Civil Rights and the Tea Party

Education has recently been deemed the civil rights issue of our time. I beg to differ.

The end of the middle class, and all it stands for, is the civil rights issue of our time.

With apologies to Ann Coulter who correctly linked the civil rights movement to blacks and America's legacy of slavery, there's no reason middle-class tea party citizens can't get in on the act and commandeer the term. 

After all, we are paying for "Obama phones," government school meals, Medicaid and a segment of the 47 percent free loading off the rest of us. 

In return what do we get for all of our hard work? A place on the Department of Homeland Security's domestic terrorist list and scapegoated by the media.

During the last four years leftists from the President on down have maligned and targeted conservative tea party types. And make no mistake; in the eyes of the radical Left tea party values are synonymous with middle-class values. The progressives and all of their mouthpieces love to hate on regular, liberty-loving, taxpaying middle-class Americans. Have these vitriolic attacks violated our civil rights?

According to the Cornell University's Legal Information Institute all groups have a right to be free from harassment, discrimination and hate speech.

A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Various jurisdictions have enacted statutes to prevent discrimination based on a person's race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual orientation.

Let's look at possible violations against those individuals who happen to think capitalism is far superior to redistribution.

Warming up the crowds for the President in Detroit a year ago, Teamster Union President Jimmy Hoffa, talking about Tea Party activists, told union supporters to "take these sons-of-bitches out."

Kenneth Gladney, a 38-year old conservative activist from St. Louis, was attacked by SEIU thugs outside a forum on healthcare in 2009. Gladney was handing out yellow "Don't tread on me" flags. Gladney, who is black, told a reporter one of the thugs used a racial slur against him. "It just seems there's no freedom of speech without being attacked," he said. 

After the Democrats experienced a shellacking in the 2010 midterm election, the war against the middle class/tea party got worse. 

The Tea Party's "anti-government rhetoric" was blamed for the horrific mass shootings in Tucson in 2011 and in Colorado this past summer. Following both tragedies, a hostile media suggested the grass roots organization was responsible for the violence. 

A former tea party leader now running for a House seat in Colorado couldn't believe ABC's rush to judgment after the movie theater shootings in July.

It truly is not only ridiculous, but it's irresponsible...Why would you even say that without the information? People need to not start making accusations, making speculation, that's just designed to inflame people."

There's been repeated incidents where people have an agenda to demonize a certain segment of the population, whether it be the tea party or similar groups...They try to use everything to demonize and marginalize us, and I think it's totally irresponsible and not the way people should act.

Trent Humphries, president of Tucson's tea party group, received death threats after Jared Loughner's killing spree in January, 2011. Humphries had to enlist the help of the sheriff to patrol around his house because "of stupid comments made in the press."

President Obama mocked the Tea Party the day after tax day rallies were held across the country in April, 2010.

I've been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies about taxes. You would think they would be saying thank you [...]"

If it's not bad enough leftist Democrats have stereotyped a group representing economic liberty for all, some establishment GOP'ers have distanced themselves from middle class tea party Americans as well. 

The liberal Republicans who bought into the "right-wing extremist" and "racist" labels slung by their Democrat friends on the Hill are just as guilty of interfering with middle-class America's civil right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

When infighting broke out over raising the debt ceiling last year House Speaker John Boehner told skeptical conservative  House Republicans, "This is the bill...get your ass in line."  

Nothing like fighting both sides for our right as taxpayers to be represented.

But the real threat to the American Dream of owning our own businesses or working our way toward a better life comes from the current administration.

Despite Team Obama's effort to push the candidate as a "champion of the middle class," his socialist policies show he is just the opposite. In the end Obamacare, more regulations and higher taxes will wipe the middle class off the map.

Rosa Parks defied a sign that said "whites only" and refused to sit in the back of the bus. Well, as staunch defenders of small government, traditional values and the Constitution will we the Tea Party defy a future sign that may read "redistributionists only?"

Read more M. Catharine Evans at Potter Williams Report