As I mentioned yesterday, I've been booted by the Lehigh Valley Tea Party because of "acts that could harm the reputation of the Organization." They mention blogs like one that pokes fun at Joe Hilliard, who claims to have toppled a County government armed only with one slice of pizza.To be honest, they missed a few.
According to the Tea Party, there are 9 principles and 12 values. Principle #8 states, "It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion." So how am I violating Tea Party principles by criticizing their leaders or sharing my personal opinions? Isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing?
Apparently, the criticism is welcome, but only so long as it does not extend to them. But guess what? Racism is just fine. That's right.
It all started when one of them got a bug in their britches over Rep. Marcia Hahn holding some kind of "Write a Law" event for kids.
Get a load of this comment from Carl Edwards:
Hi Donna,
Genuine conservatives should have no interest in the Republican Party succeeding. They have been the betrayers of small government, individual liberty & state/local sovereignty since at least the "neo-cons" took over after the Goldwater wing lost control. Actually they have been so since their formation in 1854. The old republic basically died when Lincoln's war machine triumphed at Appomattox.
Real name: Carl Edwards - Northampton, Pa.
A political party with much greater fidelity to principle : Constitution Party (state committee meeting this weekend in Harrisburg)
The longer I live the more I am convinced that winning is not the most important thing, it isn't anything! Fidelity to principle may make martyrs, but it can & has changed the world!
Alrighty then.
Carl Edwards is a former Northampton County Republican Committeeman. I don't know if he lost his seat or if he gave it up when he joined the Constitution Party. You may remember reading that Carl is the dude who got former Congressional candidate Jake Towne in all kinds of hot water when he invited Towne to appear at his Jefferson Davis Day picnic.
For those of you who never made it past fourth grade, Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy.
Edwards is apparently a member in good standing with the Tea Party. He has done the following: 1.) Publicly announced that he was hosting a Jefferson Davis Appreciation Party 2.) Publicly stated that the Union effort in the Civil War was "Lincoln's war machine."
Gee, aren't these "acts that could harm the reputation of the Organization." Guess not. The person who comments immediately after Edwards is none other than Mullah Joe Hilliard. Did he call Edwards out on his insanity? Nope. He attacks Charlie Dent!
Shouldn't Edwards be shown the door? At the very least, shouldn't Joe Hilliard, a member of the Executive Board, or Kim Schmidtner, who also posted on the thread, have challenged Edwards?
Nope. They wink at bigots but send certified mail to bloggers who call them out as phonies.
91 comments:
You are a bitter old man O'Hare. The Tea Party is better off without traitors like you. Keep hanging with the likes Of Angle and Stoffa.
You are all big talkers but provide nothing of meaning. Just more of the same.
You hang with documented Jew slanderer Angle and you have the nerve to puke something like this?
Perfect!
Bernie,
Yes, didn't Ron Angle lose his radio show due to a racist rant?
Yet you are one of his biggest supporters?
Does that mean that you endorse/support racists?
Our group has booted other members for such comments far less than Ron's. If Mr. Edwards has said anything like Ron Angle said, he would have been booted as well.
The statement you provide is vague at best. Will you provide a transcript of Angle's comments compared to a vague reference to "Appomattox"? So the absolute worst thing you can dig up is this thought in a desperate and pathetic attempt to "prove" we are racist? Bernie, MSNBC does a better job disparaging the "Tea Party" than you - and they are laughed at as well.
I would love to see the comparison between Ron's racist rant and this statement. Or do you just blindly support those whom you have a "man-crush" on and excuse their comments?
Lame.
Bernie,
Have you even bothered to research what happened in Luzerne County?
The bond challenge (it took two) collapsed everything. Then, all of a sudden, people were investigated, indicted and some were sent to jail including a county commissioner and a county judge.
Mock all you want but I was very proud to help citizens topple a corrupt government.
This is something you claim you want to do, yet, when someone who opposes your "man-crushes" you defend your "man-crushes" by attacking those who raise questions.
You are motivated by personal issues. I am motivated by issues.
I hope your readers all understand that sometimes a meeting over a slice of pizza can lead to some pretty big changes over a year or two. And sometimes, it might even lead to some politicians and judges going to jail!
Bernie -
I find your whole argument a bit absurd.
You seem to want to be allowed to be part of the local Tea Party even though you don't support their goal of limited government. In fact, to any reasonable person it would seem that your posts are designed to undermine the organization and its leadership.
I wouldn't want to join - or rationally expect to remain a member of - any group that I am actively working against. To expect any organization to welcome those who are working for its demise is simply ludicrous.
