So, this op letter entitled ‘Radicals Are Threatening America’ was posted in the Kingsport-Times online site today. Radicals are threatening America? More like radicals are threatening to make America a better place for EVERY American. The letter goes off on the typical Glen Beck rant, opening with alarmist statements about how Van Jones is a “radical” with a “protest arrest history.” Then it veers off into fearmongering about “America is at a point where we are caught with our pants down” and “all it will take is one small disturbance to push this country into martial law.” And then finishes with the usual martyred cries about not being silenced by the government and fighting for the love of the Constitution.
I, for one, am sick to death of this false marginalization posturing of the Teabaggers. You Teabaggers are NOT a marginalized group. You are NOT being threatened or silenced or disenfranchised. Just because people disagree with you, or take issue with your logic, or question the veracity of your shrill assertions, that does not mean that you are some sort of victimized minority group. And get a grip – you aren’t rebels. You are the easily manipulated puppets of Beck and his ilk. And all the ‘tea parties?’ You aren’t doing anything that “radicals” and “protesters” haven’t already been doing for centuries. The only difference is that for the first time in a LONG time, the people YOU don’t like are in a position of power.
Likewise, you teabaggers are not the ‘Spirit of America.’ We are ALL Americans. And patriots. You, Joe Teabagger, as an individual do not get to define what is “American” and what is not. Just because you don’t like what someone stands for, that doesn’t mean that they are un-American just because they don’t agree with you. And while I am at it, I am also OVER the thinly-veiled (or open) threats of martial law, “incidents,” secession, etc. Especially in a letter like this one where you begin by ranting about someone’s “radical” nature and protest history and how their very existence is a “threat.”
Teabag all you want. I couldn’t be happier to see so many people vigorously enjoying their First Amendment rights. Because I, too, love the Constitution. So much so that I have taken an oath in three states and four federal districts to uphold it. So much so that I racked up over 150 grand in debt to learn about it. So much so that I have actually taken the time to read it AND understand what it means. You Teabaggers need to quit acting like you are the only ‘Americans’ out there, and that only people that think like you have the right to be called ‘patriots.’
America isn’t caught with her pants down – you are. Pull them up and act like a grown-up.
Captain America
SouthernFemaleLawyer 
Tim said,
September 7, 2009 at 5:02 pm
So you blogged about judging someone. You ranted about a letter to the editor in some, what, small (dare I say because I am unfamiliar with it) news/paper/web news… Whatever. Then under the header I see I judge you when you use bad grammar… But your blog is strewn with grammatical errors (at least 11). You also utilized 471 words to, again, RANT about a 183 word piece. I guess I just don’t get it. Then to bad mouth, I guess, someone badmouthing something someone else believes in. Looks like hypocrisy to me.
robertasburyrussell said,
September 7, 2009 at 5:15 pm
OK, Tim Teabag, point out the grammatical errors. (As a writing instructor of 18 years, I’d love to see what you consider to be “errors.”) And, dude, if all you can argue against is the writing style of someone making a point, then YOU have a pretty poor argument to begin with.
southern female lawyer said,
September 7, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Wow. I am sort of impressed that I only have 11 grammatical errors in my entire blog; thank you for taking the time to review the entire thing. I can’t imagine why you would be so interested. This is a public personal blog, not a news site. It is small. It is also about 2 weeks old. Also, it seems pretty clear that you came here just to be offended, so I am happy that you were not disappointed.
What don’t you get? I didn’t blog about judging anyone. I wrote about what I see as a growing and willing stupidity on the part of people afraid of losing their control over America. It isn’t hypocrisy to point out that someone is a hypocrite.
lucille said,
September 7, 2009 at 5:42 pm
i’m so confused. a non-southern, non-female, possible non-lawyer, comments on the awful grammar and snarky tag-name choices of the writer of this blog.
really? (dare i say this is a personal attack or perhaps i’m just not aware of something) But, self-admitted that you know nothing about the newspaper, ergo the people involved, you still are not deterred from commenting on it….. really bizarre and awfully mean-spirited… Sometimes if you haven’t got something nice to say, you just shouldn’t say anything at all. Isn’t that a good, christian, non-hypocritical value?!
jonathan said,
September 7, 2009 at 5:58 pm
first time ive checked this blog out…awesome stuff. bookmarked and favorite(d)
Nance Confer said,
September 7, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Good rant, SFL!
