This is just classic rabble-rousing. Manipulating the emotions of the disenfranchised. Common during the rise of National Socialism in the 1920's. The actor (whom I find hilarious)begins his tirade by spotlighting an event that never happened, ( No elected official ever called America a nation of cowards). He then continues spewing emotive and illogical gobbildy-gook using the vauge terms of YOU and THEM and us and they. He also finds a common segment of the population that we can all openly hate, illegal aliens .....Building on the fear and latent anger of the viewer (thus building on the us vs. them mentality). At 2:51 he starts making some GREAT points, some of which I think most of us can agree with except for perhaps denying benefits to illegals and the idea of universal service (that smacks of national socialism to me) He then starts spewing a few more vauge facts without supporting them with hard evidence (where does he get his numbers for the "facts" he is giving us, are we to just trust he is correct because he is dressed like a founding father?)He goes on to remind us of 9/11 as a guilt mechanism to motivate the viewer to become more patriotic. He then emplores us to phone our radio talk show hosts (the true source of power of the conservative rhetoric) before he warns those who aren't on board with his little tirade to get a gun cause they will need it.
I don't take threats from Archie bunker in a Thomas Jefferson costume.
It's easy to entertained by this video but its dangerous to turn this kind of anger into blind nationalism.
Jeremy, I have trouble understanding how you walk away from this commentary with the reactions you've noted. Close the window and listen to it like it's a radio broadcast, and you may see it differently.
This is largely about large government, our current economy and government spending, and leaning towards a (you have this right, yet backwards) fairly SOCIALIST approach to government and taxes.
Can you imagine a government that will spend more in ONE bill than all in history COMBINED?! It happened, and no one even READ the bill, before being forced to vote for it.
And it is clearly not an anti-immigration nationalist viewpoint, rather a viewpoint of supporting the current laws.
Why should I pay taxes to compensate for illegal aliens? I agree that they must be made legal and pay taxes, as well as learning a national language to streamline our systems and signs.
I'm really surprised by your reaction. Maybe if you listen again you will hear it differently. I am sorry, but I find this to be incredibly accurate to how a large majority of our population are feeling. I, for one, am tired of hearing how we are printing more money, how we are painting CEOs as enemies, when they are merely spending the money according to the contract OUR REPRESENTATIVES wrote.
*correction, I did not mean that Congress was FORCED to vote for the recent spending bills, I mean they were forced to VOTE before they had time to read it.
Listen, this is not a largely political blog, but I feel strongly about some things, and when I first heard this audio it was without the video, and it made me freeze and think more than anything has in years. Minimize your window and listen to what he is saying...
I also have a correction*:) Attorney general Eric Holder DID call America a nation of cowards on the issue of race. I think the guy in the video took those comments out of context,and twisted them for an appeal to emotions (which is a fallacy of logic).
I guess overall I have a problem with this guys tactics ..... I know a logical, sensable, and rational debate over taxation and facts about the bloated benefits elected officials enjoy wouldn't be as exciting to watch, but does everything involving political opinion have to be entertaining?
I think these facts are interesting enough without costumes or rabble rousing.
After talking to you on the phone I am amazed with how differently you and I interpreted this man's message.
I think most of us on the left side of thinking are very wary of conservative tax rhetoric, due to the fact that Bush got elected 1 and a half times on the "smaller government, big tax-cuts" ticket, and we all know how that ended.
These ideas have strong emotional and historical connotations attached to them that have been misused and turned around on the american people by the republicans for too long.
If this teabag movement stays mostly independent and doesn't get hijacked by the G.O.P. then I think it is EXTREMELY valuable for exposing how the government actually works to the masses. BUT if the teabag movement does get hijacked by the republican party (which I 'm pretty sure it will)then NOTHING will ever change. We'll keep going in the same circles over and over again.
I agree with a lot he says except for forcing the hiring of Americans and the two years of service. In a free market two people should be able to come to their own terms no matter what part of the world they happen to have been born on. We should get rid of minimum wage laws and let the market dictate compensation. I think a lot more Americans would be hired if that were the case. As far as the two years of service... I just think forcing someone to do anything leads to resentment of the people forcing you (politicians) and resentment of the people actually being serviced (the needy or lazy or whatever). As far as our armed services goes, I think our military is so great because it is an all volunteer army. I don't want people that resent being there clouding the minds of the people that are there willingly. Most of what he said was right on though. Great post.
