Yahoo News: Tea party protesters use racial epithet against Georgia's John Lewis

[Duckus]

During commercials of the tournament, I switch over the CSPAN. Parliamentarians are amazing. The way they know the rules and history in and out and navigate the members through this stuff is impressive.

[Jumbo]

Funny, Ron Paul (often deemed an "extremist" by any on the left and neo-con persuasion (Both the same to me), is against every one of those items.

This last year in particular, as the apparent cognitive competency of conservatives and liberals (elected and electorate alike) continue to plummet like a dodo bird (right and left wings impotently/comically/tragically flapping) dropped from a plane, libertarians and Ron Paul look increasingly respectable by default.

[Baculus]

Not surprising -- whenever something like this happens, the regressives always deny such a thing would ever take place or actually happened. Because, after all, there is no way the right-wing heroes would use racial baiting language, right? I mean, Glenn Beck would never say that Pres. Obama hates white people, or members of the GOP would never send e-mails with racist jokes, right?

Oh wait -- they did, in fact, say and do that.

Do you think this sort of racial attitude can be reflected in some of their adherents as well? After all, is it any coincidence that minority groups, on the whole. support health care reform efforts? And right-wing anti-reformers, including Rush Limbaugh, have characterized health care reform as reparations?

This debate has been framed as a civil rights issue. Martin Luther King himself said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

The Republicans didn't have much to say about these racist remarks, except to blame it on the Democrats and their "totalitarian tactics." During this whole health care debate, the right-wing have been using inflammatory language to stoke anger in some people, and this is the end result.

As it is, a man was, in fact, arrested for spitting on a member of Congress. That much is fact.

[SnyderShrugged]

This last year in particular, as the apparent cognitive competency of conservatives and liberals (elected and electorate alike) continue to plummet like a dodo bird (right and left wings impotently/comically/tragically flapping) dropped from a plane, libertarians and Ron Paul look increasingly respectable by default.

LOL, I'll take it any way it comes!

[Baculus]

If it is indeed the last stand of the ultra-conservative, blue collar rednecks I guess I shoulda joined em.

Somehow I think you err both in perception and prognostication.

Yeah, those same blue-collar rednecks who opposed the civil rights movement.

That sure is a good cause, eh?

[SnyderShrugged]

Yeah, those same blue-collar rednecks who opposed the civil rights movement.

That sure is a good cause, eh?

yeah, those darned Democrats were pricks, werent they?

[Larry]

Yeah, those same blue-collar rednecks who opposed the civil rights movement.

Actually, in many cases, I think it's their children.

[Baculus]

Wait, you mean to tell me that there might be ignorant racists amongst the tea baggers? I'm shocked. They have a reputation for being extremely well educated, civil, and emotionally balanced. Are you going to tell me next that these fine citizens are comparing Obama to Hitler?

Obviously, most tea party protestors are not like the jackasses pictured above. However, that crowd tends to attract more than its fair share of loons. So, for people to be incredulous and disbelieve the allegation that people shouted the "n" word at one of these rallies is kind of comical.

I noticed how the right-wingers had little to say about your photos and video.

[Baculus]

Actually, in many cases, I think it's their children.

Indeed!

[Baculus]

My question is this: Tea partiers have threatened violence over health care and federal spending. And over the last year or two we have seen several spates of violence by right-wingers -- is this only the start? Or will people calm down once the storm passes, and once they realize that jack-booted federal agents aren't going to be marching down Main Street once any health care legislation is signed?

[twa]

As it is, a man was, in fact, arrested for spiting on a member of Congress. That much is fact.

Was there?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35965961/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider of the U.S. Capitol Police said in an e-mail later: "We did not make any arrests today."

If it truly occurred I would support charges being filed.

Just because they are ****ing us does not make spitting right.

[twa]

yeah, those darned Democrats were pricks, werent they?

What do ya mean were?:beatdeadhorse:

[Destino]

I noticed how the right-wingers had little to say about your photos and video.

well because those instances were documented. They want to talk about this one because it's not. If it is they'll vanish.

