To My 'Tea Party' Friends

The Tea Party is a loaded phrase. I actually agree with some of what the principles are behind the movement, except there seem to be 2 different views of what the Tea Party is, and it seems that the louder, more obnoxious members and de-facto leaders have missed the point.

From my point of view, it's about a couple of things:

Taxation without representation. Do my representatives represent my views? I would have to say no. They represent the needs of lobbyists and the corporations who fund their campaigns the most. What has pissed me off the most in the past couple of years, was the decision by the socialist, left leaning liberals on the Supreme Court, that corporations should have the same representation as individuals citizens... Oh no, wait... That was the right wing conservatives who did that.

Freedom. President Obama's Patriot Act, and warrantless wire tapping has really taken a chunk out of our rights to privacy. Hell, I can't even transfer money from my savings account to my checking account more than 4 times a month without violating some federal statute. Thank you Barack! Oh no... Wait a sec, that was Bush's doing.

Constitution. Everytime I hear a political candidate start preaching about how much they study the Constitution I want to puke. Because it's obvious they really haven't. Especially when they start off with talking about returning our Country to the state it was under the Founding Fathers. God Fearing Christians who wanted a place of freedom.

PEOPLE!!! GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS A DEIST!!! And so were a lot of the other founding fathers. They came here to escape religious Tyranny... The very kind you seem hell bent on trying to restore.

But I have a question... Assuming any of my readers claim to be Tea Party or Constitution loving Conservatives...

My son had to memorize the preamble to the Constitution last week, and some of the wording struck a chord with me...

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

"... provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare ..."

How can you claim to be a devotee of the Constitution, and yet glory in wars waged on foreign soil in support of corporate interests, and deny millions of Americans the opportunity to receive affordable heathcare?

The Iraq war has NOTHING to do with defending the United States, and if you really look at it, it may actually be putting us at more risk, both in terms of domestic terrorism, debt and dependence on foreign oil. Those tanks they drive around in aren't hybrids as far as I now.

And Health Care Reform? It's a socialist Nazi plot? Are you freakin' serious? It's about taking care of each other, which fits in perfectly with "Promoting General Welfare"

HELLO?!?