Derrion Albert's Death Being Used for More Gun Control

With highlights focused on the funeral of Derrion Albert, the victim of a severe beating caught on video in Chicago, I find it a bit disturbing that there are politicians and gun grabbing organizations calling for tighter gun control laws, in light of Albert’s murder and the violence in Chicago. Albert wasn’t killed with a gun. He was killed with a railroad tie and kicks in the head. Why don’t they talk about banning railroad ties for personal use? Even if they did, criminals would still use them, as by nature they follow no laws.

I would be horrified if someone tried to use the death of my son to push an agenda of something completely unrelated. There is no shame among those who are calling for more gun laws, either. Indeed, these are righteous individuals who are looking out for the little guy. Except when you ask them why none of the existing gun laws have been able to affect the rates of violent crime, and then they turn into people who call the NRA members terrorists, and accuse them of helping to perpetuate gun crime. (Reminder, Albert wasn’t killed with a gun.) And did they ever bother to evaluate these laws they helped push on the rest of the law abiding country? Undoubtedly, no. Rather, they think it’s not enough, and there should be stricter gun control laws. I’m sure the Brady Campaigners are having a field day prepping for marches, protests, etc. The Jesse Jacksons of the world are frothing at the mouth, and Obama is calling for a permanent ban on assault weapons… It would make sense if Albert was murdered with an assault weapon.

What good do they actually do, anyway? By their very nature, criminals don’t obey the law. It’s the reason they break them all the time, from drunk driving, to abusing children, to rape and murder. Thus, in Chicago, 90% of gun violence comes from gangs and other criminals. How many and how harsh are those laws in Chicago, anyway? It’s obvious they’re doing a heck of a lot of good, in that the murder rates still soar to record levels, higher than the levels in Iraq. The teenage murder/victim rates are as high as ever. Show me a criminal willing to get finger printed and FBI background checks, and show me a criminal who will willingly walk into the state trooper’s office, get his picture taken to get a license, so that he can murder his victim with a legally owned firearm- permit and all? The very nature of how criminals acquire guns, are illegal, not to mention it’s illegal for them to own guns, and operate guns, and use them against people; what gun law helped this situation?

Never mind that the CDC and National Academy of Sciences concedes they have been unable to document any cases where a gun law helped prevent violent gun crime. Oh, and so did the Journal of the American Medical Association- an anti-gun advocate. In 2007, the FBI even reported that those cities with the tightest gun control laws were the same with the highest murder and violent crime rates. The ludicrousness of the notion that tighter gun control laws will prevent people like Albert from needlessly dying, is astounding. What next? They murdered this poor kid by assault, which is also illegal. His death has nothing to do with guns. It has to do with violence in big inner city areas, among people who have no respect for laws, or other people.

Conversely, in Kennesaw, GA, an experimental law was enacted requiring the heads of households to have a firearm in the home for defensive purposes. That year, violent crime rates plummeted by 74%. It further decreased by 45% in the following year. What criminal do you know is willing to pick a battle with a person who would very likely over power the criminal? Criminals, in addition to breaking the laws, are most often picking the easiest targets- by their very nature. Otherwise they’d be for getting jobs, like the rest of the law abiding community.

What would happen if Chicago said, “Let’s arm the honest decent citizens, who stand in line for permits all over the country, and allow them to carry concealed weapons in public and in their homes, to defend themselves from that criminal element that own 90% of the violent crime…”? Facing the facts, police aren’t there to protect you; they write the reports after the crimes occur. The police aren’t perfect at catching criminals, either. The ‘error rate’ is the rate at which police shoot and kill the wrong criminal, and the police average more than 11% of the time. Citizens who are armed have an error rate of less than 2%, and are twice as likely as the police to shoot and kill their attacker. On average, 200,000 women use their firearms to defend themselves from attacks, and upwards of 3 million people use their firearms to defend themselves, each year. Just not in Chicago.

When Obama talks about assault weapons bans, liberals get scared of the mention and can’t be bothered with allowing people to possess these- even though they don’t know what they are. Hunting rifles are more powerful. Assault weapons bans only apply to semi-automatic guns, rather than automatics- which are what you see in James Bond movies, as there is an existing law regulating them. Assault weapons bans also only address cosmetic issues, which is why it’s known as the Scary Gun Ban. With a detachable magazine and a couple other cool cosmetics, you have an “assault weapon”. Take the cool cosmetics off, and you have an equally powerful and deadly weapon that doesn’t look as menacing to the liberals. Go figure. I suppose it’s a necessary ban; given criminals’ natural propensity to violate the law and acquire illegal guns, they actually use “assault weapons” one fifth of one percent of the time, while committing violent gun crimes.

