The Tea Party Primer: What You Need to Know

by Rick George, Charleston Ron Paul Examiner, Examiner.com
Feb. 11, 2010

The Republican political machine is trying desperately to co-opt the Liberty message which was so well articulated and defined by Ron Paul during the 2008 elections. The problem has been that Dr. Paul has received such limited coverage and has been associated with radical elements by the main stream media that his message has been muted and often distorted. While many Americans may hunger for freedom and liberty, most have yet to wean themselves from the major news outlets who are bought out by mega corporations and produce very little that is even remotely "fair and balanced".

Most of the conservatives who attend the tea party conventions are upset about the financial condition of our nation and the current administration's lucrative spending. They are also upset about government encroachment which was exemplified by the take overs of the auto industry, banking institutions and health care. However, the major portion of the tea partiers have been unable to extricate themselves from the two-party government structure so entrenched in the fabric of American politics.

One reason for this difficulty goes back to the media. As Americans became disgruntled with politics and made their voices heard, Fox news tapped into this dysphoria. While the tea party movement was already in full steam, Hannity, O'Reilly and Beck jumped on the bandwagon and added their voices to the mix. They supported the protests so strongly that other networks began accusing Fox news of orchestrating the movement, an accusation that Fox was more than happy to embrace. The result of this deliberate infiltration has been that the neo-conservative, status quo, big government, Republican agenda continues in the tea party movement unabated.

What most in the tea party movement fail to understand is that Fox News and their favorite Republican endorsements, Gingrich, Palin, Romney, etc., fully represent the same old same old when it comes to big government. In other words, a return to the failed policies of George W. Bush which is, in reality, a political agenda backed by the interests of major corporations in the oil, food, pharmaceutical and other industries. For those who have transferred thier political affiliation to independent, or have become active in a tea party group to actually effect significant change they will need to educate themselves in the following areas (Google search and Wikipedia will serve as a good start):

Neo-Conservatism (see also PNAC):This misguided, aggressive movement is primarily the driving force behind America's war effort. It perpetuates the notion that America should be a police force for the world, enforcing democracy and protecting her allies, primarily Israel. The major problem with this doctrine is that it undermines the Constitution and embroils us in entangling alliances overseas. In fact, PNAC had direct influence on George Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq. Incidently, the co-founder of the Neo Conservative movement is William Kristol, who has strong ties to Rupert Murdoch of Fox News and is the one responsible for bringing us Sarah Palin.

The Patriot Act: Signed into law by Bush in 2001, it is the most far reaching, most intrusive act of government into the lives of private citizens in America's history. It carries such gems as indefinite detentions, unauthorized searches, definition of terrorism expanded to 'domestic terrorism', expansion of the Secretary of the Treasury's authority with all sorts of permissions to wire tap, monitor and otherwise invade the privacy of pretty much anyone.

Homeland Security Act: George W. Bush and company completely reorganized numerous federal departments and brought them under one head in 2002. It consolidated 22 agencies under one umbrella called the US Dept. of Homeland Security with the Secretary of Homeland Security at the lead. This new department is responsible for border security, transportation security, customs, immigration, secret service, coast guard, FEMA and much more.

Fusion Centers: These centers were designed to allow federal agencies such as the FBI, CIA, Dept. of Justice, the US Military and the Dept. of Homeland Security to get together and share information with each other. The most egregious and notable act so far has been that of the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), which targeted Ron Paul supporters, pro life supporters, conspiracy theorists, anti war activists and Islamic lobby groups as domestic terrorists. Active in nearly every state, these spy centers are the ultimate when it comes to Big Brother! These were also introduced under the Bush administration.

Blackwater: This is a private military organization hired through no-bid contracts during the Bush administration to assist in the military endeavors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, Iraq has expelled Blackwater primarily due to an alleged massacre in Baghdad's Nisour Square. Its founder, Eric Prince has strong ties to the Republican Party, primarily through Cofer Black, advisor to Mitt Romney's political campaign and also through neo conservative, PNAC associates. This "Christian mercenary" group has been accused of numerous attrocities and has contributed to a number of growing private military groups employed by the government. Equally disturbing is the use of these private organizations domestically as in the Katrina disaster and more recently during the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh.

Crony Capitalism: Not to be confused with free market capitalism. Crony capitalism refers to the merger of large, wealthy corporations and politicians. This includes lobbying, but goes well beyond with politicians actually sitting on the boards of major corporations as well as corporate executives on the boards of government entities. The most famous case is that of Donald Rumsfeld's early association with G. D. Searle & Company which manufactured pharmaceuticals and was later sold to Monsanto, a major agricultural and chemical corporation. Monsanto is currently a major player in the bio-engineering of foods and is presently conducting research in the war torn regions of Iraq and Afghanistan where it is heavily involved in research concerning the genetic manipulation of DNA. Rumsfeld later became a board member of Gilead Sciences, the maker of Tamiflu. In 2005, George Bush had $7.1 billion set aside for treatment of a possible bird flu pandemic.

Nearly everyone is familiar with Dick Cheney's association with Haliburton which received mult-billion dollar contracts during the Iraqi campaign. More recently are affiliations between Henry Paulson, former CEO of Goldman Sachs and Mark Patterson, a lobbyist now hired in the Obama administration, as well as former lobbyist Michael Taylor of Monsanto fame. In fact, a short perusal through OpenSecrets.org will reveal an incestuous orgy of corporate-political mergers which lie at the heart of corporate take overs of food, health care products, medications, finances and nearly everything that touches our daily lives. Legislature, laws, and policies are all dictated and controlled by these powerful corporate alliances. In fact, it is safe to assume that nearly every career politician is bought by one or more corporate interests.

As long as the majority of Tea Partiers continue to listen to the neo conservative propaganda of Republican celebrities, it is doubtful there will be a political revolution. One can only hope that the newly disenchanted Obama supporters will awaken to the corpora-political agenda and support true Liberty candidates like Debra Medina, Rand Paul and others who have answered the call.