tea party -- naples, florida style (posted 4/24/09)
Has the hysteria from the Main Stream Media subsided yet? If there were any lingering doubts about the objectivity of the MSM before the April 15th National Tea Party event, there certainly are none now. Obermann, Maddow, Cooper, and an undistinguished host of others have done their collective best to impugn what may have been one of the most significant grassroots events in America of this generation. With invective past the verge of vulgarity, the network and cable pundits have fired arrows at a myriad of reasons they believe the protests took place. Their arrows have all missed the mark. Either the pundits are insufferably stupid or insufferably conniving. I tend to believe they are an unholy blend of the two. Try as they may, they cannot make the case that the Tea Party events were nothing more than a post-election temper tantrum thrown by emotional Republican voters. Nor could they characterize the assembled citizens as crazed, anti-government vigilantes who seek violent overthrow of the established order. What little coverage television news stations did show in their 20-second video bites, in spite of their spin, were peaceful, intelligent, and responsible Americans from all walks of life who showed reasoned concern over the course their government is taking. The Naples group was a shining example.
A phenomenon it was. With precious little in the way of television, radio, or print announcement, or none as was the case of The Naples Daily News, a crowd of over 2000 citizens assembled to voice their anger at a government grown beyond the consent of the governed. Area residents assembled at the intersection of U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) and Pine Ridge Road between 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. That this large a group was on hand from what was essentially a word-of-mouth and leaflet campaign is nothing short of stunning. The Naples event was organized by a locally-based grassroots organization -- One Nation Under God. Their website link is offered on our 'Contact Us' page. Raptor Republic wishes to thank them for a marvelous job in organizing and advertising the event, especially given the lack of cooperation from local media.
Retirees, small business owners, teens, and children who may have been playing a little hooky from their government-run schools (Oh, how subversive!) were all represented in what can be described as a joyous gathering of patriots. It struck me profoundly how fundamentally different our rally was from those we've seen from the Left in perpetuity. For one thing, our side can spell words correctly. I didn't see one misspelled word on our homemade signs. You can't say that about protest signs from government leeches. Secondly, there were no childish, rhyming chants that the Left is so fond of reciting ad nauseam. Our side doesn't need easy to memorize, trite phrases to make a point. Also, when the rally was scheduled to end at 2:00 p.m., the assembled group, without prompting, disbanded and cleaned the area of any debris that might have resulted from the event. The area was actually cleaner after the rally than before! One might ask why is that relevant. I find it relevant in that it speaks to a mindset. It is a mindset that demonstrates personal responsibility on all levels of life -- a realization that an individual's actions have impact on society as a whole. Does anyone remember the photos of the aftermath of the Obama inauguration? Washington, D.C. looked as though Hurricane Katrina took a giant right hook into the District. "That's alright, just throw that Big Gulp cup down. Someone else will clean it up. We've got people who handle that." Oh, okay.
Much has been written already about the prairie fire ignited on April 15th. In no small way, that day was responsible for the start of this new website. I cannot be too emphatic about what is to come. This prairie fire must grow. If we, the Americans who still connect with our Founding Fathers' ideals, wish to preserve for our children this last best hope of man on earth, we must get off the sidelines and take action. Ronald Reagan warned that a nation who has enjoyed liberty and loses it, will never see it again in their own generation. Don't let the spirit of the Tea Parties fade. Get involved. Look to this and similar sites for upcoming events and ways to make a difference. God bless you all.
The author as Continental Army rifleman stands with fellow participants at the Naples, Florida Tea Party Rally on April 15, 2009. Note the copy of the Declaration of Independence. Like the "Stimulus Bill," the congressional elitists haven't read it, either.
They just don't get it. It's NOT JUST THE TAXES! It's the SIZE AND POWER OF GOVERNMENT! A new, ill-bred cabal of leftist elitists want us to think that current economic difficulties are the result of a failed approach to government and markets. Capitalism, the engine that propelled American society into the world's greatest expression of freedom and prosperity, has suddenly become a tired, quaint theory that has failed and must be replaced, so say the elitists. We say, FREEDOM WORKS EVERY TIME AND EVERYWHERE WHEN GIVEN A CHANCE! The madness must stop.
