Tea Party History

First let's look a this reprint from last year...worth noting I think.

The coffee insurgency:

"Dec 16th 2013, 16:20 by P.J.W. and D.H.

The global rivalry of bean versus leaf

"EXACTLY 240 years ago today, (241 in 2014) uppity colonists barely disguised as Mohawk Indians defied the crown and ruined the private property of English merchants by dumping 342 chests of perfectly good tea into Boston harbour."

(See my post about the Edenton NC Tea Party held in October 1774, led by women...here.) 

"This illegal act, known as the Boston Tea Party, was part of a small rebellion that eventually led to independence and to today's Tea Party movement. Americans now quaff three times more coffee than tea, according to Euromonitor, a research firm. 

"Throughout most of the West, the bean bests the leaf. Yet the British consume three times as much tea as coffee, despite an invasion by the American Starbucks. And tea fuels the fast growth of BRICS countries (save for coffee-producing Brazil) and dominates Asia."

HA! 

So do you know what the BRICS countries are?  I didn't.  Wikipedia told me.

BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.^[2] The grouping was originally known as "BRIC" before the inclusion of South Africa in 2011.

^{Now abuot the current TEA PARTY movement of the Republican Party...}

^{The Tea Party movement is composed of a loose affiliation of national and local groups that determine their own platforms and agendas without central leadership. The Tea Party movement has been cited as an example of grassroots political activity, although it has also been described as an example of corporate-funded astroturfing. Other observers see the organization as having its grassroots element "amplified by the right-wing media", supported by elite funding.}

 It is...

... known for its conservative positions and its role in the Republican Party ("GOP"). It demands a reduction in the U.S. national debt and federal budget deficit by reducing government spending and taxes. The movement has been described a mix of libertarian, populist, and conservative activists. It has sponsored multiple protests and supported various political candidates since 2009. It was successful in 2010, when the Republicans made major gains. It failed to defeat President Barack Obama's reelection in 2012. In 2013 it had escalating conflicts with the big business wing of the GOP, which began organizing to fight back.

"The movement's beginnings were kick-started by Republican Congressman Dr. Ron Paul in 2007. He continues to be a prominent force in the Tea Party movement, such as endorsing Tea party candidates, and also giving talks and speeches alongside prominent Tea party activist, and 2008 Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin

 "National Tea Party organizations, such as the Tea Party Patriots and FreedomWorks, have expressed concern that engaging in social issues would be divisive. Instead, they have sought to have activists focus their efforts away from social issues and focus on economic and limited government issues. Still, many groups like Glenn Beck's 9/12 Tea Parties, TeaParty.org, the Iowa Tea Party and Delaware Patriot Organizations do act on social issues such as abortion, gun control, prayer in schools, and illegal immigration^.

And if you didn't follow the elections of 2014, or didn't vote...you may have missed the chance for our government to be able to accomplish anything in the next 2 years...with a Democrat for President and the total Congress in the hands of Republicans.