Washington DC-Approximately 1000 people gathered in Upper Senate Park for the first Independence Day for the Obama presidency to protest what they are claiming as government corruption and wasteful spending. A good portion of the crowd were local from the MD-VA area, but almost half were from out of town, with Texas, Florida and South Carolina fielding sizable contingents.
Branded as a Tea Party, they listened to speakers extolling the virtues of free market economics and an elimination of all taxation. Frequent targets of criticism included Obama’s proposed health care reforms, Obama’s new tax plans and a decline in national morals (aka “Christian Values”), all spurred by what they see as “growing socialism.”
The crowd, which was about 99% white and over half over the age of fifty, cheered loudest for rhetoric that complained the current administration had “socialist tendencies”.
One speaker, Tito Munoz, originally from Colombia, stated that he “had seen these kinds of things before in latin America,” equating the current american political landscape with that of Venezuela just after the rise to power of Hugo Chavez. Rhetoric that targeted republicans as well as democrats did not fare as well as rhetoric that solely targeted democrats.
Sitting at a table drapped with a flag showing a picture of an M16 assault rifle bearing the quote “Come And Take It” and littered with Ron Paul literature and tin foil hat conspiracist Alex Jones schwag, was event coordinator northern Virginia insurance agent: Lisa Miller.
Miller, who also serves as treasurer for the local Alexandria, VA GOP committee, though, despite her affiliation with more moderate and mainstream Republican politics Miller’s ties with more “right wing populist” politics are apparent with her membership to the Republican Liberty Caucus, a more radical John Birch Society/Ayn Rand branch of the conservative mainstream.
Scheduled on the speaker list was included Michael Johns – National Tea Party leader, former White House speechwriter and Heritage Foundation policy analyst, Andrew Langer – Institute For Liberty, Michelle Minton – Competitive Enterprise Institute, Kevin McCullough Nationally Syndicated Talk Show Host/Columnist, Best-Selling Author, FoxNews/Townhall Contributor, Andrew Moylan – National Taxpayer’s Union, Leslie Carbone – Author of “Slaying Leviathan, The Moral Case for Tax Reform, Brenden Steinhauser – FreedomWorks, Ned Ryun – American Majority, Patrick Beck – Chairman, March For Liberty Coalition, Adam Bitely – Americans for Limited Government
Yet, the most notable and questionable presence was that of controversial patriot/militia rock band Pokerface. Described by the ADL as an “anti-government, anti-immigrant, conspiracy-promoting rock music band, helmed by “virulent anti-semite: Paul Topete”
Pokerface members not only played music for the crowd, but they also managed the sound system, provided the event’s security and assisted event coordinator Lisa Miller with the general organization of the DC event. What makes their presence even more suspicious is that in all promotional website posts or materials for the day’s event there was no mention of Pokerface’s involvement anywhere.
In the past, Pokerface had been a staple of Ron Paul rallies and enjoys a healthy following from the survivalist and white nationalist communities. Lead singer: Paul Topete was a frequent poster on the white nationalist website VNNforum.
Last year, public pressure about Topete’s racism was brought to the attention of Ron Paul’s campaign and Pokerface was dropped from a RP event in Michigan. But, to no avail Poker Face continued to play at several Ron Paul rallies, including in the Washington DC since then.
Poker Face has also performed at a benefit for Willis Carto’s anti-semitic newspaper American Free Press and has endorsed the notorious Barnes Review, both outlets of longtime white supremacist Carto.
During this very July 4th Tea Party event, in a conversation with anti-racist journalist Daryle Lamont Jenkins of One People’s Project, Topete stated that “jews were responsible for 60% of all unreported crime in the United States”, while further claiming in this same recent conversation that “only 97,000 jews died in the Holocaust”. Paul went on to say that his libertarian views make him support anyone who has been imprisoned for simply speaking; he specifically noted holocaust denier and revisionist Ernst Zundel as an example. Other “interesting” quotes from Topete can be found in his interview with Mathaba:
This kind of racism is nothing new when both Ron Paul and the Tea Parties are the throwing political events.
As of late many watchdog organizations and journalists have been throwing red flags on this third positionist politician and growing right wing militant movement.
Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign turned futile after his racist and homophobic writings were revealed in his 1990’s newsletter The Ron Paul Report was exposed to the public.
His then damaged campaign for president was reformed into the “Campaign for Liberty” and suspicions speculate how the millions of dollars raised for Ron Paul presidential run is now being used.
Campaign for Liberty, is one of the major backers of the Tea Parties as is Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey’s organization Freedom Works among a few other groups: American Majority, Americans for Limited Government, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Institute for Liberty, March for Liberty Coalition, National Taxpayer’s Union, and others.
