So, this guy calls up the radio show that I’m on and invites me to attend the Tea Party rally at El Presidio Park on Income Tax Day. I figure, what the heck? I’m an old, fat white guy; I should be able to blend right in.
I got some grief over the previous Tea Party rally that I attended, at Tucson Electric Park last fall. I had made a crack that the rally was whiter than the British royal family, and the calls accusing me of not having been there came in. The guy they got to emcee the thing was black. (He probably still is, unless he’s Sammy Sosa or a member of the Jackson family.) I had been at the booths out in right field, and the stage was by home plate. I simply hadn’t seen him. But I did run into the parents of one of my ballplayers, which was really awkward, because I had a reason to be there.
Anyway, I went downtown on Tax Day. I parked on the north side of the YMCA, where the meter only goes up to a half-hour. The meter had a sign on it that read, “No feeding the meter!” Doesn’t it seem to you that a city strapped for cash would prefer that a car stay in one spot and have the meter constantly fed? Somebody tell Mike Letcher. And while you’re at it, tell him that earring looks stupid.
I put the money in the meter and started walking briskly toward El Presidio Park. (It’s only a block, which was why I was able to maintain the brisk pace the entire way.) I was really hoping to see some kooks; at the rally at TEP, I saw some guy dressed as Ben Franklin.
No such luck this time; just a bunch of folks walking around, many of them carrying homemade signs. I can prove that I was there, because I ran into a guy I know from basketball walking out of the court building. That was awkward in a different way.
Most of the signs were sadly generic … or just sad. “Obama Is a Communist.” Really?! He’s a communist? Even Communists aren’t communists any more.
There was a big one that made an acronym out of the president’s name: One Big Ass Mistake America. I give them 2.5 out of 10, because they spelled “America” right, but their punctuation blows. And everybody knows that “Big Ass” is hyphenated when used as an adjective.
There weren’t any politicians there that I could see, but there were a few campaign signs on the grass and a couple of women walking around wearing Ruth McClung T-shirts. McClung is running in the Congressional District 7 Republican primary, vying for the opportunity to get steamrolled by Raúl Grijalva in the general election. Everybody’s hoping that she can at least beat the always-reprehensible Joe Sweeney in the primary.
McClung is a physicist, and her slogan is “Maybe It Does Take a Rocket Scientist.” I certainly hope not. Imagine Congress as a scene from The Big Bang Theory.
I had to keep an eye on the time so I’d be able to brisk-walk back to the Y to either illegally put another quarter in the meter, or move my car to an adjacent spot to avoid being a scofflaw. I wanted to go up to the stage, because I had been told that this rally would also have a black guy as the host. I didn’t know if it was the some one as before, or if they had somehow found a different black guy to do it. What are the odds of that?
The Tea Partiers are really sensitive about the race thing, so I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it. Maybe it’s just that all the black Tea Partiers couldn’t get off work that day. I’d probably be sensitive, too, if there were more black people on the BYU basketball team than in my entire grass-roots movement.
Let me be clear: I’m not calling anybody a racist … except that guy with the Confederate flag. Yes, that’s a racist symbol. It’s not about states’ rights or duty or battle or honor. It’s about human beings owning other human beings. Don’t try to talk to me about seeing both sides; I see both sides. That flag is racist on the front and racist on the back. Frederick Douglass said, “There was a right side and a wrong side (to the Civil War), which no sentiment ought to cause us to forget, and while today we should have malice toward none, and charity toward all, it is no part of our duty to confound right with wrong.”
Next year is going to mark the sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War. It’s not going to be pretty in parts of this country.
There was nothing really exciting going on at the Tea Party rally, although I did get to stand near Bud Foster while he was reporting live for the noon news.
Since there was nothing earth-shattering happening, I decided to follow the Fox News model, and just make stuff up.
I’ll have to tell you the rest next week. You’ll like it.
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2010.
The confederate flag is not a racist symbol you asshat, it represents the pride that myself and many other southern born americans have towards the confederates fighting the tyrranical union in the civil war. Yes, we lost that war, so did America and freedom.
“Don’t try to talk to me about seeing both sides; I see both sides. That flag is racist on the front and racist on the back.” LOL
And dang, coonass, I hope you aren’t serious.
These tea-baggers need to get some exercise!
