I find it funny that an article in today’s Salt Lake Tribune by Thomas Burr that speaks of a protest by the American people in the form of sending a tea bag to government officials makes no mention of any of the internet videos encouraging the idea. Personally I think that it is a wonderful idea that brings us back to our roots. Indeed, there was such a protest some two hundred and more years ago where tea was a large factor and that demonstration accomplished a great deal. The only mention of this event was a reference to a brand of tea with the same name.
I am speaking, of course, of the famous Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, for those of us who need a history refresher, in response to the Tea Act passed in parliament, colonists boarded a ship owned by the British East India Company and destroyed a large shipment of tea. The ship had tried to unload the tea at three other colonies but due to protesters was unable. When it arrived at Boston harbor the Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain. That night patriots (not the football team) boarded the ship and disposed of the tea over the side. After this one thing led to another and here we are today.
Getting back to the article, I think that the author misses the whole point of the protest. People are sending tea bags to their representatives in protest to taxes yes, but it is also much more. It’s not just about taxes; it’s about the lack of accountability in the legislative bodies. There is one video in particular that really puts it in prospective. I have included it here. The article focuses mostly on the unintended effects of the protest. With the threat of anthrax a real possibility, the recipients of the tea protest are understandably wary of unusual substances in their post. Although this atmosphere is unfortunate perhaps it will strengthen the outcome of the protest. It bothers me that the story was only half completed. There was so much more information that needed to be brought to light. There can only be two explanations for this slap-dash type of journalism. Either the author was 1) unaware of any other information that could be relevant and did no research, or 2) the author was restricted as to what he could report by the newspaper so as not to perpetuate the protest. The truth may never be known. As the late great commentator Paul Harvey used to say, “now you know the rest of the story”
The article in the Salt Lake Tribune can be found here.
loved it, I fully agree that our government is slowing "forgetting" that they represent US and that they need to be accountable for all that they do.
ReplyDeleteMore and more we are becoming a police/military government and less and less the land of the Free and home of the Brave.
Now we protest our men going to war to defend our basic freedoms, we have women that want to be men and also want men to become soft babied playthings for women.
100 years ago if you had looked a soldier in the face and said Don't go to war don't defend your country he would have wanted you committed.
With each passing year we are losing the rights our founders worked so hard to give us.