Tea is for Tyranny

Brett and I were in the car listening to one of those talk-radio hosts whom we increasingly disdain these days. We shook our heads at their utter lack of understanding. "Republicans have co-opted the Tea Party," he said.

"The 'Tea Party' doesn't get the Tea Party," I sniffed.

The Tea Party.

The original Tea Party in Boston was not about a balanced budget.

It was about tyranny.

And it was the precursor of the American Revolution which produced the genius that is the United States of America

because it produced the genius that is the Constitution.

Tea is for Tyranny.

When King John signed the Magna Carta, that was the end of the Divine Right of Kings in England. It compelled the British monarchy to be fair to its subjects.

And when King George taxed his subjects in the Colonies without parliamentary representation, he was in breach of contract.

He was acting the tyrant.

So his subjects held him to his end of the bargain.

And Boston Harbor met Earl Grey.

Tea is for Tyranny.

Monetary policy tyranny.

Penalizing those who succeed and rewarding those who don't.

Raising the debt ceiling, even temporarily, and further saddling my children with the problem.

Tea is for Tyranny.

Patriot Act tyranny.

Knowingly and rebelliously violating the Fourth Amendment.

Spying on me.

Choosing 'security' over my liberty.

Without asking me.

Tea is for Tyranny.

Parental rights tyranny.

Usurping the jurisdiction of the family by telling me I must be insured.

Telling my daughter she can have an abortion.

Without asking me.

Tea is for Tyranny.

TSA tyranny.

Giving up the very sound criminal science of profiling.

Harassing law-abiding citizens.

Tea is for Tyranny.

Self-determination tyranny.

Usurping the role of the Church

By legalizing or criminalizing what I eat, drink, smoke, chew, inject, or sniff

or any other non-encroachment activity I do in my own home.

Tea is for Tyranny.

Property rights tyranny.

Not letting someone build a mosque on privately owned property.

Urging a city council to fabricate zoning law to get around it.

Tea is for Tyranny.

Foreign policy tyranny.

Inspecting their arsenals.

Fighting their wars.

Removing and installing their leaders.

For our benefit.

And if you choose smaller-than-what-we-have-now government

over small government,

you are no more Tea Party than King George.

Smaller-than-what-we-have-now government is still much larger than the Founders intended,

Than the Constitution intended.

Smaller-than-what-we-have-now government...

merely places you and your candidate slightly to the right of Marx.

Slightly.

But it hardly makes you a Tea Partier.

So, no.

Rick Perry doesn't get the Tea Party.

Neither does Mitt Romney.

Nor Rick Santorum.

Nor Herman Cain.

A real Tea Partier wants a government of the Constitution.

Nothing less.

Nothing more.

Sam Adams must be turning in his grave.