I do hope the teabaggers continue on their idiotic path. Not only are they entitled to do so in this great country but they are just digging themselves deeper.
May they enjoy the wilderness for a good long time! 🙂
Nance
Tim said,
September 7, 2009 at 6:34 pm
You all sound so threatened by the Tea Party participants. You ARE right it is their first amendment right, and, how do you even know about it if your left wing media doesn’t even cover it? And point well taken about writing style… You made my point!!! And for future reference, I am on the right but I am almost dead center. Thank you…
southern female lawyer said,
September 7, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Tim, I suppose you were too busy counting words and searching for typos to address the substance of my post. So, do YOU think that the only real ‘Americans’ are those who want the same things as you? Do YOU think that anyone who disagrees with you is unpatriotic and not a ‘real’ American? Or do you believe that we are ALL Americans and ANYONE who cares about this country is patriotic? That was, just in case you missed it, the whole point of my post.
As for where you fall politically, I didn’t ask. Besides, I am well-versed in the teabaggery trick of insisting that one is “centrist” in order to (a) be taken more seriously and (b) make your opponent look more extreme. With all due respect, anyone that seriously follows Beck is NOT “center” of anything.
And sorry, I couldn’t stop laughing about the ‘left wing media’ comment. You get that the letter I was discussing was from the website of one of our local papers, right? Teabaggers’ rights to free speech aren’t being chilled in ANY sense whatsoever. Or do you believe that you/they are somehow being ‘silenced’ by the Obama administration?
Sam said,
September 7, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Timmy, you chose the wrong blog, with the wrong audience, to aspire to intellectual pretensions.
“So you blogged about judging someone.”
This is a sentence fragment.
“You ranted about a letter to the editor in some, what, small (dare I say because I am unfamiliar with it) news/paper/web news… Whatever.”
This has a number of errors. First, it is a run-on sentence. Secondly, “newspaper” is one word. Third, this is an improper use of an ellipsis. Fourth, your use of “whatever” constitutes a sentence fragment.
“Then under the header I see I judge you when you use bad grammar…”
Here, two commas delineating a prepositional phrase were omitted. Additionally, this has tense problems; one can only assume that you have already judged Tracey at this point. Why write in present tense? Admittedly, that’s more of a stylistic than a grammatical error, but one should endeavor to write clearly. Once again, you used an ellipsis incorrectly.
“But your blog is strewn with grammatical errors (at least 11).”
Don’t start a sentence with a conjunction.
“You also utilized 471 words to, again, RANT about a 183 word piece.”
“RANT” is capitalized improperly, unless it is an acronym. If it is an acronym, you should define the acronym in your text. I can only assume that you cut and pasted each piece into a word processor and used some sort of word-counting tool. Perhaps you should pay attention to the suggested corrections.
“I guess I just don’t get it.”
This is the first sentence in your missive without some sort of error. Congratulations.
“Then to bad mouth, I guess, someone badmouthing something someone else believes in. Looks like hypocrisy to me.”
These two phrases constitute sentence fragments. The first fragment ends with a hanging preposition. Additionally, according to Webster’s Dictionary, “bad mouth” is actually spelled “bad-mouth.” Therefore, you have also misspelled “bad-mouth” twice.
Your final tally of grammatical errors stands at: four sentence fragments, two improper uses of ellipses, one run-on sentence, three misspellings, two comma omissions, one hanging preposition, and one improper capitalization. In other words, you managed fourteen grammatical errors in 93 words whilst criticizing Tracey for eleven grammatical errors in 471 words. Hypocrisy, thy name is Tim. Now that the critique is done, I shall revert to a more common style of writing.
Tim, what I have just done to you is what many on the Internet would refer to as “pwn3d.” Unless you get a lot of joy from being repeatedly pwn3d, Tim, you should choose a different blog to exhibit intellectual pretensions. You may very well pass as an intellectual amongst the seething, writhing mass of angry ignorance that serves as the foundation for the Tea Party movement. However, in a setting where most readers aspire to more than a heteronomous worldview dictated by right-wing pundits, you are simply not capable of this role.