On the whole, I have to say I enjoyed your blog posts much more when you merely reported on stories instead of trying to become part of them.
Now that is interesting, no doubt this commemoration of Jeff Davis was attended by the sipping of mint juleps while reminiscing about the "old days"--the old days in this instance being those prior to 1865. No doubt a confederate flag or two was thrown into celebrations for good measure.
Look I don't begrudge the T-Party if they want to fly confederate flags or celebrate Jeff Davis, Nathan Bedford Forest or other racist wingnuts of the days of yore. That's their right, but you really can't expect to do that and be taken seriously.
Let's face it, the T-Party is a noxious brew of secessionists, Glenn Beck lovers and assorted right wing radicals hellbent on diverting the attention of the nation from the very serious issues we face. That's what the Koch brothers and others are funding. Although they claim to be impartial politically, we see that they've got their wagons completely hitched to the republican party and as such they're a face of the same establishment that they're supposedly "riding herd on".
Like all funded movements of this sort, it will recede as a spent force as the money finds something else to fund. Of course, if it were truly a grassroots movement, not only would this be a non issue, but their ranks would be burgeoning with a broad array of people. What's definitely needed is an alternative to the two party system we have. Actually, what's needed is beyond even a third party. We need a multi-party system to keep things more honest, but unfortunately, the T-Party does not in any way shape or form represent an independent and impartial political movement.
The last refuge of a losing lefty is the race grenade. The Irish traditionally have asked, "What do you expect from a pig but a grunt?"
Joe Hilliard,
Look at the attempt to deflect.
Joe, I am not the tea party. I do not have some rule saying I will defriend someone who engages in acts that might harm my reputation.
But yes, when Ron Angle made racially insensitive and possible anti-Semitic remarks, I publicly condemned those statements and his original apologies. I refused to have anything to do with him for over a year. I love Ron, but hate what he did in that instance, even though the facts are not all that clear.
Unlike me, you have a rule that you invoke against a critic, but refuse to invoke to boot a member who obviously is a bigot. In fact, yo don't even bother condemning the comment when it is made. That amounts to a tacit approval, and it explains why minorities shy away from your group.
Also, the notion that you had anything to do with the stopping the corruption in Luzerne County is simply incredible. Do you honestly believe this crap when it comes out of your mouth?
Patrick,
I am not even a member, but that's not the point. The point is that this is a group of phonies who are so afraid of a little criticism that they invoke bylaws that seem to trump their own stated principles. Moreover, they are not invoking the very seem bylaw to weed out someone who very obviously is a bigot. Finally, I don't give a shit what kind of story you enjoy more. I write what I write, not what you or the Dems or the GOP tells me to write. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Charlie Dent supports Planned Parenthood funding. This is the same group that accepts geographically "targeted" donations, and operates a majority of their clinics in minority neighborhoods.
If there are bigots out there, they can learn a lot about the soft racism of perfectly legal, government supported "herd thinning" as supported by visionaries like Charlie Dent. He knows how to keep the darkies in check. Most Progressives do.
Dent supports funding for planned parenthood? Break out the pitchforks.
Greg,
Most of the people in the LV Tea Party are very conservative, but NOT bigoted. But when their own leadership winks at a member who obviously is a racist while stomping all over a perceived critic, they in effect condone the racism. Their two biggies, Hilliard and Schmidtner, both participated in that thread with nary a word condemning this goof.
Bigots? Now there is a political base that will win you elections if they can find the polling place and can sign their name. Or am I thinking of the local rednecks? Lowest common denominator is an easy target for hate speak. Shove your tea bag..
"Dent supports funding for planned parenthood? Break out the pitchforks."
Sounds like he supports a group with an economic, innovative and systematic way to keep minority breeding in check. Just look at Allentown, or the most recent census figures. That's why I and so many like me love Charlie Dent.
Bernie -
I remember just a few months ago you were complaining that the local Tea Party had no bylaws (or weren't following them). Now you complain when they do have (and are apparently following) them.
As to my comment on the type of story I like, I certainly understand that you can write what you want - and I can read what I want. However (although we disagree at times on issues) I do appreciate what you do and consider you a friend (or at least not an adversary).
My comment was merely a friendly observation (my own) that it seems the more involved in an issue you are, the more difficult it seems to be to have a real discussion of that issue. I suppose that may be true of most of us, but I did want to let you know of what I thought (as a reader) about the direction many of the stories seem to have been taking lately.
