Would you compare the Tea Party to figures like Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City Bomber? If so, you'd be a lot like the head of the Oklahoma democratic party Wallace Collins. Last week he told a Fox News reporter that if Timothy McVeigh were alive today, he'd probably be a member of the grassroots political movement. While that may seem like an offensive comment to those who are in denial of what the TP stands for, Wallace isn't backing down and he certainly does not have to.
To be honest, Timothy McVeigh was notoriously known as an anti-government obsessive-compulsive who dwelled on political rhetoric. He had deep-seeded hatred for government and yearned for the destruction and dismantling of it. Does that sound familiar to you?
Wallace Collins isn't backing down from his comments comparing the Tea Party to McVeigh, and that certainly has some of the more rabid members of the movement in a tizzy. That's to be expected as it seems that some of these types search for something that offends them.
While not every TP supporter shares the same desire to murder and maim like the Oklahoma City Bomber, it's apparent that the more vocal of these people share the same personality as the now-deceased terrorist. All one has to do is research the different violent incidents and arrests involved with the TP and that much is made apparent.
Of course some people are going to try to derail this topic by bring up the Occupy movement, but this is no different from a scolded child lashing out because some other child did the same thing. "But little Billy down the road lit firecrackers too, mom!" Talk about some valid points, huh folks?
The fact of the matter is simple: The Tea Party as a collective aims its agenda at taxes and fiscal issues. However, racism has been an underlying element from the get-go. Racial hatred aimed at the president paired with signs depicting gun talk and the like, well, they just don't make you look good, guys. It's also not a good agenda to aim for the removal of Constitutional amendments, since so many American voters rely on them day-by-day.
The Occupy movement was virtually no different. The only difference is that racism and hatred for the POTUS weren't elements. The end of corporate greed and the dominion the rich have over the poor in this nation fuel the Occupy movement. There are jackasses in every group, and that's why the TP and Occupy are both recognized as naughty nellies as far as Uncle Sam is concerned. Though only one group appears to actually display a hatred for the current government in their very agenda, Tea Partiers! Google it.
Crime analyst and profiler Chelsea Hoffman can be found on The Huffington Post, Chelsea Hoffman: Case to Case and many other outlets. Follow @TheRealChelseaH on Twitter or click here to contact Chelsea directly.
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Comments: 114 ( 1 removed by Chelsea Hoffman )
Chelsea,
Just because one democrat says something without merit, does not mean you are justified in heaping on other attacks that are just as unfounded and asserting that the Tea Party is racist, is a bigoted, hate filled statement.
For years you have been attempting to tie some fictitious racist addenda to the Tea Party and for as long, I have been asking the question, where is the racism in the mission of the Tea Party.
Where is the racism?:
OUR MISSION
The Tea Party Patriots’ mission is to restore America’s founding principles of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.
OUR CORE PRINCIPLES
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY means not overspending, and not burdening our children and grandchildren with our bills. In the words of Thomas Jefferson: “the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity [is] swindling futurity on a large scale.” A more fiscally responsible government will take fewer taxes from our paychecks.
CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED GOVERNMENT means power resides with the people and not with the government. Governing should be done at the most local level possible where it can be held accountable. America’s founders believed that government power should be limited, enumerated, and constrained by our Constitution. Tea Party Patriots agree. The American people make this country great, not our government.
FREE MARKET ECONOMICS made America an economic superpower that for at least two centuries provided subsequent generations of Americans more opportunities and higher standards of living. An erosion of our free markets through government intervention is at the heart of America’s current economic decline, stagnating jobs, and spiraling debt and deficits. Failures in government programs and government-controlled financial markets helped spark the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Further government interventions and takeovers have made this Great Recession longer and deeper. A renewed focus on free markets will lead to a more vibrant economy creating jobs and higher standards of living for future generations.
http://www.teapartypatriots.org/about/
It was Jefferson, after all, who defined and wrote about the separation of church and state, was it not?
I sure hope McVeigh didn't like chocolate ice cream, I might have to give that habit up...although that might not be a bad thing :)
And, (I really don't know the answer to these, since I haven't followed the Tea Party in depth) What is the Tea Party position on The Patriot Act? I know they like the name "Patriot," but how about all the ways it violates Constitutional liberties. And what about fiscal responsibility relating to "defense" (I know you like the name - but it really means military hardware and paying for 800+ military bases throughout the world). We spend more money on that than does every other nation on earth combined. Seriously, I'd really like to know the Tea Party position on that...
