The life of political commentators is comprised of complaining about things, usually because most things in politics are ugly and bad. However, occasionally we come across something that is good, just, right or fair, and it's important that we don't let the bad news overshadow the good news.
On September 20th, Ventura Mayor Bill Fulton used the term "teabaggers" to describe Tea Party activists who attended that night's city council meeting to protest a proposed ban on single-use plastic bags.
Unbeknownst to many people, "teabagger" is a derisive term for a certain kinky sex act. For a description of the act, as well as some nasty remarks on Tea Partiers and Fox News Channel, check out the Urban Dictionary.
Some tea partiers complained, and Mayor Fulton did a classy thing. I've received reports that he responded to individual complaints (even perusing my blog and addressing specific commenters that were critical of him) and apologized if he used that word but admitting he could not remember. When he was made aware of the video where he used it, he issued a public apology on his blog.
"I was unaware that Tea Party members dislike the term and did not know that it had a sexual connotation that the Tea Party, understandably, finds offensive," Fulton wrote. "I am sorry that I used this term in public and I certainly won't use it again."
It's certainly believable that a middle-aged gentleman like Fulton did not know what the slang word meant. Some Tea Partiers don't even know what it means, and many in the general public haven't heard the term before the Tea Party sprang onto the national scene in 2009. One baffled acquaintance asked me in a public setting what other meanings the word has. "Why don't people like being called that? What does teabagging mean?" I was asked, to my dismay.
Some people on the left--and I'm glad that Fulton is not one of these--know exactly what the term means and use it to humiliate conservatives.
But since the mayor offered an apology and a plausible explanation, we can hopefully put this issue to rest, and credit Fulton with handling this particular issue with courtesy and class.
Eric Ingemunson's commentary has been featured on Hannity, CNN, NBC, Inside Edition, and KFI's The John and Ken Show.
Eric was born and raised in Ventura County and currently resides in Moorpark. He earned a master's degree in Public Policy and Administration from California Lutheran University. As a conservative, Eric supports smaller government, less taxation, more individual freedom, the rule of law, and a strict adherence to the Constitution.
Tea Partiers are good at humiliating themselves every single time they open their mouths or dress up in some wacky outfit to protest the fact that they just don't want a black man in the White House.
What a lame apology. You know you could do a better job of pretending to care, Fulton. You've been doing it in Ventura for lo these many years.
So the mayor of Ventura didn't know a obscure vulgar term. Big deal. He didn't need to apologize but did.
Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell didn't even know that separation of church and state is in the Constitution.
These Tea Partiers are an embarrassment.
By any other name,
So you think that Tea Partiers would be in the streets if Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell were elected?
Gaffe, the phrase "separation of church and state" originates with a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802. It is not explicitly found in the Constitution, although the Supreme Court has interpreted it to be there. The closest the Constitution comes is to identifying a wall between church and state is prohibiting Congress from making any law regarding the establishment of a religion.
However, that clear provision has been grossly misinterpreted by Leftists to mean that religion has no place in the public sphere.
Mayor Fulton now joins that other classless fellow, President Obama, in using an epithet- against a huge number of fine citizens- that originated from the male homosexual world.
My wife, my adopted daughter (Cambodian ie. oops, darker skin than Obama) my son and my over regulated, over taxed, over fee'd full on hard working Ventura based, tea party attending family deserves a lot better from the jokers that reach into my pockets whenever they feel like it.
Leave it to the President to take Fulton right down into the gutter where the Left goes when they don't have an arguement for defending 3 TRILLION DOLLARS OF DEBT for my children to pay back.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Mayor Bill Fulton is at it again. Apparently, at a meeting the other night in downtown Ventura where he was supposed to "discuss" with downtown merchants the horrible idea of putting parking meters downtown (yet again). He said, "Not gonna happen," to the request to put a moratorium on parking meters in downtown Ventura, even though they're driving business away. This was in front of scores of business people and Tea Party activists who were in attendance at the meeting. What an arrogant jerk!
Councilwoman Christy Weir, who was also in attendance at this meeting, basically said the same thing. I guess we know who not to re-elect next year on the Ventura City Council.
This is the very same thing the federal government and the Obama administration has been doing to us. Forcing things down our throats (like Obama-care, building mosques at Ground Zero, and opening our borders up to illegal immigration). Something's gotta give and the first wave is going to happen in November.
What's the proof that they're hurting business? How do we know that it's not the very nature of the businesses downtown that affect their sales? Has anyone looked into this quantitatively or just more qualitative reactionary rhetoric from a group of people YEARNING to be heard. Seriously, blindly yelling at City Hall eliminates all credibility.
The City Council has a right, nay a responsibility to discuss plastic bags and their effect on the City's bottom-line. Unfortunately the 'Baggers of Tea' make it impossible to have a rational discussion on the matter. Well done. Now what? Violations of the Clean Water Act.
There's already a mosque at Ground-zero.
Go find some other mindless topic to rail Obama on....if it makes you feel better.
Do you even read the paper, Goober? The meeting that was held the other night by Bill Fulton, Christy Weir, and the downtown merchants was specifically aimed at hearing the business owners feelings about the parking meters. The vast majority of those merchants who attended, including myself, voiced their opposition to the meters because they are hurting their businesses.
Are you saying the merchants don't know how their businesses have been affected since these things have been installed? That's extremely quantifiable, buddy! I can tell you that my revenue has dropped 70% since those monstrosities went up. Do you consider that proof enough? I'll be happy to share my sales data with you anytime you like.
And then we get the lame "Well, we think they still have a value" response from Fulton and Weir. Fulton is using the City of Ventura as a laboratory project for his class on urban design at USC. Rick Cole and Carl Morehouse have been doing the same thing for years now. And, I'm sorry, but Christy Weir is simply too dumb to think for herself. She just goes along to get along with these guys.
Goober? That's the level of discourse? Jr. High School? What's your business, a comic book store?
70%? There's plenty of free parking for downtown. It's obvious your struggling for a nexus.
400 of 2900 meters...14%
No, that's not 'proof enough'? It's obvious your agenda is in frotn of this, not it's quantifiable impact to your business. Pleae admit that first.
I think this whole uproar over the phrase "tea-bagger" is quite amusing. Thank you, MAD and NGTIIA for the education on arcane sexual terminology.
It is understandable that Mayor Fulton might have a slip of the tongue, since after all, the party was protesting a ban on BAGS.