Tweet [1]
Here’s a letter to the New York Times:
Lloyd Binen alleges that the Tea Party movement is “racially tinged” and “hypocritical” (Letters [2], April 16).
Yesterday I attended for the first time in my life a political rally – the Tea Party rally on the D.C. mall. By far, the most common banner waved by members of the crowd was the flag that warns “Don’t Tread on Me.” And this sentiment was reflected in the speeches delivered by the likes of Michele Bachmann, Andrew Breitbart, and Ron Paul – the latter of whom spoke out forcefully against American military involvement in foreign countries, including Iraq.
Is it racist to resist the heavy taxation and inflation that today’s fiscal deficits portend? Is it hypocritical to demand an across-the-board cut in the size and scope of government? Is it really so backward and detestable to value individual responsibility and freedom above even the tenderest mercies of the nanny state?
These were the issues discussed at the rally. I heard not a single racist or sexist or homophobic word uttered, and saw no banners that endorsed any such nastiness. The talk was exclusively about freedom and the threat posed to it by an overbearing and arrogant government.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux