Tea, Talk, and Protest

When I was a Peace Corps volunteer I learned a great deal. I can go on and on with all the treasures that I acquired and brought back to the United States. Not that I was void when I joined the infamous Eastern Caribbean training group (EC 60) – but I was sadly naïve.

One of the most beneficial influences there was the learned behavior of ‘taking it easy’ with the assistances of Earl Grey. Drinking tea became a ritual. Imagine that, a southern boy partaking in a British past time! My morning began with tea. My afternoon concluded with tea and conversations. Long conversations that never failed to address world affairs. I loved the combination: Tea and mouth chatter.

Last week proved to many that there was a need for TEA and a lot of rhetoric. Over 700 tea parties around the United States. Crowds of 10,000 or more. People from all walks of life: young, old, white, white, men, and women. All were mentally consumed with one mission: PROTEST. The age old opportunity to communicate to the powers that ‘we the people’ are unhappy. Disappointed. Disgruntled. And, growing with dissension

(http://www.teapartyday.com/Map.aspx).

While I am a passionate supporter of political dissent that’s responsible and purpose driven, I just could not understand why these folk suddenly decided to voice their concerns all on the same day. Smells funny to me. Some say that the ‘campaign’ to send a message was a grassroots effort. Isn’t that ironic? The Right aligning themselves with grassroots activities? Really? Who buys that crap? We all know that the conservatives, republicans, and ultra right-wingers rarely go to the people to implore them to speak for them. (Well, they did effectively utilize the Ku Klux Klan -- Extremism in America.) Their counter tactics have always begun from the confines of their unyielding and moral high ground politics. Not from some mid-westerner who is upset about a job loss. This act of opposition is reserved for America’s stepchildren e.g. blacks, gays, and women.

But, perhaps things are changing? Are these culturally insulated people finally understanding that government has never been on their side? Have they finally begun to conceptualize that those on the disenfranchised left have been left out? No…say it ain’t so! They are not just realizing that tax increases have the ability to handicap communities? Their trailer parks?

When I visually examined the crowds in state owned parks and on the steps of state capital buildings I could not make many distinctions. However, one element did pop into my brain:

Perhaps, the United States government’s elected officials will listen now. Their distant cousins are now being affected (Billy Bob).

But, reality set in. And, here it is

Taxes have been raised by lying presidents (all of them including President Obama) that I have been blessed to witness walk into the White House – but these pissed-off folk have NEVER orchestrated a day to protest legalized rip-offs since Boston. Makes one wonder what the real frustration could be.

And, now that the Right has no serious plan to combat the Left they have decided to be organized critics of their own system. Actually, it is a clever move: Get the people on one accord under the cloak of ‘we are prepared to do right by you now’.

Who is falling for this?

Well, it is obvious. Look at Grand Wizard Sean Hannity’s sponsored TEA Party protest:

http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/files/2009/03/teapartycincy2.jpg

A lot of people, right?

All those people are prepared to kick Barack Obama out of office without understanding that their taxes would have been raised by John McCain too. Do they know this? I believe that they do. This growing whitewashed and extremist radicalism (a fearful reaction to impending ‘White Slavery’) is in response to the BLACK change that they are not psychologically prepared to embrace.

Tax increase is not the change. It is the standard: Happens all the time.

Have you looked at your utility bill lately?

Written by Brian E. Payne. Inspired by Ada B.