When George W. Bush was president, leftist activists took to the streets vehemently, and sometimes violently, expressing their opposition to his policies and their disgust with his persona. Wrapping themselves in the flag — when they weren’t burning it — they self-righteously proclaimed that “dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Now that their team is in power and their man is in the White House, the hypocrites among them are less tolerant of dissent. Their prime target these days is the Tea Party movement.
The left’s latest venture in subverting dissent they disagree with can be found at , described on its website as “A nationwide network of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are all sick and tired of that loose affiliation of racists, homophobes, and morons; who constitute the fake grass-roots movement which calls itself ‘The Tea Party.’ “
That introduction is followed by an outline of the group’s objectives and tactics. In order to “dismantle and demolish” the Tea Party movement, crashers will masquerade as Tea Party ralliers, display misspelled signs, behave outrageously, make wild claims and otherwise conduct themselves in such a way as to discredit Tea Partyers and undermine their public image. Additionally, by infiltrating the movement, the crashers hope to “use the inside information that we have gained in order to disrupt and derail their plans.”
After repeated exposure to Internet hoaxes, my first reaction to this was guarded. Why would a surreptitious organization be so stupid as to reveal its strategy? Maybe this was just the ravings of some angry, left-wing crank. On the website, I found virtually nothing further about the organization, the identities of its founders or information about its nationwide network.
There was, however, an inducement to join by clicking on the word “crash.” When I did so, I was greeted by the crashers’ logo: the words “crash the Tea ,” superimposed on a silhouette of the classic Archibald McNeal Willard painting, “The Spirit of ’76.” That’s the one portraying two men and a boy with drums and fife marching across a battlefield during the Revolutionary War.
The payoff was an appeal for donations by clicking on a bar atop symbols of several credit cards and other online payment instruments. There was also a question: “Are you a Capitalist . . . or a Socialist?” Presumably, the correct answer was “socialist.”
A later visit to the crashers’ website heightened my suspicions. Could this be just a commercial scam? There was that logo again, but this time without the mission statement. Instead, this: “Want to show your support for free speech? Buy a TEA-shirt.” (Get it?) When I clicked on the image, I was transported to where bumper stickers and logo T-shirts were for sale. For enviro crashers, there was even an “Organic Men’s Fitted T-Shirt,” for only $23.99.
It now appears that this insidious plot is the creation of one Jason Levin, a public school teacher in Oregon who instructs middle schoolers about computer technology. His so-called “nationwide network” may be far smaller and less inclusive than advertised. Levin declared he’d infiltrate Tea Party rallies dressed as Adolph Hitler and carry signs bearing racist, sexist and anti-gay slogans.
He also encouraged his followers to circulate bogus petitions at those rallies in order to obtain Social Security numbers and other personal information about Tea Partyers. Levin has since been suspended by his school district while under investigation for inappropriate behavior as a teacher, misuse of school computers and attempted identity theft.
Maybe lefties will now proclaim that fraud and deceit, in advancing their cause, are the highest forms of patriotism.
Mike Rosen’s radio show airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on 850-KOA.