I enjoy discussing issues far more than dragging personalities into the mix. There have been many posts that you have done (and legitimate comments on those posts) that have helped me understand an issue better or at least understand other people's viewpoint a little better. The more personal the posts become, the less value I feel I get from the discussion. Maybe I'm the only one who feels that way.
In any event, I meant no offense and just wanted to offer some "friendly" feedback.
The statement you provide is vague at best. Will you provide a transcript of Angle's comments compared to a vague reference to "Appomattox"?
What is "vague" about "The old republic basically died when Lincoln's war machine triumphed at Appomattox."
Wow. You people are loons.
Most Republicans are proud to call Lincoln the founder of the GOP. The Tea Party calls his administration a war machine. Holy cow are they nuts.
Joe Hilliard is a blow hard. Carl Edwards is a bigot.
These are the people who claim they know the constitution and what's best for the Lehigh Valley. As we can see nationally, the blowhards in the Tea Party are losing their traction. Compromise is sweeping across Washington. It's easy to campaign on platforms, but reality sets in when you have to walk the talk!
It's funny how you always run to the bigot card when you can't argue the issues.
>>>Most Republicans are proud to call Lincoln the founder of the GOP. The Tea Party calls his administration a war machine. Holy cow are they nuts.<<<
It's hard to imagine the GOP of Lincoln, Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens even existed. Over the last 20 years or so, it has become to the party of right wing malcontents who have frequently been the source of the fractious political debate we now have in this country. The T-Party is just the latest in a long line of groups who've been put forth to contribute to this.
That's very unfortunate for the nation because than means that the only political discourse we can have is via sloganeering, mud slinging and visceral character assasinations. All of that keeps emotions high and generally angry. That's certainly not the way to have a rational discussion and the result of that is the natural reaction among some to just "turn it off" which leads to apathy as well as voter suppression and that's the game plan--suppress the vote by getting people disgusted while turning out your base at the same time.
A true multi-party movement would turn that game plan on its head and this is the real litmus test when evaluating the T-Party.
At the time there's ever a true grass roots political movement you'll know it, because both parties will be fighting them.
Nobody likes to be told they're not loved. I'm sorry, Bernie. I know it can hurt.
I would like to see the Teaparty supporters disassociate themselves with a local blog that attacks a family for dedicating a park bench to lost children.
It brings back the suffering my own family endured and personal attacks like this have nothing to do with good government and should not be tolerated. It is time we turn the binoculars on their tactics and access whether or not they have a positive or destructive agenda.
James "Im no Patriot" Hancock
I have two questions for Mr. Hilliard, who writes like a learned man.
Was President Lincoln correct in using force to bring the secessionist states back into the Union?
Do you believe that the CSA's surrender at Appomattox Court House marked the end of the promise of America as envisioned by the Founding Fathers?
Marginalizing groups by painting them in the image of their worst examples is not new. Every group has its embarrassments. Ds aren't defined by Lamont McClure. Rs aren't defined by Ron Angle. The Tea Party is not defined by Carl Edwards.
I will reach that conclusion if the tea party attempts to to remove a critic but does nothing about an obvious bigot. In fact, not one person even tries to correct him.
"The Tea Party is not defined by Carl Edwards."
I have to disagree with this. Groups are defined by their leadership. You can say that D's aren't defined by Lamont McClure or R's defined by Ron Angle because neither is the leader of their particular group.
In this case we have a group (The local Tea Party) which has publicly stated that their bylaws allow them to disassociate individuals who harm the public's perception of the group's reputation.
They have chosen to utilize this power to remove an individual who has not criticized their group as a whole, but who has criticized the leadership of their group.
At the same time, they chose to continue to associate their group with someone who quite obviously believes that the Union's efforts during the Civil War were unwarranted -- indeed oppressive -- and who has apparently hosted a party honoring the President of the pro-slavery Confederate States of America.
In this day and age, how can any group be proud of or support a member who would do something like that? How could any reasonable group of people leading an organization not realize that they have to disavow comments such as the one discussed here?
Yet, Joe Hilliard, a leader of the group, publicly asserts that the actions and comments of Mr. Edwards are "vague at best."
Yes, they're vague as a punch in the reason, Mr. Hilliard. Of course, "reason" is something the Tea Party seems to be sorely lacking by not removing members like Mr. Edwards from their number.
One man's bigot is another's bulldog. C'est la vie.
Patrick McHenry posted this comment, which I don't see here or even in my spam folder:
"Bernie -
I remember just a few months ago you were complaining that the local Tea Party had no bylaws (or weren't following them). Now you complain when they do have (and are apparently following) them.
