Fox's "Faces of the Tea Party" slideshow celebrates "a mixed, diverse group" leaves out the carnies

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Debbie Lee, of Phoenix, was celebrating her birthday with friends when she learned that her son, Marc, was the first Navy SEAL to be killed in Iraq in 2006.

Now, four years later, Lee is a familiar face at Tea Party rallies, speaking before crowds about the sacrifices of military families.

Lee said her son's death inspired her to join the movement, which she described as a galvanizing force in giving voice to Americans "who have never before attended political rallies."





Kevin Jackson, a former management consultant and author of "The Big Black Lie," started with the Tea Party movement as the emcee for the St. Louis Tea Party rally last April on Tax Day.

"I ... just got energized by that many people who were willing to stand up for everything that was going on in government. Since then, I've been in about 80," he said.

Jackson said he's troubled by the gap between the lifestyles of lawmakers and those of the constituents they serve.

"These are people who are flying around in jets, riding around in limos," Jackson said of Washington's lawmakers. "Their standard of living has gone up substantially and the people they serve are still out of jobs."

As for the future of the Tea Party, he said he hopes it has a good run.

"Is it gonna fizzle at some point? Perhaps," Jackson said. "But I don't see that happening any time soon."



Tiffiny Ruegner, a 34-year-old massage therapist from Sacramento, Calif., was in dire financial straits in the summer of 2009 when she lost 90 percent of her clientele because of a weakened economy, she said.

So she decided to try something new. Ruegner, a single mother frustrated with the nation's unemployment rate and "bigger government," first joined the Tea Party movement as a driver, shuttling members to and from rallies.

"I'm tired of government intruding in Americans' personal lives," she said. "Sixty percent of our paychecks actually go to taxes -- hidden taxes -- like your water bill."

But Ruegner said she has no problem with a government hand when it comes to social issues, like abortion. "I'm a pro-lifer," she said, "and the government shouldn't take away personal responsibility."

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/politics/2010/04/04/meet-faces-tea-party-tour/

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Your water bill is a tax? What a dumbass. It's something you buy and therefore pay for.

what an ignorant twat.

[brewens]

4. Wanna bet she blows at least $500 a year on bottled water? n/t

[tularetom]

7. I wouldn't argue that she ain't a dumbass but she may unwittingly have a point

Water bills SHOULD reflect the cost of producing, treating and transporting the water to the customer. But in cash strapped cities at least in CA it has been customary to tack on some "administrative costs" to those costs, such as the salaries of the managers and clerks responsible for collecting the bills and a portion of the expenses of upper management such as city managers, finance directors etc.

These administrative costs could be easily calculated but usually they are just pulled out of somebody's ass depending on the budgetary needs of the city for the year in question.

Our massage therapist friend doesn't look bright enough to pick up on this. But it's a fact.

[slampoet]

2. So according to their sample 66% of women are blonde and ALL men are bald.

Diverse my ass

[bluestateguy]

3. Protesting against your country in a time of war: Disgusting.

Despicable.

[SpiralHawk]

5. Kevin Jackson is a bought & paid for corporate toady

recruited for TeaBagging hijinks by megabuck corporate interests to put a 'multicultural' face on the corporately backed wide-stance Republicon-manipulated whine-a-thon TeaBaggery.

[CurtEastPoint]

6. I (shudder) went to his website and he's yapping about 'godless liberals'

Can he copy much from Ann Whatsis/herface?

[lumpy]

8. Hard to understand why Teabaggers don't realize that it is

corporate business methods that determine the state of US economy. The government has little to do with how the financial winds blow, especially since the Reagan era when bank/corporate financial regulations were direly eroded. Capitalism run rampant primarily benefits wealthy investers and of course the leftovers 'trickle down' to the labor force.
The ignorance is overwhelming.

[demosincebirth]

9. He made himself their token "negro."

[Hugabear]

10. "I'm not a racist - I have a black friend!"

Notice how every so often, the GOP will trot out some African-American as a spokesperson to "prove" their diversity? See look, we got ourselves a black person! We're not a racist party! Except that many of their policies are inherently racist, and their racism comes to the surface far too often.

[Ernesto]

12. Does the name Steele mean anything to ya? nt

[Rex]

11. Oh sure...they went through 8 years to total hell...but NOW they feel

the need to tell government to get out of their life! Sure, right...I buy that. NOT. Sad little people going about doing the bidding of EVIL taskmasters. :eyes:

Fucksnews = 'we hate the very people we empower'.