Anything but Tea

Sometimes you just have to wonder what goes through somebody's mind when they start off down a chosen path. A left-wing response to the Tea Party movement crawled into action over the past weekend. In spite of the media's attempted build-up for the event, you probably missed it if you weren't looking for it. Documentary film maker Annabel Park launched the new movement a few weeks ago on Facebook with a call to start a "coffee party, a Red Bull party, anything but tea,". Thus the "Coffee Party" was born. Now you have to admit, that's real catchy. See, coffee is a drink kind of like tea, and, well, you see, ummm, well...it's a drink kind of like tea. Get it? Me either.

For the irreparably history challenged, the Boston Tea Party was an actual event from America's revolutionary era. In 1773 a number of protesters dumped tea into Boston harbor to illustrate their displeasure over an overreaching government's tea tax. The modern day Tea Party movement did not choose the association arbitrarily. The Tea Party movement is associating themselves with that spirit of protest and demand for government accountability. The fledgling Coffee Party chose it's name simply on the basis that it is -Not Tea-.  Personally I think it would have been a lot more interesting if they had just called themselves the "Not-Tea" Party. It would probably reflect better on their principles, and it would certainly serve to highlight their desire to distance themselves from the foundational principles connecting the original Tea Party with those of the present day Tea Party movement. In fairness, the choice of the drink name for Annabel's Party was apparently pretty arbitrary, so my personal recommendation to conservatives is to just refer to them as the "Not-Tea Party".

Annabel is apparently concerned that the Not Tea Party will be viewed simply as an anti-Tea Party movement. You see, it isn't that they are actually opposed to the Tea Party, they are just opposed to anybody in Washington listening to the Tea Party. The Not Tea Party is fine with you brewing your tea, they just don't want anyone to actually drink it. This only seems ironic because of the fact that the entire impetus behind the Tea Party movement was to give voice to a very large under-represented, even dismissed, group of Americans. With all the "Coffee" peddlers that have been in place since before the beginning of the Tea Party movement, it's not clear how the Not Tea Party plans to set themselves apart.

The Not Tea Party movement attempts to build a case around not liking the way Washington gets things done. They aren't terribly concerned about -what- Washington is doing. It is -how- Washington is doing things that has spurred Annabel and her cohorts to action. I can't say I'm all that concerned over the details of the process that is used to diminish our liberty, I just would like to see it stop. As a friend of mine pointed out, we may need a Beer Party to help us sort through the whole mess. I'll drink to that.