It isn’t enough that liberals refuse to examine real data where gun laws, gun crimes, gun defenses and assault weapons are concerned. Now they’re using the murder of a young man, by complete thugs with zero guns, to go and try to restrict firearms further. When criminals commit gun crimes, the law abiding people get punished. Our right to defense comes closer to being nonexistent. I wouldn’t even think of living in Chicago, for anything, unless I was allowed something to equalize the playing field, because calling 911 and using a baseball bat doesn’t cut it. I don't appreciate the notion that I shouldn't be able to defend myself with the most effective means, either. But the issue about guns and their restrictions is being completely blown in the face of the real issues surrounding Albert’s untimely death. Chicago should figure out another way to deal with it's city full of thugs, gangs, and criminals, and stop trying to prevent people from defending themselves.

What will government run healthcare and amnesty have in common?

“…We in the search for Fact. F-A-C-T. Not truth. If it’s the truth you’re looking for, [the] philosophy class is down the hall.” – Dr. Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Some of the news this week is disturbing to me in the way that it did not slap the fringe media, right square in the back of the head, provoking one of those light bulb-in-the-brain moments for those that would consider themselves part of the mainstream. The fury over Joe Wilson’s remark in the joint session of Congress sparked rages among the left, as if he’d called Obama the Anti-Christ, or demanded to see his birth certificate. But what are the facts?

The fact that Democrats voted repeatedly to disinclude an amendment to the gargantuan heath care bill that would mandate verifying legal status, making sure that only eligible Americans are receiving taxpayer benefits, is moot. That’s done been figured out, and if there are any remaining questions, inquiring minds can research the voting records of these members of Congress.

In reality, Obama did not tell a bold faced lie. The health care bill does not say, “Yes, we’re going to give illegal aliens access to American taxpayer health benefits.” The health care bill does also does not say verification of eligibility will take place upon application of these benefits. What does president Obama say about the matter, while appealing to the Hispanic and Latino communities, to ensure that only legal taxpaying citizens will receive health benefits? He says we should just legalize the illegal. That would provide for everyone receiving benefits, Obama will not be seen as taking a position against that minority community, and he can say he did not lie, when providing the way for only legal taxpayers to receive benefits. If they’re all legal, then how are illegals getting health care, after all?

So what are the facts? Only upon Amnesty, will Obama be right.

Allow me to prepare you for our next battle. For some of us, life is like a game of chess. We must know our opponent, and the way they think. We must be able to anticipate the next move, and the more correct we are, the better our position is to defeat them at the pass. Thus, it is willful ignorance to not look ahead on our part, and this includes looking ahead to the next major issue. Our plates are full, our cups are running over with the information we are expected to retain; we’re just going to have to allow our plates and cups to spill over onto the table, because the servings keep coming.

As you recall in 2007, the immigration debate was so heated, that when the Congress under the Bush administration voted on amnesty for the illegal aliens in our country, the citizens of this country called their congress representatives at such rates, it completely shut down the phone lines and crashed the email servers. Being a conservative and also being one of those callers, I remember being horribly offended by President Bush for perpetuating this nonsense, when it was clear that not only his base was against the idea, but the vast majority of the country- all political parties and ideologies, included. It was truly clear to the rest of us at that point that this government of ours is in it for themselves to a truly frightening degree.

The debate seemed to fizzle out, and the citizens went home feeling as if they’d won the round. It was a nuclear issue during the campaign in 2008 between the candidates, which worked well against McCain, as all the conservatives knew what to expect by him, judging on his voting record. Obama, on the other hand, benefitted from the country not knowing much about him. His captive audience waited to see what he would say, holding to themselves a pledge to hold Obama accountable in the future. Who among them looked up Obama’s voting records, or previously recorded statements on the issue of illegal aliens? In carefully crafted verbiage, he said the same thing as the previous administration, and almost all members of congress, in that we should provide a pathway to citizenship, where these folks will all go to the back of the line… (as if this is not what is already taking place).

