Today I am filled with hope, determination, and commitment. After last night's tea party in Kiener Plaza I am filled with a renewed sense of hope for my country. I knew there were many others around the nation that share my anger and outrage toward the federal government, but seeing it firsthand was an exciting experience. Ten thousand strong gathered to protest the outrageous taxing and spending in which our government is engaging. And that was just in our city. Hundreds of thousands gathered from coast to coast in over 170 cities across the nation. We are all fed up with our government ignoring the constitution and doing whatever they please to whomever they please all in the name of politics, all for power and glory. Well we made a damn fine statement last night, as we will again on July 4th. We stood together as one people against the new Washington culture that cares more about itself and its own interests than anything else. You know, I've heard a lot of mud being slung by the left, calling us names and accusing us of being hypocritical, and I want to make two clear distinctions.
First, for the last eight years I've listened to whiners (mainly from the left but many independents and right wingers as well) rail against the Bush administration for taking action to keep our nation safe, for enacting policies like the Bush tax cuts that did in fact help our economy, and even for President Bush's below average public speaking ability. Now, we are fighting for real, meaningful reasons- abuse of power, too much taxation, ridiculous spending, and so on down the list- and somehow we are portrayed as the bad guys. Let's get this straight right now, most of the protesting of the Bush administration was based on ideological, partisan thinking that had little to do with the real issues at hand. It was people who didn't like the fact that a set of morals and values had been introduced to the Oval Office, which had spent eight years in the absence of such things. They whined and whined because they were told they actually had to get off their lazy butts and try. We are off of our butts. We work hard every day and expect nothing in return from Washington. Our anger and our protests are based on concrete issues that threaten our nation, while theirs is simply to pursue ideology.
Second, one of the biggest beacons of hope for me is the fact that on the same day, in over 170 cities, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of men women and children came together to declare in one voice that this is our America and we will not let her go without a fight! Not once in eight years did I ever heard of such a coordinated and focused event spanning over so much of the country and encompassing so many people in protest of President Bush, or anything else for that matter. We are many, and as many we are one very strong voice. The left wing nuts don't have a damn thing on us. There are more of us than there are of them, and we are stronger, louder, more committed, and better equipped to make our voices heard. So for every pundit, especially those posing as "reporters", that thinks we can be silenced by BS homeland security reports or name calling or any other tactic they have tried in the last few months, you should know that we are not afraid of you. We will not be silenced. And you can take that to the bank
One of the themes that was repeated multiple times last night was that the blatant abuses of power, the unprecedented spending, the relentless taxing, and the sheer ignorance of the Constitution are not issues of a particular party or ideology. These issues are neither Republican nor Democratic. They are neither Conservative nor Liberal. They are AMERICAN issues that concern each and every man woman and child protected by the Constitution of the United States of America. This is our country, not the government's. The solution lies with us, not the government. We are America, not the government! It is our right, and it is our duty to take these issues into our own hands, and make the government act on our behalf rather than in their own interests. I leave you with this thought taken from the Declaration of Independence, it's relevance is clearer now then ever before, and while I have been known to bring it up a lot, I don't believe anyone can hear it too many times:
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security…”
We hold the power, not the government
Stay Conservative, and keep looking Forward
