Widgetized Section
Go to Admin » Appearance » Widgets » and move Gabfire Widget: Social into that MastheadOverlay zone
Tea Party Patriots Not Obama Are the Real Faces of Tyranny
The shooting rampage in Tucson last week has re-ignited the debate on gun control with the regular cast of characters on each side passionately making their arguments for either sensible gun control or wild west gunslinger mentality. There is though, another side to the gun-control issue that involves insurrection and outright revolution against the government of the United States and therein lies the danger.
There has been a chorus of voices proclaiming that the 2nd Amendment was included in the Bill of Rights for the sole purpose of armed revolt against a tyrannical government, but the Founding Fathers certainly did not include any language to support that claim. The text of the amendment says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” There is no mention of tyrannical government or revolution in the text of the amendment; just the right to possess firearms for a well-regulated militia.
At the time the 2nd Amendment was adopted, America did not have an army per se, so the Founders included the “well-regulated” militia, and when they included the “security of a free State” phrase, they meant the entire country; not individual states. The outrage by members of the tea party and many Republicans over the Federal government’s alleged overreaching into state’s rights has given rise to the “tenther” movement who claim that individual states have the right to ignore Federal laws. The provocateurs of the tenther movement have convinced the tea party faithful that President Obama’s legislative agenda is tyrannical and therefore infringing on state’s rights, thus prompting calls for “second amendment remedies” and incitement for citizens to be “armed and dangerous” to resist enforcement of federal laws.
The mysterious part of the equation is the tyranny that the tea party accuses President Obama of perpetuating on the country and particularly the individual states. It would be easy to say that the anger and alleged tyranny is the result of the Affordable Health Care Act, but the accusations began before the measure was signed into law. Even if the tea party groups considered the law tyrannical, they are not justified in complaining because the Congress was legally elected and legally passed the bill. If there is any wrongdoing at all, it is the instigators who are inciting violent revolution against the government that followed the rules of the Constitution in passing the health care law.
So the question for the tea party is; how is President Obama a tyrant? Is it because the Congress passed laws he supported according to the Constitution? Is it because the Democrats controlled both houses and passed laws that President Obama supported? Or is it because President Obama is an African-American? Since the tea party and Republicans are such staunch supporters of the Constitution and the rule of law, the only reason they call President Obama a tyrant is because of his race. There is no other possible reason.
Although the tea party patriots carried signs that proclaimed they were “taxed enough already,” and more signs proclaiming the Socialist agenda they felt the president was pushing, they were absolutely wrong on both counts. The president gave them tax cuts as soon as he took office, and his Centrist policies are far from being Socialism. They hate the idea that an African-American is sitting in the Oval Office, and it explains the birther movement perfectly.
It is not unusual for the minority party to complain about the president or make unrealistic accusations, but it is unusual to threaten armed insurrection as a means of changing the government. A great deal of the blame can be attributed to legislators who incite their followers as a means of fomenting anger at any measure that the opposition party passes into law. It is unprecedented that a sitting legislator would encourage her constituents to violence by saying she wants Minnesotans to be “armed and dangerous” in case the government enforced Federal laws. Michelle Bachmann should be tried and convicted of treason and inciting her constituents to insurrection for her remarks. Bachmann is not the only guilty party. Sarah Palin uses gun metaphors to incite her racist supporters in the tea party the same way the failed senatorial candidate Sharron Angle did in Nevada. The list of politicians who suggest that violent rebellion or secession is a valid solution to the government is long, and the guilty parties seem to come from the South which coincides with the demographic of gun owners.
Whether it is Texas Governor Rick Perry who said that secession is a viable option to change the government, or South Carolina Congressmen Jeff Duncan and Mick Mulvaney who espouse armed conflict to protect liberty and state’s rights guaranteed in the 10th Amendment; the calls for armed rebellion are inciting disgruntled citizens toward a civil war. The politicians who swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and incite violence against the government are guilty of treason and must be brought to justice.
As the events in Tucson showed last week, words have consequences and when there is more bloodshed, the instigators will claim it is the person who pulls the trigger who is ultimately to blame and at some level that is true. However, politicians are elected to legislate and govern, not to call for violence against the government. In the 1960s, Charles Manson provoked his followers to murder several innocent people and he will spend the rest of his life in prison even though he was not present when the murders were committed. It should be no different for elected officials. When the first shot is fired, Bachmann, Perry, Palin, Angle and the two saps from South Carolina should be summarily arrested and convicted as if they pulled the trigger themselves.
President Obama and his legislative achievements are not popular with every person in the country, but he is certainly no tyrant. He is a Centrist who has worked for all the American people and has not forced any laws down the country’s throat like Republicans claim. The Republicans and tea party patriots who call Obama a tyrant are doing anything possible to de-legitimize him, and apparently if that means starting a civil war or armed insurrection against the government, so be it. The apropos question is; who are the real tyrants? They are the people who promote guns and violence against the legally elected President of the United States. The Founding Fathers would be appalled at Republicans and tea party patriots for subverting the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment – and for inciting violent revolution.
