Much disappointment arose from the hijacking of April 15 Tea Parties, by those very forces which betrayed us into our current crisis. The Newt Gingriches and (both) George Bushes of this country have, time and again, promised good yet perpetrated harm. We must prevent this from occurring again.

Perhaps the best way to ensure we’re not overwhelmed by Republican party elites and Washington insiders, is to include those least likely to make alliance with them. Those progressives who share our upset with corporate bailouts, the Federal Reserve’s power, our national debt, and the disturbing behavior of domestic intelligence agencies, will never follow the Newt Gingriches of this country.

The original Tea Party in 1773 was not only about taxation. It was about the colonial trade system, which enriched the British Isles at the expense of the colonies. It was about the British government acting in the interests of a powerful cartel. It was about oppressive actions on the part of national security agencies, against their own citizens.

The trade system once known as mercantilism is today known as corporatism. The Altantic trade cartel (East India Tea Company et. al.) has its analog today in the banking cartel. The Redcoats of yesterday have become the NSA and DHS of today.

For these reasons, our focus today should be wider than taxation, and encompass the domestic issues addressed in Ron Paul’s Four Points. The Four Points also provide a strong and credible basis for cooperation.

There’s no shortage of reliable allies, when you share common goals and mutual goodwill. Nor when you have a common enemy — corruption has reached the point where all ideologies are largely irrelevant, in the face of money, power and influence.

For all of these reasons, I strongly endorse inclusion of persons of all political persuasions, and organization around relevant common goals, for future “Tea Parties”. We pursue our best interests, when we not only tolerate progressives and independents, but actively seek their greater inclusion.

for Liberty,

Chris Edes
Chairman
Libertarian Party of New York