LA Times Article Gets It So Wrong: It's Not Youthful Rebellion, It's Maturity

Gregory Rodriguez, in this article for the L A Times, makes a rather feeble attempt to psychoanalyze America's growing discontent with the Obama administration. He claims we're too much like teenagers rebelling against parental authority to be governable, and he cites the Tea Party movement as the latest hissy fit of freedom.

... the American passion for absolute liberty isn't too far removed from heedless adolescent rebellion. The "tea party" faithful might as well be Marlon Brando in his black leather jacket in "The Wild One." "What are you rebelling against," a girl asks the smoldering Brando. "What've you got?" he replies.

Mr. Rodriguez, you couldn't be more wrong. I'll liken your description of the Tea Party to one of the blind men's description of the elephant: you're only holding one part of it and you don't realize it.

While this blog doesn't purport to speak for the national Tea Party Movement, it nevertheless thinks it has a better handle on it than you do.

Granted, rebellion is a part of the maturation process that we all go through. Well, almost all of us. When we reach maturity, we frequently find that our rebellion against our parents was unwarranted and unwise. This is evidenced by eventually turning to our parents for advice, once we're through rebelling, that is.

Our current national rebellion is against what is rightly and correctly seen as a form of tyranny. See, we were taught that our government was designed differently from other governments. Instead of a king or monarch who holds power, it's the people. So, when we see the politicians doing things that we don't want them to do, or even worse, doing things we specifically tell them not to do, we get a little, well, rebellious.

Take energy production, for instance. Poll after poll shows overwhelming public support for the development of our own oil and natural gas reserves. We understand that we're sending far too much of our money abroad to countries that don't like us for oil that we could be drilling for here in the States. But, does our government support that idea? Interior Secretary Ken Salazar certainly doesn't.

That's just one example of Washington openly defying the will of the country. There are others, such as closing Gitmo, trying KSM in a civilian court, giving the UndiBomber Miranda rights, killing the next generation of space rockets and the moon mission along with it. Given all that this administration is doing to subvert and defy the populace, we're being quite civil in our protests. You'll note, Mr. Rodriguez, the absence of broken windows, fires and overturned cars at Tea Paries.

 Perhaps not.

It's not a matter of left or right. In my mind the only difference between 1960s leftist radicals and new millennium right-wing refuseniks is the length of their hair. They both have showed a desperate need to work through their issues with old King George.

Sorry, Greg, it's not King George we take issue with, it's Prince Barack, The Clueless. He somehow thinks that because we were suffering from Bush Fatigue (brought on almost entirely by the MSM), his election gave him carte blanche to turn our country into Europe. He has broken so many of his campaign promises that we can no longer keep count. He focused on his Health Care bill while the country needed an economic boost. He wants our electricity bills to "skyrocket" through his Cap-and-Trade bill. He thinks his smooth talk will cause our enemies to disarm and be nice to us.
We could rebel just to rebel, like Brando. If we were immature kids, that is. No, this rebellion is for the right reasons: liberty, freedom, self-determination, and a return to common-sense government.

The things that grown-ups value.