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Protesters gather in Springfield for 'Tea Party' |
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These protesters were among those at the Springfield post office last Wednesday to state their opposition to deficit spending and the current tax structure.
Reminder Publications photo by G. Michael Dobbs
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By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
SPRINGFIELD -- Between 150 and 200 people from throughout the area gathered for a two-hour protest on April 15 as part of a national movement calling attention to tax inequities and deficit spending.
Lined on the sidewalk on lower Liberty Street and around the corner onto Main Street next to the Post Office, the protesters carried signs, American flags and placards with messages ranging from not trusting mainstream media to impeaching President Barrack Obama to calling for tax reform. Many of the passing cars honked their horns in support.
The self-proclaimed "Tea Party" included individuals handing out tea bags. One protester wore tea bags suspended on his baseball cap.
Dan Rose of Pelham was the co-chair of the event and wore a placard around his neck that read "Taxation by Inflation." Rose said that Congress must control spending in order to protect the country from inflation.
"Our Constitution needs to be defended in all its forms and spending needs to cease," Rose said.
The solution government should follow in reaction to the current economic crisis is "to adhere to the Constitution," which he said doesn't allow for a president to confiscate private or corporate property.
He said that both major political parties are equally responsible for the state of the nation and that "anyone who has been in Congress for the last 10 years is culpable." He added the conditions leading to the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and the housing crisis originated under President Bill Clinton and continued under President George W. Bush.
He stressed the reasons behind the protest were non-partisan and he hoped the "voices of the citizenry which are abundant here to day be recorded and also be transmitted to the rest of the population. We're not alone individually. Voices need to be heard by those non-representing representatives."
He directly blamed Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy as well as Congressmen Richard Neal and John Olver for taking roles in forming the present economic conditions.
Although Rose was handing out leaflets protesting deficit spending that he asked people to send to Neal, he declined to speculate whether or not the local protest would produce candidates to run against incumbents such as Neal.
"We're organizing our voices," Rose said. "I'm not taking a position on either side, one party or the other."
Rose said that "it's kind of disguised," but the public will pay for the money spent through the stimulus bills through inflation
"Everything you buy in the future is going to cost more and that is a tax you didn't see coming," he said.
Although the protesters seemed united in their concerns over current government spending, there was one person attending the rally with a decidedly different point of view. Mike Caron of South Hadley carried a placard reading, "FOX Not News, Lies and Propaganda." FOX News carried substantial coverage of the protest movement both prior to the event and on April 15.
Caron said he thought many of the people at the protest were "just angry and misdirecting it."
He added that "most [of the people assembled at the post office] are going to get tax breaks" from the recently passed middle class tax reduction legislation.
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Comments From Our Readers:
pjdroney
4/22/2009
8:05:28 AM
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Mr. Caron's view on the tea party protests is typical of the liberal, bury your head in the sand approach. These protests were a grassroots effort, not orchestrated by Republicans and certainly not orchestrated by Fox News. As the story says, both Democrats and Republicans are the "targets" of ire of these people.
Yes Mr. Caron, people are angry. A lousy $13/week doesn't mean garbage to me or anyone else when they are taking the money out of one pocket and putting it into another. If you Mr. Caron think that these tax "cuts" will make a difference, you are mistaken. The recent cigarette tax increase, which affects lower and middle class taxpayers more than anyone is a classic example of smoke and mirrors as perpetuated by Obama and the left-wing media.
The Obama Administration and a complicit Congress are making a run on our Constitution. They are trying to take over the banks, take over the car companies, and are trying to take over health insurance. As the saying goes, "if you think health insurance costs a lot now, wait until it's free." I suggest Mr. Caron you get your head out of the sand and smell the coffee. We are not going away! |
famhistoryhntr
4/22/2009
8:51:23 AM
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Mr Caron seems not to have seen a lot of things - the Don't Tread on me flag was very evident. I didn't see any leaflets being handed out but fake MILLION DOLLAR BILLS were with the names of our Congressmen on back.
He conveniently forgot that there were other people there besides those who would get tax breaks.
I am on disability with no children so don't pay taxes or have to worry about them having to pay.
I am mad and directing it at the government. They are too big and giving OUR money to big companies.
Obama is not keeping his promises; pushing through an almost trillion dollar stimulus package and then signing it without reading it line upon line. Noone had a chance to read it.
