Although any mention of the Tea Party causes considerable resentment from some Pagans, it’s an important topic to cover. From what I have seen, more Pagans are joining the Tea Party or groups that affiliate with the Tea Party in the past 6 months or so. Within the Tea Party, Pagans are starting to be noticed as powerful voices adept at working with non-hierarchical groups such as the Tea Party Patriots. I now know at least 37 Pagans who are part of the Tea Party movement with more starting to take a closer look at joining in. There are 6 Pagans who are in leadership positions (although they would define it as organizing, assisting, or facilitating) within the movement. Most have said they feel they can make an impact within these groups and are “out of the broom closet” with no problems.
I asked all 37 if they were attending the Tax Day Rally held on April 15th and if they were, if they would be willing to give a brief write-up of their experience. I also put out a call for counter-demonstrators and infiltrators. Many Tea Party Pagans I talked to said they were either unable to attend the rally or didn’t want to be public about their involvement with the Tea Party. Even with using an alias they were concerned that fellow Pagans would be able to find out who they were and give them a hard time.
They have said they are willing to answer questions that are asked in the comments section, either directly or by emailing me the answer.
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Catherine lives in Washington and has attended several Tea Party rallies.
Oak lives in Illinois and is a facilitator in his local Tea Party Patriot group.
Allison lives in Georgia and is part of Kick Them All Out, a group that works with Tea Party and Tea Party affiliated groups.
GreenWitch lives in Kansas with her partner.
HarkenTheGods lives in New York and agreed to attend a rally just to see what it was about.
Rob lives in California and attended his first Tea Party rally as a protester.
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Catherine – I ended up at two rallies on Tax Day. The first was in Olympia, and the second, Seattle, WA.
My eldest son (age 12) was with me all through the rallies. Both of us were in the crowd, carrying a US and Gadsden flags. The crowds were very peaceful, as they’ve been at every rally we’ve attended. People are polite, laughing, talking, getting in touch with others who share a like mind and networking for future activities. I’ve yet to see any racist/sexist/or homophobic signs or attitudes among TeaPartiers, and every rally I’ve been to I’ve seen minorities welcomed with open arms. It’s also worth noting that the cultural mix at the TeaParties is pretty much the same as what I encounter in my day to day activities.
I encountered one counter-protester in Olympia, who yelled at me for being a pro-war conservative. I responded that I was a Libertarian and I’d opposed Bush’s war-mongering as loudly as I now opposed Obama continuing these same policies. When I asked her if she opposed Obama’s war policies she walked away and refused to answer. I know there were 2 or 3 other counter-protesters there, but I didn’t have any interaction with them.
There were approximately 30 counter-protesters in Seattle, and one infiltrator that I saw who tried to enter the crowd with a sign referring to himself as a TeaBagger, and with quotes on his sign from a man recently arrested for some rather vile threats against Patty Murray. He was surrounded pretty rapidly by TeaParty members who let him know, politely, that he was not welcome and that the sentiments on his sign were not those expressed by Teaparty members. At one point he was surrounded by five or six signs pointing to him saying Infiltrator, and Agent Provocateur.
I didn’t have any Pagan friends attending, but again, the mix of people I knew is pretty consistent with my everyday life.
I would be willing to answer questions that people have regarding the TeaParties and my experience as long as the choose to be polite and are actually interested in debate. I see no sense in pointless name-calling and don’t waste my time with people whose only interest is spreading hate.
Oak – It was a very busy time trying to make sure everything went well for the rally. I was so busy before, during, and after that I didn’t see much.
We had a good turn-out, several hundred people. A high number since we were out in the suburbs and not one of the big rallies. We were careful in policing people. There are always wackos that show up at any political event and we are sick of them being displayed as prime examples of who and what we are. That is such bullshit. We heard reports that people would try to infiltrate the rallies and pose as Tea Partiers and hold up racist signs but I didn’t see anything like that. Perhaps at the big rally in Chicago that was a problem, but not where I was. We had one joker with a sign that was just wrong, so we told him to throw the sign away or leave. He was pissed, but I didn’t care.