As to my comment on the type of story I like, I certainly understand that you can write what you want - and I can read what I want. However (although we disagree at times on issues) I do appreciate what you do and consider you a friend (or at least not an adversary).
My comment was merely a friendly observation (my own) that it seems the more involved in an issue you are, the more difficult it seems to be to have a real discussion of that issue. I suppose that may be true of most of us, but I did want to let you know of what I thought (as a reader) about the direction many of the stories seem to have been taking lately.
I enjoy discussing issues far more than dragging personalities into the mix. There have been many posts that you have done (and legitimate comments on those posts) that have helped me understand an issue better or at least understand other people's viewpoint a little better. The more personal the posts become, the less value I feel I get from the discussion. Maybe I'm the only one who feels that way.
In any event, I meant no offense and just wanted to offer some "friendly" feedback."
Patrick,
My complaint last year was that the Tea Party (1) had no elected leaders, and (2) was registered as a nonprofit, but engaged in political activity.
When the Tea Party had their election and acted like a nonprofit, I complimented them.
As for the bylaws, why would they adopt a bylaw that is contrary to one of their own stated principles? But having adopted it, it appears they are enforcing it selectively. They enforce it against me, a critic, but not against Edwards, a bigot. In effect, they are endorsing his POV by nt moving against him when they move against another.
Here are the 9 Principles that are espoused by the Lehigh Valley Tea Party. You must agree with 7 of them according to the prophet Beck in order to be given the secret handshake.
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
I would like someone who is a leader from the Tea Party group to tell me how it is that Carl Edward's actions and beliefs don't violate the following principles.
1 -- America is good. (Carl throws that one right out the window. If you're celebrating the good old days of the Confederacy you ain't pro-USA.)
5 -- If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. (Justice sure as hell wasn't blind in the CSA. At least not color blind.)
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results. (It should be obvious that this doesn't say you have these rights only if you are white.)
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable. (In Carl Edward's world some people worked hard, but reaped no benefit from their labor. This status was enforced by the government.)
The way I see it Carl Edward's blows it on 4 of the Lehigh Valley Tea Party group's 9 core principles. If they don't boot him they're a bunch of hypocritical, anti-American parasites.
People are tired of politicians and their double-talk. When I read this guy's Hilliard response here do you know what he sounded like -- a double-talking politician trying to avoid doing the right thing!
Oh, and if you look at those principles -- tell me which of them Bernie O'Hare's comments violate.
In fact, one of them says:
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
All this Tea Party group does is act like a good bunch of little Stalinists with show trials and disapperances. Screw them.
Code Pink and ACTUP are darlings of the left. One rarely see stories about their vile tactics. Any Tea Party indiscretions are silly in comparison. It's all a matter of who your enemies are. They are clearly upsetting the established order of things. I like that about them.
Yeah, I agree. What's a little racism and slavery nostalgia amongst friends?
Racism? Even Barack knows better than to send his kids to school with public school DC negroes. Jesse spit in food and Juan Williams is afraid of air travelers wearing head rags. Racism from the left is the new black! Try to keep up.
You know something pal. You're all white in my book.
You're also a morally equivocating douche and Glenn Beck would hate to have you on his side.
Oh and it sounds like you're a bit of a racist, too. Hey, you wouldn't be a Tea Party member would you?
You defend the party of Obama (keep my kids out of minority schools!) and Farrakan and that hateful preacher from Barry's church. Then, point the bony finger of indignation at the definition of racism that doesn't make your own feel icky. We are both equivocating. It's just that you won't admit it.
Dear Wrong:
I offer no such defense. I believe that what's good for the goose is good for the gander when it comes to school choice options.
I find Louis F. detestable as a human being nor do I have any warmth in me for the racist pastor of whatever Church the President of the United States attended. (Note that calling the President "Barry" disrespects not just him, but the office he holds wherein he represents the United States of America. I didn't like it when the Left called former President Bush "Georgie" so I don't do to the current President no matter how much I disagree with him.)
And you are incorrect, sir. I am not equivocating. There is a difference between equivocation and not acting when I have no power to act. Consider, I voted against President Obama's election. He won. In 2012 I will vote against him again and perhaps enough of my fellow citizens will do the same and elect a President more to my liking.
In the case of Farakhan and the Reverend White I have no interaction with them. I don't provide them monetary support nor do I attend their church or mosque -- so I can't vote with my feet or my wallet.
However, the local Tea Party group cannot claim that they are unable to take positive action to remove a member who apparently longs for the halcyon days of the 1830's or who believes that the CSA is preferrable to the USA.
