Through the looking-glass

So much Fox, so little time!

We're fed up and we're not gonna take it anymore.

Such is the rallying cry building across the country as taxpayers take a stand against what they see as reckless spending in Washington -- all part of a peculiar and rather sudden movement called "tea parties."

Some small, some large, locals* converge at the parties to voice their frustration over the federal government's economic policies. The protests have sprouted up from coast-to-coast and city-to-city since late February.

"People are getting killed -- they're getting hammered with taxes and it's not the way this country is supposed to be run.** ... We want to fight back," said Kristina Mancini, who's helping organize the April 15 rally in Fishkill, N.Y.

Don't miss Fox's commanding grasp of the historical analogy!

The historical parallels may seem sparse. America is no longer a colony. It is not ruled by a king.

But just as the 18th century decrees of the King of England drew outrage from American colonists, several acts of modern U.S. government intervention have stirred similar upheaval.

The Stamp Act? Now it's the Wall Street bailout.

The Tea Act? Now it's the $787 billion stimulus package.

The Quartering Act? Now it's the pork-filled omnibus spending bill.

The Boston Massacre? That would have to be the proposed $3.55 trillion 2010 budget, seen by tea partiers as a fiscal massacre.

The Sons of Liberty of today is led by people like Rick Santelli, the CNBC reporter widely credited with helping spark the tea-party fever nationwide (though tea parties were being held before Santelli plugged them).

... Though he was mocked by the White House, Santelli might as well have yelled, "Give me liberty or give me death!"

Digest the thing in its delightful entirety. Admire the skills of Judson Berger, whose reporting prowess elevated the Chia Pet story from obscurity to top-of-the-front play. Garnish liberally*** with comments. Chase with a shot of Deputy ME Bill Sammon recycling last fall's Joe Biden story like -- well, like a veritable Joe the Recycler. Every meal a banquet on Planet Fox!

* Mostly large, I'm betting. Best dangler I've seen all week.
** It isn't?
*** He'll be here all week, folks; don't forget to tip.