There Is Reason To Fear The Tea Party Movement

Unfortunately, Michelle Malkin has confirmed the validity of a DHS document on so-called Right Wing Extremism. I saw it earlier and have been hoping that it was trumped up. I don't fear, or believe the government should fear the current Tea Party movement. And hopefully any genuine concerns they have involve a fringe well beyond it. Still, there is a trending issue to be mindful of here.

Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.

The America people are deeply bothered by what they are seeing from their government today. The Tea Party movement is a clear and significant demonstration of that. To the extent it continues to grow as a political movement, government would be well advised to respond to it in a positive manner.

Unfortunately, if they don't, any Right-leaning fringe will only grow and become even more troubling in the future. It won't be comprised of the mass of law abiding citizens who intend to gather in protest on April 15th. But that isn't the point.

Such a thing could become a force in America we really don't need. And it will, in a very real sense, develop from government's own lack of responsiveness to the American people as a whole. Let's hope any needed change will be brought about through the ballot box and not result in something far more troubling I doubt most good Americans would want to see, or support.

Comments

[gary gulrud]

Who wrote this drivel? Steele? Joyner? Specter? Carville?

[Smellerbee]

The tea party movement isn't mentioned or hinted at in the report. Are you referring here simply to the timing of the reports release?

[mojo]

My oath is to the constitution, not the government. If the government starts tearing up the constitution, then it is my enemy. I will fight.

"All enemies, both foreign and domestic."

Don't really care who agrees or disagrees.

[Frank E]

It's got to be a vast left wing consipracy!

Have fun at the tea party!
I'm bringing cookies!

[Dan Riehl]

"Are you referring here simply to the timing of the reports release?"

The report has little to do with it. I'm simply referring to how the American people are increasingly fed up with their government and how that, more than anything else, will be at the root of any expansion of a Right leaning fringe, assuming government doesn't take any justifiable dissatisfaction into account.

[sadcon]

Boo Hoo!

It’s so hard to be a conservative these days. The big mean libhruls keep picking on us.

Boo Hoo!

[24AheadDotCom]

The government is not going to give the "partiers" anything because they don't have the numbers. The "party" leaders are dumb enough to think that a "party" consisting of 0.2% of all those who voted in the last election turning out for a "party" in a deep blue district are going to have an impact.

What's going to happen is that people like Riehl, Insty, Fox, Beck, and all the rest will have gotten people angry about the current situation. Then, after attending a "party" and realizing that the "parties" had absolutely no impact and the Dems just did what they were going to do already, those people are going to get even angrier. And, that's not a good situation.

Those who are smart and who want to do something effective instead of just playing games should help push this:

http://24ahead.com/s/question-authority

[RogerCfromSD]

Only a idiot would think that the Conservatives and Tea Party Movement members comprise "less than 0.2% of all those who voted in the last election."

Seriously. Some people are drinking deep from the liberal media Kool Aid.

[Peter Wimsey]

The Tea Parties are luring every crackpot with a grudge and grievance (or a conspiracy theory) from under the rocks.
It is a feel-good moment for the fearful and the ignorant; it has no political "legs".
No one is afraid of the anti-flouride, anti-education, "digital TV is brainwashing", burn the books, kooks who have dominated many of the Tea Parties thus far.

The DHS Advisory is a reminder that most domestic terrorism in this country is perpetrated by right wingnuts who are anti-abortion, anti-gay, or, like Tim McVey, anti-Federal.

[Jimbo]

The GOP has blood on its hands. Any violent event now must be laid at your feet. With Palin and Beck, Limbaugh and Malkin you all own the future of violence against your fellow countrymen. You with the GOP own it. You wanted an uprising, now your side is killing people it doesn't like or agree with. Your side is murdering innocent people because of your biogoted hatred of everything foreign to you. If the GOP could muster anyone with an IQ over 60, you may have a chance at redemption. But for now, please enjoy your tea bagging...

[fred]

Peter,

I guess there have been no incidents of ecoterrorism or animal rights activists committing terrorist acts....only "right wingnuts"...Whatever!

The way this report defines potential threats includes I would imagine 30% of the population, AT LEAST! It is a not so subtle threat against the Tea Party movement, even if not explicitly mentioned. You better watch what you do because Big Brother is definitely watching you! That is ABSOLUTELY the message.

[24AheadDotCom]

I'm not surprised that a "partier" like RogerCfromSD would fail to note that the 0.2% in my comment referred to a "party", as in a single instance of a "party", as in this one on L.I.:

http://24ahead.com/winner-tea-party-deep-blue-district-draws-300-where-dem-rep-

However, while I was referring to a single "party", let's do some math. 125 million people voted for McCain/BHO, and 0.2% of that is 250,000. I think the "tea parties" would be very lucky to get anything approaching that number to all 4/15 "parties" combined.

And, while I'm definitely not a Randroid, a quick search through my site will show that I was opposing BHO - and trying to ask him a question to his face - before most of the "partiers" knew who he was:

24ahead.com/blog/archives/006350.html

Seriously, find a smart friend to explain all of this to you. Your leaders are leading you astray, encouraging you to take part in completely ineffective street protests that no politician is going to factor into their decision as to what to do. If you're trying to get an online video channel started, or you're hawking t-shirts, the "parties" are great. If you actually want to oppose BHO, they aren't so great.

[gary gulrud]

"The DHS Advisory is a reminder that most domestic terrorism in this country is perpetrated by right wingnuts who are anti-abortion, anti-gay, or, like Tim McVey, anti-Federal."

I'm entirely satisfied with single domestic perp proofs ever since Lee Harvey.

Dan, have you punked us?

[fred]

Peter says....
>>>

You have no idea what you're talking about. I'd ask you to compare pics of the anti-war demonstrators from the Bush years and those from the Tea Parties... I think you'll see a big difference. Crackpots vs normal people, respectively....

[PA]

Its that damned Amish militia stirring things up again...

[Lala]

Black Panthers, SDS, Weathermen, Earth First, ALF, FALN, IRA, Janet Reno, Malcolm X, Yousef, Nation of Islam.

[Dan Riehl]

Dan, have you punked us?

Nah, the electorate, such as it is, did that on Nov 4th.

[Keapon Laffin]

I simply don't understand some people.
This is America. The Government SHOULD fear We The People. I thought that was the Founding Fathers' point in writing the Constitution the way they did.
Government fearing We The People should be their default position. Instead of We The People fearing the Government.

Now, I don't mean the Government should fear We The People in quite the way that stupid DHS report advises.
(Tho I agree with Mojo even tho I haven't taken The Oath, the Declaration Of Independence does advocate such things after all, even calls it a Duty.)

The Founding Fathers figured the Government should fear We The People because they were all Statesmen. Fearing We The People meant fearing letting them down, not performing ones duties faithfully, not being true to their Oath once they were elected.

Now all we have(mostly) are politicians who only seek more power. They fear We The People for denying them more power, or even taking it away from them.

Statesmen fear We The People in the manner a Priest fears God.
Politicians fear We The People in the manner a criminal fears a detective.

The Government should always be very very afraid of We The People. The Government only exists on Our sufferance.
And they hate being reminded of it.