This issue will not be one we will discuss much this year. Health care is too heated, people’s emotions are high, and his political reputation is on the line (at least among us here in the country; those at the U.N. like him quite a bit). But he needs to remain seen as the One Who Cares, so make no mistake: he will tie the health care issue with the illegal immigrant issue, rather marvelously. It is a humanity issue, after all. We can’t provide health care for all citizens, but be so cruel as to not provide it for those among us who are least fortunate; and some are the least fortunate by virtue of not being born here, so let’s erase notions that we should care about birthplace. It shouldn’t matter, but being that it does, if we make them a part of us, then it won’t matter in the long run. It will remain to be seen how to pay for it (perhaps more taxes on “Cadillac insurance policies”), and the details will be worked out, but we must agree that health care for all includes those coming into our country, as well as those already here.

Remember to not derail from logic and reason. Do not allow emotions to dictate your debates. This is not about how we feel. This is about practicality, and what makes logistical sense for the country. Giving amnesty to illegal aliens may feel good, but in actuality it is bad for the country. With the health care debacle racking up untold billions of dollars, amnesty would only serve to ratchet up the costs even further. What is the logical and not emotional answer?

Prepare yourself with the latest version of Adobe Reader for easy download of the bill when it is published by Congress. Prepare yourselves for not only the type of attacks you are seeing now, but also the attacks you received when amnesty was being discussed. Prepare yourself to be told you are being misinformed. Prepare yourself for the president to “reject the notions…” that you are making. To be sure, the issue will not be about notions. Like the current health care debate, prepare yourself to smeared by the fringe media as selfish and/or racist to oppose the President’s plan. Don’t be a ninny and think this isn’t coming. Steel yourself to the attacks- just as you have done with these current issues- arm yourself with your research, so you know you are speaking F-A-C-T. Don’t be dismissed. We’re fighting for our country, not just ourselves, here. It’s not enough to say, “No government health care”, at this point. We cannot excuse or separate the two issues, as even the President will fuse the two. There can be no amnesty either, simply to prove the president to be not a liar on his face with regard to illegals receiving taxpayer funded health benefits. The issue will become amnesty, then health care, and then amnesty for health care. Watch and see.

Tea Party March in Washington, DC.

I don’t think in all my time attending protests, I have enjoyed being called racist more than now. It’s interesting to me to read the blogs written by leftist moonbats who either downplay the DC rally, or resort to calling us racists. It’s interesting, because of the allegations that all the Partiers are too simple and shallow and stupid to actually judge people based on what type of person they are. We’re too dumb to make a character judgment. We’re all shallow, and we operate in life by looking at a person’s skin color, and deciding whether or not we’ll support them. We haven’t the intellectual capability to take what a person says, compare it to the way a person acts, and make judgments based on that. Thus we are racists, who only go to Tea Parties- not because of taxes, spending, big government, etc., but because we cannot come to grips with a black person being president.

Pray tell, if we’re so racist, why is it the left who keeps bringing it up? They’re the ones who rallied during Obama’s campaign about putting racism behind us as a country, and yet racial cries are louder today than before anyone knew who Obama was. Every single solitary time someone disagrees with the president on anything, the left cries racism. They are very quick to remind us that a black person is president. You don’t hear the Tea Partiers saying anything about Obama’s race. We talk about his policies. It’s the left that keeps mentioning it- race is so important to them, while they tell us to be color blind… why do they focus so much on his blackness- with no mention of the fact that he’s half white, and why do they keep telling us that our arguments against this administration and Congress could not possibly stem from policy, but only and simply because Obama is black?

Furthermore, can I get a real argument about this? Like, really, guys. I have a lot to say about this Congress, the President, their policies, spending practices, taxing practices and the healthcare bill currently being worked on in Congress. The ONLY argument worth any weight that I have heard by the left is that they really believe in healthcare for all. That’s commendable, and I appreciate their conviction. But that’s when reason stops and 2nd grade begins. Because as soon as someone says they read the bill and oppose several things inside it, the left says we’re racist, extremists, domestic terrorists. Is it that they lack the ability to debate or reason- did they read the bill? Can we get a substantive argument here? The only accomplishment from the left by demonizing us, is producing apathy on our parts. So, keep calling us names. We don’t care. It is only because of the lack of ability on the part of the left to stop and think about what these Tea Partiers are actually saying. We don’t care anymore- we know who we are and have failed to see why we need to continue trying to prove how not racist we are. No more from us about our black friends or coworkers- or that some of us aren’t white, and aren’t going through Stockholm syndrome. We’re not Uncle Toms and we’re not going to defend ourselves from people who throw tantrums like two year olds who don’t get their way. Let’s face it really- in all the efforts by the left to downplay us and call us everything in the book from Astroturf to Zealots- we cannot be knocked over and dismayed. You- the left and the media- don’t matter to us anymore. We have moved beyond the games of the left.

