CHICAGO NEWS BENCH: Tea Party Protesters in U.S. Need to Get Serious

If Thomas Jeffereson, Ben Franklin, Sam Adams and the rest of our Founders had settled for the mild-mannered tactics of today's "Tea Parties," we would still be paying taxes to the British Crown. Ask yourself this: Your elected representatives are not obeying you, so why are you still obeying them? People, if you're going to challenge Authority, dammit, then truly challenge it. Tea Party protesters in the United States take note: In the nation of Georgia, tens of thousands of people have been protesting at the Georgian Parliament. They are demanding the resignation of their president, Mikheil Saakashvili. UPDATE 04:41 GMT, April 10, 2009: Georgia's opposition said it would launch more protests and block streets in the capital Tblisi, after President Mikheil Saakashvili ignored calls to resign. "Because Saakashvili has not decided to resign, the opposition has decided to start a national disobedience campaign," Kakha Kukava, a co-leader of the opposition Conservative Party, told about 25,000 protesters outside parliament. "As of six pm this Friday the protesters will block main streets throughout Tbilisi," Kukava said. Full Article at Deutsche Welle... Original Post: This is how it's done. Either you're serious about a protest, or you're not. Either you're serious about a "movement," or you're not. Cute and clever marketing campaigns are well and good, but only if they can inspire boots-on-the-ground, physical action against Authority. You want inspiration, Tea Party People? Watch the BBC slideshow of the Georgian protests. The protesters in Georgia aren't merely taking an extra hour for lunch. They're camping on the streets (see video below). The protesters in Georgia aren't just surfing the web, making snide comments in chat rooms. They engaged, they're actually doing something. Georgian opposition leader Kakha Kukava said today (April 10, 2009) that demonstrators engage in massive civil disobedience. Americans engaging in Tea Party Protests should emulate the tactics of the Georgians. Protesters there plan to block main arteries Tbilisi, the capital city, as well as the roads that lead to the Sakkashvili's office. According to Voice of America (VOA), "Kukava announced the escalation of tactics at a rally of at least 25,000 protesters who gathered outside parliament for a second day of demonstrations." Why do I urge these tactics for Americans who are participating in so-called Tea Parties? Simple. The Left is not taking the Tea Parties seriously. Why should they? What is the motivation for Authority to listen? A bunch of mild mannered, mostly-conservative gatherings with polite signs and courteous marchers pose no real inconvenience to the Obama Administration or your corrupt representatives. I do not advocate violent tactics of any kind, as have occurred in nearby Moldova this week, but I do strongly advocate clogging up major streets, blocking the entrances to state capitals and local city halls, and a barrage of tea bags and irate letters mailed to elected representatives at all levels of government, from local to federal. Stop being so damned polite. Civil disobedience is a effective tool, whether used by liberals or conservatives, but do note that "disobedience" is a key portion of the phrase. Think, people, about what a protest movement is and must be: A major pain in the ass to those who are being challenged. You don't ask "pretty please." You demand and tell them "or else." You don't give in to their demands that you accomodate their schedules, their convenience. You demand that they give in to you. You issue ultimatums. Where are the ultimatums in today's Tea Party protests? Taking your two-hour lunch break and chanting in the park or a public square for 90 minutes just doesn't cut it. We all remember the protests of the 1960's, or have seen video of them. They were successful in getting many of their demands met because they were causing major inconveniences to the powers that were. In the US, the Tea Party events are nice but have been - and will continue to be - ineffective in achieving their primary goal, which is to get the federal government to stop its obscene spending and quit its march toward totalitarianism. Sure, the "movement" is building networks and encouraging people to get involved in the political process. That's nice for the long run, and some of those people might actually stay in the game long enough to make a difference one day. But for now, the Obama Administration and its accomplices in Congress continue to roll over you, all the while laughing at those funny conservatives in their Dockers and Brooks Brothers suits politely marching up Main Street. If you intend the play the game, friends, you'd better learn how to play it. (Related articles follow, under the video.)

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Tea Party Protesters in U.S. Need to Get Serious - Updated