The TEA Party Is NOT a SUICIDE PACT!

Damn this pissed me off...

I received this in an email:

*****BREAKING NEWS****  Tea Party News Network Issues Endorsement for President:  None of the Above Adopts Reagan Line In Approach to Romney Administration: 'Trust but Verify' WASHINGTON D.C.- The Tea Party News Network (TPNN) today announced its editorial endorsement for the 2012 presidential race: None of the above. "We have watched the candidates closely over the past year and are convinced that four more years of an Obama presidency would be disastrous for this country's economy and for the cause of small government," Todd Cefaratti, editor of the Tea Party News Network, said today. "We considered an endorsement of Governor Mitt Romney, but concluded that his record raises too many questions about the level of his commitment to conservative principles and limited government.  The Tea Party has been burned too many times by Washington Politicians who promise change but don't deliver once elected. As the voice of Tea Party conservatives across America, we are not comfortable endorsing either major party candidate this year based solely upon hopeful rhetoric. Our approach echoes Ronald Reagan's advice on the Soviet Union: "Trust by verify.'"  "Unlike other media outlets that purport to defend the cause of the tea party, this organization is not going to fall in line behind any candidate simply because they call themselves a conservative," added Scottie Nell Hughes, a member of the editorial board and News Director of TPNN.  "We have kept track of the promises made by both President Obama and Mitt Romney.  Neither has yet convinced us that they truly will bring the kind of revolutionary changes to Washington that the Tea Party has demanded."  Hughes took issue with the return of so-called 'Moderate Mitt' in the campaign's final weeks, a reversal of his stance during the primaries.  "We saw what happened during the George W. Bush administration when Constitutional conservatism was confused with the interest of the Republican Party. They are not one and the same."   While praising Romney for articulating the case for smaller government, the News Network also pointed to a number of issues that have raised "concern" about Romney's commitment to the Tea Party agenda. They include his movement away from across the board tax relief, recent refusal to stand behind comments to reform FEMA and return more control to local governments, and a top aides notorious "Etch-A-Sketch" comment in regard to Romney campaign promises. Romney's earlier record as Governor and as a political candidate also provided cause for viewing him with "ambivalence."   Todd Cefaratti today said he understood that a vast majority of Tea Party members will vote for Romney as the best choice among the available alternatives. And he held out hope that the organization might endorse Romney in 2016.  But he also vowed to release a list of Romney's campaign promises and to serve as "vigilant watchdog" of the Romney administration should it come into power. "Starting on day one of a Romney administration, as with the Obama administration, we'll be vigilant watchdogs for the Tea Party and for the conservatives across the country," he said. TPNN is launching its election day coverage on Tuesday with live streaming video. It will be focusing on national and statewide races involving Tea Party candidates with correspondents stationed on the ground with the Ted Cruz campaign in Texas, the Allen West campaign in Florida, Michele Bachmann in Minnesota, Mia Love in Utah, and others.  The nationwide coverage, anchored from Las Vegas, will begin Tuesday, November 6, at 3 PM ET online at http://www.tpnn.com and continue late into the night.  Partnering with the Talk Radio Network, TPNN election night coverage will be anchored by top talk radio host Rusty Humphries and TPNN News Director Scottie Nell Hughes. It will be live streamed on the Talk Radio Network and on over 350 Rusty Humphries Show affiliated radio stations nationwide.  Coverage will feature exit poll results, returns as they come in, coverage and interviews from TPNN correspondents around the country, and exclusive live interviews with top candidates for national office. ### About TPNN: The Tea Party News Network is the Tea Party's only trusted news source and the antidote to mainstream media bias.  Working on behalf of neither candidate nor political party, we cover the stories other outlets ignore, hold politicians of both parties accountable for their promises, and pull no punches in our principled commentaries on the national scene. Our single motivation is to tell readers the truth about the Washington establishment, our elected officials, and the depth of their fidelity to constitutional principles.

I responded thusly: 

You GUTLESS, SPINELESS, BRAINLESS wonders. 

I hope you have fun throwing your country and your countrymen down the toilet while you smugly sit by and watch Obama be re-elected. 

You know DAMNED WELL that there is only one of two people in the United States who will be President on January 20, 2013- Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

To say that there is not an appreciable difference between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama is the apex of intellectual dishonesty.  

To sit by and say that you cannot endorse Romney because he is not ideologically pure enough, and then let the nation go to hell in a handbasket under another four years of a socialist, murderous, tyrannical pig like Obama is unconscionable.  

Very much like Union thugs in Jersey turning away Hurricane Sandy relief workers because they weren't union enough.  

A lot of fucking good that does. 

You and yours give the TEA PARTY a bad name, and I call upon you to relinquish that brand-

carrying on the TEA PARTY banner does no good if all common sense is left behind. 

