April 15th 2009, not only marked the day taxes were due, but also marked the first Tea Party, alleged grassroots protests for lower taxes, smaller government and the inclusion of God in our government. Besides playing off of a significant moment in our Nation’s history, these events also claim to be nonpartisan (which after seeing a picture of President Obama as Adolf Hitler, is hard to believe). Statisticians at fivethirtyeight.com, estimated that over 300,000 people in 346 cities turned out for the first round of Tea Parties.
Following the first events success, Tea Parties were scheduled on the 4th of July. In Wausau, similar to the first Tea Party, the 4th of July protest were held on the 400 block. During the event the American Legion was also booked to for the 400 block. On July 3rd, after several complaints about being involved, the American Legion backed out of the event. This sparked more controversy, with Wausau Tea Party organizers lashing out at those who initially complained to the American Legion, calling them cowards.
The events continued without the Veterans group, with numerous speakers, including Pat Snyder, conservative radio-talk-show host for WSAU and a fiery pastor from Milwaukee, David King. In addition to alleging both of Wisconsin’s Senators smoke crack, Pastor King had some interesting things to say about The Constitution.
“In the Constitution, they said there is nowhere in the Constitution separating church and State. So why we let them separate us?” Perhaps Mr. King was trying to argue that because the Bill of Rights were amendments, they don’t count as being part of the Constitution or maybe asserting that the language in the First Amendment doesn’t suggest separation of church and State. However we draw our modern idea of the separation of church and State from Thomas Jefferson, the Third President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson interpreted the first amendment as “building a wall of separation between church and state.” King continued with crack accusations, denying global warming, a declaration of his membership in the CCC (Crazy Conservative Christians) and preaching of the importance of God in our Government.
During the event one of the organizers read a list of Tea Party “friendly” businesses. The list matched one posted on their website wausauteaparty.com. After some of the companies were notified of their presence on the list, they had some interesting things to say. Richard Lodholz, Vice President of Jerrys Music, said it would be crazy for him to pick sides and that he was “not happy with our name being used.”
A representative of Cactus Jacks, a Mexican-American restaurant listed on the website, said in an email that the only way they are connected to the Tea Party is through Meg Ellefson, one of the organizers, who is only a regular patron. The person explained “…in NO WAY did we sponsor their TeaParty” and stated if they were named as sponsors of the Tea Party in anyway, it was done without their consent and knowledge. The current list on the Tea Party website is now, much smaller.
Part 2 – Healthcare, Town halls and John Stossel. Coming soon!
Would you rather have our country descend into unimaginable debt, do away with traditional family values and live under a fascist government? At least SOMEONE is talking sense when it comes to the direction our country is headed in!
@rob kress: First of all, I dont think that’s what this article is about. The whole point is that these people are spreading propaganda and information that is blatantly false. I hope they keep on doing it because it shows just how crazy the right wing has become.
Rob, what do you mean by fascism and what family values are you talking about?
Fascism is a government that imposes itself into the personal lives of its citizens and deprives them of their god given rights (aka O-BAM-A)…family values are the morals that hold our country together
The tea party gets people to wake up to what is happening to our country! Would you rather get a wake up call now or when its too late to turn back?
Healthcare reform would impose on your personal life and deprive you of “god given rights”? How exactly? How is it a terrible thing to go to the doctor and not have to worry about insurance problems and insane medical bills? In no way is Obama creating a fascist government. We have a republican form of government. Obama does not hold all the power nor is it possible for him to.
Exactly what are these morals that hold our country together?
I disagree with what David King and others like him are saying. When it comes to the issue of healthcare, no person in a nation as wealthy as ours should have to live with the fear of being unable to get proper medical treatment.
In the United States, we pride ourselves on the ideals and values of self-reliance and freedom from government intrusion in our lives. Those are major aspects of our political culture, and I believe the ‘Tea Party’ protesters feel that this is being threatened. Despite the downfalls of the U.S. healthcare system, we have the best healthcare in the world in terms of quality, and how soon you can get treated. Canada, a country with universal healthcare, suffers from things like long wait lists for treatment, rationing of care, and in some remote areas of provinces, underfunding. I believe while healthcare needs to be reformed, it needs to be reformed in uniform with the values and political culture of the United States. What works for say, France, won’t neccesarily work for the U.S., although we can learn many thigns from other country’s systems. Healthcare is not a right, nowhere is it stated that it is. It is a priviledge, afforded to those who have earned it. Healthcare for children should be mandatory, but if you’re old enough to not shit yourself, you should be old enough to get your life together to get yourself healthcare. In some instances, there should be times when treatment is afforded to those who cannot afford it, but it should be in a way that the sick person can manage it financially if they are unable to.
I am NOT saying I support the absurd, irrational anger of many of the protestors. I think healthcare needs to be more secure for those who have it, and for employers to be unable to take it away at a moments notice. That is something that definitely needs reform.
I do not support an all out government takeover of healthcare. I think it is handled best privately and with reforms in efficiency and security of health insurance, it can be a fantastic system.
Thanks for everyones responses, discussion like this is what makes me love writing. Get ready for part 2.
As soon as you mention religeon and government together, you loose all credability in my opinion.
Blind fanatasism is the downfall of nations.