This video is neither Democratic nor Republican. It is a video about our constitution and how our empire of a government is growing, taxing, spending and limiting our freedoms at an exponential rate and not listening to what any of the U.S. citizens have to say.
Our previous Republican President and current Democratic President don't seem to know how to close the checkbook. We're projected to have a $1.75 trillion ($1,750,000,000,000) deficit this year alone. When you consider we're paying as much taxes as we ever have, that's pretty outrageous.
I think congress passing an $800 billon spending bill which no one had time to read has sort of become the straw that really made these tea parties a reality. I mean seriously, our congress voted to spend eight hundred billion dollars when not a single person had time to review the entire bill. Seriously?
It'll outrage you even more to know where some of the money is heading.
-$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
-$850 million for Amtrak
-$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship
The worst one is $200,000 for tattoo removal in southern California.
Washington has grown to the point of royalty and everyone there thinks he/she can do whatever he/she wants. Instead of investing in successful businesses that actually turn profits, pay taxes, don't file for bankruptcy and employ thousands, we decided to subsidize failing industries with hundreds of billions of dollars. Instead of applauding the big companies that turn profits, we just throw a larger tax burden on them. Now our government owns shares of banks and shares in the auto industry - organizations that are already failing.
When has our government been known to improve on an industry or become more efficient? The government's solution is to throw more money at it if it's not working and raise our taxes when they don't have the funds.
Yeah, this isn't working. But hey, I get an extra $9 a week in a federal tax cut so maybe I should just put on my stupid face and pretend to be happy.
I'm all for getting rid of the minimum wage laws and it would allow for business to hire more people, but we would also have to get rid of Social Security and the income tax to really get these businesses to grow.
A company now has to pay Social Security, Income, Payroll and possibly other benefits such as health care to hire an employee. Then that employee is forced to pay most of those same taxes too. Here in Ohio they made it so a business has to give employee's a week of paid leave with no reason at all. They say it's so a parent can stay home with a sick child. Sounds great right? Well you have to allow it for all employees even those without kids. So on top of all those taxes and fees a small business or franchisee has to give a week of paid leave too.
Who can afford to hire anyone especially in hard economic times.
"You think health care is expensive now, wait till it's free."
Thanks Joe for posting this video again. It's important to get the word out there. Us artist are a rather quite bunch, so I think it's good to get the blood flowing.
And if you're not upset about the taxes and how our government is spending your money ask yourself "How many hours are working the government today? Not for you, not for your family, but slaving at a job or rushing to meet a deadline to support your government? And are they doing the same for you?"
I agree with Jert though... this Ben Franklin looking actor is just using fear tactics.... it works both ways though. Look at Michael Moore and Zeitgeist, same shit. Its all just biased rhetoric. Bottom line is, nothing works, unless we revolutionize our way of thinking. But considering the amount of ignorance that exists, its a long road and judging by my current surroundings (Vegas), we are way off course. I just feel if there are issues that have a positive impact on society, then I support them, no matter who profits... if its a positive impact, then everyone profits. Either way,
The biggest point! Throw the bums out! Campaigning for next fall has already begun in many areas.... are YOU going to vote for an incumbent from either party? Not me. They have all forgotten the face of their fathers.
Well....there are some valid points here but what colours it is the clearly republican agenda(tea) at the end that throws blame elsewhere.I was not fooled..is this kind of crap really neccessary?
Anonymous: you are completely allowing the color painted by the media outlets to dictate your interpretation of this. It is a gross misunderstanding that this is a "republican" agenda, in any large terms. The Republicans are a huge part of the problem. No one's trying to "fool" you, and many people DO find this necessary. A lot of Americans feel this way.
PS- this video was made before the tea parties--- this guy helped start this movement, and he's neither Democrat or Republican... that's the POINT.
22 comments:
angry white guys in costumes UNITE!!!!!
Fuckin' aye. Time to buy stock in tea! Should I send Earl Grey or Orange Pekoe?!
hell yes!
What an amazing video. Cheers. Makes me feel good to be an American fighting for our liberties.
I was at the Columbus Ohio Tea Party last night and it was good to see so many angry people with their backs to the wall finally speak out.
Government can't make us all richer, but it can make us all poorer.
