It's almost impossible to describe the sights and sounds of last Thursday's Tax Day Tea Party without making it seem like it was a crowd of angry, government-hating, probably-racist religious nuts willing to exploit their children to convince people the federal government should stop spending any money at all (except on the programs they like), a political view they share with hyperintellectuals like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin.
So we won't describe it. We'll let you judge for yourself. Last week, I put up a lot of photos from early in the rally (after most of the rain, before most of the speakers), but they may not have done the event justice.
So here are some videos we collected from that afternoon. They include homeless(-looking) telling people that President Obama is not an American, a child trying to explain why his parents have given him a tea party sign, a reverend asking his god to remove Obama from office, and a brave man flicking off about 1,000 angry conservatives.
Here we have the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, of the Worldwide Christian Center in Pompano, giving an invocation before the evening's speakers. Note at about 1:45, when Dozier prays:
"Father God, please stop this wicked and ungodly White House administration and Congress from destroying your America that you love so dearly."
Here we have the National Anthem, sung at the Federal Courthouse, in front of several tax-paid law enforcement officers, to kick off an event protesting taxes and the current democratically elected government.
This video is a ten-minute stroll through the event. There are plenty of tea partiers here eager to point out "infiltrators" and some discussion with conservative congressional candidates. Note around 7:15, when a brave driver stuck at a red light flicks off the entire rally with both hands. Also, there's a minute-long discussion on whether God blesses the Patriot Act.
Here we have Allen West talking about how being called an "Oreo" gets him "fired up in the belly" and how he wants to "transfer the wealth" to the American people. But not in that Obama-socialist kind of way.
Here we have a father talking about how "successful" this country is and how socialism has never worked in any country in the history of ever.
Here we have a young man who starts "conservative clubs" at college campuses across the state. He says he's fighting "liberal indoctrination" and how the schools that ask him to stop shouting all over their campus are infringing upon his right to free speech.
In this video, the clever tea party detectives sensed some liberalism in some young men attending the event (their sign read: "FREE PEOPLE, NOT MARKETS." The tea partiers deem them "in-filth-traitors," then engage them in barely audible debate, then shout at them to go to China and "take a bath."
Finally, we have the headliner, Joyce Kaufman. She tells the crowd that if they stay angry for the next seven months, this country could "disappear altogether." She says "integrity is the only thing that separates us from the rest of the world."
