Althouse: "I am not here as a serf or vassal. I am not begging my lords for mercy."

June 4, 2013

"I am not here as a serf or vassal. I am not begging my lords for mercy."

"I’m a born free American woman, wife, mother and citizen. And I’m telling my government that you’ve forgotten your place. It’s not your responsibility to look out for my well-being, and to monitor my speech. It’s not your right to assert an agenda. Your post, the post that you occupy, exists to preserve American liberty. You’ve sworn to perform that duty. And you have faltered."

Becky Gerritson of the Wetumpka Tea Party, testifying today before the House Ways and Means Committee about abuse by the IRS.

189 comments:

Patrick said...: Gerritson also dropped a bombshell on the committee: Her group received an inquiry letter bearing Lois Lerner’s signature. Lerner has claimed that the IRS abuse of groups like Gerritson’s was the work of a couple of “rogue employees.”

Boom.; 6/4/13, 4:57 PM
Mogget said...: I wonder how many REPUBLICANS got the message.; 6/4/13, 4:57 PM
submandave said...: We need to change the narrative for these testimonies. Ms. Gerritson is not testifying as a conservative or a Tea Partier, she is testifying as an AMERICAN CITIZEN that has been wronged by her government. The my team/your team BS needs to stop, and the Democrats need to wake up and realize that a government that is powerful enough to suppress your political opponents is powerful enough to suppress you when the wheel turns.; 6/4/13, 4:58 PM
madAsHell said...: I thought she was going to channel Reese Witherspoon. Thankfully, not!!; 6/4/13, 4:58 PM
Anonymous said...: Hers is the best speech I've heard in years, including all politicians. It must be heard by all.; 6/4/13, 4:58 PM
Unknown said...: Good for her. I hope she shakes the whole system to its roots.; 6/4/13, 5:01 PM
Steve said...: Makes me glad to see that there are real Americans still.

Thank God.; 6/4/13, 5:04 PM
Mark O said...: Wait. Isn't she to "shelter in place" until the overlords come to help her?

Totalitarianism is here today, not just coming in some distant, theoretical time.; 6/4/13, 5:05 PM
Kev said...: (the other kev)

Baghdad McDermott sneers, "Not YET."; 6/4/13, 5:05 PM
Cedarford said...: If you read the Preamble, the goals of the Parchment establishing and detailing a Federal Governing System mean more than "liberty!!" - or else we basically could do without the Parchment and have no Fed government and be a "person liberty-maximizing place" like Somalia or Afghanistan.

Thats perhaps an area where the Tea Party and libertarians get it wrong. We want to maximize our liberties while still promoting the general welfare and having safety from enemies within and abroad. We want to have the Freedom! to ride on government built highways and fly in regulated skies and drink unpolluted water from a reservoir built by eminant domain from taking the needed land from "Freedom-loving" property owners where the reservoir would be located.

But when the pendulum swings too far and people are persecuted by powerful Federal institutions for simply saying the Federal government is too powerful and the government employees start ruling vs. sering the masses - it is time to set things in order again.; 6/4/13, 5:08 PM
YoungHegelian said...: When I first read that she was from Wetumpka, I knew that she just had to be a fellow Alabamian, and that there was surely some hell to be raised.

There's going to be more & more of these testimonies from the heartland, and it isn't going to end well for the Obama administration. Mark my words --- they won't be impeached, but by the end of it all, they'll be trying to govern from a bunker.; 6/4/13, 5:09 PM
Anonymous said...: I'd be interested to know if the IRS agents targeting Tea Partiers were primarily black attacking primarily white organizations. If so, is this a hate crime?; 6/4/13, 5:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Blogger Kev said...

(the other kev)

Baghdad McDermott sneers, "Not YET."

6/4/13, 5:05 PM
__________________________________

oBVIOUSLY A RACIST!; 6/4/13, 5:11 PM
SteveR said...: "born free American woman"

Hell yeah; 6/4/13, 5:12 PM
Sorun said...: Yabut will it be on NBC Nightly News?; 6/4/13, 5:13 PM
Krishnan said...: Call me cynical - but I do not believe that anything will happen. Yes, it is indeed possible that Republicans will figure out a way to exploit all these scandals to get themselves into power - perhaps the House, the Senate and the White House - and THEY in turn will go about abusing their own power - Yea, perhaps they will not be as brazen as Obama/Pelosi/Clinton were - but they will abuse their office/power - AS THEY HAVE DONE SO.

Unless the IRS as we know it is closed/abolished - and unless the tax code is simplified to allow individuals, companies to file their taxes on a single page - nothing will change. The political class with their cronies (includes many, many, current Republicans) do what cronies always do - do whatever they can to enrich themselves at the public trough.

All this about the IRS and benghazi and FoxNews will die down in a few weeks/months - and Obama will restart his campaigning again and Boehner and McConnell and (fill in any name you want) will go back to being "bipartisan" (or ultimately do whatever Obama demands - because they know Obama and Pflouffe and Axelrod and the usual class/race warriors will call them racist - and they will fold)

Is there any other country/nation that is what the US used to be? It is depressing to watch the usual politics and all the noise in Washington DC - in this what I thought was the last bastion for liberty and free peoples. What a shame, what a disaster.

Yea, nothing will happen - it will be back to business as usual with the IRS - and the State Department - and DOJ ... (Sure, it will take some time for everything to settle down - but in the end, it will all be the same - We the people being terrorized by the IRS and functionally illiterate, pompous, know nothings stealing from the public trough).; 6/4/13, 5:13 PM
edutcher said...: Bless you, Madame.

Awaiting bbkingfish and the rest of the trolls telling us how this is going to flop with the American people.

A witness from an anti-abortion group testified the IRS told her not to protest Planned Parenthood . Heinrich Himmler could not be reached for comment.

And it looks like the cannon fodder at the IRS aren't going to take the hit for the higher ups.; 6/4/13, 5:14 PM
Bill said...: That's a powerful speech. I was almost chocking up along with her. The more that comes out the angrier I get. But as angry as I am with the despicable government agents and politicians that perpetrated this, I'm growing angrier still at those on the left who simply won't acknowledge how incredibly bad this is. All my friends and relatives and acquaintances on the left who won't even bring themselves to care about this, much less denounce it. Nothing will change for the better until they wake up, and if they don't wake up it will all change for the worse.; 6/4/13, 5:15 PM
Squid said...: Cedarford would like us to believe that there's no way to get clean water or roads or air travel without submitting to an all-encompassing federal leviathan. Cedarford would like us to believe that Tea Partiers are simple anarchists, and not patriotic Americans whose goal is nothing more nor less than limiting the federal government to the powers expressly granted to it in our founding charter.

Why do you suppose it is that people like Cedarford consistently present government reform efforts as anarchy, treason, and madness?; 6/4/13, 5:17 PM
Don M said...: It is not "parchment" it is the Constitution. If the government is not bound by it, then neither are we.

There is no liberty in anarchy. Threats to liberty come from the government and from private parties. The government has the duty to protect us from other governments and to give us an opportunity to bind private parties who would deprive us of life, liberty, and property. Liberty is in the law, properly written, reflecting consent of the people, and fairly applied.

Where law does not reflect the consent of the people, it must be changed. If the tax regulations can not be fairly applied, and there is substantial evidence that it was not, and can not be, then the tax regulations and underlying law need to be changed to withdraw opportunities for unfair application.; 6/4/13, 5:18 PM
edutcher said...: Sorun said...

Yabut will it be on NBC Nightly News?

All it has to do is go viral.