I was busy enough that I didn’t get to hear much of what the speakers were saying. The speakers like to think they matter for the rally, but they don’t. They are a prop. What really matters is creating a good ritual experience. It’s a community building ritual so the focus needs to be on the ritual elements. Grouping together to establish a connection to one another and sharing energy. Building the energy up and then guiding it to a positive release so it can work our Will in the world. I understand this. This is just another way that being Pagan gives me a leg up on working within any political group, but the Tea Party in particular. I’ve begun talking to other Tea Party facilitators about this and they’ve been extremely interested. They are going to try to replicate what our rally did in other cities.
Allison – This rally gave me hope! I’m so pumped! In past rallies we have been pushed to the side a bit since our message is, “No matter who they are or what Party they belong to – VOTE THEM OUT!” I’m not sure what has changed, but many more people wanted to talk to us and get information from us.
At the rally, each group got to have a small table off to the side where you could put your information and have a staffer there to answer questions. In the past, we would only have one person staff the table and they would be bored stiff. I was planning on walking around the rally and listening to the speakers when our table staffer called me on my cell. She needed me to return to the table because so many people were there to talk to us! I spent the rest of the rally at the table. For the most part, people were receptive to our message or at least willing to be open to it.
So many people signed up to be on the mailing list that we more than doubled our database. What a day!
GreenWitch – What was the rally like? Let me tell you a story.
When I and my partner arrived at the demonstration we got out our signs (Libertarian Lesbians) and began our long walk to where the rally was held. We were talking about the upcoming Pagan festivals that we would be attending this summer. They are the highlight of our summer, but we need to find a better way to beat the heat. My partner squeezed my hand and said, “Isn’t that Pagan X walking over there? With that small group?” I looked and waved and called out a greeting. I was surprised she was attending a Tea Party rally, but we had been to many anti-war/civil rights protests together so perhaps she was here to protest President Obama’s continuation of Bush’s appalling policies. We walked towards each other and then looked at each others signs.
I won’t say what was on her sign, but it was incredibly offensive. It was opposite of everything she and I believe. She was shocked that I was there to be part of the Tea Party demonstration. She thought I was there, like her, to infiltrate or oppose the Tea Party. Shock turned to anger when I refused to leave the rally and said that I would let the officials at the rally know that her group was planning to be deceptive with their signs.
She got back in her car and left. After telling me that I am a traitor to Paganism and that we are no longer friends. Our tent would no longer be welcome in her group at the summer festivals. I felt the same way as when I came out to some of my straight friends after college. Cut off, dirty, worthless.
My partner and I attended the rally and nothing really stood out to me and I couldn’t pay attention. My heart was too heavy.
What I do remember is that the rally was rather bland compared to the emotionally charged anti-war protests I have attended for years. I didn’t feel uncomfortable, it wasn’t angry, or even impassioned.
I support the main message of the Tea Party. I think our political Parties have grown arrogant and don’t listen to us. I feel that frustration. I don’t support the Healthcare Bill. I’m worried that it will take money, time, and attention away from fixing Medicare. I want a single payer system for everybody and feel the Bill was giant step back in entrenching the insurance industry more firmly in power. I believe our government, no matter who is in power, is seeking to control more and more of our lives. That’s what power does. I am totally opposed to the government giving money to businesses to bail them out. What about all the people who need help? I used to be a firm supporter of the Democratic Party. Not anymore. They are just as in bed with Big Business as the Republicans. I just wish the Tea Party would ROAR and exude a fiery passion instead of the mild and scattered response they display.
HarkenTheGods – I wasn’t too excited about attending this Tea Party shit. I’ve been laughing at them and poking fun at them. Face it, they are easy targets. But, I do have some integrity, so I checked them out for myself.
They are still funny. Still easy targets.
But they aren’t racists and most of them aren’t nutcases. What they are is a mishmash. You got anti-tax people. People who want all the bums thrown out. Fair tax, flat tax, and no tax. People who are ok with the amount of taxes, but think the government spends it on the wrong stuff. Don’t like the bail-outs. Don’t like the Healthcare bill. Want more spending on education. Less corruption. Legalize pot.
What I got, is the groups that are in this thing, don’t really agree on much. They agree that the government is fucking things up, incompetent, corrupt, and doesn’t give a shit what any of us think. The two things that everyone I talked to agreed on was that the national debt was out of control and that the bail-outs under Bush and Obama were wrong.