Where politics are concerned, we were a diverse group in DC. There were Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Libertarians, and some people who have never been political. However, we were all conservative; and let’s examine why that is so.

It doesn’t matter if someone in our crowd is pro-choice. It didn’t matter if they think global warming is real. We’re conservative because of the convictions we stand on that guide us through life, based on our own personal experiences on this planet. We conservatives know and believe fundamental principles, like don’t spend money you don’t have; you have no right to take from one person to give to another; I know what’s better for me and my family than you do; you live your life and let me live mine; the government works best when it’s small and out of the lives of people; we do not do handouts; we resent the guilt trip of the left to try and manipulate our behaviors; it is our business what we believe in, spiritually; it is our business to speak out- and be unafraid- when we see things we don’t like within our country’s government; we think most politicians are corrupt- from all parties; we believe capitalism works; we believe in allowing individuals to succeed in their own rights; we believe in allowing individuals- or companies- to fall on their faces rather than supporting them when they fail.

We are conservative because each of us have had some really tough times in life and managed to pull ourselves through. Government is not our mommy. We are conservative because of what life has taught us about the way people are, they way we are as a result, how wonderful life is when we’re left to our own devices to create this life. We’re conservative because we don’t think it’s anyone’s business to tell us anything about us and our lives, no matter what the circumstances. We’re not law breakers, we are taxpayers. We maintain our convictions and we stand in defense of them with the resolve our Founding Fathers prayed we would have in these times. We are not afraid. We are conservative because we don’t believe in the left, we have no confidence in them. We do not abide by hypocrites who tell us to be diverse, and to accept opposing points of view, when they don’t have to be.

It is our way of life. It’s not simply about politics. Politics is Congress, it’s an elephant or an ass. This is who we are and how we live. We have convictions and have developed principles on which to live, based on our lives and making our ways in the world. We may not all agree on specifics, but we all agree in general principles. Reason and logic are the first tools we use in life to get through- unlike liberals do where they run on how they feel about things. We respect the rights of others to not live like we chose to live. We respect the rights of others to be all manner of people- and encourage them to do so, as long as they don’t tread on others. It’s not about which party holds control in Washington. It’s about our lives, and us as individual people and how we chose to be, raise our kids, and navigate through this crazy world. So while there may be some pro-choice people, anti-gun people, etc. we were all conservatives in Washington, September 12, 2009. And we are demanding accountability, with no regard for which ever names and other bombs that get thrown at us. We cannot be derailed. And the reason for it is conservatism. It’s our life, not our party, and you cannot shake someone from the foundations they have created for themselves, simply by calling them racist.

This is a sentiment that we shared with each other at the Tea Party, this weekend. It was amazing to speak with so many different types of people, and they all say the same thing I am saying. It was like I was talking to myself. We all had no expectations of major media reports; in fact, many of us were surprised to learn the Alphabet Media even mentioned it all, even if they did downplay the efforts. I would imagine that if any news media were there- CNN was, briefly- they would have been dismissed, the same way they dismiss us. We don’t care anymore. We know where we stand and aren’t justifying or defending anymore, and we’ll dismiss the MSM the same they do with us.

Note to the Drive-By Media: don’t even bother. Please continue to ignore us. No- really. I mean it. Your lack of reporting, skewing the attendance numbers, calling us paid partisan hacks- frothing at the mouth- says more about you and more about us, than it would if you actually reported it. So please keep up the efforts to ignore us, and make us out to be something we’re not. It actually helps us. The reason why is because no matter what the numbers are- be it 1 million, 1.5 or 2 million, every single solitary person that was there went home, uploaded their video to Youtube, and told every other person they know what they just did. There are more of us than there are media personnel, there are more of us than there are corrupt politicians. We will tell everyone and document everything online, which is where we go to inform ourselves (like reading the healthcare bill), and people who want real information will find it. We need no validation from the Drive By media. How do I know this to be true? Because if I think it, then at least two million other people are thinking it.

We don’t need you.

We don’t need the government either… except where it concerns our lives… we do need the government to stay out of our lives, our homes, our schools, our religions, our finances, our bodies and our business. We do need that. The progressive government we have found ourselves with need to take note. We the People are demanding accountability and if this government and this administration do not comply, we will fire you.

