A TEA PARTY IN GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA: “Mike Miller brought his young daughter downtown Friday night to the “Greenville Tea Party” rally at the RiverPlace complex, as the Upstate Young Republicans and others protested the government spending in President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan. They weren’t alone. A crowd estimated at 800 to 2,000 people took part in a loud hourlong rally, one of an estimated 60 around the country.”

Plus, a roundup from around the country.

Despite terrible weather in many cases, citizens braved the wind, cold, and rain to exercise their Constitutional right to protest the current direction of the country under Barack Obama and the Democrats.
In St. Louis, over 1500 attended the Tea Party at the famous arch.

In Chicago, between 800 and 1000 braved the bad weather to gather to protest the massive spending of taxpayers’ money by the federal government.

Atlanta was the site of another well-attended Tea Party.

Many smaller towns and cities participated in the semi-simultaneous events around the country, such as Shelby, Alabama, Asheville, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Reader Kaye Evans writes:

You have posted pictures of the Nashville Tea Party gathering at the Legislative Plaza on February 26, and there was much to be learned from the folks who came out on that rainy day.

I was there and spent more time studying the assembled crowd than listening to the speakers. I was struck by how the crowd grew throughout the lunch hour. Many I spoke with had traveled to be a part of the protest.

It was glaringly obvious that these folks were not the $250+K fat cats whom Obama castigates. These people represented the middle class who, ostensibly, will be “helped” by the stimulus spending bills. They clearly were not convinced; they were angered by the class warfare components of his economic policies and the awareness that the burden of his ruinous spending will eventually become theirs to bear.

On a related note, may I suggest an appropriate coda for the New American Tea Party?

In 1835 Alexis de Tocqueville cautioned, “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”

I think we’ll see more people upset about this as time passes.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Here are a couple of pictures from the Sarasota Tea Party. More on that here.

And here’s TV coverage from Neil Cavuto.

And reader Miles Wilson says don’t give Rick Santelli too much credit: “Just wanted to remind you that the Rick Santelli ‘rant’ was not the genesis of this movement – in fact, at least four events (Seattle, Denver, Mesa, Overland Park) occurred before the coining of the term ‘tea party’. So credit where credit is due – to the grassroots organizers far from the madding media crowd.”

(Had it as “Mike” Wilson earlier; sorry for the error.}

QUADRUPLING THE FEDERAL DEFICIT: Some ugly graphs. “It’s a good thing Team Obama believes a super large deficit is not only natural but beneficial because they sure got one.”

SOME CHICAGO TEA PARTY video.

THERE ARE MORE TEA PARTIES SCHEDULED FOR TODAY: If you have pics or reports, please send them to me, and also copy to . Thanks!

L.A. TIMES: Anti-stimulus tea parties light up Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and social media.

In the latest example of how user-produced media can capture so-called “massively-shared” events in a way mainstream media can’t, a wave of images, blog posts and videos from a nationwide protest has been washing across the Web. The protests, dubbed “tea parties” by participants, were held Friday in several U.S. cities including Portland and Washington, D.C. as a response to what demonstrators see as unfettered spending and encroaching government as represented by President Obama’s economic recovery plans. . . .

Though even a year ago it would’ve been a slow and difficult process to chronicle a widely scattered protest such as this, the online community is now mastering the art of high-speed media sharing, a trend that can unite geographically disparate communities via the Web. Much of the sharing is now facilitated by the fast-growing messaging site Twitter, where today the keyword “teaparty” was one of the most frequently used terms. Users sent frequent updates about attendance, linking to photos on Flickr and Photobucket, and videos on YouTube and other sites. . . . If social media is a good barometer, it looks like the spending bill is stimulating the citizenry already.

Read the whole thing. The picture is from Hartford, where I didn’t even realize there had been a rally.

THE TRUTH IS very savage.

WHY THE 21ST CENTURY IS COOL: I’m a Moby Grape fan, and years ago I found the Grape Jam EP in a used record store and thought it was a great find; it was a promotional thing released in relatively small numbers. Now my brother emails that it’s downloadable on Amazon.

