“Thomas Paine”: It’s time for a million-person march on Washington
posted at 4:50 pm on April 18, 2009 by Allahpundit
Glenn Beck was pushing this idea weeks ago but it’s more plausible now given the success of the tea parties, about which “Paine” is properly excited. A friend who was at an event where he spoke e-mailed me this week to scold me for sniping at him, promising that I’d like him if I just gave him a chance. I do like the idea of fiscal cons flexing their voting muscle with protests; that’s why I support the parties. What I don’t like is this guy’s habit of lapsing into rhetoric about a second revolution, legislators ignoring the people “at your peril,” and, per the letter from a Marine that he reads near the end here, the idea that “our country is under attack from an enemy within” — which isn’t the first time he’s used language about enemies and attacks to describe policy disagreements. I get that the character he’s playing obliges him to use a certain amount of revolutionary parlance, just like I get that I’ll take plenty of heat in the comments for being a squish who’s afraid to fight nutroots fire with fire, etc, but what can I tell you. That sort of rhetoric leaves me cold, and I can’t be the only one. And yes, yes, I know, I’m a RINO whom the party’s better off without anyway. No need to remind me.
One interesting detail: Note his salute to protesters past who marched in the name of green power and ending wars to save lives. He really is aiming this message at both sides of the aisle.
Blowback
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I have decided to take the energy I get from the tea parties and begin to really talk to those around me, my wife, family, co-workers. If we are well informed and articulate, maybe, just maybe we can change a few million minds.
jimmy2shoes on April 18, 2009 at 8:44 PM
I agree. It’s just a matter of time before these various programs get challenged in court. It’s not as if the plaintiffs won’t have just about every precedent decision in their favor.
venividivici on April 18, 2009 at 8:47 PM
Good luck. Less than 1k showed up for the last one.
Typhonsentra on April 18, 2009 at 8:49 PM
Not only is it crazy, it’s blackmail.
jimmy2shoes on April 18, 2009 at 8:51 PM
I don’t think total numbers are that important. I think that just the idea that a basically impromptu rally occurred nationwide without central backing or planning is monumental. Think about it. There was active participation from the duly elected federal government and the so called free press to minimize exposure of the event and a concerted effort to denigrate it’s participants before, during and after it took place. It still happened. I recall nothing like this in my lifetime. I saw some reference to the civil rights marches of the 60′s. No comparison, those marches had massive media coverage and support. If fact I’d go so far as to say they had some important federal support since LBJ supported them and appealed to the Republicans in congress in opposition to his own party. No this is a true grassroots movement on a large scale. It remains to be seen if it gathers enough steam and energy to overcome inertia or if apathy will out and it dies on the vine.
Oldnuke on April 18, 2009 at 8:54 PM
+1
In general, true. However, I know there are a hell of a lot of hard working Liberals out there…calling the extreme Leftists who want the government to take care of them, etc. ‘Liberals’ is an insult to real Liberal Democrats.
I think a lot of it has to do also with the fact that Conservatives are far less likely to go out and protest…something generally peaceful about us that makes us not want to rock the boat.
Dr. ZhivBlago on April 18, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Getalife has to clean her holding cell today so she may be a little late in responding to all her new found internet friends.
Joe Bloggs on April 18, 2009 at 8:57 PM
“policy disagreements”? You really don’t understand the gravity of what is going on, do you AP?
RightWinged on April 18, 2009 at 9:00 PM
To say that we don’t have an enemy within is to deny reality. Creeping socialism is an enemy of freedom. It’s not just ideology, it’s a turn from our own heritage of liberty. While we should fight it with show of popular will, not show of force, we should still fight the enemies of freedom. And to have Congressmen who turn off their faxes and voice mail whenever they are about to vote against the people?!
I’m for the march on Washington. Name the time. I’ll be there. And I’ll try to get as many like minded people as I can to go with me.
Obama says he didn’t even know about the tea parties. It’s time to show him what they are about face to face. And Dodd and Frank and Rangel and Schumer, and Emanuel and Specter and Snowe and…..
Christian Conservative on April 18, 2009 at 9:05 PM
There has been a lot of talk about taxes in this thread. Of late, I have been following some of the threads without posting, mainly because work pressures have prevented me from spending the time on a conversation.
But the tax talks and also the inevitable class warfare insinuations got me thinking. I believe, considering the positions of the two parties, it eventually boils down to which group of people do we want to trust. While some conservatives here will claim that the liberals engage in trusting people, I think both sides do so, they just trust different sets of people. Most folks here do not trust the federal government in any shape or form, because (a) the belief is that increase in government can lead to increase in corruption and (b) governmental responses to crisis resemble a wild beast thrashing in a china shop, hence ineffective.