The Constitution that gives US rightsis being trampled upon and not by the "little" people.
He also didn't state that there were 25-28 demands that were put to it.
The speaker read them from the back of a pick up using a loudspeaker. He asked that after each one we say "By the will of my God".
The first one was that elected officials be required to read the Constitution.
That was greeted with cheers. After the third one people were saying By the will of my God. Not our God but every person's individual God, be he God,Allah or whatever name He is known by to them.
A man from Jamaica who came here a couple of years ago with his family to MAKE a new life for them was there with his children. A woman with her year old child was there. A man who was engaged was there. Vets were there, a man had closed his business to be there.
A woman was there with her two high school age daughters. They played patriotic songs from the revolution on down on fifes.
There were a couple of signs about term limits.
It doesn't sound like he was there long enough to really know what was being protested against or talk with any people.
Hundreds of thousands of people turned out and not just because they were mad about taxes.
We are tired of having representatives who don't represent or listen to us. |
1strichard
4/22/2009
9:12:57 AM
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Of the people protesting, we are first and for most constitutionalists. We assemble and speak as individuals not governed by anyone but our selves. We symbolize and embody our right as prescribed in the constitutional contractual obligation of every individual. Or more simply stated as "use it or lose it". Our taxes will be spent mostly on the government, pork, the unnecessary expansion of government, on rewards for failures, on welfare for the rich Wall Street bailouts and not we the people. We have gone from disliking tax cuts for the rich to bailouts or welfare for the rich with the later being far worse. For this we must protest and condemn.
Of the people protesting our protesting, how can you possibly support making the same mistake twice, or as it is the same mistake times three. It is said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results yet there you are. Ask your selves, at what point does it become "We the Government" and no longer "We the People" because this time is before us now, your freedom gone. For too long you have been playing the finger pointing game, is the right wing or is it the left wing at fault. Well your partisan politics is shamefully placing a levy on our children and our future generations, and that is truly a sickening and immoral act. You may attack us personally but you also attack our cause.
Of the people not yet involved. It can not be said enough, you know the term "use it or lose it", well we had better start using it because we are coming real close to losing it all. I see some say we got a tax cut, which in facts is a fallacy. Take a look at how much you are going to lose in other fees, taxes and regulations. Add these negatives, from the gas tax to carbon tax and you may end up paying over a hundred percent more then what you may get back in your tax cut.
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mikefranco
4/22/2009
1:52:17 PM
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I thought Mike Dobbs did a fair, balanced and accurate report on our regional Tea Party, although he missed peak time in which we had about 300 on the scene.
The lone member in opposition was certainly wrong about our mood. I think we were generally pleasant and optimistic that there is hope we can restore our nation to its founding principles and moral standards.
Please also know that our Pittsfield counterpart had about 200 activists on their town common, Park Square, at the same time we had our Springfield rally. Western Mass did its part, and will continue our role as momentum builds to create serious change.
Regarding the signage, they came in all flavors, designed and created to reflect individual sentiments. The variety of slogans told a story as to how each person feels about the current national crisis. For instance, one sign stated, "No Vote All State & Federal Incumbents." I personally like the action alluded to in this slogan.
If anyone is interested in connecting with our movement locally or within the region, just "Google" search "Western Mass 912 Project" to find our Meetup web site. Sign up, join in, and come along for the ride. We will help show you the way.
Mike Franco; mikefranco@verizon.net
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mistere
4/22/2009
2:53:06 PM
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Now I am only 33 but when I went to school Socialism and Communism where evil.
Now they teach that the government can and should solve all problems.
I been government dole before and it SUCKS, all men want to be productive, b |
grdumas
4/22/2009
7:32:14 PM
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As one of the people considered by Garofalo to be a racist, by this Caron gentleman to be just another angry white man and by the alphabet soup networks to be just another dope, all I can say is 'We have come a long way baby.'