PS and not OT:

And, remember, these people will be in charge of our health care.

Can't wait to hear people like Freder tell us how paranoid Sarah Palin's talk of death panels is in light of this story.

BTW Should the theme for the Silver Haired Angel of Death be "Ride of the Valkyries", "Hall of the Mountain King", or "Night on Bald Mountain"?; 6/4/13, 5:20 PM
Kirk Parker said...: j,

Good speech, sure--but as good as Suzanna Gratia Hupp's? I doubt it.; 6/4/13, 5:23 PM
Don M said...: The legitimacy of the law, passed by consent of the governed and fairly applied is why we forbear to string up the tax man. It is how we distinguish between the tax man and a common thief.

Remove the legitimacy of the law, passe laws without consent of the governed (OBAMACARE) and decide to apply them unfairly, and the law has no legitimacy, and our forbearance can also be removed.; 6/4/13, 5:23 PM
MadisonMan said...: Knocked that one out of the park.

But I share Krishnan's cynicism. I hope I am wrong.; 6/4/13, 5:25 PM
Rusty said...: wyo sis said...
Good for her. I hope she shakes the whole system to its roots.

She will if the rest of us lend a hand.

I've been emailing my congresspeople.

If you don't hear from me in a couple of weeks you'll know they got me ;-); 6/4/13, 5:25 PM
Mary Martha said...: I have seen clips from 3 speakers today and I was impressed by them all.

I wish I could have seen the looks on the faces of the defenders of this policy. The people who have spent several years yelling that the 'tea baggers' are all uneducated hicks.; 6/4/13, 5:26 PM
Sam L. said...: YOWZA!; 6/4/13, 5:27 PM
Amartel said...: Epic speech.
Thank you Ms. Gerritson.; 6/4/13, 5:29 PM
MadisonMan said...: I couldn't help but compare her speech/manner to that of Jane Ellen Smith in the previous post.

Jane Ellen Smith loses.; 6/4/13, 5:29 PM
Cedarford said...: There is nothing sacred about a piece of paper that ordinary people created a Federal government from (Not Holy Founders directly serving as vessels of God).
A piece of paper that replaced the awful abortion the same Founders hatched with their Articles of Confederation that gave too much power to competing states and greatly hindered a viable and functioning nation.
Yes we are "bound" by the paperwork, but paperwork can be replaced...ideally not by a major war that kills one of three military age men in 1/3rd of the country...and by a revision mechanism not bottled up by special interest groups and bribed Senators since the last matter of real controversy (the Poll Tax) was Amended in 1962.

If you worship the Sacred Parchment, then you worship the IRS too, because that is an Amendment of no lesser weight than the 4th Amendment or the 15th.

Those that claim we must "Venerate" the Constitution and its' Holy Writers because without it and all the rules and laws derived from long dead people..we are nothing as a people or nation - are like a pack of Arabs venerating the Koran and claiming the same things....; 6/4/13, 5:34 PM
Once written, twice... said...: I really enjoy rightwing victimhood!

The Tea Party a few years back declared that they were the new political party in America. But now they are whining because they correctly cannot be classified as tax exempt?

Priceless!; 6/4/13, 5:38 PM
Once written, twice... said...: Phonies! Ha hahaha ha!; 6/4/13, 5:39 PM
Once written, twice... said...: They call themselves Tea PARTY for a reason.; 6/4/13, 5:41 PM
eelpout said...: That sounds a lot better than what the tea partier in TX said:

Ken Emanuelson: "Well, I'm going to be real honest with you: The Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote, if they're going to vote 9 to 1 for Democrats."; 6/4/13, 5:41 PM
gadfly said...: I don't normally criticize the choice of words but the feudal origin of "vassal" and "serf" will leave half of the congressional committee (those remaining awake) totally befuddled.

First of all, both words mean "slave" and secondly, unless she wears blackface, the interlocutors would not understand "slave" either.; 6/4/13, 5:42 PM
Methadras said...: Government hasn't faltered in preserving our liberty and freedoms. It has failed.; 6/4/13, 5:42 PM
Brian Brown said...: eelpout said...
That sounds a lot better than what the tea partier in TX said:

Oh look, garagie is here trying to change the subject.

Shocking!; 6/4/13, 5:43 PM
Brian Brown said...: Jay Retread said...

The Tea Party a few years back declared that they were the new political party in America. But now they are whining because they correctly cannot be classified as tax exempt?

Your knowledge on this topic can be summed up as: None.

Goof.; 6/4/13, 5:44 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: If that litany of thing this woman was asked to do... if those were not Civil Rights Violations then I don't what the fuck people are talking about when they talk about 'Civil Rights Violations'.

Which is probably the case... big government knows best and I don't know jack.

However, when its all set and done... I'm certain to the core of what's left me, that, Had that woman been black (African American) and instead of applying for a tax exception, the black woman testified about how many hoops she was made to jump, just so that she could vote, we would be having a slow motion revolution right now.

And don't any of you wussies dare deny it.; 6/4/13, 5:45 PM
bagoh20 said...: We've got people like this on one side, and others like Sandra Fluke on the other. The government has chosen a side. It's the side of theft, cheating, and deception, of stealing Mom's change out of her purse, because they want it for every little desire. They have their high minded justifications, but cheating and lying is the method, and that will never be right.; 6/4/13, 5:46 PM
george said...: I would very much like to live in the country which she describes but the Supreme Court killed it a long, long time ago and there is no other place left on earth to which we can flee. That was the beauty of the US, it was the last redoubt and we benefited from it greatly. Now we are just another social welfare state intent on going broke as efficiently as possible.

I can't believe anyone is surprised that a Chicago machine politician would use thug tactics to rule. There is always a cut-out man between those giving the orders and those executing them (that is also the Chicago way) but it is not just a coincidence that all of these federal agencies decided to run amok at the same time and chose the same victims. EPA, Labor, IRS and more all harassed Obama's political enemies even to the point of ignoring the law over and over again.

You can blame it on the tone set by Obama's rhetoric and on the ideology of choosing force/government over reason and persuasion, but all it would have taken was a simple memo from the top to have stopped all of this or to have prevented it from happening.

Instead Obama promoted those in positions of responsibility for these things over and over again. That is all the culpability I need to see from the president. We are not the fools he thinks us to be... we are not the media.

BTW, it is worth noting that Obama chose Holder because, and not in spite, of the fact that he was the one who negotiated a deal with Clinton to pardon some terrorists in exchange for money. Holder had proven he would do the dirty work and keep his mouth shut. That was the only qualification that truly mattered to Obama. You don't choose someone that dirty and morally compromised unless you want to make use of those very traits.; 6/4/13, 5:47 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Bitchtits can't help himself. He has nothing going on in his miserable life.

One woman like this is more valuable to this country than a million jay retards and bitchtits combined.

And thats why the trolls are coming out with their Squirel! shouts. This woman and the ideas she embodies terrifies them.; 6/4/13, 5:48 PM
Methadras said...: Jay Retread said...

I really enjoy rightwing victimhood!

Jesus, how many of you lunatics are there. It isn't victimhood if you are actually a victim, you balless wonder nonsense person.; 6/4/13, 5:49 PM
gadfly said...: Gerritson should have began her speech, "I am not here as Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus, or Michelle Knight."; 6/4/13, 5:50 PM
bagoh20 said...: Jay Retread said...

It's good what you done, IRS. It's real good!; 6/4/13, 5:52 PM
Synova said...: "The Tea Party a few years back declared that they were the new political party in America. But now they are whining because they correctly cannot be classified as tax exempt?"