[Jumbo]

Some funny stuff in here (what's new)--like such strong implied skepticism re: the "prove it" angle, and yet some "skeptics" seem pretty open to the totally imagined scenario/speculation that if it occurred at all it was more likely a "set-up" by "the left." Now that's some non-slanted thinking.

I'd propose it's a little more center-brained to simply consider that a spirited anti-gov anti-admin demonstration quite understandably may draw some fringe people who really do yell things like "faggot" and "******" at such events. That seems like the Occam's Razor answer. Both are among the possibilities, of course, I'm just noting the interesting thinking.

But the idea that such a thing as the claimed epithet happens--especially given what we have seen numerous times already in extremist placards and shouted ugliness/stupidity at related events previously and even going all the way back to the last presidential election--hardly stretches credibility to any reasonable viewer.

If such did happen, saying it fairly represents the general views/attitudes of most of the people demonstrating or associating themselves with the "tea party" is easily challenged and should be.

Whatever the hell the "tea party" is or ever really was (if anything clearly definable) any argument that it merits being broadly identified with true whackjobs is silly and insulting to a lot of fine people IMO.

I think it may already be a crippled, counter-productively co-opted, and inevitably transitory "group" that had it's 15 minutes of fame, but I may be wrong.

Certainly the issues that brought it into prominence are of real substance and concerns to millions of solid citizens and are not going away soon.

[SnyderShrugged]

My question is this: Tea partiers have threatened violence over health care and federal spending. And over the last year or two we have seen several spates of violence by right-wingers -- is this only the start? Or will people calm down once the storm passes, and once they realize that jack-booted federal agents aren't going to be marching down Main Street once any health care legislation is signed?

Please link to the "several spates of violence by right-wingers".

I definitely could have missed it, but dont recall seeing these several instances that you mention.

Honestly, the only stuff I recall was that episode where the SEIU thugs beat up the black guy for selling dont tread on me flags.

[Smoot Point Really]

I don't really care if it happened or not... People say and do very dumb things all the time. Given the climate that Washington has created, we are lucky it's just down to a bit of name calling at this point. I believe if this thing passes, the animosity will sky-rocket and very angry people will escalate this even more.

It's a shame that one party controls everything...

[Larry]

It's a shame that one party controls everything...

It's a shame that some people actually believe that.

[Baculus]

Please link to the "several spates of violence by right-wingers".

I definitely could have missed it, but dont recall seeing these several instances that you mention.

For one, the biggest one of late, did you miss the plane attack on the IRS building? The shooting at a church in Tennessee where the guy said he wanted to kill "liberals" and extolled others to do the same? The two cops killed in Pittsburgh? The murder of abortion Dr. Tiller? The recent shooting attack at the Pentagon? The shooting at the D.C. holocaust museum?

I listed all these from the top of my head -- are you telling me that you missed every one of these of these incidents?

Honestly, the only stuff I recall was that episode where the SEIU thugs beat up the black guy for selling dont tread on me flags.

We posted the actual video of this incident and looked at it. There was not "beating" of a black guy by SEIU thugs. From all video evidence, it was a shoving match between two middle aged men, with heightened tempers and counter accusations.

This whole "SEIU thuggery" is a bunch of baloney. If anyone has acted like a thug, it has been the screaming, threatening tea baggers.

[SnyderShrugged]

For one, the biggest one of late, did you miss the plane attack on the IRS building? The shooting at a church in Tennessee where the guy said he wanted to kill "liberals" and extolled others to do the same? The two cops killed in Pittsburgh? The murder of abortion Dr. Tillman? The recent shooting attack at the Pentagon? The shooting at the D.C. holocaust museum?

I listed all these from the top of my head -- are you telling me that you missed every one of these of these incidents?

We posted the actual video of this incident and looked at it. There was not "beating" of a black guy by SEIU thugs. From all video evidence, it was a shoving match between two middle aged men, with heightened tempers and counter accusations.

