“They (The Tea Party) should be called what they really are, the American Taliban.” Most citizens of the United States would not think to compare a ruthless terrorist movement like the Taliban to a “grassroots American movement” like the Tea Party. However, these two groups are quite similar. The Tea party began as a grassroots movement protesting high taxes, big government, as well as the Affordable Care Act in 2009. They believe that government is deaf to the voices of the people and that "government should be made smaller to the size I can flush down the drain." They have evolved into a group that strikes fear into the hearts of politicians across the country. They believe in reducing government “to such a size that you can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” The Taliban is a terrorist group originating from Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. They were originally rebels against the Soviet-Afghan communist government in the late 1900s, who were supplied with weapons by the United States. Then they moved in and took control of the country by imposing an extremely conservative version of Sharia law. After doing so, the group hosted Al-Qaeda in parts of Afghanistan. They have a strict adherence to the Quran, their book of prayer and faith, and believe that women are inferior to men in all aspects of life. With US forces leading the way, NATO invaded Afghanistan with orders to eliminate Al-Qaeda camps and training forces as well as government and Taliban forces. However, the Taliban still exists and survives today by spreading terror in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. While it may seem that the Tea Party and the Taliban are nothing alike, these two groups have more in common than meets the eye. First, T...... middle of paper...... destroyed my party." Salon. Salon, August 5, 2012. Web. December 14, 2013. .Lofgren, Mike. "Religion destroyed the my party. " Salon. Salon, August 5, 2012. Web. December 14, 2013. ..net, Lybio and Aaron Sorkin. "Tea Party Is the American Taliban." Lybio. Lybio, n.d. Web. December 14, 2013. .Norquist, Grover." Conservative Lawyer." United States Government, May 25, 2001. Web. December 14, 2013. Pew Research, "The Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project." February 23, 2011. Web. December 14. 2013. .