Whether they act, and what kind of action they take will determine how the public judges them.
Maybe we are all giving the Tea Party way too much credit. Held a rally in DC this week and barely anyone showed up. From "Does A Tea Party Rally Attracting “Dozens” Qualify As News?" by Media Matters (http://mediamatters.org/blog/201104010008)
"Remember, this is supposed to be a grassroots movement, which means one of the newsworthy angles is that so many Americans are supposedly getting involved in the Tea Party initiative. But if the party calls for a major Washington, D.C., rally and promises to have members of Congress addressing the crowd, but only “dozens” show up? That in and of itself is news. (i.e. What's become of the Tea Party?)"
Starting to seem like a fringe group to me that lacks relevance.
Publius
Publis-
That rally was called for by the tea party patriots, who is ONE organization that carries the tea party name. That rally ALSO was called about three days before it happened. People in the tea party WORK for a living, so it's kinda hard to goto your boss and request a day off (let alone setting up accomodations) within three days. Furthermore, MOST tea parties are moving away from protesting, and working to make changes on the local level.
What's sadder 200 people with bedsheet signs thinking that they mean something at a protest in DC or mic and camera hogs like Pence and Bachmann pushing each other out of the way to patronize 200 goofs?
Bachmann in 2012. Obama by 10%.
barry.
barry.
barry.
barry.
barry.
the asshole has earned only contempt and has soiled the office. and his gold game sucks despite playing more in two years than the last three presidents over 20 years. he's lucky he gets called barry. now go defend your dope for not starting a not war. and nice job on the economy, too, pythagoras.
sad is harry reid pretending to look serious when he's actually visualizing his own discomfort at standing there with another loaded diaper. maybe some lefty cowboy poet can write a subsidized poem about the doddering old fart.
"It's funny how you always run to the bigot card when you can't argue the issues."
since when did bigotry cease to be an issue?
I know Carl Edwards. I do not think he is a bigot. Strange, yes. Maybe even very strange, yes. But bigot ? I don't think so. He just happens to articulate the illogical extension of weird Republicanism.
Racism is denying someone a job, house, medical care, a vote, etc. based on the color of their skin alone. I don't think the Tea Party has ever done that and they probably never will do that.
If you're going to attack someone by calling them a racist then at least get your redneck to English dictionary out and know what the hell that really is.
Seems as if nobody is looking at the real history. Nobody has yet pointed out that the Democrats had the KKK as a "right of passage" not too long ago. White Republicans in the south were lynched along side blacks. Martin Luther King Jr. was a lifelong Republican. If it weren't for the Republican Party none of the Civil Rights acts would have passed. Let's also not forget just how hard the Democrats fought AGAINST passing them. Planned Parenthood was created with the sole purpose of diminishing minority births because they were "inferior and carried disease, thereby polluting the gene pool and worthy of infant murder".
Honestly, know your history before you try to prove a point of which you know nothing about. This is a serious issue, not a cold dead fish you can throw into the middle of the room to stop the conversation.
The Tea Party is not racist or packed with biggots. As a group they are able to limit who can and can't be a member. Bernie does in fact attack the group, that's his right and he can continue to do so if he wishes. However, it's also the right of the Tea Party to revoke his membership for doing so.
I think racism extends way beyond your limited definition.
I don't know if you intended it to be so limited.
Bernie you have riled up the teabaggers something fierce you old coondog you!
Publius -
That you read Media Matters - or believe anything you see there - speaks volumes.
Click your heels together and keep wishing that the Tea Party goes away by 2012.
Someone Just . . . Showed Themselves to be a Real Doofus said:
"Racism is denying someone a job, house, medical care, a vote, etc. based on the color of their skin alone."
Ahem. It's also denying someone the right to sit in the front of a bus because of their skin color.
Or denying someone the right to sit at your lunch counter, get in your cab, or stay at your hotel because of your skin color.
You know who thinks that telling someone they can't shop in your business because of their color is OK -- Rand Paul, Tea Party hero.
I'm the Cold Dead Fish That Just Slapped Your Stupid Argument in Its Stupid Face.
Seems to me all you have is a flopping fish since you can't disagree that Democrats have a racist history and Republicans gave us the Civil Rights Act.
Thanks for that!
I'll say that you're right when you said, "...Or denying someone the right to sit at your lunch counter, get in your cab, or stay at your hotel because of your skin color..."