The TEA Party was not meant to be a suicide pact.  .  

You are NOT the TEA Party. Neither you nor your organization can lay claim to the name and claim to speak for all in the movement.That is nothing less that wanton piracy. There has been no and there remains no central leadership in the TEA Party.  Just because you choose to get up and walk in front of a parade doesn't mean that the people behind you are actually following. 

You make me ill.

Get the hell off our team.

Sincerely

Leo Pusateri

Strange Days, Indeed...I Guess You Can Fight City Hall, After All.

Who would have known that a 30 second soundbite of a February 19, 2009 broadcast, on of all places, MSNBC, could have so changed the political landscape:



This election cycle is by far the strangest in my 50 years on this earth. I've seen a lot of infighting among different factions in the democrat party before, but never in my lifetime (well, at least since the election of Ronald Reagan) have I seen such infighting among Republicans.

Don’t get me wrong. Since Bush 41 infamously broke his “Read My Lips” pledge, movement conservatives have had plenty of beefs with the establishment of the GOP. But with seemingly no where else to go, and assuaged by the constant assurances by the establishment that their concerns would eventually be addressed (but that they just had to veer to the left in order to get elected by ‘independents’), movement conservatives patiently waited election cycle after election cycle while their agenda was perpetually back-burnered by the increasingly arrogant and increasingly statist Old Guard of the Republican Party. Movement conservatives, the driving force behind the landslide elections of 1994 when Republicans took over the majority, and again in 2002, when Republicans added to their majorities in the mid-term elections (a feat rarely witnessed in the annals of U.S. History), were constantly taken for granted as RINOs like John McCain, Lincoln Chaffee, Mike Castle and Susan Collins constantly ‘reached across the aisle’ (read: capitulated); resulting in increasing government intrusions, and the rendering of the size of government to behemoth status.

Then along came 2006, with both houses reverting to democrat control, culminating into the mother of all wakeup calls- the election of Barack Hussein Obama in 2008.

But then came Santelli.

Suddenly, it wasn’t just your traditional conservative activists who were screaming that the sky was falling. More and more ‘Joe Sixpack’ Americans were opening their eyes and recognizing the multi-trillion dollar rhinoceros of unsustainable debt that was precariously perched upon their dining room tables, waiting to eat themselves and their progeny alive.

Curiously, Folks like Ron Paul and Sarah Palin weren’t looking so much like whacked out extreme nutjob outsiders anymore.

More and more people (especially college-aged kids) were tuning in to the Constitutionalist message and turning out en masse at their local caucuses and political gatherings. The organization demonstrated by the Ron Paul factions at these functions was nothing less than stunning, and something that the Republican establishment were ill-equipped and ill-prepared to deal.

From Searchlight Nevada, to Dover, Delaware, to the Jersey shore, to Boston Massachusetts, to Washington D.C., gathering after gathering of people who previously were content to merely sit on their couches and gripe were now an active force to be reckoned with, and have made it clear that they shall NOT be ignored. No longer will blind trust be extended such that just because there’s an R next to an elected official’s name, that that official will necessarily be a worthy steward of their precious liberties. Going one step further on the old Reagan ‘Trust, but verify“ policy during the glastnost and perestroika days of the Cold War, to Tea Party activists, with respect to their elected officials, the catch phrase has necessarily become “To hell with trust; we want verification.”

What we’re witnessing today, despite the screaming and gnashing of teeth of the Establishment is yet another revolution; here to date unlike any other seen. Unlike the Reagan revolution, this movement is not led by a central figure. Unlike the Republican Revolution of 1994, this revolution is not led by a small coterie of a party establishment; rather, this revolution has as its focal point a general awakening; a collective, bottom-up realization that the liberties we have enjoyed for the past two and a half centuries as Americans are unbelievably fragile; and must be defended not only from enemies who wish to destroy them from without, but also from those who wish to destroy them from within, up to and including Republicans themselves.

In every sense of the word, we are now entering uncharted waters; a very real brave, new world, the likes of which have not been navigated since the dawning of the American Revolution. For far too long Americans have slumbered and/or stewed in the notion that “You can’t fight city hall.” But if the election of Barack Hussein Obama and the ensuing events that have taken place even into this very evening have taught us anything, it is that ordinary Americans can not only fight City Hall, they can win.

Thomas Paine: "Can You Hear Us Now?"

Huckabee's Penis Envy?

Seems like Mike Huckabee has been eating a whole bunch of sour grapes:

Huckabee said the rise of the tea party movement had “taken all of the oxygen out of the room,” rendering the venerable conference far less relevant than it had been in previous years.

“Where CPAC was historically the event, the tea parties are having their own events all over the country and a lot more truly grassroots people are getting involved because of the tea parties,” said the former governor.

And, goaded by Fox Host Geraldo Rivera, Huckabee went even further.

