MY TEA PARTY EXPERIENCE

I attended a Tea Party in Portland, Oregon on April 15, 2009.  There were several thousand people in Pioneer Square.  Nobody paid me to go, nobody twisted my arm, nobody recruited me!  After I heard about it from my son, I decided to attend out of pure frustration.  I am watching as our constitution is being destroyed, our government is taking more control over our lives and our money, and our values are being attacked.   My elected representatives and my President seem to be promoting their own agendas that I don't agree with.  Their agendas are raping our country and pushing us down a hill toward socialism.

The tea party in Portland was a mix of people from all political persuasions and all walks of life.  It was not a political gathering.  There were young people and old people and everyone in between.  The program was about preserving our constitution, restating the values of our founding fathers, encouraging people to vote and to stand up for their beliefs and values.  The name "Obama" was not mentioned once by any of the speakers.  The tea party was very positive and peaceful with a lot of friendly banter taking place.  There was NO violence at our party, nor were there any reports of violence in any tea party anywhere in the country!  

 A conservative estimate of 300,000 people across the country. attended tea parties on April 15, but the media barely gave it a mention.  There was, however, a lot of mocking, derisive and insulting comments made about the people who attended the parties!  Why was it necessary for the media to do that?  I think it's because they have no legitimate defense against the arguments being presented by these citizens, so their only weapon is mockery.   In life, that is often how someone reacts when faced with an argument or a true fact that they can't defend logically.  They revert to name calling and insult to discredit the person.   (i.e. "Oh yeah,  well you're just a jerk!"  Heard that before?)

The media portrayed these tea parties as being organized by "the rich" or "Fox News" or "right wing extremists".  The truth is that these tea parties were a true grass roots movement unlike anything that has been seen in our country in many decades.  Average citizens took it upon themselves to set up these tea parties in the areas they live in.  In Portland, the people who organized the party  paid the rental fee for Pioneer Square by getting sponsors.  A radio talk station, several citizens' groups, several businesses, and some individuals donated.  The speaker system was donated.  People were asked to clean up the area as they left so we would "leave the place better than we found it".  This was no "right wing" organized event!  People came because they wanted and needed validation for their own feelings and frustrations about what our government is doing.

I had never in my life attended any kind of protest or demonstration.  When I left this Tea Party, I was refilled with patriotism and love for the country our forefathers established.  I was re-energized to keep speaking out and fighting for my country's well being.  That is exactly what is feared most by the out of control government and the media!