However, while we dismiss the federal government as reliable, we are also at the same time, trusting the big businesses as ones who are more trustworthy. Some will say that is not true, that the inexorable power of the free market will govern the system and take the corrupt players out. But that is not always the case. Case in point are two very influential tech companies : Microsoft corp and pre-breakup AT&T. While they rose because of the merit of their products, they soon became economic power houses of their own, destroying competition who had great products by price warfare. Whoever had a business that depended on phone lines knows how AT&T hurt their bottom lines.
My point is, huge monopolies are just as bad as the government. They collect “taxes” by unjustifiably raising the prices of mediocre goods just because they can. Consumer revolt works, but that’s like cutting your nose to spite your face They have corruption in their boards, and they can bring the economy down by creating conditions like the current economic meltdown and claim they are “too big to fail”. So, why is raising taxes on these giant corporations a bad idea?
Think about it …
peter_griffin on April 18, 2009 at 9:09 PM
Of course I can and did on April 15 (used up a vacation day from work actually) and I eagerly await the opportunity to do so again but I don’t want that opportunity wasted.
Let’s not attack each other shall we?
Yakko77 on April 18, 2009 at 9:10 PM
I’m beginning to wonder if the reason Allah seems oblivious as to the gravity of our current situation is that economic talk is boring to him, so he just sort of ignores it.
Everyone does realize that the $12 or $13 trillion (and growing) in debt is a drop in the bucket when you factor in SS, medicare, etc. We’re on the hook for more like $80 trillion, and NO ONE is trying to solve it. What is this “policy disagreement” nonsense, AP. We don’t just disagree with The One, he’s wrong. He’s a socialist who is deliberately destroying the economy and country along with it. He wants to fundamentally change it to fit is own extremist ideology. Again, he’s not just “wrong” on policy… because he’s doing all of this deliberately.
RightWinged on April 18, 2009 at 9:23 PM
I think you’ll find that most people who hang out here regularly are also in favor of a tax overhaul. To answer your question though; Corporations don’t pay taxes their customers do. It all comes back to the consumer.
Oldnuke on April 18, 2009 at 9:23 PM
peter_griffin on April 18, 2009 at 9:09 PM
raising taxes is always a bad idea.
so the corporations that have those taxes raised are just going to absorb the economic impact right? No way they would you know…pass it along to the poor shleps that use their services or purchase their goods and oh are incidentally the very people responsible for electing the governments that raised the taxes in the first place?
you want to break up monopolies try the Sherman Act not regressive tax policy.
elduende on April 18, 2009 at 9:25 PM
this is not “creeping” socialism. it is leaping socialism. and yes, i believe that bambi is doing this on purpose. and look who is excited about it: alot of congressmen.
we must react boldly & swiftly. a million man march? that’s ok. how about a million man don’t go to work to see if anyone notices. shut down whole sections of businesses, corporations, etc. close up a walmart (is walmart really serious about being against card check?–then protest with us!).
we need to influence 535 idiots. just 535 people. we can do this. yes we can.
kelley in virginia on April 18, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Sorry, Thomas. The problem with those Million Man marches is that we have jobs. I can’t just get up and go to DC. The Indy one was just fine, thanks.
AbaddonsReign on April 18, 2009 at 9:30 PM
If you’re able to win any converts, please let me know the magic words you used. I have tried to engage those I’ve felt were ‘worth saving’ and I’ve yet to put a single ‘W’ in the win column. I’m as well-versed as any in the benefits of small government, the importance of our Second Amendment rights, and the dangers of Socialism, but the liberal mind-set is a tough nut to crack.
CaptFlood on April 18, 2009 at 9:34 PM
Does he take these positions because he doesn’t want to be like the ‘right-wing extremists’ or does he actually think that way? I’ve noticed different times that he will be soft on some position and I read it and think, what the heck is he talking about, thats not right. Then true to form, what he said is proven wrong and then he has to backpedal.
NeverLiberal on April 18, 2009 at 9:34 PM
There will be no “revolution” in the voting booths in 2010, as the time for that has now passed. The idea that there will be a huge turnover in congress is nonsense.
By the next midterms, I expect that Acorn, along with others, will have signed up enough illegals and other ineligibles to make damn sure they have a defeat-proof socialist congress.
I am guessing the retention rate will be somewhere around 95%.
