A Bum Rap?

     The Tea Party seems to arouse the same anathema as Christianity, global warming, acid reflux, and erectile dysfunction.  But why?  Are the tenets of the Tea Party so extreme and dangerous that they deserve denigration, contempt, and fear?  Maybe we simply disparage that which we fear.

             But do the media and the public have any idea why they hold the Tea Party in such contempt?

            If the rational segment of the public was aware of the precepts of this grass-roots movement, they may find that they are in agreement with the beliefs of the Tea Party without even knowing it. 

            Unfortunately, the term, “Tea Party,” has become a generic label for fanatics and snake-kissing swamp people led by the banjo player in “Deliverance.”  But most people have no idea what the Tea Party people actually believe. 

            The original Boston Tea Party was a protest by the colonists against the British tax on tea in 1773.  It had to do with taxation and the colonists rebelled by dumping British tea into the harbor.          

            As most informed people know, we live in Huxley’s Brave New World where words like Tea Party, freedom, patriot, and other normally innocuous terms trigger governmental spy agencies to check in on us to see if we are faithfully practicing our fascist salute.  It’s wise to be aware of government surveillance and control, but that doesn’t mean we should give up the fight to regain the freedom we’ve lost.  

            Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:  God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act.”

           So if the Tea Party is as bad as the media and politicians make it out to be, let’s look at the nefarious and “extremist policies” that make up the Tea Party platform:

The Tea Party Platform:

* Abide by the Constitution of the United States

* Reduce the Overall Size of Government

* Believe in the People

* Eliminate the National Debt

* Eliminate Deficit Spending

* Eliminate Excessive Taxes

* Promote Civic Responsibility

* Avoid the Pitfalls of Politics

* Maintain Local Independence

* Protect Free Markets

"The Tea Party is a grassroots movement that calls awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty, or domestic tranquility of our beloved nation, the United States of America.   From our founding, the Tea Party represents the voice of the true owners of the United States:  We The People.

"The Tea Party includes those who possess a strong belief in the foundational Judeo-Christian values embedded in our great founding documents."

           Basically these folks believe in restoring America's founding principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, free markets, lower taxes, and individual freedom.           

           If you agree with these principles, you may be onboard with the Tea Party and not even know it.  Consequently, you will be considered an "extremist."  It wasn't so long ago that you would have been thought of as a typical patriotic American.  That's how far from shore we've drifted.

           Remember the ominous warning from John Adams:  "But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom , can never be restored.  Liberty, once lost, is lost forever."

           Liberty once lost, is lost forever . . . sad, but true.