However, that's a non issue with the Tea Party. This is because anyone is allowed to become and stay a member (in good standing) as long as the rules are followed. Black, brown, purple, green, polk-a-dotted, and even white are not only welcome but they can also sit wherever they would like to!
Was President Lincoln correct in using force to bring the secessionist states back into the Union?
Do you believe that the CSA's surrender at Appomattox Court House marked the end of the promise of America as envisioned by the Founding Fathers?
Anonymous asked the above:
Answer to both is YES!
When a strong man uses powers he doesn't possess to suppress the right of association & the right to peacefully withdraw from a compact no longer tolerable, he acts tyrannically. As to attitudes about racial matters, President Davis took a mixed race child into his home & raised him as his own. Mr. Lincoln believed blacks should be deported & took steps to iniatate that policy. He publically stated thatt they should never achieve social or political equality. As an Illinois state senator he voted to ban free bkacks from the state. Slavery brought about many atrocities, for which the blame should be equitably
distributed by personal attitude not geography.
Carl Edwards
We already know how you feel, Carl. The question was directed to Joe Hilliard.
Is he hiding somewhere underneath your skirt?
"When a strong man uses powers he doesn't possess to suppress the right of association & the right to peacefully withdraw from a compact no longer tolerable, he acts tyrannically."
President Lincoln assumed the Presidency after a legal election. How does that make him a dictator or strong man?
The compact was no longer tolerable because of the enslavement of African Americans.
Do you think that African Americans had it better under beneficient white masters such as Jefferson Davis?
Carl Edwards is making the same argument as the KKK and white supremacists. I know quite a bit about Lincoln, but also know it is futile to argue facts with bigots.
The tea party traitors are toast. Being the same people who brought us Bush (stop lying of course you voted for him) being the same people who brought on this economy, being the same people who want to keep the government immobilized so that the corporations can continue to exploit our resources and loot the the people, being the same people who drape themselves in God and the flag while they do Satan's business. You think Jesus would be in your little club? You tote around with your bibles but you would never walk in his shoes. Jesus was a progressive - you dopes. And that is the crux you are dopes. And you aren't nice people. And rather than work on yourselves to be better, you just hate. But the world is very old. Goodness loses in the short run but wins in the end. The tea party is toast. The real grass roots movement has begun.
7:21 AM -- Read your comment back to yourself out loud and hear how stupid you sound to others.
Carl Edwards didn't answer the question that was posed to him -- anyone notice that?
Anon 7:21 sounds like he's very happy with the tea party. Distorting Lincoln's record as President is the ruse always used by white supremacists to justify their hate. Problem is that it is a distortion. They will deny and you go back and forth with circular arguments and forget the REAL topic is bigotry.
The simple reality is that Joe HIlliard and Kim Schmidtner, by taking no action against Carl "I Love Jefferson Davis, wink, wink" Edwards, are allowing their group to attract more bigots to their banner.
That explains why I see so few dark faces. It is sad because they are hurting the overwhelming majority of decent members who have no racist thoughts.
The message is that bigotry will be winked at while criticism of the tea party mullahs is strictly prohibited.
So 7:21 why didn't the Tea Party make themselves known on Bush's watch if they were against Bush. Seems pretty strange to us normal people that they didn't start wanting "their country back" until a black man was popularly and constitutionally elected president. Then within days they started making trouble screaming at people and showing up with guns. That's how much respect the Tea Party has for democracy and the constitution. Where were yours voices in 2000 when the Supreme Court appointed a president? Please 7:21 answer this.
Man they have people wailing!
They actually have people laughing. A group formed to defend the Bill of Rights and reduce government has turned into a paranoid bunch who can't take the slightest criticism while winking at bigots.
the comment at 4:6, which makes reference to my grandson, is a personal attack intended to hurt both me and him, and is deleted.
The Tea Party formed in reaction to Bush? He and Cheney and the Republicans did make a mess of things. They don't seem to want to take responsibility for that though. Also missing with respect to accountability are the folks who voted for Bush. They are responsible too and they need to think about how they came to make such a mistake. So the Tea Party formed in reaction to Bush? What is 7:21 saying - that the Tea Party people back in 2000 and 2004 voted for Gore? for Kerry? Or did they stay home? OR DID THEY VOTE FOR BUSH? In which case they and they alone are responsible for losing their country and they should humbly start consulting with the rest of us who KNEW BETTER. By the way, studies are being done on this topic and at some point we will know whether same people that are in the Tea Party are the very ones that brought on BUSH.
"the comment at 4:6, which makes reference to my grandson, is a personal attack intended to hurt both me and him, and is deleted."
