Tea Party - Morals and values

WND "birther" central trashes the tea party movement for sticking to fiscal issues. Good to see the tea party movement is doing something right. Notice he gets jabs into Freedomworks as well.

As Grand High Potentate of the Tea Party Movement, I can assure you that we are a force for good in Maine.

Forget that some malcontents may have gamed some of our gatherings to benefit one candidate over another.

My Tea Party operatives have placed themselves in key positions of power throughout the state's political heirarchy.

Some may complain (and have)that these agents of the vivisected snake are loose cannons. To this I say, "This is true."

Others have whispered their fears to me: "Oh great and just Solitary Path, can you reign in your vast empire of grass roots activists? They are trampling on my prized daisies while handing out pocket constitutions." My reply is always, "I could but I shant."

The legions of the much-hacked serpent shall not be tread upon (or is it trod upon?).

They shall continue to rabble rouse until well after election day.

Their fists have been balled in righteous anger and naught shall free those five angry digits.

Nay, I say unto ye. There shall be a new day dawning, a new era in the offing, and a new slogan in the chanting.

Such is my unbridled power. Such is my vaunted leadership. Such is my soon-to-be-realized success.

To the nay sayers, I say thee nay. The Tea Party has not yet finished that last tasty scone and look- there are yet muffins to be eaten. The Tea Party is not over. It has barely begun.

Grab your saucer and cup and wait for the kettle to boil. The steam and hissing may be unsettling to our weak-kneed friends but the drink is good for Maine and a tonic for America.

You cry for the Tea Party to end? Go stand out in a storm and hold up a legislator to keep the rain from your back. I promise you will get wet.

But for every tulip we inadvertently crush, we shall grow a healthy plant that will last forever and this plant we shall call LIBERTY.

"I'll tell ye, there'll be no butter in Hell..."

SP: I love it...you are probably being sarcastic directed at me, but I think its right on.

gee thanks, you guys sure cleared that up. I understand much better now.

Great post, Solitary Path. Anyone who claims to be heading up the tea party movement reveals a lack of understanding of the movement.

The tea party is about personal and fiscal responsibility. Many other groups like the 9/12 project have similar goals. The grass roots are energized. The frantic attempts by the old guard to marginalize and contain the grass roots are fun to watch. Their attempts won't work any more. They don't like being irrelevant.

Roger Ek...that "grass roots are energized" blurb...you just copy and paste that...right?

Fess up...you have run out of energy to think of a new...and different...statement to use...right?

For a group that touts "out of the box" thinking...some of you sure do keep your butts firmly inside the box...

We think of "the box" as a foundation. They do tend to be rectangular. It's more efficient.

I started the thread and posted the link only in hopes that someone would clarify the position or the thinking of the Tea Party (is it a movement?) with regard to moral and spiritual values. I have not read the man's book and know very little about him.
I have been reading the Tea Party websites, etc. trying to understand beyond the basic talking points. I thought the article might spur some discussion along those lines.
Now I am sorry I posted it and started another thread that reads like so many others.
:(

The American Revolution was a grassroots movement, but so was the French revolution. Yet they were as different as night and day.

Bob, the article is right that the tea party movement as it stands is either a solely fiscal one or in some cases another means to get Republicans elected (TPE/TPN/TPF). At least as far as the Tea Party Patriots goes, and I was privy to the core value discussions, that social and moral issues are dealt with adequately by a whole myriad of existing groups. In fact social and moral issues, as they stand, would limit the attraction of the tea party movement. It was felt sticking to fiscal issues did not muddy the water and made it as attractive as possible to the maximum amount of people.

BTW: Jenny Beth Martin co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots will be on Glen Beck today discussing the movement as its stands. You might be interested to watch it as she explains TPP and the wider movement rather well.

Somebody is talking out of both sides of their mouth!

From the Tea Party Patriots Mission Statement and Core Values:
The Philosophy section reads in part:

“Tea Party Patriots, Inc. is a non-partisan grassroots organization of individuals united by our core values derived from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bill Of Rights as explained in the Federalist Papers.”

“We hold that the United States is a republic conceived by its architects as a nation whose people were granted "unalienable rights" by our Creator. Chiefly among these are the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

So let me see if I understand this correctly, the right to life is the first enumerated “right” given by our “Creator”, yet the Tea Party does not want to get involved in social issues and hold legislators responsible for laws that kill the unborn child - the most defenseless among us and most deserving of the “right to life.”

The Tea Party movement will go nowhere until they recognize that laws are built upon morality and an acknowledgement of God; and deal with social and moral issues, as well as fiscal issues. Laws, morality, and God cannot be separated and expect this republic to survive.

