Thursday, July 22, 2010
TEA PARTY DEFENDERS
“Are you going to believe me or your own eyes and ears?” This question should have been posed within the comments made last week by republican leaders, conservative editors, rightist media pundits, and other tea party defenders such as Sarah Palin.
This past week in its national convention, the N.A.A.C.P. passed a rather bland resolution which asked leaders and members identified with the tea party movement to disclaim those in their midst who had been engaging in racist conduct or expressions. Anyone who has observed the videos, read the signs carried, or heard the shouts of some of those attending -- or even speaking -- at tea party gatherings, should have no problem knowing that such racist incidents have actually been happening.
But the immediate response of republican leaders and tea party defenders has been to attack the NAACP as being overly sensitive or just plain racist itself. The tea party express leader has even mocked the emergence of blacks from slavery.
All this is certainly akin to raising the question: “Do you want to believe me or your own eyes and ears?” No admission of any racists among them; just attack viciously those who have spoken in any negative fashion, however courteously. That is the right wing, tea party way, of course.
It is constantly amazing to this writer how frequently spokespersons for the opposition party, especially the more reactionary and louder ones, are quite willing to ignore the clear truth in front of them and go right on uttering contradictions to what is in plain sight to all. We fear this incident is just another glaring instance of their willingness to lie baldly, with no rational protection. They count on ignorance and misinformation among the public.
Has everyone forgotten the behavior of tea party demonstrators outside the national Capitol during final consideration of the health care bill? Or, do they just wish we would all forget the attacks on entering democrats, including racial slurs and even spitting at black democrat congressmen? Such conduct is indefensible under any circumstances, yet it was done by tea party activists in the name of their group. Now they are all in denial.
Has everyone forgotten the racist caricatures, cartoons, and slogans on the signs carried at tea party rallies, and the shouts of the crowd? Have we forgotten the pictures of republican congressional leaders speaking to those tea party rallies with the racist signs and slogans displayed in front of them? Have we forgotten that republican leaders spoke in a zealous, inciting fashion to those same tea party protesters who spit at their black colleagues? Do we even remember minority leader Boehner’s speech to that tea party crowd: “Not just no, but hell no!”
Did we see and hear Congressman Tancreado, controversial anti-Hispanic activist, speaking to the tea party convention saying: “We elected Barrack Hussein Obama president because this country has no literacy tests for voters.” That statement was remindful to many of those decades in the twentieth century when black voters were kept from voting throughout the South by the use of literacy tests as a legal scam to disenfranchise them. Yet that tea party convention cheered such remarks.
The tea party’s constant, false insistence that President Obama was born elsewhere, and that he is a Muslim, is seen by many to be racially toned and religiously bigoted. It is difficult to understand why they insist on either, since both lies have been disproven. One might guess that since nearly 40% of the people believe one or both, it just might be another instance of lying for political gain among gullible voters. Maybe their party leaders should forget that stuff about giving literacy tests to others, and instead give intelligence tests to their own recruits.
Attacking the NAACP in defense of the tea party, Sarah Palin said that she was “saddened by the NAACP claim that patriotic Americans who stand up for constitutional rights are racist.” Maybe she is so dense that she does not know the difference, so to her those disorderly racist tea partiers we saw were really just patriotic Americans standing up for all our rights.
Ben Jealous, president of NAACP, has said in response to Palin and others: “We are not asking for much – just that you expel the bigots and racists among your members or else take responsibility for their actions. We will no longer allow you to hide like cowards.” In another context, Jealous said, “We are just asking that you disassociate from members who peddle racism, intolerance, and fear.”
No, that is not a lot to ask. This writer might just add the admonition: “Get rid of those loud, crude, rude, rowdy, redneck hoodlums from your midst as well.” But will there be anyone left? Well, maybe a few anti-tax wealthy backers.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
This past week in its national convention, the N.A.A.C.P. passed a rather bland resolution which asked leaders and members identified with the tea party movement to disclaim those in their midst who had been engaging in racist conduct or expressions. Anyone who has observed the videos, read the signs carried, or heard the shouts of some of those attending -- or even speaking -- at tea party gatherings, should have no problem knowing that such racist incidents have actually been happening.
But the immediate response of republican leaders and tea party defenders has been to attack the NAACP as being overly sensitive or just plain racist itself. The tea party express leader has even mocked the emergence of blacks from slavery.
All this is certainly akin to raising the question: “Do you want to believe me or your own eyes and ears?” No admission of any racists among them; just attack viciously those who have spoken in any negative fashion, however courteously. That is the right wing, tea party way, of course.
It is constantly amazing to this writer how frequently spokespersons for the opposition party, especially the more reactionary and louder ones, are quite willing to ignore the clear truth in front of them and go right on uttering contradictions to what is in plain sight to all. We fear this incident is just another glaring instance of their willingness to lie baldly, with no rational protection. They count on ignorance and misinformation among the public.
Has everyone forgotten the behavior of tea party demonstrators outside the national Capitol during final consideration of the health care bill? Or, do they just wish we would all forget the attacks on entering democrats, including racial slurs and even spitting at black democrat congressmen? Such conduct is indefensible under any circumstances, yet it was done by tea party activists in the name of their group. Now they are all in denial.
Has everyone forgotten the racist caricatures, cartoons, and slogans on the signs carried at tea party rallies, and the shouts of the crowd? Have we forgotten the pictures of republican congressional leaders speaking to those tea party rallies with the racist signs and slogans displayed in front of them? Have we forgotten that republican leaders spoke in a zealous, inciting fashion to those same tea party protesters who spit at their black colleagues? Do we even remember minority leader Boehner’s speech to that tea party crowd: “Not just no, but hell no!”
Did we see and hear Congressman Tancreado, controversial anti-Hispanic activist, speaking to the tea party convention saying: “We elected Barrack Hussein Obama president because this country has no literacy tests for voters.” That statement was remindful to many of those decades in the twentieth century when black voters were kept from voting throughout the South by the use of literacy tests as a legal scam to disenfranchise them. Yet that tea party convention cheered such remarks.
The tea party’s constant, false insistence that President Obama was born elsewhere, and that he is a Muslim, is seen by many to be racially toned and religiously bigoted. It is difficult to understand why they insist on either, since both lies have been disproven. One might guess that since nearly 40% of the people believe one or both, it just might be another instance of lying for political gain among gullible voters. Maybe their party leaders should forget that stuff about giving literacy tests to others, and instead give intelligence tests to their own recruits.
Attacking the NAACP in defense of the tea party, Sarah Palin said that she was “saddened by the NAACP claim that patriotic Americans who stand up for constitutional rights are racist.” Maybe she is so dense that she does not know the difference, so to her those disorderly racist tea partiers we saw were really just patriotic Americans standing up for all our rights.
Ben Jealous, president of NAACP, has said in response to Palin and others: “We are not asking for much – just that you expel the bigots and racists among your members or else take responsibility for their actions. We will no longer allow you to hide like cowards.” In another context, Jealous said, “We are just asking that you disassociate from members who peddle racism, intolerance, and fear.”
No, that is not a lot to ask. This writer might just add the admonition: “Get rid of those loud, crude, rude, rowdy, redneck hoodlums from your midst as well.” But will there be anyone left? Well, maybe a few anti-tax wealthy backers.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