Interesting, but not surprising given the fringe affiliated risks, there were very few political campaigns joining in on the show, a day often seen as a big opportunity for candidates to out reach.
The one political candidate who had a contingent hanging out with Poker Face and their Tea Party event was Virginia Attorney General GOP nominee Ken Cuccinelli.
UPDATE! We have been contacted by a very nice politically conservative person from Texas. He has written up his own personal disturbing account of going to the Houston Tea Party as a supporter, but when he got there he was pretty appalled.
David Ross’s : Houston, Tea Has A Problem
And Also, thanks to Mr. Ross, there is an interesting article from the Houston Press
And a little tidbit more about the Houston rally, because it appears that Stormfront members were there (warning white power neo-nazi site)
UPDATE!!! Mike Flugennock has graced us with his brand new cartoon “The Teabaggers are coming”
The Lamp 
the man without the sign apparently dissagrees with the cooch agenda
the off duty park policeman looks upset with cooch follower!
Thank you for this.
I found 9/11 Truthers and Birchers at the 3 July Houston Tea Party too. Click my handle to go there.
I’ll link back to yours when I get to my computer…
I’ve hear 9/11 Truthers and other crackpot conspiracy theorists all the time on WPFW, the outlet in DC for the progressive Pacifica Radio Network, and I’ve seen them at all sorts of left-wing marches and rallies in DC.
Both sides have their fringe elements, though I don’t see anyone else here talking about the Left’s own crazies.
Truthers do not organize anti-war rallies or anti-torture protests, nor are they given any sort of organizational responsibility for a “mainstream” political movement. More often than not, truthers and other lunatics are ostracized from whatever movement they try to latch on to.
In the broader conservative movement, wingnuts are not only organizing “mainstream” political events, but are elected to public office and are warmly accepted by a large sector of the conservative community.
Lyndon LaRouche is just as much of a lunatic as Ron Paul, but we don’t put him in the US Congress.
This is correct. The Tr00thers and other types of Alex Jones fringe falls into the “Third Positionist” movement which has it’s roots in right wing nationalist circles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Position
In the US the present Third Positionist movement has it’s base in Willis Carto.
This is a movement that will attempt to recruit from both the right and left, which is why they show up at both right wing and left wing rallies and events.
But, identifies more with the right wing.
Ron Paul is their present savior.
For those still following the Houston party, I have more pics: a nirther, an Arpaio sign, and another view of that mammoth Bircher sign. (And of course a link back here.)
And the Houston Press linked to me… because I emailed them first, as you probably guessed; but still it’s nice that they did. I did point out in their comments that my point was NOT to make conservatism look bad. My aim is to force Tea Party organisers to quit looking the other way.
Thank you David,
I think people need to see what is really behind this movement.
Good work!
“I think people need to see what is really behind this movement.”
I wish you would expand on this comment. What is really behind this movement. I have been to a few of these, but none of the ones that i am associated with have any association with Republican parties. We will not allow it to be hijacked by them. I have seen the many Tea Party groups become a fringe Republican gatherings. That is not what it is about.
They are part of the problem just as much as anyone else. I hate stupid Republicans that say they will Vote only Republican, because that is what they are. Well they are stupid if you ask me.
The problem is this false left – right BS that they have us fighting over. Read the book Tragedy and Hope, it is all for control.
with regards to this pokerface group. I have seen them in concert at some meeting in the north east. Now the lead singer, that you called racial, or pro-white, he is Mexican, so i don’t get how you get that and it was a Rabi that introduced him. I think it was jews for free speech or something like that.
Anyway, the tea parties were a good idea that as usual have been hijacked by the controllers. I knew it would happen and it has. They have now made most of them look like jokes. Such a shame. We could make some real change if we could control the controllers.
Kurt,
Thank you for your comment and my apologies for taking too long to get back to you.
The collective who are behind this blog, and yes there are a few of us who are working on this, are not an attack site against Republicans, we are a watchdog site who reports on racism and “Nationalist” movements. Now, when we mean “Nationalist” we don’t mean patriots, we mean the actual “Nationalist” political party types.
I will look up the book you suggested, if you can take a look at the book “Blood and Politics” which was just released and is a complete reference book up to 2004 on what this “Nationalist” movement is.
Here is a quote from the white power website VNN about why Pokerface was rejected in MI by the Ron Paul people in that state:
When Daryle Lamont Jenkins from the anti-racist group One People’s Project questioned Topete from Pokerface about the MI cancellation for his band, Topete’s response was the MI organizer was a “Jew”.
Kurt, I wish this stuff we are reporting was not true. I am looking forward to the morning I can wake up and not have to write articles like this. But, as an American who believes in the diversity and equality that makes this nation great, I must report and inform the public about this kind of racism, bigotry and hate in political movements.