-Dave
Dave R. on April 18, 2009 at 9:37 PM
Where is the Scarlet Pimpernel when you need him.
eaglesdontflock on April 18, 2009 at 9:38 PM
And Soros isn’t paying our tab.
eaglesdontflock on April 18, 2009 at 9:39 PM
So Rightwinged, why is it that when you click on your name, it takes you to some site about digital cameras?
NeverLiberal on April 18, 2009 at 9:42 PM
How about June 14th, Flag Day for a second round of protests ? It’s not a major holiday yet it IS Flag Day and would seem to be an important day for people to show their patriotism in support of the Constitution.
nelsonknows on April 18, 2009 at 9:43 PM
Allah:
You are not the only one. I am very supportive of the Tea Parties and I think it is great that conservatives are making their feelings known and their voices heard…but I do think that talk of revolution just plays into the hands of people who will try to make the Tea Party people look dangerous or strange.
Terrye on April 18, 2009 at 9:55 PM
Haha, it’s just one of many sites I help run… I used to link to my old political blog, but I abandoned that a long time ago.
Sorry, Thomas. The problem with those Million Man marches is that we have jobs. I can’t just get up and go to DC. The Indy one was just fine, thanks.AbaddonsReign on April 18, 2009 at 9:30 PM
Well first of all, 7/4 is the best day, and it just happens to fall on a Saturday this year, and DC is a relatively short jaunt for many millions of people… the only downside is that most of them are in NYC and Philly, so they don’t agree with us… But there are plenty who do. Hell, I would consider the 9 hour drive to DC from northern VT. But think about how many cities are only a few hours away. Even Atlanta is only 10 hours.
I think a lot of people could take off after work on Friday or even leave just early on Saturday and we could pull a massive crowd.
RightWinged on April 18, 2009 at 10:01 PM
(sorry, didn’t mean to cross out, that was supposed to be a quote, I just hit the wrong button)
RightWinged on April 18, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Well, the government should be afraid of us, not the other way around. Obviously they’ve been given the impression that we work for them, when it should be that they work for us. It’s the very fact that the government does not fear us that allows them to get away with everything they’re doing.
RightWinged on April 18, 2009 at 10:04 PM
Exactly right. And the reason the Supreme Court is not engaged on this is that the banks don’t want them engaged. There is an excellent article in the Atlantic Monthly written by a guy who worked for the IMF. He says that since a lot of the guys involved in this mess are now working for the government, there will be no government action to force the banks to declare their actual worth and no action to break up the big banks into smaller ones that are less dangerous. All a large bank has to do is threaten failure and the government gives them a little more money to stay upright for a while. Meanwhile, the problem gets bigger and bigger.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200905/imf-advice
gordo on April 18, 2009 at 10:04 PM
All I have to contribute to faux Paine and this forum is: AMEN! “Extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice………
EZnSF on April 18, 2009 at 10:05 PM
LOL…my friend, when you worrying about how not to play into their hands..you are already in their hands.
RepubChica on April 18, 2009 at 10:05 PM
So, why is raising taxes on these giant corporations a bad idea?
Think about it …
Also when higher taxes are levied against corporations they will move operations to countries with more favorable corporate tax rates. The result is the loss of American jobs.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:09 PM
The company I work for, which is the largest consumer goods manufacturer in the world. just sent out an email from the CEO warning about Obama’s planned taxes on overseas profits for American based companies. Instead of the current policy which is to wait for overseas profits to be brought into the US before taxing, Obama is proposing that those profits be taxed even if they are not brought into the US. He warned that should this be implemented it will disadvantage American companies competitiveness with foreign companies as they are not subject to taxation of their profits from overseas until the profits are actually brought back into their country.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:15 PM
When you are living in a world where companies are global as we do today think about it. It is much easier to move your operation to another country since you have divisions all over the world who can easily take on the work being done in the US for a cheaper labor price. It is suicide to tax corporations out of the country. If you think unemployment is bad now, wait and see what happens when higher tax burdens are placed on them. It’s not just that prices will go up, which they will, but lots of Americans are going to lose their jobs. You might feel good that you stuck it to the fat cats initially, but in the long run we are going to regret it.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:26 PM
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:15 PM
I suppose if we just leave obama alone he will eventually self destruct as illustrated by your post. Problem is, it’s not fast enough to prevent damage.
jeanie on April 18, 2009 at 10:28 PM
When are people going to realize that companies are not in the business of charity work. They are in business to make a profit. As much profit as they can make. My husband owned his own business and believe me he did not start it to give jobs to people. He started it to better his family’s life. If that in turn afforded other people employment and bettered their lives, great. But that was not his motivation. People who dream and work hard at starting a business are motivated by self interest. Self interest is the desire to build something to improve yours and your loved ones conditon. If everyone worked at advancing their own self interest, they would in turn be advancing the wider condition. That is not selfishness. This is what I believe confuses the liberal.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:35 PM
Based on your name and the content of your posts, I have to tell you that you are preaching the the choir here.
