In Wake of Arizona Rampage, Florida Tea Parties Trade Verbal Potshots

The tragedy in Arizona triggered another rhetorical fusillade by rival Florida tea parties over the weekend.

Everett Wilkinson, issuing a press release from the South Florida Tea Party and Florida Tea Party Patriots, said, "The tea party has consistently condemned statements and acts of violence both on the right and left."

Wilkinson then went on to state:

"It was just last year that the South Florida Tea Party and tea party groups condemned the violent threats and actions of the fake political TEA Party headed by Doug Guetzloe, Fred O'Neal and Peg Dunmire. Tea party leaders all overFlorida stand united against the bulling [sic] attempts of the fake political TEA Party."

Florida TEA Party Chairman Dunmire fired back:

"The 'politics of hate' that was so prevalent this past election cycle must be stopped. ... Even here in Florida we have seen self-proclaimed 'tea party leaders' ?like Everett Wilkinson become violent in public settings when he disrupted a news conference with Governor Rick Scott during the campaign. ...

"I and many other leaders of the TEA Party have been subjected to the same types of written e-mail threats and hate mail that were sent to Congresswoman Giffords recentlyand it's a truly frightening experience," Dunmire concluded.

Striving for middle ground, the Florida Liberty Alliance, a coalition of tea groups, appealed:??

"We hope that every citizen in America will respect the memories of those lost by remembering that the violent acts of a disturbed individual should not be cast in the light of politics. Rather, this act of violence should be seen as a personal tragedy inflicting pain on so many individuals. Their suffering will increase if Americans attack each other to serve agendas that are not related to this tragedy."