Thumbs: In two separate threads you were taken to task over both your claims of "populist outcry" and the complete lack of direction any "tea party" appeared to have. In those threads you were repeatedly and justly skewered for the obviously dominant "fringe" element involved at these rallies (that you denied and countered without one iota of proof) and for the astronomically ridiculous assertion that this protest was independent of simple putrid partisan politics and the cantankerous hypocritical whining that comes with it. It is certainly NOT hypocritical to disagree with the president. It certainly IS hypocritical to disagree with the president, while supporting a different president who happened to provide the same supposedly outrageous fiscal ideology. To deny the latter under the pretense of the former is brazenly stupid and completely dishonest.
Well that's the issue. Nobody is against what the religious right considers morals. The fundamental problem is that the right wants to shove that stuff down everyone's mouths.
Thumbs: I derailed. And I have decided to (try and) stop the derailment. In summary, I expected better from someone of your intellectual caliber in regards to the continued mythos of tea-party nonpartisanship. Carry on.
this thread really wasn't an attack on the religious, yes they are responsible for a lot of the hate speak out on Tiller, but just the ratcheting up of hateful dialogue overall.
The tea parties were a populist outcry, and they are continuing. There is a huge upwelling of unhappiness with both major parties. I stated that then and I am more convinced of it now. Much of the material to which you allude was opinion, not fact, and if you want to keep your blinders on, that is your privilege. I repeatedly offered pictures, but I still don't know how to upload them to the board. That's why I offered to email them for posting by liberal posters with whom I have communicated in the past.
Okay. I have to go anyway. I do enjoy sparring with you, but let me make this one last point. I agree that the tea parties that a very strong Republican participation, but there were a huge number of moderate right, moderate left and non-Republicans. The tea party participants with whom I communicate are still grappling with abandoning the Republican Party to found a new one or with re-taking the party from the extreme right wing. It's a very diverse mix.
The Religious Right often tries to paint themselves as the persecuted when they're the ones persecuting people. The majority of Americans may be Christians but that doesn't mean that Christian morals and beliefs should be imposed on others. There is an outcry of the "degradation" of morals in America through legislation and/or cultural evolution, but in reality, this has happened throughout history. It was the left-leaning people who sparked the civil rights movement, the womens movement, the gay rights movement, many movements that were/are viewed as "moral degradation" by religious zealots. I mean, look at the world around us...look at America. It is SO different than it was 50 years ago, 100 years ago, 300 years ago. And that's a good thing. We're progressing as a civilized society and we will keep on going no matter what a handful or two of people think.
And you know the funny thing was when I was a the tea party in downtown Houston I took a few minutes to walk around the entire square and soak in the event; the type of people there, the signs that were there, etc. While standing on a street corner I was talking to an HPD on duty there and this guy walks up just cussing up a storm like a sailor on shore leave and I noticed he was talking on his cell phone. At first I thought he was arguing with the person on the other end but then he stopped on the same corner I was hanging out on and I was able to over hear his end of the conversation. It went something like this.... "you should see these idiots down here" "these f-ing people piss me off" "yes they have signs and you should see how stupid they are" "....there aren't even any minorities here" and this goes on for like ten minutes. So I turned to the HPD guy I was talking to and said "man you better keep an eye on this guy" and he kind of chuckled. It was pretty obvious that he was oppossed to the whole idea of the tea party and that somehow minorities, no check that I hate the use of that term as it implies a victim status, everyone has equal rights here in the USA, so lets say people other then caucasions, and liberal statists were the only ones who can protest. And for the record, there were minorities there, except these were the ones who actually worked for a living and payed taxes. The thing that struck me most was his apparent rage and anger and I thought to myself these are the people who are always calling out conservatives for this very thing but I don't really ever see conservatives showing this type of public rage; but you do always see the liberal statist showing rage at the conservative rallies. It was one of those moments of clarity that made you stop and think... Peace I'm out!
You can come down off your high horse, the air must be pretty thin for you up there. It should pretty obvious that people, regardless of race, creed or color, who do not pay taxes would not be supporting an anti tax rally...
yeah, i'm on a high horse because you insulted all minorities, and i just happen to be one. thanks for making it sound worse
