Have you ever been to a candidates' forum? Chances are, you haven't. These are poorly attended affairs, with office-seekers usually outnumbering the audience. If truth be told, most of these events are wasted evenings. Wannabes dance around softballs from officious moderators, who are more interested in looking important than asking real questions. Most of us would rather watch TV.
The Pen Argyl Area Concerned Citizens, which sponsors an annual candidates' night, is a notable exception to this general rule. Their questions are painstakingly prepared, and you can quickly separate those who are knowledgeable and informed, from those who are unprepared. Unfortunately, attendance at even this event is really minimal, rarely going much above 30 people.
In vast contrast to the norm, there will be a huge crowd at the Lehigh Valley Tea Party candidates' forum, which include LV Congressional, senatorial and gubernatorial hopefuls. It's scheduled for Friday night, 6PM, at Palmer Township's Chrin Community Center. When I went to last month's meeting, to listen to a relatively boring speaker, there were 320 people packed into a room. So far, 147 people have said they'll attend the Friday night fights. I suspect the actual number will be much larger.
As an added draw, populist but right-wing leaning Bobby Gunther Walsh will be hosting the event. On his radio show, he's currently conducting a poll asking, "Is the Media attention on Christian militias an effort to put Christianity on the same level as radical Muslins?"
I'm sure he'll be fair.
Despite an unusually large crowd and the presence of Bobby Gunther Walsh, you won't see Congressional wannabe John Callahan on Friday night. In fact, you won't see any Democrat at all, except for little-known senatorial candidate Joseph Vodvarka. His tea-partyish views should be very welcome.
Callahan, in particular, is a great dodgeball player. He refused to take any stand on the health care overhaul until the day after it passed. Experts claim this "day late and dollar short" stategy is just smart politics, but most people I talk to consider it an insulting and cynical disregard of the voter. But I'm in complete agreement with his decision to duck Friday's forum. I think he has every right to be concerned by recent tea party threats and violence directed at Democratic members of Congress. Moreover, it is clear that few Democrats can expect fair treatment from the LV Tea Party.
Locally, this supposed "grass roots" movement has been hijacked by unelected leaders who are pursuing a personal agenda aimed at the elimination all incumbents. Last year, Northampton County Exec John Stoffa, who had no Republican opposition and is a fiscal conservative interested in transparency and accountability, participated in their program and even completed their questionnaire. He received a rating of 14 out of 68, the lowest score of any candidates in either Northampton or Lehigh County.
Stoffa and incumbent Peg Ferraro were tagged for their "soft budget discipline." Despite this condemnation, Stoffa and Ferraro were the highest vote getters in Northampton County.
Incumbents Don Cunningham, David Jones, John Cusick and Charles Dertinger were called "insensitive," apparently for failing to fill out their lengthy questionnaires about Barack Obama's citizenship.
The only thing worse than being an incumbent is being a Democrat. In fact, Democratic county council candidates Deb Hunter and Bill Wallace were rated downright "antagonistic" to the
9-12/Tea Party Movement, apparently for exercising their First Amendments rights and questioning this group and its real motives.
So who's coming on Friday night?
Governor: Sam Rohrer (R) and a surrogate for Tom Corbett (R).
Senate: Peg Luksik (R), Joe Vodvarka (D), and Pat Toomey (R).
Congress: LV Congressman Charlie Dent and his Republican opponent, Mat Benol. (Independent Jake Towne is not invited because he is not on the ballot).
Democrats John Callahan, Arlen Specter, Jack Wagner, Dan Onorato and Joe Hoeffel will stay away from a group that is driving everyone to the right. LV Congressman Charlie Dent will dive into the belly of the beast, hoping to draw some rank and file members away from its unelected "anybody but Dent" leadership.
43 comments:
So now the Truth comes out, Ohare. Stoffa was given a poor score by this group and you hate them.
To the Teabag movement, you need a little history lesson. Bernie Ohare LOVES John Stoffa, He ADORES John Stoffa. In the eyes of Ohare John Stoffa taught George Washington and Jefferson everything they know.
