The Tea Baggers Stand for Bigotry and Extremism, Not Fairness

The historical "Boston Tea Party" of 1773 in which a group of colonists boarded three shiploads of taxed tea and destroyed the tea by throwing it into the Boston Harbor should in no way be confused with the recent "Tea Party" movement. The principal aim of the "Boston Tea Party" was to protest taxation without representation in the British Parliament. The Boston Tea Party was an iconic event in American history which led to the growth of the American Revolution. I tend to think of the new "Tea Party" protesters as the "Tea Baggers" because they are essentially carpetbaggers who share nothing with the historic "Boston Tea Party."

The "Tea Party" anti-tax movement revolves around fiscal conservatism and started as a challenge to the government bailouts of the banking industry. The movement expanded to include the wholesale rejection of the Obama Administration's healthcare reform bill. The rhetoric used at many of the protests is marked with venomous undertones and bigotry reminiscent of the reaction by southern whites to the civil rights movement. This clearly demonstrates that the protesters do not understand the purpose of the reform bill. Worse yet, with the passage healthcare reform bill on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, the protesters have resorted to physical violence against the Congress members who voted in favor of the reform bill.

I was in favor of a more comprehensive reform bill, one that would include a public option where all residents of the U.S. would be covered without regard for their citizenship status. But, the reform bill fell far short of what many Americans truly need and desire -- a true universal healthcare plan completely devoid of greedy health insurance companies. The reaction by Republican Congress members was mean spirited and despicable; they encouraged violent protests and threats against those who voted in favor of the reform bill. In my opinion, the violence and narrow mindedness demonstrated by the "Tea Baggers" is frightening and worrisome. What do you think about the "Tea Party" movement and the Tea Baggers?