We were two million strong, with pictures and video to prove it. We taxpayers took off work- some without pay- drove hours, paid exorbitant tolls, and every one of us were afraid of people not taking it seriously and not coming out. Much to our pleasant surprise, that notion seemed to motivate people more than the message itself. People showed up to be one more person- in case the numbers were low. People are genuinely angry and HAD to be there. They just had to make the sacrifices away from daily life, and attend, just to be one more person showing their displeasure and disgust. They had to be one more person to attempt to remind Washington just who pays their salary. And we vote.

I am a bit insulted at the Whitehouse response to the Partiers, who said they did not know who we were or what we were doing… that we were paid to be there. I mean, come on- if they don’t know who we are, then how do they know we were paid? Furthermore, if the Whitehouse did not know who the two million people were on the front lawn of the Capitol building were, then what does that say about the security and intelligence of this administration? It’s their JOB to know who we are and what we’re doing. What if we really were terrorists, gathering there to support bringing harm to the country? You bet your butts the Whitehouse would know who was there. But y’all keep it classy, now. Play stupid and then insult is and pretend to not know us. That’s a great way to portray the supposed leader of the free world. Dumb, blind, arrogant and immature. Right on, guys.

My day started by being amazed at the sheer numbers of people- literally hundreds of people- waiting in line to buy a ticket to catch the train to DC. We packed like sardines onto the train and everyone spoke as if we’d known each other for ever. As evidenced by some of my video captured, I was beyond amazed at the numbers upon entering the rally point- somewhere in the middle, at 13th street. As I located my Party mates and we began the march, the rumbles and cheers gave me goose bumps. It was something you could almost physically feel- and although hard to describe, it was almost like a sports game when watching the fans do the wave, in the stands. The roars with us started at the back, and we heard the low rumble, and it grew louder as it approached us. It hit us and it was our turn to yell and cheer, and it left us and moved to the front of the crowds, going back to the low roaring, until we couldn’t hear it anymore. Several times this happened.

When I arrived at the Capitol, I was able to meander in near the pond at Freedom Plaza, and it took nearly a half hour to wind my way up closer to the stage. Amazing is an understatement. The seas of people will stay with me forever. The people that were there were all of one single mind set- no matter what their issue in particular may have been- which is the government is the problem. It is broken. It is too intrusive, it pushes too hard for what it wants. It does not represent the People. Government says it is doing the bidding of the People. But they have said many things we know to be ludicrous. They say and do two different things, which is what the dictionary defines as hypocrite. We are finished with their style of leadership. We all- two million of us- are simply letting them know that they’re on thin and melting ice. We’re all informed, we read the voting records. And don’t blame us because we read the bill.

I hugged more strangers than I have ever in my life. I hugged more people and can hardly remember names- some I never bothered to ask. It kind of didn’t matter. I sat on the ledge of the pond in Freedom Plaza with a delightful elderly lady and talked with her about the direction of the country for maybe twenty minutes. It was fascinating for us, the rest of the rally took pause and it seemed as if it was just the two of us. I think she was from North Carolina; when she got up to leave, she blessed me and kissed my cheek. I got hungry and found a McDonalds, and there were so many people inside that some were just standing up and eating things. I went outside and asked to share a piece of sidewalk with a guy named David and his son- I’m sorry I can’t remember your name!- who came from Kentucky. David said that his wife was sorry she couldn’t make it, but he just couldn’t sit by anymore. He hadn’t been to a Tea Party, and he was scared that no one would show up; that people would sit by and just think someone else could be there for him. He had to be there, and he couldn’t believe so many others shared that thought. So many others decided that they would be one. They would not allow someone else to take their place at the Party.

It was a Party, too. Everyone wanted to be with each other, it was like a massive family reunion, without the family drama. I thanked every police officer I saw, and they gave me a look and a “you’re welcome” as if I was the 500th person to say that to them. Everyone laughed and was in good spirits; at one point I kept apologizing for bumping into people and some guy shouted, “Will you stop apologizing already? We’re all family here!” We also were a clean bunch. We all took the time to not litter. The trashcans were overflowing, and we all took care to keep our trash neatly piled around the can- along with discarded signs when the rally was over. It’s because conservatives believe in being responsible, not relying on the park service and city workers to clean up after us. We believe in trying to keep picked up after ourselves, and I can tell you we all enjoyed poking fun at the liberals who like to trash the place, like during Obama’s inauguration.