Cindy Munford on April 18, 2009 at 10:38 PM
suppose if we just leave obama alone he will eventually self destruct as illustrated by your post. Problem is, it’s not fast enough to prevent damage.
jeanie on April 18, 2009 at 10:28 PM
Well yes he is going to self-destruct. But as you state it may not be fast enough to avoid the oncoming train wreck. That’s why I believe the tea parties are a good idea. I don’t believe the numbers matter so much as the exposure they can garner to possibly get people thinking. Not the hard left, but those who are in the middle who are open to persuasion. The more they hear, the more they see, read, the more likely they may get curious and start to become better informed.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:40 PM
Cindy Munford on April 18, 2009 at 10:38 PM
My name tends to imply more than its actual meaning. It is my last name. No religious significance. But I do go to church.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:42 PM
Cindy Munford on April 18, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Also I apoligize if i seemed preachy. I just never can understand how people don’t understand basic economics. Not dirivitives and mark to market, just the basics. So when the poster said what is the problem with taxing these corporations it just makes me feel like saying GRRRR
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:45 PM
I wonder what a big march on DC would accomplish; whatever media coverage it got would likely be negative.
I fear that we lost this war when we lost the universities to the hard Left.
jazz_piano on April 18, 2009 at 10:49 PM
Make it on a Sunday.
A lot of us work Saturdays, too.
A simple white flag with the word NO! on it should suffice for a slogan and iconography.
Meaning:
N0
Surrender!
And:
NO
To
The
Socialistic
Government
Over-reaching.
And:
NO
To
The
Next
Shamnesty!
The central point:
America
Is
Not
To
Be
Surrendered!
profitsbeard on April 18, 2009 at 10:51 PM
fear that we lost this war when we lost the universities to the hard Left.
jazz_piano on April 18, 2009 at 10:49 PM
I think you should be more hopeful. I can’t tell you how many people I work with who know I follow politics that have asked me about the tea parties after the coverage they saw, whether favorable or unfavorable. These are teachable moments. Most people don’t have a clue what is going on and when you tell them they are stunned.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:53 PM
Now that EPA will try to regulate ‘greenhouse gasses’, coal and all heavy manufacturing workers better join the Tea Party Movement before those industries are completely destroyed.
michaelo on April 18, 2009 at 10:55 PM
Allahpundit doesn’t get it. This isn’t a policy issue. This is a foundational issue. Obama and his acolytes are transforming America into a Communist country.
fossten on April 18, 2009 at 10:57 PM
I actually convinced two co-workers who were going to vote Obama because their husbands are union members to vote McCain. They have stayed informed and attended the tea party in Cincinnati. It’s just a matter of persistence and talking to people. Sometimes I think those of us who follow this so closely lose perspective and think everyone else is a political junky too. But trust me most people are ignorant about what is going on in Washington. That’s why so many got swindled by the pretty but meaningless words of Obama. They didn’t know the political code words. They took it all at face value.
church on April 18, 2009 at 10:58 PM
I will keep hope, but these are dark times. When current policies wreck the economy, and as lawlessness grows, the gov’t will claim justification for seizing more power.
If Obama can shift the SCOTUS, there’s no telling if political opposition will be legal or fair elections possible by 2012.
I’m not despairing, I’m praying.
jazz_piano on April 18, 2009 at 11:03 PM
As Zo put it so trenchantly, “. . . As if a poor person can give you a job.” (4:48) This, btw, is his best rant.
smellthecoffee on April 18, 2009 at 11:08 PM
Keep hammerin’ away. One moonbat at a time. Once the blinders come off they can more easily see the light.
Oldnuke on April 18, 2009 at 11:09 PM
smellthecoffee on April 18, 2009 at 11:08 PM
Yeah, I saw that one too. But it was enjoyable hearing it again. Remember though, the great political philosopher Ms. Garafolo has informed all the unwashed that Zo suffers from Stockholm syndrome so he cannot be taken seriously and must be dismissed.
church on April 18, 2009 at 11:15 PM
Allah,
America IS under attack from within. It is not an understatement. You may not have heard it, but the Department of Homeland Security has put out an alert that anybody who is pro-life, believes in the 2nd Amendment, thinks the federal government is too big, or is a recent veteran, may be enemies of the state. Many believe in the “Fairness Doctrine,” which will shut down conservative thought. Economically, we are becoming a socialist/Marxist country. Things are serious. Very serious.
