The Wichita Teabag Protest: A Photo Essay ~Iggy Donnelly

Libertarians Freaking out over the Republicans stealing their tea bags.

As conservatives coalesce in nationwide protests against rising taxes, government spending and what they call the “bailout mentality” of President Barack Obama’s Administration, the ship appears to have sprung a leak.

Speaking on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show Tuesday evening, Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-TX) media coordinator Steve Gordon decried what he characterized as an attempt by mainstream conservative Republicans to hijack a long-cherished libertarian cause. Paul was a longshot candidate for the Republican presidential nomination last year.

Gordon brought Maddow a gift of Southern tea bags — using them as a metaphor for what he said was a Southern version of conservatism, sweetened by taxes and deficit spending.

Gordon singled out former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Georgia native, and Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

“Newt Gingrich is a good example,” Gordon said. “He could be one of these two tea bags because he likes his tea bags sweetened with TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program] funding. This other one could be Mike Huckabee, ‘Tax Hike Mike’ because he likes his tea bag sweetened with tax increases. So you see we’ve got a bunch of republican, senior Republican officials in the deep south who can’t tell if their tea bags are swinging from the left or the right.”

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Maddow_A_divided_tea_party_cannot_0415.html

Eagle Article on Kansas Trails

In today’s Eagle, there is a story about various trails across Kansas.  Check it out here.  The story is concerned with how recent federal legislation could elevate trails running  through Kansas to national status.

A lesser trail that is not mentioned in the Eagle article is the Osage Trail.  J.R. Mead, widely considered the founder of Wichita, was interested in this old Indian trail.  His daughter recalls him taking her to this trail which is located roughly at 61st North and the Little Arkansas River.  A brief description of the Osage Trail is here.

I have been to meetings of a group of amateur and professional hisorians who study the Santa Fe Trail (see above map RE: the Santa Fe Trail).  On alternate years they meet in Larned at Ft Larned.  There are some pretty serious amatuer historians involved with that group.  See the group’s website here.

04/15/09 Public Square

Tax deadline day. Wanna talk about it. How about we talk about a subject of your choice!

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