Tea Party people are extremists who are anarchists, prone to violence and who don’t like democracy.  At least, that’s the way the media and many in Congress have tried to paint the entire Tea Party movement.  However, when unions physically stopped the Wisconsin Congress from conducting a democratic vote by democratically elected officials, shouting obscenities, and issuing threats to those whom they oppose, the same media and Congressmen say that such protestors are exercising their democratic right to dissent.

Is that a double standard? Of course it is but that doesn’t change the facts. The facts are that we are a nation of laws and it is only the law that protects us. When we disregard the law, for whatever reason, we tear down the very institution we say we support.

There is an old saying that goes: “Stick and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.” The Tea Party movement has not only been called many unsavory names but it’s possible that we may someday be hit with sticks and stones as well. However, the only thing that can actually hurt us, as a party, is if we behave the way we are being portrayed.  

Even though the Constitution allows us the right to petition the government for a redress of our grievances, it does not allow us to disregard the law. The fact that others do, or the fact that others may seek to provoke us to respond in violent ways, isn’t an excuse for us to engage in unlawful acts.

Those who are violently protesting and deliberately pitting themselves against the police are the ones who are trying to destroy our constitutional way of life. On the other hand, the Tea Party was specifically formed to protect and defend the principles contained in the Constitution. Without those principles our country is no better and is just as bad off as other countries. The only way we can preserve our liberties is to act in accordance with the laws of the land at all times, regardless of circumstances or the behavior of others.