In Defense of the Mob

Letter to the Editor - LDN August 29, 2009

On December 16, 1773 a few early American patriots who were outraged at the taxes imposed on them, boarded British vessels and dumped the contents of the vessels into Boston Harbor. The taxes were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The patriots were really protesting the lack of representation of their needs before the imperial British monarchy. This seminal event eventual became known as the Boston Tea Party and the issues at the heart of that action eventually led to the American Revolution.

This mob of patriots are now iconic American heroes. I think there are many parallels of these early patriots to today’s Tea Party patriots. The early American patriots were not looking to overthrow the government. They just knew that their government was not properly representing them. They were crushed by taxes and they felt helpless to influence their government. This frustration finally boiled over into a public event – the tea party.

Today, these modern patriots feel the same frustration. They see their government rushing to expand its power and they know disastrous tax increases and debt are on the way. With a Democratic filibuster proof majority in Congress and a president who is proving to be far more liberal than his campaign rhetoric, many Americans feel detached from their government. The president and the ultra liberal leaders in Congress are trying to ram through the largest expansion of government since the New Deal. Their strategy is to pass the most epansive, complicated and personal piece of legislation in the nation’s history before the American citizenry realized what was happening. This arrogance is reminiscent of the colonial British monarchy.

Just like the colonial days, the American public is very tolerant and slow to react. However, from time to time the level of disenfranchisement grows to the point that the populace must vent its frustration. The founders realized this when they enshrined the freedom to assembly in our Constitution. The freedom of assembly guarantees the individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests. That is at the heart of the modern Tea Parties.

If you believe that our government is going too far with unrestrained spending and encroachment of the liberties and rights of the people, make your voice heard – join a tea party.