Disgruntles with whose only interest in common is being disgruntle about no one quite knows. The movement is not sustainable.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that an estimated 350 people showed up at an rally organized by the Otero Tea Party Patriots and the recently formed Alamogordo Second Amendment Task Force. The protest has attracted attention because many of the protesters openly carried guns. The rally was not violent, and as one protester said of his choice to carry a weapon, "I’m not trying to start a war. I just want to make a point."
Right-wing protesters carrying weapons is not a new phenomena–however, they used to just bring them to rallies where Obama was speaking. A man in New Hampshire showed up to an Obama town hall meeting on health care with a holstered gun, and a man in Minneapolis wore two loaded pistols while standing outside the Target Center where Obama was scheduled to speak.
The New Mexico Independent interviewed protesters who said they brought guns to the protest to exercise their Second Amendment right, and some expressed concern that the Obama administration wants to abridge that right. The Tea Party Patriots’ desire to pack heat at their own events is ironic, given that the movement is now struggling with internal dissent.
Currently there is a feud between the Tea Party Patriots and the Tea Party Express. The Patriots have accused the TPE of being inauthentic and too close to the GOP, and have gone as far as to sue one of the party’s founders, Amy Kremer, after she became involved with the TPE. As factionalism poses a possible threat the the Tea Party, alliances with local organizations like the Alamogordo Second Amendment Task Force may strengthen the Tea Party’s base of support.
Mairead Maguire: Tea Partiers Bring Guns To Their Own Meetings Now (VIDEO) – Politics – Air America