And now --- as Monty Python might say --- for something completely different in a summer camp for the kiddies

Tired of blowing your bucks on the same old summer camps for your kids? Want something different? Look no farther. A Tea Party group in Florida, called The Tampa 912 Project
may have just what you've been looking for. Here's the group's credo:

Do you believe in at least 7 of The Nine Principles below?

1. America is good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

12 Values: Honesty, Reverence, Hope, Thrift, Humility, Charity, Sincerity, Moderation, Hard Work, Courage, Personal Responsibility, and Gratitude.


You Are Not Alone (For more info on our organization goto Tampa912.org)

Have you ever felt like you're the only one in your community that see's what's happening to America? Well, you're not. Many Americans understand that Washington is broken. Many times it seems that the political solution is the problem. No more. Our founders knew the solution is We The People.

If you share 7 of these 9 values, then, they say, this camp is right for your kids.
http://www.meetup.com/tampa912/

Well, let me see.

1. I'm having some doubts about just how good America really is. I mean, we are obscenely in debt. The two predominate varieties of political leadership seem to be the greedy and randy. Some are a mix of both qualities. The quintessential American stereotype is a fat whiner. Hmm... I guess I only get half credit on this one.

2. My own view --- shared by no less a lawyer than Clarence Darrow ---
is that agnosticism is the only rational position. I mean, in a universe that may or may not be infinite, how can either a scientist or a religious fanatic really know the answer? So... I guess no point for me here.

3. I like this one. Truth-telling is something we not-so-good AMericans and our not-good-at-all leaders (refer to item i, above) should rediscover. Score one for Jimmy here.

4. Yes, as a married man who just marked his 41st wedding anniversary, I believe the family is sacred. But (uh, oh)... my wife and I are definitely not the ultimate authorities. We are part of a community and a polis, as Aristotle would have said. We are not living in a little house on the prairie. This Libertarian bunk about independence is just selfishness in sheep's clothing. Do I get a half here?

5. Wow, yes, I buy into this one 200%. I even like the death penalty (sorry). I'm up to three.

6. Bingo on this one. However, I have to 'fess up that I think affirmative action makes a lot of sense in a lot of cases. We don't choose our talents before we are born. We don't choose our parents, our class, or our skin color. It's only a fair race if everyone gets to start from the same mark. And those who are unusually well blessed --- I mean, where would Tiger Woods be, if nobody liked golf? --- should pitch in more (a whole lot more) to help those who are so much less endowed. But I'll take the point --- 4 now.

7. See (6), above. This is another crock of Libertarian bull. Maybe I deserve a minus one here, because I could not disagree more. What incredible selfishness! What arrogance!

8. Amen to this one. I now have a 5... unless you've been giving me deductions.

9. It's a two-way street. As between parent and child, there are obligations flowing both ways. I especially like this view --- the government works for me --- when it comes from people who also don't want to pay any taxes. Duh.

Well, I guess I only scored a 5 at best. So, if my kids were still young, I'm afraid I'd have to pass on this summer camp.

What's your score?