A Rudderless Ship

That basically is what most politicians see when they take a serious look at the Tea Party Movement. For those who see our government as a pyramid of men at work running the country (into the ground) by conjuring up ever more man-made interference into a network of protection for natural laws of liberty it is no surprise. For those of that mindset, a table of organization is an absolute requirement. It is always so with a “top-down” government which depends upon men for guidance rather than law.

Our founders are revered for their genius in recognizing the ability and the will of the people for self-governance. That approach has it’s inefficiencies but at the least it insists upon the constant involvement of the citizenry. Always remember that it took an interval of 13 years between the Declaration of Independence and the finalization of the United States Constitution. Once accomplished, it has been accepted as a guiding instrument for a nation which has become the envy of the world.

It has inbred devices to allow for revision and hopefully, improvement. To avoid the perils presented by a pure democracy, it requires the permission of 2/3rds of all the states to be accomplished. No state, regardless of population, has a greater or lesser influence in the process. One might suggest that Wyoming with its windswept rural character and few people should bow to the wishes of a hyper-populous New York in matters constitutional. The principal trait which each state maintains and the founders recognized is that they are both sovereign entities and therefore, equal. In this circumstance, and many others, the individual right of the state becomes all important. With fifty such units there is bound to be disagreement but at the conclusion of debate it is the will of the people which should prevail.

There is a segment of our population which chooses, either by intent or ignorance, to misunderstand that individual action and attitude should rightfully supercede that of those who are chosen as leaders. Too often the leadership is in the thrall of being elevated to a high post and gain the thought that it their job to direct the lives of people. The engineer of a train has technical duties regarding speed, fuel, and general maintenance. The limitations presented by confinement to the tracks prevent any excess in individual initiative. In the case of the nation, the constitution represents the tracks and thus the restrictions placed upon leadership. In both cases, exceeding the limitations will result in disaster.

In a recent inquiry, encyclopedic research showed endless charts on every possible aspect of the various presidents of the United States. A huge amount of data is available for comparisons or general interest in these men. To date, no data has been apparent which evaluates comparative understanding of the US Constitution. One can only conclude that this must be determined by each president’s dependence upon the will of the people on all matters, great and small. Some have definitely been better than others.

This then returns us to examination of the Tea Party Movement and the consequent shunning of controlling leadership. The essence of the Tea Party is citizen involvement. It is incomprehensible to leftists that any group can exist with out their concept of organizational structure. Lacking apparent leadership, there is no easily targetable person to defame. Finding skeletons in the closet of a non-person is impossible. Without a clearly defined leader, the ad hominem attack is rendered useless. To attack the Tea Party then is to assault tens of millions of likeminded Americans equally and to further their resolve for legitimate change and a return to the aims of the founding fathers. Those persons who are extremely active in the Tea Party are justly worthy of praise and enjoy the support of their fellow protestors; but from the view of the public at large, they are largely anonymous. Those persons who can actually name the principal promoters of the Tea Party are as few as those who can name the weakly disguised “Indians” who dumped the tea into Boston Harbor.

Even persons closely aligned with the fundamental tenets espoused by the average Tea Partier do not claim leadership. Indeed, it is easy to associate Sarah Palin, Dick Armey, Jim DeMint and others with the movement but each would disclaim a role in actual leadership. Their understanding of the vital independence of participants in the group is clear and most often their own individual view. They modestly understand and actively shun being named as leaders. The Tea Party then is most easily identified as “We the People.”

The most scurrilous attack on the Tea Party has come from the generalized accusation of racism which has by now lost most of its bite because of common usage. It has come to represent a situation where all other accusations have come to naught so it serves as a “catch all” to provide a universal approbation. It over simplifies the notion that if you see the president as an enemy of the republic your opposition has to be based upon skin color.

This automatic assumption is intellectually weak and more important; morally unsound. It then becomes an infantile response to serious adult issues which affect people of every hue. When this country endures the financial collapse so well assured if we continue down our present path, no degree of color, national origin, sexual orientation or age will protect the sufferer.

We encourage anyone with further questions as to the efficacy of the Tea Party movement to investigate for themselves by dropping by any gathering any where in the country of Tea Party Patriots. Engage the participants in conversation; ask the questions which you have; observe the behavior and general tenor of the group; and draw your own conclusion upon personal observation and inquiry. If you truly love our country I guarantee you will leave with an entirely different view of the crowd than that which you may have received from the main-stream media. It’s a small matter but you are encouraged to hang around until the crowd is dispersed and note the respectful condition which a Tea Party crowd leaves the grounds. Regardless of the location, you will be impressed to see it as it was when you arrived. Even 800,000 people in DC on 9/12/09 left the grounds immaculate. May God bless America.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon