Will #9 show?

Obsessive much?

I agree.

Let's first close UTK. Get rid of that "Government" school.

It's merely a liberal indoctrination center. Put it in Cookeville.

Any closer, like Maryville, and all those Government employees may come to Knoxville to spend their money and contaminate us!

Then let's close ORNL. Decades of producing stuff that's never used? That's what I call waste.

What else can we get rid of that will relieve Knoxville of the burden of all those employed government workers? Then we will have all that space for free enterprise!

Hey R.Neal, do those people really believe what they're protesting about? Or is it something else minus the sheets?

What's amazing to me is that 95% of the people at this event (and probably more like 99%) are the beneficiaries of the largest middle-class tax cut in U.S. history, and one of the largest in U.S. history, just signed by President Obama.

I also wonder how many are receiving other forms of public assistance, such as unemployment, TennCare, CoverTN, Social Security, etc.

Let's review, first tea baggers. The homosexual innuendo. Then the sly reference to the KKK.

Kind of a little sensitive aren't we for a group that's always railing against political correctness?

American flag bandanna

You mean they're desecrating the flag there too? AAAIIIEEEE!!!

Thanks to bizgrrl for attending and reporting.

I'd like to request that she make sure to catch Stacey's speech. He said it was scheduled "sometime after 5 p.m."

IMO 95% of the tea baggers have not gotten over the fact that a African American Democrat was elected to be POTUS. This so called protest is nothing more than a bunch of sore loser Republicans. Where were they when over four thousands of our best were killed in Iraq and billions of tax payer dollars unaccounted for?

On a serious note, these peoples' wishes may ome true.

I can see ORNL being dismantled and reconstructed, in other states, over the next four years.

And if that happens this area will begin to make Mississippi look like Greenwich, CT.

>>>There are people from all walks of life, from bikers to senior citizens and everyone in between.

have to take exception to that observation. From the pics it looks like mostly middle aged white folks. I know we're in e tn, but still...

here's the best description I've seen so far:

Tea Partiers are hoping that if they mimic the energy of anti-war protests and the savvy of Obama’s new media operation, that at some point an actual movement will spawn. Getting together a bunch of pissed off middle-aged white people with no clue about how the tax system works in public areas will generate a coherent agenda designed to combat the stimulus; if it gets enough media coverage, they will DOMINATE THE AGENDA.
It’s like taping a horn to a horse and waiting for it to alight on a magic cloud of stardust and pixies. - Jesse Taylor

have to take exception to that observation

Yeah, I should have said there are "white people" from all walks of life. The Mrs. said there were families with kids there, too. That's kinda sad. We already have generations of bad education to overcome.

And as noted earlier, 99% of the "middle aged white folks" you mention benefit from the largest middle-class tax cut in history just signed by Obama.

But they probably aren't even aware of it, because Fox News said it was a tax increase.

Are there many GOP officials around there?

One of the curious aspects of this tea party thing is whether or not the GOP is onboard. My sense is that they were hedging because they were afraid some events might turn out to be a total flop.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

Sounds like the Duncan barbeque was held early and outside.

Sounds like the Duncan barbeque was held early and outside.

Except, Democrats are (mostly) welcome at the Duncan BBQ.

My sense is that they were hedging because they were afraid some events might turn out to be a total flop.

Well, no matter what Ms. Absher may say on the news about "listening to the people," it was a flop. The people spoke in November. If Tennesseans elect more conservative candidates to national offices, our voice will grow more shrill but weaker.

Tennessee no longer matters; it's no longer a bellweather state. We're in a race with Mississippi and Louisiana towards the bottom.

As far as the demographics of the attendees, after watching the news, I bet if you had done a poll, more than half would have said Pres. Obama is a Muslim.

Attendance for the two groups seems awkwardly skewed. WBIR estimated between 1000 to 3000 supporters and 25 non-supporters. The KNS has the number at 1,700 for supporters and no mention of non-supporters.

How was it Metulj? Any air left with all the mouth breathers?

Mark Harmon should get some credit for his insan-a-tea protest. A much better approach than what is presented here at progressiveville.

Enjoy the next four years. America is not sold on your dream. See you around the bend in 2012.

I just can't quite figure it out.

Do you want a debate or the truth?

For a debate see Nine.

For the truth, as Chuck Todd said this is an attempt to reinvigorate the conservatives (Republican base).