If nothing else, that statement shows a profound ignorance of US economic history.
Robert, you forgot that Bush also created the Prescription Drug program and wanted amnesty for illegals. The simple answer is that it was Obama’s ramp up in spending (now Obama has spent more in 2.5 years, than bush did in 8) that triggered the creation of the Tea Party; however most of the same individuals were also upset with Bush for his spending and expansion of government authority. You are correct that I and most freedom loving individuals would not agree that the government should have the right to wiretap or imprison individuals without a warrant or charging someone with a real crime / due process, respectively.
The use of “Military Force” and a declaration of war seem to be similar and but you can’t say that he did not have congress’s permission:
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the resolution by a vote of 296-133 on October 10, 2002.[2]
The U.S. Senate passed it on October 11, 2002, by a vote of 77-23.
The resolution "authorize[d] President Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction as required by U.N. resolutions"
You reference 800 bases that have a cost. You cleverly think this is a bit of a quandary for most Tea Party people because those bases do have a cost, something that we cannot afford, and yet the military is currently listed as one of the few government expenditures that is sanctioned by the Constitution.
However the Tea Party mission spells out the solution. If the Government was Constitutionally Limited, many of our fiscal problems would shrink. The resultant savings could be used to maintain the Constitutionally mandated military, and the remaining taxes refunded back to those who earned the money to reinvest in the Free Market Economy as they see fit. Any entitlement that was once managed by the federal government would be relegated back to the states where it belongs per the constitution.
In my opinion, the States would then have to decide what services that they would want to cover in the Feds absence and increase taxes if necessary. The local control of sates services would be an increase in freedom for the individual to have more control on the services that he or she needs.
Per the constitution the federal government was to have a small list of enumerated authorities, and all other authority was given to the states. This was by design. The founders did not want a king or a king like group. Thus they distributed authority among the states. People, who usually speak out against the Tea Party, do so to push an agenda that consolidates power into hands of the few (like the king, president or congress) and in the end subtract power / freedom from: 'We the People'
Some gullible types don't realize they're part of a racist movement. There's a diff between being a bigot and being ignorant. ;)
Amazingly, these "Timothy McVeigh" loving racists and terrorists have been supported by Communists, Socialists, Iran, the government in North Korea, and many in the Democratic Party. The Tea Party has had their share of problems; they even plan to shut down New York City on May 1st.
Many in the Tea Party make their hatred for the president more than apparent. There have been stabbings, rapes, damage to public property, at least one hate crime, a murder, one member actually shot at the White House, and the Tea Party in San Diego had a moment of silence for the man who did it!
The Tea Party has dealt with people dying in their tents, one stabbed a police officer with scissors, numerous police officers have been hospitalized throughout this movement, they have actually drained hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, from tax payers by taking up resources of cities. They have taken over public squares and have been arrested hundreds, if not thousands, of times, causing violence, carrying anti-Semitic signs and shouting anti-Semitic rhetoric, having F**K the Police rallies, shutting down ports, starting fires, assaults by the hundreds.....
Oh wait, that is the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/19/1075892/-GOP-Crimes-Tea-Party-Leader-arrested-for-rape-and-kidnap-of-a-woman
Rape and kidnap of a woman? A tea party "leader" -- good job.
Nobody wants to report on that one though...
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/strange-scene-10-arrested-as-tea-party-watchers-heckle-police.php
http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/raw-video-rand-paul-supporter-stomps-protester/OD_ysoT2J9zf2Pa1TQuHCw
"charges of rape and kidnapping against a Lemon Grove man were dropped Thursday morning after the woman who claimed she was attacked last month on Fiesta Island recanted, prosecutors said."
but yah know, hey the OWS could change their strategy to bringing guns and holding signs "We came Armed this Time" -- might even completely merge with the Tea Party when they start doing that.. throw in a few bibles and a hatred for blacks and gays and you gotta deal.
How many?
