Tea Party Protester: "We Think The Muslims Are Moving In And Taking Over" (VIDEO)

UPDATE (8:43 p.m. EST):
NBC has replaced this woman's comment about Muslims with a less inflammatory comment: "I'm scared to death for my country. I believe Obama is running this country into the ground."

This appears to be the only edit made to this online video. Footage of her previous comment does not appear to be posted. The original video was broadcast Saturday evening, Sept. 12, 2009, on NBC Nightly News.

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A protester at Saturday's Tea Party on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. made clear that she was afraid, saying "We are losing our country, we think the Muslims are moving in and taking over."

NBC Nightly News interviewed the woman, who was surrounded by fellow protesters as she made the remarks. Her name was not used.

Participants at the event, billed "March on Washington" by its organizers, rallied against President Obama's health care plan and what they say is out-of-control spending.

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Comments

[gambino]

11:33 PM on 09/16/2009

does anyone have the original video clip? I am a graduate student doing research into many disaffected groups and the possibility of another Oklahoma City type attack for a paper and I would really be interested in having it for scholarly purposes.

regards,

Sam Khaleel
[e-mail]

[PrepH]

03:11 PM on 09/16/2009

Sam, Like on ESPN, (COME ON MAN) Did you after 9/11 come down with a rash on your backside. Blame George W. Bush for that huh? Let me tell you Sam. In case you have been living in a cave the past 10 years. Excuse my English, but, FREEDOM AIN'T FREE. AND IF YOU THINK THESE PEOPLE (TERRIORISTS) STILL DON'T WANT ALL OF US DEAD, DRINK MORE FEEL-GOOD LIBERAL KOOL-AIDE......

[PrepH]

03:04 PM on 09/16/2009

This dislike/criticism of what President Obama is proposing to do to Our Country has nothing to do with racism. It has everything to do with not needing our government to "take care of us." it has everything to do with free enterprise. It has everything to do with the ability to be able to take care of ourselves thank you. Put the race card away it doesn’t work anymore. You don't like the fact that people are too smart to fall the garbage that the CIC and his gang of string pullers want to force feed. So call these people racists? Nice try...

[Chad Krossber]

09:26 AM on 09/24/2009

I would like to believe your above post, but I find it hard for many particular reasons. 1.) Every single person I know that dislikes Obama has no problem using the N-word around the right crowd. (That stems to about 30-40 people) 2.) "Too smart" and conservative do not go hand in hand. I find it funny that college towns tend to lean progressive, while rural towns tend to lean conservative, which would probably null that argument. 3.) Your (Libertarian/Republican parties) dislike/criticism of President Obama was non existant under president Bush, who let the "free enterprise" go ahead and sink this ship into the ground. While he threw all sorts of money out the window. Did you support the war in Iraq? Afghanistan? How about the privitization of Social Security? How about the creation of Blackwater and the uncontested contracts given out to former companies of the executive branch? How about the Patriot Act? Torturing of Prisoners? How about Gitmo? Silence? Yeah no you wonder why you are called racists. Its because you were little coward toolbags for the last 10 years who said nothing till a black man took office. Racism and cowardice goes hand in hand.

[LEWISXXXUSA]

02:29 PM on 09/16/2009

Have you ever seen a president looking for television cameras the way that President Obama does?
It is very funny but only if you are a Republican. Nothing is ever funny for Democrats.

[marleysghost]

09:50 PM on 09/15/2009

Ah, now the real agenda comes out. This is not about taxes at all, it is about control and who runs the country and fear of foreigners. If you let people talk long enough they eventually reveal themselves and the motives behind their public actions.

[MLaursen]

03:01 AM on 09/16/2009

It's one video of one person at the rally. It is intellectual cowardice to simply write off criticism of the health care reform plan and overgrown government in general by using character assassination against those who disagree with you.

[That Guy]

08:45 AM on 09/16/2009

One person? How many birthers and deathers are there at these rallies? How many people yell about 'socialism', 'fascism' and 'oligarchies' without the slightest clue what these terms mean? This entire movement is founded on lies, misunderstandings, racism and xenophobia. It's not about health care, and it never was.

[snl626]

02:41 PM on 09/16/2009

yeah...in the investigative world, it's called "the underlying reason or motive." As an investigator, that's where I look at first, before looking at what's presented on the surface.