Star20 on April 18, 2009 at 11:16 PM
You are TOTALLY WRONG.
When corporations screw up you get Enron and WorldCom. When governments screw up you get Waco, the Vietnam War, The Failed War on Poverty ($11 Trillion), and the Great Depression.
Governments are far worse at running an economy than the free market is.
Get a clue.
fossten on April 18, 2009 at 11:20 PM
I do think we need a national strike day. No working, no purchasing.
It’s the next logical step.
Alana on April 18, 2009 at 11:21 PM
And the next logical day for the next Tea Party is July 4th.
Alana on April 18, 2009 at 11:22 PM
+1
The greater the numbers attending the tea parties combined with a heightened level of fear by the fools, liars and crooks controlling our federal government, the more inclined they’ll be to finally listen, thus decreasing the chance this will boil over.
FloatingRock on April 18, 2009 at 11:25 PM
is walmart really serious about being against card check?–then protest with us!).
Am I misunderstanding this? Is someone really thinking card check is a good idea for Wal-Mart? Is it possible that someone is confused as to why Wal-Mart would be against card check?
church on April 18, 2009 at 11:26 PM
You apparently don’t get it. It’s not just “Obama and his acolytes” who are doing this. Spend some time reading the votes of Congress over the last few years and you’ll find plenty of your Republican Congressmen an Senators who have been right there voting to make it possible. Here’s one recent example.. 26 Republicans in the House voted for Obama’s GIVE act. Many of them will be running for re-election in 2010. Will you vote for them?
popularpeoplesfront on April 18, 2009 at 11:31 PM
Calm down. Just because I didn’t make a laundry list of everybody I disagree with doesn’t mean I automatically disagree with you. Go take a pill or something. No, of course I won’t support the RINOs.
fossten on April 18, 2009 at 11:36 PM
Uh, you think that’s an “attack”? Honey, you just better stay home from now on. Yikes.
atheling on April 18, 2009 at 11:37 PM
Lol, Allahpundit doesn’t get it because he’s already removed from us “little people”. He suffers from the same malady that affects CNN, MSNBC, et al…
atheling on April 18, 2009 at 11:44 PM
Wow, it seems that being a political philosopher now gives a person expertise in phychological diagnosises. Equating Zo with someone who is being terrorized, threatened with death over a period of weeks cannot be taken seriously. I wish these people would listen to themselves.
smellthecoffee on April 19, 2009 at 12:13 AM
Well that comparison is completely unfair. You know, I get annoyed by his antagonism of Beck, etc. but generally he’s one of the good guys, and on our side. But for some reason he’s oblivious as to what is happening to the country… or maybe in denial, I’m really not sure.
RightWinged on April 19, 2009 at 12:14 AM
hey Smellthe coffee,
her remark was racist at it’s core.
jerrytbg on April 19, 2009 at 12:16 AM
I am a huge proponent of the free market system, having had a company of my own at one point of time. However, the point that I was making was, free market has its limitations specially when it comes to large corporations. Please try to explain to me how Microsoft or AT&T furthered the ideals of free market, or was different from the government as far as negative impact on the economy is concerned. You see larger numbers from the government involvement because the government is *required* to be transparent, unlike some of the large corporations.
Someone made a point about the Sherman act – the point is very well taken, and I would be happier if it was used more frequently, specially in light of the banking “supermarket” models which led us to such a disaster.
Also, “church” made some valid points about corporations and the fact their fiduciary obligations are only to their shareholders. I perfectly agree. I hope you see that this can also potentially create a conflict of interest between the corporation and the employees of the country where the corporation is based. If you notice, in spite of their threats, none of the large corporations have actually left our country. That’s because no other country has the excellent research infrastructure (funded largely through federal programs like NSF, DARPA, etc) which can help these companies much more than any other country’s tax breaks.
I would like to clarify that I love the free market system, but I “trust” the small and medium businesses much, much more than the very large corporations (monopolies or pseudo-monopolies), whom I frankly trust about as much as the federal government (at least as far as the betterment of the American society is concerned). If you can show me any reason to believe otherwise, please let me know.
peter_griffin on April 19, 2009 at 12:30 AM
sorry smell…
On first read I didn’t think you got it…oops :)
jerrytbg on April 19, 2009 at 12:39 AM
This guy is an idiot. Millions did not show up to the tea parties. It was around 250,000. The silent majority is no longer the majority. The dopes who believe everything liberal pundits say are the new majority. We can’t even win a race these days outside of the South without going to a recount.