The people were friendly. New York gets a bad rap for being assholes, but that isn’t true. Families were at the rally and there were a few minorities in the crowd and stage. No one was angry or violent or any more of a freak then you see on the street. I didn’t see or hear anything extreme or threatening. You hear these same conversations at the bar and at the diner. After going to their little party, I can’t see how people get so upset about them. Like most protesters, they are ignorant and a joke, but not boogieman dangerous.
Rob – I went to protest the Tea Party Tax Day Rally because I think the group is foolish and dangerous. We all know that fiscally conservative is code for throwing those in need to the wolves of Big Business.
I’d say there were over a hundred counter-protesters there. We chanted so loud that the people in the back of their rally couldn’t hear their speakers. Good. No one should hear that lying, hateful garbage. People who go to these rallies are either unbalance or deceived. The only reason they are protesting is because there is a black man in office. The. Only. Reason. Everything else is an excuse. Every Pagan out there should be shouting these racist fuckers down. You can’t be a Pagan and be a part of this group. Anyone who says differently is messed up in the head or is a closet Christian ready to don the white hood.
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As always, if you are a Pagan and are part of the Tea Party movement, let me know. Many of you are finding me on FaceBook and Twitter.
I would like to extend a sincere “thank you” to everyone who agreed to do a small write-up of their experience at the Tax Day rally. Likewise, I would like to thank all of you who read this blog. Your willingness to listen to other perspectives and points of view, and engage in civil discourse, are what I consider one of the Pagan community’s greatest virtues.
I would really like to see the rest of the responses, if possible Cara. Not to be too skeptical, but it seems like the ones posted were given in a particular light (those praising the Tea Party, versus the angry rhetoric of ‘Rob’ and the snarky attitude of ‘Harken’).
I mean, I’m sure that there is probably a good mix of them, but the way they are presented seems a little bit biased – five isn’t a large enough sample size to have a meaningful statistical distribution.
Those are the full responses from each person who agreed to participate and then actually did.
I asked them to do a short write up of what they saw and experienced and they emailed the paragraphs back. The only thing omitted from any email response was the salutation and anything personal to me at the end of the email.
I, too, would have liked to have more responses from a variety of people who attended the rally for whatever reason. But I also understand that people have things come up, get crushed for time, or decide they don’t want to participate after all.
I agree that Rob’s response was not as detailed as I would have liked and I’m not a fan of the tone. I debated including it, but then decided I would include any and all responses that I received in full. Plus, it’s not my place to censor anyone who stays with the guidelines that have been established for this blog project.
Harken may have been a bit amused by it all, but he did take the time to attend a rally and he did present his thoughts on what he experienced. I can’t say that I really disagree with his assessment, as far as it goes. The Tea Party does have its snark worthy qualities.
But – I would like to note that Rita attended a Tea Party rally and she talked about her experience here – http://politics.pagannewswirecollective.com/2010/04/14/protests-now-and-then/
Ah, I misunderstood. I thought that you had 37 responses, and had chosen these to represent, rather than these were the ones that were received. My apologies.
I wish! Wouldn’t that be great to get that many POVs?
Indeed. I certainly understand the anger of the Tea Partiers (well, ok, those who have legitimate gripes about government waste and corruption – those engaging in racist rhetoric or Palin-idol worship I have little use or time for), but it seems to me that they are far too emotional about the whole thing, and have little direction beyond “throw all of them out, and let us put in our own puppets!”
I can’t get a real gauge on emotion because I’m only seeing the rallies in Minnesota. People here are VERY low key, for the most part. We joke that when talking to others, the introverts stare at their own shoes and the extroverts stare at your shoes.
I was surprised at the write up from Allison because the “Throw all the bums out” is treated with polite eye contact avoidance here. (Which is how we show disapproval for what someone is saying in a one on one conversation)
This is just MY thoughts – but where the TP has a chance to make an impact is in their GOTV efforts. These people are motivated to vote and motivated to find others who support their position to also vote. Here, and other places, they have also taken over a majority share of the Precinct Executive positions.
The Precinct Executives elect the Party Leaders and the Party Leaders endorse the candidates for office. The TP members have been quietly running for these positions, often unopposed, within both political Parties. (Although mostly in the GOP and Libertarians) Most people don’t even know the position exists and many of the positions stand open year after year. By getting into these positions in strength, the TP has a possible strategy that could influence the Parties and elections for years to come.
So, is this some kind of a fiendish plot to bring down both major parties by packing the halls with your own people and hijacking them, somewhat like what Buchanan did to the Reform Party?
“There’s a new one-party system in town.”
Why, yes, it is. MwaaaaHahHahHah.
LOL
If the new party is We, the People, I’m in!
Hmm. I have my doubts about the Tea Party as being able to accomplish much, and what little it seems everyone involved in the movement can agree on (Libertarianism and Patriotism) are two of my personal pet peeves when it comes to politics, in any case. But like Eran above, I was disappointed that while the pro-Tea Party responses seemed well-intentioned and sincere, even if a bit misguided, the anti-Tea Party responses were full of snarky rudeness. I don’t know if this is a bias of the poster, or the failings of those willing to respond… but in either case, I’d hoped for better.
Ah, just saw your response to Eran, Cara. Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate your decision to include all the responses you received in full. And I understand where Harken is coming from… though it’s hard to tell when anecdotal evidence is enough to outweigh the (likely somewhat puffed-up) reports of less benign behavior from Tea-Partiers. In any case, thanks for continuing to cover the issue.
Every group likes to put on its best face. Plus, as a member of the group, I am biased.
That’s why I was so pleased when Harken said he would participate. He was as close to a neutral Pagan observer as I’ve been able to find who was also willing to attend a rally. But I’m always looking for more!
“I support the main message of the Tea Party.”
Now THAT is amusing.
…did you have something to add to the conversation, or just snark?
Eran, please prove me wrong and provide a succinct intelligent statement of “the main message of the Tea Party”.
Ummm, might that message be put as:
“We don’t like ANYTHING!”
Apuleius,
The Tea Party grassroots movement started out as an extension of Ron Paul’s campaign. It came out of our disgust and outrage when he was completely sidelined during the campaigns, the media wouldn’t acknowledge him as anything but a ‘kook’. Why? Because he wanted us to return to the Constitution, balance the budget, audit the Fed, end these needless wars and Bring Our Troops Home! This was a grassroots Libertarian movement. When it started picking up momentum, the GOP tried to latch on. Unfortunately, they are the ones getting most of the press. Typical of the liberal press to latch onto the lowest denomination and hold it up as an example.
If you are actually interested in learning what its about check out Campaign for Liberty’s website. http://www.campaignforliberty.com/about.php#mission
Campaign For Liberty’s Mission
Our mission is to promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy, by means of educational and political activity.
And that, folks, is Catherine – one of the people who graciously agreed to do a write-up. If you have questions about the Tea Party and Paganism – now’s the time to ask.
how about, “The people in both political parties no longer represent the will of the people, so we’re forming our own party to have people who may actually represent us instead of lobbyists for large corporations.”?
Eran Rathan: >> how about, “The people in both political parties no longer represent the will of the people, so we’re forming our own party to have people who may actually represent us instead of lobbyists for large corporations.”? <<
Where is this political party? What does it stand for? Who are it's candidates?
And why is it that this particular bunch of "libertarians" has so little to say about gay rights, the drug wars, and the explosion of the prison population? And they have absolutely nothing to say about protecting and preserving the separation of church and state.
That's because these faux libertarians are just another crop of political opportunists who will threaten to siphon off the far right of the Republican party, which is primarily composed of slack-jawed Christian fundamentalist bigots (and is the core constituency that stuck with George Bush to the bitter end and still loves him to this day).
But in the end all of these folks will end up safely back in the Republican fold. All of this is nothing more than jockying for position in the GOP. And the main person who benefits from it all is Sarah Palin.
The Tea Party (for the most part) is not a Political Party – it is a special interest group. Their special interest is in fiscal matters. They have made a conscious decision to avoid social issues like those listed.
It would be like criticizing NARAL for not speaking out (one way or another) about the Estate Tax.
