A CHAT WITH FRED. Leaving the gas station Sunday after my early morning coffee fix, I was approached by a young gentleman whom I’ll call Fred, asking me if I owned the truck with the Tea Party bumper sticker.

When I said yes, he immediately struck up an extended conversation. A political independent, Fred has until recently mostly uninvolved in politics beyond voting regularly, but is now concerned by the direction the Obama administration is taking. Fred wanted to know more about the Tea Party philosophy and how to contact a local Tea Party group.

Here’s the nutshell version of my conversation with Fred:

The Tea Part(ies) are true grassroots; there is neither a central organization nor a common, coordinated political “platform,” but the core principles could probably be summed up as a belief in individual liberty, limited government, and low taxes. Prominent - but subsidiary - concerns include employment, the repeal of ObamaCare, pork and special-interest lobbying, Second Amendment concerns, energy (cap-and-trade), illegal immigration, deficit spending, intrusive regulation, and a strong military.

The closest I’ve seen to a Tea Party “platform” is the Contract from America, calling on those seeking public office to advocate on behalf of individual liberty, limited government, and economic freedom. It has ten “planks”:

1. Protect the Constitution
2. Reject Cap & Trade
3. Demand a Balanced Budget
4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform
5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government
6. End Runaway Government Spending
7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care
8. Pass an ‘All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy
9. Stop the Pork
10. Stop the Tax Hikes

For all you “Freds,” here are some ways to find a Tea Party near you.

FreedomWorks predates the Tea Party movement, but does act as a sponsor for many tea party related activities. Look for the “states” tab at the top.

Tea Party Patriots is a coordination organization. From its web site, you can link to state and then to local tea party groups affiliated with the Tea Party Patriots. The National Capital Tea Party Patriots is an umbrella organization for the Washington D.C. metro area, and locally (for me) are the Jefferson Conservatives (Manassas) and Prince William County Tea Party (Woodbridge).

Find a group near you - or form your own - and make your voice heard.