Ink-Stained Wretch
Here’s why I was holding back my experiences at the NYC tea party from earlier this week:
The night turned chilly as dusk settled into darkness, and a dampness hung in the air from the rain that had fallen earlier in the day. In a sea of citizens who said they were fighting for freedom, I saw young men dressed as American Indians. I saw tea being brandished in protest. And I heard plenty of anger about taxes and tyranny.
This wasn’t Boston on Dec. 16, 1773. I was in New York City on April 15, 2009.
Read the rest in the Washington Post Outlook section.
Regarding your stream of posts about the Tea Parties, I just offer this from Michael Barone. Says it better than I could:
“Many of the sneering comments about the participants in last week’s hundreds of tea parties across the nation were premised on the idea that these people didn’t know much about public policy. The hostile CNN reporter (Rush Limbaugh might call her an infobabe) who told tea party attendants that they were going to get tax rebates was an example of that. It was also an example of the condescension of so many in the media: ordinary people should be satisfied with getting a few extra bucks now and shouldn’t worry about the long-term effects of huge increases in government spending and government debt. As I wrote last, the idolators who attended Obama events last year seemed entranced by the candidate’s persona, while the tea party participants seemed preoccupied with serious issues of long-term public policy. Which side was more intellectually serious?”
Who indeed.
Comment by John Galt — April 22, 2009 @ 11:33 am
It’s interesting to be chided by an Ayn Rand cultist about respecting the intellectual seriousness of people whose big political statement was throwing teabags and dressing up in Ye Olde Colonial outfits, and at least one Naked Obama in a Diaper costume. I thought Ben and many other writers gave the tea party protesters more than their due. We here at Publick Occurrences High Command, and other historians, expended quite a bit of effort parsing the Tea Partiers’ historical analogy, taking them at their word(s) that it was actually meaningful.
Look, “John,” your peeps got a lot of publicity on Tax Day. True, on April 15 the media is always starved for any footage other than people waiting in line at the post office, but surely publicity must have been the goal. Mission Accomplished. So you and Michael B. and everyone else who is sore that some observers laughed a little, and that neo-Hooverian revolution failed to sweep the country, are just going to have to be satisfied.
Comment by Jeff Pasley — April 22, 2009 @ 7:49 pm
Hey JP – relax! Don’t read too much into a name. It’s just a name sometimes. Sounds as if I did hit a nerve though. I’m no cultist – we have a lot more in common than you might think. But if you want to bring up the subject of cultists, we could discuss the cult of The Messiah, otherwise known as Obama. At least I’m not pledging allegiance to Ayn Rand as many are to Obama. Or, we could trade stereotyped insults. Or shut down my comments. Up to you.
I have no problem laughing at the tea bags, or anyone else for that matter. Problem today is that everyone takes themselves too seriously. Pretty grim. I’m quite a fan of history myself, and I agree the analogy is a weak one. See, we agree again.
Chill out and try some decaf. Love the blog (seriously).
Comment by John Galt — April 23, 2009 @ 9:34 pm
Flamingos, terns, buntings, herons, and egrets are found in the Mediterranean zone. The rivers hold eels, pike, perch, carp, roach, salmon, and trout; lobster and crayfish are found in the Mediterranean.
Comment by dini videolar — August 6, 2011 @ 8:18 pm
As of 2002, there were at least 93 species of mammals, 283 species of birds, and over 4,600 species of plants throughout the country.
Comment by rüyada görmek — August 6, 2011 @ 8:19 pm