I’m looking forward to getting down to my old stomping grounds again. Although I grew up in Atlanta, my family’s from Alabama and I graduated from Jacksonville (Ala.) State University, so I’ve got lots of friends and family I hope to see during my trip.
Other Alabama Tea Party events are scheduled in Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Trussville, Tuscaloosa and Auburn. By the way, here’s a T-shirt I designed for the occasion, incorporating the state flag. Click on the image to buy one:
My wife’s suspicious I’m going down to Alabama to look up some of my old girlfriends, but I told her not to worry about that — it’s the new girlfriends she’s got to be worried about. (LOL. Just a joke, honey. Put down that butcher knife.) Now, cue the theme song:
As some of you may have noticed in the sidebar, plans are being sketched in for the Alabama Tea Party, part of the big April 15 nationwide event. This is my trip to Alabama I first mentioned a few days ago, and for which I’m now trying to raise money. (Thanks to everyone who’s hit the tip jar so far.)
In telephone discussions with one of the organizers, I get the idea that a whole series of events is planned April 15-19. Huntsville, Birmingham and Montgomery have been mentioned. Also, there is an event in Atlanta that I’ll be attending during that week. So get in touch and mark your calenders. And if you don’t want to hit the tip jar (although you should), you can at least buy a T-shirt with this design:
The slogan on the design (incorporating the Alabama state flag) is something I’ve been saying about Ordinary Americans, that what America needs most now is the common sense of common people. Click on the logo to purchase the shirts. Proceeds from sales go to help your favorite greedy capitalist blogger. WOLVERINES!
When you get some money, organization, professionalism, and a little more realism, come back and see me.
Rick points out that, with more than 8,000 conservatives at CPAC, only about 300 turned out for the White House event. But this says nothing about the merits of the Tea Party movement, as such, nor does it mean that CPAC attendees were not interested in the movement. To the second point: People come to CPAC for the speeches and other events; they pay money for that experience; they’re not going to skip a Newt Gingrich speech or book signing to attend something else.
Rick doesn’t seem to believe that opposition to Obamanomics could ever become a decisive groundswell. And he is entitled to that opinion. But to say that such opposition is not now a groundswell does not mean it will never become one.
As for Rick’s snark about the lack of “money, organization, professionalism” behind the Tea Party protests — huh? Why wait until professional organizers get interested? I remember when the DC Chapter of Free Republican organized the “Get Out of Cheney’s House” protests at the Naval Observatory in 2000. They didn’t get 300 people. They had no money nor any “professionalism.” But we know that those protests had an impact.
In general, conservatives don’t do the “protest” thing. (We’ve got jobs.) So if the protesters at the White House numbered only 300, that’s significant of a much larger discontent.
Protesters angry over a deadly New Year’s Day shooting of a young black man by a transit police officer erupted into violence in downtown Oakland on Wednesday night while investigators struggled to determine what prompted the officer to fire his gun into the unarmed man’s back. After an afternoon of peaceful demonstrations and a memorial service, protests turned chaotic after dark as a small clutch of protesters set trash cans and cars afire and busted windows on police cruisers and storefronts. Police in riot gear responded with tear gas and billy clubs and at least 14 arrests were made, according to local television reports.
Exactly what political message is sent by smashing storefront windows? What does that have to do with the transit police? And, while we’re at it, is it the policy of the transit police to gun down innocent civilians? Or do the rioters suppose that this shooting would be swept under the rug unless they smashed windows and burned cars?
BTW, why do they call them “protesters”? I’ve seen lots of protesters — they march around carrying signs and shouting slogans. People who smash windows are vandals, not protesters. There is a difference.
UPDATE: If you think smashing storefront windows is an ineffective response to police brutality, you are a “terrible person” — like me! But what is the point of victimizing shop owners who surely disapproved of the shooting of Oscar Grant?
The mob smashed the windows at Creative African Braids on 14th Street, and a woman walked out of the shop holding a baby in her arms. “This is our business,” shouted Leemu Topka, the black owner of the salon she started four years ago. “This is our shop. This is what you call a protest?”
UPDATE II: This business of making excuses for vandalism — and denouncing me and Leemu Topka for our objections — would inspire me to a full-on rant, if I weren’t busy doing something else. Excuse me if I’m having a hard time imagining that, were it not for the mindless violence of the vandals, the shooting of Oscar Grant would be excused by MayorRon Dellums. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Apologists for “the riot ideology” ought to read The Future Once Happened Here by that terrible person, Fred Siegel.