“Because of the way that it solicits sponsors, it’s almost becomes a pay-for-play,” he said. “It’s kind of like, who will pay money to be able to be a sponsor and get time in the program. That’s one of the things that has hurt its credibility in the last couple of years.”

Read more:

Huckabee's sour grapes aside, I truly sense a concerted effort from without (on both sides) to destroy the Tea Party, CPAC and other related movements because it is not friendly to the status quo. The narrative is changing. Having been put off enough times by the line, "Yeah, we didn't advance the agenda yet, but give us power next year and we'll deliver;" and having been stood up at the dance too many times, movement conservatives are now looking beyond the power structure of the Republican party to field and support their candidates of choice.

Simply put, many 'establishment' republicans, much like their democrat counterparts, are first and foremost political animals, who look at grass-roots, non-establishment efforts (especially successful ones) as threats to their respective monopolies in the arena of ideas, and to the idea that they and they alone are the font from which all political power and graces flow. Mike Huckabee's comments are illustrative of how they will bite back, sometimes viciously, in their efforts to maintain their turf.

I agree that the Republican party has the infrastructure from which we can launch candidates who will promote a conservative agenda; I also understand the futility of a third party effort, especially for national office. The 'establishment' wing, however, must now recognize that they again, as I stated, are no longer the sole font from which all political power and graces flow.

As Norm Coleman is always fond of saying, a leader without any followers is just a guy taking a walk.

Gone are the days (at least for now, but hopefully into the foreseeable future) when a select few can be the self-anointed 'kingmakers.' Footsoldiers will no longer toe the line for those who don't give a whit for advancing the conservative cause.

Movement conservatives are tired of being on the backburner, and they will no longer stand by idly while progressive interests are placed ahead of theirs 'just to get along.'

I think the establishment wing of the Republican party recognize this and are quaking in their boots.

We are making a difference, ladies and gentlemen.

Keep the kilns fired.

It's the Unions, Stupid..

There's a buzz about the blogosphere and the twittersphere about a new, supposedly grass-roots organization called "The Tea Party is Over" whose mission is.."To prevent the Tea Party's dangerous ideas from gaining legislative traction." They call the Tea Party Movement (which was more than likely responsible for the democrat loss of Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts)a 'fad' and their ideas, 'dangerous.'

This movement is a fad. Some of their ideas include the belief that programs like Social Security and Medicare are socialistic and should never have been created in the first place and that President Obama is a Socialist.

...And?

They also target key elected representatives who agree with those 'dangerous ideas'

David McAloon

McAloon has a history of supporting extreme anti-Obama, pro-life, pro-gun positions, while advocating lucrative tax breaks for the wealthy. He claims that the "abortion industry" is "after blood money" and is intent on "victimizing women." Call David at xxx-xxx-xxxx and tell him to reject the dangerous ideas of the Tea Party.

Yeah... gotta get those dangerous ideas, like saving the lives of children, and defending the rights of citizens to protect themselves out of the public discussion.

Arie Friedman

Friedman actually advocates eliminating Medicaid. And he publicly doubts the proven science of global warming, even despite national security warnings that climate change threatens America’s economy.

Yeah.. the proven science of global warming. Give me a break.

Yet, I digress.

Yes, I know that the force behind this mind-numbed, bromide-filled site is just a grass roots movement called "The American Public Policy Committee." Just a group of well-meaning citizens, right?

Well, it turns out that only two groups donated to the APCC: Patriot Majority, and Patriot Majority West.

Who, pray tell, is the "Patriot Majority?"

Patriot Majority, running ads against Dole, Wicker and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), just reported a $1.65 million haul from AFSCME, in addition to $1.5 million from the union earlier in the month, not to mention even more before October.

Yeah.. Some grass-roots movement you got there. When it comes to Astroturfing, the neo-socialists are the professionals. We conservatives are pikers.

But I guess I'm not surprised. The ideas coming out of the real grass-roots Tea Party movement are indeed a danger to the advancement of socialism and lining the pockets of union goons.

This is BIG---

The American Spectator Reports:

Lech Walesa, the Polish Cold War hero who is coming to Illinois to campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski, will join Andrzejewski tomorrow afternoon at a Tea Party rally at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.

It was in Chicago, of course, that the Tea Party movement began last February when CNBC's Rick Santelli delivered "The Rant Heard 'Round the World." No word yet on whether Santelli will be at Friday's event.

It's no accident that Andrzejewski got Lech Walesa to stump for him. Having grown up in the Chicago area, I know that Chicago has the highest Polish ethnic population in the world, outside of Warsaw itself--right in the middle of Obama territory.

And if it's anyone who understands the sweet taste of freedom, what it's like not to have it, and what it's like to fight for it, it's Lech Walesa.