I've got no problem with deciding that advocacy groups are not tax exempt. But the fact is that they are. If you want to not-exempt them, that's great. We can not-exempt Organizing for America and the various green groups, gay groups, everyone.; 6/4/13, 5:52 PM
Methadras said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/4/13, 5:52 PM
Anonymous said...: Nicely done.; 6/4/13, 5:52 PM
madAsHell said...: Oh look, garagie is here trying to change the subject.

Yeah....I think the writing styles are just a little TOO similar.; 6/4/13, 5:52 PM
The Godfather said...: This video was a reminder of why the Tea Party movement originally had such an impact. There are regular folk who actually live the ideals of our Founders, who are ready to suffer for their beliefs, and will stand up to those who seek to undermine (or worse, co-opt) the principles on which this nation was founded. She almost cried as she spoke, and I cried as I listened to her. (I'm told that the Irish have their bladder too close to their eyes, and that's why we cry so readily.); 6/4/13, 5:52 PM
Oso Negro said...: There are those who still think they are holding the pass against a revolution that may be coming up the road. But they are gazing in the wrong direction. The revolution is behind them. It went by in the Night of Depression, singing songs to freedom.

"The Revolution Was"
Garet Garrett
1938; 6/4/13, 5:53 PM
eelpout said...: Yeah....I think the writing styles are just a little TOO similar.

As I explained yesterday, no. But I can see why that commenter left.; 6/4/13, 5:56 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Why don't you go into the post about how fat people are not suited for higher education eelpout?

I'm sure it has some special significance to you, you disgusting piece of shit.; 6/4/13, 5:59 PM
Jason Cato said...: END the IRS. I will continue to pay may taxes, but eliminate the human element from the equation. Humans will abuse their power ever time. Let's move to something like the FAIR Tax.; 6/4/13, 6:08 PM
Seeing Red said...: I swear there is a law that protects donors. It's used partially for presidential library donors, if you want to find out who donated, you can't.

The lists don't have to be made public because of party affiliation.; 6/4/13, 6:09 PM
edutcher said...: Jay Retread said...

I really enjoy rightwing victimhood!

The Tea Party a few years back declared that they were the new political party in America. But now they are whining because they correctly cannot be classified as tax exempt?

Priceless!

No, non-profit, moron.

And it goes down just that much better especially since Choom's brother's "charity" was quickly approved.

Hey, Retread, keep it up. You sound like one of the aristocrats just before the Bastille fell.

PS eelpout's some phony folksy's latest sockpuppet.; 6/4/13, 6:16 PM
Tom said...: THIS is what Hope and Change look like. This is the American version of standing in front of the tank in Tiannemen Square.; 6/4/13, 6:17 PM
Turbo Electric said...: What a contrast to Sandra Fluke; 6/4/13, 6:17 PM
Methadras said...: madAsHell said...

Oh look, garagie is here trying to change the subject.

Yeah....I think the writing styles are just a little TOO similar.

You know what? It doesn't matter, all leftists are essentially the same person, deranged, unhinged, anathema to freedom and liberty, and their insane lockjawed fealty to an ideology that would see you subjugated by government for your own good is what they all sounds and speak alike. So if Eel, ritmo, inga, garage, and their respective sock puppetry brethren climb onto here to spout there nonsense all sound the same, it's because they are all the same regardless. Unfathomably shallow thinking 5th columnist enemies of the US.

When you see one, you see all of them. When you read one of them, you read all of them. They all sound the same and all have the same MO.; 6/4/13, 6:21 PM
eelpout said...: I'm sure it has some special significance to you, you disgusting piece of shit.

You're a strange little man.; 6/4/13, 6:21 PM
Michael K said...: "they will abuse their office/power - AS THEY HAVE DONE SO. "

Nixon tried but was turned down by the commissioner. I doubt there is a Republican in the IRS bureaucracy.; 6/4/13, 6:22 PM
Methadras said...: Turbo Electric said...

What a contrast to Sandra Fluke

Oh, you mean the contrast between a freedom, liberty, individualist citizen vs. an embittered, entitled, collectivist citizen? Yes, that contrast is evident.; 6/4/13, 6:22 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: I’m telling my government that you’ve forgotten your place.

Can I get a great big fat fucking AMEN!!!!!; 6/4/13, 6:25 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: EeelTits Pouthal says:

"You're a strange little man."

And you are a fat uneducated man whose wife left him.; 6/4/13, 6:25 PM
Chip S. said...: Methadras said...

all leftists are essentially the same person, deranged, unhinged, anathema to freedom and liberty

Come to think of it, Althouse righties squabble here reasonably often, but I can't recall a thread where the resident lefties disagreed w/ each other over anything.; 6/4/13, 6:27 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The democrat party are the new fascists. Get used to it.; 6/4/13, 6:31 PM
eelpout said...: And you are a fat uneducated man whose wife left him.

You could use a psychological eval. Looks like you aren't alone here.; 6/4/13, 6:32 PM
Unknownsailor said...: I swear there is a law that protects donors. It's used partially for presidential library donors, if you want to find out who donated, you can't.
Underlying this assumption is the belief that the rule of law applies.
I think we can all see that, for this administration, they don't think it does, not to them, only us, the little people.
And I think they are right, for WE let them get away with this, by our collective inaction.
Think the IRS would pull this crap if they know that if they did, there would be millions camped out on the Mall in D.C., protesting for weeks on end?
Yes, me neither.
So, if you want someone to blame, look in the mirror, because We the People have collectively forgotten what it means to guard our liberty.
As a result of all the above, this indignation is all for show, and the Progressive left knows it.
So, protest all you want, but if it doesn't go farther than emails to your "Representative", then don't bother, because we are past the point where that matters.; 6/4/13, 6:35 PM
mccullough said...: What's the difference between serf and vassal?; 6/4/13, 6:36 PM
Methadras said...: Chip S. said...

Methadras said...

all leftists are essentially the same person, deranged, unhinged, anathema to freedom and liberty

Come to think of it, Althouse righties squabble here reasonably often, but I can't recall a thread where the resident lefties disagreed w/ each other over anything.

It's not the squabbling even amongst our right thinking sisters and brothers. We often can and do disagree on issues that we are on the same side on. However, the leftist univoice is a collimator of their group-thought-illogic. All the same, all the time, one voice, one mind, like a cult and is a cult.; 6/4/13, 6:42 PM
Anonymous said...: Jay Retard,

But now they are whining because they correctly cannot be classified as tax exempt?

One of the organizations eligible for tax exemption as a 501(c)(4) organization is civic organization, which is exactly what tea party organizations are. While this tax targeting by the IRS is malevolent on the face of it, the bigger problem is the fact that there is a tax code like the US federal tax code.

That you would want to tax a specific civic association because you don't agree with their beliefs is a direct violation of the first amendment.; 6/4/13, 6:44 PM
Methadras said...: mccullough said...

What's the difference between serf and vassal?

Serfs were generally indentured agro-laborers tied to the fealty of their lord to a particular land. Vassals are the military version of a serf, however a vassal enters into an agreement with their respective lord to become their vassal.; 6/4/13, 6:45 PM
Paco Wové said...: "...I can't recall a thread where the resident lefties disagreed w/ each other over anything."

Commenter 'eelpout' has also commented as:
Ad Hominem
Bailey
Don H
Foxxy Conservative
Jackson
John Gout
Naked Lunch
Republican
Rotgut
Tim

just fyi.; 6/4/13, 6:46 PM
Paco Wové said...: ...and, of course, 'Jay Retread' has had many names too.; 6/4/13, 6:48 PM
Chip S. said...: Funny how bailey, foxxy, and eelpout all write just like garage mahal.

