Apparently, the libertarian (or, at least, states rights) strain in the tea party movement is alive and well. According to the Washington Post, many tea partiers support the recent court decision striking down the federal law defining marriage as only between a man and woman.

As one of several prominent examples, it quotes Phillip Dennis, Texas state coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, who states:"I do think it's a state's right. I believe that if the people in Massachusetts want gay people to get married, then they should allow it, just as people in Utah do not support abortion. They should have the right to vote against that."