Time for Tea

Last Wednesday we went to a local Tea Party. As we were running from one event to another, we were a little late for the speeches. However, we made it in time for the sign waving, car-honking portion of the evening. Free speech at its free-ist.  Breathe the clean air, I told my children. We live in a constitutional republic. It's a good thing. 

Favorite signage at the rally:

"Congress: You're Fired!" - The guy holding this one oddly resembled Donald Trump. Go figure.

and...

"We owe WHAT?" - I think that every time I hear the word trillion. My poor future grandchildren.

I'll have to double check this with the CFO, but I don't recall seeing one anti-Obama sign at all. Maybe they were gone by the time we arrived. Mostly, the annoyance was directed at our Pork-Rich Congressmen. We are in Mississippi, after all. Politicians here seem to thrive on pork, and I don't mean barbecue.

We didn't take signs. We just wanted to show our faces and let the kiddos say they were there when. It was a great Civics lesson. Government for the people, by the people, etc. It was all very polite and happy and an overall good experience.

Imagine my surprise to get home to discover that because I attended a Tea Party, I am considered a pawn of that right-wing media, Fox News.

If I'd know that, I would have at least registered Republican.

I guess I missed the memo.

Susan Ryan and Elisheva Levin have write ups on their Tea Party experiences. You might find them interesting.

Comments

[karen]

The Tea parties are NOT what Jesus would do.

“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).

[Activities Coordinator]

Karen,
I don't have a problem with rendering unto Caesar.

I do have a problem rendering unto AIG.

If Jesus doesn't like it, he knows where to find me.

[Elisheva Levin]

Karen: As Americans, we do not blindly "render unto to Ceasar" because we understand that our G-d desires human freedom. As free human beings, we are responsible for how our money is spent. In any case, we are also commanded to admonish those who stray from the right path. That is what the Tea Parties are about. The majority of politicians lie to us with impunity and are terribly irresponsible with our money. It would be a sin to not show them the errors of their ways.

Activities Coordinator: Thanks for the link! I was looking for you earlier today. I, too, was surprised that I am now a functionary of the Republican party. Live and learn! ;)

[Susan Ryan]

Thanks for providing your experiences, AC. It appears there is a grassroots backlash to the established and "professional" reporting of this event.
We were at my in-laws this past weekend and Meet the Press came on. It was awful to see slithery Dick Armey as the Tea Party representative. That's pretty toxic stuff for me, when he was just as much The Problem as a disreputable Representative Jan Schakowski calling us "despicable" and "shameful".

There were many slams about meeting in a public park. I don't have problems with public funding for legitimate sources. Our lawful document is the Constitution. Let's follow it, starting with "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time."

Live and learn indeed. I'm even more concerned and determined to get into this fight for our children/grandchildren.