Tea Party signs of the times

"There's one thing about fringe causes," Neil Cavuto of Fox News — an unabashed Tax Day Tea Party fan — is saying as we type, citing the example of Howard Jarvis and Prop 13. "The media always eventually covers them, if only to cover something else: Their asses!" Above, the view from Beacon Street across from the State House overlooking Boston Common yesterday morning.

"They're angry about the taxes, yes," Jonathan Hoenig of capitalistpig.com is explaining to Glenn Beck, putting his finger on the Big Idea behind our Tea Party Movement:

But they're really angry about the philosophy behind the taxes, and that's collectivism.

Fumbling with our gloves to beat the chill of onshore breezes yesterday morning, we inadvertently dropped our little Pentax Optio Z10 onto the pavement not once but twice. As it hit the asphalt path the second time, Optio caught this image of us holding up our sign. The little camera still takes pictures, but there's a white band across the bottom of the LCD monitor, so we threw caution to the winds and "saved" $251.31 by ordering a new one from Amazon. We did it for the economy. 'Sounds like something President Obama would say about his spendulus bill.

It's called "spreading the wealth around" so President Obama & Company can feel good about themselves, but the tea partiers ain't buyin'. We were there all day yesterday, and Boston's Tax Day Tea Party was blessed with glorious if sometimes blustery mid-spring coastal New England weather. Right on cue next day, the local rags ran true to form, the right-leaning Herald publishing a factual and untendentious account, the left-leaning-over-backward Globe apparently not covering the event at all (not sure about the print version, as we — like most people — never read the thing). Via a google search we found the closest the NYT's wholly-owned subsidiary came to coverage in its online version, Boston.com, links to a fine, unbiased NECN (New England Cable News) on-the-scene video and an audio of conservative talker and participant in yesterday's event Michael Graham's WTKK radio show today.

 

The waterfront afternoon event at Columbus Park drew another wave of anti-statists with some overlap, including ourselves, from the morning's activities on Boston Common.

We joined our fellow citizens late morning at Boston Common opposite the Taxachusetts State House (top photo) and at a second event on the Harborfront at Columbus Park (above) late afternoon. Spirited and well behaved, the tribe of 1-2,000 or so anti-statists of various stripes — Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent — at both events gathered and strolled about, giving thumbs up to each other's signs and dogs, listening to scheduled speakers, telling representatives of the media what's on our minds, and engaging in lively conversations with old friends and perfect strangers. Now we turn our blogpost over to this band of brothers and sisters who share our unshakeable belief in the hard-won wisdom of the Founding Fathers (our own comments in brackets follow sentiments quoted from their signs).

"Boston Tea Party 2," "This is just the beginning" [The magnificent gilded Bulfinch dome of the Taxachusetts State House shines above the proceedings as if to remind us of Benjamin Franklin's warning about the fragility of our Republic, "if you can keep it."]

"If you want to stop 1984, you need some 1776." [Hubba, hubba. The future of our Shining City Upon a Hill is in her hands. If enough of her generation have studied history and human nature well enough to understand what her sign is saying, there is hope.]

"Woof, woof!" [Translation: "Congress, stimulate the economy. Adjourn!"]

"Barney Lied, Our Equity Died!" [As we've blogged here early and often]

"Socialism: Trickle-up Poverty" [Brilliant!]

"Hey: The Emperor has no clothes" [Inspired! A girl — we think — in drag.]

"Bigger isn't better!" [Our own contribution to the sign fest. The small print quotes the Tenth Amendment, which came in handy when WBZ Radio reporter Mark Katic asked Tuck, buddy Carol Ward and ourselves for an interview. It went off swimmingly, we thought, and unlike that meretricious CNN "interview" of a Chicago tea partier that's been making the rounds, this fellow asked good questions, listened to our answers and even seemed to show a glimmer of self-doubt when we informed him that — in Thomas Sowell's words — "increasing numbers of economists and historians have concluded that New Deal policies are what prolonged the Great Depression." In photo above, that's 87-year-old anti-statist Irene to Tuck's left.]

"Hi Janet, I'm a Right-Wing Extremist — I love America!" "Can U hear me now? This is America" [When we read their signs and said "YES! Janet Napolitano!" the sign holders were delighted at the species recognition.]

 

"Boston University College Republicans" [Who knew? We were thrilled. More members of the younger generation with their heads screwed on right.]

"Cree-ar!" [The hat makes the woman. It's an antique one made by a Boston milliner, banded by the wearer with a soaring incarnation of our national bird, the Bald Eagle, fashioned of paper and fabric.]

"My piggy bank; my piggy bank on tax" [We saw this bit of creative genius at both morning and afternoon events and on Fox News this morning!]

"Born free but taxed to death!" [We saw a couple of very professional-looking signs and noticed people gathering 'round. Then we saw the TV camera and the face. We knew that face but didn't recall where or when we'd seen it. Then sudden recognition:  The electric Cody Willard of Fox Business Channel's "Happy Hour," producing a piece that alternated mini-interviews of selected party goers with high-voltage pro-tea-party rants.]

We watched most of WTKK radio talkster Michael Graham's rousing late-afternoon performance Harborside from within the nearby Joe's American Bar & Grill, where we celebrated the exercise of our patriotic duty with Beefeater Martinis straight up with an olive and the house burgers.

Then it was home again, home again via a subway ride under the Harbor from Aquarium Station to Maverick in East Boston and a half hour's walk along Meridien Street back to Chelsea-by-the-Sea.

Update: Andrew Sullivan willfully misses the point.

Update II: There's no pick-me-up like an Instalanche with your morning tea:

TEA PARTY SIGNS OF THE TIMES, from Sissy Willis. Here’s one. I also like “Barney Lied, Our Equity Died.”

Thank you, Professor!

Update III: "Excellent coverage and explanation of what Tea Parties are about. Too bad the media couldn't do as well," says Goomp in the comments.

Comments

[Teresa]

Wonderful pics Sissy! Thanks for the update. Sounds like a great time was had by all. Some excellent signage too. LOL.

Of course I was highly disappointed to see the WSJ made no mention at all of the Tea Parties around the country. At least not on the front page. *sigh*

Maybe next time it will be on a Saturday when I have a bit of a chance to make it.

[goomp]

Excellent coverage and explanation of what Tea Parties are about. Too bad the media couldn't do as well.

[Webutante]

Nice report, Sissy.

[jeff]

Awesome and witty coverage as always.

[Jared Rhoads]

Thanks for the photos, especially those of the earlier protest on the Common, which I did not get to attend. I have also posted some photos and thoughts on the website of the Lucidicus Project.

Tax Day Tea Party '09

[Account Deleted]

Definitely getting a nice taste, good local flavor, of that TEA party from this post. Sorry I couldn't make it. But I had fun (and took photos) at the parties in Concord and Manchester, NH and my daughter nabbed some good pics in Portsmouth.

[Stoutcat]

Okay, my friend, I'm turning in my camera; what GREAT photos you have taken!

Nice write-up, and how terrific it is that our local press actually seems to take this a bit more seriously than the mainstream gang.

What a great day this was--looking forward to seeing you (and Tuck and Carol) again at the next rebellion!

[steve Quigley]

Good job Sisu! You go sister!!!! Tea Party - wooho!!!

[Amanda Plann]

Bush Administration dumped all those billions on the banks and now Obama is the bad guy? What am I missing?

[Sissy Willis]

Amanda Plann: It isn't about Obama per se. It's the Rahm Emanuel thing about "taking advantage of a good crisis" by ramming through big-government initiatives that citizens would never approve were they not distracted.