When I was a kid, I grew up in a close knit neighborhood called 'the projects.' That was it, the projects. We were the white trash of Chicopee along with those others in Chicomansett Village, they were considered even lower than we were at times because they had more trouble there. We were the 'low lives.' The butt end of all the poor people jokes any one could think of. We all got used to being called names and being made fun of. There was one other thing we had there. Togetherness! If it snowed, all those who were able, got out their shovels and worked together to clear the court so all could park. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, whatever combination you could think of. By the way, did I mention that the housing project, proper name for it, was built to house World War II and Korean War veterans and their families. I guess it must have slipped my mind. These were, some of them, hard men and a couple of women, one called sarge by my dad, Kieths' mom two doors down, who knew what a patriot was. They knew what the cost of all the freedoms we, their progeny, enjoyed. They lost friends, relatives and just people they became acquainted with while serving. Some had problems with drinking and or permanent injuries. God only knows what some of them saw and did while they fought to protect us over here so we could have our tea parties 65-70 years down the line.
I can only imagine what both my mom and dad would think if they were alive today. My dad would say a few expletives and want to get a baseball bat and pound these useless representatives into the dirt. My mom would probably just sit there and cry and say you have to go along with them son because they are the people we elected to do the job in the City hall or State house or the Congress or the White house and they must know better than we do. She was kind like that and truly believed that Roosevelt was the savior of our country. Sad to say back then the news media hid and covered up and outright lied about all types of things which went against the status quo. Oh did I say back then?
I am not my father, not unless you try to physically put your hand in my pocket, and I am not my mom, God rest both their souls. My mother, because my dad had some of the problems that some of those vets had, gave up trying to keep up with helping us with our school work, even though she truly was sharp and had a good head on her shoulders. She would say it was beyond what she knew and leave us to our own devices to pass our classes.
We all graduated high school. None of us made it to college. My sisters both became housewives and mothers and grandmothers. My brothers and I all joined the military at some point in our lives, got out and continued on with our lives. One became a salesman for Sears, got married had some children and recently retired a grandfather after 35 years with the company. One became a microprocessor specialist for Honeywell until they burned him out and he became ill for years. Finally he recovered and now works for them again in another state. Me, I married late after my stint in the USAF and had a couple of children with my wonderful wife.
I give all this information so my next comments have context and may give a reason why this "angry white racist dope" (Their description)went to this tea party and joined the WMASS 912 PROJECT.
I can't be my father. Go fight the fascists with an M1 in my hand. I can't be my mom and stay at home and pray that God will make it alright. I have two young children. I look at their faces and ask myself, "Do I have what all those men I grew up around and spoke with while my dad was alive?" "Could I get up and fight what I know is wrong and keep going no matter what the cost?"
I don't have to don the green again and crawl through the jungle or desert or mountains and fight the enemy. I have to stand up and be counted. Stand there and voice my opinion, not my feelings because if feelings were involved anger would be tops on the list. The anger I feel every time I see what new hurdle these "representatives" put up to make the lives of my children more financially unstable. The anger that seethes every time I hear the news media report more of the clap-trap that I know is fabricated to make us all love our government because they know what is best. The fuming I do every time I hear the fifth column denigrate our forefathers who put everything on the line, like my father, to make a free country for us all to live in.
I wonder how many of these elected officials ever read The Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. How many of those liars in the news media have ever read those documents? How many "Stars" in Hollywood even know those documents exist? Do they realize without those documents and the laws that were drawn up from them, they would not be able to utter a word in public without being arrested?
Lincoln said his now famous words, "A government of the people, by the people and for the people," those many years ago. How many people in this country just want "the people" to be those elected officials out of laziness? How many of these representatives have forgotten that this is serving the people, not robbing from them. Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine agreed to disagree on some things. One thing they agreed upon was any one serving in office of any sort would not pass any laws to make being a citizen of this country unprofitable because they would have to return home and be one of those citizens.
Now the "Politicians" are professionals and damn the citizens give me my perks! They never leave DC! Or the State House! Or city hall! They make us pay for their "Royal" lifestyle and retirement and health care.
Does that explain why we were out there protesting? Oh I know, it was ok for the anti-war demonstrators during Vietnam to do so because they had their 1st amendment right to do so! What, we don't have a right to protest what we know is wrong? To speak out against the true unjust laws and spending bills these non-representing representatives are passing even though a majority of us tell them we do not want these things passed?
Wake up Chicopee/Springfield! Wake up Massachusetts! Wake up America! Soon you will not have the right or the freedom to express these ideas.
To finish, a quote from a man whom we all know;
".By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make people see heaven as hell and a wretched life as paradise,.Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it." Adolph Hitler
Remember, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Read what the enemy has written to know him better. Love your God, Love your family and for God's sake, Love your country!
GRDumas
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