Speedwagon82 on April 19, 2009 at 12:58 AM
Why do you include Microsoft with talk about monopolies? Microsoft has never had anything approaching a monopoly on anything. There have always existed FREE alternatives to microsoft, let alone other commercial options. FREE alternatives.
The suits against Microsoft have been among the biggest jokes around.
progressoverpeace on April 19, 2009 at 3:52 AM
From a Marine: “our country is under attack from an enemy within”
Yea Allahpundit, he’s quite, quite right, and you can just go to the back with the women and children and get the hell out of the way of the real men who will have to fight for the very existence of this once great country as we know it. Too bad the brutal truth leaves you squeamish, well, kind of like a liberal.
Maybe this 1 hour and 20 minute video of an interview with a KGB defector named Yuri Bezmenov will set you scared straight as to what’s really happening in America right now. Bezmenov has more guts in his little pinky than you do in your whole body.:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=yuri%20bezmenov&sa=N&tab=wv&um=1#hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=yuri+bezmenov&sa=N&tab=wv&um=1&start=0
OPEN your eyes!!!!!
BobUSMC on April 19, 2009 at 4:05 AM
St Louis MO…10,000+ according to St Louis P.D.
New York NY….12,000+ according to NYPD
Spokane WA….6500 people signed the petitions
Hartford CT….5000 according to CT state police
Memphis TN 5000
Lincoln NE 2000
Albuquerque NM 10,000
Austin TX 5000
Charlston SC 6000
Ft. Worth TX 5000
Shreveport LA 5000
Worcester MA 2000
Salem OR 3500
Sacremento CA 5000
Ventura CA 3000
Grand Rapids MI 3500
Indianapolis IN 10,000
San Antonio TX 20,000
Olympia WA 5000+
Fishkill NY 5000
Yorba Linda CA 3500
Weatherford TX 3000
Baton Rouge LA 10,000
Nashville TN 10,000+
Madison WI 8000
Oklahoma City 5000
St Paul MN 8000
Atlanta 15,000
Get the point, that’s 27 of the over 800 cities that had tea Parties on April 15 adding up to aprox. 189,000. The total is WAY higher than anyone expected OR reported.
nelsonknows on April 19, 2009 at 4:55 AM
Tea Parties TWO should be Sunday June 14th, FLAG DAY.
nelsonknows on April 19, 2009 at 4:56 AM
But my side doesn’t watch FOXnews.
No one will hear him.
strangelet on April 19, 2009 at 5:34 AM
LOL
Earth to Squishy: Yer Too Late
I know why you put your chips on the parties going fizzle, but your number just didn’t come up.
If you try to get in on tea parties now, you will get only boos and hisses. Jocks may be dumb, but they know a poser when they see one. Best hang back with the other emo kidz and chuff on the nurdz with school spirit and brightly-colored clothing.
TMK on April 19, 2009 at 6:18 AM
Well if a majority knows it…..lets ALL go out and borrow and spend our next twenty years pay. It’ll be fun, and we’ll just default anyway. Who cares?
The majority of the people know you’re an idiot. That makes it a fact.
Squiggy on April 19, 2009 at 7:18 AM
I am saving vacation time to go to DC and march…
djl130 on April 19, 2009 at 7:59 AM
As a late commer to this thread, I’m in agreement with you Carolyn. AP does make this thread more about him than the “Second American Revolution”.
Amen brother. I for one am sick of our growing voices being shut-out. What happened to our founding fighting spirits? I mean has everyone been so programmed by their televisions that they’ve become soooooo passive that they cannot stand up for themselves anymore?
AlreadyKnownAs on April 19, 2009 at 8:02 AM
I haven’t posted for a while because like many others I’ve been too busy to read through all the comments to glean out the fifteen percent or so worth reading.
I think the Tea Parties were great- for getting folks energized for a while. As far as affecting political change, they were worthless. Same goes for a “million person march.” At best, they will get presented to the masses as “isn’t that cute, some law-abiding citizens are annoyed” or at worst “look at those red-neck nut jobs, we better make sure they don’t have guns.”
These types of protests are tools of the liberals, not us. A million scumbags descending on DC works because they are a nuisance. With us, it’s just a boon to tourism. We’d march, go out to a nice restaurant, buy a souvenir, and go home to grumble to ourselves.