Must be some sort of hommage.; 6/4/13, 6:49 PM
Blue Ox said...: There were maybe 3 of 4 Congressmen who bothered to stick around for the entire hearing. Most departed shortly after grandstanding about how outraged they were and how committed they were to getting to the truth about what happened.

Gerritson should have called out each and every one of them as they left their seats and demanded to know where the hell they thought they were going.; 6/4/13, 6:54 PM
KCFleming said...: Secession has become an increasingly attractive alternative.; 6/4/13, 6:58 PM
Delayna said...: Don M. nailed it. The pols need to remember that the Constitution is what protects *them* from *us*.; 6/4/13, 6:58 PM
Writ Small said...: I got chills reading that quote.

Anyone who interprets that statement as playing the victim is unserious.; 6/4/13, 7:01 PM
Anonymous said...: Chilling.

Bravo to her and to all the Tea Parties and other groups affected by this oppression who have stood their ground. Let's make sure the government changes to be of, by and for the people.; 6/4/13, 7:02 PM
Anonymous said...: I wonder how long it'll be until that woman and her husband become homeless and/or charged with crimes against the state?; 6/4/13, 7:10 PM
Ritchie The Riveter said...: Cedarford, the Constitution (1) has an amendment procedure that allows it to be changed, though not at the whim of an elite few ... and (2)is the blueprint of HOW the government will accomplish its mission. It is not the mission.

That mission ... the reason we have human government ... was delineated on an earlier piece of parchment, that is not subject to amendment:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

Not just any powers: JUST powers ... powers that are consistent with the primary mission of government: to secure these rights

NOT to save us from ourselves ... or create an Utopia ... or to jam a particular socio-economic morality down our throats with coercive force simply because a Cult of the Credentialed and Connected Omniscient deems it good.

No, government's job is to execute those relatively few, one-size-fits-all tasks that open the way for US, as individuals and neighbors outside the force of law, to do the vast majority of the problem-solving needed in this nation.

To ask it to do anything more individual-specific than that, is to invite serfdom upon ourselves.; 6/4/13, 7:12 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Man, that was good. The party apologists disgust me. If they cannot see how bad this is then truly they're too retarded to talk to. My favorite part was Paul Ryan. He's from Wisconsin, isn't he? What a pleasure hearing him. I love the way Ace summed it up too. Paul Ryan delivered the donkey kick (to Jim McDermott) then Aaron Shock applied the Dirty Sanchez. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha that guy kills me.; 6/4/13, 7:15 PM
Gabriel Hanna said...: @mccullough:What's the difference between serf and vassal?

Serf, unlike slaves, are attached to land. When land changes hands so do the serfs.

Vassals are people who hold their lands from a lord in return for rent or military service. Vassals could be of any rank--for example the Kings of England were vassals of the Kings of France for the lands they held in France, and vassals of the Pope from the time of John onward. Nobles and knights were vassals of the king or other nobles.; 6/4/13, 7:18 PM
Brian Brown said...: Methadras said...

When you see one, you see all of them. When you read one of them, you read all of them. They all sound the same and all have the same MO.

That's a good point.; 6/4/13, 7:19 PM
Mark said...: I've got no problem with deciding that advocacy groups are not tax exempt. But the fact is that they are. If you want to not-exempt them, that's great. We can not-exempt Organizing for America and the various green groups, gay groups, everyone.

I agree. Start with these.

And in honor of the Barack H. Obama Foundation backdate the non-tax-exempt status for good measure.; 6/4/13, 7:22 PM
chuck said...: those on the left who simply won't acknowledge how incredibly bad this is.

As a rule of thumb, folks on the left think left wing tyranny is a *good* thing. Doing God's work is easier if one can command obedience and suppress opposition. It is the same old, same old, nothing is quite so fusty as the politics of the Left.

There are exceptions to this rule, but they are rare.; 6/4/13, 7:26 PM
Edward said...: Vassal vs Serf:

http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_normansaxon.htm

Read it; It is still true.; 6/4/13, 7:33 PM
chickelit said...: Ten anagrams for eelpout:

Eel Pout
Lee Pout
Peel Out
Pee Lout
Pule Toe
Lute Ope
Eel To Up
Lee To Up
Tee Lo Up
El Toe Up; 6/4/13, 7:39 PM
edutcher said...: Notice the trolls quickly scurried away once challenged.

This stuff is unanswerable, particularly when coupled with the whole "It's your own doing" excuse-making by hack Democrats like McDermott.; 6/4/13, 7:41 PM
Methadras said...: If someone can find the whole speech I would appreciate it. Here is what I have so far.; 6/4/13, 7:46 PM
Mark said...: You missed "lout pee".; 6/4/13, 7:53 PM
Limited Blogger said...: We're living in a tinderbox. Just wondering what will be the match. QE? Press subpoenas? IRS? Or will it more resemble Erdogan's cumulative effect?

http://www.city-journal.org/2013/eon0603cb.html; 6/4/13, 8:03 PM
David said...: Some of you do not realize how unique the United States is in human history and how easily it could be lost. It would only take a couple of generations of wisecracking ideologues on the make, to whom the end justifies the means. In other words, ignoramuses exactly like many of those now graduating from American schools.; 6/4/13, 8:03 PM
GuyCocoa said...: The federal government is at war with its citizens.; 6/4/13, 8:03 PM
David said...: Some of you do not realize how unique the United States is in human history and how easily it could be lost. It would only take a couple of generations of wisecracking ideologues on the make, to whom the end justifies the means. In other words, ignoramuses exactly like many of those now graduating from American schools.; 6/4/13, 8:04 PM
Bill said...: What Chip said. The 'party apologists' are truly loathsome. I understand the desire to reflexively take the opposite side, I think we all suffer from it to some degree, but this is indefensible. This is big stuff and twisting yourself into knots trying to score some points is, well, loathsome.; 6/4/13, 8:05 PM
cubanbob said...: Ritchie that was a beautiful comment. It's a shame it's wasted on facist. It's like trying to teach a pig to sing. It can't be done and it annoys the pig but nevertheless well said indeed.

Folks is it just me or are woman disproportionately represented in this scandal as both as heros and victims? If so, I suppose its a backhanded acknowledgment of woman's rise to prominence in our society.; 6/4/13, 8:05 PM
Sydney said...: That was very good. Do you think any of the bastards were listening? And if they were listening, what are the chances they were moved by it?

I hate to say it, but I've grown so cynical that I believe the majority of politicians have no appreciation or understanding of the founding principles of our country.; 6/4/13, 8:10 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Guycocoa wrote:
The federal government is at war with its citizens.

From Timothy Snyder's _Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin_:

The mastery of both peasants and nations was a grand ambition indeed, and the Bolsheviks concealed its major implication: that they were the enemies of their own peoples, whether defined by class or nation.; 6/4/13, 8:25 PM
Julie C said...: And that, liberals, is called speaking truth to power.; 6/4/13, 8:26 PM
edutcher said...: Leit Bart said...

We're living in a tinderbox. Just wondering what will be the match. QE? Press subpoenas? IRS? Or will it more resemble Erdogan's cumulative effect?

http://www.city-journal.org/2013/eon0603cb.html

I quite agree. This cannot last. and I think all the propaganda since the "election" about how we've suddenly become a nation of Julias is a massive psyop with much of the media complicit.

One thing that may end up helping the tinderbox along, it looks like we can definitely add a 6th cabinet department to the ones whose Secretaries may be up for impeachment or arrest and indictment.

