Tea Party n-word sign rebounds

Dale Robertson, who claims to be the "president and founder" of the Tea Party might not be able to spell very well, but he sure knows how to offend. Robertson owns TeaParty.org, an online clearinghouse for conservative rhetoric that aims to turn America away from the alleged brink of socialism. As the Tea Party gears up for a "national strike" on January 20 to protest the one-year anniversary of Barack Obama's inauguration as president, a photo of Robertson on the Houston Tea Party's website taken nearly a year ago equates his movement to one of the most painful times in American history -- the slavery of African-Americans. Robertson holds a sign reading, “Congress = Slaveowner, Taxpayer = Niggar.”

If you are thinking this is the sort of sign an uneducated person in America's hinterland might fly, think again. Robertson, a military veteran, also claims on his site to have "extended training in theology, as well as excelling in the field of Engineering at Southwest College, San Diego, California. He went on to earn a second degree in Political Science at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington."

For the record, it is debatable as to whether he's the leader of the Tea Party movement. But that's because it is unclear whether the movement has any leader at all. Robertson claims he begun the movement by standing vigil in protest to politics as usual and was soon joined by a flock of like-minded conservatives. He writes on his site: "Needless to say, this Tea Party movement has grown far beyond me, from 1 person to over 6 million. Many following in my foot steps, some declaring they are the founder, they thought of the Tea Party idea first, to that I can say: 'The true founders of the Tea Party were the brave Patriots who dared challenge the status quo in 1773, we are merely their beneficiaries.'"