With all the “tea bagging“, “birthers“, and corporately organized protests, I’m tempted to merely mock them. Their fake outrage is dangerous. They HAVE changed the course of events, and not in a good way.
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The astro-turfing of protests is dangerous. Locally, we had bus loads of Wasilla, gay-fearing X-ians flood Anchorage Assembly meetings to protest a GLBT protection ordinance in a town they don’t reside. Fox News sponsored the Tea Bagger Tax Protests. Corporate lobbying-run groups like Freedom Works and Americans for Prosperity are creating the illusion of grass roots protests at the health care town hall meetings. The “Tea Party” movement flies in the face of what the true patriots in Boston stood for. Where were these citizens when the previous administration was spending trillions of citizen tax dollars on an illegal war? Or when billions of dollars-cash on pallets delivered on C-130s to Iraq-disappeared-a fraud now thought to be bigger than Madoff’s ponzi scheme? Where were they when the loop holes for corporations slid through?
Monday, the Alaska legislature will meet in Anchorage for a special session prompted by the resignation of the governor. The schedule includes over-riding the veto of the federal stimulus
funds for weatherization and energy assistance. $28.6 million dollars are at stake for Alaskans-the same Alaskans Palin awarded $740 million in “energy assistance” not even a year ago.
Once again, there is a “Tea Party, Decaffeinated — say no to stimulus” planned.
Their flyer reads:
“The purpose of this rally is to insist Alaska’s legislature sustain the governor’s veto of the federal stimulus energy funds. This action will reduce Alaska’s responsibility for the national debt and assert Alaska’s right to reject intrusion by the Federal government into State and Local affairs”
Newsflash, Teabaggers. The governor quit. It won’t lessen our responsibility for national debt; California could spend it, and we’ll still pay it back! For every dollar Alaskans submit in taxes, we get back $1.83 from the federal coffers. Stop pretending like you didn’t vote all those years for Ted Stevens and Don Young because they stood up for reducing federal funds spent in Alaska! BTW, you wear seat belts, have car seats, wait until 21 to legally drink, and have speed limits set by federal guide lines…what’s wrong with putting some weatherization around your door? Really? Oh, that’s right, the president is black. I guess warmer homes and jobs aren’t really needed in Alaska.
The flyer goes on:
“Bring your signs, flags, and friends.”
How about this, bring your signs and your friends, but leave the flag out of it. I’m sick to death of the xenophobic, fear-based, blather wrapping itself in the flag and carrying a cross. Jesus wasn’t a Republican. I know, shocking. His works included “healing the sick” and “feeding the poor.” I’m sure you would have hated his health care plan, it was free. Socialist! Jesus wasn’t an American. There are brave soldiers buried in Arlington under the Muslim Crescent. Their blood for your hate speech. That’s rich.
The rallying cry of the astro-turfed crowd is simply “No!” Many citizens show up because of their ideology, and I support their right. The posers, like Mr. Gibson almost a decade ago, have abused and eroded our civil discourse into mob scenes.
There is a group of pro-weatherization, energy stimulus money folks showing up the morning of the special session at the Egan Center. If you are inclined to show up as a body of support, please do. Please email your state representatives and ask them to cast their vote to make Alaska better, warmer and employed.
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