As family and friends of Oscar Grant III pleaded for peace Thursday afternoon, broken glass was being cleaned up from the previous night’s disturbances in downtown Oakland, burned cars were towed away, and some business owners — fearing a repeat of the violence — made plans for nightfall, closing early and sending employees home. “I am begging the citizens to not use violent tactics anymore,” said Grant’s mother, an emotional Wanda Johnson, who appeared with about 30 of Grant’s relatives and friends at a news conference called by attorney John Burris at his East Oakland office building. . . . Police estimate at least $150,000 in damage resulted from the scattered violence that broke out late Wednesday night after an originally peaceful protest about Grant’s killing moved from the Fruitvale BART station to the downtown area. Splinter groups — many not related to the original protest — fanned out, breaking store windows, setting fire to at least five cars including an Oakland police patrol car and smashing windshields of parked cars.
It is being reported (see the SF Chronicle story linked earlier) that the vandalism was instigated by people affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist Party. Which would not be remotely surprising, if you know anything about Bob Avakian and the RCP, considered vile scum even by their fellow Commies.
There are at least two amateur videos that captured the shooting of Grant. The videos are low-quality, but it appears that, immediately after Grant had been subdued and handcuffed, the offending officer stood up, unholstered his pistol and shot the kid. Utterly senseless, and some commenters at Reason have suggested perhaps the officer intended to pull his Taser and instead pulled his pistol. Which would be stupid beyond imagination, but what else can be expected in an attempt to explain the inexplicable? At any rate, here’s the video:
They wouldn’t identify themselves, but those instigators wore bandanas on their faces and seemed more intent on provoking confrontations and throwing stuff at police than truly having their voices heard.
“The objective is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure in the area of operations,” said Israel Defense Forces Major Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, confirming that incursions were under way. “We are going to take some of the launch areas used by Hamas.” . . . Large numbers of forces are taking part in this stage of the operation including infantry, tanks, engineering forces, artillery and intelligence with the support of the Israel Air Force, Israel navy, the Shin Bet security service and other security agencies. Meanwhile, the cabinet has authorized an emergency call up of tens of thousands of IDF reservists.
Meanwhile (via Ace), in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., hundreds of pro-Hamas protesters show their humanitarian civility:
But it’s worth the speculation just to note that in addition to dancing, homosexuality, rock music and the clitoris, the would-be global caliphate has also declared war on juice. Not that it affects me. Atkins and all. But I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t drink a nice cool glass of Cran-Grape.
A National Protest Against Prop 8 organized by JoinTheImpact.com is scheduled for this Saturday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opponents say donated more than $20 million to the Yes on 8 campaign, has already become a focus of protests, with demonstrators gathered around Mormon temples not only in California but across the country. . . . African-Americans, 70% of whom voted yes on Proposition 8, according to a CNN exit poll, have become a target. According to eyewitness reports published on the Internet, racial epithets have been used against African-Americans at protests in California, directed even at blacks who are fighting to repeal Proposition 8. . . . On AntiGayBlacklist.com, individuals who gave money toward Proposition 8 are publicized, with readers urged not to patronize their businesses or services. The list of donors was culled from data on ElectionTrack.com, which follows all contributions of over $1,000 and all contributions of over $100 given before October 17. Dentists, accountants, veterinarians and the like who gave a few thousand dollars to the cause are listed alongside major donors like the Container Supply Co., Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif., which gave $250,000. “Anyone who steps into a political fight aimed at taking away fundamental rights from fellow citizens opens themselves up to criticism,” said [gay radical terrorist leader Evan] Wolfson.
Brownshirt tactics and economic terrorism in the name of “tolerance”? Evan Wolfson is nothing but a latter-day Ernst Rohm. If this is what they’re like when they lose, what will they be like if they win?
You can download a PDF flier here. Among those featured will be Birmingham talk-radio stars Matt Murphy of WAPI (1070 AM), Steve and Leah of WERC (960 AM) and Lee Davis of WXJC (850 AM/92.5 FM) who will be broadcasting live from the event. Also featured will be Tim James, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2010.