Quite a coup, if you ask me.

The Tide Is Turning...Part II

A republican who voted for the porkulus package receives the bum's rush:



This is illustrative of what will happen to RINOs in 2010.

No longer is it a matter of Republican vs. Democrat. It is now a matter of, to paraphrase George W. Bush, "Either you are with us, or you are with the socialists."

An event-horizon has been crossed. Conservative Americans have clearly had enough of democrat socialism, not to mention the empty promises and lip-service paid by RINO neo-socialist/opportunist Republicans, who have repeatedly and arrogantly poked their thumbs in the conservatives' collective eyes when it met their purposes of political expediency; and, in the process have taken our votes for granted.

No longer will allegiance be paid with blind loyalty to a party; rather, it will be righteous loyalty and allegiance toward our Founding Principles which, when applied, have served this country admirably throughout our nation's history.

Look for similar messages to be given to RINOs all around the nation, and let them be put on notice: If you're a RINO, your remaining days in office will most certainly be numbered.

On with the show..

I'll be playing an original composition for a wedding this afternoon, after which I'll be performing in our annual show at the Paramount Theater in St. Cloud this evening beginning at 7pm. I'm especially pumped about the show since I co-wrote the script this year. I have five tickets left, so if you're interested in attending, drop me an email (psycmeistr@fastmail.fm) and I'll have them waiting for you at the box office.

Here's to breaking a leg!

P.S.--I haven't posted anything political today, so to you, my dear readers, I leave you this.

Oh, and this.

Enjoy!

A few quick afterthoughts on the tea party

I gotta get running to a meeting... but just a few random thoughts:

• Yes, yesterday's Tea Party was about confiscatory taxes and spending; but it was so much more than that.
  
• Yesterday's Tea Parties held around the nation were a collective "Mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore" reaction to the abuses of individual liberty that have taken this nation by storm within the past two decades.
• Confiscatory taxes and regressive tax codes that by default place restrictions on behavior are instrumental in stealing one's individual economic and by extension personal freedoms;
  
• The current tax code is a symptom, not the source of our discontent.
• We are (or at least at one point in history were) a nation of free men. The government has been set up to serve and to be beholden to the people; not vice versa. "By the People, Of the People, and For the People" is not just a catchy phrase; it's the whole foundation behind our system of governance.

The great Ronaldvs Magnvs warned us to be vigilant, saying that the loss of our liberty was at all times only one generation away. Let ours not be the generation that sells out the next. Let the events that occurred yesterday not be a passing whim that flashes in the pan and fades; but rather the pebble tossed in the pool that transforms into a tidal wave of resolve to preserve our nation as the last, great, beacon of freedom on God's green earth!

Tea Party in St. Cloud Produces Massive Turnout

I had some comp time coming, so I took a couple hours off of work today to attend the St. Cloud Tea Party. I arrived around the time it started, and much to my pleasant surprise, there were no parking spaces left in the area, and I ended up parked two blocks away from the event. The turnout was, in a word, HUGE (click on pics for full size):

A rough guesstimate (and a conservative one at that) would have been between 700 and 800 attendees. Mind you, this was held during noon on a weekday, so a pretty good turnout, considering, unlike a rent-an-ACORN mob rally, most of these folks have day jobs, as well.

Of course, there were quite a few clever signs in the crowd:
And the poignant:

And this guy, who by the looks of him you'd have sworn came from the RNC welcoming committee, rose up to speak to the masses:
Not only did he have a great message, he seemed to be a guy who had "an in" with Willie Nelson and Jesse:

And of course, Jim Knoblach, our former Minnesota State Representative and former Chair of the Minnesota House Ways & Means Committee, not to mention current candidate for Committee chair for U.S. House CD-6 GOP, had this to say:

Admittedly, conservatives don't have the protest thing down as much as liberals, because for the most part we've been traditionally too busy producing, working, and "living the dream" to even have time. But the socialist policies of the current administration have served to waken a sleeping giant.

The "silent majority" is silent no more!

We may not have the protest thing down quite as well as you neo-marxists....

But we'll get there.

You May Be A Terrorist...

• If You're a soldier returning from Iraq
• If You're against abortion on demand
• If You don't trust the government
• If You're against the policies of Barack Hussein Obama
• If You're a believer in State's Rights
• If You're against amnesty for illegal immigrants

You may think, reading this off-hand, that it was poor mock-up of a Jeff Foxworthy joke. But ladies and gentlemen, this is no joke.

And while you're attending your teaparties tomorrow, be aware. There may be some in attendance who will be taking names:

(U//FOUO) DHS/I&A will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months to ascertain with greater regional specificity the rise in rightwing extremist activity in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the political, economic, and social factors that drive rightwing extremist radicalization.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on Twitter to engage in some "extremist right-wing chatter."