Autopilot

It's obvious our republic doesn't run on autopilot.  At least when it does, we can expect it to degrade and eventually go into a tailspin.

From what de Toqueville wrote to looking around today, we've gone from a country of people who were taught and knew the Constitution and the principles behind  (and discussed and debated it) it to some vague fluffy idea of "Democracy" and "Hope".

I suppose part of it was economic prosperity and laziness on our part, and kicking the responsibility of the education of our children to others ... higher and higher up the government food chain.

From a very simplistic point of view, I suppose one should not be surprised to find that when you hand the responsibility of teaching your children about the Constitution to the very government it was written to constrain, one should not be surprised that the subject would be de-emphasized. 

I went to our bi-weekly local Tea Party meeting last night.   Again I was impressed by the tenor of the people and the quality of the discussion.  We only have one or two fringey folks, who I know mean well.  

I think the group has grown in 4 months from 10 or 12 to maybe 50 (about 35 make it to a meeting any given week) but it has also inspired other groups to pop up.

Last night there was a lady there who introduced herself, and her British accent popped right out.  She was a reporter for the UK Daily Mail ... in America to do a story on the Tea Party movement.  How she settled on coming to our litte group's meeting I didn't get a chance to ask.  I think she's going across the nation to a few of these, and she is to end up in Alaska where she will get to interview Sarah Palin.

She said they see signs of a Tea Party movement starting in Britain, and the paper wants to get a jump on what it's about in America.   She actually said movements that start in America often show up in Britain with about a 2 year lag.  Which would be ... next February.  I've already read reports of such stirrings over there.

I'll have to search for links.  But most of you know how to use Google.