The Confederate battle flag (that’s what it is) of course represented states that wanted to maintain slavery. There is an interesting what if line developing. What if Lincoln had not responded to the confederate firing on Fort Sumter and let them go as several in his cabinet suggested. The South would almost certainly have become an economic mess (a one crop economy has real problems), slavery would some day have ended since it was out of touch with the rest of the world, and like South Africa, attempts to keep the former slaves in their place would have led to massive race riots. And then of course there is Texas–you want to make people in Texas see reality, tell them Texas football could never compete for a national title!
Whats to be sensitative about the race thing. 75% of AMerica is White and the Tea Party reflects that. Gallup put out a poll in March showing that other then being more educated then the average, the Tea Party demographics reflect the demograpghics of the Country and you can google that. I am not surprised that you would write an article trying to show good, honest, hard working citizens as racist in spite of their majority in the USA. Lloyd Markus is a proud Black Man who is a true patriot. You, of course, want to demean him cause he has a different opinion then your Lib pals. The Tea Party is growing. Its about less taxes, smaller government, states rights and adhearing to the Constitution. Its not about any dummed up “race” issue put out by the LW. Shamefull!!
Oh and Tom! Is there some kind of new law which prohitits white people assembling peacefully to petition their government for a redress of grievences? And when has it become fashionable to criticize people for speaking out? Its America!
As a NATIVE Tucsonan currently living in NW Georgia, I can assure all of you REAL Tucsonans and Arizonans that the “Confederate” flag is an important symbol of a hicks life. These southerners can not, and will not allow their sorry past to fade away. In the very short time that I have been here I have seen more of that LOSERS flag than of the American flag. And don’t even attempt to put down Mountain Dew, the preffered drink of the South. Sadly, I see Arizona headed in the same direction. Soon they will pass a law REQUIRING you all, or as they say here “ya’ll” to marry your “kin”. The funniest part of being here is, they think I have an “Accent”. Hell, average person around here has about a 6th Grade education! The SOUTH will NEVER rise again! They are too racist and stupid.
ARIZONA! THE NEW MISSISSIPPI! NEWS FLASH!!!!! STATE LEGISLATORS CONSIDER RENAMING OF ARIZONAS MAJOR CITIES! TUCSON TO BE RENAMED TUCSONVILLE, PHOENIX TO BE RENAMED PHOENIXBURG, FLAGSTAFF TO BE RENAMED FLAGANOOGA!……….. coonass, GO HOME! Go back to the REDNECK SOUTH! Where the word “PUMPKIN” has an entirely different meaning!
Why does this little group of racists and loudmouths get so much press? If you want to see a real protest, only a month ago more than 200,000 people gathered in D.C. to show their support for immigration reform, unfortunately on the same day health care was passed – completely ignored by the mainstream media.
I remember the massive crowds (100’s of thousands, millions) that turned out all across the nation and the world to protest the Iraq war – largely ignored and downplayed by mainstream media. The size of the crowds during the Viet Nam war and the civil rights periods dwarfed the miniscule “crowds” at Tea Party events.
The dirfference? FOX News! The Tea Party is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Roger Ailes and FreedomWerks and FOX news anchors are raising millions for conservative Tea Party candidates. And they call it fair and balanced journalism and the AZ Star and mainstream media lap it up and put it on the front page.
The last time I was down in south texas, the place where more than 500 lynchings took place as late as the 1950’s, a sign outside Buna prominently posted near the freeway ramp said “Nigger don’t let the sun set on your black ass in Buna”. Posted along with it was a Confederate flag. Still proud of your Confederate heritage? Want Arizona to be more like Texas?
Well, down here in NW Georgia, it is not uncommon to see the signs like the one mentioned by jwlly2. I have seen 3 of them myself, prominently posted on private property. I have heard the N word more times in the past 8 mos. that I’ve been here than in all 56 yrs. I lived in Tucson. I dare not let these REDNECKS here know I’m of Mexican heritage cuz you never know!(Cue the theme from DELIVERANCE)
Coon-ass-wipe , you state” we lost the war and so did america and freedom”-BLACK AMERICANS gained FREEDOM(if thats what you want to call it)Im sick of other white people acting like this is strictly THEIR country-why don’t you go talk to the NATIVE AMERICANS about that subject,course cowards of your kind wouldnt be man enough for that without a group of shotguns,pillowcases and confederate flags.And SHERP:Calling people NIGGERS and spitting on them,murdering HOMOSEXUALS in the middle of the night and beating,raping and killing borderjumpers that unfortunately wind up on your land is not PEACEFUL-YOU should be ashamed of yourself for supporting this group -and I know”not everyone whos a teabagger acts that way”PULL YOUR HEAD OUT,quit being led around by your nose and be man enough to help DEFEND THE TRUE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ALL its people!