To the Readers' Forum:
Regarding the talk by Ambassador Burns at Chautauqua on Friday, 7/27/12 :
While the ambassador gave an articulate and informative speech on the Middle East, especially Pakistan/Afghanistan, he did make a particularly disparaging remark about the Tea Party, suggesting it to be a small minded group intent on returning our country to the original 13 colonies.
Not only is the ambassador way off base here, this remark raises a question of his own credibility
The Tea Party's fundamental hope is to instill in our citizens a fervor to see that our Constitution and the freedoms that it provides are saved.
The audience almost totally endorsed the ambassador's remarks with an huge round of applause, which certainly shows a lack of understanding of the Tea Party.
I hope in writing this that the reader will open his/her mind to the true intent of the Tea Party; being that of returning to a limited government and the freedoms that entails.
Jack Crate,
Member of Southern Tier Tea Party Patriots
Frewsburg