I wish to respond to two letters in the April 23 Acorn. Richard Browne, let me set the record straight: the Thousand Oaks TEA party was nonpartisan and funded by no one. We made our own signs and had no other expenses.

Why TEA parties now?

Over the past eight years, I called my congressman repeatedly whenever there was a bill for unconstitutional government spending, as did many thousands of others across the country. But it had no effect.

On the eve of the fist bailout bill at the end of Bush's term, many people called Congress and, much to their surprise and joy, the no votes won. But special interests prevailed; when the measure went back to the House, sweetened with pork from the Senate bill, and with arm twisting and threats from the highest levels of government, it passed.

This was the last straw, especially with the new administration assuring us more taxes and bailouts were in the works, and without accountability. TEA parties were organized against "taxation without representation" to send a message today similar to 1773. In California, they were about reckless Sacramento spending as well.

Let me also quell the environmental concerns of Sherry Jensen, as expressed in her letter to the Acorn, that TEA partyers were dumping tea our into waterways. At the tea party on the Santa Monica Pier on Dec. 16, 2007—yes, during the Bush administration—commemorating the 234th anniversary of the colonists' Tea Party in Boston Harbor, crates of tea, sporting appropriate labels such as "taxes," "spending," "bloated government," "NAFTA" and "IMF," were ceremoniously and with great fanfare dumped over the end of the pier, seemingly into the Pacific.

But under the pier was a platform where people grabbed the boxes as they fell. The boxes even had ropes on them to ensure that none slipped into the water.

May all who are concerned about freedom of their children's children in this great nation join our next TEA party July 4, and a May 16 rally against the propositions 1AF tax increases. For information, call (805) 262-2477. Carolyn Guillot Thousand Oaks

Guillot organized the April 15 TEA party in Thousand Oaks.