There's this famous scene from the 1953 movie, "The Wild One," in which Marlon Brando's motorcycle gang leader character is asked what he's rebelling against.
"Whaddya got?" was his reply.
We get the same feeling of rebellion without knowing particularly against what when it comes to the local and national TEA Party movement.
A total of almost 400 people gathered on July 4 at three area TEA (Taxed Enough Already) venues, joining thousands more around the country.
As best we can tell, the only common theme is that these folks want lower taxes. That's fine, but there was little if any comment about what tax-supported services they would give up.
Do they want less spent on the military? Social Security? Highway maintenance? All of the above? We just don't know. Everyone seemed to bring his or her own agenda.
Not surprisingly, at an event held at Losie's Gun Shop on Oneonta's Southside, shop owner Jim Losie spoke about perceived threats to the Second Amendment, which concerns citizens' rights to bear arms.
Also discussed was the First Amendment, which includes "the right of the people peaceably to assemble," something the participants illustrated with their attendance.
Mentioned too was the Tenth Amendment, which states that powers not specifically given to the federal government or prohibited to the states are reserved to the states.
While there is a distinct libertarian bent to the proceedings, and a temptation to chalk up this movement to being a vestige of Ross Perot's anti-establishment presidential campaigns of 1992 and 1996, that would be a mistake.
It would also be a mistake to assume that the movement is part of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Democrats, Republicans and independents were among those attending the local events, organizers said.
In Austin, Texas, John Cornyn, one of the country's most conservative senators, was booed in his home state when he began to speak. Some in the crowd called him a traitor and shouted that he was "the problem."
In another TEA Party event in Lufkin, Texas, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi _ all Democrats _ were booed in absentia when their names were read to the crowd.
We believe it is extremely healthy for American citizens to gather and exchange their views on what is going on in this republic.
But the organizers and participants must do more than howl at the moon and say their taxes are too high.
It's not enough to complain. If they are going to be taken seriously, they must offer solutions.
Whaddya got?
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