Comments on: Fair Taxes and Tea Parties http://turningpoints.iomaire.com/index.php/2009/04/26/fair-taxes-and-tea-parties/ Ruminations on life, art, politics, and whatever else catches my fancy. Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:10:34 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mark Thomas http://turningpoints.iomaire.com/index.php/2009/04/26/fair-taxes-and-tea-parties/comment-page-1/#comment-1484 Mark Thomas Fri, 15 May 2009 23:00:14 +0000 http://turningpoints.iomaire.com/?p=1147#comment-1484 Hi Jeff, I've been working my way forward from your post "A Proposal for Tea Party Attendees" to here. Thought you might want some perspective from someone involved in the "Austrian Economics" crowd. I believe you're correct about a lot of the corporate/establishment involvement you saw with the Tea Parties, but the cause and effect is wrong. I think there is a grass-roots movement of people who hold the "small-government" philosophy to which the Republicans give lip-service. But the Bush administration has proven conclusively to them that the Republican leaders are only interested in manipulating the grass-roots so they can run the empire. The leaders are trying to herd these disenchanted supporters back into the old, comfortable political machine they can control. That's why Fox is throwing money behind the Tea Parties and encouraging Glenn Beck to play to the radical audience and letting the Ron Paul supporters have their own (web only: freedomwatchonfox.com) show. Fox sees a parade and are trying to jump in front of it. The Republican leadership are trying to do the same thing--trying to gauge exactly how much power they have to give up so they can still hold onto something. At the same time, the left-oriented media are trying to dismiss the rebellion as just more corporate manipulation so that <i>their</i> followers don't ask questions. But, for those of us (if I can characterize you and I both that way) that like to ask questions, this is a chance to re-examine everything. In this last year, I've seen fundamental Christians speak out against the drug war, I've seen Iraqi War Veterans defending Code Pink protesters from horseback police, and I've heard Naomi Wolfe and Lew Rockwell surprising each other with the views they share. I see that we already read some of the same blogs--Global Guerillas and P2P Foundation (you should also check out openfarmtech.org). I often think that what is happening in a larger sense is that our culture is changing from the broadcast oriented structure I grew up with (three TV news networks and one government run 'alternative') to a peer-to-peer structure where people can communicate and cooperate directly without having their opinions shaped and filtered through centralized control. Keep well--I look forward to meeting you one day. Hi Jeff,

I’ve been working my way forward from your post “A Proposal for Tea Party Attendees” to here. Thought you might want some perspective from someone involved in the “Austrian Economics” crowd.

I believe you’re correct about a lot of the corporate/establishment involvement you saw with the Tea Parties, but the cause and effect is wrong. I think there is a grass-roots movement of people who hold the “small-government” philosophy to which the Republicans give lip-service. But the Bush administration has proven conclusively to them that the Republican leaders are only interested in manipulating the grass-roots so they can run the empire. The leaders are trying to herd these disenchanted supporters back into the old, comfortable political machine they can control.

That’s why Fox is throwing money behind the Tea Parties and encouraging Glenn Beck to play to the radical audience and letting the Ron Paul supporters have their own (web only: freedomwatchonfox.com) show. Fox sees a parade and are trying to jump in front of it. The Republican leadership are trying to do the same thing–trying to gauge exactly how much power they have to give up so they can still hold onto something.

At the same time, the left-oriented media are trying to dismiss the rebellion as just more corporate manipulation so that their followers don’t ask questions.

But, for those of us (if I can characterize you and I both that way) that like to ask questions, this is a chance to re-examine everything. In this last year, I’ve seen fundamental Christians speak out against the drug war, I’ve seen Iraqi War Veterans defending Code Pink protesters from horseback police, and I’ve heard Naomi Wolfe and Lew Rockwell surprising each other with the views they share.

I see that we already read some of the same blogs–Global Guerillas and P2P Foundation (you should also check out openfarmtech.org). I often think that what is happening in a larger sense is that our culture is changing from the broadcast oriented structure I grew up with (three TV news networks and one government run ‘alternative’) to a peer-to-peer structure where people can communicate and cooperate directly without having their opinions shaped and filtered through centralized control.

Keep well–I look forward to meeting you one day.

]]> By: Debi Kelly Van Cleave http://turningpoints.iomaire.com/index.php/2009/04/26/fair-taxes-and-tea-parties/comment-page-1/#comment-1478 Debi Kelly Van Cleave Sat, 09 May 2009 01:56:21 +0000 http://turningpoints.iomaire.com/?p=1147#comment-1478 Is it the gang mentality Jeff? They feel safer in their group? Like a bunch of sheep. They're brainwashed. There is comfort and protection in following along. And the leaders, many religious leaders on TV or the radio, are very fatherly. People who question or disagree are ousted and therefore at risk. That's why I'm afraid to speak up where I live in "radical right wing world." But I will. I'm no follower. My mother always told me, "Be a leader, not a follower." I have a brain and so I use it. And as we know, I might not be liked sometimes because of my politics or religion. Some people are too weak or brainwashed to buck the system. That is so true--deregulation plays right into the hands of corporate America and the manipulators of Wall Street. I'm as frustrated as you are. A bunch of sheep voting against themselves. www.GreenerPastures--ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com Is it the gang mentality Jeff? They feel safer in their group? Like a bunch of sheep. They’re brainwashed. There is comfort and protection in following along. And the leaders, many religious leaders on TV or the radio, are very fatherly. People who question or disagree are ousted and therefore at risk. That’s why I’m afraid to speak up where I live in “radical right wing world.” But I will. I’m no follower. My mother always told me, “Be a leader, not a follower.” I have a brain and so I use it. And as we know, I might not be liked sometimes because of my politics or religion. Some people are too weak or brainwashed to buck the system.

That is so true–deregulation plays right into the hands of corporate America and the manipulators of Wall Street. I’m as frustrated as you are. A bunch of sheep voting against themselves.

http://www.GreenerPastures–ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com

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