Is the Rise of the Tea Party dangerous?

It had often been speculated before his inauguration that there may be movements born out of racism towards our new black president. Since his inauguration no one could have possibly guessed how these movements would come to fruition. It took some time to come, but the absence of new Republican leaders left a power vacuum that was filled by tea party leaders. It began with the Tea Parties on April 15th, 2009. Tea Party protests were held across the country against the countries new budget. The largest one was held in the Boston Commons. A majority of the parties advertising came from Fox News who tried to say that they were just giving the cause a voice, yet happened to have hosts from many of their shows making speeches or hosting these parties.
Since then the party has been gaining traction in Republican, and even certain radical Democratic circles. It has radicalized much of the right, and has gotten to the point where not being in support of the Tea Parties can endanger a Republicans campaign. The party really grew around protests against Health Care Reform. Most of their incendiary protest signs mimicking comments made by radical right wingers such as Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann.
So, is the Tea Party dangerous? It is not uncommon to find a sign at one of their protests that threatens "We didn't come with weapons, this time!" and much of their beliefs seem to be built around fake facts. The Birther movement thrived in the Tea Parties, as did the idea of death panels, and the belief that Obama is a Communist. Putting aside how terrible this is for legislation, and how impossible it will make it to find our way out of this recession. The anger and threats of violence toward senator Stupak and others could easily be a sign of things to come. When you convince the people that the government is out to take away your freedoms, and it comes down to cries of revolution, what's to stop this from coming to violence. It is one thing to build protests against a current administration/congress, it's another to rally that base around false "Facts" and give the protest historical precedence as a fight against tyranny. Questioning your government is very American, but with lack of responsibility can is dangerous.