A Mostly Quietly Remarkable Tea Party

One measure of the Tea Party's impact are the continued smears by Dems/leftists and their allies in the press, the most prominent manufacturing racial slurs out of thin air. The Tribune takes a stab at figuring out this Taxed Enough Already movement but hasn't figured out that the MSM is part of the story in making people mad. (Look at my pictures, look at the CNN at the Chicago Tea Party tape again, this time in the context of the St. Louis Tea Party--fresh outrage.) For example, why didn't reporter Oscar Avila consult the Tribune's own (recent) archives and interview Rick Santelli? (You could have called me, I would have pointed you to it--and I'm a tea partier too:), a two-fer.

Most recent demonstrations have occurred at local Democrat congressional offices, where we hear intemperate language (watch the video) coming from those on the left, and/or a congressman himself--who says he doesn't care about the Constitution.

Yet in the Tribune article we are lectured by the former political reporter for the Des Moines Register, now serving at the Paul Simon think tank here in Illinois, to moderate our tone. To some the Constitution may be a dusty document, detached from everyday life, but many Americans are quite passionate about it. The hard-won debate to shape it forged our freedom and the world has not yet seen anything like it. The Constitution limits the power of government, and casting it aside are fightin' words to those who love individual liberty. Yet we respond largely in "quietly remarkable" ways. That is the real story.

In Illinois we have seen the Chicago Machine and the Chicago Way trample on common decency time and again as corrupt politicians line their own pockets at our expense and buy votes by indebting us and our children and our children's children. Now they are in Washington. Juan Williams, a very nice man, thinks we are acting only in our self-interest. Well, that is very human, but what really motivates us? You can read this. And this. Or you can take an honest look yourself at what went on in Congress that dark Sunday in March.

It is not compassionate to lie about rationing and denying care to our most vulnerable, while funding the death of our most innocent. It is not responsible to steal from the young to pay political favors to those who want to retire in their 50's, living well today while killing the American Dream for the future.

It is not statesmanship to cheat us of our cherished heritage.

We the people. We, the people are speaking up, are standing up. We want the bill repealed.

We want our country back.

P.S. Just to underscore, so you can't dismiss us as intolerant (don't judge us by yourselves), I'll say it again:

The Tea Party movement is broad-based and hearkens back to the time of the founding fathers. You know, when we had the first Boston Tea Party against taxation without representation. We draw on de Tocqueville, not Alinsky. We respect the American Constitution.

More. Tea Parties outpoll Obama. Rasmussen. Gallup--Tea Partiers are fairly mainstream. Whaddya know.

More. Kathy Barkulis taken aback at Tribune characterization (but not surprised, I'm sure. She has the MSM pegged). Silva with characteristic stunning insight thinks we are afraid of ourselves, unfailingly quotes our "post-partisan" president's slimy insinuations.