The fact is John Stoffa was and is a lifetime bureaucrat that has raised taxes and tried to raise them again. He will raise taxes at least twice in the next four years. He is a tax and spend liberal who inherited the largest surplus in County history, has done nothing and somehow pissed it all away. Maybe it was the 8-10% pay raises he gave out.
Your movement will never get Ohare support, since you called out Stoffa on what he really is and not the fantasy figure created by Ohare.
Spera in Deo
Seriously... this group is not about good government. They are about fear and smear. I hope Dent wears his helmet and shoulder pads. It might be a rough night.
People like Dent, Callahan, Panto, Stoffa, Cunningham and others work together for the Lehigh Valley and they get smacked around by groups like these.
Bernie O'Hare said:
"I think he has every right to be concerned by recent tea party threats and violence directed at Democratic members of Congress."
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Bernie -
Still sticking to the democrat talking points that the threats and violence are coming from Tea Party members?
I guess the person who was actually arrested for threatening Congressman Cantor (R-VA) and his family was a Tea Party member as well?
I became a reader of your blog because I always felt that while you might be opinionated, you were still willing to be fair and stick to the facts. Your Tea Party posts of late prove otherwise, and your agenda against them borders on being irrational.
Why isn't Charlie Dent boycotting along with fellow Dems?
Bernie,
Can folks just show up?
Yep. That's what I'll be doing.
Anon 6:08,
I am sticking to facts. Threats and violence have, in fact, been directed at Democratic House members. Inflammatory landguage has been used. One tea party member posted what he thought was a Virginia Congressman's home address, and then told fellow tea party members to drop by. He posted the wrong address, and that address was vandalized. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34934.html
Even on Friday night, Schmidtner warned that "a civil war is brewing" over our two-party system.
The Tea baggers are going to damage the GOP big time. They are a cancer and the biggest gift to Democrats since George W.
Locally, the unelected leadership has a vitriolic hatred of incumbent Rs that appears to be greater than its disdain for Democrats. But I've noticed that rank and file are beginning to ask questions. In one of the threads, those asking questions have een threatened with deletion.
Bernie, you were very kind to use a picture of a properly spelled logical Tea Party sign...they are hard to find
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/galleries/teabonics_the_flawed_language_of_protest/teabonics_the_flawed_language_of_protest.html
I prefer Tea Part activists to ACORN types who fund their protests with taxpayer and Soros money. As long as they don't block traffic, I say let them have at it and wear it out. Our president taught us that community activism is a high calling. It's usually the extremes who protest. Nothing new here. I'm more afraid of McCain-Feingold free speech limits designed to protect the incumbent class.
Anon 10:02, I have nothing against the Tea Party. I do have something against demagogues who hijack a gress roots movement for their own personal agenda, whether it is from the left or the right. For all the talk about America and revolution, the truth is we don't like extremism.
Bernie -
Last week, you kicked off your anti-Tea Party posts by asking "Who the hell is Kim Schmidtner".
I think the better question is this:
"Who the hell is Bernie O'Hare - a non-believer in limited government who is not a Tea Party member - to tell the Tea Party members what their agenda is, or to determine if it has been hijacked?"
It would seem that if Schmidtner/Hilliard have grown the group to 1100 members, that they should have more influence on the group's agenda than you.
When the local tea party claims nonprofit status while blatantly engaging in political activity, it is time to get involved. When a group purports to be all about restoring democracy and "We the people," it's fair to point out that its own leadership is unelected.
Bernie -
Just last week you wrote a post about a group (Felton's) that is engaging in political activity while claiming on its website to be a non-profit.
You "set the record straight" by saying their political involvement was alright since they weren't really a non-profit and had not yet completed their paperwork.
You wrote glowingly about them, yet they are presumably soliciting contributions under the false advertisement (on their website) that they are a non-profit.
To be consistent, shouldn't you be getting involved with their blatant political activity (or blatant misrepresentation to the public)?