Seems like the Labor Department tried to shake down AP; 6/4/13, 8:26 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Chip S., I think it's spelled "fromage". Possibly la marionnette de la chaussette. I'm no linguist, so don't go on my word here.; 6/4/13, 8:38 PM
Methadras said...: What in effect we have as of right now base on this IRS testimony is a shakedown protection racket mob style, with Don Urkel at its head and the rest of the families that make up the cabinet. That's what the federal government has now become, the mob, the mafia, and yet, I don't see a single one of them that work within it coming up against any RICO statutes. But then again, why would they impugn their own. That's like grading your own final. Hey, guess what,m I got a 100%. I'm awesome. Not even Sebelius who has admitted as much. You can't have a mob state and think to yourself that it will go on, in this way much longer. Everyone can see it and they are disgusted by it, well, except for the sycophantic leftist citizenry that thinks giving the big fuck you to republicans and conservatives is what they deserve. But hey, McDermott said as much.; 6/4/13, 8:38 PM
tree hugging sister said...: Poetry.

AMERICAN poetry.; 6/4/13, 8:39 PM
Bob Ellison said...: He's not Nixon. He's Chavez.; 6/4/13, 8:43 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: I just watched this piece for about the fifth time today. Becky Gerritson flat-out rocks. She was absolutely brilliant up there.; 6/4/13, 8:51 PM
Bob Ellison said...: There's an absence of imagination. I asked my father whether Obama was another Nixon, and he said "No, he's Chavez." That's imagination!

Imagine that the IRS, the FBI, the ATF, the OSHA, and other federal offices were sic'd on you. I have trouble thinking a unified force would try to destroy me like that. But that's what they're doing.; 6/4/13, 8:53 PM
harrogate said...: Golf clap.; 6/4/13, 8:56 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: God damn that's good. Libertarians and conservatives have taken so much right in the squeaker these last few years that we are starved for some oppositional eloquence and excellence. Becky delivered in a way that cuts across party lines. Something professional politicians like Mitt and Paul Ryan can't do. Brava Becky!

Although testifying against the IRS before Congress; that's an auditin'.; 6/4/13, 9:02 PM
traditionalguy said...: This lady never got the word that serfs and vassals are the latest thing.

The IRStapo got the word.; 6/4/13, 9:02 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Harrogate--are you OK with the story that she tells?; 6/4/13, 9:16 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: The PR hit pieces against the Tea Party have to be one of the great miscarriages of journalistic ethics of all time. Becky details how the seeds of her local tea party were planted near the end of the reign of the Great Horned One Himself, G. W. Bush. It was over govt. spending. There was no political affiliation of the group. This was typical of the tea party movement around the country. Yet somehow they were successfully branded as extremist, racist, and insane. I don't buy that the media has some Svengali-like hold over the general public, but I do buy that most progs, drunk on their ascension to power, were desperately eager to believe and reinforce that image. Kind of like how many Arabs choose to believe the Protocols of the Elders of Zion even though it's demonstrably false.

The strategy to use the IRS to finish dismantling the tea party movement is now blowing up in the Dems' faces as eminently calm, thoughtful, well-spoken people like Becky Gerritson publicly restate the very-justifiable case for why they started the tea parties in the first place. Journolisters to the ramparts! That damnable Tea Party is back for another round! They'll need to be squelched right-proper this time.; 6/4/13, 9:19 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Obama is in the highest tax bracket (39.6%), yet he only paid 18% in 2012.

For starters, the man who insists "the rich" must pay their "fair share" should be required BY LAW to pay his fair share in the bracket he just raised.; 6/4/13, 9:19 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: wrong thread... oh well.; 6/4/13, 9:21 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Obama is Chavez. Who is Holder?; 6/4/13, 9:22 PM
edutcher said...: harrogate said...

Golf clap.

These morons do not get it. They think (well, their puppet masters think, they seem incapable) if they sneer enough and throw the new talking points around enough, they can beat this back and I don't think that's happening.

These are the "little people" (the people on whose side the trolls and the Lefties who control them keep telling us they are) and their stories are resonating. They also back up all the allegations we've heard so far.

As I said to Retread, keep it up, harro.

You just sound like one of the Comtes or Monseigneurs right before the storming of the Bastille.; 6/4/13, 9:23 PM
Dallas Escue said...: IRS delenda est.; 6/4/13, 9:28 PM
JAL said...: Karen Kenney was pretty awesome also.

The four I heard were all right on the mark.; 6/4/13, 9:32 PM
Paul said...: "When you see one, you see all of them. When you read one of them, you read all of them. They all sound the same and all have the same MO."

Yes they are goose steppers.

Herd animals packed shoulder to shoulder and face to rump.

They demand strict ideological conformity and turn like a school of piranhas on one of their own should they dare to differ even a wee bit from the party line.

They are collectivists with no use for "individualism".

They are fascists in the purists sense.

They are fundamentally anti-American, and when they are finished civilization will be in ruins, and the left's 100,000,000 body count in the 20th century will seem like child's play.; 6/4/13, 9:35 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: Obi-Wan Kenobi (the Tea Party) to Darth Vader (the IRS): "if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."; 6/4/13, 9:37 PM
Anonymous said...: Good grief, why do you mouth foamers sound like clones of one another?; 6/4/13, 9:38 PM
Paul said...: And warning folk...THE DHS has BILLIONSD of bullets.. just for 'voter suppression.

Some may laugh, some may roll their eye up, but they have been hording ammo for SOME reason.

Sow we have IRS voter suppression, ATF gun running to drum up gun control, Justice Dept. spying, and the Whitehouse letting diplomats die on the vine while they partied.

And the DHS has thousand of armored cars in the US.

Sleep tight folks.; 6/4/13, 9:39 PM
Iconochasm said...: Chip S. said...
Methadras said...

all leftists are essentially the same person, deranged, unhinged, anathema to freedom and liberty

Come to think of it, Althouse righties squabble here reasonably often, but I can't recall a thread where the resident lefties disagreed w/ each other over anything.

That would require them to actually argue about something at some point. The ones here just threadshit nonstop. It baffles me that Althouse doesn't just ban them all as trolls. Maybe the void would be filled by someone on the left with a brain, but a blind, half-retarded howler monkey would be an upgrade at this point.

But then, I have other venues for actual argument. I like coming here to see what the conservatives are thinking.; 6/4/13, 9:40 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Paul Ryan.
Pay close attention at around the 2:10 mark.; 6/4/13, 9:40 PM
Julie C said...: Compare this thoughtful, intelligent woman to Jill Abramson of the NY Times. She was on Face the Nation last Sunday.

Armstrong & Getty (radio guys) were having quite a bit of fun with Abramson. If you haven't heard her speak you really need to. She's a talking caricature of the East Coast liberal pseudo-intellectual. You have to hear it to believe it.; 6/4/13, 9:40 PM
chickelit said...: harrogate said...
Golf clap.

That's what you catch kissing POTUS' putter.; 6/4/13, 9:52 PM
edutcher said...: Inga said...

Good grief, why do you mouth foamers sound like clones of one another?

No, dear, that's your gig.; 6/4/13, 9:53 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Crowd Erupts in Thunderous Applause When Leno Says Obama Should Close IRS Instead of Gitmo

Anyone who stands by the IRS at this point, is a progressive.

Progressive: A radical leftwing extremist who operates outside of the law.; 6/4/13, 9:56 PM
Palladian said...: The really sad thing is that the people who dare to call themselves "liberals" would mock Gerritson's testimony.

