Tempest in a tea pot: Hub City teabaggers steep in anti-tax fury
Hundreds of Acadiana residents assembled in Putnam Park across from the federal courthouse in downtown Lafayette for a TEA party, one of thousands held nationwide that kept Fox News spellbound for the better part of tax-deadline day. TEA is an acronym for Taxed Enough Already and makes allusion to the Boston Tea Party; it's a protest against government spending, burgeoning deficits, bank and auto bailouts, the roll back of the Bush tax cuts, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
Because the organizers of the Lafayette TEA event failed to secure a permit in the prescribed time, they were unable to erect a stage or use a public-address system. Instead, speakers took turns using a bull horn to address the crowd. Based on the signs carried by participants, their grievances were many: anti-stimulus spending, complaints of encroaching socialism, one branding Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel a fascist. The gathering, however, was peaceful, if not energetic, watched over at the margins by Lafayette Police officers and curious onlookers and fussed over with live coverage by local news channels.
The tea bag movement has been the object of derision and humor among many on the left, in part for its earnestness, but also because of its unintended reference to a certain sexual activity practiced by gay men. Organizers of some TEA gatherings had urged supporters to be wary of liberals with video cameras trying to capitalize on the double meaning of the term “tea bagging.” A YouTube video viewed more than 78,000 times makes reference to the entendre. Be warned: The video gets a bit salty at times.
I didn't attend any of these "grassroots" "protests," because their issues are not my cup of tea - but I do take some issue with calling these TEA bag parties. I think it's just a TEA party, like the Boston Tea Party; in substance, it's nothing like it at all, but that was the allusion they were going for. So, inserting "bag" in there seems a little inaccurate and perhaps a bit cavalier with the facts. Whatever you think of these events and the folks who attend them - Rip Van Winkles of government spending - you should at least call them what they call themselves and not take a leap in the sake of humor.
... written by JP , April 16, 2009 - 04:30 pm
I definitely agree that middle class taxes should be cut, but this TEA party business is a charade. The idea of a modern-day tea party was originated by people supporting Ron Paul for president, but has been hijacked by corporate lobbying groups for their own partisan interests. The main lobbying group is FreedomWorks and this TEA party masquerade was spearheaded by Dick Armey who is embedded with banking and defense interests and general neocon delusions. These TEA parties were not grassroots, they were an astroturf mockery of a noble idea by partisan hacks...and that's the reason it is now being covered by mainstream "news" networks like Faux News. Where was the coverage when Ron Paul and the true grassroots people were doing it?
... written by CC , April 16, 2009 - 05:13 pm
I DID attend a rally - aka. a grassroots protest (no quotes necessary) - and had been planning to for quite awhile, long before Santelli's CNBC rant and before Fox saw the news-worthiness of the events. These things have been taking place for many years actually(can ANYONE do their homework?) but those who actually pay taxes have, on average, generally been focused on other things or not sufficiently outraged enough to come out in large numbers. After all, these are people who are not compensated to be there like at many other "protests", instead some lost money because they had to take time off from work on a Wednesday in order to attend - myself included. That said - I couldn't agree more with the previous comment. Making the "bag" joke a focus of the coverage is unprofessional, sophmoric, arbitrary and derisive; conduct unbecoming of a journalist.
... written by Lu , April 16, 2009 - 05:21 pm
Why did so many TEA parties fail to get the proper permits? I mean that is just something that everyone know you have to do, like paying taxes......oh, wait....uhmm, nevermind
... written by Walter Pierce, Managing Editor , April 16, 2009 - 05:25 pm
Sorry guys, but tea bags have been a prop in the "grassroots" movement for some time now. Wasn't there a mass mailing of tea bags to Washington, D.C.? It is a satellite phenomenon, hence the use of it as a source of humor on The Daily Show and elsewhere. To run from it now, or pretend it does not exist, is disingenuous.
... written by Phil , April 16, 2009 - 06:24 pm
I went because I want Congress to realize I am not happy with the poor job they have been doing. Not because of some machine.
... written by Hugo Chavez , April 16, 2009 - 06:26 pm
I agree with one of those who protested...Joey Durel and Lafayette Parish Council are FASCISTS !! Lafayette Consolidated Government is ILLEGAL !!! IT WAS DEFEATED BY PARISH VOTERS !!!
... written by CC , April 16, 2009 - 07:44 pm
Excuse me editor: Nobody is "running" from a joke but we are not talking about some late-night cable comedy show (or ANY comedy show). We are, however, talking about supposedly professional journalism. To make a joke the equal of coverage is a fair example of biased "psudo-journalism". I mean - for crying out loud - you've got a youtube link in order to press the mock home. Did you have to go to school to learn how to do that?
... written by Walter Pierce , April 16, 2009 - 07:59 pm
Your anger is unbecoming, CC, and yes, I had to go to school to learn how to do that. But seriously, I wrote about an event (the TEA party at Putnam Park) and about a nationwide joke related to it (the "tea bag" double entendre); two paragraphs about the event, one paragraph about the joke. Is that not fair and balanced?
