(Update: FWIW, the local protest was a good-sized crowd and very much the same sort of group as elsewhere reported: largely middle-class, with a smattering of students and retired folks but mostly ordinary workin' Joes and Janes who had taken the afternoon off to remind our elected nitwits that a slim majority is not a mandate -- and that every misspent tax dollar, every kited check, every tax increase or expansion of Federal, State or local authority, weighs that much heavier on the electorate. It's not a group much given to sign-waving; it takes a bit more to wake them up).
Protesters -- peaceful protesters -- are a good thing. If we stop seein' 'em, there is Big Trouble In Store. It doesn't even matter what kind of protesters, NAACP, KKK, "Million" Moms, stoners and emo kids with signs bemoaning the war or a Ron Paul supporter in a Wookie suit, noble, repellent or plain wrong, the freedom to express dissent is an inherent part of a free society.
Still, I was not surprised to hear a 20-something with facial piercings and hair of a color not found in nature, interviewed by one of our fine TV stations with the local Tea Party in the background say, "I don't know why they're protesting. When me and my friends protested The War, they told us to get a job but they're here in the middle of the afternoon" -- this was at 5:30 pip emma, btw -- "so where's their jobs? Probably lost them and government spending will help them."
Where do I begin?
Aw, heck. I almost don't even wanna bother. Sweetie, when "we" decided to go to war against Iraq, I got yelled at for posting "Ilea iacta est" and mocking Congress as a bunch of self-panickers on an online form; I still think the interests of the civilized world would have been better served by wiping out Saddam Hussein and his government, possibly by posting a huge bounty, but A) once we were in, I agree with Ayn Rand, "Fight to win!" B) I am not, in any way, shape or form, a military or diplomatic expert and C) as happens, the U.S. FedGov swore some doofy oath to not assassinate foreign leaders no matter how icky, so we're sort of stuck with the having to have a war thing if we wanna get rid of one.
And then -- in your world, kid, do they have "personal days?" D'ya understand the concept?
And last but not least, so far I've yet to see any evidence that massively increasing the Federal deficit -- and, eventually, the tax burden on us the taxpayers (dearie, you do pay taxes, don't you? Oh, not while you're finishing your degree? Give it time) -- is going to be a whole lotta "help" to any entity but the Feds, and long-term, probably not them, either.
You know why they're out there waving signs and making speeches. purple hair? For the same reason you were: 'Cos we're Americans, and that's what we do. And at our best, that's all it takes to get the ball rolling. I thought you were all about "change?" Well, here's some more!
Pendulums swing. It's what they do.
And the further the pendulum swings the harder it hits. Hope you're not in the way!
ReplyDeleteThe one I attended was mild, joyful, and courteous - and apart from the dim 20-nothings with their middle finger raised driving-by, well dressed and well received - even in the midst of Blue Momnmystatehood weenies.
ReplyDeleteThe one I attended was peopled by an older crowd, and whole families. It was a cross generational and cross cultural swath. It was peopled by people not used to protesting, who were dressed in their normal day wear, from suits to Carharts and in between. The whole "I dunno, what do we do now? I dunno, let's lap the courthouse. Now what do we do?" thing.
ReplyDeleteThe mood was somber, of people worried for their rights, not angry for them.
It's one thing to have college kids who are furious over this or that cause that never existed until they discovered it out protesting in their hackneyed blue hair and piercings that show what rebels they are, and a whole different ball of wax for PTA moms and steelworkers and retirees and farmers breaking the emergency glass box to get to their torches and pitchforks ...
I attended the rally in Kodiak, AK (population: damned few) and we had a dozen people show up. Only one had ever been to a protest, and all we could figure to do was stand around, wave at passersby and hold up our signs. It was well received, and all we can hope is that it woke up at least one of the sheeple out there.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in a follow up action that can extend the impact of the Tax Day Tea Parties, go to the web site go-galt.org and participate in the Atlas Shrugged Books-to-Politicians Campaign.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
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Jeffery Small
go-galt.org