Do we not have the brains to find our own method of protest? I think the “don’t go to work for a day” some have mentioned makes much more sense. In most cases, we are the most productive ones, so it will have an effect. How about “give up a day’s pay?” A million days of less income tax to collect would hit them in the pocketbook- the place we can REALLY have an effect- the only one that I think will matter.
dinobalz on April 19, 2009 at 8:46 AM
Many of us lose jobs if we “got a day without pay”.It’s one thing to cut down on Nancy Pelosi’s funds.
I think the biggest thing we need to be doing is to not give up, organize in other ways than protests, get our words together, the ones that Allah doesn’t like and press on. We have to ignore the “great and spacious” building that even our own “naysayers” like Allah inhabit.
Noelie on April 19, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Works for me, Thomas Paine. On to Washington!
petefrt on April 19, 2009 at 9:07 AM
look, we have to keep at it. think about the millions who were at home during the tea parties. many didn’t even know of them because they don’t watch the news. but when they heard about them, they said “yeah, i’m mad, too”
keep after Congress. keep our spirits up.
kelley in virginia on April 19, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Mr Paine and his imitators at the 5 tea parties I have attended have a few errors in their rant, although I agree with most of what is called for. Since 1983 congress has been under SS, is part of the Civil Service pension fund, has placed themselves under the civil rights requirements, and only votes to stop a raise since it is automatic. And yes they do have many perks that are outrageous, but they did correct some of the more outrageous ones.
We should be careful about facts less we lose creditability.
amr on April 19, 2009 at 9:34 AM
This Paine guy could win in Chicago. Think of how many dead people would vote for him. The Vegas tea party was my first protest. I’d move heaven and earth to try and get to Washington D.C. for a rally.
Let’s just make it on a holiday so those of us who actually work for a living can go. They could break all those port-a-potties that they used for the inauguration.
(I don’t like the march for peace to end a war line. All “peace” movements do is pile up bodies. Peace marches are always “surrender and be slaughtered” marches.)
Mojave Mark on April 19, 2009 at 10:12 AM
It’s not that you’re a RINO AP, its that you think this is a policy dispute between Democrats and Republicans. You can’t seem to wrap your mind around the fact that a powerful leftist ideology of government control has been eroding liberty and creating a larger government for over a century. They don’t want different policies for America AP. They don’t want America. They want America destroyed and an oppressive regime in its place. When you really look at what the left does you can only say that it is done out of ignorance or evil. And while most of the left is surely ignorant a good number of its leaders realize the path they’re on and accept it out of the hope that they gain power. They want to be part of the oligarchy. To willingly destroy America and oppress others for gain is evil. They control the schools. They control the media. They control the government. They keep an ever-growing segment of the population under their thumb with handouts and welfare. You want to debate policies, they want to take over. The left is forcing a revolution. It can be the slow decline into totalitarian control the left wants or a revolution back to the founding principles of this nation. Tyranny or Liberty.
chicagojedi on April 19, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Taxation without representation had everything to do with England levying taxes against the colonies whilst not giving the colonists representation in the House of Commons.
So the colonists were being TAXED without any elected persons to REPRESENT their interests.
It has nothing to do with taxes going up or down.
Krydor on April 19, 2009 at 10:34 AM
The accusation of being unwilling to sacrifice struck me as an attack.
Also, why snark that people should stay home just because they’re looking for a better day which might yield a better turnout?
Again, we’re really on the same side.. or are we?
Yikes indeed.
Yakko77 on April 19, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Allah, I’m just a hit and run lurker here, so I likely lack standing to question your choice of words. That said, I would posit that the fiscal/social conservative distinction is a creation of the left and misguided “compassionate” conservatives. Reagan said that conservatism in its soul is libertarian, and government limited to its enumerated powers knows no such distinction.
Libertarians and social conservatives can unite under a platform of a government limited to its enumerated powers. To perpetuate this false distinction is needlessly divisive and counterproductive. Let us focus on the principles which unite us, forget Republicans and Democrats, and together conservatives and libertarians can defeat the forces that seek to expand the power of government over our lives and property.
/resume lurking
Angry Dumbo on April 19, 2009 at 10:45 AM
If this administration has it’s way, the ‘voting booth’ option of making change is gone. Once the boy king and Soros get their hands on controlling the census combined with $2,000,000,000 for ACORN, the voting booth becomes as meaninful as those in Cuba, Venezuela, etc.
