civil tea party?
Today was what I consider a scary news day. Already bummed out by the situation in Arizona, I find out the state of Oklahoma passed legislation (HB 2656) that allows doctors to lie to parents about the health of their unborn children. Cnn.com reports that, “Under this new law, a doctor may withhold information, mislead or even blatantly lie to a pregnant woman and her partner about the health of their baby if the doctor so much as thinks that fetal test results would cause a woman to consider abortion.” Wrong and disturbing in so very many ways.
Now, I find out that some folks are wanting to call the Tea Party the “next Civil Rights movement.” I’m flabbergasted by this claim on so many levels. But, being the open minded individual I am, I decided to do some research on this claim. I’m always willing to be educated. Here’s a little of what I’ve found.
Both are indeed grass roots movements. The civil rights movement grew out of individual action and organizational beliefs that groups of people should not be oppressed due to race. The Tea Party movement started as a protest against the federal government’s TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Plan). Neither were organized by a political party, or a news corporation; they came from the people.
As far as I can tell, the comparisons between the modern Tea Party movement and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s ends there. Now granted, I’m no expert in socio-political movements, but I’d like to think I’ve got a bit of common sense.
A major difference is the goal of each organization. The Civil Rights movement had a clear goal – equality under the law. Participants were looking to ensure equal opportunity and access for all, pretty simple. The Tea Party’s goal isn’t quite so clear. Depending on who you ask, or how it’s spun, their goals range from reigning in government spending to protecting the rights of the individual. They seem united in their goal of getting President Obama out of the White House, but reasons vary from theirs fears of socialism, to their defense of the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms and arm militias). Tea Party Patriots (http://teapartypatriots.ning.com/) the “official home page” of the movement states the goal is “to protect our country and the Constitution upon which we were founded!” although it doesn’t specify from who or what.
There are other clear differences. Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, the Civil Rights movement described a future of unification and hope. They gave voice to populations that had been denied a voice in America’s political process. The Tea Party “Patriots” have a voice in the political process; they just lost the last presidential and congressional elections. Now there is nothing to say they won’t be able to utilize the electoral and legislative processes to advance their beliefs in the future; that’s the beauty and the risk of a democratic republic.
Although there were definitely factions within the Civil Rights movement, a basic premise was peaceful protest and civil disobedience. Yes, groups like the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam under Louis Farrakhan advocated violence, but they separated themselves from the main movement. In fact, it was often people opposed to the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 who used fear as a propaganda tool. Nothing got a white father’s dander up like being told that the blacks would rape his daughters if they attended the same school. The Tea Party itself may not advocate violence against individuals or governments, but it’s allowed itself to be co-opted by people advocating hate speech and the threat of violence and more importantly, it used lies and half-truths to inflame people’s fears.
I could rant for hours, I’ve realized, about this topic, but it just makes me too crazy. The Civil Rights movement changed the country – for the better. The Tea Party?? Time will tell.
Sign at a Tea Party protest rally. In truth, 95% of American received tax breaks under "Obama's" stimulus plan approved by both houses of Congress.
Sources referenced above, and some others....
http://www.examiner.com/x-7715-Portland-Civil-Rights-Examiner~y2010m4d13-The-tea-party-civil-rights-and-racism
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-e-dowlin/the-tea-party-movement-vs_b_551100.html
http://teapartypatriots.ning.com
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126109933
http://theconservativereader.com/2010/04/22/the-tea-party-movement-the-new-civil-rights/
Now, I find out that some folks are wanting to call the Tea Party the “next Civil Rights movement.” I’m flabbergasted by this claim on so many levels. But, being the open minded individual I am, I decided to do some research on this claim. I’m always willing to be educated. Here’s a little of what I’ve found.
Both are indeed grass roots movements. The civil rights movement grew out of individual action and organizational beliefs that groups of people should not be oppressed due to race. The Tea Party movement started as a protest against the federal government’s TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Plan). Neither were organized by a political party, or a news corporation; they came from the people.
As far as I can tell, the comparisons between the modern Tea Party movement and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s ends there. Now granted, I’m no expert in socio-political movements, but I’d like to think I’ve got a bit of common sense.
A major difference is the goal of each organization. The Civil Rights movement had a clear goal – equality under the law. Participants were looking to ensure equal opportunity and access for all, pretty simple. The Tea Party’s goal isn’t quite so clear. Depending on who you ask, or how it’s spun, their goals range from reigning in government spending to protecting the rights of the individual. They seem united in their goal of getting President Obama out of the White House, but reasons vary from theirs fears of socialism, to their defense of the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms and arm militias). Tea Party Patriots (http://teapartypatriots.ning.com/) the “official home page” of the movement states the goal is “to protect our country and the Constitution upon which we were founded!” although it doesn’t specify from who or what.
There are other clear differences. Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, the Civil Rights movement described a future of unification and hope. They gave voice to populations that had been denied a voice in America’s political process. The Tea Party “Patriots” have a voice in the political process; they just lost the last presidential and congressional elections. Now there is nothing to say they won’t be able to utilize the electoral and legislative processes to advance their beliefs in the future; that’s the beauty and the risk of a democratic republic.
Although there were definitely factions within the Civil Rights movement, a basic premise was peaceful protest and civil disobedience. Yes, groups like the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam under Louis Farrakhan advocated violence, but they separated themselves from the main movement. In fact, it was often people opposed to the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 who used fear as a propaganda tool. Nothing got a white father’s dander up like being told that the blacks would rape his daughters if they attended the same school. The Tea Party itself may not advocate violence against individuals or governments, but it’s allowed itself to be co-opted by people advocating hate speech and the threat of violence and more importantly, it used lies and half-truths to inflame people’s fears.
I could rant for hours, I’ve realized, about this topic, but it just makes me too crazy. The Civil Rights movement changed the country – for the better. The Tea Party?? Time will tell.
Sign at a Tea Party protest rally. In truth, 95% of American received tax breaks under "Obama's" stimulus plan approved by both houses of Congress.Sources referenced above, and some others....
http://www.examiner.com/x-7715-Portland-Civil-Rights-Examiner~y2010m4d13-The-tea-party-civil-rights-and-racism
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-e-dowlin/the-tea-party-movement-vs_b_551100.html
http://teapartypatriots.ning.com
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126109933
http://theconservativereader.com/2010/04/22/the-tea-party-movement-the-new-civil-rights/
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