# Here It Is: Tea Partiers Show True Colors **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 20, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719 "2010-04-20T05:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/1 "2010-04-20T05:46:08Z")
From the horse’s mouth: > [@](#): > > Among the speakers in Virginia was former Alabama Minuteman leader Mike Vanderboegh, who has been denounced in recent weeks after calling for citizens to throw bricks through the windows of local Democratic party headquarters across the country. Several such incidents occurred after Vanderboegh issued his call. > Vanderboegh said the broken windows are a wake-up call that many people feel threatened by an expanding federal government. > “We are done backing up. Not one more inch,” Vanderboegh said to cheers, after telling the crowd that for too long Americans have acquiesced at the loss of liberty. > In an interview, Vanderboegh said he considers armed resistance justified only “when they send people to our doors and kill us.” > But he suggested that an arrest at the hand of federal government is tantamount to a death sentence and that he would fight back in such a case. Specifically, he outlined a scenario in which people who refuse to buy health insurance under the new health reform law would be subject to arrest and that such confrontations could turn violent. > “If I know I’m not going to get a fair trial in federal court … I at least have the right to an unfair gunfight,” Vanderboegh said. Yep, if you don’t agree with the law you just kill the people trying to enforce it. This is the slimy, white underbelly of conservative “thought” right now. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/2 "2010-04-20T06:02:22Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > This is the slimy, white underbelly of conservative “thought” right now. It’s been that way for a long time. I recall back in the Clinton years, right wing radio loudmouths talking about “shooting federal agents in the face”, all sorts of threats of violence from the Republican Congressmen on down. They are, ultimately, thugs. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/3 "2010-04-20T06:16:30Z")
You’re likely thinking of G. Gordon Liddy, celebrated rat gourmand, who advised his listeners to remember that Federal agents wore protective vests, hence “Head shots! Head shots!”. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/4 "2010-04-20T06:16:53Z")
Meh. Some are crazies, some are not. Certain elements of the GOP have to pander to them as they represent a significant voting bloc that they have a chance of losing (any viable Teaparty candidates in 2010 have a very real chance of shattering the fragile hold that Republicans currently have on political power). Pointing to some crazies, even some crazies who travel in packs, and using that as a broader metric doesn’t really stand the smell test. ---
**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/5 "2010-04-20T06:20:14Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > From the horse’s mouth: Yep, if you don’t agree with the law you just kill the people trying to enforce it. This is the slimy, white underbelly of conservative “thought” right now. Or yell and swear at the cops. > [@](#): > > Al Sharpton’s ex-wife and daughter are off the hook for allegedly F-bombing cops during an October traffic stop in Harlem… > > In America, you have the right to object to police action," said their lawyer, Michael Hardy. “And certainly you should not be arrested and prosecuted for objecting if you’ve committed no crime.” > > Cops had claimed the two women profanely lit into cops when they were stopped for allegedly blowing a red light at 110th Street and 8th Avenue on Oct. 30. > > “I have a play to go to – this is f—ing bullshit!” the daughter allegedly yelled. “Get the f— off me! You can’t harass me! Why the f— am I getting a summons,” she allegedly continued. > > The mom allegedly joined in the F-bomb fusillade by complaining, “Why the f— are you locking her up! Get your f—ing hands off her.” [Sharpton traffic stop case to be @#$#! dismissed](http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/sharpton_traffic_stop_case_to_be_1byP3dsaDVhamhlXWotGCJ) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/6 "2010-04-20T06:28:01Z")
> [@Chen019](#): > > Or yell and swear at the cops. > > [Sharpton traffic stop case to be @#$#! dismissed](http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/sharpton_traffic_stop_case_to_be_1byP3dsaDVhamhlXWotGCJ) Both parties are teh same! Vote Republican! ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/7 "2010-04-20T06:28:57Z")
You realize an “F Bomb” is not a real bomb, right? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/8 "2010-04-20T06:36:46Z")
The delicate sensibilities of New York’s Finest must be taken into account when assessing the gravity of the offense. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/9 "2010-04-20T06:41:55Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > You’re likely thinking of G. Gordon Liddy, celebrated rat gourmand, who advised his listeners to remember that Federal agents wore protective vests, hence “Head shots! Head shots!”. Yes, that was the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/10 "2010-04-20T06:52:26Z")