Related Posts :
The tragic events in Arizona yesterday are a sad indication of the state of America's political landscap ...
The Second Amendment to the Constitution says, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security ...
When understandings between people in a society prove insufficient to maintain social order, governments ...
An error stemming from ignorance, misinformation, or sheer delusion is sometimes labeled a formal fall ...
It has been 150 years since the Confederacy of Southern States seceded from the United States of America ...
11 Responses to Tea Party Patriots Not Obama Are the Real Faces of Tyranny
Public Service Advertisements
Shiva (Moderator)
Jan. 16th, 2011 at 10:36 am
This BS about a tyrannical government is just that. BS. It is a straw man arguement. the tyranny would come from the ones who want to overthrow the govt. The 2nd amendment and taxation is just an excuse to start trouble.
The real problem here is they are trying to get the people riled up, but what happens if a Republican is elected? Does the government suddenly become not tryanical?
Any group wanting to get themselves into power has its agenda. The run of the mill tea party member thinks he knows what he is fighting for when he really doesn’t. The republicans are fighting for the financial entities who want power. ANY group wanting to control the government that works outside the laws of government will be tyrannical to maintain its position. Point in question, the article Sarah wrote on the Dominists
crystalwolfakacaligrl
Jan. 16th, 2011 at 11:09 am
The whole thing is BS! Gov “Good hair” he want to secede until someone firebombs his Gov Mansion and wants federal funds to rebuild. Or a hurricane hits, gimme federal funds!
Of course that is what Federal funds are for, to help the people. But this teabagger stuff is all busllshit. All of it any of it!
Most of the teabagger states/Red States get the highest federal funding! So much hypocrisy is disgusting! :o
Martha
Jan. 16th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
There has never been THIS type of rhetoric from the politicians of the left EVER.
These are DIRECT THREATS that would have ordinary citizens arrested.
They premise these threats, on their claim that the “Obama government” is tyrannical, Socialist, Communist, Marxist, is instituting “death panels” for the aged and infirm, is “not Christian”, the list of accusations is exhausting!
Can you IMAGINE the outrage if anyone from the left HAD said anything like the following about the right?;
Michelle Bachmann wanted her followers “armed and dangerous” to support her cause, she said so on National TV MULTIPLE times.
Sharon Angle said that people would have to use “second amendment remedies” to “take Harry Reid out” if the election didn’t go their way.
And the very WORST was Florida’s Joyce Kaufman, conservative radio talk show host.
Rep. Allen West hired her as his chief of staff a week after the Nov. 2, 2010, election.
Allan West also made the insane claim that he has “higher security clearance than Obama”.
Allen West hired her knowing full well what she said, he did not fire her AND he did not want her to resign but she did.
“And then the Founding Fathers were ever so brilliant — and I don’t care how this gets painted by the mainstream media, I don’t care if this shows up on YouTube — because I am convinced that the most important thing the Founding Fathers did to ensure me my First Amendment rights is they gave me a Second Amendment,” Kaufman said, referring to the constitutional amendment that speaks of gun rights.
“And if ballots don’t work, bullets will,” Kaufman said, as people in the crowd reacted by clapping. One person is heard saying “Absolutely,” and another says “Amen.”
“I never in my life thought that the day would come where I would tell individual citizens that you are responsible for being the militia that the Founding Fathers designed,” she said. “They were very specific. You need to be prepared to fight tyranny, whether it comes from outside, or whether it comes from inside.”
Folks that listen to this bellowing from FOX news and rightwing radio on a daily basis, are being deliberately brainwashed.
Even former republican congressman Joe Scarborough, said on his program “Morning Joe”, that his relatives that listen only to FOX news believed all of their outrageous
claims and it was hard to convince them otherwise, even faced with facts.
It is high time that they are held accountable for their rhetoric.
It seems the only way to do this, with media personalities, is petition their advertising sponsors until their programs are dropped.
And the only way to do this with politicians is complain by letters, e-mails and phone calls to local and national law authorities, directly to the politicians, their house and senate leaders and local and national media and finally to the Whitehouse.
Craft a complaint, express your concerns and issue it to all of the above every time you know of violent rhetoric being used.
Encourage your family and friends to do the same.
Travis
Jan. 16th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Unfortunately for you, you misinterpret the Second Amendment. It merely uses the “well regulated militia” as an EXAMPLE as to why the right of the people to be armed shall not be infringed.
Also note, it doesn’t mention anything about the mentally ill, criminals, or any other group being prohibited from owning firearms.
So your argument about tyranny is invalid if you want to start mentioning things that aren’t specifically noted in the Second Amendment.
Rmuse
Jan. 22nd, 2011 at 1:40 am
Once again it appears the article wasn’t clear. To answer your comment about why militia is included in the amendment; from the article, second paragraph, last sentence: “just the right to possess firearms for a well-regulated militia.” Happy now?
