A somewhat disturbing email from the Tea Party

I received the following email from the Tea Party:

A message to all members of TeaParty.org

Can You Say This?

I Am the Liberal-Progressive's Worst Nightmare! I am an American.I believe in God. I ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles, and believe inAmerican products.

I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some liberalgovernmental functionary, Democratic or Republican! I'm in touch withmy feelings and I like it that way! I think owning a gun doesn't makeyou a killer; it makes you a smart American. I think being a minoritydoes not make you noble or victimized, and does not entitle you toanything. Get over it!

I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, you should do it inEnglish. I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God whenand where they want to. My heroes are John Wayne, Babe Ruth, RoyRogers, and Willie G. Davidson, who makes the awesome Harley DavidsonMotorcycles

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor. I know wrestling is fakeand I don't waste my time watching or arguing about it. I've neverowned a slave, nor was a slave. I haven't burned any witches or beenpersecuted by the Turks, and neither have you!

So, shut up already. I believe if you don't like the way things are here,go back to where you came from and change your own country!

This is AMERICA. We like it the way it is If you were born here and don'tlike it you are free to move to any Socialist country that will haveyou. I want to know which church is it, exactly, where the ReverendJesse Jackson preaches, where he gets his money, and why he is alwayspart of the problem and not the solution.

I also think the cops have the right to pull you over if you're breaking the law, regardless of what color you are.

And, no, I don't mind having my face shown on my driver's license. I thinkit's good.... And I'm proud that 'God' is written on my money.

I think if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don't wantyou deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in theworld for the next four years. I dislike those people standing in theintersections trying to sell me stuff or trying to guilt me into making'donations' to their cause......Get a Job and do your part!

I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes twoparents. I believe 'illegal' is illegal no matter what the lawyersthink. I believe the American flag should be the only one allowed inAMERICA!

If this makes me a GOOD American, then yes, I'm a GOOD American.
If you are a GOOD American too, please forward this to everyone you know...

We want our country back!

Is there anyone else who has a problem with some of this? We are not only losing support, but more importantly, our American Values if we subscribe to ALL of these ideas.

First: If someone is a liberal progressive or not, we are not their nightmares. We are not enemies of our fellow Americans. We are the ones who must show the errors of their beliefs.

Second: Are we really attacking minorities and saying "Get over it?" THAT IS NOT WHAT BEING AN AMERICAN IS! What do I believe? That no matter WHAT color skin you have or heritage, you have the same opportunities here as anyone else. Nobody gets special treatment. ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL.

Third: I don't care in what language you sell me a Big Mac. If I don't speak that language, I'll go buy from someone who does. If its a private enterprise, you can run it any way you want. WE CANNOT DEMAND PEOPLE SPEAK ENGLISH OUTSIDE OF OFFICIAL FUNCTIONS!

Fourth: I *do* pity the poor. The government has trapped them in poverty and instead of enabling them to pursue their own economic goals, they government has made them dependent on the state. THIS MUST BE A CENTRAL ISSUE TO WIN OVER HEARTS AND MINDS! The Government must be restrained so that the individual may flourish!

Fifth: Do not denigrate people who solicit for their causes. THIS COUNTRY'S GREATEST STRENGTH IS ITS CHARITY! It doesn't matter if its on the phone, at a fund raiser or on the corner. If you don't want to give, don't give, but do not EVER tell someone they shouldn't ask for their cause.

Sixth: DO NOT SAY THAT ONLY THE AMERICAN FLAG SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN AMERICA! We have a diverse heritage and we should be able to celebrate that. If I want to fly an Italian flag, I will fly an Italian flag (always giving reverence to the American flag when displayed together).

This email, if typical of the Tea Party, is going to drive a lot of us away. This country was not built on anger, but on the belief that we can do better.

Maybe I shouldn't be in this organization if this is what the Tea Party believes.

The definition of freedom of speech has been and always will be (God willing) that THE GOVERNMENT cannot censor speech. Nobody here is doing that.

Please tell me that the tea party movement is NOT a bunch of knee-jerk right wingers who will jump at ANYTHING and start screaming "LIBERAL!"

This has nothing to do with people who have laid down their lives. IN FACT - I would say that they sacrificed for what I have posted, not what the original emailer said. Please, point to me the immigrant who died for this country so that ONLY the American flag could be flown.

The Germans immigrants who fought in the Pennsylvania regiments during the Revolutionary war didn't speak English, nor did they fight for the right to ONLY speak English. They fought for their own personal freedom so they could speak ANY language they wanted.

The more I think of this email, the more it makes me crazy that maybe the media finally got something right and that this tea party movement IS a racist, hate-filled organization and NOT people like me and a few others I have seen here.

If you truly believe that every man, woman and child has the right to live their lives free from government interference and we are all one nation, you would not say that "I dislike the people in intersections trying to sell me stuff." AT LEAST THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE AN HONEST LIVING! You would not say "I do not think that being a minority makes you victimized," because that implies that those in the minority naturally think as much which is as racist as I can tell. Are there poverty pimps like Sharpton and Jackson? Yes. But that is not everyone.

And please, the part about being too stupid to use a ballot is completely illogical. There are plenty of people who know PERFECTLY WELL how to use a ballot who screw things up just as much. There is no IQ test to vote for that reason.

