Scott Lively To Speak At Tea Party Rally

Hate group leader Scott Lively, who is being sued for crimes against humanity, will speak at a Tea Party rally on Patriot Day in Boston. According to the Boston Herald, Lively's invitation to speak highlights the recent division among Tea Party factions who disagree on whether social issues should be at issue in the 2012 elections.

“Where the north of Boston and western Massachusetts groups get involved in social issues, we avoid them entirely,” said Ken Mandile of the Worcester Tea Party. “We see that as potentially divisive within the movement. ... I don’t see it as what was the catalyst for the Tea Party movement. It was primarily the growth of the government deficits and debt.” Illustrating that split is a pair of competing April 15 Tea Party rallies — a Tax Day rally in Worcester with speakers focusing on the budget and taxes, and a Patriot Day rally on Boston Common, which also includes speeches from a voter ID advocate and the Rev. Scott Lively, a fierce public critic of gay rights. “We talk about all the issues,” said Richard Howell of the Pioneer Valley Tea Party. “We want to celebrate a glorious day in American history, not a terrible day like Tax Day. ... You have many different types of Tea Parties out there. The vast majority of them support what we’re doing.”