Dear Tea Party: You've Been Had

[babsbunny]

http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12425

JONATHAN MCHENRY FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT


Letter to all the Tea Party patriots of America,


Like a modern day Paul Revere I travel across our country calling the British are coming, the British are coming, although this time it is a much more sinister enemy that is coming to take our country.


I was the assistant curator of Old South Meeting House for several years during the bicentennial sharing the story of the Boston Tea Party to visitors and scholars. After working at Old South I was employed by the National Park Service and lectured at Bunker Hill and other revolutionary sites for two years. The Sons of Liberty organized their 1773 rally at Old South and marched to the harbor dumping tea into the bay to protest "taxation without representation."


Shortly after the December 16, 1773 Tea Party my great grandfather's great grandfather James McHenry was recruited by Benjamin Rush to join in the resistance and in June 1775 McHenry traveled from Philadelphia to Cambridge Port in Massachusetts to organize a field hospital. The Sons of Liberty asked McHenry to prepare to receive wounded patriots who may be injured in the battle at Breeds Hill in Charlestown which today we call the Battle of Bunker Hill. McHenry met George Washington during this time. McHenry was on Washington's staff during the revolution, was jailed by the British, signed the United States Constitution and was Secretary of War under Washington and Adams. As Secretary of War he was the founder of the United States military.

[creon]

1. Yes they have

But, many of them do not care. Even if they ever realize it.

[Newest Reality]

2. One if by land.

Two if by sea. Three if by corporate media.

I see three lanterns lit.

The mindset of the Tea Baggy types might be about the map they have of the world. If you spend enough time analyzing it and using focus groups, (along with the feedback you get from manipulating them) it could be easy to both reinforce their maps and inject an overlay of propaganda that fits it -- no going outside the lines or comparisons of any consensus or external views. The map not being the territory, that is.

[vi5]

3. Sorry, that lets them off the hook....

Yeah, maybe it's much nicer and makes us feel better about ourselves to give them the benefit of the doubt that they are just well intentioned dullards duped into doing the work of a bunch of wealthy backers. But that lets them off the hook as though they themselves aren't evil for backing self centered, ruthless, vindictive, and most of the time racist policies.

Yes, if you can find one who is truly and sincerely "anti-deficit" or whatever the hell else they purport to be about, who doesn't back all of the other regressive, hateful policies of the right wing then maybe, just maybe I'll let the "Oh he/she was just had and duped" slide. But that is almost definitely not the case with most I've seen and most I know of.

[LiberalLoner]

4. +1, I feel the same way you do. Every one I've met of that crowd has been hateful, racist,

misogynistic, just mean and spiteful. Can't stand to even be around them, they bring my spirit down.

[Raschel]

5. +1