Posted on 04/13/2009 12:02:18 PM PDT by mnehring
In a recent Washington Times article titled, “Online activists on the right, unite!,” Andrew Breitbart wrote about the dirty tactics that left-wing activists are employing online. Breitbart, who helped his friend and former conservative, Arianna Huffington, found the left-wing Huffington Post blog, wrote that “Internet hooligans are spewing their talking points to thwart the dissent of the newly-out-of-power… Political leftists play for keeps. They are willing to lie, perform deceptive acts in a coordinated fashion and do so in a wicked way - all in the pursuit of victory.”
Breitbart further detailed how liberal groups like MoveOn.org have been “planting” fake Republican talk radio callers since the Clinton impeachment hearings. These posers either advocate policies favorable to the left, or they say embarrassing things that make conservatives look bad—which likely explains the few media-celebrated incidents where people uttered idiotic, racist remarks publicly about Barack Obama prior to the November election. Left-wing groups are using similar tactics to sabotage conservative news and opinion websites, and they benefit from the general refusal of conservative activists to engage in the same sort of dirty politics and advocacy.
Now, conservatives find themselves in the political minority in American politics. But, to protest the big government, hyper-regulatory, and drunken-spending policies of the federal government, ordinary citizens—not just conservatives or Republicans—are organizing “Tax Day Tea Parties” across the nation this week. The gatherings are not planned to personally attack Barack Obama, but to reject certain ideas. And rather than debating the merits of those ideas—something that might entail research, thoughtfulness, and maybe even some knowledge of facts—the left is gearing up to employ its usual nefarious tricks. Below is an email that the Huffington Post has sent to some of its supporters.
Thank you for joining the Tea Party reporting team.
Next week, on April 15, we need you to be inside the crowd taking photos and video, jotting observations, and using Twitter to give HuffPost readers the on-the-ground coverage of the Tea Party protests. Locate the event closest to you HERE (click on your state listed on the right side of the page).
Not everyone is a writer and not all people want to take photographs, which is why we have laid out four ways to be part of the team.
1) Pen and Pad Reporting: Each protest presents a unique story. We definitely want to know the basics: how many people were in attendance? Where there any prominent speakers, and what did they say? Which slogans did the crowds chant, and what did they paint on their signs? We`re also interested in understanding what kind of people showed up and why--so feel free to ask them if you feel comfortable doing so.
We are asking for dispatches of no more than 600 words. Email your report to submissions+teaparty@huffingtonpost.com by noon on April 16th. (Check out our reporting standards for further guidance.)
2) Picture the Protest: Take your camera and capture the best images from the gathering. Protest signs and banners make for good photographs, as do families and establishing shots of the entire crowd. Email your pics to photos@huffingtonpost.com. Incude your name, city, and state in the subject line and a brief description of each photo in the body of your email. For inspiration check out the slide show from the G-20 Pretest in London.
3) Film the Show: Some HuffPosters have already shown interest in filming their local Tea Party. We don`t have specific guidelines on video production, however we suggest that you edit your footage to less than five minutes in length and that you identify all interviewees. You can publish your video to YouTube and email us the link, or send your mpeg file to submissions+teaparty@huffingtonpost.com using YouSentIt.
4) Twitter the Facts: It`s impossible to give an exhaustive report in 140 characters, but Twitter`s short form is great for quickly getting across basic facts and observations. Using your cell phone or mobile device, you can "tweet" the approximate attendance or a choice quote. IMPORTANT: We`ll only see your tweets if you include #huff in ALL of your messages. Also, remember to include your city and state so that we know where you are. (Sign up for an account with Twitter here.)
If you have any questions, email submissions+teaparty@huffingtonpost.com.
Good luck,
Matt
Certainly, the Huffington Post has every right to encourage its readers to report on what they see at the Tea Parties, and those who disagree with the message espoused have every right to attend as well. Clearly, however, the Huffington Post is not mobilizing its foot soldiers the gather the best arguments articulated by the opponent and prepare a response. No, this is an attempt to organize a smear campaign and to discredit Americans who will exercise their democratic rights.
That’s fine. As someone who is involved with and speaking at the New York City Tea Party, I am confident that those who support and plan to attend the Tea Parties will act peacefully and appropriately. However, we will no be silenced or intimidated, and, if necessary, we will take pro-active measures against leftist troublemakers. I encourage those who plan on attending the Tea Parties to watch carefully for any abnormal behavior or inappropriate remarks. It is highly likely that these people are left-wingers looking to make the gathering look bad. Take note of who they are, and report them to the authorities. Do not authorize anyone to distribute pictures or quotes of yours unless they are actual members of the press or unless you know or trust the person with whom you are dealing. Unauthorized distribution could subject those individuals to legal action.
This Wednesday, Americans will exercise their most precious of rights in a free society: the right to speak freely in public on political matters without fear of censure or intimidation. To those who want nothing more than to undermine that right, we are ready, and we will not back down.
I’m bringing a extendible steel baton and am going to Nancy Kerrigan me any ACORNs who want to rumble.
The left is viscous an intolerant of dissent. Unless you want to be Joe the Plumbered and IRS audited to boot- I suggest great caution in giving your name to anyone posing as a “reporter”
Wonder why they wear bandannas over their faces when THEY protest....
make that viscious!
Bring a tax return that shows you actually pay taxes- that will distingush us from ACORN
“Vicious”
I made a sign that says “ ACORN PLANT” with an arrow. If I see a disruptor talking to media and saying foolish things, I will stand near him/her in camera view. teehee
absolutely!
The left wing agitators will be the ones shouting racist insults about Obama near the network news cameras knowing that it will be blamed on right-wing extremists.
It’s going to take a lot of agitators to cover all the events across the nation. Of course, we all have jobs and families to take care of so we can’t do this full time like they do. Stay vigilant, take video or photos, ask for media credentials.
That sounds like a great idea. They want us to turn vicious. Instead, we should just be clever and whimsical.
I think you were right the first time.
I just learned today that there’s a Tea Party in my little town. I’ll be there and I’ll be taking pictures too. ;-)
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