former Congressman (R-GA) 12-5-11 by Bob Barr
It should come as no surprise that some people are biased against the tea party movement. We have seen it in the media, which often portrays tea partiers as anti-government naysayers and rabble-rousers with nothing better to do than complain. At the same time, the so-called “Occupy Wall Street” whiners have largely been given a pass.
Media bias is one thing. Government officials using the power of their official positions to punish tea party organizations, however, is quite another matter, one that ought to concern all Americans who respect the rule of law.
Consider the case of Richmond, Virginia’s tea party group.
In recent months, the Richmond Tea Party has paid thousands of dollars in fees to the municipal government in order to hold rallies, even as it noted that so-called “Occupy” protesters were receiving quite different and preferential treatment from those same government offices. The Richmond Tea Party decided to draw attention to this disparate treatment, and for this, it has been targeted by city tax officials threatening an official audit of the organization’s books and records.
The dispute began when members of the Richmond Tea Party pointed out that “Occupy Richmond” protesters were illegally camping in the city’s Kanawha Plaza. Yet, when the Richmond Tea Party sought to use the park, it was charged some $8,500 in fees, permits and security costs. Not only did the city fail to demand any similar fees from the Occupiers, but Mayor Dwight Jones expressed sympathy with them, going so far as to liken their cause to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/05/richmonds-intimidation-of-tea-party-deserves-forceful-opposition/#ixzz1fnwJDNYG
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