[joeyfoto]

02:59 PM on 09/15/2009

50% of any population is below average — that's the danger of democracy. When that sub-par cohort is propagandized, with race-hate, anti-intellectualism and misinformation, the volk become a weapon against a stable society and tools of powerful but heartless cynics. If that's not where America is today, it's certainly the direction our politics is trending.

The focus must be placed on the cowards in Republican Party leadership who publicly kowtow to bigots, ignoramuses and fools. The GOP has shrunk to such a fraction of its former self that elected Republicans are cowed by their primary voters. What can we do?

Is it possible that the most patriotic thing a progressive can do is to register as a Republican; then to vote in primaries for rational candidates? Third parties are remarkably unsuccessful in America. If a third party's not possible, something must be done to reestablish a balance of sanity in our system. The pack of rabid know-nothings that Fox News assembled last Saturday, adds nothing to the political process but irrationality, bigotry and veiled threats of violence. There's a danger in allowing those elements to control a major political party, especially in troubled economic times. Beyond obvious references to Germany in the 1920s & 30s, there are myriad historical examples of this phenomenon bringing disastrous consequences. No good comes of enraged idiots being manipulated by corporate-funded demagogues.

That's my advice. Want to make a difference? Register Republican and take back our two party system.

[ksjprod]

07:52 PM on 09/15/2009

Vote 3rd party or independent if a candidate is worthy of your vote.

[evgolightly]

08:17 PM on 09/15/2009

A noble suggestion, but registering Republican would be tantamount to 'Fear Facor' for me.

Great post, nonetheless.

[LDF]

12:44 PM on 09/15/2009

I'm starting to think that the old involuntary commitment laws weren't so bad.

[tandrmcdonald]

08:35 PM on 09/14/2009

America is at a moral and social crossroads. We can embrace the ideals on which this country was founded: "All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights."
Or we can embrace the ideology of the past and that of the new Republican Party; hate, racism, fanaticism, intolerance and willful ignorance. The demonstrations in the capitol of our country, although legal, displayed a picture of America many peple would simply be ashamed to show in public. I said many, but not all. A lot of the people who showed up to protest against our government were unwittingly or not, renouncing the very principles the founding fathers held sacred. Individual rights. Loyalty, Democracy, Religious tolerance. The list is endless. What we saw were examples of pure raw racism, religious intolerance of the worst kind, bigotry and a depth of fanaticism that is truly sickening. The calls for rebellion from the politicians present were one small step away from sedition and the thousands present were encouraged in the direction of outright anarchy. If this isn't alarming, it should be.

[meemu]

09:57 PM on 09/14/2009

Very good post.

[take10]

10:10 PM on 09/14/2009

I totally agree!

[dawlishgal]

09:22 AM on 09/15/2009

A great post.

Where does freedom of speech end and sedition begin? It seems to me that these gullible loonies are already crying "FIRE" in a crowded theater, as well as encouraging open rebellion.

The only good thing about these psychotic rants is that it gets people to take a good hard look at exactly who is parroting Beck, Limbaugh and the others. It seems to me that political parties win when they can get people to identify with not only their politicians, but also their supporters.

Who, exactly, can identify with this smug little woman in the silly black hat? Shame on NBC for editing her in order to make her seem not quite so rabid. She and the woman in the red t-shirt at the McCain rally in MN do much more harm than good for the Republicans. Besides providing fodder for SNL parody.

I am all for freedom of speech unless it advocates forcible overthrow of our government. Why? Because the rest of us have freedom of judgment, and listening to the rants of these pathetic people and watching elected Republican officials egg them on tells us a lot about the difference between the two parties.

[reelfeel]

08:31 PM on 09/14/2009

So confused as to why NBC would edit out "the muslims are moving in and taking over" this issue should be taken up in the media. There is so much hatred towards Muslims that it is even being swept under the rug by the media, why? Is being a Muslim a bad thing there are good Muslims as much as there as good Christians....

[SuperSizeMe111]

08:30 PM on 09/14/2009

Could you imagine if we lived in a country where the media wasn't an extended arm of the DNC?

[dawlishgal]

09:38 AM on 09/15/2009

Yes, I can imagine....think right here, right now, where the MSM is in the hands of a few big conglomerates. When did any of them ever explain, for example, that the Bush tax cuts gave the lions share of the money to the richest of the rich, a pittance to the middle classes, and almost nothing to the bottom 20%? When did they explain that the lossin revenues , in order to avoid even higher deficits than Bush's wars created, will have to made up by cuts in things like Medicare and Social Security. How can anybody even dare to imagine that the MSM has not played a huge role in keeping people ignorant of the real consequences of Republican fiscal policies.

