Why does the tea party crowd hate America?

We ask because "tea party" protestors are threatening to take up arms against our democratically elected government:

Tea Party activists have gathered on Capitol Hill today for a “Code Red” rally against health care reform. Speakers at the event included Republican Reps. Steve King (IA), Michele Bachmann (MN), and Mike Pence (IN). The gathering was organized by Tea Party Profiteer organizations like FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity. ThinkProgress attended today’s rally and spotted a sign threatening violence if health care passes. The sign reads: “Warning: If Brown can’t stop it, a Browning can,” referring to Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) and a Browning firearm.

The people who made those signs evidently weren't paying attention in civics class. Or maybe they never studied U.S. government. If they had, they'd know that treason is highest crime that any American can commit. It is explicitly mentioned in the Consitution, and may be punished by death:

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

Threats of violence weren't the only sickening display exhibited by "tea party" protestors today. Groups of them also hurled demeaning epithets at Representatives Barney Frank (Massachusetts), Andre Carson (Indiana) and John Lewis (Georgia):

Standing next to Lewis, emerging from a Democratic caucus meeting with President Obama, [Representative Andre] Carson said people in the crowd yelled, "kill the bill and then the N-word" several times, while he and Lewis were exiting the Cannon House office building.

"People have been just downright mean," Lewis added.

And that wasn't an isolated incident. Early this afternoon, standing outside a Democratic whip meeting in the Longworth House office building, I watched Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) make his way out the door, en route to the neighboring Rayburn building. As he rounded the corner toward the exit, wading through a huge crowd of tea partiers and other health care protesters, an elderly white man screamed "Barney, you #$%^&*" ... a line that caused dozens of his confederates to erupt in laughter.

Meanwhile, Representative Emanuel Cleaver (Missouri) was spat upon.

Sickening behavior like this is unfortunately what we've come to expect from the far right wing. Now, not every tea party protestor is a racist. But many of them are are, and the ones who are are not are refusing to condemn the bigots around them. Instead, they're encouraging the bigots.

We've heard that some on the right wing are trying to pretend these incidents did not occur. It's no matter that eyewitness accounts and video footage of the incidents exist: anything that makes the "tea party" protests look reprehensible must be a liberal conspiracy!

The "tea party" crowd has clearly become desensitized to the point where they're unable to comprehend just how hurtful their words are. That's how powerful the Republican Noise Machine's hate speech is.