It's a warm up. Practice. That's all.

Anyone who knows anything about politics, knows that this stuff isn't going to change things before 2012.

In fact, that's the Republicans worst nightmare. They want this to be the quake that starts the tsunami that carries them back into office. And it might. In Tennessee. But it has to last. Republicans want it to build up and last.

They want the anger and the rage to boil. And that's the dangerous part. That's what Homeland Security is worried about. Another McVeigh.

And frankly, if this kind of stuff is seemingly ignored by elected leaders, there's always the possibility that a few participants could, like McVeigh, become dangerously radicalized. McVeigh, Rudolph...?

Do you want a debate or the truth?

I want a straight answer from someone who protested or is sympathetic to the protestors.

BTW, I think there's a threat to Republicans here as well. If they're not careful, they're going to have a third party on their hands.

I read the protest was against the redistribution of wealth.

I for one am happy to see people taking it to the streets. Maybe some folks at BOA, AIG, CTI, GS etc will be just a leeeelte uneasy that someone among the crowd will figure out that the wealth is being redistributed upwards into their pockets.

"Where were they when over four thousands of our best were killed in Iraq"

The very sad part about this is that pro-war demonstrations were organized by, get this, Temple Baptist Church. Which seems to pride itself in being "pro life".

____________________________________
"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse."

there's a threat to Republicans here as well. If they're not careful, they're going to have a third party on their hands.

Worse, they're going to have no party on their hands. It's the disassembling of the party.

And the right wing may feel united in their church or at rallies such as these, in campaigns they will have to have some allies, and right now they have...none.

teabaggers:economics::schiavo protesters:medicine

...am sure you made the same pledge:
In its original form it read:
"I pledge allegiance

Oh effing brother. Give us a break. See Jon Stewart: It's not about tyranny. It's about losing. We were a lot closer to tyranny when the SCOTUS (that's "of the United States" for you grammar school kids) stopped a state vote recount and allowed the guy with the least number of votes to take the office of the President of the United States.

The left wasn't stupid enough to react so stupidly as the tea baggers are doing now, though we would have at least had more reason to whine about tyranny.

These people protesting in public places during business hours need to stop relying on government to coddle them while the rest of us are earning our keep. They need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get a damn job. And I hope they had these public (did I say public?) areas approved as "free speech" zones, limited by whatever our government deems safe and appropriate. As for me, I support The President, especially since we're at war.

I see no change in the marginal tax rates. What tax cut are you referring to? If it's the small change in withholding rates, that's not a tax cut, it's a reduction in your future refund.

To put it simply, despite what the flier says, your additional take home pay right now will be matched by an equal reduction in your refund next year. The total amount of tax you pay for the year remains the same.

That's not a tax cut.

Offsetting the rhetoric, let's look at the Obama administration's projected deficits over the next decade.

(link...)

If you look only at the Administration numbers, that's President Obama's own estimate of deficits for the next 10 years, you see two very amazing things. First, there is not a single year where his deficit is less than any Bush deficit over the last 8 years. Worse, after a brief period of falling deficits programmed to win a second term, the deficits then rise for the next six years, even by the President's own numbers.

Rachel, that's what we are protesting.

This administration plans to borrow more money than any other in history, including the Bush administration. In fact, going by the non partisan Congressional Budget Office, President Obama will run up more debt than all other Presidents combined.

Rachel, that's what we were protesting.

The financial projection for this administration is one that is guaranteed to reduce foreign investment in our country. Ask yourself this simple question: Would you invest in a company that had a balance sheet that looked like Obama's? Without foreign investment to fund our deficits, we will have to print money to cover the gap. The word for that is inflation, and we're about to see inflation on a scale equivalent to Germany in the 1920-30 period, or Brazil in the 1990's. Our currency will lose it's value, and that's not a pretty picture. I saw the cardboard shanty towns outside of Rio.

Rachel, that's what we are protesting.

This administration plans sweeping invasions of our liberty, by seeking control over all businesses, not just those that take government bailout money. I don't want the government to be able to tell me how much I'm allowed to make; that means that if I am intellectually honest, I can't support them telling any other businessman how much he can make. Additionally, the US government is now taking direct control of private businesses, as exemplified by the recent firing of GM's CEO. When the government controls the means of production, that's the text book definition of socialism. He is also interested in taking control of financial institutions deemed, "too big to fail" whether they have taken tax payer money or not.

Rachel, that's what we were protesting.

Obama plans to "skyrocket" (his word) energy rates paid by the consumer through his cap and trade policy in order to fund research into alternative energy. While the end is certainly desirable, the means, particularly in an economy as weak as this one, will be devastating. To make matters worse, he has gutted the market forces that make cap and trade effective by having the government set the price for the credits, rather than the market. This completely removes the incentive for companies to trade credits since they have no economic advantage to do so. Obama plans to spend the billions generated from the cap and trade on research, while rebating a portion to consumers for their increased energy costs. Here's the problem. If, for example, he increases energy costs by $100 per person per month, and spends half of it for research, he can only refund $50 per month to consumers, meaning we end up paying $50 more for electricity per month. Except it won't be $50, because there's always admin costs, you know, so it will be more like $30. And that rebate will be taxed as income.

Rachel, that's what we are protesting.

President Obama went on TV yesterday and blamed the entire financial mess on Wall Street, the insurance companies, and a conservative failure to regulate the housing industry. Never once did he mention that in 2006, Congress was warned that Fanny and Freddie were in deep trouble because of sub prime mortgages. Never once did he mention that the insurance companies gave the debt securities such a high rating because they were backed by the full faith and credit of the US government. Never once did he mention that the sub prime market originated as a direct response to the Community reinvestment act, and the expansion of that act by President Clinton. Never once did he mention the financial irregularities at Freddie that cost Tony Raines his job, and a place in the Obama Cabinet. In short, President Obama got up before the American people and lied.

Rachel, that's what we were protesting.

Incidentally, I wasn't trying to change anybody's mind; I was there, not "supporting the protesters" but as a part of the protest because I believe everything I just wrote. I was trying to find out what the Obama supporters believed, and why they believe it, but as I've found, there are a lot of people who get very uncomfortable when their faith is challenged, and generally, the fewer facts they have to back up their belief, the more uncomfortable they get. I had a couple of really good conversations with Obama supporters today, gentlemen with open minds who were willing to exchange ideas and perspectives. We enjoyed the give and take of ideas without feeling the need to get personal about it. Of course, there were other, briefer conversations as well, including one man who opened a conversation by insinuating that because I was a conservative, I was illiterate.

I didn't waste much time with him.

Incidentally, from my point of view, this protest was much less a left vs right thing than an authoritarian vs libertarian thing. One of the reasons Dems took control of the Congress two years ago was because of conservative dissatisfaction with Republican spending, among other things. When Democrats took the House, they did it on the backs of blue dog Democrats like Heath Shular, who ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility.

I don't care much which party controls the White House or the Congress. I do care about what they do when they get control. Both parties are guilty of acting to reduce my freedom and my liberty, and I don't trust wither of them. Obama is acting rapidly to curtail my freedom, and for that reason, I oppose his agenda, and I don't care what he tries to bribe me with. Some may sell themselves for $12 a week, but I set a far higher price on my freedom.

And one last point. Some of you were out there trying to say that if I supported public services like fire and police, then I was supporting socialism. You have confused social spending with socialism. Socialism is defined as state ownership/control of the means of production in order enforce an egalitarian society. Somehow guys putting our fires for a living doesn't seem to meet that definition, but nice try.

Rachel, I hope this answers your questions.

We do not want and will not allow the United States Republic to be replaced with a social democracy. Not without the biggest fight in the history of this nation.

It isn't all about taxes or spending. It is about the future of the Republic. It is about not tying an anchor around the necks of young people that will have to pay for this insane debt orgy from the social democrats.

You may see it differently. But across the nation, it is very clear. This is only the beginning.

If anyone was skeptical about what Homeland Security is thinking about, the above is your proof of the danger.

The above words are threatening. Not political. Not campaign rhetoric. Not slogans. Just threatening.

So this fight for the future will justify anything in your eyes and your friends' eyes?

So they are flailing at a mass hallucination?

Don't underestimate the power of this garbage.

It was a mass hallucination created, fed, and manipulated by the leaders of Germany that led to the Holocaust. Same thing for Rwanda. Same thing for Oklahoma and 9/11.

Catch the news and the picture of the upside down U.S. flag in Nashville?

This stuff is bad, very, very bad news.

