Blogger Interrupted ventured out yesterday and captured some of the teabaggery going on in Cleveland…
I’ve been doing video of right wing nutbags for a long time, but this one was the most disturbing event I’ve ever attended. The rotting racist rabid rump of Republicanism has been reduced to a twitching crowd of paranoids. I got harassed away by a growing mob of jackasses, some of whom are in this video. I tried to get the police to stop them, to no avail. After about a half hour of these thugs chasing me around the event, I just left. I’m sure they’ll show up here in comments to harass some more. But I got some stuff on camera, and now it’s on Youtube, because that’s how I roll.
The Illinois Family Institute (IFI) has released an insidious and homophobic piece of propaganda called “Dare to Stand” which makes NOM’s “Gathering Storm” look like amateur hour. The new video is a “rethinking” of the National Day of Silence on April 17th, a youth-driven event which calls attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Watch “Dare to Stand”… if you dare.
Classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, IFI purports to “uphold marriage & family, life & liberty in the Land of Lincoln.” From their website…
It is our firm opinion that these claims of discrimination, intolerance and bullying (aimed at people of faith who believe God’s Word that homosexuality is sin) are diverting attention away from GLSEN’s main purpose which has been and continues to be the normalization of homosexuality among impressionable youth.
This 6 minute video, made by a Bible believing church here in Illinois, exposes how our children are being indoctrinated, held captive and forced to accept an unproven and dangerous ideology while Biblical Truth is undermined.
“Dare to Stand” surfaces in the wake of Carl Walker-Hoover’s death, the young boy who recently killed himself after enduring repeated anti-gay bullying.
Many may view the timing as unfortunate, but “Dare to Stand” may present a wonderful opportunity for additional dialogue, shedding more light on homophobia and bullying in schools, while at the same time pushing groups like IFI further out of the mainstream and into Fred Phelps territory.
Sadly, Carl’s birthday would have been on April 17th. Hopefully many will use this day of silence to reflect on this tragedy… and how not to repeat it.
In what many consider the liberal capital of the United States, 400 plus individuals gathered to protest increased taxation and government spending at San Francisco City Hall and outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. While the Tea Party movement proclaims to be party agnostic, the anti-Obama sentiment was palpable. If BOTH parties got us into this mess, as they purport, where were the anti-Republican signs and speeches?
The crowd was made up primarily of white males, definitely skewing older, with white women a distance second. People of color were rare and hard to find. There were the typical memes about the inexorable march toward socialism, the ills of more government and Obama’s administration taxing us all to the grave. There was also a subtle current of militancy (perhaps it was the Ron Paul supporters mingled in with the crowd) with cries for revolution, particularly among the middle-aged and younger. Those who were older perhaps more interested in holding on to their money than “taking the country back.”
There was also a notable lack of tea, despite the movement’s name. Probably for the best. The original meaning and motives behind the original Boston Tea Party have been lost in today’s events, which have been co-opted by special interest, Fox News and oddly enough, a host of Republicans. The original Boston Tea Party wasn’t about raising taxes, in fact the Tea Act of 1773 lowered taxes. Instead, colonists objected because they believed it violated their constitutional right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives. It had nothing to do with raising taxes. It had nothing to do with overspending.
But today’s events did present a wonderful opportunity to discuss ideas and solutions that might address our economic plight, but such discussions were woefully absent, constructive debate replaced with whining and complaining. The only solution gently hinted at was to take the country back by way of revolution.
And as for the teabaggery, thankfully there was none. At least not in the literal since. Which is a very good thing indeed.
Additional photos from the protest and a video below…
Iowa officials have confirmed that Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy received a death threat by telephone on Monday. Iowa’s first and only gay lawmaker, McCoy has been a vocal supporter of the Iowa Supreme Court’s recent ruling on gay marriage, and the threat comes in the midst of protests for and against marriage equality at the state capital.
Security was heavy at the Capitol again Monday as supporters of traditional marriage rallied outside the building, then came inside to lobby lawmakers. They want lawmakers to take steps against an April 3 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.
Below is a message from Senator McCoy after the gay marriage ruling…
Iowa officials have confirmed that Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy received a death threat by telephone on Monday. Iowa’s first and only gay lawmaker, McCoy has been a vocal supporter of the Iowa Supreme Court’s recent ruling on gay marriage, and the threat comes in the midst of protests for and against marriage equality at the state capital.