Sorry that happened, Bernie. Mean people suck isn't just a good bumpersticker. It's the truth.
Yep. And it comes from both sides.
It seems like Bernie has hit a nerve with this post. If you allow Bigots and kick out Bernie it's a real testament to the leaders and the organization. I think this post has attracted the same bigots that comment on the Mcall with the same feckless rantings. Many of the Team Tea party are good people just programmed by the Koch brothers and don't realize it . It's a shame to be a pawn. It's a fool hearty if you don't know it..
To anyone that threatens Bernie's Grandson please meet me in the parking lot after school , I have a lesson just for you..
OHH 5:39 you just showed how mature you are. hey look out Biff is coming.
>>>The Tea Party formed in reaction to Bush? He and Cheney and the Republicans did make a mess of things. They don't seem to want to take responsibility for that though. Also missing with respect to accountability are the folks who voted for Bush. They are responsible too and they need to think about how they came to make such a mistake. So the Tea Party formed in reaction to Bush? What is 7:21 saying - that the Tea Party people back in 2000 and 2004 voted for Gore? for Kerry? Or did they stay home? OR DID THEY VOTE FOR BUSH? In which case they and they alone are responsible for losing their country and they should humbly start consulting with the rest of us who KNEW BETTER. By the way, studies are being done on this topic and at some point we will know whether same people that are in the Tea Party are the very ones that brought on BUSH.<<<
ROFL! I asked this question to one of the locals who had the temerity to accost me over at my blog because he took exception to my raising questions about wealth disparity.
He bobbed and weaved so much at that question that I thought he was Floyd Patterson. Here's what he tried to tell me:
>>>>My point is that they were not silent. Even the conservative talking heads, radio personalities, and magazines were speaking out against Bush policies. They may not have been argueing issues from your POV but they certainly were not happy with a lot the administration did. I think it would be a fair statement to say that, for the most part, people who later allied themselves with the Tea Party did not generally back McCain...<<<
Please. When did we EVER hear a hue and cry from the these people under Bush? When did we ever hear them yelling and screaming about spending under Bush? For the record here, let's note that the national debt under Bush doubled from the levels under Clinton and yet nary a peep from the T-Party.
This group is a funded diversion much like the religious right before them. Unfortunately, many of the folks involved don't know they're being led like lemmings jumping off a cliff.
Yeah yeah...
...we know, "the Tea Party is going to fall off of a cliff", "they're a bunch of racists", "they're astroturf", blah blah blah.
I guess the 200 people who showed up to protest the BASD and Governor in Bethlehem on Saturday aren't political astroturf or union organized zombies. Kind of like that pathetic picketing of Town Hall a while back to "stop the criticism of elected officials" after that crazy Lib shot a Congresswoman.
Right now the Tea Party is so relevant that you can't stop talking about them. You know for a fact that you want to have something that's even kind of close to genuine. If it wasn't a real grassroots movement the Lefty Libs would have just ignored it by now. Which brings to mind the question:
How does it feel to want?
Since my views are causing so much angst & undue criticism of the Tea Party, which in my view (AGAIN - opinion), has the potential to be the most effective voice against big government that has been raised in my lifetime, I will contact the leadership & offer my resignation.
As to personal bigotry, my concious belief is that all persons are equal at the bar of the Supreme Judge, and ought to be at the bar of civil justice, regardless of race, color, national origin, birthplace, ethnicity, status, wealth, family history or unchangable personal features. Enough said!
Ah, I think that I see the question that I missed. Yes, I believe that SOME blacks in 1861 were better off under benevolent masters like Jefferson Davis who educated his slaves, looking forward to both their freedom & full citizenship, than being deported or never the equal of whites as Mr. Lincoln viewed them.
In 2011, after nearly 150 years of freedom NO sane individual advocates the return of slavery!
I was better off under the benevolent dictatorship of my parents at 16, but certainly not at 66. (Gulp - old huh!)
Mr. Edwards, Don't "offer" our resignation. Resign. I'm sure the Aryan Brotherhood has room for one more.
Well said, Bernie.
After this latest unbelievable Edward's post those asshats on the Tea Party Board (that's you Kim Schmidtner and you Joe Hilliard)better accept this guy's resignation toot sweet.
