Tea Party Kingsport

Tea Party Tax Protest in Bristol Virginia-Tennessee 2009

by Lewis Loflin

April 15, 2009 Kingsport, Tenn: My wife and I attended the tax protest "Tea Party" in Kingsport. The event ran from 3 PM to 5 PM. This was to protest it seems a variety of what is often considered Republican issues. The demands and signs promoted every so-called "conservative" cause under the sun. "No more socialism" read one sign while another read "We love Glenn Beck."

The event seemed to be organized by Johnny Roberts (www.johnnyroberts.info) who warned at the beginning about extremism and bad behavior would reflect badly on all of us and not to do it. The rally was peaceful and polite. I'd estimate there were at least 200 people there and the local press reports other protests were held in Bristol, TN, Abingdon, VA, and Greenville. In Bristol they threw mock tea (a styrofoam cooler) into Beaver Creek.

It was billed as non-partisan and in my view it was. While the left-wing press will bill this as some Rush Limbaugh or Fox News conspiracy, that simply isn't true. There were as many jeers towards Republicans as Democrats as all being the problem. Yes some politicians were there such as David Davis whose people handed out copies of the Constitution and little American flags. (My wife and I got ours.) David Davis lost the 2008 GOP primary to Phil Roe by about 500 votes.

He is quoted as saying, "I'm keeping the door open. This event is really about freedom and liberty. ... We've lost our faith in God as a Christian nation. And we've lost our faith in the Constitution. If we get back to those two things, America continues to be a shining city on the hill." That kind of crap will get him nowhere, except perhaps in Kingsport. According to the Times-News (August 2008) he blamed his loss on Democratic crossovers. I don't think so. Idiots like this is why I had to look into many facets of religion to see what makes them tick.

Bristol Tea Party
Bristol VA/TN Teaparty July 4, 2009. Special report.

Tea Party Protest Bristol VA/TN Saturday July 4, 2009

"We're here all together because we are tired of out-of-control government. We do not want to be a socialist nation. They set up a republic for us, and we want to continue to be a republic," says Tea Party organizer Brian Rieck. Other comments from Brian included;

"creating discord and upset among the people due to invented and exaggerated class differences to justify confiscation and redistribution of wealth;"

"using federal grants and aid to create a dependent and slothful nation so that the many have become the parasites on the few."

"wanton and reckless spending, far exceeding the capacity of the people to reasonably provide and without their consent;"

"appointing officers known as czars, accountable to no one except our president;"

Wasting Federal grants on pork has been growth industry for years in Bristol and Southwest Virginia. Brian and company began the day with a float in the 4th of July parade in Bristol around 9 A.M. At noon they rallied again at the Bristol Virginia Courthouse. While this was going on hundreds were attending various festivities (concerts, etc.) at Veterans Park around the corner. Between 30 and 50 attended the protest, while many passed by and listened to parts of speeches given by I think four speakers. They had to pass by to get to the public parking lot across the street.

Brian, who teaches music, warned that no form of violence would be tolerated, then it seems he was joking about FBI informants being in the crowd. As we saw above Brian and most of those there were very unhappy with what is going on in Washington. The destruction of traditional culture and self-reliance, and the removal of God from public life. In fact the latter was the focus of the other speakers. They spoke for almost two hours.

This was one of over 1200 registered tea parties all controlled by local people of all types often dubbed "conservative." This was not a Republican event as Congressman Rick Boucher (D. VA 9th) kept trying to claim. He was invited and never showed nor did any Republican office holder or candidate. The Constitution Party did show up and claimed to be the 3rd largest party in America. They are in reality a Christian/Evangelical religious party.

"They rank third with 384,722 registered members as of February 2008. With the American Independent Party of California's exodus from the national Constitution Party to support Alan Keyes' Presidential campaign and form America's Independent Party based in Michigan, the Constitution Party lost the bulk of its registered members and now ranks a distant fifth behind the Libertarian and Green parties. The Constitution Party now calls itself, "America's Fastest Growing Political Party."