The word for that is inflation, and we're about to see inflation on a scale equivalent to Germany in the 1920-30 period, or Brazil in the 1990's.

Bullshit.

The same guy who concedes that torture, with its extensive and damning paper trail, will be swept under the rug is telling me a mob of fools is a serious problem? If defeatists like you and Pelosi were not giving cover to criminals, the Republican propaganda machine would never have been able to amass moron mobs like we saw today.

I thought that journalists were supposed to get the facts before they made claims of "truth."

You're making a lot of assumptions about me that are simply unfounded.

And I don't get the last part. How are Pelosi and I "giving cover to criminals?"

I simply told you what's likely to happen with the torure issue. If you interpret that as advocacy, you must have missed something important in Journalism 101.

If you want a debate, go somewhere else on this board and quit trying to take something I said and make an issue out of it when it's clearly a non-issue.

Rich, 9, and their pals need to dial back the hate a few notches. Seriously, for the good of the country. Obama won. Get over it. You guys had your dream team in there for eight years, remember? As Randy put it best, that was the train wreck. To the extent that President Obama is doing things differently, it's what the electorate ordered. Why do you guys hate democracy? Rich? 9?

Nine and Rich said the same thing. The difference was the number of words. I don't want this to be like France. Who wants 60% taxes?

As a lurker I am constantly amazed at how easily and quickly the people here start hurling slurs and insults at any one who has a difference of opinion and then rant about the hate spewed by the conservatives. If an objective third party were analyze the comments offered by the regulars here the results would verify that true hate mongers are alive and well in Knoxville. They aren't all conservatives either. You guys make Rush and Hannity look like saints. It would be really nice if you folks could learn how to disagree without being so mean, nasty, and ugly. I come here to hear the liberal point of view but all I see is a lot of name calling and mud slinging. If you want to be taken seriously, try talking about our beliefs without being so angry and ugly to one another.

It is really unfortunate that we have reached a point in our politics that party take precedence over what is good for the country. It is really dragging our country down.

"It would be really nice if you folks could learn how to disagree without being so mean, nasty, and ugly."

I agree, nobody. But if you look closely, you will see that the insults are being hurled by only a small number of posters.

Rich, I agree with you about inflation being the probable result, that is if we don't suffer an economic meltdown.

I hate to see people lay the blame for this crisis at the feet of the CRA. Do you have cites for the "expansion under Clinton" ? CRA was instated to stop redlining in poor neighborhoods, which have lower housing costs. By my reckoning, any defaults due to CRA would be a drop in the bucket. The big losses come from the high priced new subdivisions and speculative condos.

BTW, at the time, Fanny and Freddy didn't have the full faith backing of the US government. Thus no reason for the AAA. Plus the rating co.s were giving AAA to other bonds as well. If you believe in the free market, as I do, I hope you believe in the free exchange of information. There would have been very few pensioners and foriegn governments investing in these junk bonds had they known their real value. Without the junk bonds the housing market would not have inflated to the point where foreclosure became a major issue.

____________________________________
"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse."

The event concluded with a march to the John J. Duncan Federal Building, where veterans and anyone else interested were encouraged to take an oath to "uphold the Constitution."

(link...)

An oath? Like the military?

Tennesseans have no right to complain when it comes to federal taxes (link...)

The proclaimed basis of this rally is that between those still in shock from last November, and those who don't really have lives other than looking for the next thing to fear (the next Y2K is a ways off) or hate, is really nonexistent for the people of Tennessee.

Bet he wasn't screaming in his pillow while Bush was spending $200 million/day off budget for his little "6 weeks maybe, I doubt 6 months" invasion of a country not responsible for 9/11. And there were trillions more spent then that was just fine. "Reagan proved deficits don't matter," etc.

Here's a thought. Obama is war president too. So he can pretty much do anything, right? Or IOKIYAR? The fun thing is that we can hang them with only their own words and logic, such as it is.

About the only thing all this teabag frenzy demonstrated was the remarkable number of gullible Americans who actually believe that the propaganda machine of Ronald Reagan's brain is a news outlet.

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We have seen this future.

This same core was inspired by Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber.

The two people that pushed away moderates and Independents in droves on election day.

The GOP needs to seriously ask itself if it wants to continue to be led in this direction by these people, because as November proved, the tea-partying groups will lead to the continuing marginalization of the GOP, and it's message.