San Francisco, you let me down.
Last Thursday was the big, fancy National Tea Party Day. As part of their protest against Obama, health care reform, tax day, and the onslaught of socialism that's virtually pissing in the face of the ghost of Ronald Reagan, the Tea Party Patriots took to Union Square to voice their displeasure of all things unpatriotic.
That's right, the Tea Baggers were on our turf, telling the people of San Francisco (or "San Fransicko" as they referred to it) how we're the symbol of everything wrong in this country. It was kind of like the Klan holding a rally in the middle of Harlem.
The protest looked not unlike an American flag that threw up all over Union Square and showered red, white, and blue all over a bunch of old people. The festivities had all the elements we've grown to love about Tea Baggers: accusations that Obama is a racist dictator, misspelled signs, speakers from Russia making astute comparisons to their homeland, quotes from General Patton,
and shouts of U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A.!
The one thing that really baffled me were claims that the Obama administration is "Big Brother" and we're living in a scenario right out of George Orwell's 1984. Huh? Claiming that the government is "Big Brother" has always been a liberal thing -- that's a staple in our bag of tricks. How dare the right wing take away our beloved government/Big Brother comparison!
What really let me down was the fact that all these shenanigans took place in our own backyard. San Francisco has a rich history of funny counter-protesters. Yet, there was barely a funny counter-protester to be found. We needed representation to point out the pure absurdities of this surreal scenario.
The Tea Baggers even used the opportunity to squash any attempt at "funny" with their counter-counter-protest signs:
Why is it when it's a war protest amongst like-minded people we'll turn out in droves, but when it comes to actual confrontation on the home front we steer clear?
Next time the Tea Baggers' dog-and-pony show comes to town with their we really need to break out those Obama=Charlie Chaplin signs!
See more of my protest photos at Asylum.
Read more at True/Slant