What foul, gut-nibbling parasite has eaten away, from the inside, the once-vigorous body of liberalism, which arose from the darkness of human history like a sun, in a glorious dawn in the 18th century and now slumps across the earth, a putrefied husk of rubbery skin with black, hollow orbits and nothing inside?; 6/4/13, 9:58 PM
chickelit said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Harrogate--are you OK with the story that she tells?

Haven't you noticed? Harrogate disdains people from flyoverland-especially if they're from the "New Confederacy."

I once recorded a snippet of harrogate here reading this.

What I can't get over is how much his voice sounds like Rhythm and Balls. I guess they really all do sound alike.

Right Inga?; 6/4/13, 9:59 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Are you progressives OK with the IRS spending 50 million tax payer dollars in 2 years on lavish perks?

Really - are you OK with that?

As progressives, I suppose you are. Thanks for all your help ruining our nation.
Nice work. At least you won your little faux war on women.
Happy Gosnell.

Speaking of the party of Gosnell - Andrew Cuomo pushes for late term abortion.; 6/4/13, 10:04 PM
Big Mike said...: @Inga, you're sort of funny duck. In areas related to your experience and training you are not afraid to call bullshit on left-wing lunatic fringe talking points. But you accept uncritically talking points from more or less the same sources when it's not in your area of expertise.

One would think that a reasoning individual would say something to themselves along the lines of "so and so was wrong about late-term abortion so maybe they're wrong about Obama's latest scandals?" But the thought never quite seems to occur to you, does it?; 6/4/13, 10:04 PM
Krumhorn said...: those on the left who simply won't acknowledge how incredibly bad this is.

As a rule of thumb, folks on the left think left wing tyranny is a *good* thing. Doing God's work is easier if one can command obedience and suppress opposition. It is the same old, same old, nothing is quite so fusty as the politics of the Left.

There are exceptions to this rule, but they are rare.

B-b-b-but they mean so well. So very well-intentioned. It's very easy to discard any ethical values when you are ablaze with fervor and righteousness. It is the principal animating feature of lefties. Which is why they make the transition so easily to Fascists.

-Krumhorn; 6/4/13, 10:06 PM
Known Unknown said...: Here's what I can't understand:

How can those on the left not understand the IRS used in this way can be used against them in the future?

Can they not see this?; 6/4/13, 10:09 PM
Palladian said...: Can they not see this?

They don't care.

Go team!

Grunt, grunt, ooga-booga, hit other tribe of cavemen on head with club!; 6/4/13, 10:12 PM
edutcher said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/4/13, 10:13 PM
edutcher said...: EMD said...

Here's what I can't understand:

How can those on the left not understand the IRS used in this way can be used against them in the future?

Can they not see this?

That's exactly it, they don't.

Part of it stems from the fact they've so convinced themselves for so long that they have a monopoly on being right that the idea somebody else could be and they could be wrong is a very hard sell.

The other point is that the whole "Ends Justifies The Means Because Our Goals Are Pure" attitutde they've had since 'Nam means they've been so busy Alinskyizing their enemies for so long, they can't tell when anything they do is over the line. Because their Messiah is so AWESOME, anything that threatens him must be destroyed.

The idea that they are doing to themselves what they tried to do to Romney (and the Tea Partiers) last year simply doesn't compute. They only know one way to deal with opposition.

Too for them bad Da Chicago Way won't work.; 6/4/13, 10:17 PM
Æthelflæd said...: I am truly shocked that "liberal" civil libertarians aren't all over this. Except they seem to be a dying breed. I didn't realize the rot had gone this deep. I was worried before, but now....; 6/4/13, 10:21 PM
Oso Negro said...: EMD - Here is what you must understand - the IRS will NOT be used against the left in the future in this manner because the IRS is a leftist organization. 95% Democrat. How will you possibly rid the government of these people without going cubicle to cubicle with a flamethrower? Elect a Republican president and you get a Republican veneer on a leftist organization. The problem here is totalitarianism.; 6/4/13, 10:23 PM
David R. Graham said...: The Constitution does not guarantee liberty. US Armed Forces do that, or don't.; 6/4/13, 10:26 PM
Æthelflæd said...: A republic, if you can keep it. Bottom of the ninth and two outs.; 6/4/13, 10:35 PM
Oso Negro said...: For perspective, please read "The Revolution Was" by Garet Garrett. This was written in 1938 and sums up the modus operandi of the New Deal. It illuminates our present situation wonderfully. Here is a link:

http://mises.org/daily/2726; 6/4/13, 10:44 PM
Luther said...: She really should have trimmed her bangs before appearing. Most distracting.

It was an emotional based pitch, good as far as it goes, but much better practiced by the dems.; 6/4/13, 10:53 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: gadfly,

I don't normally criticize the choice of words but the feudal origin of "vassal" and "serf" will leave half of the congressional committee (those remaining awake) totally befuddled.

First of all, both words mean "slave" and secondly, unless she wears blackface, the interlocutors would not understand "slave" either.

No. A vassal isn't a serf, and neither is a slave. Vassals were people sworn to loyalty to some local noble. "Vassalage" meant something rather like "chivalry." Serfs were quite different from slaves; they were attached to the land, and couldn't be evicted from it. A slave has an owner; a serf is a sort of appurtenance of a chunk of real estate. The owner of the real estate doesn't own the serfs on it as a slaveowner owns his slaves. What he owns is the land, and the serfs come with it, so to speak.; 6/4/13, 10:54 PM
VekTor said...: "Obama is Chavez. Who is Holder?"

Holder is that bird jauntily sitting on Chavez's shoulder.

He's a shoulder Holder.; 6/4/13, 10:58 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: @ Palladian... 6/4/13, 9:58 PM

I'm saving that comment.; 6/4/13, 10:59 PM
VekTor said...: "The owner of the real estate doesn't own the serfs on it as a slaveowner owns his slaves. What he owns is the land, and the serfs come with it, so to speak."

Kinda like the "furniture" girls in Soylent Green, don'tcha know.; 6/4/13, 11:06 PM
Known Unknown said...: EMD - Here is what you must understand - the IRS will NOT be used against the left in the future in this manner because the IRS is a leftist organization. 95% Democrat.

I get that. I was speaking theoretically. Or pick a more conservative organization, like the Armed Forces.; 6/4/13, 11:06 PM
Palladian said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/4/13, 11:06 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: Jay Retread,

The Tea Party a few years back declared that they were the new political party in America. But now they are whining because they correctly cannot be classified as tax exempt?

I gather you missed the bit where none of the specially-flagged applications (including scary things like "educating the public about the US Constitution") was actually turned down? I take it you disagree with the considered (long-considered -- these applications were completely stalled for an average of 27 months) judgment of the IRS?; 6/4/13, 11:07 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Rounding people up and taking them away in the middle of the night would at least be honest.

The way they are doing it, the insidiousness of it ... if this is not repaired and I mean people go to jail I'm never getting involved on anything again.

I'm not even going to bother to vote. I'm going to be done with the propping of a charade.

No more jury duty either.; 6/4/13, 11:11 PM
Ritchie The Riveter said...: How can those on the left not understand the IRS used in this way can be used against them in the future?

Because they KNOW we still have our scruples, and that we respect liberty too much to misuse it that way.

Unlike them.

That, and they figure they will get the power back, sooner or later, if they just continue to raise up their straw Goldsteins and play identity politics.

What they really don't get, is that more and more people are figuring out that the solution is not merely to change the people running the show ... but to change the entire stage.