If you publicly say something as specific as “throw a brick through xyz’s window,” and a bunch of people go through bricks through xyz’s window, is that not some sort of crime, akin to yelling fire in a crowded space? Incitement or something? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/11 "2010-04-20T07:17:49Z")
At any rate, I don’t think that the “Tea Party” has actually coalesced into an entity, they are an inchoate buzz of anger, enthusiasm, and a new found self-regard. The are a bit like the early hippies in the sense of being largely a creation of the media: the media pay attention to the Tea Partiers which encourage people to become Tea Partiers, then the media pays attention to the people who are Tea Partiers because they told them so. They only have about fifty non-negotiable demands and the same number of universally accepted principles, only about half of which are mutually exclusive. They don’t yet actually have an agenda, much less an identity, and nothing resembling a leader. Except for Sarah, the Bullwinkle Slayer, and, well, really… ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/12 "2010-04-20T13:34:13Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > If you publicly say something as specific as “throw a brick through xyz’s window,” and a bunch of people go through bricks through xyz’s window, is that not some sort of crime, akin to yelling fire in a crowded space? Incitement or something? The problem would be proving a causal connection, proving that they didn’t already plan to throw the rocks and that your comment convinced them to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/13 "2010-04-20T13:39:57Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > From the horse’s mouth: Yep, if you don’t agree with the law you just kill the people trying to enforce it. This is the slimy, white underbelly of conservative “thought” right now. This OP is idiotic and completely devoid of any rational thought whatsoever. You simply picked one conservative and then decided that he speaks for all conservatives with no basis whatsoever. That is an extremely stupid thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/14 "2010-04-20T13:42:52Z")
Not quite as stupid as ignoring that he was an invited speaker at a Tea Party guns rally, who was cheered for his comments. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/15 "2010-04-20T14:06:59Z")
Moving to the Pit from Great Debates. I’m not seeing an argument here. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/16 "2010-04-20T14:13:53Z")
What has America come to when minor figures issue general and bellicose threats in the conditional tense? What have we _become_? If you wanna start discussing actual, real violence committed by the political right in the last year, I’m sure Shodan will be more than happy to play tit-for-tat. Otherwise, all you got is “blowhard says stupid shit, film at 11.” ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/17 "2010-04-20T14:19:51Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Moving to the Pit from Great Debates. I’m not seeing an argument here. Seeing as the last time we saw the conservatives so ‘gun-ho’ about something, we got the conquest of Iraq, is it time for Liberals to start buying guns? Is anyone foolish enough to accept conservative’s word that actual violence against progressive elements is “off the table” ? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/18 "2010-04-20T14:23:56Z")
> [@Chen019](#): > > Or yell and swear at the cops. > > [Sharpton traffic stop case to be @#$#! dismissed](http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/sharpton_traffic_stop_case_to_be_1byP3dsaDVhamhlXWotGCJ) Does no little voice in your head chime in when you think about posting something like this? Warning you that intellectual dishonesty is dishonesty, dishonesty is a sin, and sinners go to hell? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/19 "2010-04-20T14:39:38Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Pointing to some crazies, even some crazies who travel in packs, and using that as a broader metric doesn’t really stand the smell test. hmmm.. so these are not “true tea partiers” either. There seem to be a lot of these type around recently, who attend tea party rallies and get their names and pictures in the media… but they are all outliers. Look away! ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719/20 "2010-04-20T15:14:46Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > hmmm.. so these are not “true tea partiers” either. There seem to be a lot of these type around recently, who attend tea party rallies and get their names and pictures in the media… but they are all outliers. It’s just simple, very basic logic. In order to make statistical claims about a group, you need a valid scientific survey. “Teaparty folks who make the news by being nutty” is not a sufficient large and randomized sample. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-it-is-tea-partiers-show-true-colors/536719.md?page=2)