I was responding very specifically and obviously to Eran Rathan very explicit claim that ” … we’re forming our own party … “.
I quoted this at the very top of my post, so there is no excuse for any confusion.
Perhaps, Cara, you should direct your attention to Eran.
And as for the “conscious decision to avoid social issues” — what kind of “libertarianism” is it that avoids the most basic issues of personal liberty? I know the answer: it is the kind of “libertarianism” that places property rights before human rights.
No – I get that. I was clarifying to both you and others on the Tea Party not being a political party (for the most part – there are some Tea candidates) – but I also wanted to let you (and others who may be wondering) know why you won’t see official statements or positions from the Tea Party on social issues.
While Libertarians are usually at the forefront of personal/civil liberty issues, they are also interested in economic liberty and the scope and role of the Federal government. They see these issues as interconnected and a weakening of one is a weakening of all. Which means you will see Libertarians join groups that promote any one or all of those issues.
Just because a Libertarian may join Special Interest Group A with a focus on gun rights doesn’t mean the very same Libertarian isn’t also involved with Special Interest Group B that works to legalize pot and Special Interest Group C that is trying to repeal the Patriot Act.
To criticize Groups A, B, or C for not marching for Gay rights, or some other issue outside their mission, is unfair and unwarranted. Likewise, to criticize a Libertarian for being involved in Group A because you think it means they aren’t in other Groups (such as C) without knowing if that is true or not is also unfair and unwarranted.
Does that make sense?
Apuleius wrote:
“Where is this political party? What does it stand for? Who are it’s candidates?”
Well, there are at least a dozen of them I’ve heard mentioned…though, in all honesty, they seem too fractured to actually do anything but, as you say, siphon off some of the Republican (and conservative Democrat) votes.
“And why is it that this particular bunch of “libertarians” has so little to say about gay rights, the drug wars, and the explosion of the prison population? And they have absolutely nothing to say about protecting and preserving the separation of church and state.”
Because that is not their focus – as other have already stated, they started off a TAX protesting group (‘Taxed Enough Already’ etc.)
“That’s because these faux libertarians are just another crop of political opportunists who will threaten to siphon off the far right of the Republican party, which is primarily composed of slack-jawed Christian fundamentalist bigots (and is the core constituency that stuck with George Bush to the bitter end and still loves him to this day).”
translation: blah blah ad hominem blah blah…
“But in the end all of these folks will end up safely back in the Republican fold. All of this is nothing more than jockying for position in the GOP. And the main person who benefits from it all is Sarah Palin.
”
There certainly is enough of that going around, ins’t there?
Unfortunately one social issue I’ve heard a number of Tea Partiers (or at least people who claim to be. I suspect that when it comes to specific issues rather than general pricipals tea Partiers are as diverse as pagans) get vocl about is abortion and those who have sounded off on it have all been anti.
Well, I do think that there’s more to this than ‘ad hominem,’ …these are mostly the same people who told those of us who were angry at the Bush administration for making this mess, largely with anti-government government, …to be quiet or be called traitors… and who did, and who do they actually *support* for candidates?
These are not candidates who are exactly into social justice, shall we say, these are not Libertarians they’re supporting, …they’re the far right social conservatives. Claiming it’s ‘just about taxes’ belies the fact that this involves electing a lot of people who ignore real problems in the country, claim more corporate abuses of the system, less financial reform, and more anti-gay, anti-science, and anti-minority policies are also things ‘everybody wants.’
There’s a lot of level-sounding talk from conservative Pagans, and I’d sure *like* to believe that more of these Tea Party folks aren’t just the same crop of bigots who believe Fox News and don’t even like facts, but this doesn’t mean their *effects* on the elections in reality are going to bring about any progress or social justice.
Rather, it’s just a moderate-sounding cover for the Right to keep its coalition of money and Fundamentalism in play. Both to obstruct and to try and give us still more of the bad old Bush years. They have no interest in any idealism of a Tea Party, they just want to keep things angry and irrational until the next midterms. Economic recovery, or a perception of such, is *not* in the Right’s interest. And that means they and the people aren’t on the same side.
As for how the Tea Party gets perceived as bigots, well, …Look at the rest of the Internet. And what their mouthpieces do in fact say.
