Tea Party Anarchists

Recently I watched a movie, “Sacco & Vanzetti,” about two Italian anarchists accused of murder in 1920 and put to death in 1927 after a trial in Massachusetts that was more about anti-immigrant prejudice than justice.  Why, I thought, does the political philosophy of these guys sound familiar?

As anarchists they believed the state was undesirable, unnecessary and harmful.  They opposed authority and hierarchical organizations that trampled on the rights of individuals.  While anarchism was considered a radical left-wing ideology, it endorsed self-reliance and the free market.

I didn’t have to look far to find the anarchists of today.  The 2012 version is our friends in the Tea Party.  I doubt they’d accept the label ‘Anarchist.’  But take a look:

            Anti-government

            Anti-authority

            Anti-taxes

            Anti-immigrant

            Grassroots oriented

            No centralized leadership

            Power to the individual, not the collective

            God loves the free market

And lest I forget – Happy Bastille Day!