This is just classic rabble-rousing. Manipulating the emotions of the disenfranchised. Common during the rise of National Socialism in the 1920's. The actor (whom I find hilarious)begins his tirade by spotlighting an event that never happened, ( No elected official ever called America a nation of cowards). He then continues spewing emotive and illogical gobbildy-gook using the vauge terms of YOU and THEM and us and they. He also finds a common segment of the population that we can all openly hate, illegal aliens .....Building on the fear and latent anger of the viewer (thus building on the us vs. them mentality).
At 2:51 he starts making some GREAT points, some of which I think most of us can agree with
except for perhaps denying benefits to illegals and the idea of universal service (that smacks of national socialism to me)
He then starts spewing a few more vauge facts without supporting them with hard evidence (where does he get his numbers for the "facts" he is giving us, are we to just trust he is correct because he is dressed like a founding father?)He goes on to remind us of 9/11 as a guilt mechanism to motivate the viewer to become more patriotic. He then emplores us to phone our radio talk show hosts (the true source of power of the conservative rhetoric) before he warns those who aren't on board with his little tirade to get a gun cause they will need it.
I don't take threats from Archie bunker in a Thomas Jefferson costume.
It's easy to entertained by this video but its dangerous to turn this kind of anger into blind nationalism.
Jeremy, I have trouble understanding how you walk away from this commentary with the reactions you've noted. Close the window and listen to it like it's a radio broadcast, and you may see it differently.
This is largely about large government, our current economy and government spending, and leaning towards a (you have this right, yet backwards) fairly SOCIALIST approach to government and taxes.
Can you imagine a government that will spend more in ONE bill than all in history COMBINED?! It happened, and no one even READ the bill, before being forced to vote for it.
And it is clearly not an anti-immigration nationalist viewpoint, rather a viewpoint of supporting the current laws.
Why should I pay taxes to compensate for illegal aliens? I agree that they must be made legal and pay taxes, as well as learning a national language to streamline our systems and signs.
I'm really surprised by your reaction. Maybe if you listen again you will hear it differently. I am sorry, but I find this to be incredibly accurate to how a large majority of our population are feeling. I, for one, am tired of hearing how we are printing more money, how we are painting CEOs as enemies, when they are merely spending the money according to the contract OUR REPRESENTATIVES wrote.
*correction, I did not mean that Congress was FORCED to vote for the recent spending bills, I mean they were forced to VOTE before they had time to read it.
Listen, this is not a largely political blog, but I feel strongly about some things, and when I first heard this audio it was without the video, and it made me freeze and think more than anything has in years. Minimize your window and listen to what he is saying...
I also have a correction*:)
Attorney general Eric Holder DID call America a nation of cowards on the issue of race. I think the guy in the video took those comments out of context,and twisted them for an appeal to emotions (which is a fallacy of logic).
I guess overall I have a problem with this guys tactics ..... I know a logical, sensable, and rational debate over taxation and facts about the bloated benefits elected officials enjoy wouldn't be as exciting to watch, but does everything involving political opinion have to be entertaining?
I think these facts are interesting enough without costumes or rabble rousing.
After talking to you on the phone I am amazed with how differently you and I interpreted this man's message.
I think most of us on the left side of thinking are very wary of conservative tax rhetoric, due to the fact that Bush got elected 1 and a half times on the "smaller government, big tax-cuts" ticket, and we all know how that ended.
These ideas have strong emotional and historical connotations attached to them that have been misused and turned around on the american people by the republicans for too long.
If this teabag movement stays mostly independent and doesn't get hijacked by the G.O.P. then I think it is EXTREMELY valuable for exposing how the government actually works to the masses. BUT if the teabag movement does get hijacked by the republican party (which I 'm pretty sure it will)then NOTHING will ever change. We'll keep going in the same circles over and over again.
I agree with a lot he says except for forcing the hiring of Americans and the two years of service. In a free market two people should be able to come to their own terms no matter what part of the world they happen to have been born on. We should get rid of minimum wage laws and let the market dictate compensation. I think a lot more Americans would be hired if that were the case. As far as the two years of service... I just think forcing someone to do anything leads to resentment of the people forcing you (politicians) and resentment of the people actually being serviced (the needy or lazy or whatever). As far as our armed services goes, I think our military is so great because it is an all volunteer army. I don't want people that resent being there clouding the minds of the people that are there willingly. Most of what he said was right on though. Great post.
This video is neither Democratic nor Republican. It is a video about our constitution and how our empire of a government is growing, taxing, spending and limiting our freedoms at an exponential rate and not listening to what any of the U.S. citizens have to say.
