The Oregon Tea Party suffered the wrath of Anonymous after it was discovered using the group's famous "We Are Legion" slogan in official materials and merchandise.

Chances are that if you're reading this, you have at least a passing familiarity with Anonymous. For those who don't, it's a sort of internet meme/subculture type of thing, strongly associated with 4chan, that commits acts both online and and in the real world, sometimes good, sometimes bad and always "for the lulz." I don't really get it myself, to be quite honest, but I do know enough to stay out of its way.

The same can't be said for the Oregon Tea Party, however. For reasons unknown, although probably because it sounds cool and ominous, the conservative political protest group began using the slogan, "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." According to the Daily Kos, the slogan first appeared on a sign at at Tea Party rally and before long it turned up on official Oregon Tea Party bumper stickers.

Yesterday, thanks to a Reddit user whose parents belong to the group, the Tea Party's use of the slogan was revealed to the world at large. From that point it was only a matter of time until 4Chan itself found out and soon, as the saying goes, the internet was there.

The Oregon Tea Party Facebook page was quickly subjected to an onslaught of image macros, desus, flames and herp derps, along with at least one message explaining why it was being smacked around. Within a couple of hours, the Tea Party had run up the white flag with a message reading, "Anonymous: We appreciate your resources and admire your tactics. You have taught us more than you know. As requested, we are no longer using the 'anonymous' quote."

The Oregon Tea Party's Facebook page is now gone completely and its Ning page, where the use of the quote was confirmed as legitimate, has been limited to members-only access. The campaign was clearly a win and entertaining as always, but does anyone else find it disturbing that the Tea Party, which bills itself as a legitimate voice of conservative political dissent in the United States, "admires" the tactics of Anonymous?

via: Twitter