If you don’t want Palin and the like, make *that* clear. First.
I think this is really cool and awesome, to get a number of perspectives from pagans on events in the news. It seems like really revealing the potential of the whole PNC-type thing.
Lonespark – I did not mention this before, but I can’t tell you how estatic I was to read the comment you made in Wolly’s first post on Establishing A Dialogue – “The posts I have loved to read here have been the ones that have raised issues about what a specifically pagan healthcare policy might be, what it’s like to be a pagan involved in party politics, issue posts like the one on marijuana…I would love to see more exploration of how pagan communities can support members getting into politics, where we want lines drawn between religious leadership and other kind of community leadership, how we can make peace with a system that has so little room for minority parties…
Typing this has clarified for me that I really enjoy reading about political issues and strategy examined from pagan perspectives, rather than political analysis and partisanship from folks who happen to be pagan.”
Although this post is a bit light on “political issues and strategy examined from pagan perspectives” one of the things that has been an unexpected delight in covering Pagan involvement in the Tea Party has been the notion from Pagans who are involved that their years of experience in “herding cats” within authority adverse Paganism has given them the skills to rise quickly to leadership and influence positions within the TP. It’s hard when you are a very small minority group to make an impact. To place your stamp on policy, strategy, and the direction that a national group will tread. Not since the Eco-feminist movement in the 70′s and early 80′s have Pagans had such an opportunity to influence a political movement.
More than the actual politics – I find this opportunity to transform the political landscape thrilling. Now, we need to see if opportunity can match reality. And if the Pagans involved are willing to be LOUDER!
Every TEA party member wants to “throw the bums out”, unless it’s THEIR bum, in which case he/she is special. They want the government to quit raising all their taxes, yet they pole that their own taxes are fair and they don’t seem to understand that yes, most of us got tax BREAKS this year, just like Obama promised us. Most of them say they worked hard for their money and shouldn’t have to pay for OTHERS health care or support, yet are quite happy to take Social Security and whatever other government sponsored assistance the government offers them, such as tax breaks or grants for college. They also don’t seem to understand that it is taxes, payed equally by most people (except for the very rich, of course) that pave our roads, educate our children, fight our fires, and keep our emergency departments open. I’m sorry, but all these people seem to me to be doing nothing but displaying their extreme lack of critical thinking skills to the rest of the world, and making modern America the laughing stock of the free world. I protested the Vietnam war, I tried pot, I grew up, served my country in the U.S. Navy during the cold war, and became a productive member of society, with no criminal record and was never once on welfare. Yet, because I am not a conservative, these kinds of people brand me a socialist, a communist, and whatever morally corrupt epitaph they can conjure up, and quite frankly I’m fed up with it. I would just as soon these people go back to whatever dark ages they came from and stop dragging down this country I was once so proud of, even in her darkest moments. It’s time that racism ended in this country, which is what all these “protests” are really about. Oh, and let the South succeed and stew in their own narrow hatreds and religiously inspired paranoia and selfishness and let them come crawling back to the bosom of this wonderful constitution of ours when they find out how horrible life can be in an apartheid America.
these kinds of people brand me
I would agree that whole-scale branding of people is something that should be avoided.
Also – for those who thought that the angry rhetoric of Rob was a bit harsh and perhaps was an unrealistic or extreme representation of the position of those who are opposed to the Tea Party…
“Oh, and let the South succeed and stew in their own narrow hatreds and religiously inspired paranoia and selfishness and let them come crawling back to the bosom of this wonderful constitution of ours when they find out how horrible life can be in an apartheid America.”
Wanna hold off on that till those of us whose knuckles float at least a few inches off the ground can either enact a hostile takeover or desert the ship? If they close the borders, we might get stuck here.
You know, I’ve found that one of the hardest things, as a born Southerner living north of the Mason-Dixon, is convincing these Northerners that we’re not all backwards, ignorant, and stupid, and that our ways are not all about segregation and hatred (it’s hard enough to tell them that the South is not culturally monolithic, even). It’s an old prejudice, though, one born of the Civil War and Reconstruction, and one rarely ever corrected. Ignorance *does* exist in the South, unfortunately; but, just as unfortunately, we by no means have a corner on that market.
