From left to right: Gadsden, Unite or Die, Betsy Ross, and Old Glory flags… 

“When cities or provinces have been accustomed to live under a prince… they do not know how to live in freedom… and a prince can win them over with greater faculty and establish himself securely. But in republics, there is greater life…they do not and cannot cast aside the memory of their ancient liberty, so that the surest way to conquer them is to lay them waste.“
–This, from Machiavelli’s most famous work, The Prince 

What we know as the TEA Party is really a loosely organized movement of thousands of independent organizations, groups, and websites uniting millions of individuals for a common cause. They are united in their dedication to three things: Preservation of the Republic and the concept of liberty, Restoration of the Constitution and the rule of law, and Opposition to the Obama Agenda and the implementation of an intrusive, socialistic nanny state. It is a movement from the bottom up even as we are increasingly governed from the top down. Tyranny arrived at by the ballot box can be as oppressive as any arrived at the point of the bayonet, and if you do not see the TEA party specifically, and the broader Liberty movement behind, it as the spiritual and ideological descendants of the Founding Fathers fighting the modern day Red Coats then you will have a serious problem with the symbols, flags, and rhetoric of the TEA Party movement. For the imagery is directly lifted from the Revolutionary struggle of 1776  and the concepts that the TEA Partiers are fighting for are as relevant today as they were then. King George has been replaced by The One and the British Empire replaced by a socialist-progressive nanny state. The TEA Partiers see themselves as “sons and daughters of revolutionaries” dedicated to “taking their country back.” Any TEA Party event is awash in red, white, and blue and a sea of signs, flags, historical references and often period costumes. I’d like to take a little time to examine the types of flags currently in use by the Teaparticans as well as a brief look as some of the signs and symbols in use as well. 

Old Glory is still featured prominently in any TEA Party event and unlike its appearance at a demonstration by the Left where it is just as likely to be defaced, trampled, disrespected, or even burned, the fifty star flag of the USA is always treated with reverence and respect at any TEA Party gathering. Occasionally, it has been seen flying upside down at such gatherings as a sign of intense distress (especially right after the passing of the health care bill) but that tends to be generally frowned upon by many. The American flag is probably as numerous flag as any at a TEA Party event. 

Perhaps the most famous flag and symbol of the TEA party movement. The “Don’t Tread On Me” motto captures the very essense of the “leave me alone” and Liberty movements. They are everywhere and the Left hates it.
 

First Navy Jack, Don’t Tread On Me flag 

Here is a a new flag that is just emerging in the TEA party movement. Basically a Culpepper Minuteman flag but with the top scroll removed and the colors reversed. Or if you want to call it a pirate version of the Gadsden flag with the Liberty or Death motto added you can. It’s officially called a ‘black tactical flag’ whatever that is supposed to mean. 

From a site selling this flag. “Based on the Betsy Ross flag this represents the coming of the Second American Revolution. The “II” also represents the 2nd amendment which has kept this country free from tyranny.” This flag originated with James Ostrowski and Jeff McQueen from Politicalclassdismissed.com “the war room of the tea party” and seems to be especially popular on the East Coast. 

If you look closely you can see several of them displayed here (I count at least five) at Scott Brown’s victory celebration in Massachusetts. 

The two flags above are original TEA party flags being offered out of Springfield, Illinois and more likely to be encountered East of the Mississippi than out West. 

From their website: 

“We Proclaim”

As the Sons of Liberty showed the King and his unjust government that it was time to take a stand by throwing tea into Boston Harbor, You, in the Tea Party Movement, will show that we are all The Sons and Daughters of Liberty.  That we, like our Patriot ancestors, are fed up with a government which has run amuck and trampled our Constitution.  A government that has forgotten that it works for the citizens of this great country, the citizens do not work for it.  A band of like-minded individuals that will proclaim loud and clear that “for the people, by the people” is not just a phrase, but an edict by which we shall live our daily lives once again!  

What a typical, good sized TEA Party event looks and feels like. This is on the steps of the Denver capital. 

If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.” 

— Winston Churchill

Categories: World Events