---
title: Ice-Nine
categories:
- culture
- personal
content-tags:
- politics
---

I recently heard a [story on NPR][1] where Kate Zernike traced the origins of the Tea Party movement to a specific moment: a [protest at Westlake Plaza][2] in February, 2009.  About 200 people showed up.

[Our studio][3] overlooks Westlake Plaza and the building entrance makes it impossible to miss rallies, and they aren't uncommon.  But I remember this one: it was lunch on Presidents' Day and I was a bit annoyed at so many signs with anti-Obama messages that didn't really pick an issue.  It seemed to me a pointless, angry reaction the the [jubilance][4] of the election.  The crowd was also more…rural than most.  There were overalls.

But I found my way around on my way to the [market][5] for food and only rolled my eyes.  In hindsight, I feel like I should have done something to stop them.  I was at the genesis of an epidemic and failed to notice.

   [1]: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129865403
   [2]: http://redistributingknowledge.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-on-presidents-day-protest-at.html
   [3]: http://www.frogdesign.com/contact/seattle.html
   [4]: http://silencedmajority.blogs.com/silenced_majority_portal/2008/11/obama-street-celebration-in-seattle.html
   [5]: http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/
