Dear Editor:
I have been giving thought to the kind of people belonging to the Tea Party.
There were just over 200 "X-Files" episodes in nine seasons. I virtually saw all. The underlying story was of an FBI agent and his partner who uncover a massive cover-up of human history. All worldwide government agencies are in a conspiracy against the human race to enslave us to an alien race.
Historian Richard Hoftstadter published a 1964 article in Harper's magazine in which he described a "paranoid" style of politics that has existed throughout history. Some of the themes discussed were made a part of "The Da Vinci" code. In all of his examples there is a theme of large groups of people believing that a conspiracy underlies the very fabric of their lives. For example, after 9/11 much of the Muslim world believed Jews were alerted before the attack and left the twin towers. Were Jews at the center of a vast conspiracy to blame Muslims for 9/11?
No one tells the Tea Party version better than Glenn Beck. On June 19 at a Tea Party Patriot rally called "Audit the IRS" held in Washington, D.C. Beck laid out the story for the faithful. He vaguely called out the "circus masters" who seek to enslave Americans. Unlike Joe McCarthy, Beck does not name names. Instead he likes to list alphabet soup such as EPA, ATF, FBI and NSA. He uses the pronoun "they" a lot. Such as, "they" store "all data" on "every American" but allow "anyone to cross our borders."
Beck's story does not begin with the Obama administration. He clearly states that the betrayal of citizens began at the founding. This massive conspiracy against a "chosen people" has to be resisted at all costs. The government is never portrayed as anything but evil. There can be no compromise possible with evil. There are no shades of gray. If any Republican falters they will be attacked in the next primary. Does not this movement have a stranglehold on the Republican party?
While the Tea Party has political consequences for our country, they are not really a political constituency. They believe they are the "true" America and they are personally under attack. They are fervent in this belief. Liberals and moderates must realize this force in the Republican Party does not respond to reason. They love martyrdom!