No. If he could read minds, he'd know nobody wants him to keep coming back or cares what he thinks. He's like Earp Jr.

Good grief, that's the best you can do?

Pathetic, just pathetic. If only you'd use your brains a little more you could honestly call yourself a half-wit.

See what happens when you have that Black card?

I can take it back if you want. Then MM won't have any harsh words for you.

Oh, you are on a roll today.

I can't keep up with your wit.

Oh no, I'll keep it and weather his nerf-sharp repartee.

For the History Buffs...
 

Didn't know if I should post this here, or start a new thread.

I have been reading about the Tea Party movement and have been trying to understand their general disquiet in a historical context. Is the fear really greater now than it has been at any other point in history, or does the "Tea Party Movement" just make for catchy headlines? If the fear is greater, why so?

I mean, I have some thoughts on the matter, but the historical context would be useful. So if you want to provide particular examples or references, I am all for it. :D

i prefer to call them teabaggers.

Uh...I guess sometime in the past couple of years, I can't remember if it was pre- or post- 08 election, but 35 states all ratified messures asserting their rights as states and basically telling the federal government to back off, we can handle our own thing. These guys are riding on the coat-tails of that, as that in and of itself seems to be working out. At least for the bigger states (California and New York among them).

That is how I see them anyway, they sprang to life right at that time, and only still exist where such things are popular.

Right, but they are working from some very old ideas; so the Tea Party Movement is just another iteration. I guess what I am talking about is the fear that is motivating the movement (the faltering of the U. S. as a nation as a result of our weakened economic position etc. etc.); it seems as though we have seen this before.

I am just trying to figure out whether the fear is more extreme and more widespread this time around; or if it just seems like it.

I think the only people who can really own the theme of the "Tea Party" in the true spirit of taxation without representation are the residents of DC.

The widespread fear, in my opinion, is the increase of media and technology and how in a second people can get information (correct or incorrect) and have lost their ability to think independently and rely upon talking heads and pundits on all sides. We have all kinds of crazy conspiracy people in Idaho so I've seen it first hand. I lurve people who don't want to pay taxes yet still expect the fire department to come to their home if their house is on fire or they have a heart attack. They also want roads repaired and plowed but don't feel they should pay for that, or libraries which don't deserve money either, but they like the free movies and books.

I think this has a lot to do with it.

If you look at mass movements like this in US History, I don't think there's been anything like this since the suffrage and anti-immigrant movements of the early 20th century. I'm not including the anti-war sentiment of WWI and Vietnam because I think those are a separate issue.

Technology plays a HUGE role in all of this. Besides the points that VS listed above, technology (through blogs, email, etc.) has made it easier to coordinate the movement (organizing meeting locations, getting speakers such as Palin, etc.). That has helped take it from a bunch of local pockets to something on a national scale.

As far as the subject, taxation, I'm not sure there has been something like this in the past. When Bush I raised taxes in violation of his "No new taxes" statement, there was some hosility, but not to this level. I don't even think there was this level of protest when the income taxes were first instituted in the late 19th century, or when they were raised during the World Wars.

I think that the combination of more technology, a Democrat as President, and the current financial situation combined to create a perfect storm.

Little32, I'm not sure if that's responsive to your question, but that's just the opinion of one history major.

Why would you use such a pejorative term?

I wouldn't call you a @#$%su*&er because you may or may not be a liberal.

Ghostwriter,

I've gone over this with you before, but you've completely failed to acknowledge any of my posts. Perhaps you have me on ignore, and if that is the case I apologize for posting this yet again. However, there was a time early in the tea party movement when tea party attendees themselves would call themselves "teabaggers"...eventually, I think they caught on to the double entendre and then it became offensive. I don't care for the term at all and would prefer that it was no one used it...observers or tea party participants...but I think it's a bit ignorant to pretend that tea partiers didn't initially use the term themselves (particularly because I have now informed you of this fact multiple times...you can't act like you didn't know it).

Does the bolded stand for "teabagger?"

link


(entry) 6. tea bagger


1. A sex act.

2. A phrase Fox News picked to promote a series of "Boston Tea Party" reenactment protests against the Obama administration on Tax Freedom Day, apparently unaware of the meaning of the phrase (see above.)

Fox news watcher: are you going to the tea bagger party?

Me: what are you, some kinda perv?