You can't have it both ways.
I'm sure you'll get eventually around to dissing Felton's group if they don't support Dent.
Anon 2:44
The group that Felton was photographed with is a group of young basketball players, supported by Chuck Rockmore and the Wall2Wall organization. Their focus is youth sports, especially for inner city kids. My grandson has played for them.
I had encouraged them to go nonprofit so they could become eligible for more grants. When I saw the picture of Walter with this group of young boys, the first thing that went thru my mind was that a nonprofit is engaging in illegal political activity. I learned within 1 or 2 days that Wall2Wall is NOT registered as a nonprofit. And there is no need to register right now bc state funding is not available to help inner city kids.
And let's be clear. This is a youth sports group, not some political party masquerading as a nonprofit. So you are comparing apples and oranges, i.e. the LV Tea Party and Wall2Wall Urban Youth. Not quite the same thing.
You ask why I have not complained about "false advertising" by this group, claiming that it holds itself out as a nonprofit when it actually is not registered as a corporation, and is deceiving people.
The reason I make no such claim is because this group operates at a loss. It is actually a LOSE profit organization, run by men who themselves grew up on the streets and aren't as familiar with nonprofit laws as snots like you.
None of the men in this group is running for county or state committee and are not part of the group seeking political office. They are just basically men who are teaching kids a sport they love, trying to keep them out of trouble. They have no interest in politics.
I suspect that if they voted at all in the last electiion, they voted for Pawlowski. I suspect that if they vote in the Fall, they will be inclined to vote for Callahan.
They are still good people, and you are just looking for an excuse to cause trouble with people who sacrifice their time and meager incomes for children.
But yiu have given me an idea, and I will ask Congressman Dent to meet them now. I'll also ask him to meet with the Dem committeemen encouraged by Felton to run. That latter group does want to get involved, and I'm sure they'd enjoy meeting Dent. So thanks,.
Bernie O'Hare said...
Locally, the unelected leadership has a vitriolic hatred of incumbent Rs that appears to be greater than its disdain for Democrats. But I've noticed that rank and file are beginning to ask questions. In one of the threads, those asking questions have een threatened with deletion.
8:43 AM
Bernie,
What you fail to understand is that none of this is personal. To insinuate that the local tea party had anything to do with threats against ANY of our elected leaders, is not only preposterous, but is also irresponsible. I also notice how you left out that republicans have been threatend and have had acts of violence committed against them. http://www.freep.com/article/20100329/NEWS06/100329040/1319/
The tea party grows not because of the 'unelected leadership' it's because of the people that belong to the tea party. Word of mouth is how the tea party grows. There are a lot of alienated voters out there that are tired of both the D's and the R's.
In my own experience, If you would attend the majority of our meetings, we stress that it's not about the D's and R's anymore... they have both lead us down the path that we are on, just one more slowly then the other.
You think just because we look at someone's voting record we are being unfair. No- we are being responsible voters. Charlie is the incumbent, therefore- the only person running with a voting record.
The reason why I pick apart his voting record is because his views are slightly in line with mine. But when you vote for 'green schools' and can't tell me what a 'green school' is... thats gonna send up some flags. When you state to your constituants that you 'don't know anything about the constitution' WOW! is that a big flag.
The threads that you speak of on the 9/12 message board was threatend for deletion because of blatant personal attacks. You want to talk about issues, fine. Let's do that. But stick to the issues.
-Joan Campbell is an Ast. Organizer LVTP in charge of membership, however the views expressed here are my own.
"Sorry Bernie, your comment was not deleted by me. Your comment never came thru on the message board. Please leave your accusations at the door. If you believe your comment was deleted- you feel free to contact me, thru the site, and we will talk."
There were no personal attacks on your web page. The only thing going on is that some people were beginning to question the enmity towards centrists like Charlie Dent. The feelking being expressed by some of your membership is that they like Charlie, and they were using specific examples from his voting record to make their case.
