Gas Pains

A Bircher, Truther, Birther and an Oath Keeper Walk Into a Bar

Posted by Tom Gaertner on Feb. 16, 2010 | 40 comments

Scary People, Strange But True, Politics-Other

Sounds like the opening line to a funny joke, eh?

Hardly. 

The Tea Party movement seems to have attracted more than its share of round the bend extremists lately.  And it is not so funny anymore.  Makes you sort of long for the days of Joe the Plumber.  

The New York Times published an interesting piece today. Lengthy – but worthy of reading.  All that stuff that’s been bandied-about on the internet over the past year has finally grabbed the attention of the main stream media.

The John Birch Society has risen from the undead.  The “birthers” who doubt the legitimacy of the President’s citizenship.  The 911 “truthers” who are convinced the government brought down the twin towers.  And the Oath Keepers with their rag tag militia following.  They have all found a home in the Tea Party movement. Along with an assortment of racists, anti-immigrant groups, survivalists, secessionists, anti-government conspiracy aficionados, born-again constitutional scholars and your garden variety angry people.

I'm sure most Tea Partiers aren't misguided.  But why does this movement attract such a disproportionate share of society's fanatics? 

Do you think someone has put something in the water? 

There you go, Tom, you are making trouble.  Someone is gonna think that the New World Order really did put something into the water supply and is going to take over our brains. 

Just like these Tea Party people I have legitimate concerns about issues like health care and health care reforms.  I also harbor doubts about government interference with health care. 

I just so happen to believe that the Obama Administration has wasted a perfectly good year chasing health care reform while the economy continued to stagnate.  One word Mr. President - jobs.

But I digress.

I also have concerns about the administration’s budget. 

To illustrate my concern allow me to make it simple for you to understand.

Let’s pretend that I require $149,000 per year to live the lifestyle I have grown accustomed-to.  This would be my annual budget.

Dude – you have a comfortable lifestyle.

Seriously.  Just pretend that is the number.

Furthermore – my take-home pay (after taxes) amounts to only $100,000.  So to make ends meet I borrow the difference of $49,000.  That is how I make ends meet for the next year.

How many years do you think I can keep that up?  Especially if I had grown accustomed to doing that for many years already?

I think it’s a fair question to ask because that, in a nutshell, is the Obama Administration's budget.

I think the Tea Party people have a legitimate gripe about this level of deficit spending. 

So maybe we share some common gripes.  We have something in common.

Alas - unlike them I prefer to associate with rational individuals.

But don't take my word for it.

All you have to do is a simple Google search.  Starting with Tea Party followed by select key words such as:  Armageddon, Oath Keepers, Martial Law, Birther, Sarah Palin, Despot, 911, Federal Reserve, Obama Internment Camps, or Patriot.  Use your imagination.  Try Glen Beck and indulge your creative side.

You'll find all sorts of stuff like-

This kook  who was clearly planning for the apocalypse

A birther raises the roof at the first National Tea Party Convention

Or this Oath Keeper and featured Tea Party speaker

If you want to be taken seriously you really shouldn't hang around with people that think there are Bolsheviks hiding in their woodshed.

Edit-

The Tea Party movement is dominated by conspiracist kooks

Conservative Andrew Breitbart raises an eyebrow or two with a Birther getting top billing at Tea Party convention