CCRC Editorial Section

Tea partiers have soul

 Published in the Keene Sentionel March 8, 2010

The second in a series of reports on what an intelligent extraterrestrial would say if viewing earthlings.

In my earlier report on the Earthians, I noted the obvious exceptionalism of one country, called America, noting the overwhelming pressure by other Earthians to move to America, and the   underwhelming pressure on Americans to leave.  Despite this, the latest American leader continues his single-minded efforts to remake America in the image of these other countries, with their huge governments.

But this remake of America has hit a speed bump.  Over the past months there have been a series of meetings, called TEA PARTIES.  These “parties” are increasing in frequency all over America, with increasing crowds attending them, and with increasing enthusiasm from the Partiers.  The Partiers denounce the trendy things that their new leader favors, expressing amazement and puzzlement at his belief that emulating the other (less advanced) countries will somehow lead to progress for America. 

The new leader calls himself a “progressive”, evidently implying that he is for progress.....of some kind?  The progressives in America “know” they are smarter than the rest of the Americans, which hubris (wanton arrogance resulting from excessive pride) insults many Americans. 

But the progressive leader continues his highfalutin approach, in complete confidence, as he himself has stated on numerous occasions, that the “people” will realize later that he was right all along.  He is unable to get his mind around a simple notion, namely, his hubris is an insult to the intelligence of all Americans.

The Partiers on the other hand want the country to go down a very different path than the one their president has chosen. 

They are proud to be Americans, to be different, exceptionally different, in the best meaning of the word.  That difference doesn't require an apology, or bowing, to other Earthians.  On the contrary, this difference encouraged, and immensely aided, other Earthians to emulate the Americans. 

The Americans were proud of their traditions of personal responsibility, free and unfettered speech, reward on merit, keeping the peace around the world when required, and having the least (and least expensive) government necessary to defend America from its enemies. 

Americans want to enjoy their families, have interesting jobs, worship as they please, be safe, and BE LEFT ALONE.

To achieve these God-given rights, the American form of government was set up to be different from all the others, deliberately and substantially different. 

The idea was simple; constrain government and let the people run things.  Their founders had seen the slow, but corrosive, enslavement of citizens by ever growing (and “benevolent”) bureaucracies, which seemed to be the inevitable outcome of unrestrained government growth.

There is much debate about how these Partiers will affect the upcoming election, since the Partiers include many from both of the two main parties, Republicans and Democrats. 

The Republican party, which is more (but not completely) in synch with the Tea Partiers, wants the Partiers to join them, but they seem slow to acknowledge the tsunami which drives the Partiers. 

The Republican party may have the body to effect change, but the Partiers have the soul.

Fred Ward
386 Route 123 South
Stoddard 03464

446-2312

drfred@hughes.net