If it's one thing that was branded on my brain at Netroots Nation 2010, it's that we must call out Republican lies immediately. If we don't, the lies become meme, the meme becomes narrative, and the narrative becomes doctrine. Once that happens, we have a Sisyphean task countering the avalanche of vile tumbling out of everyone from hoi polloi to the Fox network.
This week, in my own small way, I did my part to keep the public discourse grounded in reality.
On Tuesday our local newspaper, The Shelbyville News, ran a three-quarter page spread in the human interest section entitled "Time for Tea Party." The article highlighted the efforts of local tea party leaders Linda Wiggins and Linda Conner to get out the vote--but, of course, their path to this mission was much more nefarious:
"We need to hear what’s being said, read what’s being written and be informed about our government, if nothing else," said Fountaintown resident Linda Wiggins, who along with her husband formed the Shelby County tea party. "We went to a tea party rally last summer in Indianapolis and got interested. We were feeling like we were the only people feeling like something was wrong with our government. We were astounded that there were so many people who felt like us!"
Yes, it would indeed be astounding to find that there are others who feel this way:
"I want to get our country back," said Wiggins, who is the Morristown Elementary art teacher. "It needs to be done. If we don’t get our country back, I think we’re going to be in a very awful situation."
Ms. Conner is apparently a sister-at-arms in the noble fight:
Conner said the Guardians of Liberty strive to promote patriotism and education.
"We want to revive what our forefathers fought so hard for. We have a Constitution, and the current government isn’t using it unless it’s convenient for them. America is a Christian nation. Our forefathers created it."
Of course, it would be irresponsible not to set the record straight in the face of rampant lie mongering:
Misconceptions plague tea party members, according to Linda Wiggins, who presides at the local group’s meetings.
"Misconceptions are that we’re racists, we’re weird, we’re all Republicans and that the tea party is just another name for the GOP. Truth be told, we are people who want to get back to fiscally responsible people to run our government," she said. "We want people who will work for us. We want to go back to the Constitution that is totally ignored. We want to put things back for the states to be taking care of, like education, agriculture and health care. Basically, we want limited government."
I was at my mother's house when I read this article, and before I was finished I had grabbed a sheet of my son's leftover looseleaf paper and dashed off a draft of a letter to the editor. A spit polish later it was in the hands of the managing editor of the News, and today it was published. Since I wrote it, I'm including it in its entirety:
Tea party’s Republican reputation deserved
In the article "Time for tea party" (Tuesday, Page 5A), Linda Wiggins, founder of the Shelby County tea party, describes several misconceptions that "plague tea party members."
One example Mrs. Wiggins cites is that the tea party "is just another name for the GOP." According to OpenSecrets.org, 100 percent of the contributions made to the Tea Party PAC of the USA in the 2010 election cycle went to Republican candidates. And according to SourceWatch.org, one of the main sources of funding for the tea party movement is a group called FreedomWorks, whose mission, stated on its website, is "[to] Fight the Left ... [and to create] a grassroots juggernaut capable of going toe-to-toe with the unions ... enviros and the MoveOn.orgs of the world." Such facts would seem to contradict Mrs. Wiggins’ assertion that the tea party does not primarily, if not exclusively, comprise Republicans.
Stressing the tea party’s devotion to the U.S. Constitution, Linda Conner, another local tea party member, is quoted as saying, "America is a Christian nation." Nowhere does the Constitution mention Christianity either as the basis of the rule of law or as the official religion of the nation’s founders or of the United States. In fact, the First Amendment to the Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." A reading of the Constitution, therefore, negates Ms. Conner’s claim that this country was founded as a Christian nation.
In addition, Mrs. Wiggins is quoted as saying, "I want to get our country back. ... If we don’t ... I think we’re going to be in a very awful situation" and "We want to put things back for the states to be taking care of." It may interest Mrs. Wiggins to know that such language is well-established code used by Republicans since the 1960s to advocate the continued repression of minorities’ rights. Concepts such as "we" versus "they," "states’ rights" and allusions to implied social or moral degeneration were pioneered by Richard Nixon’s racist "Southern Strategy," his 1968 election plan for exploiting the prejudices of the Deep South to shore up Republican votes. The unfortunate legacy of such phrases obviously continues to this day in the philosophy of the tea party movement.
All that is required to understand the tea party’s campaign of misinformation is a copy of the Constitution and a high school-level understanding of basic American government and civics. Perhaps Mrs. Wiggins, Ms. Connor, and all who participate in tea party activities will now understand why the tea party has the reputation they decry.
Lee Sakellarides
Shelbyville
NEWSFLASH FOR TEABAGGERS: What causes disarray is hearing what's being said (on Fox), reading what's being written (by the right-wing yammering classes), and being informed (wrongly) about our government. Teabaggers are the ultimate Kool Aid-drinking lemmings. . .willingly being led by the GOP/big business money machine into the abyss of idiocy by the hair of their Republican, bible-thumping, racist chinny-chin-chins.
UPDATE: Want to help close the deal? Go to The Shelbyville News' LTE link, scroll down to the Comments section at the bottom, and add your $0.02.
UPDATE II: Thanks for the reccing, kids. It's all about the cause.
UPDATE III: Thanks to all who left comments on The Shelbyville News' LTE comments site (see link in Update above). Your support is priceless to the progressives of our community, and we are very grateful for your participation.