Jessica
Jan. 16th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
Wonderful article; well-written and very insightful. I, too, find the hypocrisy in the Tea party idealogy disgusting. Quite frankly, they terrify me–not necessarily because they are gun-toting hate mongers, but also because of the influence they are starting to have in other political areas. What I find horrifying is their demand to rewrite history, ignoring the roots of our country to fit their political agenda. As an educator and mother, this sends chills up my spine.
I also find it insane that while someone from the Middle East is deemed a terrorist for wanting to use firearms and weaponry to bring down our government (and rightly so!), they seem to think a white American doing the very same thing is a patriot. Or a kid who goes to school and claims he is going to shoot the place down is seen as mentally unstable, but a politican who does it is viewed as a hero. When will the Tea party and other far-right-wingers be held accountable for their actions? How many more tragedies like the one in Arizona until someone puts an end to the Tea party?
I keep hoping they will go away, and the longer they stick around, the more scared I get for the future of our country. Their racism, hatred, and total ignorance of any facts are such steps backwards for America. The Tea party has no place in the political arena of the real United States.
neil
Jan. 17th, 2011 at 10:17 am
There is no doubt that the righties will not back off on their rhetoric and there is no doubt that we will have more instances like the Tucson shootings and the Oklahoma City bombings.These people think God is on their side and they have a right to do whatever they deem necessary to make things go to their point of view.Scary indeed,the only question of any of this is when.
James Howley
Jan. 21st, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Are you serious: I thought I was reading CNN! I hope you don’t mind me saying you may be responsible for the recent noticeable lack of REAL NEWS!
Irrelevant
Feb. 2nd, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Hmmm as an outsider, an European, progressive AND patriotic liberal (doh! of course) I can only say: why do you let the GOPS and now the “Tea-baggers”, whom over and over again FAIL to get their historical analysis right of 1776, hi-jack your political discourse? This ranting, anti-constitutional, ignorant and separatistic movement of fear mongering people have no sense of what they are ranting about. I just watched a whole Glenn Beck episode for the first time in my life, I regret it. Because he was not satirizing the right wingers. His over-didactic chalk-board “lectures” are truly an example of a 6th graders political analysis. Post Watergate, we should also know that they have no respect of democracy, the constitution or a true concept of freedom for all.
“No Sarah Pahlin, you are not a patriot. Your views are separatist and disrupting to the foundations of our union. You get that, Sarah, UNITED states of America. And no Sarah you are not an advocate of liberty and individual choice when you only present schoolkids the chocolate bar as a protest against “Big Gov”, You have to show them the carrots as well. You get that? Carrots or Chocolate Bar, veggie or candy = choice. What you did is an example of quite the opposite, Stalin would have loved you Palin.
When Sarah Palin says “I do not like Big Gov” – You should ask her, but you love Big Oil Funded By Big Gov? And what the hell, a massive military-industrial complex á billions of tax dollars IS NOT BIG GOVERNMENT?????
And for G’ds sake, Fox News are not to blame. It is not up to a national broadcasting company to educate the masses, they are just an effect of the discourse itself.
Shiva (Moderator)
Feb. 2nd, 2011 at 6:17 pm
I am afraid you are totally correct. But how to fight our entire media because they are the ones who determine the political discourse.
Fell-to-the-left
Feb. 3rd, 2011 at 1:25 am
Good grief! Rmuse, you really are out in left field. I fell into many crevasses when trying to follow your logic from point a to point b. Let me run this through again: since Obama acted within the law (your claim) , and that the Tea Party and Republicans support the Constitution, the only explanation is that the Republicans are racist. Come again???? Are you sure there are no other conclusions to be drawn here??? Not because Obama has spoken out from both sides of his mouth? Maybe because he lied multiple times and can’t be trusted any more? Maybe because he has knee-jerk reactions when law enforcement might be picking on a minority class but can’t speak up when his cabinet member fails to comply with federal tax laws? Maybe because he has associations with people who hate America? Yeah, if that was me, I probably would not get a security clearance. Might it be because he force fed the Health Care Bill to us before we had a chance to see what was in it? Might it be because he looks down his nose at everyone else (remember the snide remark to McCain)? Those are just a few that just adds up – enough already.
You claim there are politicians that are responsible for inciting violence. Instead of refuting, I’ll take a different approach. You, and others, speak of hipocracy. I got one: if they are advocating violence as you claim, then your great President did the same. Oh yes, he did. You know how the Egyptian streets are filled with protesters that is causing personal injuries and property being destroyed, fires burning, american news reporters getting injured. Well, here is what ABC news website has that your great Obama said: Obama also praised the peaceful demonstrators in Egypt, calling them an “inspiration to people around the world.”
Peaceful????? An inspiration???? What planet is he living on?!?!?!?!?!?