One letter-writer swallows Glen Beck's demagoguery all the way to hilt. 'Progressive' isn't a political party nor agenda, compared to the actual agenda of a group like ALEC. Its not even an entity like the 'tea party'. 
Example, one might say Jesus was a progressive thinker, not Jesus was A Progressive. Calling Tea Partiers Aggressives or Repressive is more accurate in your own context, which is embedded with false alarmism. 
The intolerance makes one depressive.