Stamping Out the Brushfires

"It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." — Samuel Adams

On April 15, hundreds of tax day Tea Parties took place across the Republic to express concerns about the present government and its direction. These were peaceful, respectful gatherings of Americans availing themselves of their First Amendment rights. Whether they agree or disagree with the message, all Americans should be proud of the way the message was delivered. Alas, the left did not see it that way.

The Reverend Jacques De Graff appeared on the Fox News show “Hannity.” He could not resist denigrating the TEA Parties by referring to them as the “Teabag” movement. You can say it was just an offhand remark but it seems a man of the cloth could choose his words a bit more carefully. Of course, he is just a petty, frustrated little man facing resistance he does not understand.

HBO funny man Bill Maher called TEA Parties a “perfectly good Klan rally.” I hate to disagree with such a learned man as Bill Maher but I don’t remember any sheets or hoods at the Tea Party with which I was associated. I did see a few crosses but none of them were burning. Perhaps his little joke would have been funny if it had any basis in fact.

I grew up in the Deep South and know something of the history of the KKK. You know all those racist, rednecks in the Klan? They were all Democrats. You don’t find Republicans in the Klan. Republicans opposed slavery and Jim Crow laws and favored civil rights for African Americans. Mr. Maher really should bone up on his history before he runs off at the mouth. But he doesn’t have to take my word for it. He could just ask Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV). I hear he was once an Exalted Cyclops in the Klan.

In a speech at a symposium commemorating the 15th anniversary of the OKC bombing, Bill Clinton suggested that the same concern expressed by the TEA Parties can lead to violent acts like the bombing. His implication seems to be that many TEA Party attendees are Tim McVeigh wannabes with a hair trigger. The former President said that prior to the OKC Bombing “…the fabric of American life had been unraveling” and “…we see some of that today." I’ll concede Mr. Clinton points; he is right on both counts. But who is doing the unraveling? It isn’t the TEA Parties; it’s this present administration. The TEA Parties are about sewing it back together not blowing it up.

President Obama said in a speech at a DNC fund raiser in Miami that he was amused by the people attending the TEA Party rallies. He has increased the deficit to unfathomable levels, nationalized two car companies, student loans and the health care system and this arrogant, two-bit tyrant has the gall to suggest that we should thank him. Obama said he was amused by the TEA Parties. However, he is not amused; he is angry.

The Democrats do not see their electoral success in 2008 as simply winning a few elections. They misread it as total victory; a sea change; a mandate to “fundamentally transform this nation” as Obama said at the time. But the people are saying “No”; they’re pushing back.

This was not in the plan. The Democrats figured that once they took over half the country would be cheering wildly for the apparent government largesse and the other half would quietly accept the situation. They control every branch of government and still the people will not submit. This has left them frustrated and angry.

So they lash out. They denigrate, name call, crack jokes and make inane comparisons between the TEA Parties and domestic terrorists like Tim McVeigh and the KKK. It’s pitiful really because it’s all they can do. For what they absolutely dare not do is argue the specific ideas of the TEA Parties. You see, deep down in places they will not talk about, even these Democrats know the TEA Parties are right. Just don’t hold your breath waiting for them to admit it.

All of these slights and digs and innuendos are just a cover for their real fear. The statist Democrats are trying the stamp out these brushfires of freedom before November and they combine into an inferno of liberty.