Tea Party Influence on the Las Vegas Shooters

Tea Party Adopts ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ Flag also known as the Gadsden Flag.

 Last weekend, as the House prepared to vote on the health care overhaul legislation, a group of Republican lawmakers unfurled a large “Don’t Tread on Me” flag from a balcony of the Capitol building, rallying their supporters below. The flag has become a staple at Tea Party rallies. Melissa Block speaks to Joseph Ellis, professor of history at Mount Holyoke College, about the history of the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and its use by the Tea Party movement.

 References:

• The Washington Post: Las Vegas Shooter’s Government Views
• Huffington Post: Cliven Bundy Ranch Connection
• Alter net: Tea Party and the Right – How Fox will spin this event