Posted by Europe on May 02, 2010
When hundreds of tea-party protesters – including many elderly women – gathered outside a civiccenter where President Obama was giving a public speech Wednesday, they were surprised to be greeted by police dispatched in full riot gear.
Obama spoke in Quincy, Ill., at the Oakley LindsayCivic Center. The event was open to the public, and about 2,000 tickets were distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
About 200 protesters peacefully rallied outside thecivic center, carrying signs that read “Give Us Liberty Not Debt” and yellow “Don’t Tread On Me” flags, the Quincy Herald-Whig reported. Protesters waved U.S. flags and shouted “Remember in November” and “You work for us.”
‘Look at these extremist maniacs!’
After Obama’s motorcade arrived, a Secret Service agent instructed protesters to move across the street. The crowd began singing “God Bless, America” and the National Anthem. Quincy Deputy Police Chief Ron Dreyer ordered police in full riot gear to march up the street and stand between the tea partiers and the civic center.
Snipers were also spotted on the rooftop of the building.
Rooftop snipers
Tea-party grannies are just some of America’s true patriots! Find out who the rest are in this beautifulcollection of tea-party images.
The tea partiers complied when they were told to move across the street, behind a sidewalk and into a parking lot. The riot police did not come into contact with the crowd, and the tea partiers sang patriotic songs while obeying the orders.
“Thanks for protecting our president,” one tea partier can be heard saying on a video of the event. “He’s the anointed One, the Messiah.”
Another man said, “Illegals are rioting, and we’re as peaceful as you can believe.”
NBC affiliate WGEM described the crowd as “rowdy,” though they could be heard singing “God Bless America” in the background during the report.
Inside, Obama told the crowd, “When I travel now, it kind of causes a ruckus.”
Michelle Malkin’s blog responded to the incident with the headline “Riot police called in to protect Obama from out-of-control tea party.”
“Thank goodness the riot police showed up quickly before something serious happened,” Doug Powers wrote. “Look at these extremist maniacs!”
Powers referenced photos of several elderly women at the protest who smiled and wore U.S. flags.
Tea partiers in Quincy
“No word yet on how many crimes were carried out in town while the police were being ordered to monitor this seething cauldron of tea-party rage,” he wrote, “but it was a small price to pay to keep the area secure.”
Organizer Steve McQueen told the Herald-Whig, “We’ve always been respectful and acted with dignity. We are out to make our case and make it peacefully.”
Tea partiers rally on opposite side of street
Tea-party blog P/Oed Patriot posted the following video of the incident:
The photos and videos sparked a wave of blogger reactions, including the following comments:
* I hope the riot police have full auto assault weapons with armor-piercing rounds. I hear false teeth can deflect normal 
* Those poor police have to be embarrassed.
* These guys and gals look like my mom or the people in my church. Wake up America!
* Why can’t these racist, violent tea parties be civil like the peaceful pro-illegal immigration rallies we saw in Phoenix!?
* The cops really have to worry since protesters are shown on tape throwing bottles at them. Oh wait …
* SWAT was there because it looked like the ladies were going to break out in a bingo game. Those daubers have ink, ya know.
* Oh my G-d. How beyond ridiculous. This country’s “leaders” have gone stark raving insane.
* Yeah, they look like real hoodlums. Next they’ll be going after the elementary school kids singing those crazy patriotic songs!
* When will the AARP condemn this threatening behavior by team Obama?
2 comments:
The grannies should have served biscuits and tea to the "boys".
Cliff
I enjoyed this entry about the Tea Party Grandmas. You have got the right idea. I have been arguing on Facebook with some on the other side and been insulted within an inch of my life, but I will tackle them ever so often. Well, a soft answer turneth away wrath and these ladies look like they could accomplish that and protest, too! Intellectual snobbery from the leftist democrat has always been hard for me to take. I term myself a Christian right to life democrat and say I am trying to take the party back from the leftist extremists. I have been protesting legalized abortion since 1973 so I know just how mean they can be and how completely blind to their own cruelties. But I believe you have to keep protesting. So I keep doing it, every chance I get. We have to fight extremists and the philosophy of violence.
I don't believe in nastiness from the right either. If they lose their tempers and get ugly I turn them off fast, too. I go with who seems the most right, and an intellectual is one of the toughest to affect because he or she is usually convinced that they are too intelligent to ever be wrong, so whatever they have decided has to be right. Many are blind to reason, too. They just spout the abortion advocate propaganda back at you. Now they are calling everybody who disagrees with them about immigration racist. Doesn't matter what your experience is, they are not listening unless you agree with what they think is right, even if it is killing. If they think it is right, it is right! I saw a video on the rally attended by many illegals in Atlanta where they were openly preaching over throw of the government, communism and revolution. Do you think you could get a leftist to disapprove of that? They would find justification for it, for the worst sort of crimes, murder, drug trafficking by illegals. I saw this. They can't convince me otherwise. I lived in war. They accuse the tea partier of being stupid. There is no crime worse to an intellectual. I always tell them I voted for that moron George Bush because he was pro life. And I would do it again. John Kerry did not have convictions that he would not give up. Neither did Ted Kennedy. He could have been a pro life democrat too, but he crossed the line, went against his religion. I am very disappointed that Laura Bush has come out in her book saying legalized abortion is a private choice. As far as I am concerned if you have done it unto the least of them you have done it unto me. Christ.
Post a Comment