... written by turner pj , April 16, 2009 - 08:12 pm
Walt, in your defense, its totally unfair of CC to question your journalistic acumen. I don't, I never considered you to be a journalist. So, no surprise at anything you guys print. At least you surprisingly didn't mention Vitter's name one time.
... written by Walter Pierce , April 16, 2009 - 08:20 pm
Um, thanks, turner pj. Now I'm stepping out of this comment section for ever and anon. Fire away if y'all must; my skin is thick. I must confess before retiring that the staff member whose blog generates the most comments gets a daily prize, and thanks to you wonderful people, I'll walk away with a pack of Juicy Fruit gum today! O, and one last thing, turner pj, "Vitter!"
... written by Kim Wescott , April 16, 2009 - 09:26 pm
Tempest in a teapot, indeed. Poorly organized, tepidly attended, but as American as apple pie. While I do not, and never will agree with the tea types, it is their right to assemble and speak their minds. Mercifully, they seem to be done now...except for the absurd ad hominem attacks on the Ind's managing editor's exercise of his own right to speak his mind. Apparently free speech is only their cup of tea when they are doing the speaking.
... written by JP , April 16, 2009 - 09:30 pm
Wasn't TheInd requiring log-in to post comment? Now anyone can comment. You've opened the floodgates! Some people are always looking for an opportunity to bash a journalist. In their mind you're not doing a good job unless you share a space in their echo chamber.
May all your comments be of the reasonable, thoughtful sort.
... written by Leslie Turk 2 , April 16, 2009 - 10:03 pm
Yes, JP, we now allow anyone to post, even those not registered, though we do have a system in place to prevent any "inappropriate" comments from making their way to the site. While we'd prefer that folks like "turner pj" stick to the subject matter so that we have a real dialogue on these issues, we happily hit the publish button for the turner pjs of the world -- thus removing all doubt about whether he has anything to contribute to further the dialogue. "Reasonable, thoughtful." That'd be nice.
... written by nobody , April 16, 2009 - 11:21 pm
This version of the story is not the same version I posted about. Thanks for the revision. I don't see any problems with this one. And really tea people - Joey Durel, a facist? Encroaching socialism? Outrage over government spending? Where were you guys after Bush's Farm Bill? Where were you when instead of trimming spending, he lowered taxes and raised spending? And the Iraq War - in times you probably refer to as the good old days, the American people were asked to make real sacrifice to wage effective war - tax hikes, rations and the like. They were not encouraged to "go shopping." Do you really believe this stuff? Can you honestly say that if this were President McCain's bailout bill that you'd be having a party? Because from out here - in dare I say, the real world - you guys look foolish, hypocritical, partisan and certainly lacking in a lick of common sense.
... written by CC , April 16, 2009 - 11:26 pm
Good Grief
... written by CC , April 16, 2009 - 11:33 pm
Gosh, I guess my very simple observation struck a chord. "ad hominem attacks"/implying that I care not for the exercise of free speech... hmmm interesting. Gee, I guess your right - I should just shut up and tow the mainline.
... written by CC , April 16, 2009 - 11:46 pm
By the way - while it is true that the rallies were relatively "poorly organized", I must remind you that you are going against the mainstream truth that these rallies were secretly (and substantially) aided and funded but monoliths like the Republican Party and FoxNews. Since I�m sure you would not want to be controversial and go against conventional wisdom I thought I would bring that to your attention before someone makes a straw-man argument by implying that you want to step on the rights of others. (Perhaps by suggesting that you are trying to say that only "properly" organized events be heard - like the ones with union backing or Soros$ for example?)
... written by CC , April 16, 2009 - 11:49 pm
This is a different version than the one i first read also but --{chuckle}-- I still see a slam.
... written by CC , April 17, 2009 - 12:33 am
Plenty of us were raising alarms during the Bush spending years - now the fire is alot bigger and more people are waking up (hopefully)
... written by JP , April 17, 2009 - 03:28 pm
Yes, isn't it amusing to see all this conjured outrage now, considering that the outrageous spending during the Bush years and Republican controlled Congress went by unprotested by the same so-called Conservatives? It's no coincidence; it's political machination by partisan hacks in the guise of a grassroots movement.
What's up Nate! - Justin Price
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Because the organizers of the Lafayette TEA event failed to secure a permit in the prescribed time, they were unable to erect a stage or use a public-address system. Instead, speakers took turns using a bull horn to address the crowd. Based on the signs carried by participants, their grievances were many: anti-stimulus spending, complaints of encroaching socialism, one branding Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel a fascist. The gathering, however, was peaceful, if not energetic, watched over at the margins by Lafayette Police officers and curious onlookers and fussed over with live coverage by local news channels.
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So, inserting "bag" in there seems a little inaccurate and perhaps a bit cavalier with the facts. Whatever you think of these events and the folks who attend them - Rip Van Winkles of government spending - you should at least call them what they call themselves and not take a leap in the sake of humor.