Hai, honto. Every group has a few Idiots and jerks wafting around, and painting everyone with the same brush is just an excuse to not have to think or do your homework. It saves people the onerous hardship of having to consider others as individuals, lets them feel comfortably superior, and eliminates any of that pesky empathy that might make a nice, handy social scapegoat less palatable.
I think it goes further back than post-Civil War propaganda. The eldest “established” social groups of a given culture frequently look sideways down their noses at any new “upstarts”, and some of the Mayflower Crowd was sneering at the Backwater Bumpkins who came later as soon as they could claim a china cabinet and few generations born this side of the pond. Add in classic English/Irish/Scots grudges and prejudices immigrating right along with them, with the Ulster “Scotch-Irish” being major setters in the south.
By the same silly token, ask some of the old Old Guard of Charleston SC whether they were ever chummy with any debs from Atlanta, and see what you get.
As I understand it, a great many of the Scots who settled in the south of the U.S. weren’t intentional immigrants. Word is, that they were evicted wholesale from their own properties in Scotland so that Englishmen could have more land to graze their sheep on. Result, forcible deportations from Scotland to America.
That would be part of the “classic English/Irish/Scots grudges and prejudices immigrating right along with them”. The best way to make excuses for horrible mistreatment of people is to paint them as deserving of it.
Then for the “we arrived first (indignant sniff)” part, figure in who became “civilized” (Roman-influenced definition of the word, not my definition) first among the three main groupings.
LOL, dude!
I remember the very first sightings of the Tea Party in my former state of MA, where they spelled out what their movement supposedly stood for: “Taxed Enough Already.” And I remember thinking then, as I often do now, “Why the hell weren’t these people protesting until Obama took office?”
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a supporter of either party anymore myself, and my vote for Obama was the same “lesser of two evils” it is every election year. But from a tax standpoint, if you think you’re “taxed enough already,” most of us are actually taxed *less* now than we were under Bush, unless you happen to belong to the richest 1% of this country, which I doubt many Tea Party protesters are.
I also find it ironic that the original Tea Party was largely in response to the corporate abuses of the East India company, something that is going on today with so many of our modern corporations and *defended* by the people being screwed in the name of the “free market.” Corporations now have the power to buy our elections outright, instead of on the down-low like they’ve been doing for decades, and yet the outrage is over taxes and healthcare.
I’d like to respond to a few comments in the article…
“I support the main message of the Tea Party. I think our political Parties have grown arrogant and don’t listen to us. I feel that frustration.”
I can agree with that sentiment, but ask a dozen Tea Partiers what it’s all about and you will get a dozen different answers.
“I don’t support the Healthcare Bill. I want a single payer system for everybody and feel the Bill was giant step back in entrenching the insurance industry more firmly in power.”
So do I, but I hope people realize that many of the “big name” pundits trying to attach themselves to the Tea Party want exactly the opposite: for the insurance industry and the for-profit medical industry to continue making huge profits while denying coverage.
“I believe our government, no matter who is in power, is seeking to control more and more of our lives.”
Same here, but I wonder where some of these Tea Party protesters were when the Patriot Act was being rammed through Congress.
“I am totally opposed to the government giving money to businesses to bail them out.”
So am I, but please remember it was Bush who started it off, and spread the fear campaign to try and convince everyone it was totally necessary to avoid economic disaster. An economic disaster *he* and *his* administration created by spending up into debt and cutting taxes for the wealthiest among us. That doesn’t excuse Obama for continuing such policies by any means, but it can’t be denied that Congress Republicans and conservative Democrats are joining together to keep the status quo because it benefits them, all the while trying to woo the Tea Partiers.
“What I got, is the groups that are in this thing, don’t really agree on much. They agree that the government is fucking things up, incompetent, corrupt, and doesn’t give a shit what any of us think. The two things that everyone I talked to agreed on was that the national debt was out of control and that the bail-outs under Bush and Obama were wrong.”
I agree, to an outsider it doesn’t seem like they agree on much at all. And many of the things that they do say they care about went on for 8 years under Bush without so much as a whisper from them. From my standpoint, most of the Tea Partiers I know are conservatives, who wouldn’t be protesting a damn thing if their cherished Republican party were the ones still in power. But let another party grab the reins (even if they don’t really have the balls to use them! LMAO) and all hell breaks loose.