You at that point threatened those who were defending Dent with deletions. Scott Armstrong, Dean Browning and I all questioned where these personal attacks were, because we could not find them.
When you posted your comments policy, and i notivced that it slams the left, I pointed that out in my second comment ever on your site, and was quickly deleted.
If your group is really interested in restoring democracy and returning America to "We, the people," why aren't you conducting your own elections, especially when you have 1100 members?
As far as violence goes, I heard Schmidtner on fri night, and you were there as well. She warned of an impending civil war over our two party system. Those are not the words of a peace lover, and you probably applauded these incendiary remarks.
Finally, if your group is not political, how do you propose holding elected officials accountable for your completely unworkable limite government resolution?
The reality is that you are building a political power base and plan to work against candidates who refuse to obey your commands.
So you can't do that and simultaneoulsy claim to be the tax exemption of a nonprofit.
Obama throwing worse than a girl - again:
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0410/play_ball_716e9eab-fd1c-4f23-a4f6-2663250f8b04.html
Bernie O'Hare said -
"You ask why I have not complained about "false advertising" by this group, claiming that it holds itself out as a nonprofit when it actually is not registered as a corporation, and is deceiving people.
The reason I make no such claim is because this group operates at a loss. It is actually a LOSE profit organization, run by men who themselves grew up on the streets and aren't as familiar with nonprofit laws as snots like you."
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The only "snot" who is claiming to know everything about nonprofit laws is you. I'm just asking for consistency in your position.
As noted before, there are many well-recognized national groups organized as 501(c)(3) organizations that deal with POLITICAL issues (and take politicians to task for their positions on those issues). That is allowed.
You are (mistakenly) focusing on your FEELING that Kim Schmidtner's quote in the MC is some kind of endorsement of Jake Towne, despite the fact that former Tea Party leader Matt Benol is also running. If Schmidtner was going to endorse anyone, I would think it would be Benol. You know this.
To my knowledge, there has been no formal endorsement of Towne, no literature printed by the Tea Party group on Towne's behalf, and no contributions to Towne from the Tea Party group.
If you really think a violation has occurred, please make a formal complaint to the IRS. Let them determine if any rule has been broken. I doubt they will be visiting after they are done laughing at your complaint.
As to Felton's group, all I'm asking for is consistency on your part. It doesn't matter if they are losing money or not - if they are holding themselves out to donors (and potential donors & government entities) as a non-profit they are wrong.
Incidentally, I won't be calling the IRS on them. Their "violation" is as meaningless as your false charges against the Tea Party group and would likely garner the same action from the IRS. That action would be no action at all.
As a member of neither group, I wish both groups success in whatever mission they determine to be theirs. God bless America.
I have had the opportunity to participate in events and groups sponsored by the Tea Party. This group of people is comprised of individuals determined to restore this nation to what it was and what it can be. We are living in very bad times led by a man who is truly evil. The Progressives have been working to bring about the destruction of this nation and put a socialist/communist form of government into place. They are on their way to success unless they are stopped.
To date I have not heard one member discuss anything other then using legal ways to restore the Constitution and the intent of the Founders and Framers. There was no bad language taped or recorded directed at John Lewis a man who told us that the sharks still follow the ships that continue to come here via the old slave routes. How in the world can you take a man like that seriously. Did you notice how the press shut up after significant offers were made for tapes or info on the so called show of disrespect for some of those clowns we call Congressmen. You get all upset over fiction yet within your commemts you allow someone to refer to good, hard working people as "tea baggers" a calloused sexual comment.
Kim is correct when she tells you that we are holding the feet of the candidates from both parties to the fire.
As to the grading of Mr. Stoffa and Ms. Ferraro who was finally told to join the Democrats, let me explain that there was a grading scale for the candidates and one very importatnt item was the economy and spending. Ms. Ferraro spends my money to the point that she gives drunken sailors a bad name. But Peg has glad handed people for a long time and unfortunatley these ignorant fools vote for here. Note that she has never been able to rise higher then county council but she does her best there to foolishly spend my money.