People vote against their own best interests for a reason (or what seems like a reason). Who, in the bottom 80% of the country would vote against Social Security and Medicare and for giving more money to the already richest of the rich. Somebody is filling their heads with propaganda and lies, and almost nobody is telling and explaining the truth.

Thank God for the internet, and shame on those who keep repeating the lie that the MSM are in the hands of liberals.

[Vxx]

03:39 AM on 09/17/2009

Strange, I thought the media was owned by Murdoch, General Electric, Disney, and Clear Channel... all huge corporations who more likely own politicians on both sides of the aisle. What planet do you live on?

[jbax52]

08:25 PM on 09/14/2009

Republicans always try to say their protest has nothing to do with race--but we all know that is a big bunch of BS. In D.C. Saturday evening, I overheard a tea bagger say, "I knew I had to quit AARP when they brought in Harry Belafonte to sing at one of their events." I'd say that's pretty clearly racist, and just one of many examples (we've all seen the emails) that prove racism is at the root of much of their paranoid anger. Many of them would welcome a second civil war. It is disgusting to me that some Americans still behave this way. What's worse is that Republican leadership does not rebuke these people; it either openly encourages such hatred, or tacitly condones it by staying silent--despicable and disgraceful behavior from elected officials. Have they no shred of honor or conscience left?

[MLaursen]

03:06 AM on 09/16/2009

That is not clearly racist. The person who said that may have been objecting to Belafonte's politics. If you want to do your part for civility in this country don't lightly throw accusations of racism around.

[Fallen]

02:26 PM on 09/16/2009

I don't know which is scarier -- rescinding membership in AARP because of a singer's politics or because he is black. If someone's there to sing a song, why the frack would you give a damn about their political beliefs?

[leticia32]

07:36 PM on 09/14/2009

No matter what, I'll stick to my liberal friends because they have a great sense of humor. We need humor to survive these tragic days. Angry, sad, pathetically misinformed and manipulated, and no sense of humor, that's our wingnuts. Where are the America: Love It or Leave It bumper stickers?

[MegWe]

07:34 PM on 09/14/2009

I am still furious that NBC and others (didn't see al of the newscasts last night) showed her calling our President a liar, and "God bless Joe Wilson", and not showing the real dam8ing quote about the
Muslims? Its the difference between and wingnut and a total fruitcake.

[snapshot1940]

07:03 PM on 09/14/2009

Main stream Media shows only that which it's corporate owners want you to see. Which is why MSM is going down the tubes and more people are switching to "alternate" news sources to get information. The Daily Show (Which returns tonight, thank God) has more accurate information than the four network news shows put together.

[guntotinganglion]

06:27 PM on 09/14/2009

"I'm scared to death for my country. I believe Obama is running this country into the ground."

Probably a good idea to go back in history, way back, to say 2008, and ask, who's running this country into the ground? Oh ya...George W. Bush and the Republican party, with a big assist from the Democrats. That said, the Republicans are the responsible party, because they controlled the White House, the Senate and the Congress (not to mention the Judiciary) for at least 6 full years leading up to the financial collapse that Bush used as an excuse to pour 700 billion dollars on his benefactors, no questions asked. That stands as the greatest bank heist in history, done in the least amount of time. No one ever stole that much money that fast before.

So...I know teabag heads aren't much into book learnin', but ya might want to check back and get the names right when discussing who was, and is, running this country into the ground. Think George W. Bush and the entire Republican party...they already have this as their legitimate track record, and now they're trying to convince dummies that they're the solution to the problem that they caused!

[MLaursen]

03:08 AM on 09/16/2009

You do realize, don't you, that a lot of the teabaggers are not Republicans or have quit the Republican party. And, furthermore, are as critical of the Bush administration as they are of the Obama administration. If you really care about civility in this country, don't marginalize folks so handily.

[Fallen]

02:28 PM on 09/16/2009

"You do realize, don't you, that a lot of the teabaggers are not Republicans or have quit the Republican party."

I'm sorry, but how do you KNOW that? :) I think it's highly unlikely that a "a lot of" the folks in question are independents.

[Vxx]

03:40 AM on 09/17/2009

Turning into a real apologist for the fringe element.... nice.