The movement is also being high-jacked by the conservative media, and thus further diluting whatever its original message was, and alienating the rest of the country. If you allow people like Palin, O’Reilly, Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh or the like become your talking heads, please don’t expect the rational part of the country to pay any attention. I don’t need more of the “liberals are EVIL, be very afraid” BS when as an actual liberal, I know there’s maybe 2 people in Washington that actually fit the term, and neither is in the Oval Office. If a movement can not offer solutions to problems without demonizing those who have a different point of view, it’s already failed IMO.
Just a note because I know this causes confusion.
There are many Tea Party-type groups. Some of them have “tea” in their name and some don’t. They each have a slightly different take or focus. I’ll just talk about those with Tea in the name.
The TEA Party is made up of people who are primarily concerned with no more new taxes, either directly or indirectly. An example of what they consider an indirect tax is when the government increases taxes on a business, product, or service. The business then increases prices and passes on the tax to the consumer. You’ll see more Flat and Fair taxers in the TEA Party and this group tends to be made up primarily of Conservatives.
The Tea Party Patriots is a hub group. They try to organize and bring together various groups where an interest may over lap. They are more concerned with National debt and the scope and control of the federal government. This is where you will find more Libertarians than in the current Libertarian Party. Moderate (disaffected) Republicans, too. I’ve also noticed that many of the staunch supporters in here who are Right leaning Independents are “The Lover Scorned” Obama voters. They didn’t like the Patriot Act and other Bush policies and so they voted for Obama and now feel betrayed as most of the policies have continued. It’s a toss up who pisses them off more – Bush or Obama.
The Tea Party Express – This group is flat out the GOP. When you see them, you see the GOP in action. Most Tea groups will have nothing to do with them. In fact, the Tea Party Patriots are in a lawsuit against the Tea Party Express.
If I commented on this post, it would mostly be what you’ve already written, so I’ll just tack on a “ditto” and some very good cookies.
I was at the Tea Party in Morristown, NJ (2nd year running). The turnout was great; there were probably 1,500 or so folks at the high-water-mark. There were a total of 6 counter-protesters, all of whom were quietly standing with their signs in the back, looking small.
While, as far as I’ve seen in my 20+ years in and amongst the pagan community, pagans are mostly liberal in political outlook, there is also a strong libertarian strain that does map pretty well with the broad goals of the Tea Party movement. Smaller government, less taxes, less intrusive regulation.
(Cara, if you would like to get hold of me, my email address is listed on my blog.)
Thank you Joseph…I will be contacting you!
Joseph: “While, as far as I’ve seen in my 20+ years in and amongst the pagan community, pagans are mostly liberal in political outlook, there is also a strong libertarian strain that does map pretty well with the broad goals of the Tea Party movement. Smaller government, less taxes, less intrusive regulation.”
Actually the Tea Partiers take a pass on many “libertarian” issues. In particular they take no position on (1) gay rights, (2) the war on drugs, (3) abortion rights, or (4) the incarceration epidemic that has already turned the US into a literal police state. The reasons for this are obvious: the Tea Partiers are only “libertarian” so long long as this is consistent with standard right-wing political sentiments — which is necessary in order to forge an alliance with the likes of Sarah Palin and her fans.
Although it is true that a “strong libertarian strain” is common among Pagans, I don’t think this genuine libertarianism “maps” very well to the right-wing opportunistic “libertarianism” of the Tea Party movement.
“The reasons for this are obvious: the Tea Partiers are only “libertarian” so long long as this is consistent with standard right-wing political sentiments”
Yes, it is obvious. The Tea Party is a Special Interest Group that focuses on economic issues and small Federal Government issues.
Which is why they do not take an official stand on gay rights, drugs, abortion, leash laws, the death penalty, Bullying, Pollution, Population, Organic Food, Censorship, Alternative Energy, Video Game Violence, Underage Drinking, Chemical Weapons, Genetic Engineering, Drunk Driving, Domestic Violence, Hate Crimes, Pornography, etc.