Tea Party Convention forgets US flag, blames hotel staff

Perhaps the inaugural National Tea Party Convention was striving for historical accuracy.

On Thursday, Tennessee's Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center welcomed "hundreds of conservative activists" on Thursday (See also Invoking ‘literacy test,’ Tea Party opening speaker suggests blacks be kept from voting), who are often referred to as "flag-wavers."

As the Washington Post reports, "The convention's first day lacked the orchestrated staging of most modern political events. The convention host delivered a meandering welcome speech without notes, saying he misplaced them. Former congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) offered a fiery defense of Judeo-Christian faith and traditional American values, but there was no prayer or Pledge of Allegiance to open the convention -- nor was there an American flag in the convention hall."

The paper reports that Memphis Tea Party leader and convention spokesman Mark Skoda "blamed the oversight on the hotel staff."

However, since the original Boston Tea Party demonstration occurred three years before Betsy Ross debuted her American flag on July 4th, 1776, the modern day patriots were able to keep it real in an old school vibe.

But the hall apparently wasn't flagless.

On Point radio recently reported that Jeffrey McQueen, founder of USRevolution2.com, has "created a modified American flag to serve as a symbol for the Tea Party movement."

McQueen told Fox News blogger Judd Berger that "he’s sold 5,000 since June and word of the product is 'spreading from porch to porch.'"

Berger wrote, "The National Tea Party Convention isn’t just about spreading the gospel of fiscal conservatism and figuring out ways to crush President Obama in 2012. For some, it’s a chance to get in on the ground floor of what may be a tea party market."

At his website, an ad for the $19.95 flag claims, "This flag represents our Second American Revolution, and now flies in all 50 states!"

"How about the American flag?" On Point radio's Tom Ashbrook asked McQueen last month. "That's not good enough? You know, the stars and stripes?

McQueen replied, "This flag has never been meant to replace the national flag. This flag has a specific purpose and it's time has come. To show the politicians and the media that we're ready for a second American revolution. And with that, you know, in America we have a choice of four boxes for political change. We can go to the soap box, the ballot box, or we can go to the jury box. And hopefully we won't have to go to the bullet box."

"Bullet box?" Ashbrook asked. "Are you talking about armed revolution?"

McQueen retorted, "Have you seen the ammunition sales the last twelve months?"