Eric Garner—Tea Party Martyr?

What seems to be missing in all the noise and waste of the outrage over the death of Eric Garner in police custody is how Eric Garner had so much in common with the Tea Party. In his final moments he was standing by the ideals of the Tea Party, the militia soldier-boy wannabes (Praetorian Guard!!) and the rest of the extremist right wing nut-fest that has ruined our political discourse.

First, let’s revisit Mr. Garner’s last words:

Get away [garbled] … for what? Every time you see me, you want to mess with me. I’m tired of it. It stops today. Why would you…? Everyone standing here will tell you I didn’t do nothing. I did not sell nothing. Because every time you see me, you want to harass me. You want to stop me (garbled) Selling cigarettes. I’m minding my business, officer, I’m minding my business. Please just leave me alone. I told you the last time, please just leave me alone. please please, don’t touch me. Do not touch me.

I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe…

These words could have been uttered Cliven Bundy, except, of course, the “I can’t breathe” business because Mr. Bundy is still alive. Sometimes heroes are not martyrs.

Mr. Garner was a man minding his own business, objecting to overreach by an oppressive State, harming no one and using non-compliance to protest unjust taxation.

Resisting evil government tyranny.

So why are Sean Hannity and the other right wing yackers not lionizing Mr. Garner as an American hero the way Hannity tried to sell Bundy as an
American hero?

In fact, the American right seems to have lined up with the evil government oppressors and some are quite vocal about shrieking that Mr. Garner had it coming. I doubt very much that would have been their reaction had Mr. Bundy been killed in his confrontation last summer. Hannity would have had a field day, nominating Cliven for the Presidential Medal of Freedom and pressing Congress for a national holiday to honer the fallen hero.

So what are the differences between Mr. Bundy and Mr. Garner?

Mr. Garner was unarmed. Mr. Bundy was not only well armed, but surrounded by the ever so self-important soldier boy militia (Praetorian Guard!!). Maybe the Tea Party/Militia crowd thinks Mr. Garner should have armed himself if he was going to sell loosies on the street corner.

I have not seen anyone from the Fever Swamp make that argument. It must be something else.

Mr. Garner was engaged in chump-change cigarette tax evasion. Mr. Bundy is engaged in the evasion of millions of dollars of legal grazing fees. Maybe the Tea Party/Militia crowd thinks that Mr. Garner should have upped his game and engaged in felony-level fraud.

I have not seen anyone from the Fever Swamp make this argument. It must be something else.

When Mr. Garner said “don’t mess with me”, that is the same as the Tea Party/Militia mantra of “Don’t tread on me”. But Mr. Garner did not have a yellow flag with a snake on it. Maybe the Tea Party/Militia crowd will not embrace someone who is so deficient in political symbolism.

I am not seen anyone from the Fever Swamp making this argument. It must be something else.

Lastly, Mr. Garner was black. Mr. Bundy is white. Yet the Tea Party/Militia crowd (along with the rest of the Fever Swamp) explodes in outrage like deranged howler monkeys at the mere suggestion that this could be a contributing factor.

It must be something else.