Virginia Tea Party Organizer Cancels Plans to Burn Reps. Pelosi, Perriello in Effigy
Meant to post about this the other day, but now an update is here, so all is good. The report on the cancellation is here. Basically, Nigel Coleman, a tea party organizer based in Virginia, had planned a bonfire in which he would burn Speak of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Tom Perriello in effigy. For those unaware of what this means, since its historical significance is of British origin, see Wikipedia’s article on Guy Fawkes Night.
I think Coleman was going about this the wrong way. While I understand the point of his planned effigy (I think), you want to know what the first thing in my mind was after reading the initial report? An image of radical Muslims burning American flags. I’m being quite serious about that, by the way. And no, I don’t think most tea partiers are like radical Muslims. But, I think this type of protest moves close to that type of radicalism.
Now, while I don’t support efforts to ban flag burning, I certainly don’t wish to encourage it. For me, it’s similar with effigies like the one Coleman was planning. Consider that the significance of effigies in the U.K. are to condemn a terrorist who tried to blow up the Parliament building. So exactly what message would effigies of Pelosi and Perriello send other than he thinks that they are bad bad people? He says it’s all about the health care legislation, but put in the historical context of effigies, it has another meaning entirely.
Hopefully a lesson has been learned here: think before planning your protest.
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“I think Coleman was going about this the wrong way. While I understand the point of his planned effigy (I think), you want to know what the first thing in my mind was after reading the initial report? An image of radical Muslims burning American flags. I’m being quite serious about that, by the way. And no, I don’t think most tea partiers are like radical Muslims. But, I think this type of protest moves close to that type of radicalism.”
Agreed…as much as I am for what the tea parties really stand for (smaller government, lower taxes, lower government spending, government transparency, as much as I believe the government should fear the people and not vice-versa… And as much as I will always vote for the candidate that comes closest to my beliefs in this area… Burning people in effigy is counter-productive, and in fact, adds to the mainstream media-spin that tea partiers are a bunch of dangerous violent people who should not be taken seriously politically, and should be humiliated and ridiculed. I decried this practice when it was done to Bush and I decry it now.
I’d love to hear someone on the left say.. You know, I understand where tea partiers are coming from (I don’t agree with them, but I respect their right to disagree with me)… but burning folks in effigy is over the top (basically like I did)…
However, I expect the response will be …see!! They are ALL (or the majority) are like this, they are ALL (or the majority) are even further not to be taken seriously.
Would the left ever do what I did (decry the actions of a few within their ranks?) that didn’t were “personally out of line?” I seriously doubt it. However, I’d love to be proven wrong.
sorry..
that were “personally out of line?”
not
that didn’t were “personally out of line?”
Tea Parties must remain on the up and up. Concerned citizens who are not represented in America.
That would be about 58 percent of us right now…considering that the Democrats are playing to their staunch 42 percent base and to hell with the rest of America.
Don’t misunderstand. I know the GOP would do the same thing. I know Bush made the war partisan which was his undoing. Had he just engaged the democrats….all Americans instead of seeing an opportunity to seize more power he would have been a huge success.
Now we have the democrats doing the same thing….seizing power…BECAUSE THEY CAN….
Goodby democrats….
Republicans for Blue Dogs……fiscally sane human beings. To hell with social issues.
That would have been tantamount to treason by some conservatives. You don’t try to work with them, you see. It’s their way, or the high way.
Similarly, Obama is now getting hell from some of the Democrat base because he appears to be wavering on the public option. They have a point, since the terms of it have already been significantly altered from the original premise. But I think he would simply rather leave it out if it gets a bill passed.
I agree to a certain extent but I think Obama is in fact working with his base. Yes he might be catching hell but that is the very reason he has NOT made an Afghan decision. Hes afraid of his base. Its the very reason why Harry Reid stated that any bill going to the president WILL have a public option.
Its why Stem cell research was changed. Its why taxes on the rich and corporations are allowed to go forward.
Its why we are being offered CAP and TAX in the middle of the worst recession ever.
Obama IS playing to his base. It will be his undoing. It will be the progressives undoing. In 4 years the name PROGRESSIVE will be as VILE as NEOCON.
Right now the Chinese are buying up gold by the truck loads…..Why do you do that as a nation? Inflationary pressures.
They are lecturing Obama and these INSANE NITWITS he has in power for their absolute total lack of economic understanding.
We are in SERIOUS< SERIOUS< SERIOUS< SERIOUS trouble economically my friends….VERY SERIOUS trouble and keynesian economics only works IF you got money to burn…………WE DONT!!!!!
Republicans for Blue Dogs.
LOL Maybe Robert Erickson will help start the bonfire and chant “Columbus go home!!”
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/16/columbus-go-home/
Coleman and his crew knew what they were doing from the start. They said they wanted controversy. They got it. The negative reaction to their event blew back in their faces and took them off guard. Even local Republican hacks like Tucker Watkins ran for cover and he didn’t have anything to say to the press – which could be a first. Most of the candidates seeking the GOP nod for Fifth District congressional seat had no comment or were busy. Republicans, maybe these folks need to be on short leashes.
@Henry Howell
” Even local Republican hacks like Tucker Watkins ran for cover and he didn’t have anything to say to the press ”
And Henry, most Conservatives (DEMS and REPUBS, and INDEPENDENTS) were probably against this as well. I’m one of them.
Not all Repubs are HACKS, I agree a lot are, but there are just as many DEM HACKS.
It is funny to notice how people like Henry are outraged about burning in effigy now, but they had nothing to say (or were holding the match) when Bush and Cheney were burned in effigy.
Almost every time you see someone complaining about “hacks”, you can assume that the speaker/writer is only really revealing their own hackery.