Wake up Mr. O'Hare, there is no intent to set up a national tea party here. There is the intent to regain control of the commitees that control the current parties.
"This group of people is comprised of individuals determined to restore this nation to what it was and what it can be."
I see, but you can't elect your leaders? I believe this nation is founded on Democratic principles. Why not practice what you preach?
Bernie,
It is disapointing to see you parrot the Democratic party's smear that the Tea Party people are extremists, prone to violence, racist... It is unlike you to be a willing participant in an orchestrated smear. One need not refute the charges because honest brokers of information, and those not willingly blinded by partisanship know they are baseless.
Scott Armstrong
"You are (mistakenly) focusing on your FEELING that Kim Schmidtner's quote in the MC is some kind of endorsement of Jake Towne, despite the fact that former Tea Party leader Matt Benol is also running. If Schmidtner was going to endorse anyone, I would think it would be Benol. You know this."
That is not it at all. Schmidner's remarks to the MC were a clear violation of the proscription against political activity.
This is what the IRS itself has to say: "Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes."
Schmidtner's statement is obviously in opposition to Charlie Dent. It does not matter whether she supports Benol or Towne, as you seem to think. If she works against someone, that is political activity, too. The tea party web page is full of that. When she threatened to hold people accountable on that limited gov't resolution, she is doing the same thing, i.e., threatening to use the political process to work against candidates who refuse to do her bidding. They are running committee candidates. There are comments on that web page indicating this and that R are no good.
You are not asking for consistency. Any attempt at comparing the LV Tea Party with a youth sports group is just downright silly.
As far as what I intend to do, I have every intention of filing a formal complaint unless the LV Tea Party makes some changes to stop the blatant political activity.
If that is silly and a complaint about an urban youth sports movement is silly, then why did you mention it? Because your real purpose here is to be a troll and lob grenades.
Bernie -
Organizations certainly have a right to advocate for the positions they espouse, even if those positions are political. I don't believe anything you cited is a violation of the law as either prohibited political activity or the endorsement of a candidate.
If you believe otherwise and truly think that a violation exists, please file a complaint and stop your blatant attempt at bullying an organization that you do not belong to.
We both know that you're not going to file because you know you're wrong.
It's time to put up or shut up. Please feel free to do both.
Hey Scott,
Did the media make up that claim about the tea party activist who encouraged people to pay a visit to a Va. Congressman who voted for the health care overhaul, but posted the wrong address? Did the media make up the vandalism done to that home, which extended to cutting gas lines? That was an attempted murder, Scoutt. How about the calls to Stupak from people identifying themselves as tea party members, wishing he would die? How abut that brick through Louise Slaughter's office window? How about Palin's irresponsible "reload" remarks?
I realize you are all trying to pretend that what happened did not happen or was faked, as I'm told Limbaugh is now claiming.
Just look at the signs. You'll see "armed and ready" or "unarmed this time" or worse.
There is no room for this kind of violence, and in the wake of all this, Kim Schmidtner tells your group that a civil war is brewing over our major parties.
This is precisely the same knd of tactic I wil condemn whenever I see it, whether it is a tea party member or a union thug. And even unelected leaders should be more careful in their chice of words.
One is far safer at a Tea Party rally than in any neighborhood in Pawlowski's Allentown, Callahan's Bethlehem, or Panto's Easton. Dems from these towns are righteously afraid to leave their homes at night.
Anon 5:30, I am not talking about issues advocacy, I a, talking about candidate advocacy. Schmidtner's remarks to the MC, by themselves, are candidate advocacy. She is clearly dumping all over Dent. There are even more blatant examples on the web page, which talk about "precinct building."
I've already told you I will file a complaint unless th Tea Party agrees to make some changes. I've been told they are having the situatin reviewed by a lawyer. What they do wll determine how I react.
As I've also indicated, you have no interest in these issues and your sole purpose here is to be a troll.
