Park (the corner of College & Quivira), from 6-8pm
- Liberty Memorial, beginning at 4pm (speakers begin at 5pm)
For some interesting background on how this entire movement got started, check out Michelle Malkin's great summary page here. Contrary to media reports, it's not something organized and directed by sinister forces of the eeeeeevil vast right-wing conspiracy; it's actually a whole boatload of normal people like you and me who are angry at what our government has been doing lately.
One of the components in yesterday's posts about the tea parties was the DHS report warning of 'right-wing extremists'. While this is a clearly partisan hack attempt to discredit this genuine grass roots conservative movement, the media and the Left defended it by saying that the Bush administration once put out a report on left-wing extremists. We have now seen some additional research on that defense, and it is disingenuous at best:
[The vaunted "Left-Wing Extremism" report] ... is here, courtesy of Jake Tapper. This is the report heralded by counter-critics of the DHS report on "right-wing extremism" that supposedly disproves political bias in the substance-free attack on conservative critics. Except that the report on extremism of the Left is much different than the other DHS report, starting with specifics. While the DHS report focusing on the Right expansively and generally indicted groups opposing abortion, illegal immigration, and federalism, this report instead focuses on actual and specific extremist groups — groups who have a long history of domestic terrorism and violence (page 9):Hot Air offers this final analysis:(U//FOUO) DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines leftwing extremists as groups or individuals who embrace radical elements of the anarchist, animal rights, or environmental movements and are often willing to violate the law to achieve their objectives. Many leftwing extremist groups are not hierarchically ordered with defined members, leaders, or chain of command structures but operate as loosely-connected underground movements composed of "lone wolves," small cells, and splinter groups.
— (U//LES) Animal rights and environmental extremists seek to end the perceived abuse and suffering of animals and the degradation of the natural environment perpetrated by humans. They use non-violent and violent tactics that, at times, violate criminal law. Many of these extremists claim they are conducting these activities on behalf of two of the most active groups, the Animal Liberation Front and its sister organization, the Earth Liberation Front. Other prominent groups include Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty; and chapters within the Animal Defense League, and Earth First!.
— (U//FOUO) Anarchist extremists generally embrace a number of radical philosophical components of anticapitalist, antiglobalization, communist, socialist, and other movements. Anarchist groups seek abolition of social, political, and economic hierarchies, including Western-style governments and large business enterprises, and frequently advocate criminal actions of varying scale and scope to accomplish their goals. Anarchist extremist groups include entities within Crimethinc, the Ruckus Society, and Recreate 68.
In other words, it does not treat all animal-rights criticisms as indications of terrorist thought. It fails to paint all opponents of free trade as potential national-security threats. Global warming activism does not get treated in this instance as federalism does in the execrable DHS report on conservatives and libertarians. In other words, in this report, the DHS actually focuses on threats, not becoming the Thought Police.
The differences between these two reports could not be more vast. In one, DHS downplays the potential for violence from proven and existing violent groups. In the other, DHS presumes violence from a wide range of mainstream political points of view without any evidence of a threat, any specific groups, and impugns millions of veterans as potential terrorists. The people behind both of these reports should be fired, and Janet Napolitano should resign as DHS Secretary.
In a sane world, that might actually happen. Not here, not today. *sigh*
I think it'll be interesting to see what kind of coverage these tea parties get. I would imagine a number of them will get some decent treatment from local stations, but on the national stage most will either ignore it or mock it while perpetuating the lies that this is a kook-fringe thing. We'll see how it plays out tonight and tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, Patterico raises an excellent point:
That's a great question that I'll address a bit more in a moment. First I want to briefly discuss the Republican party. In short, they're only slightly better than the Democrats. That's the real problem here - Republicans were elected into leadership in 1994 based on responsibility, and they totally flubbed it. Over time, they became Diet Democrats - all of the same irresponsible and expensive ideas, just not quite as much of them. It was a recipe for failure -- conservatives didn't want those ideas at all, and liberals wanted the full deal so they went with the real Democrats -- and that's exactly what happened. The American people felt (were) betrayed, so they rightfully ditched the GOP. If the Republican party had remained steadfast and responsible, we wouldn't be in this position today. Don't buy the idea that the tea parties are a Republican thing, because they're just as much at fault here as the Democrats.It's Tax Day, and across the country, "tea parties" have been organized to protest Barack Obama's out-of-control spending and other oppressive and dangerous policies. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Glenn Reynolds says:
The good news for Republicans is that, while the Republican Party flounders in its response to the Obama presidency and its programs, millions of Americans are getting organized on their own. The bad news is that those Americans, despite their opposition to President Obama's policies, aren't especially friendly to the GOP.
True dat. There's a lot of us out here with passionate, unbridled opposition to the disaster that is the Obama administration . . . but we're left with seemingly nowhere to go. Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal, bless their hearts, aren't Ronald Reagan. And that's who we need. I'm about ready to grab a shovel, drive up to Simi Valley, and start digging. Only, there has to be somebody alive who could do the job.
Our haughty overlords in Big Media will doubtless discount the sentiments behind these demonstrations as Fox News-inspired Astroturfing. That's a mistake. The anger is out here. It's palpable.
But it needs to be channeled into action, or it won't do us any good at all.
The problem is, what action? Bigger donations to the same clowns who let the deficit balloon during the Bush administration? Who were too gutless to fight lawless filibusters of qualified judicial nominees? Who allowed Barack Obama to cruise to victory by hanging the mortgage crisis around the neck of George Bush — without a fight? A crisis that was a product of neglect by both parties, quite notably corrupticrats like Barney Frank and Chris Dodd?
No. We're not falling back in line with these morons.
But we have to do something.
All across this country today, you'll see the frustration. You'll see the high emotions prompted by a sense of hopelessness about the direction of this country. It will be a useful demonstration of political anger.
But tomorrow, what will we do with it?
It's interesting to note, then, that the most recent Rasmussen survey of a generic congressional ballot is dead even after less than three months of Democrat leadership (that's after a significant lead in recent months). Republicans are also closing the gap on general trust on key issues, too. Pretty amazing progress for a party that has completely sucked for the last decade, don't you think? There's a reason: they suck less than the alternative that is currently in charge, and people are figuring that out fast.
Patterico hits the nail on the head - the tide is turning against the Democrats despite there being no leader behind which we can focus. Just think if such a person were to step forward. We're talking about a major, major shift in the next election if someone can connect with this anger and resentment.
In my opinion, I have to say that Sarah Palin is the most likely to be able to do that. While she's certainly not perfect, as McCain's VP nominee she overcame significant concerns about her inexperience, killed Biden in a debate, and electrified the GOP base all in just a few weeks. After a few more years in office, a built-in national recognition, and with a genuine connection with the American people, she's a breakout star waiting to happen in 2012. If nothing else, it is women who are propping up the Democrat numbers right now, and Palin could very well steal a significant portion of those voters without Hillary on the other side of the ballot. Time will tell. Whether or not it's Palin, there is clearly a desperate need -- and desire -- from the American people for someone of real character, integrity, and responsibility to fill the monstrous void in Washington. The tea parties are a gigantic sign of the discontent in this country that is waiting to be tapped by the right person.
As you watch all of this stuff going on today, and as you participate in the tea parties around the country, The Jawa Report reminds us of a key quote to remember:
Hope! Change!"They sent us here to usher in a new era of responsibility in Washington -- to start living within our means again, and being straight with them about where their tax dollars are going, and empowering them with the information they need to hold all of us, their representatives, accountable."
Tea party on!
There's my two cents.
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