More astroturf at the Tea Party

And they don't even know they're walking on it:

American Majority will be joining Heritage Action for America of North Carolina to conduct a grassroots activist training session in Concord, North Carolina on Saturday, October 22nd.

In case you're wondering, that "grassroots activism" included recruiting and inciting hundreds of nut-jobs to threaten counter-demonstrate against public employees in Wisconsin who were trying to defend their collective bargaining rights. Here's more about American Majority:

Ryun estimates that "above 75 percent" of American Majority's funding comes from the Sam Adams Alliance, a conservative think tank in Chicago. In return for their tax-exempt status, American Majority and the Sam Adams Alliance are required to make their income tax returns available to the public.

In the world of non-profits, large donors like to be on the board to oversee the donation they've given. In the past, the Sam Adams Alliance hasn't been a major player. In 2006 direct public support was $401,500. 2007 gifts and grants appear to be 1,822,458, but there are some discrepancies from one year to the next.

But in 2008, donations increased by a factor of ten. Total gifts and grants were $4,222,604. Denis Calabrese joins the board, and coincidentally happens to be Dick Armey's former chief of staff, and donations bloom into full-throated support for offshoots like America's Majority?

Of the $4.2 million, $3.7 million was an "unusual grant".

The leadership at Sam Adams thinks it's perfectly okay to conceal the donors of four million tax-deductible dollars. That would be four million tax deductible dollars you and I have to suck up the tab on while they sally forth into tea-party land stirring up the angry hordes and passing millions through tax-exempt entities to other tax-exempt entities in the name of distinctly Republican politics and agitation.

If I had five dollars for every time imposters like these have been unmasked here, I could start my own astroturf organization. Just once, I'd like to see a video of a Tea Partier saying, "Hey! Where'd the money for this stuff come from?"

But I'm not going to hold my breath.