Original Indiana Tea Party Created to Stand for ALL of Indiana's People

When I first started the Indiana Tea Party, it was intended to be a positive influence on politics. It was started for all the right reasons -  basically, to deal with the negative effects of government incompetence regarding Indiana's property tax crisis which threatened home ownership of some of Indy's most vulnerable, and not-so-vulnerable citizens.

Then, the crazies took over.

All of a sudden, the Tea Party went from a non-partisan movement that dealt with economic issues to one that was taken over by religious zealots who use ultra-conservative social issues to divide and conquer those whose beliefs are different than theirs.

There are so many ultra-right wing legislators in our state (and around the country) that want to use the Tea Party name to justify their hatred of gays, their thinly veiled bigotry, and their desire for a strict Christians-only nation. These individuals really don't care about the economic issues that were the foundation of the Indiana Tea Party; for them, it's all about their religion and their set of moral beliefs.

I stand against this thinking.

The Indiana Tea Party is nothing like it once was. Instead, they continue their biased and often hateful rhetoric, as Tea Party enthusiast Monica Boyer did with these comments:

"Church: it is time to dump political correctness, put on the full armor of God and jump into the cultural battle. It's time to stop caring about what others think of us and start caring about what God thinks. His, and His alone, is the only opinion that counts."

Friends, the Indiana Tea Party has become exactly what I never wanted it to be. It has become an organization of socially obsessed irrationality - and, according to some of them, their way is the only way.

If you are a Tea Party supporter, I encourage you to take a look at what's really going on. Our movement is no longer about liberty; it's about feeding the egos of a few self-absorbed ultra-right wing radicals who say that they want freedom, but ultimately want to control your life and your beliefs.

Come election time and in your everyday community activities, do the right thing and send these Tea Party "leaders" a message: "This is not your state. This is not your church. This is not your Tea Party. This is Indiana and the Indiana Tea Party - and it needs to represent all Hoosiers who believe in lower taxation, fairer representation, along with personal and economic freedom."

In Love of Liberty for all of Indiana's People,
Melyssa Hubbard

Founder and organizer of IndianaTeaParty.com 
Author of Spanking City Hall