The problem is the aggregation of the paradigms they have overlaid upon legitimate governance ... paradigms that are neither effective, efficient, nor sustainable with respect to advancing the legitimate mission of government, regardless of the virtue (or lack thereof) and intent of its operatives.

That is why I resist any rush to judgment/impeachment, until it is obvious that those overlays (i.e. the current Tax Code, to cite just one) have now allowed the myopic and the miscreant alike to poison the "secret sauce" of American advancement ... the responsible exercise of personal initiative ... by substituting government as the vehicle for resource allocation and decision-making in even the most individual-specific of areas.

That substitution is an endeavor with all the precision and safety of someone else using a sledgehammer to text on your iPhone ... again, regardless of the virtue or intent of those swinging the hammer.

You want to see the Re-, er, Progressives go over the edge ... pass the Fair Tax or a flat income tax, in a manner such that taxation can no longer be used for crony capitalism and/or back-door socio-economic engineering (I repeat myself).

But if you want to see this nation turn around? Get your neighbors to understand that a century of conventional wisdom that has led us to "outsource" our responsibility, liberty, and initiative is what has led to a government that is focused upon "securing" their obedience ... instead of securing their unalienable rights ...

https://www.facebook.com/notes/ritchie-the-riveter/outsourcing-is-the-problem-but-not-the-way-you-might-think/416571378389947

... and convince them to forsake the conventional wisdom and return to the original wisdom upon that "piece of parchment" that delineated the legitimate mission of ANY human government.

300 million-problem solvers, with the initiative to solve the problems around them.

That is what we need ... not a Cult of the Credentialed and Connected Omniscient trying to solve our problems FOR us.; 6/4/13, 11:17 PM
Palladian said...: I'm saving that comment.

Thank you dear Lem. It terrifies me, that true liberalism, exactly what Becky Gerritson espouses in her testimony, is now mocked by the pissants that dare think they inherited the mantle of liberal thought. It is terrifying because true liberalism is so fragile and unique... look how that mantle was stolen by the murderers of the French Revolution. See how the Democrat party has stolen it, a false flag operation, just like the leaders of the French Revolution. A way to power, nothing else. Terrifying because this, America, may have been the last chance for true human freedom. That distant, glorious dawn is now descending past dusk and back into darkness. And the coming night, like the black night of our past as humans, may not ever end, this time.; 6/4/13, 11:19 PM
VekTor said...: I'm never getting involved on anything again.

I'm not even going to bother to vote. I'm going to be done with the propping of a charade.

No more jury duty either.

"I'm going to cut the soles off my
shoes, sit in a tree, and learn to play the flute." -- Porgy Tirebiter, High School Madness; 6/4/13, 11:19 PM
Palladian said...: And the answer is not, resolutely not, "vote Republican". What is the answer?; 6/4/13, 11:21 PM
Brew Master said...: Oso Negro said...
EMD - Here is what you must understand - the IRS will NOT be used against the left in the future in this manner because the IRS is a leftist organization. 95% Democrat. How will you possibly rid the government of these people without going cubicle to cubicle with a flamethrower? Elect a Republican president and you get a Republican veneer on a leftist organization. The problem here is totalitarianism.

This.

Cloward-Piven strategy has achieved it's lock on the institutions. There will be no repercussions for the left until the right is dead. Only then will the machine turn on the leftists, and they will be shocked, Shocked! to find out that totalitarianism is in full force and being used to benefit the ruling class and not the common citizen.

But, they won't dare object then otherwise they will be up for reeducation (looking at you Inga).

This country has run it's course of greatness. I hate to join the chorus, but.....

Enjoy the decline, it only gets worse from here.; 6/4/13, 11:28 PM
Brew Master said...: Palladian said...
And the answer is not, resolutely not, "vote Republican". What is the answer?

Start memorizing Thomas Jefferson.; 6/4/13, 11:33 PM
rcommal said...: The really sad thing is that the people who dare to call themselves "liberals" would mock Gerritson's testimony.

Palladian: Closed minds lead to rising tides. Alas.

Sad it is.; 6/4/13, 11:37 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: And the answer is not, resolutely not, "vote Republican". What is the answer?

Drudge was publicizing Home Land Security's run on ammunition some months back... off the top of my head, it was like a ridiculous amount of bullets for every one woman man and child in the country.

I haven't seen nor heard anything that makes me believe we are going to be ok.; 6/4/13, 11:39 PM
Brew Master said...: Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

How much longer before this country reaches this state of affairs? Americans of all stripes are putting up with more and more intrusiveness and power accumulation at the Federal level. We will put up with more before the worm turns.

Sadly, this concept is being hammered out of each successive generation, bit by bit. Is there going be enough will left to throw off a despotic government when it comes to pass?; 6/4/13, 11:42 PM
VekTor said...: And the answer is not, resolutely not, "vote Republican". What is the answer?

Stockpile resources and knowledge to help future generations to rebuild after the "upcoming unpleasantness"?; 6/4/13, 11:42 PM
rcommal said...: In response to something else, I don't remember who brought it up:

"Serf" and "vassal" are not the same things, and neither word, despite the meanings of the two being different from each other, is properly a synonym for "slave."; 6/4/13, 11:43 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Emails of top Obama appointees remain a mystery

We have a lawless government.; 6/5/13, 12:10 AM
Dante said...: Now THAT's an American.

Not the Obamaphone lady, not the Rev. Al Sharpton, and certainly not the Obamao (or alleged rapist Bill Clinton, or his bitchy wife).; 6/5/13, 12:20 AM
PianoLessons said...: Sorry to be so late to an interesting thread but I watched the hearings today on CSPAN and thought this Becky Gerritson's speech (like many of you did) was kind of great.

To the commenter "unknown' who said early on: "I swear there is a law that protects donors. It's used partially for presidential library donors, if you want to find out who donated, you can't.
Underlying this assumption is the belief that the rule of law applies."

Yes. The law (as articulated by one of the other witnesses, an acting Law Professor is NAACP vs Alabama wherein donor lists are private when intimidation and threats result in 14th Amendment violations and are therefore protected. This came up at least 5 times in the hearings. Donor lists are private.

Joe Schmoe made some great points as did Ethelfad. But Palladin -I have to tell you the Tea Party was never a 3rd party except in Axelrod/Plofe/Carville/Cutler et al's wet dreams. The Dems would love the splinter 3rd party. It was never an intended 3rd choice as was Perot - the last gift GOP gave to Democrats.

The Tea Party is an ideal - a set of beliefs about stopping the growth of government and out of control government spending.

Lots of pretty ignorant folks on this thread about the Tea Party - not at all surprised. The progressive left has to at some point see that when you disrespect Tea Party folks, you disrespect the same Constitution you seek to use in your own arguments. In many ways I often see Tea Party writings and Occupier writings sound very similar. There is actual an ironic common ground if you would ever bother to read more and learn.

But this speech by this lady from Alabama - it said an awful lot about what a lot of Republicans and Democrats who pay attention to events are thinking:

This US government is out of control and spending way too much to be way too big and way too invasive in our bedrooms and healthcare and parenting and schools and cradle to grave surveillance.

Her last lines - where she choked up - were the best - "We're terrified we're slipping into tyranny".

She spoke for flyover country, folks. Many many engaged, aware of current events type Americans are really terrified. And not all are GOP - trust me. I know many Dem voters who are freaked out about this AP/Benghazi/IRS trifecta. But we're flyover country, folks - Obama did NOTHING to help WIunion defeat Walker (remember?). We are not important - only the urban coastal cities and maybe Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia.