As you can see from that post from “Editor” in this comment section, we here at Lady Liberty’s Lamp have our work cut out for us.
Judging from the picture, “Lady Liberty” is Jewish, her blog is read by Jews and shabbas goy.
You are scared of 9/11 Truthers because the Mossad ran the OP and the Neocons that surrounded Bush are all dual Israeli scum. Obama too has Jew scum surrounding him.
When we finally get the truth into the mainstream you will all be found out and deported, to Antarctica where you will have only each other’s blood to suck on.
It appears “Editor” is the editor of NEMW is New England Media Watch, an organization linked to the National Alliance. The teabag movement enjoys significant crossover popularity with this type of organization. Pokerface mirrors their sentiments on jews almost exactly, which explains why they came here to defend them.
And when is that going to be exactly? Folks like you have been saying that for years, and each time you try, you fall flat on your faces.
Oh Brother,
Another sight and group pandering to the divide that rely’s on slandering or knocking other people’s belief’s to prop up their own opinion’s I am so sick and tired after 20 year’s of activism listening to mud slinger’s calling everyone racist’s, anti-semitic’s or conspiracy lunatic’s. It’s soooo typical. We know first hand. We organize a annual Rally to save a local Mountain Zone. A public official in the pocket of the developer trying to ruin this beautiful park simply calls the ADL and press with telling them it’s “a white supremist event” . Next thing you know it’s front page’s regardless of of the truth or that the rally had NOTHING even remotely to do with racism. Then I watch on the news that million’s turn out opposing higher taxes and are immediately all branded racist’s. Hello!! I’m not taking side’s with any of the view’s on this sight. However, in the name of “Lady Liberty” to completely stomp on the 1st amendment turn’s my stomach. Stick to the fact’s if you think your right.
Paul Topete really does endorse the Barnes Review, really does think the holocaust is a lie, really does think Jews control the world, really was a poster on Stormfront and VNN and really does say really awful things about Mexicans despite being Mexican himself. Paul Topete and his band were the one and only musical act for the DC Tea Party; they also worked the sound system and they provided security. What’s more, there were tables at the tea party where one could purchase Pokerface CDs. So an anti-semitic band is in charge of major operations behind the DC Tea Party, and NO ONE involved with the DC Tea Party has a problem with this– and you think pointing this out is slander?
And I know you’re just trying to pimp your own sob story about how the mean liberals stomped on your first amendment rights, but you seem to have had nothing but nice things to say about the ACLU when they backed your Free State Rally. And get your story straight– you’re claiming here that it was a conspiracy between a local developer and the ADL that got your event listed as a hate event, but on NH IMC, you’re saying it was a misunderstanding, with the Council of Conservative Citizens mistakenly promoting your event on their website. And this all happened in 2006!
Man, conservatives can sure play the victim role pretty well, can’t they? I was under the impression that they were against that sort of thing.
Actually, I think they do a rather poor performance.
I give it a thumbs down.
The problem with racism is that it is a political invention of the leftist, communists, liberals and democrats everywhere. It does not exists!!! Nobody cares if you are Hottentot, fat or skinny, black, blue, yellow or homosexual as long as you behave as the rest of the society according to the laws and constitution of the country, work for the living and pay taxes as everybody else. What really do we hate are people which will not behave as the rest of us.
Of course it doesn’t exist in your gated community, there are no people of color and if one should ever come by you would run (or more like waddle, you know a good patriot is no good skinny and in shape) Pack your shit up and leave find a nice white community where there are no commie pinkos inventing racism you can sit in your lazy boy and every so often “meathead” will stop by and you’ll go on one of your silly conservative rants and kick him out and your wife would call out your name and say don’t do that and you will grumble and then in a series twist threaten violence and a trip to outerspace.
Go back to your cave Archie and leave the thinking up too us, before you unleash the deadly Duh1Mo1 virus on the world more commonly known as Imbecilic Flu or just “The Stupid”
Racism doesn’t exist, hahahahaha. What next maybe the Sun doesn’t exist. You gotta wonder if there is a guy at a mental hospital who also moonlights at the Republican Party HQ releasing a few of you each day thinking you have reformed and are not crazy and then bam, same old same old!
I was there, and I have never even heard of Pokerface. Obviously they didn’t play a large role at all, at least not for the hundreds of regular people that came out to protest the totalitarian direction our nation is heading in.
I am also a member of Campaign For Liberty and it is NOT a racist organization! This kind of smear campaign that you are perpetrating is disgusting!