Wine_N_Dine on April 19, 2009 at 10:46 AM
I find the easiest way to convert a liberal is to be conservative in speech and beliefs…and never compromise your integrity. Question the liberal mentality without being snarky, listen to their side, and allow them to expose their own stupidity by verbalizing their wacko ideas. They eventually come around thru conservative osmosis. It worked on my wife, and SHE was a tough one.
Black Adam on April 19, 2009 at 11:08 AM
No you weren’t. You were trying to make the point that corporations cause just as much harm as federal governments do, and that’s just a bunch of crap, as I’ve already illustrated.
This is known as a straw man argument. This isn’t about Microsoft or AT&T. Take your logical fallacies and shove them up your a$$.
Please try to explain to me how 370,000,000 citizens murdered by their own governments in the past 100 years compares to some economic downturns as a result of some businesses making bad decisions.
See, I can do it too.
fossten on April 19, 2009 at 12:16 PM
“for some reason he’s oblivious…” Yeah, and I just named one of the reasons: he’s part of the media that is too far removed from seeing the truth as we “little people” do.
I’m not being unfair. I’m being observant. I’ve read his posts over the years and I’ve come to the conclusion that he is clueless because he is blind, and he is blind because he sits in an ivory tower too far removed from the rest of us, as is the rest of the media. I’ve quoted this before, and I’ll quote it again:
atheling on April 19, 2009 at 12:23 PM
1. You complained about the protest being scheduled for July 4 because you wanted “family time”. If that’s not an unwillingness to “sacrifice”, then what is?
2. I said to stay home because you’re hypersensitive. When I invoked the Founding Fathers’ sacrifice and your unwillingness to sacrifice one day of “family time”, you complained that I “attacked” you. I’m sorry, but that is babyish.
atheling on April 19, 2009 at 12:26 PM
ok, if people want “family time” for a july 4th rally, then there are 2 options:
1: take your family with you to Washington or wherever you want to protest.
2: protest wherever you are on vacation i.e., there’s bound to be a protest near a beach, or the mountains, or your vacation spot.
kelley in virginia on April 19, 2009 at 1:16 PM
and i’m sure my brother wanted “family time” when he was stationed in So. Korea, Kosovo or Baghdad.
serve the greater good.
kelley in virginia on April 19, 2009 at 1:18 PM
Yakko wasn’t “complaining” about wanting anything. He was describing what he saw as an impediment to getting a good turnout.
progressoverpeace on April 19, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Well we can agree to disagree, because July 4 is auspicious, and on a Saturday.
Those factors would contribute to a “good turnout”.
atheling on April 19, 2009 at 1:39 PM
IMOA our next tea party should be on Memorial Day Weekend but not just in Washington. But lets still keep the grass roots flavor but take it to the large cities only. So instead of 100 tea parties lets have eight.
1. Washington
2. Atlanta
3. Indianapolis
4. Kansas City
5. San Antonio
6. Denver
7. Salt Lake City
8. —— in California ?
—————————-
Weekend and regional would pull in more than one march. (250,000 in each city would clearly wake up the MEDIA)
Lets save the march for later.
The third tea party on July 4th in 4 cities with concerts and other family activies then culminating in a march next year during the election cycle 2010.
scruplesrx on April 19, 2009 at 1:41 PM
There’s no problem with agreeing, or disagreeing, that July 4th would be a good day to have it. I agree with you and think it would be a good day. But Yakko raised a very important point about why it might not be.
progressoverpeace on April 19, 2009 at 1:55 PM
To add on……. the four cities on the 4th of July may be small to medium size cities so the addition of conservative families to the event would be very noticeable. The event could be held outside the city in a family “woodstock” type of environment with concerts, carnival, fireworks with a family focus. We need to educate our children and grandchildren. Speakers also clearly articulating the message.
1. Roanoke, Va
2. Springfield, Mo
3. Colorado Springs, Co
4. Bakersfield, Ca
scruplesrx on April 19, 2009 at 2:08 PM
Definitely, the 4th of July.
TheSitRep on April 19, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Most conservative and liberal cities
——————————————–
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=most+conservative+state+in+usa&page=1&qsrc=2352&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgovpro.com%2Fcontent%2Fgov_imp_31439%2F
scruplesrx on April 19, 2009 at 2:13 PM
And I and others raised some very important points about why it might be, and why the continuation of our Republic is at stake which overrides personal concerns.
If our Founding Fathers can make the sacrifice (as well as their families who had to contend with their absence in 18th century technology or lack thereof), it makes the objection a bit selfish, doesn’t it?
atheling on April 19, 2009 at 2:58 PM
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