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Though typically conservative, Frederick County tea party activists comprise divergent views on how best to restore the prosperity and reputation of the United States.

Their efforts are often lumped together with some of the more outrageous behavior witnessed this past year by tea partiers at the health care town hall meetings in Washington, D.C., which left moderates and progressives with a singular impression that tea partiers are gun-toting crazies intent on bringing down the federal government.

Battling these misconceptions about their allegiances and motivation is like "climbing Mount Everest," said tea party activist Joshua Lyons of Adamstown.

He and Mark Kreslins of Monrovia host a weekly radio program, "The Forgotten Men" on WFMD, and formed Frederick's version of We Surround Them and the 9/12 Project.

The men want to educate themselves and their followers about American history and the wisdom of those who created the blueprint for the American government, specifically Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams.

"We have looked for what we have in common fundamentally, not as a political issue, but really as a moral issue," Kreslins said. "We want to ignite moral outrage for what's occurred in the past decades."

They say they are not promoting any candidates or parties, and if they must be labeled, they choose to align themselves most with the Constitutional Party.

Their message, they said, has never been about President Barack Obama or specific parties or politicos. Instead, the problems they perceive are systemic and have a long history.

For them, it's as simple and complex as returning to the intent of the Founding Fathers who opposed a strong, centralized federal government that usurps states' and individual rights.

"We are not about promoting people, but principles," Lyons said. "People will fail, and there are going to be those who need to stand up based on principles."

The downward spiral that was exacerbated during the Bush administration and culminated in the bank bailout got them off their couches and into action.

Until then, Kreslins said he didn't feel the sense of urgency he does now. "I thought we had more time to fix things, but I was wrong," he said.

Looking for a leader

One of many criticisms launched at their efforts is that they borrowed the names and inspiration from national radio personality Glenn Beck, who has made a name for himself by promoting an agenda that's sometimes hard to decipher.

Is it tea party, libertarian or right-wing Republican? Beck has come under fire recently for being a shill for powerful Republicans on a Web site dedicated to state rights granted by the 10th Amendment, a site supported by Kreslins and Lyons.

They agree for the most part that Beck's an "infotainer" who has made a name and fortune by cultivating a distrust of Obama and the "liberal elite."

Closer to home, Lyons and Kreslins have shared the stage at various tea party functions with Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Dist. 6) of Buckeystown, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins (R), and newly appointed Frederick County Commissioner Blaine Young (R), cementing the impression for some that the movement is a Republican-based effort.

Young himself said he identifies himself as a Republican, but believes the success of the tea party movement is the byproduct of a trend of a growing number of unaffiliated voters who are fed up with both parties.

"I haven't turned my back on the Republican Party, that's one way I differ from Josh and Mark," he said. "I want to see reforms come from within, to see the Republican Party embrace new ideas and concepts."

Other followers are looking for a leader, a voice they feel represents them more forcefully than the current crop of GOP leaders.

As disillusioned conservatives scramble for something or someone to hang onto, Sarah Palin, the controversial 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, remains a viable option for some.

"She speaks the same language as me ... she says things we're all thinking," said Gloria Condon of Frederick, a longtime Republican. "Government's way out of control."

In a recent Washington Post/ABC poll, 70 percent said Palin is unqualified for the White House. Yet, in a country reeling from record-high foreclosures, double-digit unemployment, and a massive and growing budget deficit, Palin's speech, delivered at the recent National Tea Party Convention resonates.

"She's a true conservative, more so than John McCain," said Brent Bidle of Myersville, who joined fellow tea partiers from Frederick on a bus to Annapolis on Feb. 17 in support of a resolution proposed by Sen. Alexander X. Mooney (R-Dist. 3) of Urbana designed to reassert state sovereignty.

But Kreslins and Lyons are not sure.

"My problem with Sarah Palin, [right-wing group] Freedom Works and others emerging in the tea party movement is that because the message is becoming more popular, its language is becoming co-opted by political entities," Kreslins said. "Our strategy is a grassroots one of normal citizens and everyday people. Our biggest challenge is that our grassroots effort is full of politics now."

Both Kreslins and Lyons have appeared as guests on Fox News and write extensively on blogs and in op-ed pieces for local papers.

Kreslins, who also made a guest appearance on CNN, has been critical of the motivation of Freedom Works in his blog on froginthetkettle.com. In his most recent blog, Kreslins accuses Freedom Works of wrapping the Republican agenda in the tea party banner, and warns readers to beware of the duplicity.

Political impact

Even critics understand the frustration and the need for action.

Derek Shackelford of Frederick, a columnist for thetentacle.com and community activist who is also a pastor with City of Hope Ministries, said he didn't want to criticize without first finding out what the local tea party movement is about.

He attended the Fourth of July rally in Baker Park, and said he wasn't surprised at the lack of diversity in the crowd. "That's not a knock, that's not good or bad. It's just an observation," he said. "But we can all agree that government's excessive spending is wrong and that it's intrusive and that it has to stop."

In his latest column, Shackelford relays his concerns about the tea party movement by saying he hopes its members remain critical of those who speak inaccurately or with hate, and take the time to analyze the motivations of those who purport to speak for the average man and woman.

Though third-party movements are prevented by "voting mechanics" from being successful, they have influenced policy and elections, said Michael Powell, a constitutional historian and professor at Frederick Community College.

He noted that Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is latching on to some of the core messages of the tea party movement in an attempt to bring the tea partiers back to the Republican Party.

Most Americans, however, are "dissatisfied" or "angry" about the way the federal government is working, the Washington Post poll revealed. Though few polled understood the tea party movement, they could relate to the need to do something.

Powell applauded the idea that people are "stepping up when they are dissatisfied."

"They are having a political impact, and whether we agree with them or not is irrelevant. They are saying we don't have to vote Republican or Democrat, this is not what our Founding Fathers intended," he said.

Kreslins and Lyons understand that while tea party efforts across the country are gathering steam, most are "experiments," led by political neophytes with little formal organizational experience and even less clout. Being absorbed by the GOP is a possibility, they said.

Undeterred by criticism and the potential for being usurped by those with partisan agendas, Kreslins and Lyons are buoyed by the attention their cause is receiving.

Six Frederick County residents, including Kreslins and Lyons, testified in front of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Feb. 17 to support Sen. Mooney's resolution. Lyons and Kreslins initially proposed the resolution on their radio show, and Mooney took up the challenge.

The resolution, they say, is a first step in reasserting states' rights. They were joined by about 50 residents from Frederick, Washington and Montgomery counties.

"We are astounded by the results we've had so far," Kreslins said.

E-mail Katherine Heerbrandt at kheerbrandt@gazette.net.