"The Constitution Party advocates a platform which it says aims to reflect the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the Bible, and the Bill of Rights." (Wiki) They ran Chuck Baldwin an American politician and founder-pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church for president in 2008.

Another Tea Party was held a few days before in Greenville, Tennessee and drew around 100 people, some of them at this one I believe. Another Tea Party event was held Monday July 6 at Sugar Hollow Park in Bristol, Virginia and started at 6 P.M. after a "bring your own" picnic that started at 4 P.M.

The main theme from the first speaker who came form Greenville was HR 1913 or the so-called Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Bill. Matthew Shepard was a homosexual drug addict who was murdered 1998 when he went willingly with two drug dealers and was beaten and left tied to a fence post. That crime took place in Wyoming. Gay rights advocates claimed this was a hate crime, but the ABC News show "20/20" uncovered the truth. To quote Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media December 22, 2004:

We were told that this University of Wyoming student was murdered simply because he was a homosexual. The truth is that he was the victim of a robbery gone bad by two drug addicts. What's more, Shepard was also a heavy drug user who was HIV-positive. Not only were the perpetrators of this brutal crime not "homophobes," but one of them knew Shepherd and was allegedly bisexual. The real story of the Matthew Shepard case, as the prosecutor says on "20/20," concerns the dangers of methamphetamine. The two killers and Shepard were big meth users.

Why were the stories about this crime so wrong? The gay rights movement wanted to depict Shepard as an innocent victim of a homophobic society. This played into their demands for legislation to curb so-called "hate crimes." One of the perpetrators used that to his advantage, arguing when he went on trial that he went into a panic when Shepard tried to proposition him at a bar.

His girlfriend made the same claim in the media, including on "20/20." But now they say it was all a ruse, designed to get him a reduced sentence by suggesting that he wasn't in control of his faculties when the murder occurred. The ploy failed. Both of those involved in the murder got life in prison. ABC and correspondent Elizabeth Vargas are now under heavy fire from the homosexual lobby for dispelling the Shepard myth. But ABC and Vargas ALSO show Shepard to be a very depressed young man, on the verge of suicide, because of his homosexual lifestyle. The "gay rights" lobby doesn't want to face up to that. Matthew wasn't "gay" and "proud." He was profoundly troubled.

The fear from this speaker is the threat this law could impose on religious conservatives that public statements critical of homosexual behavior could be made into a criminal offense. The law makes almost every sexual perversion a new protected class and supplies Federal funding to local law enforcement to encourage prosecution according to American for Truth on Homosexuality.

Like most so-called "hate crime" laws this too will never be equally enforced. Case in point Jason Shephard, 23, who was attacked and killed by Bill Smithson, a homosexual who slipped the victim the date rape drug GHD and attempted to rape him. He resisted the attack and was strangled. The homosexual lobby was silent and no hate crime charges were filed as usual. To quote:

MEDIA, Pa. (AP) A businessman charged with drugging and killing a college intern from Cavalier during an attempted rape is on trial in suburban Philadelphia. Prosecutors said today that 43-year-old William Smithson frequently had gay sex parties featuring methamphetamine and a date-rape drug. Smithson faces the death penalty in the 2006 strangulation death of 23-year-old Jason Shephard of Cavalier...

Smithson was convicted of drugging, attempted rape, and strangling Jason Shephard. He was sentenced to life without parole. Nobody on the national scene cared about Jason, but under this law those critical of people like Smithson can go to prison. Most of the Saturday speakers addressed religious issues and separation of church and state.

Update: New York Times July 17, 2009: "In response to conservative criticism that the legislation could lead to charges against those who speak out against gay rights, Mr. Leahy added a provision banning prosecution for exercising the rights of free speech."

At the Monday Tea Party former Congressman David Davis and Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-Gate City) attended. There was talk about running a candidate against Rick Boucher and Jim Bebout (R-Marion) hopes to be the man. David Davis was thumping God as usual.

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