We have thrown God from the public square and tried to separate the law from morality/social issues and look where we are at in this country and state. And you want to continue to ignore the obvious?

Let me remind you of the words of our first President, George Washington in his farewell address:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men & citizens. The mere Politican, equally with the pious man ought to respect & to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private & public felicity. Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the Oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure--reason & experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
'Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of Free Government. Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric.

But there are plenty of groups that work on "social issues" so why bother replicate their efforts? What is wrong with having a movement that is solely concerned with fiscal issues and brings together the widest possible group of people who wish to work to that aim.

Many people who within the tea party movement also work on those sort of issues via the other organizations that dedicate themselves to those causes. Its not a question of either or.

The Tea Party, as it has been explained to me, is a collection of individuals. If organizing the Republican Party is akin to herding cats, finding commonalities (aside from fiscal and constitutional topics) within the Tea Party is like herding deaf cats.
Some individuals may have a social conservative bent while others have a largely libertarian view towards the nexus of religion and politics.
In Maine there are several distinct Tea Parties. Some have risen and fallen in prominence since they first showed up on the political stage.
I suspect that this process will continue. There have also been new groups popping up. It is going to be an interesting cycle to watch this dynamic take place.

Did the TP "form" due to a dearth of groups that work on fiscal issues? I seem to recall plenty of groups doing just that... why bother replicating their efforts?

Well most of the fiscal conservative groups are in DC, TPP is not based in DC.

Bob, Stirring things up again? Thanks!

Ok, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The vital question is how?

Some context:

Those words were written toward the end of the centuries long ugly and bitter, vicious and ruthless battle of royal governments that combined the crown, cross (or crescent in the east) with the sword and spear. In many regards, that war exists today in many parts of the world.

The unifying concept, and horror, was, and is, the power of the 'state' defined broadly.

The authority and coercive power of the state combined with the authority of the belief in the 'divine right of authority to exercise that power over the lives and liberties of individuals, for 'the good of the people'. An image to remember is the investiture of the king by the bishop appointed by the king.

The challenge to that authority historically has always been intrinsically and philosophically, individually and specifically, evident. In many ways it is human nature.

Martin Luther, and later Calvin (the inspiration for the Pilgrims and Puritans) were the religious embodiment of this truism: That one's conscience and relationship with 'your maker', God, or whatever you wish to call it, is individual, not granted, interceded or interpreted by anyone other than oneself.

However misguided or enlightened it literally is no one else's right or business to interfere. Especially the government.

So the vital question was and is: how to protect individuals from the coercive and abusive power of individuals acting in the name of the state. Or, as is said today "for the good of the people" or in the name of "social justice".

How? How to protect Life? Liberty? and The pursuit of happiness?

That is what the Constitution, and Bill of Rights, and its Amendments are all about. A contract.

Frankly, I am not wise enough to answer those questions, but I do know this: Government, and the individuals invested with its authority, often take and abuse that authority. The mere thought-threat of someone somewhere having to authority to question, prevent, and punish you is enough. Whether on purpose or by mistake is not relevant, the best way to prevent such is to not allow them any power to abuse it.

This is not an argument for anarchy. For the only true law is and always will be one's conscience. This is an argument therefore for morality and individual liberty and religion and responsibility.

At its core the tea party movement is about personal issues: core morality.

SP, subject matter aside, that was your best post ever. I can tell you ate your Wheaties today!

The difference, as I understand it, is the Tea Party movement was both spontaneous and directed from the grassroots up. Both of which contribute to its unstructured nature.

Yes and it still is. The TPP at least makes no decisions on a national level without consulting the local/state co-ordinators who in turn consult local activists. It frustrates some because it means that we do not instantly react to anything, but its the nature of our organization.

The tea party movement is a popular movement consisting of many types of people, but who share the goals of constitutionally limited government protecting the rights and freedoms of the individual, as expressed in the formation of the American form of government. That is much more fundamental than "economic" issues, and there could be no coherent discussion of the economic issues without the foundation provided in America's (original) political philosophy.

There are some, such as Farah, who would prefer a religious revival, and who want it to use government to impose religious inspired social controls, but that is not what the tea party movement is. The widespread revolt against Obama and the progressives is not over religion.

It did get quite dark in France didn't it? We will have to see if the current American understanding of the nature of government will turn out to be as good as it was in our beginning. It wasn't a religious movement then either; it was the political culimination of the Enlightenment, with a much better understanding of the concept of the rights of the individual and the proper purpose of government than the French Revolution.

We missed you at Calais today. EWV.

Read Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

You will then begin to understand why the French Revolution and all the Communist Revolutions became and are so bloody.

Or better yet read "Intellectuals" by Paul Johnson.