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Next Stop for the Liberty in America Bus

What’s Next for the Tea Party?

In the United States, liberty and tea party groups ideologically motivated American citizens across the country to vote conservatively. Their motivation was the November 2010 elections. Since I had the opportunity to travel with Liberty In America (www.libertyinamerica.org) this summer and meet many of these groups, I wanted to know what their motivation would be for 2011 and beyond. Would these groups still meet in large numbers and carry on their mission? What’s next?

I surveyed several groups and interviewed group leaders. After meeting and listening to many people involved in the current liberty movement, one of the biggest conclusions I’ve come to is that the media treats these groups as, at worst, slightly deranged “anti-government, angry, anti-establishment” (The New York Times, January 14, 2010, Kate Zernike – and other Tea Party articles), racists (we’ve all heard that one) or at best, a nuisance that “will disappear” (Harry Reid, Fox News, January 10, 2011). When the tragic shooting occurred in Arizona, despite the fact that the shooter was found to be a disturbed individual, the “tea-party rhetoric” was blamed immediately. Obviously, there is a serious attempt to paint an abstract depicting thousands of Americans as idle idiots who have nothing better to do than belong to an “angry, anti-government” group and shout hate rhetoric.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is a deep, gut-level sense among this diverse group of people who understand that only by grace we live in a land of opportunities – and they are grateful. Their ancestors believed in the “American Dream” and took great risks, sacrifice and hard work to obtain it. They believed that the original Constitution of the United States was foundational, and could not be changed without their consent. This is why tea parties, liberty groups, think-tanks, will not “go away”.

When asked what their individual motivation is for giving up their time to educate and involve themselves in the governing of their city, county, state and country; the response that covers most answers is “our freedoms are being taken away”. Others state that “we’re being ignored”. They are also worried about their children, their grandchildren – “I see my grandchildren being harnessed with so much debt that wasn’t their fault”. Families with and without veterans appreciate their sacrifice and do not want to see that sacrifice made null. Some talk about our forefathers, Sam and John Adams, George Washington.

So what is next now that these groups have made an impact on the 2010 elections? “Core principles” says Steven (Sky) King of one of the original tea party efforts in Texas – “Constitutional – and the return to balance of powers”. He says that “The Constitution is the ruling document for the Congress, not the people.

Agendas include being more involved in local government. The McKean County Tea Party in Pennsylvania is organizing an effort to attend, en masse, school board meetings, city council meetings, township and county meetings. But they won’t stop there. Their original agenda of harnessing a rampaging federal government and reducing spending both there and in state – is still part of their plan. T.A.R.A. (True Americans Restoring America) in New York are educating their members by having Constitution Classes, Economics, States Rights, County Law, New York State Constitution, and more-and they aren’t the only group doing this. Liberty In America (www.libertyinamerica.org) is offering free webinars by experts across the country to get more private citizens educated in education, government spending, welfare, the constitution, states rights. In fact the 10th, 16th and 17th Amendments (look them up – states rights and taxation, http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html) are three topics that are being talked about at almost every liberty group I’ve met with or spoken to. Oh, and yes, let’s not forget that to a man, or woman, they will hold their representatives “accountable” to be fiscally sound and reduce their footprint.

There isn’t enough space to encompass the passion of the patriotic American Citizen. However, listening to standard media bias, no matter what source, is shameful. With the internet available, and groups across the country that one can attend (and come to no harm), everyone should be seeing for themselves “what all the fuss is about”. One great resource is Join The Tea Party (www.jointheteaparty.us)- to find your local tea party group. And they aren’t just tea parties…..one of my favorites is Liberty On The Rocks (www.libertyontherocks.com), “Tavern Politics in the Founding Fathers’ Tradition”. If you like to meet at a local pub, sip a beer, hear a speaker and exchange ideas, this is the liberty group for you.

The “tea party” is simply a name for a number of average and not-so-average non-partisan Americans who are tired of being patted on the head and told to go play. We should be thankful that this group is here to stay, and perhaps even get off the couch long enough to examine it ourselves.