UPDATE: Doug Levene writes:

Thanks very much for the tip about the Moby Grape EP. You’ve brought back great memories.
I saw them twice. First time was late 1966 or early 1967 at the East Village Theatre in NYC (which later became the Fillmore East); my brother, sister and I somehow convinced my parents (we were too young) to drive us in during a visit to my grandparents in Scarsdale. We were probably the only living creatures there who weren’t smoking pot. It was a great concert. The second time was my first date, in late 1967 – I had my driver’s license by then and took her to see the Grape at a tiny club in Boston, I can’t remember the name. I do remember the classic light show.

I still listen to the first album (now on my pod) a lot. My son says that it is similar in some respects to the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album (Dr. Roberts) and I think he has a point.

I discovered The Grape in the ’80s by prowling used record stores, but yeah, an underappreciated gem.

COULD I DO A MULTIMONITOR BLOGGING SETUP LIKE THIS?

JOHN TIERNEY: Will a car-free Broadway work?

TEA PARTY UPDATE: MSNBC reports from San Diego:

About 350 protesters showed up at the Embarcadero, just north of the Star of India, at about 9 a.m. for the protest. The event was was organized by Dawn Wildman of the Neighborhood Republican Club, whose members are upset about the new taxes that were written into law last week as part of a budget deal carved out in Sacramento as well as the giant stimulus package coming out of Washington.

And from Jacksonville, Florida:

In a protest harkening back to a milestone in American history, people at the Jacksonville Landing and in cities large and small across the nation turned out Friday to reenact the Boston tea party in protest to the latest stimulus package and the foreclosure assistance bill.

The tax revolt, partly inspired by CNBC reporter Rick Santelli’s rant earlier this week about President Barack Obama’s housing rescue plan, resulted in a grassroots effort pushing “tea party” protests Friday in large cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Houston, and small towns like Tulsa, Iowa, and Calera, Ala.

Buffalo, New York:

Western New Yorkers furious about tax increases are joining a nationwide protest known as the Tea Party. . . .Now, in dozens of cities, including Buffalo, angry taxpayers are staging tea party protests against excessive government spending and taxes, and waste.

Dallas:

This rant by CNBC’s Rick Santelli against big-government spending got things started. Then the outfit called Top Conservatives on Twitter took up the call and, within days, “Tea Parties” were organized in a number of cities protesting federal bailout schemes–including today in Dallas. Here are some of an estimated 250 who gathered at Victory Plaza to dunk the “stimulus bill” in a tank of tea, page by page. Said an organizer: “We’re just people who don’t want our kids and grandchildren shackled with thousands of dollars of debt each.” Oh, hell, folks, why not? It’s only money!

Plus, New York Times: The Tea Party (Again) As A Political Protest.

UPDATE: Going beyond Rick Santelli? A reader emails: “Thought I would share with you a suggestion given by Dave Ramsey this evening on CNBC. He suggested boycotting BOA & Citibank in order to send a message to the Feds (now part owners) that we will not do business with the Federal Gov’t. If you have a balance on a credit card with them transfer it to a responsible lender. Move your checking, savings or any other dealing to another lender.” Hmm. Did Dave Ramsey really say this?

ANOTHER UPDATE: A couple of readers say they heard him say this on his radio show. My guess is that it was also on his show on Fox Business TV rather than CNBC.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ON BLU-RAY, THE HARD WAY: “The Blu-ray version is not just a simple transfer to High Definition from the television show or from later DVD releases, instead technicians went back to the original 16mm film and restored it frame by frame. This painstaking process gives us the best version of Pride and Prejudice to date.” Sample frames at the link.

TEA PARTY UPDATE: photos and Fox TV video from Chicago.

Plus, a report from Seattle, courtesy of Sherri Kennamer, who writes: “I attended the Tea Party in Seattle this afternoon. The crowd was three hundred or so.” Here’s a pic she sent.

