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Democrats Complain About Parade Float Honoring Veterans Sponsored By Tea Party
The democrats were not pleased after a Texas tea party group sponsored a float to honor the military in a Texas holiday parade.Local democrats said politics should be kept out of community events.
About 20 people, some wearing military uniforms, were in the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party float during the Dec. 2 Christmas parade through downtown Grapevine. The float was a show of support to the military, said Julie McCarty, president of the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party. Critics said the group itself is a political statement. Some also said they heard people shout politically themed messages from the float, something McCarty said never happened. "I was taken aback that they were allowed in the parade," said Mark Bauer of Colleyville. "I've been to many Christmas parades, and I don't remember any other political groups ever participating." The Tea Party is widely known as a conservative grassroots movement that emerged last year in response to growing government spending. With more than 1,500 local members, "I would simply say that the Tea Party is part of the community," said McCarty of Grapevine. The Tea Party float was one of 123 in the parade, said RaDonna Hessel, president of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the parade. About 30,000 to 40,000 people attended. "It was just a really ugly disruption," said Thompson, former president of the Mid-Cities Democrats. Leslie Miner of Grapevine was not at the parade but was angered when she heard about the Tea Party float the next day. Hessel said Thursday that the chamber received about seven complaints. McCarty said "a handful of naysayers" shouldn't determine whether certain groups are able to participate. Wasn't it thoughtful of the newspaper to hunt up people who had not even been there, just so that they could complain? Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-12-21 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=312174 |