Hey everyone! Hope you all are having a great week. I am extremely excited that the Present Day Patriots' fan page on Facebook almost has 100 fans! Remember to tell your friends and family members about my blog, regardless of political stance! :)
With my last post discussing free speech, I have a continuation of that topic today, with a focus on the Tea Party movement. Members of the Tea Party are Americans --regardless of what their liberal counterparts label them as-- that gather at city halls, town hall meetings, street corners, even Capitol Hill--to peacefully protest (and exercise their First Amendment right to peacefull assembly) the reckless spending of the government, and the actions of said government that blatantly contrast to what the Founders intended, in general. Since the Tea Party was first formed within the start of President Obama's term, members of this group have been dealt ridiculous flak for their beliefs and for simply having the nerve to stand up and say enough is enough. I have yet to attend a Tea Party myself, but it is something I would really like to do in the near future if schedules allow.
Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, labeled them as "right wing extremists"... actress Janeane Garofalo labeled them "a bunch of teabagging rednecks," and added "this is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up"... and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi even teared up (or made a lame attempt at tearing up, rather) when speaking of such "frightening rhetoric" and "political violence" and wishes that we would all "curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements" that have been made. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) wants Conservative Tea Party members "talked to...interviewed" to probe for racist views. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/09/16/maxine_waters_press_should_probe_conservatives_for_racist_views.html
These are just a few of the lovely leftist opponents of the Tea Party Movement. One group in particular that caught my eye was an article regarding http://www.crashtheparty.org/ ... this group, with 65 supposed "leaders" (if they can even be called "leaders"... ) in cities across the US who plan to "...infiltrate and dismantle the political group by trying to make its members appear to be racist, homophobic and moronic..." and are "... trying to recruit members to infiltrate tea party events for April 15—tax filing day, when tea party groups across the country are planning to gather and protest high taxes."
To those that think the Tea Party is a racist, hateful movement directed at Obama simply because of his race, I think I speak for many like-minded Conservatives other than myself in saying, we don't care if he's white, black, yellow, red, pink, green, orange, or RAINBOW for Pete's sake... he is trampling the Constitution, spending tax dollars wrecklessly, and literally pulverizing the principles that our Founding Fathers fought so hard to build the United States upon.
Liberal dissidents of the Tea Party can call these protestors what they want, but the false accusations and just plain ridiculous and immature name-calling and attempts to silence the protests are proof of one thing: the Tea Party is right. If the left believed their principles held truth, I would think they would be debating the principles for which the Tea Party members stand for, such as lower taxes, smaller government, etc. But, liberals such as Garofalo, Napolitano, Waters, and those with way too much free time at http://www.crashtheparty.org/ and others, resort to pulling the race card, or by labeling them as violent and unruly, or just trying to silence them all together.
As you know, I'm a huge Glenn Beck fan, and I think one of his quotes--one of my favorites--applies to this discussion:
"Only those afraid of the truth seek to silence debate, intimidate those with whom they disagree, or slander their ideological counterparts. Those who know they are right have no reason to stifle debate because they realize that all opposing arguments will ultimately be overcome by fact."
It makes sense. Those trying to silence the Tea Party members are afraid of what they have to say. They are afraid of these average Americans--not radicals-- that are afraid for the future of their country, the future of their children, grandchildren, businesses. The fact that the state does not dictate the rights of a citizen, that each one of us has been "endowed by our Creator certain unalienable rights" and the fact that the Founding Fathers established a country based on these rights, those of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the fact that the American people are perfectly capable of making business decisions for themselves with minimal government intervention...these facts, and countless others, will stand through even the most brutal verbal beating.
And just as a fun fact for the day, speaking of the Tea Party movement, check out this recent Rasmussen poll...
On major issues, 48% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is closer to their views than President Barack Obama. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% hold the opposite view and believe the president’s views are closer to their own.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/april_2010/tea_party_48_obama_44
48%. I'm thinking this is because the true Americans do not appreciate "spreading the wealth" nor do they believe in the "big government" ideals of the Obama administration.