Plus, St. Louis Arch Tea Party Draws 1,500 Protesters! Lots of pictures at the link, as well as links to reports on other protests around the country.

Meanwhile, here’s a Christian Science Monitor story from Atlanta’s demonstration:

Several thousand neopatriots – some shouting “Give me liberty or give me death!” – took to the streets in over 30 US cities Friday, representing what some of them call the beginning of a new conservative counterculture in America.

“The spark has been lit,” says Ben Mihalski, a “house husband” from Cobb County, Ga., one of at least 300 protesters who gathered in a hefty downpour outside the Georgia Capitol on Friday to protest what they see as profligate spending by Washington.

Protesters with sign-slogans like “Pillage and plunder: At least the Vikings did it openly” fanned out across capitols and courthouses in cities from Nashville, Tenn., to Los Angeles, objecting to bailouts and policy changes since the inauguration of President Obama.

The Tea Party USA movement also added some symbolic flourish, vowing to gather tens of thousands of tea bags to be dumped on the floor of the US Congress. In Atlanta, the brand was Luzianne.

The article also observes, “the largely grassroots show of force hints at a sharpening thorn for Democrats and a potential powder keg that could threaten to blow ahead of the 2010 congressional elections.”

And, courtesy of A.C. Kleinheider, a Nashville Post report, with video, on the Nashville protest.

UPDATE: Dave Weigel reports from the White House protest.

And reader Jerry Dickerson sends this from Houston: “This picture was taken at the Houston Texas Tea Party at Discovery Green. At 12:30 there were approx 250-300 attendees, pretty good turn-out considering the livestock show barbeque cook-off in Reliant Park was a competitor.” Turning out against pork vs. turning out for pork. Hmm. Tough call.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s a report by reader Donna Higgins from the Tempe, Arizona protest:

We had approximately 150- 200 people at noon at the Tempe Town Lake Tea Party. Tom Jenny, the Arizona Director of Americans for Prosperity, was in charge. They had several state legislators who talked and then invited people in the crowd to speak as well. Here are a few shots from today, use any and all if you like.

Hopefully the next one will inspire more to turn out and hopefully they will have a bull horn or microphone so it would be easier to hear.

Yes, the folks doing these are inexperienced at the moment. That’ll change. Here’s a picture from Tempe, where the weather was better than many locations today!

The weather was a lot worse in Lansing, Michigan. Reader Duane Hershberger reports: “Some pictures from Lansing, Michigan. My guess is 120 people showed up in 30 degree weather with 4 days notice. Freezing rain was predicted, but did not materialize. Actually, just as we were starting the sun came for 5 minutes.” Not quite Tempe, but extra points for hardiness! Here’s a pic. Brr! And here’s a report with more photos from Lansing.

Nicer in Sacramento, too. Reader Doug Richard sends this: “Here are pictures I took at the Sacramento Tea Party earlier today. Mark Williams rallied the crowd at the start of the event. Surprisingly, there were only a couple jeers during the entire time, but scores of honks in agreement, as well as cheering car occupants driving by.”

Also, here are some more pictures from Denver.

STILL MORE: Some more Chicago reporting, from Freedom Folks.

Megan Fox was there, too, and posted a report with lots more pictures.

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA to install plug-in hybrid charging stations.

I’LL BET IT’S A CHICK-MAGNET: The Ultimate Coca-Cola Can Collection.

STILL MORE ON THE SINGULARITY, from J. Storrs Hall.

ARMY RELOADS ON sticky foam weaponry.

IT’S COLD AND RAINY, but the Tea Party pictures are coming in via cellphone already. Here are a couple.

From Atlanta, where a reported 300-400 showed up, a flag with protest babes:

From Chicago:

More Chicago pictures here. Plus this summary: “The Chicago Tea Party was an unqualified success. I’m not an expert at judging crowd sizes, but there could’ve been as many as 500 to 1000 people there. In cold weather, in the middle of February, without paid organizers like the left has.”

