I discovered something that is missing in most of the media these days, a single spot with really smart writing/reporting. Salon.com has a series of Tea Party reports not seen elsewhere. Guess you can file this under “know thy enemy” or just some Monday eye openers. To respect copyright I will only put a “taste” here and the titles of the articles in the Tea Party Section (all well done) and the subtitles. The Associated Press story (the first highlighted) included is well done, too, given who owns the AP these days. Go figure.

5 things to know about the Tea Party movement

A review of the party’s operations in every state provides a portrait of the nascent political movement

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, ASSOCIATED PRESS

For the past year, a passionate group of Americans have rallied together under the banner of the “tea party,” altering the direction of the nation’s political discourse in the early years of Barack Obama’s presidency.

The Associated Press reviewed tea party operations in almost every state, interviewing dozens of local organizers as well as Democratic and Republican strategists to produce a portrait of the movement.

Five key things learned in the states:

1. THERE ISN’T ONE ACTUAL “TEA PARTY,” AND THERE MIGHT NEVER BE

2. DEMOCRATS THEY ARE NOT, AND TEA PARTY SUPPORTERS ARE HARDLY HAPPY WITH REPUBLICAN INCUMBENTS

3. THE TEA PARTY DOESN’T HAVE A LEADER — AND THAT’S JUST FINE

4. TEA PARTY SUPPORTERS HAVE NO DEFINING ISSUE

5. THE TEA PARTY IS AMPLIFYING VOTER ANGER BUT ISN’T A UNIVERSAL PRESENCE

Just Headlines from Other Tea Party Stories on Salon.com

The cowards who target Congress

One of those who got threats, Vic Snyder, D-Ark., is retiring, but not because some loser talked tough

“Showdown in Searchlight” doesn’t pass the sniff test

It felt more like a slick Republican campaign rally than a genuine grass-roots celebration — and for good reason

Little difference between tea party and Grand Old Party

Polling evidence indicates that tea partiers are just conservative Republicans by another name

Cantor: Blame the victims for violence against lawmakers

The House GOP whip says he was threatened because he’s Jewish — and Democrats need to stop talking about threats

Lindsey Graham: “Racial epithets are not part of conservatism”

A Senate Republican condemns some of the tea party rhetoric, as Democrats say they feel threatened

Threats reveal scary underpinnings of right-wing opposition

Some on the right never believed Obama had a right to govern, and threats over healthcare are the grim result

Salon.com actually has TWELVE PAGES OF TEA PARTY RELATED REPORTING. The stories above are the latest and from a single page.

Hope you enjoy the enlightenment or validation of what you may have thought.

Oh Yea–The Link To Get You Started is: http://www.salon.com/news/tea_…

Happy Monday!