Even many of the occupiers you speak of haven't even been convicted. Plenty of time for THEIR charges to be dropped as well (some/many-- not all)
I can agree with one thing though -- the OWS left a lot of litter and had a lot of human bodily function problems. Of course, these are rather large groups of people.. far larger than the TP protests, and it's hard to be completely accommodating in those cases. Even I have peed behind a bush or two when a bathroom wan't present. Call the press!
Oh and then there were the sex traffickers who *traveled* to the OWS movement in one of the new england states just so they could try to sell their wares to the huge crowds of people. Certainly if the TP had attracted such a large crowd drug dealers and pimps would have been attracted to their meetings as well. Those types hang out and travel to popular events for the exposure. They go to conventions all the time here for unrelated things like CES (electronics show) busted all the time here for doing that.
and you're also wrong. I even shared a link of 10 TP members being arrested at an event..
hmm...
what's worse a couple of arrests at a HUGE protest circuit.... or blacks, women and gays losing their liberties due to the constitutional agendas of a fringe group of people?
:) maybe that has something to do with why nobody likes the TP
"Even many of the occupiers you speak of haven't even been convicted." Any in particular? The guy who defecated on the police car, for example? Does that make his actions ok?
"I even shared a link of 10 TP members being arrested at an event.." Oh, the article from 2009 of the "hecklers"? How about the police officers that have been hospitalized in 2011 and 2012? Is there any comparison? It is shocking that you are even trying to make this case.
It's part of their talking points.. it's on their wiki page even..
the point was you boast NO ARRESTS made at TP protests ... and you were wrong. ;)
herp derp.
(no.. they were hanging out w/ their Tea Party friends!)
;)
http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/tea-party-republicans-stand-with-the-new-kkk-what-is-their-connection-to-this-group/question-2578119/
What can I say? Hate groups of a feather flock together.
Maybe you're not getting anywhere because it's silly to try and cancel-out the doings of the Tea Party by bringing up another group. The OWS is a nonpoint.
The Tea Party is certainly considered a hate group by the feds and OWS isn't. This article isn't about the OWS, but about the Tea Party. Trying to disprove the bigotry of the tea party with lists of what OWS protestors have committed (or other groups) is non sequiter/irrelevant.
Example:
"I shouldn't go to jail for rape because the guy in the cell next to me murdered someone."
"I shouldn't be punished for sneaking out of the house when I was grounded because the kids down the road run loose all the time."
Same concept, different subjects.
Maybe that's why you're not getting anywhere....
"The Tea Party is racist? but but but but but *whine* what about the OWS?"
we're not talking about the OWS. If you're going to base the actions of the tea party off of the actions of the OWS, then you already have a problem.
;)
Congratulations, you snooped out a typo. Mediocrity prevails.
Not a huge deal, Hoffman; but you ARE a "writer," after all. Just wanted to help you out.
If you aren't able to shine factually and ideologically in your columns, at very least you can do in Grand Style with proper Spelling and Punctuation ;)
(Parenthetically and pre-emptively, "loose" is l-o-s-e).
No extra charge :)
"The Occupy movement was virtually no different. The only difference is that racism and hatred for the POTUS weren't elements." How about the Occupy DC guy that shot at the white house? Or the members of Occupy San Diego that held a moment of silence for him? It is easy to find anti-Obama signs at Occupy...and anti-semitic signs, as well. Here is another, and another, and another...and another...
oh or this one, which was posted all over Oakland....
Hey if the TP is ever successful in changing the constitution (funny how they claim Obama is, huh) we'd never have a black president again.
Huh... I wonder if that was the plan...
http://hearingvoices.com/news/wp-content/uploads/hv/2009/bznHealthCare/HealthCare_kids.jpg
http://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/prix_sm.jpg
here's a fine upstanding citizen!
"hey guys, we just want blacks to go back to being less than human according to law, thats nowhere near as bad as a guy ODing on drugs at your protest!"
The point was that you said there HAS NEVER been even ONE arrest at a TP protest. And you were wrong or purposely being misleading. One or the other.
Complete denial even after being shown arrests.. plug your fingers in your ears and say "la al la la la I can't hear youuuu." Or does "3 years ago" mean "it didn't happen" because it doesn't suit your cause?