What’s the bottom line? The ball is in our court and we no longer need to be afraid. We can speak out and move forward and dismiss these liberals while they throw their tantrums and try to demean us. But I do think we have some obligations, here. We are obviously no longer afraid to address Congress when we are being ignored, and let them know how we feel. We know how to pay attention. Now, while we validate ourselves- and we do not need, nor should seek any validation from the media- I believe it is our obligation to start calling them to task. Accurate journalism is far gone- it is a bunch of liberal activism with TV cameras. If we can get two million people in DC, we can get 2,000 people calling the MSM. It isn’t about getting them to listen. They won’t. It’s about getting back and flooding their phone lines with people who are sick of the way they do business. They have phone lines dedicated for public contact. Call them up and give them a piece of your mind, as they chose to be tools of the progressive government. Enough is enough.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who was there, and maybe some of you will actually read this. If not, maybe this is a sort of love letter to all of you that I’ll keep here for myself to read from time to time to remember what it felt like to be with you. I will continue to fight as I know you will. I know it may not finish for a while, but I am prepared to stand up with you, across the country, while we defend it from the biggest remake in our history. I am proud that you hold the convictions I do in regards to holding to our principles and not allowing them to be swept away; if it goes away we can’t get it back. We don’t need the government to care for us and we don’t need the media to validate us. We have each other and there are more of us than there are of them. We proved this. Everyone of us learned something important about ourselves, that further proved to strengthen our resolve. We are fighters, we are patriotic, we are independent people, we love our country, and we’re not going to take it from these bureaucratic progressive politicians or their media puppets, anymore.

Our Founding Fathers would be proud, you know. God Bless you all.

Party like it's 1773!

I have been out of my loop for so long. It’s so good to be back in again!

Of all the things to talk about, I must tell you about the Tea Parties I attended. This phenomenon started a few months ago by Rick Santelli, as it is widely known, and a handful of people from different states took the idea and ran with it. Thanks to the World Wide Web -that I’m sure Janet Napolitano is either monitoring or getting ready to (where do I sign up to turn myself in?)- these like-minded people were able to connect and spread the word. Make your voice heard and have a Tea Party.

The radical left cannot figure out how this is possible without the help of a conservative version of George Soros funding the operation, and thus have accused the Tea Partiers of being dupes (or duped) by Fox News, the RNC, and other higher income individuals. Nancy Pelosi stated it wasn’t a true grassroots movement (Because Cindy Sheehan and whoever pays her bills is a grassroots movement, I guess), but rather Astroturf. But no one put the gas in my tank or paid my subway ticket but me. (To be fair, my mom did stimulate my economy a bit and bought me dinner.)

The liberals cannot figure out how conservatives can mobilize, become motivated by each other’s convictions and become active. In March of 2007, Americans from across this country as far away as Hawaii descended upon Washington, DC to guard the memorials and monuments from Code Pink’s vandalism (Funny that DHS doesn’t consider them to be extreme). Code Pink, the notorious group of women and some very feminine men decided to spray paint war memorials, and vandalize the Vietnam Memorial Wall. When it was found out that they were gathering again a couple months later, Americans responded and 30,000 people stood guard of our Mall, simply honoring our Fallen.

The reason why they don’t understand is they lack the individual convictions that conservatives possess. The far left link themselves with popularity, and what they view as provocative, in the name of being open minded. They run on emotions, and that’s why they’re able to guilt people into buying Toyota Priuses, not using plastic bags at the grocery and eating Tofu and Garden Burgers. At least fish did not turn into sea kittens. To them, it is not cool to not only rally for what they believe in, but also rally for what others do. Standing up for others rights is only important among agreeable people, to these liberals who call us Tea Baggers. (I had to look that one up. I won’t even tell you what it is here. If you’re reading this, you have Google).

Therefore, when millions of Americans took it upon themselves to say enough is enough with what the government has been doing, they dismisses it because they don’t understand it. They don’t believe that average Joe the Plumber types can get angry enough to take off work and go yell at their capitals and City Halls, demanding that these politicians listen. And when confronted about this, liberals’ response is along the lines of, “Well, George Bush spent all that money on that illegal war.” Then there are the liberals who use adolescent sex humor (I mean, not even adult sex humor) in their nightly commentary broadcasts. They don’t understand and so they act like the popular kid who just got his ego deflated by the new kid in class. The formerly popular kid resorts to belittling, intimidation, dismissal and all out attacks. I remember this well, back in the eighth grade. Funny how dissent was only patriotic under Bush, and doubly funny is how these liberals claim to be open minded and tolerant of people who have other view points.

