IT SEEMS the organizers of Saturday’s “tea party” on the Mercer County Courthouse lawn need to get a little more organized.
The Patriotic Tea Party, as it’s dubbed, is sponsored by the Mercer County Christian Coalition and set for 10 a.m. That much we know for sure. What it’s about, well, it depends on whom you ask.
When we heard about the “party” we contacted the president of the Christian Coalition, Vivian Moon of Mercer, to find out what it was about.
Mrs. Moon described the event to us and in a brief Friday we reported she told us it was about “social issues and the breakdown of the family” and would feature patriotic music and hymns.
You don’t have to be a political scientist to recognize the code words of the religious right and come to the conclusion that the tea party would provide a platform for anti-abortion, anti-gay and anti-Obama sentiment.
Turns out that’s not really what it’s about. Another person involved in organizing the event contacted us soon after the brief was published. According to Eiline Urmson, the party is a protest of reckless government spending, the ballooning national debt and government takeovers of private businesses.
We’ll take Mrs. Urmson’s word for it that Saturday’s party is more about irresponsible spending and taxes than it is about gays and guns, but it’s pretty clear the organizers stand on the right of the political spectrum.
And it’s also pretty clear — as evidenced by the mixed messages coming from the organizers — that the turmoil brewing for those on the right nationally is playing out here in Mercer County.
On one side are the family values voters to whom the key issues in any campaign are a candidate’s stance on abortion and gay marriage. On the other side are those who are less concerned about with whom you’re sleeping than they are about lower taxes and smaller government.
We expect people from both sides will be in Mercer Saturday and so will we.
Whatever the event is specifically about is of less interest to us than the fact that on Independence Day, some people will be exercising their rights — to freely assemble, speak their minds and question authority.
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