Yet Wisconsin's two time re-election of Scott Walker in spite of enormous public sector and unions opposition (the Company Store - government and unions united to keep the status quo of unsustainable pensions and entitlement promises)is proof of what this Wetumpka Tea Party founder spoke of.

Thank God for Wisconsin folks who re-elected Walker two times in two years to show the nation that we want a restrained, disciplined government.; 6/5/13, 2:57 AM
edutcher said...: One of the fascinating things about this post is that there have been a couple of good discussions here without the trolls coming in and hijacking them.

What happened yesterday was so devastating, not only in its damning testimony, but in the reaction of the Congresscreeps.

In the face of them, the trolls merely wilted. Even they may be beginning to see how serious this is and that the talking points just won't fly.

Becky Gerritson may not be the next Patrick Henry, but she'll do.; 6/5/13, 5:42 AM
Rusty said...: So. Althouse. The very people who have sworn to uphold our constitution have deliberately set to work to undermine it and the protections it affords its citizens.
What are the citizens to do when there is no rule of law?; 6/5/13, 5:54 AM
PackerBronco said...: The Tea Parties are truly one of the most non-partisan groups in the public arena:

They're hated by both the Democratic and Republican establishments ...; 6/5/13, 6:27 AM
PackerBronco said...: Blogger Jay Retread said...
They call themselves Tea PARTY for a reason.

6/4/13, 5:41 PM

Yeah, because they're named after the historic event called "the Boston Tea PARTY" you dumba&&.; 6/5/13, 6:30 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Is it too much to expect for any decent writing as a result of the testimony from these women?

Its going to be interesting to see if editorials and op-eds just brush it aside.; 6/5/13, 6:43 AM
Clyde said...: Effin' awesome!; 6/5/13, 6:49 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The radical leftwing IRS isn't just corrupt, they are wasting alarming amounts of your money on their extravagance.

In all, the IRS held 225 employee conferences from 2010 through 2012, at a total cost of $49 million, the report said. The Anaheim conference was the most expensive, but others were costly, too.

In 2010, the agency held a conference in Philadelphia that cost $2.9 million, one in San Diego that cost $1.2 million and another in Atlanta that also cost $1.2 million.; 6/5/13, 7:54 AM
Robert Cook said...: Very impressive presentation by Ms. Gerritson: cogent, concise, and impassioned.; 6/5/13, 7:59 AM
Illuninati said...: Congratulations to Althouse for starting an interesting discussion. I liked the speech.; 6/5/13, 8:10 AM
baker said...: Given that she has the backbone to stand up to powerful federal government abuse, it's best if she can refrain from crying while doing so because it makes her look weak. Stay strong and don't tremble or cry when confronted by faceless apparatchiks who are basically cowards.; 6/5/13, 8:17 AM
TMink said...: Rusty asked "What are the citizens to do when there is no rule of law?"

If the rule of law is abandoned, we will have the choice of accepting blatant, growing tyranny, or starting to seriously misbehave.

Last night, at a meeting in Manchester, Tennessee, people started to misbehave. I am not sure if they were plants or they were fed up citizens, but the country is on the brink of some serious acting out that will be in the neighborhood of revolution.

Interesting times.

Trey; 6/5/13, 8:28 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Baker , she's not crying from fear; she's crying because of the strength of her dedication to her ideals.; 6/5/13, 8:37 AM
SGT Ted said...: It is good to see all the Statists, who desire the Government to be given the power to punish their political enemies and violate their civil rights for daring to dissent, speaking up and outing themselves as the fascists they really are.; 6/5/13, 8:56 AM
Mitch H. said...: NPR enthusiastically ignored her and the rest of the hearings today, in favor of yammering about Obama's latest SQUIRREL! press conference, and that camwhore Grassley was more than willing to enable their bullshit.

No. A vassal isn't a serf, and neither is a slave. Vassals were people sworn to loyalty to some local noble. "Vassalage" meant something rather like "chivalry." Serfs were quite different from slaves; they were attached to the land, and couldn't be evicted from it. A slave has an owner; a serf is a sort of appurtenance of a chunk of real estate. The owner of the real estate doesn't own the serfs on it as a slaveowner owns his slaves. What he owns is the land, and the serfs come with it, so to speak.

True in English, but a lot of people think of "serfs" in the Russian context nowadays, and Russian "serfs" and vassals were both slaves of the Czar or Prince. The serf was bound to his land, the military vassal was bound to his service, but both of them were literally owned by the state in the person of the prince or czar.; 6/5/13, 9:36 AM
Methadras said...: Inga said...

Good grief, why do you mouth foamers sound like clones of one another?

HA!!! This coming from the mimicer-in-chief. Parrots are jealous of your ability to reproduce the original thoughts and sounds of others. You just regurgitate the same base nonsense without a thought. God, you are such a caner and a blight on humanity.; 6/5/13, 11:18 AM
Methadras said...: Palladian said...

The really sad thing is that the people who dare to call themselves "liberals" would mock Gerritson's testimony.

What foul, gut-nibbling parasite has eaten away, from the inside, the once-vigorous body of liberalism, which arose from the darkness of human history like a sun, in a glorious dawn in the 18th century and now slumps across the earth, a putrefied husk of rubbery skin with black, hollow orbits and nothing inside?

Inga?; 6/5/13, 11:19 AM
Methadras said...: Lem said...

Emails of top Obama appointees remain a mystery

We have a lawless government.

Like I said, it's a mob government run like the mafia. Secret emails, secret books, secret deals, stamping out your rivals and enemies. That old saying, 'There is no honor among thieves' at least the thieves know what honor is and choose to not use it. Leftists have no concept of what honor is because it would uplift them to the level of thievery. They are much worse than that.; 6/5/13, 11:33 AM
Rusty said...: If the rule of law is abandoned, we will have the choice of accepting blatant, growing tyranny, or starting to seriously misbehave.

If those are my choices,"then I aim to misbehave."; 6/5/13, 12:35 PM
harrogate said...: I especially liked it when early on, she said that you'd never know whether it was Republicans or Democrats at the Tea Party rallies. Why, it had no partisan elements whatever! It was just Americans!

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, I suppose.; 6/5/13, 1:22 PM
Achilles said...: You guys are wrong about eel pout. Garage has commented several times on the IRS scandal and has called Obama a dictator. Garage is a leftist but he recognizes evil.

Eel pout is a run of the mill statist with no original thought. Eel pout and Jay Retread are enemies of freedom. All of the people out there supporting the IRS and Obama on this better think twice.

If this kind of tyranny continues it will not end with gentile conversations. The army paid me to fight Muslim fascists but truth be told I will fight any fascist for free. I will protect women like this from the Julia's and statists just like I protected all of you from Islamist freaks.; 6/5/13, 1:29 PM
Anthony said...: I fear none of this will get much traction as the major media mostly don't care. Admittedly, I don't watch CNN or the network news, but my local affiliates usually reflect that their big brothers are doing, and mine have barely mentioned the IRS scandal. When they do, it's a 15-second blurb in minute 18 of a 30-minute broadcast, and usually just stating some bland facts about what happened that day.; 6/5/13, 1:31 PM
chickelit said...: harrogate muses: I especially liked it when early on, she said that you'd never know whether it was Republicans or Democrats at the Tea Party rallies. Why, it had no partisan elements whatever! It was just Americans!

I've voted for more D candidates than R in my lifetime. I went to Tea Party Rally in 2009.; 6/5/13, 2:30 PM
harrogate said...: Well then, El Pollo, based on your statement, I suppose it is proven that the Tea Party people don't lean any more Republican than Democratic, not at all. It's just people being people.; 6/5/13, 2:36 PM