Tim, I would be most flattered if you viewed me as your personal ivory tower bouncer. For your own sake, following tonight’s bloodying, I suggest you retire to the company of your fellow grunting, reactionary australopithecines.
The Queen said,
September 7, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I second what Sam said.
Nowhere in SFL’s post did she say that it’s wrong to judge someone. In fact, I think we on the left should be getting a lot more judgmental. When I hear someone defend lunacy like the Tea Party movement and claiming that Americans are one step from martial law and socialism, I make a judgment about them – they’re an idiot and they haven’t studied history very carefully. I also judge people when they use bad grammar. It’s a pretty good indicator of what you can expect from that person’s thought process.
Angela Noon said,
September 7, 2009 at 7:35 pm
I want to marry you, Sam! Tim’s second response also used a ridiculous amount of exclamation points. One does the job fine, two is excessive, and three is just downright channeling a junior high school girl’s note to her best friend. Oh. My. God!!!
By the way, do the teabaggers realize that “teabagging” is a euphemism for dipping your testicles into another man’s mouth? Just curious.
Amy Williams said,
September 7, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Tim, the fact that you are only able to find fault with Tracey’s post grammatically tells me that you must agree with its message. Congratulations on finally seeing the light. Now you will FINALLY be able to enjoy your Socialist local roads, traffic lights, stop signs, interstates, fire departments, police stations, public schools, public libraries, and national parks, angst-free. And may you live long enough to enjoy your Socialist Medicare benefits, and never become disabled and thus need Socialist Medicaid. Huzzah!
Gloria said,
September 7, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Threatened by tea baggers, seriuosly? They can’t even spell socialism and it is doubtful they could give you a coherent definition! I love it when they yell communists and fascists in the same rant. Perhaps they should have paid closer attention in history or government class. Tea baggers in Knoxville spell it “socialisum”, god bless their hearts. Yes, they are scary, but in a “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or the original “Hiils Have Eyes” kind of way!
Salvador Dalai Llama said,
September 7, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I’m getting a sign ready for the next relevant scenario (i.e., town hall meeting, crazy campus brimstone preacher, etc.):
There are many
paths to the truth.
HATE
is not one of them.
Andrea said,
September 7, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Hypocrisy. The “right” (or reich) should know everything about hypocrisy. Bitch, bitch, bitch, and claim that it is their 1st amendment right to have freedom of speech. Talk of constitutional rights, only when it is convenient for them. Yet, when it comes to all the other issues protected by constitutional rights, they refuse to acknowledge any of them. Oh, and if you are so concerned with constitutional rights, what about all the illegal wire tapping that was occurring in the Bush administration, or does that not count either?? What about constitutional rights like FREEDOM OF RELIGION?? People who are so quick to call themselves “Christians” and don’t know the first thing about being one. There is nothing “Christ-like” about their hate driven behavior!! THAT is HYPOCRISY!!!
Oh, Tim,
I don’t hate or fear Teabaggers. I pity them for being uneducated on the facts. And as for “liberal” media, it must be contagious. For I have seen for myself that all the other developed countries are portraying it just as the “liberal” media is… scary, huh? I suppose it must be a worldwide conspiracy against FOX NEWS!
And in the future, don’t be so lame as to pick at someone’s grammatical errors. That is really just sad!!!!
Tracey, I am proud that you are my sister-in-law and a superb attorney!!
-A
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Aristotle
Casey said,
September 7, 2009 at 11:53 pm
You should read the letters to the editor of the Greeneville Sun sometime, Tracey. I do occasionally, but I’ve learned that one has to take the nutcases with a grain of salt–otherwise I’d NEVER stop blogging about letters to the editor…lol. It’s pretty bad down here!
JJ said,
September 10, 2009 at 11:01 am
Unfortunately it is not the first amendment but the second (and certainly not poor spelling as Gloria scoffs) that makes teabagger nutcase threats seriously threatening.
I appreciate this rant and agree with much of it but if we’re so smart, let’s not disregard legitimate concerns such as the Southern Poverty Law Center takes seriously.
Glad to see the new blog. Adding to Google reader now. 🙂
JJ
JJ said,
September 10, 2009 at 11:05 am
Bad Astronomy has a simliar rant up, that Tracey and her readers might enjoy (well, except Tim of course!)
The Mainstreaming of Crazy