Hmm.. with the Constitutional agenda of the TP, blacks would most certainly be only considered 3/4 of a person as was what was written originally in the constitution. You DO know this stuff, right? Or did it never happen like the 10 arrests at a tea party protest three years ago? lol
Per the mission that I posted above, where did you divine that anyone said anything about going back to the original constitution? The constitution gives us that ability and the method to change the constitution. The amendments are not revocable unless we amend an amendment. Revoking the bill of rights would never happen. If someone proposed an amendment to strike the amendments that make up the Bill of Rights, then I will be at the same protest you are. We could sit in a drum circle. But this is not the case. The Tea Party only wants to scale back the federal government to the letter of the law, the law that is printed as the constitution and all of its amendments.
Huh, I guess that mad cow scare that the federal government isolated and took care of to make sure we wouldn't die of the neuro disorder that results from it..wouldn't have been detected had the TP gotten all their little whacko wishes...
om nom nom nom americuh...
Do you honestly NOT know the policies and agenda of the group you're supporting?
I am beginning to find this comical.
I am showing you the actual agendas, which they openly subscribe to, and you're acting as though you didn't even know these were the sought-policies of the TP.
I don't know how any MORE of a conversation that can be. I'm showing you the actual policies; the eradication of food safety, the eradication of child labor laws, the loss of several government establishments that are relied upon by several hundred thousands of americans.
So how is THAT hating, exactly? Because it's the absolute truth. Do you even know why you're a tea party supporter? Because if you are not recognizing these basic policies as part of the group you're supporting, I find it hard that you've been listening to those within that ideology are saying.
and I do mean that with the utmost respect intended.
https://www.google.com/search?q=racist+tea+party+sign&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=P4uYT5qnOsjYiQKsl-zqDw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAsQ_AUoAQ&biw=944&bih=927
try again.
pics on Sodahead
oh snap... gotta love the tea party.
Oh yeah.. that imaginary racism...
pics on Sodahead
Of course racists always deny their bigotry..
The truth hurts, huh.
The FDA or is it the USDA that inspects cows, and so does the Arizona Department of Agriculture. Why do we need so much government overlap? Very redundant and costly. We are $15 Trillion in debt and cannot afford more of this waste. Lets cut out one layer per the constitution and the savings can be used to increase inspections at the state level.
Again you help make my argument and refuse to understand such a simple question.
You searched “racist tea party sign” on google and found 3,750,000 results. And I searched on “tea party sign” and found 149,000,000 results. Mathematically speaking, are you making the argument that less than 3% of tea party members are racists. Those numbers are skewed in showing more racists than there really are, as I was unable to get google to remove duplicates and the signs that were not racist from the 3.75 M result set in such a short timeline.
But this really does not answered the original question, Again I ask you why you are a bigot?
Also... that nasty FDA put a stop to pink slime being stuffed down our throats... damn them to heck!
If you're using Google images to make up mathematical conclusions, you're only proving my point even more.
I was showing you visuals -- not trying to pretend I'm a "Google Anthropologist"
Lol. Silly.
lmfao
Desperate trolls are boring. :P
try a little harder-- you're totally behind.
Just in case you are running out of good questions, If we have to pay for all of these layers of government, what should we give up to balance the budget and pay off the debt?
1. Make insult
2. Say insult was a "joke" when you're called out on it.
Kind of like with all the racism and bigotry in the Tea Party and their spokespeople.. "it was a joke"..
That only works on five year olds or those with similar mentalities.
All of the polls in the past few years have proven that the Tea Party and racism go hand in hand.
I have hard stats and sources to back up my stance. Funny how you don't.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/04/09/new-poll-finds-tea-partiers-have-more-racist-attitudes.html
If we have to pay for all of these layers of government, what should we give up to balance the budget and pay off the debt?
(driving away from the topic you can't win I see)
Don’t mind the man behind the curtain we can bring up how TP wants to reduce the size of government when we have federal, state and local inspectors, but we can’t talk about how to pay for it…. Sorry did not mean to leave the little box that your narrative lives in. It would be one thing, if we had no debt, but $15Trillion, Obama's Buffet bill will pay off that debt in about 3000 years assuming we could balance the budget. If we divided the debt among every man, woman and child, your share comes to over $100,000.00. Can you afford it, my bet is you are still trying to get the president to pay for your sociology degree. Oops did I say the president, I mean that tax payers.
"you are so wrong" (oh but I'm really not)