Shame On Orange County Tea Party

by Kathleen McKinley | March 4, 2011 9:57 am

I have long defended the Tea Parties against racism and bad behavior. I’ve always been proud of the fact that millions and millions of Americans have protested against the overreach of government across this country, and have behaved in a civil manner. I have always said that if any Tea Party showed racism or bad behavior in any way, I would condemn it. That time has come.

I was very disturbed to see this video [1]yesterday. It is the Orange county Tea party protesting at a dinner for CAIR (The Council on American-Islamic Relations). Is there a good reason to protest CAIR? Oh yes. To put it simply, “Kamal Nawash, head of Free Muslims Against Terrorism, finds that CAIR and similar groups condemn terrorism on the surface while endorsing an ideology that helps foster extremism.” CAIR is dangerous.

“Perhaps the most obvious problem with CAIR is the fact that at least five of its employees and board members have been arrested, convicted, deported, or otherwise linked to terrorism-related charges and activities.”

Read more about the danger of CAIRhere [2]and here[3].

So, I do support protest of CAIR, but there is a way and a place to do this. The way the Orange County Tea Party did this was wrong. You don’t yell “Go home” to families as they walk into a fundraising dinner, no matter how much you disagree with them.

At CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) we had a booth for “Muslims For America.” Our concern is not Muslims. Peaceful Muslims are welcomed in America. We only reject radical Islam. We only reject those who practice, or support those who practice, terrorism. One might argue that is what this Tea Party was doing, but you don’t do it at a dinner that has nothing to do with that. You do it at their offices.

Both sides have decided that since it’s legal, they can protest at places that are inappropriate. Both sides have protested at the homes of people they disagree with it. THAT IS WRONG. Protesting at this dinner was WRONG. Atlhough this group of Tea Partiers were only a hundred out of the millions and millions of us, they bring shame to our movement.

Many of those attending this dinner were probably only attending to help in a fundraiser. It wasn’t a political dinner. So the protesting there was inappropriate to begin with, but to add to that the yelling at the families going in, was unacceptable and completely wrong.

I call on all of us in the Tea Party across this country to condemn the Orange County Tea Party for this protest.

We can continue to protest in a civil manner. But we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard.

Endnotes:
  1. this video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NutFkykjmbM
  2. here : http://www.meforum.org/916/cair-islamists-fooling-the-establishment
  3. here: http://www.danielpipes.org/394/cair-moderate-friends-of-terror

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/shame-on-orange-county-tea-party/