7:32 I am focused on the Tea Party because the people that have identified themselves with that, through their political choices, through their disinformation, through their bullying with guns, through their dominating of the media despite their puny numbers, have been a blight on this country for sometime under whatever name you want to call them. "Tea Party" was rebrand taken right out of the corporate playbook. You ask "how does it feel to want?" Oops! I think your slip is showing! You seem to kinda get off thinking you have your boot on somebody's throat. Got a little sadism going there? Well, thats the Tea Party for you. These are basically people who feel that they are inadequate somehow. They are angry and choose to hate others due to the humiliation of this. Thats why no amount of independent/progressive/liberal toleration, compassion, or attempt to compromise, or taking of the higher ground will ever go anywhere with them. Witness! It only makes them more angry. Yes, there are some "nice" people but they are really what some call "gray shades," not evil in themselves but they facilitate evil by not calling it what it is and by endlessly propagating false moral equivalencies.
Wanting? No. It is a joy to finally see the Tea Party for what it is and to speak the truth outloud.
Gregg
You just might want to go back and check on Sumner and Stevens. They were known as the radical Republians and I that is still the case. Both of them gave Lincoln and good case of the fits.
Carl, do not take any offense at anything Bernie O'Hare writes. he has zero credibility in the community. His reputation precedes him.
His favorite politician is Ron Angle. This is a man who has been condemned by the anti-defamation league and the NAACP. An anti-semite and a racist, noted by both groups. He is the only one in the Lehigh Valley with this "honor".
So as to O'Hare attacks, consider the source.
Take care Carl.
Yes Carl -- you're a good Confederate.
You can admit. Come on, go ahead and just say it. You know you're jealouse of what the Tea Party has done so far. We have all seen just how hard you Libs have tried to copy it and failed over and over again. Even someone who isn't a political junky realizes that if the Tea Party was such a horrible organization it wouldn't even be an afterthought to you Lefty Libs.
You can pretend all that you want, but we know that you want what we've got.
Yeah, social security and disability pensions. Who wouldn't want that!
>>You just might want to go back and check on Sumner and Stevens. They were known as the radical Republians and I that is still the case. Both of them gave Lincoln and good case of the fits.<<
Yes, I'm aware of that and I think we're saying the same thing. The republican party has fallen a long way from where it once was. Conversely, the dems rose from where they were. The ebb and flow of history is amazing to me. Both parties occupy positions at the polar opposite of where they were historically.
You have not done such a good job proof-reading. Personal attacks??? What are you joking??? Telling Mr. Edwards there is room for him with the aryan nation is way out of line. Have any of you integrity attackers met Mr. Edwards? Of course not...NONE OF YOU COULD HOLD A CANDLE TO HIM. He is a decent, God Loving human being who has his beliefs just like the rest of you. If you can't express yourselfs without attacking and name calling, YOU should NOT be blogging. A Bigot, that's mostly all of you.
Mr. Edwards is quite obviously a bigot and is making the same arguments I can find in any KKK or white supremacist organization. They claim they're not bigoted, either. I stand by what I wrote and I sign my name.
Good for you...you must have paid very good attention in school. You should be proud you know how to sign your name. I cannot believe the hate you spew. You know, looking at your picture, it looks like maybe at one time, you could have been an aryan leader.
Thank you, but most of those types are anonymous cowards who refuse to reveal themselves. Hence the hoods.
Just like you.
Mr. Schlener, It's no surprise that an anonymous coward afraid to sign his name would enjoy wearing hoods. I know about Jefferson Davis bc I have something you lack. It's called an education.
You want my real name............
Well, it is Jane and I have a dog named spot. You should know the name of the guy that is with Jane. It would be about your I.Q. level.
Mr. Schlener, I know who you are.
I believe O'Hare should be at O'hare on a 747 out of the country
Bernie, it has been suggested that Mr. Stoffa has his head of Administration, who also has access to very private personal information at the 911 center, allow you access to this information. Is that true.
It has been said that you are given information that can track people down via their postings. Are you getting to use means that are not permissible under law to look up the identity of people? If so is the Stoffa Administration allowing you to do this?
thank you
So 7:21 why didn't the Tea Party make themselves known on Bush's watch if they were against Bush. Seems pretty strange to us normal people that they didn't start wanting "their country back" until a black man was popularly and constitutionally elected president. Then within days they started making trouble screaming at people and showing up with guns. That's how much respect the Tea Party has for democracy and the constitution. Where were yours voices in 2000 when the Supreme Court appointed a president? Please 7:21 answer this.
This post sums the times up perfectly. The county didn't need to be taken back until sometime in January, 2009.
Yeah Glen Beck evidently had his first Fox show the day before Obama was took office and he immediately proceeded along with the Tea Party to want the country back and started blaming Obama for everything. What liars!
Beck is now even to nutz for Fox. Hell, I didn't think that was even possible.
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