Our previous Republican President and current Democratic President don't seem to know how to close the checkbook. We're projected to have a $1.75 trillion ($1,750,000,000,000) deficit this year alone. When you consider we're paying as much taxes as we ever have, that's pretty outrageous.
I think congress passing an $800 billon spending bill which no one had time to read has sort of become the straw that really made these tea parties a reality. I mean seriously, our congress voted to spend eight hundred billion dollars when not a single person had time to review the entire bill. Seriously?
It'll outrage you even more to know where some of the money is heading.
-$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
-$850 million for Amtrak
-$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship
The worst one is $200,000 for tattoo removal in southern California.
Washington has grown to the point of royalty and everyone there thinks he/she can do whatever he/she wants. Instead of investing in successful businesses that actually turn profits, pay taxes, don't file for bankruptcy and employ thousands, we decided to subsidize failing industries with hundreds of billions of dollars. Instead of applauding the big companies that turn profits, we just throw a larger tax burden on them. Now our government owns shares of banks and shares in the auto industry - organizations that are already failing.
When has our government been known to improve on an industry or become more efficient? The government's solution is to throw more money at it if it's not working and raise our taxes when they don't have the funds.
Yeah, this isn't working. But hey, I get an extra $9 a week in a federal tax cut so maybe I should just put on my stupid face and pretend to be happy.
I'm all for getting rid of the minimum wage laws and it would allow for business to hire more people, but we would also have to get rid of Social Security and the income tax to really get these businesses to grow.
A company now has to pay Social Security, Income, Payroll and possibly other benefits such as health care to hire an employee. Then that employee is forced to pay most of those same taxes too.
Here in Ohio they made it so a business has to give employee's a week of paid leave with no reason at all. They say it's so a parent can stay home with a sick child. Sounds great right? Well you have to allow it for all employees even those without kids. So on top of all those taxes and fees a small business or franchisee has to give a week of paid leave too.
Who can afford to hire anyone especially in hard economic times.
"You think health care is expensive now, wait till it's free."
Thanks Joe for posting this video again. It's important to get the word out there. Us artist are a rather quite bunch, so I think it's good to get the blood flowing.
And if you're not upset about the taxes and how our government is spending your money ask yourself "How many hours are working the government today? Not for you, not for your family, but slaving at a job or rushing to meet a deadline to support your government? And are they doing the same for you?"
Legalize it!!!! Heh...
http://www.amnesty.org/
http://www.abcf.net/
http://newsite.vday.org/v10-year.html
http://www.freepress.net/
Ok... I'm done
I agree with Jert though... this Ben Franklin looking actor is just using fear tactics.... it works both ways though. Look at Michael Moore and Zeitgeist, same shit. Its all just biased rhetoric. Bottom line is, nothing works, unless we revolutionize our way of thinking. But considering the amount of ignorance that exists, its a long road and judging by my current surroundings (Vegas), we are way off course. I just feel if there are issues that have a positive impact on society, then I support them, no matter who profits... if its a positive impact, then everyone profits.
Either way,
wow, everyone gets all fancy-wordy and know-most-of-it-allie when it comes to things like this.
Aint it just obvious that NO-ONE knows what they're doing now days.
I thought it was just general knowledge that the government sucks.
I think it's fair to say that no human should neglect another, and are never "aliens".
dumb
dumb people.
You send your teabag yet, Joe? I'm gonna send one.
Thanks Joe. It's "common sense"...
More people should read their copies of the Federalist Papers they don't have.
I agree with Jeff and Jert...don't have the energy to do a rant of my own. :P
The biggest point! Throw the bums out! Campaigning for next fall has already begun in many areas.... are YOU going to vote for an incumbent from either party? Not me. They have all forgotten the face of their fathers.
I agree with a lot of what was said. Not all of it, but a lot. Thanks for posting it.
Well....there are some valid points here but what colours it is the clearly republican agenda(tea) at the end that throws blame elsewhere.I was not fooled..is this kind of crap really neccessary?
Great points, Steve Taylor.
Anonymous: you are completely allowing the color painted by the media outlets to dictate your interpretation of this. It is a gross misunderstanding that this is a "republican" agenda, in any large terms. The Republicans are a huge part of the problem. No one's trying to "fool" you, and many people DO find this necessary. A lot of Americans feel this way.
PS- this video was made before the tea parties--- this guy helped start this movement, and he's neither Democrat or Republican... that's the POINT.
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