A Proper Cup of Tea

Last week the Americans who haven't already been removed from the tax rolls and offered a shiny discount held a variety of Boston-inspired tea parties. Michelle Malkin is really the go-to source on this subject and curious readers can go there for their tea party needs.

Naturally the wacko leftists on the blogosphere took to calling them "teabag parties" and criticizing right-wingers for using tea in their party reference in the first place. HolyAthiest isn't the only moron who can't quite figure out how this progression works, so I'll summarize:

1. Boston Tea Party was the famous anti-taxation protest which begot the American Revolution
2. Channeling the spirit of the original, tax protests this year kept with the "Tea Party" theme
3. In America, tea is purchased in convenient bag form which is easy to throw in protest
4. Left-wing bloggers were the only first group to coin the "teabag party" phrase, which was never used by event organizers.

So in basic summary, while the loony left can come up with as many derogatory names they like, that isn't what the protest is.

So why did I strike out the "only" in point #4? Enter the Canadian Press:

Americans rally against tax abuses
By THE CANADIAN PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of Americans took to the streets in so-called teabag protests across the United States yesterday, angry about massive economic stimulus spending and what they perceive as rising taxes under President Barack Obama.

But on a day simply known as Tax Day in the United States, a bigger concern for millions more was the complicated and inefficient American taxation system that makes Canada's look like a well-oiled machine by comparison. Americans are also required to prepare two returns - the IRS form and a separate state return, doubling the chaos.

"So-called" by its opponents. I would love to see the Canadian Press take on other prominent news stories regarind protests:

EDMONTON (CP) - Several dozen anti-progress believers in misguided economic theory and backwards North Korean-style medicare marched today in front of the offices of MLA Raj Sherman

Would anybody have let the Canadian Press put out copy like that? Why did they let it go in the Tea Party protests?