I came across a Tea Party disclaimer today

[Cresent City Kid]

I do business cards for a print shop, and I see several hundred per week. I had one today that wasn't really a business card, it just advertised my local Tea Party get together in September. On the back was the list of what they called their "core beliefs". At the bottom was the disclaimer. Here's the whole thing for your perusal.

The U.S. Government should:
1. Follow the Constitution. The intent of the framers is clearly understandable.
2. Practice fiscal responsibility by living within its means.
3. Secure the borders and provide for the defense of the nation, always maintaining its sovereignty.
4. Follow the free market priciples upon which this nation was founded and oppose government intervention into the operations of private business.

We believe that Americans are granted these privleges regardless of race, color or creed.

(my emphasis)

Maybe this was included because of the large hispanic population here in this rural county just south of San Antonio, or perhaps Tea Parties in general are defensive about the criticism of racists in their ranks. The only thing I know for sure is that I haven't seen anything like this from them before. Does this satisfy the request of the NAACP, and was it in direct response to it? Beyond that, is it enough?

I'm thinking about going, but I don't know yet.

[DebJ]

1. I prefer Jefferson's concerns about 'free market principles' and

monopolies are not free markets. Look at who owns what, and we do not have a free market.

[Cresent City Kid]

2. They don't connect the dots

"Free market" means businesses "free" to loot, pillage, and leave scorched earth behind.

[Anakin Skywalker]

3. Item # 2 is the Most Funny!

"2. Practice fiscal responsibility by living within its means."

What? What? So, govt should practice that? But what about the individual teabaggers? They obviously did not practice that and that's what lead America into this recession, no, DEPRESSION! in the first place.

These teabagging scumbags contributed to the free market by living way beyond their means!

Rightwing ironies and hypocrisies are so laughable.

[Cresent City Kid]

4. It ties in with the "provide for the defense" line

Or contradicts it, they have me confused. It's one thing to blow billions on a fanciful laser device to shoot down Russian missles that may or may not come, but the Iraq war alone was counter to two of their "beliefs". It didn't defend us, and the cost was way beyond our means. Afghanistan's no picnic either, but adding Iraq to that war was just an orgy of military spending, benefiting the ones who started the war.

[Vickers]

5. I want any Teabagger affilliation to be like the chinese drywall of the Repuke party. n/t

[Cresent City Kid]

6. Any thoughts on the racial dislaimer?

It seems to be what the NAACP was asking for.

[pinboy3niner]

13. I'm pretty sure the NAACP did not ask for a disclaimer...

...printed on the back of a meeting advertisement.

We won't know the exact language of the NAACP Resolution until after it goes to their Board this Fall, but NAACP President Ben Jealous seemed to be calling for the teabaggers to renounce and reject expressions of bigotry from elements within the group whenever they arise. It may be 'nice' that one local group suddenly is putting a disclaimer on an ad, but that hardly responds to what the NAACP is calling for.

[pokerfan]

7. I'm impressed that they spelled 'its' correctly

[mwb970]

8. It sounds good, but it reads like dog-whistle code.

"Follow the Constitution" can mean "allow guns everywhere" or "disband the federal government", depending on how far-out your interpretation of that document is. "Practice fiscal responsibility" sounds like "remove the safety net". "Secure the borders" could mean "form vigilante groups and kill immigrants". "Follow free market principles" could become "impeach the Communist dictator Obama".

I don't trust these people.

[Cresent City Kid]

15. I don't either

The list sounds simple but is open to wide interpretation as you have made clear. I always wonder what they think about income tax being one of the amendments. As constitutional purists, they sure are selective about the parts they want to govern from. I didn't hear a peep when the Constitution and the budget were under assault under Bush.

[DailyGrind51]

9. The Constitution did not specify our economic system!

[SpiralHawk]

10. Item #4 - Be nice to BP & other RepubliCorporate Criminals

Let them do whatever they damn please.

Sooooo republicon. So anti-common sense, common good.

[mmonk]

11. Reagan hadn't been born yet so their "free markets" constitution

doesn't exist. It was about separation of powers, duties, and rights.

[JHB]

12. "oppose government intervention into the operations of private business"

So they're against:

-- Government-imposed standards of weights and measures (even though it conflicts wit #1)
-- Government-imposed adjudication of disputes (courts) (also conflicts with #1)
-- Government-granted privileges for businesses organized as corporations (limited liability, etc.)

Guess they're not so clear on what their "core" values are as they think.

"Intervention" in the economy is part of what governments do. It's not a question of whether, it's a question of how.

[JoePhilly]

14. They don't mean it, you have to read between the lines.

What they mean is that individuals should be free to discriminate against other individuals. And if such discrimination is truly a bad thing, it is the free market that will determine so, not the government.

That's what's hiding in #4 ... "oppose government intervention into the operations of private business".

Here is how it works ...

A business owned by a black person should be able to decide to not serve whites, and the government should not be able to "intervene". And if not serving whites is a bad business decision, then the free market will handle it, and that "private business" will fail. Likewise, a white owned business should be allowed to not serve blacks, and again, if that's a bad business decision, the free market will sort it out. But again NO GOVERNMENT intervention.

Rand Paul said as much ... before the GOP muzzled him.

[Brewman_Jax]

16. Disclamer is not refudiation

and the above list is just the quieter, gentler, and grammatically-correct spew with a whitewash clause (pun intended) at the end.