First I will identify myself as the lone conservative Republican commenting on this thread...so let the feeding frenzy begin.
While I may or may not agree with all of the tenets of the Tea Party, I am far less concerned about a group that assembles by obtaining the proper permits, behaving in an orderly fashion and maintaining proper care of the facilities that they use than those on the far left that "occupy" public areas in such a manner that sexual assaults are not uncommon, nor is spitting on police officers or becoming involved in violent behavior and various other misdemeanors and felonies.
I would rather see people stand up for their beliefs by making them known in an articulate and intelligent manner than to dress in bright pink, furry costumes as vaginas, looking utterly ridiculous and demanding the arrest of Condeleezza Rice for war crimes.
I would rather hear people discuss the issues, regardless of their stance, than ridicule a public servant for his weight (Gov. Christy) or refer to an intelligent, successful, black woman as a "dirty, worthless whore" or a "House Nigger" simply because she has the audacity to disagree with their views. (Mia Love)
In my humble opinion, there could be a far more constructive discourse and greater possibility of successful solutions, if BOTH sides would concentrate on the issues and finding a common ground rather than allowing our disagreements to deteriorate into name calling and ridicule.
And I must confess that I do not think that the main stream media, which, unfortunately, many people depend upon rather than doing their own research, does not help.
If a conservative made the remarks that left wing liberal, Samuel L. Jackson made about being upset that the hurricane was missing Tampa and the possibility of "wiping out" those in attendance there would be a media uproar. If a conservative attacked the children of President Obama the way that far left liberals attack the children of Sarah Palin, the women's groups in this country would be up in arms, but it's okay, and humorous, to feed on the children of a conservative.
However, when Republicans have someone make a completely idiotic and totally uneducated remark like that of Todd Akin (Yes, I admit it)...it's headline news for days. Yet I don't hear those same media outlets being outraged at the numerous remarks tossed about by the left wing.
While there are extremists on either side of the issue that can be scary...I must confess that I find the behaviors of those on the far left to be considerably more disconcerting than those of the Tea Party.
I will step off of my "soap box" now and end my rant with the hope that we can disagree in a civil manner. Thank you.