Posted on 03/14/2010 9:46:55 AM PDT by Brandonmark
WEST PALM BEACH — Venting about the conservative tea party movement and talking — at times heatedly — about the need for civility in public discourse marked the debut meeting of a local "coffee party" group today.
About 40 people showed up for the meeting at a Panera Bread restaurant, where organizer George Papison had booked a small room in expectation of a dozen or fewer.
The meeting was one of hundreds planned for today across the nation by Coffee Party U.S.A., a group that sprang from Facebook rantings against the tea party movement by filmmaker and Obama supporter Annabel Park.
"Frankly, we are petrified by the tea party and what they stand for and what they're talking about," said Monte Carmel, a retired business executive from West Palm Beach.
"I'm tired of all the misinformation, the cute little labels the fright-wing has thrown on everything," said a man named Russ.
"To me, government is the answer. I'm really sort of perplexed," said a man named Joe who said he had been a teacher for 44 years.
Pretty much sums it up!
Coffee Party = Useful Idiots for the Socialist (Democrat) Party... Tar and Feather them all...
“To me, government is the answer. I’m really sort of perplexed,” said a man named Joe who said he had been a teacher for 44 years.”
The Coffee Party? Bwahahahahahahahaha...how original...Juan Valdez’ Donkey finally comes in handy...why a coffe party? On what Grounds? Are they getting Jittery?
...these morons started a COFFEEE PARTY?
Bwahahahahahahahaha......seriously?
lol, they are idiots.
The ‘Cake Eaters’ assemble. Bring them on.
Participants broke into groups and wrote their priorities on white posters, then shared them with the larger gathering. Several called for passage of health care overhaul, which has galvanized tea party opposition. Others called for campaign finance reform and curbing the influence of lobbyists and corporations.
"We have to stop the mantra of no taxes, no taxes, no taxes," said Marcia Halpern of Palm Beach Gardens.
A few of the issues could have come straight from a tea party gathering, including criticism of the media and calls for term limits and for publicizing congressional earmarks.
Papison and several others said they hope to foster civil political debate.
But Art Brownstein of West Palm Beach, who described himself as a lifelong Democrat and a Vietnam vet, said civility has its limits.
"Sometimes it bothers me when the word 'civility' comes up," said Brownstein, who said people on "the other side....are not civil to us."
Brownstein, who is white, said "white southerners in this country are going nuts" because of the popularity of black figures like President Obama and Oprah Winfrey. He said he raised the issue because "you have to know who your enemy is." Alana Milich, a high school teacher from Boynton Beach, agreed with Brownstein.
"The foundation of all of this is racism," said Milich, who is white.
Mary Castronuovo of Palm Beach Gardens said she doesn't want the coffee party to be defined by its criticism of the tea party. "I would be discouraged if this group became just a counter to the tea party," she said. "We can't make them the enemy."
Just what America really needs right now. A bunch of wired caffiene freaks being obnoxious to save their “messiah’s” job. Losers.
"Found in: John Adams, The Works of John Adams, vol. 4 (Novanglus, Thoughts on Government, Defence of the Constitution) - NO. III. - paragraph 144
"Obsta principiis (translation: resist the beginnings), nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people. When the people give way, their deceivers, betrayers, and destroyers press upon them so fast, that there is no resisting afterwards. The nature of the encroachment upon the American constitution is such, as to grow every day more and more encroaching. Like a cancer, it eats faster and faster every hour. The revenue creates pensioners, and the pensioners urge for more revenue. The people grow less steady, spirited, and virtuous, the seekers more numerous and more corrupt, and every day increases the circles of their dependents and expectants, until virtue, integrity, public spirit, simplicity, and frugality, become the objects of ridicule and scorn, and vanity, luxury, foppery, selfishness, meanness, and downright venality swallow up the whole society."
John Adams words castigate the "arbitrary power" holders in Washington today who have gained their offices by promises to "redistribute" the earnings of hard-working citizens, thereby encouraging dependency among the citizenry, and a certain path to tyranny by those who hold the reins of power in government.
see my tagline ping
Let's see, perhaps 40,000,0000 people have participated in Tea Parties across America to date, so we got them outnumbered 1,000,000 to 1. I guess they have some kethin' up to do!
Coffee is the appropriate choice of beverage for liberals. They run around like a bunch of over-caffenated morons worried about everybody else's business but their own.
What recession?
A bunch of liberal activists can afford Florida vacations.
Another telling quote!
And the question is: Who should you fear most?
No these are the people that if we were in Nazi germany they would have to Inform the Gestapo of our activities... I can see it these are the Kapos... Scary stuff man.
Let’s see... Palm Beach Post gave this much ink to 40 people.
How much ink did they give to 1,000,000+ last Sept. 12?
Sorry; rhetorical question.
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