John Adams, Barack Obama & American Liberty—The Tea Party Knows Nothing Of Liberty

Many on the right on are criticizing Barack Obama’s support of the mosque near the former World Trade Center location in New York City.

Some of this criticism has come from backers of the so-called Tea Party.

(Above–Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre based on a drawing by Henry Pelham.)

Yet as these angry Tea Party folks attempt to claim they are the heirs to our Founding Fathers by calling themselves “Tea Party”, they forget one of the bravest acts of the Revolutionary era.

John Adams represented the British soldiers accused of the Boston Massacre. He did so in the defense of liberty and in the face of great public anger.

Here’s a great web page about the Boston Massacre trial.

(In saying this, please make note that the people building the N.Y.C. mosque are guilty of nothing. And in fact, despite the public outrage over the Massacre, only two of the nine originally charged  were convicted. Public opinion does not always get it right.)

Our modern Tea Party would not know the kind of honor and courage John Adams showed back in 1770.

The Tea Party is a movement that knows nothing but anger at a world not of their own design. They pick on immigrants and the poor. They are the type of bullies who would kick you when you’re down.

Our Constitution protects religious freedom.

The Tea Party asserts they know something about the Constitution.

But the truth is, like a political movement that flourished  briefly in the 19th century, the Tea Party folks are Know Nothings.

Republican Texas State Rep. Joe Driver Takes Public Money He Has No Right To Receive

Republican Texas State Representative  Joe Driver of Garland has been billing the State of Texas for travel that has also been paid for by his campaign.

From the Houston Chronicle—

“Over the years Driver has double-billed for numerous Southwest Airlines tickets to Austin from his Dallas-area district “to attend to legislative duties,” records show. But his biggest reimbursements came during legislative conferences held out of state. In August 2006, Driver’s campaign paid $1,122.06 for him to stay at the Hotel Palomar in San Francisco to attend the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council. Reports show the campaign also paid $450 in registration fees and a United Airlines flight for $849.19.All of the receipts for those expenses were then submitted to the state for reimbursements. The state wouldn’t pay $10.80 for the movie Driver watched, but it picked up the balance for the Hotel Palomar, paid him for the registration fee and another $800 for the United Airline tickets — the maximum amount the state would pay for the flights. On that trip, at least $2,361.26 was double-billed, records show.”

(Above–San Francisco.)

Mr. Driver represents the 113th House District of Texas.

No person of any political party can defend this type conduct.

Mr. Driver, who won reelection in 2008 with 59% of the vote, has a strong challenger in 2010. Her name is Jamie Dorris.

Here is the campaign web home for Ms. Dorris.

Mr. Driver says he is a conservative. Yet he takes government money he has no right to receive.

This fact makes Mr. Driver neither a conservative or a liberal. It simply makes him a wrongdoer.