This whole "SEIU thuggery" is a bunch of baloney. If anyone has acted like a thug, it has been the screaming, threatening tea baggers.

LOL, so where is the tea party or right wing connection again? Those were independent events and any one can find random acts of violence from folks of any political stripe.

and the seiu thugs were arrested for their crime, whereas the man they attacked was not.

nice spin attempts though, its amusing.

[Jumbo]

It's a shame that the idea of effective compromise based on integrity and honest appreciation of differing strengths in ideological approach is a pipe-dream. The reality seems more to be "I'm right and you're wrong. And if I can't have my way, then as long as you go down, I'm happy."

I agree with many of the criticisms against the proposed plan. But I wish I could have seen the recent level of "yes, we really need substantial reform" from the GOP side during all the time they had the floor. As it is now, I want this very risky plan to pass on the admittedly tenuous hope that it will force further action to modify the course to get where we need to go in the best possible way, but at least the ship will have finally left the harbor---something that did not seem likely to ever happen otherwise.

[twa]

The IRS plane guy was a liberal kook

[Jumbo]

The IRS plane guy was a liberal kook

So what's the current score? :pfft:

[Baculus]

LOL, so where is the tea party or right wing connection again? Those were independent events and any one can find random acts of violence from folks of any political stripe.

Huh? Did you even read what I wrote? How is this a "laugh out loud" sort of thing?

I fail to see the humor.

Wanting to "kill liberals" is certainly right-wing. Killing an abortion doctor is certainly right-wing. All the people in these attacks had right-wing connections. People at the CPAC even said they "understood" the IRS plane attackers motivation.

These people were taking the right-wing, Republican language to the next logical step: the violence that has been threatened.

Did you even hear any outrage from the Right after these attacks?

and the seiu thugs were arrested for their crime, whereas the man they attacked was not.

Actually, one man WAS arrested, even though it was a mutual scuffle.

It is rather pathetic, though, you are talking about "SEIU thugs" while literally writing "LOL" over the right-wing attacks I listed.

nice spin attempts though, its amusing.

If anyone is trying to spin, it is you. Worst yet, you are trying to spin from a wholly ignorant POV. You aren't even familiar with these events that we are discussing.

[Baculus]

The IRS plane guy was a liberal kook

The IRS attacker was NOT a "liberal kook." If anything, his view would be considered a "producerist," which is a right of center view.

So, is that why a Republican such as Steve King found a way to justify this attack? Is that why Republicans joked about the attack at the CPAC, or said to take a "golf club" to the IRS to "implode it"?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/babbin-jokes-about-norquist-im-glad-he-didnt-fly-that-plane-into-an-irs-building.php

If a "liberal." or a Muslim, for that matter had been involved, the Right would have been howling mad. But they weren't, were they?

[SnyderShrugged]

Huh? Did you even read what I wrote? How is this a "laugh out loud" sort of thing?

I fail to see the humor.

Wanting to "kill liberals" is certainly right-wing. Killing an abortion doctor is certainly right-wing. All the people in these attacks had right-wing connections. People at the CPAC even said they "understood" the IRS plane attackers motivation.

These people were taking the right-wing, Republican language to the next logical step: the violence that has been threatened.

Did you even hear any outrage from the Right after these attacks?

Actually, one man WAS arrested, even though it was a mutual scuffle.

It is rather pathetic, though, you are talking about "SEIU thugs" while literally writing "LOL" over the right-wing attacks I listed.

If anyone is trying to spin, it is you. Worst yet, you are trying to spin from a wholly ignorant POV. You aren't even familiar with these events that we are discussing.

You crack me up. do you really want to compare "left wing vs right wing" violence from the last decade? I'll be glad to play if you like, but I assure you that you will lose resoundingly.

Lets just start with arrests and actions this year shall we?

You can take the arrests at the 9/12 march and I'll go with the G20 in Philly.

edit (6 were arrested btw)

go:)