Self-appointed congressional heads of the Tea Party movement are fond of declaring it their mission to protect the U.S. Constitution and fight back against the onslaught of Big Government.
Those are words. When push came to shove on February 8, 2011, what did members of the Tea Party Caucus actually do when asked to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, which empowers government agents to violate the Fourth Amendment when they carry out sneak-and-peek searches of Americans’ homes and offices without probable cause, or carry out ongoing surveillance without any warrants or even suspicion of wrongdoing, on the basis of Americans’ protected First Amendment speech and political assembly? When it came time to act, not just to talk, did members of the Tea Party Caucus stand with or against big government?
You can see for yourself. For most members of the Tea Party Caucus, defense of liberty is just a pose.
Then there’s Doug Lamborn (CO-5), who didn’t show up to cast a vote. Is absence in the defense of liberty a virtue or a vice?
Big booboo above: you have all these teapartiers voting FOR. The 8 on the right — Bartlett, Bishop, Broun, ETC voted against, and we should honor them for defending the Constitution, inalienable rights, etc.
PRAISE THE Non-POSERS!!! Don’t let a sloppy typo make it appear that you smear the whole T-party.
Fixed the FOR to AGAINST. Thanks for noting the typo.