Bernie,
Many of those claims have been proven at best suspect but even if they were true they pale in comparison to what is directed at the average Republican. The media is whipping up their dwindling true believers to believe their latest concoction that the average hard working people who make up the Tea Party movement are evil. Usually you are above parroting unfounded, hyped and twisted propaganda. In this case you aren’t and frankly you should know better. As I wrote before I have received move credible threats and had more significant actions taken against my property for speaking up at city council. I didn’t cry about it, it comes with the turf, you know that, the media knows that, the only difference is the same old is being spun as something new and significant for political purposes and your helping them spin it.
Scott Armstrong
Battle Cry of Freedom and Scott Armstrong:
Please look at the following link and, specifically, the charts.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/inevitable-surge-tax-rates
The implication is that since 1900the Gross Federal Debt as a % of GDP increased substantially under Republican Presidents and stayed steady or decreased when the Preisident was a Democrat. The one exception is FDR and Ike, but that has more to do with the Great Depression created by Harding & Coolidge. Also notice the hudge spike at the end of Bush 2 and the steady climb up during Reagan.
READ: Republican Economic Policies Have NOT Worked
Regarding Socialism/Communism - Social Security and Medicare are two social programs that have kept the Great Recession from becomeing the Great Depression II. Without Social Security and unemployment many of the same people who are "Tea Baggers" would probably not have the luxury of protesting as they would be living on the street and trying to find tehir next meal.
As for my rights under the Constitution, I am more concerned with illegal wiretapping, the Patriot Act, and some of the other freedom limiting acts of the Bush Administration then whatever you perceive to be a restriction on your freedoms. The health care plan recently passes is actually a Republican idea, originally pushed by Eisenhower and Nixion, and eventually passed in Mass. by Mitt Romney.
But don't let the facts ruin an uneducated opinion.
Maybe you should take some time, read some Constitutional history, learn some economics, and get a grip. Unlike O'hare, I could care less if the "officials" of your group are elected or not. I care more about the fact that your arguments are based on the nonsense that comes out of Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin that are based on thier desire to cash in on your lack of understanding of basic economics, basic history, and basic civics.
Publius
SA @ 5:48 pm,
The Tea Baggers aren't evil. They are ignorant and don't understand the implications of the what they believe they want done. Are any of these people really willing to give up their social security? How about their medicare?
Polling data shows that Americans want more benefits with less cost. Most - and from what you write I will have to include you - have no clue as to what needs to happen. Cutting taxes isn't the solution. Look to NJ and what Gov. Christie is looking to do. Unfortunately he is correct ... we need to limit benefits and raise taxes.
"Many of those claims have been proven at best suspect but even if they were true they pale in comparison to what is directed at the average Republican."
Scott, moral relativism from you? Violence is wrong, regardless whether it is visited on a Democratic Congressman or the "average Republican."
I have often condemned the union thuggery I've seen and the lynch mob mentality, and I condemn it when it comes from the right, too.
In view of what has been happeneing, Schmidtner's remarks about a brewing civil war were intemperate.
I know how you feel about violence and the impact it has had on your family, Scott. It is not something to take lightly.
Did Slaughter throw a break through her own window so people would feel sorry for her?
For anyone who asks where these protesting Tea Parties were back when Bush was adding to the deficit the answer is right here... Bernie found it!
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Bernie O'Hare said...
Locally, the unelected leadership has a vitriolic hatred of incumbent Rs that appears to be greater than its disdain for Democrats.
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Seriously, it's been building up. It's why Rs did lousy in '06 & '08. It started to boil over with TARP and too "big to fail" which both parties embraced. And it came to a head when this administration's spending began to make the last look frugal...
Bernie,
Did Slaughter break her own window? In light of the White House directed smear campaign that is being directed at the Tea Party and anyone else that vocally opposes Obama I think that is a fair question to ask. It is clear Nancy Pelosi was trying to provoke Tea Party people when she walked through them with that silly giant gavel on her way to the health care vote. No one has produced any evidence that anything happened there that is even a slight concern.
