MORE TEA PARTY PICS: Reader Kenny Hill writes: “Montrose had two Tea Parties, one at lunch and one in the evening. Here’s a few shots from evening party. Thanks for all you do!” It’s Montrose, Colorado. And there wasn’t an “angry old man” in the bunch.

And here are some more pictures and a report from Cave Creek, Arizona.

And reader Jason Ruser writes:

Well, waddaya know? There was a tea party not 5 miles from my up in Oceanside, at Oceanside’s City Hall.

Met lots of friendly folks, many of which had home made signs of note.

They were a pretty non-threatening lot, unless you are threatened by little old ladies with American flag hats and doggies they dote on. Even had complete families out.

I only met one goofball who was handing out infowars CDs. “They are very professionally made, Sir…” Uh-huh.

A couple of motorcycle cops (riding BMW cycles) I polled said the crowd looked to be “Two thousand-ish.”

Here are some links to photos for your enjoyment.

UPDATE: Reader Robert Williams sends this picture from Raleigh, NC.

ANOTHER TEA PARTY in Ft. Wayne, Indiana:

Hundreds gathered outside the Allen County Courthouse to hear speakers who warned of eroding freedoms as politicians bankroll pork-barrel spending and government bailouts with loans from socialist countries like China.

The speakers called upon rally participants to forget party lines and unite in support of their country, their faith and capitalism.

And yet critics say the Tea Party movement is partisan, and doesn’t know what it’s for.

REGULATORY DESPOTISM. “No elected politicians passed a law in any legislature mandating that would-be gun-owners explain why they bust up with their sweethearts. But some no-name official somewhere in the permanent bureaucracy did, and that’s that.” Tar and feathers, or some other measure to ensure personal responsibility.

OBAMA: The American Gorbachev?

GAY MARRIAGE HAS WON: “Note the main message Frank is pushing here: In an America where in the latest CBS news poll, just 33 percent of Americans support gay marrriage, gay marriage has won. Gay-marriage advocates are using their seats of power to punish and shut down debate.”

Unlike Maggie Gallagher, I favor gay marriage. But it seems to me that in this — as in other areas — those pushing the “bigotry” meme are in fact more interested in calling others bigots than in accomplishing anything.

THE COUNTRY’S IN THE VERY BEST OF HANDS: Joe Biden Collecting Social Security Bonus:

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced last month that Social Security beneficiaries will get one-time $250 stimulus bonus payments beginning in May.

He didn’t mention that he will be one of the recipients.

The annual tax returns for Biden and his wife, Jill, released last week, show he began collecting Social Security benefits in 2008. He became eligible for full benefits in November when he reached age 66. Social Security beneficiaries will receive their $13 billion share of the $787 billion Obama stimulus package as early as May. Each of more than 50 million Social Security beneficiaries is entitled to $250 under the stimulus measure.

“These folks need the money,” Biden said in announcing the payment schedule. “People are going to be actually spending that money.”

Asked about Biden’s decision to begin collecting benefits, spokeswoman Ann Marie Tomasini issued a brief statement: “Vice President Biden is eligible under the law to collect his full benefits at age 66.”

So if paying taxes is patriotic, what about collecting benefits?

HMM, AGAIN: I’m not sure what Andrew Sullivan means by this post, in which he incompletely quotes my post here.

Perhaps he’d care to address the (omitted) quote from the Times debate about Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats endorsing waterboarding? Well, all kinds of people were endorsing torture back then and have later changed their tune, though Barack Obama was still sounding iffy last Fall. I, on the other hand, have always opposed torture — even when it got me compared to Mike Dukakis, — and even back in the fall of 2001. But, as I said a number of times, I think the subject has been turned into a partisan weapon — ignoring the pro-torture stands of many Democrats (and see this, too) — and that’s made me suspicious of the motives of those pushing it. In Andrew’s case, it may cause some people to forget how vigorously he supported the Iraq War, and George W. Bush, for a while, until his interests turned to gay marriage, and going after Republicans, but not so much Democrats, on this issue. Some people still remember.

KANSAS CITY STAR: Tea Party Movement Captures Real Concerns. “What we’re seeing is a center-right populist outpouring prompted by the long-term implications of President Barack Obama’s gargantuan budget, his spending plans, the massive tide of red ink those plans will generate — and, most important, what all that implies about the future balance between the government and the private sector.”

MEGAN MCARDLE: Why are all the recession ads so terrible? “I hate to sound like Andy Rooney, but I think the time has come to retire the ad campaigns from retailers promising to ‘help’ us with the recession by . . . giving us modest discounts on non-essential consumer goods.”