You need to be a member of Command Center to add comments!

Join Command Center

Comments

John DeMasi April 10, 2010 at 3:25pm

Words mean things. The words in that email are no exception. The part that is so disquieting is that it was anonymous and came from the TeaParty.Org.

There should be some protocol that NOTHING goes out unsigned and anything that DOES go out as unverifiable should be taken as illegitimate and most likely from an outsider trying to defame the TeaParty organization.

You do not have to be generic. I was not generic.
Joseph Whitworth Smith April 10, 2010 at 12:27pm

This email isn't going to drive anyone away. It's a ruse to make you angry. They try anything. I received an email yesterday that referred to me as a "white tea bagger." Yea, and I spit on congressmen. They don't have to prove it. Just say it enough times and people believe it. I'm going to keep on saying what I say. If I say it enough times people will believe me.
John DeMasi April 10, 2010 at 5:09am

The definition of freedom of speech has been and always will be (God willing) that THE GOVERNMENT cannot censor speech. Nobody here is doing that.

Please tell me that the tea party movement is NOT a bunch of knee-jerk right wingers who will jump at ANYTHING and start screaming "LIBERAL!"

This has nothing to do with people who have laid down their lives. IN FACT - I would say that they sacrificed for what I have posted, not what the original emailer said. Please, point to me the immigrant who died for this country so that ONLY the American flag could be flown.

The Germans immigrants who fought in the Pennsylvania regiments during the Revolutionary war didn't speak English, nor did they fight for the right to ONLY speak English. They fought for their own personal freedom so they could speak ANY language they wanted.

The more I think of this email, the more it makes me crazy that maybe the media finally got something right and that this tea party movement IS a racist, hate-filled organization and NOT people like me and a few others I have seen here.

If you truly believe that every man, woman and child has the right to live their lives free from government interference and we are all one nation, you would not say that "I dislike the people in intersections trying to sell me stuff." AT LEAST THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE AN HONEST LIVING! You would not say "I do not think that being a minority makes you victimized," because that implies that those in the minority naturally think as much which is as racist as I can tell. Are there poverty pimps like Sharpton and Jackson? Yes. But that is not everyone.

And please, the part about being too stupid to use a ballot is completely illogical. There are plenty of people who know PERFECTLY WELL how to use a ballot who screw things up just as much. There is no IQ test to vote for that reason.
Ricky Tanner April 9, 2010 at 12:35pm

hang in there it takes all kinds to make a democracy. our founding fathers argued among themselfs it was not a love fest this was one persons opinion let them have it but hold tight to your beliefs and let no one sway you. dont give up keep up the fight
John DeMasi April 9, 2010 at 11:36am

Ricky - you are exactly right. But this email that circulated is not promoting freedom and the constitution. It is just angry and at times hateful. There is nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade, but we must do it with facts and logic, not emotion and outrage. THAT is the difference between what we believe and what the leftists believe. Their arguments are based on emotion. Ours are rooted in empirical data, logic and history.
Ricky Tanner April 9, 2010 at 11:30am

i hate to see anyone get discourged but we are at a crossroads in our nation everyone has a choice it's socialism,communism or freedom, the constitution,bill of rights and the american way of life.
John DeMasi April 9, 2010 at 11:14am

The government hasn't trapped anyone? You mean to say that the government gets people receiving welfare, mandates that they go to a failing public school so they cannot be educated, and then replaces the parents so that there is no responsibility whatsoever in the household and yet the government isn't trapping anyone?

I have seen more REAL poverty in one day than most Americans see in their lifetimes. I've been to the Favelas of Rio, the barrios of Callao and Soledad, hovels in the countryside of Colombia and cardboard shacks outside Caracas, and the people there have more work ethic than in the inner cities of the U.S. and the reason?

The US GOVERNMENT HAS REPLACED THE FAMILY. There is no freedom when the government steps in and takes over the raising of a family.

So yes, we must help everyone. If you are a Christian, it is your duty. Don't come out and say I'm a bleeding heart because I want to make life better for all. Its an ignorant statement and one that drives very reasonable people out of the parties like this one.

AT NO TIME DID I SAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS THE WAY TO HELP PEOPLE NOR SHOULD IT OBLIGE PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED.

And how shortsighted your comment is. Sometimes, the best way to help someone else is to start your own business and grow it to create jobs for other people who need one. They help you, you help them.

And believe me, I *am* reconsidering my membership after the comments I see on here. Your movement is doomed to failure if you go accusing people of being liberals and bleeding hearts when the fact is just the opposite.

http://family.So/
Ronald Boggs April 9, 2010 at 10:57am

Mr. Demasi,
The only thing that I don't agree with is the Harley Davidson crap. Put mufflers on them and then we'll see. As for the rest of it, I believe your first through third may be correct. But, your fourth is way out of bounds. Our Government hasn't trapped anyone into a way of life. Everyone is capable of working their way to the top if they want to put out the effort. Sounds to me like you're a bleeding heart. Help everyone. Sorry but, this country was established on the premiss that everyone could make of themselves whatever they choose. You sound like a liberal hiding in conservative clothing. Maybe you should reconsider your membership.

This reply was deleted.