I echo many people who attended the tea parties, in that I cannot afford the way Congress is taking my money right from me. I got a whopping $13 dollars in my “stimulus” kick back. The taxes on my cell phone may go up, property taxes may go up. There are higher sales tax, tobacco tax, tolls, parking tickets, speeding tickets, carbon taxes, and all other manner of higher taxes, fees and fines. In different states there are similar instances of other taxes being levied on the American Taxpayer, such as Oregon where they want to raise the tax on beer by 1,900%. Here in New York, Patterson wanted to tax soda since it had sugar in it and heavy people shouldn’t be drinking it. And you just MUST love the notion in some states where they want to tack on an extra tax to citizens’ electric bills for a “streetlight user fee”, or in other states where they want people to pay an extra fee for the police responding to fender benders, to write their reports. (I mean, call me crazy, but shouldn’t those have been in the operating budget already???)

In Chicago Illinois, the parking meter rate went up to $6.25, payable in quarters only for an hour. Who carries that many quarters with them to park? The rate increase sparked such an outrage that people from all over the city virtually destroyed the parking meters by painting the displays black, super gluing the coin slot, running them over, filling them with pennies so as to overfill them and render them inoperable. Why? Because the people paid to build the stupid road, they pay to park (you know, because parking is such a hot commodity that we should repay the city for the use of our road), they pay the person who writes the ticket for parking on the road too long, and the private company who bought the meters from the city decides to hike it up again! How does the city sell what the public owns?

I make far less than $90k, and my income is shrinking. It’s all because of the taxes. The $787 Billion Stimulus was supposed to be allocated to states to shore up themselves so they didn’t have to raise taxes during the recession. What did they do? These politicians- these legislators that vote themselves raises and have health insurances and other benefits for life- go and overspend their budgets, raise taxes and they don’t cut one single solitary program that isn’t working, as promised. Not one program has even been evaluated, because they’re so busy apologizing to France for American arrogance, and printing money faster than I can type this sentence.

I’m not happy with republicans or democrats to be sure. There are a handful of new people on both sides that I will be willing to give a chance to, but the rest of these people have got to go. They were elected to do a job, term after term after term they have failed the American people miserably by squandering our money and catering to their own interests, rather than just simply being the public servants they are. They have utter contempt and disregard for anyone who would question that. They take positions and campaign on promises that garner votes, with either no intention of delivering , or delivering to the detriment of the average American taxpaying citizen; they advocate illegal aliens or convicted felons vote, in hopes of making their tally grow, so as to be elected- not because they care about the alien or felon.

What I find preposterous is the notion that these people are somehow going to help me out of a bad situation by first taxing me and taking my money, and then returning a fraction of it back to me, while trying to convince me they are working for my good! I can guarantee you that unless a person has a financial IQ of a naked mole rat; it would benefit people more to allow the person to manage their own money. In efforts to become mommy and carry people from cradle to grave, these legislators will figure out a way to take money from you to exploit their other causes. Like the mafia, only the mafia was much smarter and organized. For example, these politicians say the tobacco tax was going to pay for health care, but it always goes into the general fund, instead. They said that about this latest increase, too. We need to pay for healthcare. Make the smokers do it! They also want to use the money from carbon cap and trade taxes to pay for healthcare. You know, because it wouldn’t make any sense to have it pay for something environment related. (These people who know nothing, just had Carbon listed by the EPA as harmful to humans- a pollutant that this government agency can now attempt to regulate… everyone must now breathe half as much.)

In short, we the people are sick of this. Give us our money and we’ll figure out what to do with it. Neither government- nor anyone else- is entitled to the fruits of someone’s labor, and they do not have the consent of the governed to do this, and they do not know how to manage the people’s money and lives better than the individuals, themselves. Furthermore, Americans who make wise decisions should not be responsible for those that don't. We are not socialists here. If I make good decisions, it is not right to be punished for those that don't.

People ask what’s next? What do we do now that the party is over? Well, fellow taxpayers- the party has only started. Already people are organizing more parties, and there is one scheduled for July 4th in Washington, DC. Get involved, see how you can help these people, either by attending of getting on an email list and forwarding the emails you receive to other people- whether they agree with you or not. That simply serves to let them know that you are doing this and others are doing this, and maybe they should acknowledge it.

Next call your legislators—(202) 224-3121. All of them. Pick a day, once a week at least, and make calls, send emails and faxes. Find out which issues matter to you- whatever they are- and get involved. Call them to tell them you either appreciate the job they’re doing, or that you plan to vote them out because they’re screwing up! Ask questions and demand answers. They work for you, they take your money and pay themselves what they see fit- it’s time they answer back. Pay attention to the new candidates. Let them have a chance in the upcoming elections. Nothing changes if the same people are allowed to stay in for life. Chris Dodd is on his way out the door- and that couldn’t happen any sooner. The rest of the bastards that are doing this to us need to be on their way out the doors, too. And don’t let the door hit them where the Good Lord split them.