BOOKS GETTING A BOOST FROM OBAMA: Obviously, Mark Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny, and Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. But also Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom, and Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism. And Amity Shlaes’ The Forgotten Man. Others?

UPDATE: Reader Michael Nevers writes: “Heinlein’s Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I’ve read suggestions to read it recently in Tea Party comment threads, so I did. Decent book on the whole and wonderful for something written in the 60’s.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Alan Martin writes “Common Sense is #44 at Amazon.” And reader Doc Duke writes: “The 5000 Year Leap, both the original edition, and the 30 year anniversary edition.”

MORE: Reader John Richardson writes: “My vote for a book that is doing well in sales due to Obama would be James Wesley, Rawles’s “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.” According to Amazon.com, it is #13 in Contemporary Fiction and #5 in Mystery and Thrillers. Not bad for a book that is coming from a small press with very little publicity other than in forums and blogs.” Yeah, but kinda depressing given what it’s about.

TAXES: Congress going after online shoppers. Technically this isn’t new taxation, as you’re supposed to pay “use tax” on things you buy online from out of state. (I do this). But most people don’t, and to them it will feel like a new tax.

HEH: Janeane Garofalo on Dissent, Then and Now. Yeah, the contradiction’s obvious. But mostly, I notice how much better she looked, and sounded, back in 2003. What happened?

UPDATE: Reader James Somers writes: “Glenn, you pose the question of what happened to Janeane Garofalo between 2003 and now. I’d submit that it takes a lot of energy to be that angry: it uses you up, consumes you, wastes you. People like Garofalo spent the better part of eight years in an absolute rage, and it took an awful lot out of them. And pace the idea that it’s the right that’s now out-of-control angry: the continuing temper tantrums of people like Garofalo and Roesgen suggest that a good chunk of the left is still quite mad.”

Yeah, but that’s a cautionary note to folks on the right now, too. Don’t let the anger build up and consume you. Be a happy warrior instead.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Hate: It Does A Body Bad. Indeed. Plus a warning from Diane Duane, via Moe Lane.

MORE: Reader Stephen Eisenbies writes: “I was just looking at JG’s facebook fan page and there are lots of people criticizing her for her dumb race-baiting rant on Olbermann. In a web 2.0 world, there sure are a lot of opportunities to let these people know what we think. Perhaps this could be encouraged a little more.”

STILL MORE: Reader Joe Ware writes: “Re: item on the cost of being angry. I was at the Alamo Tea Party and the prevailing mood was actually quite happy. People were smiling and friendly, perhaps reassured that they weren’t alone and pleased to be at the birth of something we hope will be significant.” Yeah, that seemed to be the mood where I was, too.

Plus, my vindication.

JOHN TIERNEY: The Dark Secret At Blood Falls.

JACOB SULLUM: Federal Prosecutor Tries to Silence Drug Policy Activist (Again). Note that Siobhan Reynolds is, as far as I know, no relation.

IN BRITAIN, BORN A CITIZEN, living in subjection.

DURBAN II UPDATE: Roger Simon rubs shoulders with Ahmadinejad. Plus, Alan Dershowitz gets a talking-to from the security guys.

SOME TEA PARTY PHOTOS from Fresno. “Fresno had over 7.500 attend the most polite protest I have ever witnessed.” Plus, “Black People Against Obama,” and “Mixed People Against Obama.” Hey, that’s not part of the narrative!

UPDATE: Reader Larry Price sends this picture of the “angry old white men” standing in front of him at the Atlanta Tea Party.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Another one of those angry white guys, in Virginia Beach.

MORE: Lefty reader Nicholas Klemen writes: ‘You found photos of 6 black people at tea parties! Thats proof that there isn’t any racism going on at the protests. Take that Dems! Keep up the good work.” Well, there wasn’t any sign of racism at the Tea Party I attended, nor have I seen any reports from anywhere else. All I’ve seen are bogus claims of racism from apparatchik lefties who are — as Bob McManus predicted a month ago — hitting this note for lack of anything else to say, and because it’s their tired response to anything threatening.

That’s not the moral high ground you’re standing on, Nicholas. It’s just a big ol’ pile of crap.

Are the Tea Parties as heavily white as a Code Pink protest or a Howard Dean meetup? Maybe, I dunno. (And didn’t Dean call for white guys with Confederate flags to join the Democrats?) But the “Tea Partiers are racist” argument is typical sloppy sloganeering and deserves even less respect than I’m giving it here.

FINALLY: Some thoughts from Justin Katz. And be sure to check out these photos, too.