Plus Bill Rickords emails from Wichita, Kansas: “About 3-400 folks showed up in 25 degree weather. Don’t know what these things would be in Spring weather. But we had a pig show up anyway.” I thought they were all in D.C.!

And Bradley Ems emails from St. Louis: “I don’t know if you’ve gotten any pictures from St. Louis (I’m too swamped at work to have attended), but KMOX just reported that the tea party here was expected to draw a small group of 50…over 1,000 showed up. There is something brwing in the
heartland.”

And Joe Fairbanks emails from Oklahoma City: “I’ll be sending you pictures from the ‘Tea Party’ in Oklahoma City soon. I wanted to let you know that we had an amazing turnout of 400 people. This is amazing for multiple reasons, but mostly because this rally was organized in less than 48 hours and it took place at 11 am and the temperature was below freezing with the wind blowing quite strongly. Simply put: people are mad as hell. Obama and Congress won’t be able to ignore this anger much longer if they hope to survive 2010 or 2012. I can also tell you the crowd did take a lot of pride in the fact that our Senators, Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, are two of the leaders against all this irresponsible spending. I’ll get those pictures to you as soon as I get them back.”

Plus, at Gay Patriot, pics from Los Angeles.

UPDATE: Reader Trish Elam sends this news report on Atlanta from WXIA TV. I’m in the car and don’t have a good enough connection to play it, but I’m passing it along FYI.

Plus, reader Michael Bassham reports from the Nashville event: “Weather was cold and drizzly. Attendance, in my estimation, was about 300.” Plus, a pic:

And a reader who requests anonymity writes from Tulsa: “Surely someone will send you a better pic than this one, but wanted to make sure you had at least something from Tulsa’s event, where I’d say about 200 or so turned out on a very cold day.”

And, via email, some thoughts from human-rights blogger Robert Mayer:

I just want to offer you and the tea party protesters some words of encouragement. As someone who has studied (and blogged) protest as an act of democratic revolution and people power in the post-Soviet area, I know a lot about the dynamics of mass civil society unrest, government transition, etc…

What we are seeing now is truly huge POTENTIAL for massive civil unrest against the American government gone lunatic with spending. Realistically, 400-1000 people at a protest, even at a dozen protests across the country, will do nothing to change the minds of our idiot leaders.

However, it creates the POTENTIAL that each protest could have a million. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine did not start out with two million people camping in tents in downtown Kiev. It started with only a few hundred diehard activists.

Conservatives and libertarians have never had a strong activist base, but this appears to be the time to start. They need to capture today’s momentum and hold bigger and bigger protests every week. Use technology to organize and move and grow the movement. Compared to other countries, the United States is huge. Don’t aim for a massive march on D.C. (at least, until you have a few million going). Focus the protests locally, on state policians and state capitols.

In any case, this is simply an email of encouragement to you guys. You just have to stay determined and keep people focused and believing. You’d be surprised. Within a month you could go from 500 to 50,000.

Well, it’s broken a thousand already, reportedly, and in not much more than a week.

Meanwhile, Ed Driscoll has the photo and quote of the day, so far.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE Doomsday Seed Vault.

READING BETWEEN THE LINES on the Kindle 2.

THOUGHTS ON THE MEANING OF THE “TEA PARTY” PROTESTS. If you’re covering those, please send me pics (600 pixel width max) and please also copy to , where they’ll be doing a roundup as well.

IN THE MAIL: From Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Duainfey. Well-blurbed by Anne McCaffrey and Lois McMaster Bujold.

DELEVERAGING in the dating world.

RICH KARLGAARD: The Coming Blue-State Collapse. “Collapse” may be too strong a term — though with the pension and health-care overhang maybe not — but the rule is that things that can’t go on forever, won’t. And what’s going on in a number of these states can’t.

CALIFORNIA UPDATE: Huge unfunded liabilities for employee health benefits.

UNDERSTATED HEADLINE OF THE WEEK: Questions Surround Sen. Dodd’s Past Financial Dealings.