Tags
Activist Susan Cunningham told us last Sunday about her outrage that a tea party group wanted to use the local high school auditorium in Union to disseminate its lies–and that it wanted the fee waived. Not one to sit home alone and fume, Susan joined 25 or so “take the fight to them” activists and appeared at the Wednesday evening Union school board meeting. One tea party member showed up.
The sign Susan brought that evening built on a recent school bond issue campaign with the theme “Save our schools. She added “from Patriots” because these particular tea partiers call themselves the Franklin County Patriots. (Get a load of their professional looking–not cheap, sponsored by the big bucks?–website.)
The school board was mighty impressed with the arguments Susan’s group presented–including the fact that as anti-tax, anti-government, anti-public-anything citizens, the teabaggers support vouchers over public schools.
The board voted unanimously not to waive the fee for the teabaggers. But it turns out that the district has no policy about who may rent the auditorium, so the tea party event will be there on Oct. 10. The local Dems had just assumed that political groups would not be allowed to rent the place. Now that they know differently, they’ll make use of it, so in a way the baggers did the Dems a favor. And the Democrats may decide to attend on the tenth and participate–but civilly, of course.
Why would we try to block a group instead of sitting down, learning where they are coming from, and working to find common ground? The country is riddled with problems and I’d rather harness the energy of those who care than put the solution in the hands of the tyrants in Washington DC.
I left the “liberal” movement in 2006 because Nancy Pelosi broke my heart. Those “liberals” at the top are just as big of corporate fascists as Bush. They have done nothing to end this war or put money in the pockets of real people and out of the hands of corporations. Look at the Bail Outs (that BUSH started, mind you).
Shame we’re engaged in such destructive behavior and calling it a victory.
And for you to say now you’re going to use the facility after blocking another group from doing so… karma is a b*tch, you know?
I want to let you know that I am a member of the “Patriots”, as you call us, and it appears that those of you speaking out against the organization have been grossly misinformed or misguided as to what the FCP is all about. I see by the discourse here that many are decidedly against educating the public about the Constitution of the United States and the role it has in protecting the American People from the overreaching arm of the federal government. However, if you support fiscal irresponsibility, suppression of liberties, and long for more control over the American way of life under the direction of the federal government, it’s understandable that you would be opposed to the Franklin County Patriots – their ideals and their goal of educating the public on like issues. I see that you have the ability to determine the tax status of an organization by reviewing an organizations website (matter of fact: the Franklin County Patriots is 100% (completely) not for profit and operates on monetary contributions from it’s supporters like myself) – please review the legalese for clarification about what constitutes a not for profit group. I see that you don’t recognize that the Franklin County Patriots members pay their taxes – just like you, and are entitled to the same benefits as any liberal non-profit organization would be, i.e. ACORN. Please understand that by fulfilling the commitment to pay the various taxes imposed by the local/state/federal government entitles individuals/organizations to use public facilities (i.e. city parks) that are funded with taxpayer dollars and the 1st Amendment of the Constitution ensures the right of free speech & peaceable assembly at those public places. It’s readily apparent that blaming the Bush administration for problems that exist & continue to grow under the guard of the current administration is still a fashionable redirect from addressing the issues at hand. Sociopolitical blunders made by the former administration does not serve as rebuttal or allow amnesty from the consequences of the political blunders that have been and soon will made by the current administration. When threatened by the thoughtful commentary of others, why is name calling proper recourse instead of participating in proactive dialog to debate a topic? The issues the Franklin County Patriots are concerned about can be emotional ones, and as such, sometimes “thick skin” is necessary when participating in proactive dialog, so please don’t be offended or get upset when someone uses a few capitol letters when trying to stress their point of view. I challenge anyone to come to a FCP meeting or sponsored event and see what we are about in person before attacking what is “thought” to be the intentions of any organization (isn’t that what the Republicans reportedly did when informed of the President’s speech to the nations school children?).
I can see from reading this article and all the comments that those who write such articles here seem to have closed minds. It truly is a shame that there cannot be civil discussions on issues that are affecting everyone. I have been to a tea party and those people are just average citizens trying to get by. I myself am one such person. A taxpayer, a voter, a mom, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, an employee…a hard worker, and the list goes on. But I do not think it matters to Ms Cunningham or anyone who would choose to use “Patriot” somehow as a bad word. Please look up the definition of the word and you will see what Patriot means. In case you don’t want to bother or you already think you know, here it is:
-noun 1. a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion.
2. a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.
I truly hope that you will come to a tea party even if out of curiousity alone and meet some of these people you are trying to speak so ill of. I myself would welcome you and so would they.
I read Susan Cunninghams’s piece and, for the most part, agreed. But she said the the Franklin County Patriots are not patriots, but anarchists. Right wing anarchists? I’m sure such a creature exists, but the dissonance created by such conflicting ideologies would soon cause internal bleeding, thus killing the specimen.
Even the most ardent supporters of “smash the state” understand that some forms of organization must exist. Mutual aid and cooperation are necessary elements of an anarchist world, and that those requisites are forms of socialism (albeit without the state).
And, as hipocritical as it may be for them, the FCP should have the right, if they are indeed a non-profit, to utilize a school for meetings free of charge. To state otherwise is to fall into their claims of Stalinism.
It is all about equal access. The school can either charge everyone equally of charge no one. Our Republic is now 222 years old and dissent began before the ink dried on the Constitution. Get used to it.
Calling names doesn’t help. It inflames people and makes discourse more difficult. Tea Bagger is unacceptable. We attend Tea Parties (fashioned after the Boston Tea Party).
If you want to insult people you will never make any headway.
As I recall the SEIU and ACORN both used the public sidewalks to picket in front of the homes of AIG execs over bonuses which were earned. That being the case the right will also use the public areas to promote their side.
I can disagree with you and you can disagree with me but when it comes to suppression of ideas and ideology we can get VERY crossways with each other.
I’m neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I describe myself as a Conservative Independent. George Bush had a lot of problems but so did Bill Clinton.
Freedom is freedom and if you attempt to curtail one side’s freedom you risk curtailin your own.