On the playgrounds of our youth we perhaps heard the old rejoinder, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I am reminded of this idiom when confronted by the puerile utterances of “progressive” ideologues as they attempt to demean the convictions of those opposed to their agenda. One such disparaging term used by elitist, pundits and politicians alike to describe “Tea Party” advocates is the moniker “wing-nuts.” This political epithet is used in referring to those they consider holders of extreme views. Some of these elitists in their customary condescending manner even refer to the advocates as “tea-baggers” and “just a bunch of stupid cultists.” These same progressives seem not to recognize their own skewed tenets and use these type terms to belittle those that do not subscribe to their venue. They are, after all, the self-appointed intelligentsia.
Personally, I’m proud to be called a “wing-nut” and wear this title with pride, and as a badge of honor. In the vernacular, “wing-nut” simply means “a nut with a pair of wings to enable it to be turned without tools. It is used where frequent adjustments are needed, or part removal can be made quickly at some later stage.” The term seems to fit the circumstances of our times where adjustments and removal need to be made quickly in our political system. Like most others, I am tired of the lack of civility in current political discourse and lament the loss of collective purpose we once enjoyed as a united people. The “Tea Party” is about unity not divisiveness. It is a movement, spurred by frustration and the need to reaffirm our Nation’s values, customs and direction. At its core is a somewhat libertarian philosophy with perhaps a conservative populist bend, but with many degrees of interpretation and hence it is not a universal doctrine but more a marriage of disenfranchised citizens who yearn for a return to the root values of our nation.
After unparalleled growth and recognition, many have appeared who seek to categorize, direct and control this incredible phenomenon called the “Tea Party Movement.” The loose confederation of groups across that Nation is one of its strengths. There is no state of national leadership. It is a true “grass roots” effort and will remain such, as long as its vision and vitality is not high jacked by self-serving interests. In its essence, the movement is about individual liberty, cutting taxes and containing runaway public debt, but it is also the champion of a fundamental change in how government operates and under what conditions.
Tea Party supporters represent a community committed to standing together in protecting our Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” There is a common agreement on the need to return government to its rightful place, reduce its intrusion into lives and independence and to champion a return of individual rights and spiritual values.
Tea Party advocates have watched the Nation drift further and further away from is moorings. Instead of the moral and spiritual framework provided by our Judeo-Christian traditions and the reliance on “we the people” embedded within our Constitution, we have been conditioned to accept and even to applaud diversity at the expense of common values, customs and traditions. Every nation, and ours in particular, needs the “social capital” of common values and the recognition of certain virtues that contribute to a well founded vibrant society. We, the Tea Parties, view this Nation in what could be called a values vacuum. We seem to have historical amnesia and have somehow allowed a slow but methodical erosion of the principles manifested in our legacy documents, the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Holy Bible.
As U.S. Rep. Ron Paul has so aptly stated, “the Constitution today is like the elephant at the tea party that everyone pretends not to notice.” The founding fathers would be appalled and astonished to see how politicized our society has become and how our federal government has been allowed to venture well beyond the bounds established within our Constitution. They would also most assuredly, be alarmed by the erosion of our value system.
Thomas Jefferson warned about the intrusion of expanded federal power by stating that, “when all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another, and will become a venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” Policy dictated by un-elected judges, a detached and impotent congress and a highly centralized socialistic federal government is not the system ratified in our Constitution. It is a fast engulfing cancer that must be contained! National Socialism is not the American social policy!
We are encouraged to ponder the potential consequences of centralized power. We must be vigilant citizens and never allow this valid concern to mature into a reality. Abuse can become entrenched in any political system and that is why the doctrine of states’ rights, as clearly articulate in the Constitution, is so vital to our long term national prosperity. It is part of the “check and balance system” and a key component in limiting the federal government to its intended “enumerated powers.” If the federal government was scrupulously faithful to the Constitution it would lessen or eliminate the need for “Tea Party” movements. When we view it as a “living document” subject to whimsical interpretation, we also allow the government to metastasize into an unstoppable cancer!
The “Tea Party” movement is a clarion call to the American people. It is not too late to “recall our people to the Constitution, the rule of law, and our traditional American republic.” This is the mission of the “Tea Party” movement. Government has power or authority but only “the people” have rights and powers in accordance with our Constitution. One of these rights is to petition and redress. This is precisely what the movement is doing. It’s time to “tighten the screws,” or wing-nuts if you will, on our run-away government institution. Proud to be a wing-nut!
Note: For information on how you can be involved and support this most critical movement go to www.northshoreteaparty.com.