In thinking about that yo-yo who tried to spray paint "Don't Tread On Me" on the White House grounds the other day, I got to thinking how the

"Tea Party" politicos have co-opted that old Gadsden flag from 1775 (with the coiled serpent) and its contemporary, the Continental Navy

Jack (the thirteen red and white horizontal stripes with the super-imposed serpent, stretched-out  diagonally  with its head at upper left and

tail at lower right, and the words on the white stripe (next to last bottom one).

Tomorrow is Flag Day, and thinking about that made me remember how the Tea Party makes some use of the flag from June 14, 1777,

the original "Stars and Stripes".   You know the one----thirteen stars in a circle on the blue field at upper left, with thirteen horizontal red and

white stripes composing the rest of the banner.

I can't help feeling uneasy about this use of some of our proud old symbols of AMERICAN life and history.  Add in the way that some Tea

Party members affect the Colonial  American tricorne (headgear of the "Minutemen") and . . . . . . . .  well . . . .