Violence is wrong; I think we can agree on that, what we may also agree on is the media’s selective indignation and when and how they report on it when it relates to elected officials or political campaigns. Now you are a participant in furthering the White House/media smear.
Scott Armstrong
Scott,
While I disagree mightily with all of your R talking points, I did respect you.
I respect you no longer.
Soon enough there is a study to come out which will tell the world that the people who go to the Tea Party meetings are the very ones who kept George Bush and Dick Cheney in office in the years that led to this mess which they blame on Obama even though it happened before he was elected. Facts are not an obstacle to Tea Partiers who(just ask them) supported the Supreme Court's right to decide an election. Tea Partiers are not independents they are republican puppets - and true to form, instead of standing up like grown up honest people and taking responsibility for what they caused to happen, they cover their ears, whine about their "country" and pull out their guns. That's what makes them terrorists. Sean Hannity called them Timothy McVeighs and they all clapped. Well, there is a new silent majority in this country and (obviously) it isn't the Tea Partiers. Obama won in a democratic election. If the Tea Partiers want "their" country back they better go look for it somewhere else because the people here have lost all respect and sympathy for them and want them to go away.
Anon 1:16 a.m.
Wow....."terrorists?" Really?
I wonder if you called the guy carrying the "Death to extremist Christian Terrorist Pig Bush" at one rally and the sign that said "Kill terrorists bomb there house Kill Bush bomb his f______ house" signs at another "peace" march during Bush's presidency a terrorist? Or the people who burned the president in effigy or carried Bush figures hanging from a noose through the streets of New York, Washington or L.A.?
Little old ladies are terrorists because they carry signs that say "Hands off my health care?" Little girls are "terrorists" because they carry signs that say "Keep your hands out of my piggy bank?"
You say the Tea Party groups are "Republican puppets" (which is REALLY ridiculous, since Mr. O'Hare's issues with the local group seem grounded in comments made ABOUT Republicans).
So....can we then assume, by your definition, that all Republicans are "terrorists" as well? Or that anyone who disagrees with the policies of this president are also "terrorists?"
What, then in your intolerant world, would be appropriate punishment for "terrorists" who demonstrate against the government, I wonder....?
Anon 11:11,
Why should I care about respect or lack of it from anyone who posts anonymously?
Scott Armstrong
George Bush and Dick Cheney made decisions that caused thousands of innocent people to die. By any chance "Donna", did you have a problem with that? The difference between that president and this one is that in the real world, those people are really really dead. They are not trumped up fantasies which is all the Tea Partiers have to date put forth.
Re: punishments for old ladies and little girls - using a compassionate approach I would suggest they end their self inflicted misery by getting rid of ignorance (the government already has its hand in your health care, old lady, and that is why you have it) and by getting rid of mental illness (Barack Obama is not after your piggy bank little girl by the way your parents are emotionally abusing and exploiting your innocence by suggesting otherwise.)
People who insist on their ignorance and foster mental illness in themselves and in others while flashing guns are terrorists because they are, in fact, terrifying.
And that is why unarmed people will not be putting out their name "Scott Armstong" (is that your real name? If I ever personally attack you I will sign my name - be sure of it.}
Coward 9:53,
The Democrats voted twice to go to the war that “caused thousands of people to die”. You might want to check but I do believe both wars are still actively engaged by Team Obama.
Scott Armstrong
1516 West Turner Street
Allentown, PA 18102
Based on Bush Cheny deception dems voted despite massive protests on the part of the people pointing out that this was based on lies, that it was criminal and being committed by a person who was not even legitimately elected to the office of the Presidency. Hilliary Clinton is not president because of her vote. She paid for it as she should have. Obama voted against it. And so he deservedly rose above the rest of the dems. Team Obama continues to graciously clean up after the Bush Cheney mess on the war front, financial and other fronts. Anon anon.
The definition of arrogance is the sincerely held belief that YOU know what's best for everyone else, and that anyone who disagrees in any way is either stupid or misinformed....
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