For more information on the Tea Party Movement, visit http://www.teapartypatriots.org/ ... and in closing, I leave you with this quote of Samuel Adams...to those who fail to stand for the liberties that are in jeaopardy of being eradicated, keep in mind the lines in bold...
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the
Tranquility of servitude better than the
Animating contest of freedom, go home from
us in peace. We ask not your counsels or
arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which
feed you. May your chains set lightly upon
you, and may posterity forget that ye were
our countrymen."
~ Samuel Adams, speech at the
Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776
Have a great week :) God Bless America.
"If you take what I say as gospel, you're an idiot." --Glenn Beck
ReplyDeleteNice quote from Samuel Adams, though I'm not sure that an oppressive government that exploited the colonies without representation is directly comparable to a democratically-elected government that does not happen to share your political views.
ReplyDeleteThe 'democratically elected goverment' has mislead the American people. Since the left has come into power they have shown that they have no regard for what the people of this country want. Over 50% of Americans were against the healthcare bill... and yet they pushed their leftist agenda anyway...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous #2...personally, I DO think this quote by Samuel Adams is applicable to today's situation in the US.
ReplyDelete"Crouch down and lick the hands which
feed you. May your chains set lightly upon
you, and may posterity forget that ye were
our countrymen."
...this section of the statement in particular. I see many people my age, and scarily, those of the older generation, assuming the the government will provide, assuming that nothing can be done to "fix" the problems the country has, and assuming that it's acceptable for corrupt politicians to pass bills without reading them, to bribe Congress members for votes, and blatantly ignore the will of their constituents while recklessly spending taxpayer dollars.
I chose this particular quote because if someone doesn't stand up for liberty and freedom in America now, in the future the only liberty and freedom we will have will exist in textbooks. Some Americans will sit idly by waiting for government handouts, and others will remain true to their beliefs regardless of the consequences...just as the Tea Party Patriots and other grassroots efforts have proven. As Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty."
And as Anonymous #3 stated, they may have been democratically elected officials, but it seems that they no longer have the best interests of a free republic as a top priority.
In my opinion, it is no longer a matter of "political views"... it's a matter of right and wrong.
And by the way, Anonymous #1, I QUOTE Glenn Beck oftentimes in my blog. The only "gospel" I am interested in is that of Jesus Christ.
At least "gospel" is still a synonym for "unquestionably true". I wouldn't be surprised to see that change in the next generation or so...
ReplyDeleteOf course, those that disapprove of the health care bill are split between the people who want no health care bill at all, and those who disapprove of the version that passed because it didn't go far enough-- they were hoping for a public option and believe that this bill was watered down too much. This bill was a serious compromise, which is part of good government. (Not saying the bill is necessarily a good thing, but we at least want to have our facts straight, I hope.)
ReplyDeleteYou quoted Benjamin Franklin--- "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty."
ReplyDeleteI love this quote! It was my main response to the Patriot Act.
Are you saying the health care bill is okay because it was a compromise? Our freedoms are still being abridged! Both republicans and democrats are at fault.
ReplyDeleteAnd a "good government" as you say would LISTEN TO CONSTITUENTS.
Another great blog Sarah. Please run for office!
Nope, I wasn't saying that the health care bill is okay because it was a compromise. I'm just saying that if some people want yellow and some people want blue, and we end up with a shade of green, then it's not honest to pretend that everyone who disapproves of green actually wanted yellow-- since some of them really wanted blue. (Sorry for the run-on sentence!)
ReplyDeleteIf Congress had actually not listened to constituents, we would have had the public option that Obama first proposed. Instead, we have a bill that makes significant concessions to private industry. This represents compromise, which is necessary for good government.
But no, I'm not saying the healthcare bill is a good thing.
What about the deals made with certain states to get their support. Is it good government to sign a bill that hasn't been read? Isn't that liking signing a credit card receipt without checking the total first?
ReplyDeleteI wasn't saying it was a flawless example of perfect government, only that it was a compromise and not an example of the "Obama regime" running roughshod over everyone, as some people seem to think.
ReplyDeleteIf we wanted something simple and readable, we could have gone with a public option. (NOT saying that it's okay to pass bills without reading them.)