In my ongoing quest to provide historical context to contemporary issues, I could not possibly allow the latest incarnation of exploratory endeavor to pass without comment. The platform of the Tea Party in Space* brings to mind a number of important historical precedents. Alexander the Great's independent bid for world domination, taken with the reluctant permission of the Greek city-states, but not their financial backing, comes to mind as an example of the potential of individual initiative. The voyages of Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama demonstrate the problems inherent in introducing the heavy hand of government into the quest for knowledge. And yet, there is another precedent that strikes me as more relevant, more apt, more perfectly suited to this topic:
*I must be a sinner, for I covet that teacup.
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