Tea Party and the Liberals

The conservative's attempt to show that they can rally people to their cause was not a rousing success this past Tax Day. The nationwide tea parties were a sparsely attended affair in most locales. Still, the thought behind the protests -- a retro, grassroots effort to speak out about unnecessary and excessive government spending and taxation -- was a noble one.

Traditionally, it has been the left that galvanizes its supporters to sing songs and carry signs (to paraphrase The Buffalo Springfield) while the people on the right has been relegated to "silent" status. The right stay at home and watch Fox News or listen to Rush Limbaugh, but seldom march or chant. So it was refreshing to see an effort to unite and inspire that group not to sit and grumble, but to make their voices heard.

At least that was my take on it. The always reliably anti-Republican militant Janeane Garofalo had a different take. Speaking to the like-minded Keith Olbermann -- friend to Conservatives everywhere -- Garofalo maligned and slandered the Tea Party protesters in the most vicious way possible.

"Let's be very honest about what this is about. It's not about bashing Democrats, it's not about taxes, they have no idea what the Boston tea party was about, they don't know their history at all. This is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up. That is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks."

Garofalo then continued her tirade equating conservatives with "average white power activists," and accused Republicans of having a serious mental deficiency.

And, in case her racism charge against the protesters -- who were, mind you, carrying signs saying "Stop Big Government" and "Taxation is Piracy" -- she continued. "Again, this is about racism. It could be any issue, any port in the storm. These guys hate that a black guy is in the White House."

It is disturbing enough that this woman holds such irrational thoughts, but the fact that she was given a national platform to spew them, while been egged on gleefully by her conspiratorial pal, is even worse. Liberals like these do not debate issues -- they just make unfounded, hateful allegations knowing they won't be challenged. Indeed, Olbermann brought Garofalo on precisely because she wouldn't discuss the issues raised by the protesters, but would turn the debate into an open attack on everyone who dared to come out and speak their minds against the president's budget.

It's ironic, I suppose, that the same liberals who wouldn't say a cross word against real evil in the world -- excoriating Bush for using phrases such as the axis of evil against totalitarian regimes that deny their citizens basic rights -- have no trouble at all calling their fellow Americans the most vile things possible.

The protesters were motivated by the economic changes they see in America, not by racism or any other evil motive. They object to liberal efforts to move this country towards vastly increased governmental expansion, greater government spending and greater burden on a smaller number of taxpayers.

Garofalo and Olbermann owe them an apology.