Top Ten Provably Untrue Things Tea Partiers Believe

[Walter Ego]

From the Washington Post. More from the authors at Crooks and Liars.

1. The birth-certificate conspiracy.
2. Death panels.
3. Obama is a Muslim/Socialist/Fascist.
4. Obama is going to take away our guns.
5. Obama is raising our taxes.
6. Fascism is a left-wing phenomenon.
7. Global warming is a hoax.
8. Some 16,000 new IRS agents will enforce the new health care reform act by throwing you in jail.
9. Two million people were at the 9/12 March on Washington.
10. The Tea Parties are a non-partisan, broad grassroots movement.

Interesting that the majority of these beliefs are conspiracy theories. The right-wingers are the leading promoters of CTs these days. And, unlike the 9/11 truthers, they're succeeding in pushing this crap into the mainstream.

 

[marplots]

I wonder if someone could do us the service of posting 10 provably true things the TEA party believes?

 

[Ladewig]

And at least five police officers died because the suspects they were arresting feared Obama was going to take away their guns.

That seems like a somewhat broad claim. I think the authors are referring to the three police officers shot in Pittsburgh on April 4, 2009. Does anyone know who the other two are?

 

[NorfolkAtheist]

That seems like a somewhat broad claim. I think the authors are referring to the three police officers shot in Pittsburgh on April 4, 2009. Does anyone know who the other two are?

Possibly this shootout from a couple days ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/us/23arkansas.html?scp=4&sq=arkansas&st=cse

 

[Ladewig]

Possibly this shootout from a couple days ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/us/23arkansas.html?scp=4&sq=arkansas&st=cse

In researching that shooting, I came across a follow up story in which an anti-government friend of of these two shooters predicts that there will be more police deaths. Disgusting.

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/mos...-High-Alert-after/DS134y9jX0O-nceaKsgfbQ.cspx

 

[Spindrift]

I wonder if someone could do us the service of posting 10 provably true things the TEA party believes?

The lack of an answer is the answer to your question.

 

[marplots]

It's hard to evaluate a thing when the community has already done so in my absence.

 

[wufwugy]

I wonder if someone could do us the service of posting 10 provably true things the TEA party believes?

1. Breathing keeps you alive
2. When I put one foot in front of other foot, I walk
3. Sitting in a chair can be comfortable
4. Hair grows on top of head
5. Food goes in mouth
6. Laughing is different than crying
7. Nighttime is dark
8. Television is electronic
9. Getting punched in the face might cause bruise
10. It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again

 

[Horatius]

1. Breathing keeps you alive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drowning

2. When I put one foot in front of other foot, I walk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running

3. Sitting in a chair can be comfortable

http://www.medievality.com/chair.html

4. Hair grows on top of head

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldness

5. Food goes in mouth

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=...e=off&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&ei=XFD8S-mcIaWVOLn6scIB

6. Laughing is different than crying

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laugh_Now,_Cry_Later

7. Nighttime is dark

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/245476507_d9ea1d0b8f.jpg

8. Television is electronic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_television

9. Getting punched in the face might cause bruise

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=...e=off&sa=X&tbs=isch:1&ei=TFH8S7aiC5GbOMSHpNcB

10. It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again

Okay, I'll give you that one.

 

[MaGZ]

6. Fascism is a left-wing phenomenon.

Recently the Obama Administration on two occasions said they would keep their boot on the neck of BP petroleum.

That sounds like fascist rhetoric to me.

 

[peptoabysmal]

You could probably find some of them still looking for the shooter behind the grassy knoll.

I do like their three core values:

1. Fiscal Responsibility
2. Constitutionally Limited Government
3. Free Markets

http://www.teapartypatriots.org/Mission.aspx

 

[BaaBaa]

6. Fascism is a left-wing phenomenon.

Recently the Obama Administration on two occasions said they would keep their boot on the neck of BP petroleum.

That sounds like fascist rhetoric to me.

So, you're a democrat?

 

[drkitten]

6. Fascism is a left-wing phenomenon.

Recently the Obama Administration on two occasions said they would keep their boot on the neck of BP petroleum.

That sounds like fascist rhetoric to me.

Really? I thought you disproved of Obama. If you think that he's going to help establish the Nazi fascist regime you long for, I'm afraid you're likely to be disappointed.

 

[BenBurch]

6. Fascism is a left-wing phenomenon.
...

So, you are a far leftist, then?

 

[Tricky]

6. Fascism is a left-wing phenomenon.

Let's see

From the American Heritage Dictionary.

"Fascism - A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism."

Okay, let's look

"Fascism - A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, "


Nope. No dictator. Quite a bit less authoritarian than the previous administration. Had to try every trick in the book to get health care passed, even with majorities in both houses. Obama meets regularly with the opposing party, something Bush hardly ever did.

" ...stringent socioeconomic controls, "

In a minor way perhap. Trying to recover from the tanking economy caused by deregulation and that means more controls. I'll give you this one, but it's very iffy.

" ...suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship"

Not even close. The Obama administration has given far more access to the press than any administration in the last half century. Terror? Get serious.

"...and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism."

Um... I believe that beligerent nationalism is more the tactic of the Republican Party. They ridiculed and tried to silence dissenting voices, like the Dixie Chicks and Bruce Springstein. They continually lose minority voters because of their disregard for and scapegoating other races. They lambasted our own allies for not agreeing to join in a pointless war. I don't think the French have forgotten "cheese-eating surrender monkeys". Nationalism? It is what the GOP thrives on, even to the point of jingoism.

So if the left is fascist, the right is far more so.

 

[Thunder]

Fascism and Communism do have a lot in common.

Police state, strong economic controls, no political opposition, terror, mass purges.

But...Communism typically does not strive for dictatorship. And there is some form of government representation of districts..etc.

Communism is also very strongly anti-private property, privately owned and operated businesses, corporations, etc etc...while Fascism typically worked WITH corporations and allowed private property and businesses.

In my understanding, the MAIN difference between Fascism and Communism..is in their economic philosophies and structure of society. This is something modern day Conservatives always fail to comprehend..and I believe this is on purpose.

 

[applecorped]

Sez you!!!

 

[peptoabysmal]

I believe that the end of the far right if brought to it's ultimate goal is fascism and the end of the far left if brought to it's ultimate goal is communism. Both extreme ideologies have killed and tortured millions. IMO both ends tend to bring about an uber affluence to their privileged members while bringing an uber poverty to their citizens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_left

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_right

Yes, I realize these are not the best articles for a reference, so sue me.