Wow Rob, given the use of "Teatards" in your post, I did a doubletake when I looked again at the poster's name. But then it's TPN, and we've both been members of that group. What's changed is that most of their material is open to the public, to read, now. That doesn't seem to be inhibiting some of the usual suspects from continuing to threaten revolution. And Judson is in fine voice, isn't he?

I spent considerable time perusing their Constitution Study Group, because if anything could salvage the tea party movement in my eyes, it's that image they promulgate of hundreds of study groups around the country earnestly studying the Constitution and bringing about a revived intellectual appreciation of American values.

Alas, it's not be, at least not under the auspices of TPN. They seem to be engaged in the time-honored game of cherry-picking and reinterpreting to make the Constitution say what they think it should say. There were times when they seemed to be confusing Constitution 1.0 (Articles of Confederation) with 2.0, the version passed in 1789. I was particularly amused/horrified by a thesis (http://www.teapartynation.com/group/constitutionstudygroup/forum/topics/the-obama-eligibility-issue ...note how the URL gives away the agenda) "proving" that "natural born citizen" is an inherited title--no immigrants allowed. No matter that the doctrine would limit citizenship to descendants of people present in 1789...by gawd, that's what it says, right there, somewhere. They're big on such "proofs".

Sad, because I'm one those freaks who's actually read the Federalist Papers multiple times, slogged through "Wealth of Nations", and carries two copies of the Constitution around with me at all times, loaded into my tablet ebook reader. I'm ready to argue the Constitution at the drop of a clause. Sometimes I wish the HabitableZone could engage in that kind of intellectual journey, and the presence of two sides here would at least theoretically mitigate the tendency to drift off into wishful thinking. But maybe that's just my own wishful thinking.