Three Gifts from the Tea Parties

The American Thinker ^ | January 07, 2011 | Larry Anderson

[Scanian]

America's middle class did the hard work and (finally) flexed its political muscle in last year's elections. But the grueling truth for the Tea Parties is that the real drudgery lies ahead.

The Tea Parties have given America three precious gifts. They haven't done a perfect job with any of their three political benefactions. But a blueprint for continuing political success has been drawn up and, at least during the first round of elections, has been semi-successfully implemented. I focus here on the positive nature of these gifts and offer some advice for how the Tea Parties can, and must, build upon their achievements to be even more effective in the future.

1) Continuing constitutional education

The most important thing that the Tea Parties have done is to revive an appreciation for and an understanding of our precious Constitution. This task is barely in its infancy. Ignorance of the meaning of the most important political document ever written is still rampant in this country -- especially among our youth, who are rarely taught the actual meaning of the document. Instead, they are lectured about a nonexistent, and essentially meaningless, "living" Constitution -- a document that changes with each new passing political or cultural fad.

As important as it is, recapturing (or at least bringing some sort of intellectual balance and integrity into) our public educational system is a long way in the future. Sitting down and reading the Constitution with our children can, and should, happen today.

[rockinqsranch]

I have to run offline right now, and only read the excerpt, but this seems to be right up Free Republic’s alley. Something we can participate in the perpetuation of.

[ViLaLuz]

The Constitution and the Bible.

“My people perish from a lack of knowledge.” —Hosea 4:6

[central_va]

The Constitution, the Bible and belt fed ammunition.

[samtheman]

The Tea Parties need to understand that if they are to stay viable, they must remain united on a return to federalism and to the strict enforcement of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution and of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the same. Once real federalism is achieved, important moral legislation can be debated and determined in the proper venues: in our state houses and before our city councils [i]

As an active Tea Party member, I agree with this.

The US Constitution comes first.

[cousair]

I believe the Tea Party members all across this country have an ongoing job to do, and that is to combat the onslaught of garbage the MSM is going, and already started throwing at our gang in Congress. This Conservative group in the House has the right ideas, and plans to put as much in place to take things back as they can. THis has already started. The DNC and MSM are already throwing mud...every comment should be stopped where it comes from, and we need FOX on our side to help. We need names, faces and pictures of the mud throwers, and they need plenty of exposure on TV to get the names out.

[thulldud]

The Constitution, the Bible and belt fed ammunition.

One of these in every golf bag!

[DannyTN]

"Once real federalism is achieved, important moral legislation can be debated and determined in the proper venues: in our state houses and before our city councils [i]"

You still need the Defense of Marriage act at the Federal level. Leaving it to the states is going to result in states having to issues because of other states designations.