Pokerface played on top of a stage bearing the banner “POKERFACE,” which was on the stage for the duration of the tea party. The picture at the top of the article is of Pokerface playing at the tea party, and it clearly shows the “POKERFACE” banner. Pokerface members were walking around with “SECURITY” tags around their necks, and they were seen setting up, operating and breaking down the sound system. The video in the article also features Pokerface performing.
Furthermore, C4L is the evolution of Ron Paul’s failed presidential campaign, and if you bothered to click on the link we provided (which you didn’t, but I’ll provide it again here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/10/paul.newsletters/ ) you will see that we are not making anything up. Ron Paul is a racist, features racist writing in a newsletter bearing his name, repeatedly books Pokerface for his events and enjoys an incredible amount of support from racists. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck…
You really must learn how to read the article before you comment on it.
And again, you describe the Campaign For Liberty table and go on to say there was Alex Jones “schwag” on our table. There was not. There was another smaller table off to the side with the Obama Deception DVD’s, but you didn’t describe it. Instead you described our table.
Two different tables. .. different merchandise… Different Organizations.
As for the newsletter, that has been around for years. And Dr. Paul continually denies ever writing it. And nothing in his life or his actual words have ever given anyone cause to paint him a racist. It’s a political ploy to try and discredit him in the public eye.
Anybody could have written in that newsletter. Just because the heading said Ron Paul, doesn’t mean he wrote everything contained in it. Which is why C4L was formed, so that everyone’s name is appropriately assigned to their personal writings. No confusion over who wrote what.
There are good people in Campaign For Liberty and I urge everyone who comes to this blog to stop by the website and check it out for themselves. Let them decide. We are working to ensure liberty for ALL. Lets put aside all this name calling and smear campaigning and come together for the sake of preserving our rights and liberty for future generations.
This is an extremely critical time in our nation. We must not let things like this divide us. Look to our principles to guide us. The principles of LIBERTY and INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY.
God Bless
Blah blah blah…there were tables for Alex Jones schwag next to the Campaign for Liberty table all at the same event.
The Ron Paultard crowd and Campaign For Liberty are already getting a dubious reputation and that has nothing to do with this blog.
Make all the lame excuses you want, Ron is a racist with racist writings.
Campaign for Liberty is an organization formed from the $$$$$$$’s from the failed campaign by Ron Paul thus it is a Ron Paultard zombie follower cult filled to the brim with racists and nutcases.
People are discovering this on their own.
This blog is not about mind control it’s about providing informing the public with photos, video and good sources from sound research.
Your movement is a FAILURE, Maria, with nobody gaining anything but the astro-turf on K St who are going to collect and sell your name to conservative/Republican direct mail companies for a profit.
That is the only real value you are to the pigs you are spending $, travel time, and rallying for.
Sad but true!
Oh, and one more thing… Alex Jones?? Where exactly was this? Because clearly you are describing the Campaign for Liberty table next to the stage, and I can tell you with certainty that there was not any Alex Jones “schwag”.
Again, more lies.
You don’t consider a pile of red-sleeved DVDs of Alex Jones’ “The Obama Deception” as “Alex Jones Schwag?” It was there, we picked up a copy of it and we watched as much of that train-wreck as our stomachs could stand (which wasn’t much). Face facts: your movement is full of tinfoil-hat extremism, racism, duplicity, K-street Republican astroturf and all-around right-wing idiocy. If you don’t have the guts to be forthright about what’s going on in your movement, don’t lie to people who were there and have pictures, video and proof.
WTF? The writer finds it suspicious that they helped out so much without any special mention ? its called charity and to call paul Topete a racist? Do you know why he sings in spanish you ignoranty ass fool? and as for the ADL calling him an anti-government, anti-immigrant, conspiracy-promoting , anti semite rock music band … well i wish i had the honor of being on ADL’s HATE list .
Paul Topete speaking at the anti-immigrant Voice of the People’s rally in Harrisburg PA on Sept. 1, 2007. VotP is closely aligned with the neo-Nazis in the state, and they came out in force that day. Topete was speaking to them.
Or, would you prefer I just said “Fuck you”?
Pokerface endorse and performed at a Barnes Review conference. The Barnes Review is an organization of holocaust deniers and white supremacists. Pokerface endorses and has been praised by the American Free Press, which was founded by a white supremacist named Willis Carto. Paul says as much in this interview. This is not a casual association, guilt by association or something that can be attributed to the members of pokerface not knowing who these organizations are. The organizations and ideals that Pokerface supports and are supported by are white supremacists.
As for conspiracies, he fully believes the whole “Report From Iron Mountain” hoax as well as the run-of-the-mill illuminati/bilderburg/freemason/precious bodily fluid conspiracies that every other Alex Jones wannabe does.