Not an April Fool's joke: who's available on April 14th?

[xiphias]

On April 14th, the "Tea Party" right-wing movement is going to be holding a rally on Boston Common, and Sarah Palin is rumored to be planning to attend.

kpht has suggested the perfect response.

Hold a tea party.

Let's make this happen. On April 14th, when the Tea Party Bus arrives at Boston Common, let's greet them with people having tea and cookies and little finger sandwiches, beautiful china, and frilly hats. Can we get hundreds of people on the common to drink tea in a deeply civilized and refined manner?

I want this to happen.

Who's with me? Who can take some time on April 14th? Who has access to nice china, good tea, and beautiful clothing and is willing to wear it in a good cause?

The suggestion has been made that we're going to need battery-powered boom boxes playing classical music, but I'd rather have real string quartets there.

Let's make this happen.

Comments

satirists cannot work under these conditions

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

They're going to be on the Common, rather than by the Harbor? Don't they have any sense of propriety? (Well, obviously not.) I like the idea of joining you for tea, but need to avoid any gatherings where there is likely to be heavy police presence. So, probably not. Can you bring low-tech but civilized-looking apparatus for boiling water? Or would it be better to make tea at home and bring it in a thermos?

I would like to warn you of a potential problem. I'm not at all confident there won't be actual tea-partiers wearing frilly hats and drinking tea on the Common. It's HARD to make fun of a group as far off the deep end as the tea partiers. It may not be possible to exaggerate their silliness to show disapproval or disagreement, when their silliness is so all-encompassing.

[kiya]

Damnit I want to do this and I cannot figure out how to get me+baby there from Billerica.

I have a fucking top hat and tailcoat.

[gingicat]

I think we would need liberal cred identification as well, per adrian_turtle above.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I love that idea!

[mindways]

[here via lilairen]

Timing? I'm working that day, but work a 10-minute walk from the Common, so might be able to make it over for some window of time.

What level of signal-boosting is OK for this? Folks-we-know? Mailing lists/public posts? Random people on the street?

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

I would love to be in on this, but for three small problems:

1. I have not the proximity to Boston, being in Tennessee.

2. I have not the wardrobe.

3. I have not the liking of tea. Even the smell makes me vaguely nauseated.

However, I think it is a brilliant idea (albeit with complications as noted by adrian_turtle), and I hope that it flies.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Oh heck, the 14th is a Wednesday. That makes it particularly difficult for me to get there from Baltimore.

But *if* I could get there, I could bring our silver tea service, and a couple of pounds of Khalami Assam tea. I would also wear proper formal morning attire, early Victorian style, with the frock coat and the striped cravat, and striped trousers, and a top hat.

I will keep an eye on your preparations, and see what I can do. It'd be wonderful.

[arib.livejournal.com]

What time on Wednesday? I could show up besuited and in my Doctor Who coat, acting very proper.

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOSH! If I didn't live a million miles away from you.... heck, if I just had the kind of disposable cash that would allow me to hop a plane and GET to you, I totally would. This is a great idea, Ian. I am supportive from the other side of the country!!

[ailsaek.livejournal.com]

Oooo! I'm in! This sounds like fun.

[ookpik.livejournal.com]

Wednesday is usually my busiest day, but if I can reschedule people then I will try to be there.

One thought: coffee instead of tea? I actually prefer drinking tea, but one thing that's been amusing me about the Teabaggers all along is that (as you know, Bob) the Americans drank coffee to be patriotic at the time of the Revolution. The Tea Party people claim to be harking back to the Boston Tea Party--but (unless my recollection of US history is entirely off) that was about throwing tea-as-symbol-of-Britain into the harbor. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong on that.

(And yes, I've seen a little about the Coffee Party that's been forming recently. I'm not connected with that in any way, and haven't decided whether I want to be.)

[403.livejournal.com]

This is the kind of thing that makes me wish I lived in Boston. (I'm working on it.)

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

What time is this all happening? I can come down around 5, but not before, as I'm working that day.

[linenoise.livejournal.com]

I am on entirely the Wrong Coast for this, but I will drink excellent tea that morning before class, in solidarity.

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

I love this idea! Wish I lived closer. :)

[cassiopaya.livejournal.com]

That sounds awesome! I'll made a huge and frilly hat out of protest posters, so that I can still Tea Party at the tea party!