Lastly, is advice from Rush Limbaugh, who had a caller frustrated because she was attacked by “friends” who didn’t share her beliefs (again, probably not taxpayers). The thing is, the minority who are okay with what the Government is doing is angry because they are on defense. They haven’t been on defense and they cannot handle it. They lash out with no arguments and paint us onto extremists and selfish who don’t care about the plights of others. We all know that’s patently false, but it doesn’t change their attacks. Among our God given rights, is the right to protest when the government gets out of hand and takes the consent from the governed for granted. It is reiterated in our Constitution and Bill of rights. We have nothing to defend in the way of liberal attacks. We are not required to explain ourselves to those that not only disagree but have no intention of trying to understand. They can be defensive. We are on offense, and we march on, with or without them. They do not matter anymore. What matters is we continue to rise up as Americans, and say enough is enough- demanding answers and when we get none, we fire the people for plain and simple incompetence. Liberals be damned. America has woken up and for whatever position a person may take on any given issue, we are united on this- stop wasting my money, stop stealing from my wallet, and stop lying to me while you do it. That in itself is all the explanation that anyone should need.

Tax Day Tea Party Report

On March 23rd, I attended a Tea Party in Ridgefield, CT. At first, I was wondering how many people would actually come out to Ridgefield. It’s such a small quaint little place, far from any major highways. In New England, it’s not easy to navigate and you need to either be a person with intimate knowledge of their maps, or a GPS. I located the Party, parked, and went in. I made several signs for people who may not have brought one, and I also brought extra poster board for anyone who might have had a bright idea, and wanted to make a fresh one. (This is also something liberals don’t understand. Why would I do that? They should have remembered to bring their own signs!) As it turned out, all the signs that I made were taken by other people- as I predicted- and some did take my extras to make their own. And I must say, it was very effective in relaying more of our sentiment!

We started in the memorial park across the street from the library. We then marched to line both sides of the main street, while we chanted and rallied for about an hour. The reception from the town was very positive. We got many people honking- people have very individual types of approving honks! They beep a lot, long mixed with short bursts (like Morse code, almost!) or they just lay on their horn the whole time they drive by. Either worked, and it was fun to watch the reaction from people who had never rallied before, and they followed the lead of the seasoned activists, cheering for the cars as they honked for us.

Afterwards, we went back to the park and rallied there, pledging the flag, singing the national anthem. We had speakers, a music guest, and a bunch of pissed off people- but in good spirits. It seemed as if everyone connected with anyone they hadn’t previously met. The party ended at 2:00pm, but people were around long after that, just getting to know each other, and feeling better that they are not the only ones who feels this way. About 300 people showed up that day- much to everyone’s surprise. We expected 50.

On March 28th, I attended the Tea Party in Stamford, CT, at the downtown library. I picked up my first hitch hiker in Connecticut that day, as while driving down the road, I saw a lady walking with signs in her hand. I slowed down and asked her if she was going to the tea party, and she was. She hopped in and to her humor- she had never been picked up as a hitch hiker, either. We made it to the party and there were about 200 in attendance, due to the threat of weather. The reception was warm again, but we did get some people who would drive by and flip us off. (I guessed they live on our tax dollars, so they’re not happy we’re speaking out against it.) The area was very prominent for pedestrian traffic, so all the passersby were very curious about it.

There are two old people who protest the Iraq war (you know, the one we won…) at the library and were not happy we were there. They went across the street, but eventually gave up when they started getting yells from our crowd. I mean- come on. Life is great for the most part in Iraq, now. I mean, it’s night and day compared to before the war. Anyone with any brains knows this.

Again, there were speakers, sign-up sheets, people passing out information about issues that concerned them, and more people becoming connected. If you’ve never been to something like this, it is simply fascinating to witness and be a part of. Nancy Pelosi should really pay attention. Even if we were paid by someone to be there (that’s really funny they say that. I feel like I was called a doodoo head.) you cannot pay people to connect that way, with full intention of connecting again in the future.

On Tax Day, I attended two parties, the one in Hartford, CT and the one in NYC. Up at the crack of dawn and out the door, I thought I would arrive in Hartford early, so as to find a place to park. Apparently, so did every other person. The police were nice enough to allow us to park at the garage for the armory and the Capitol, for free. When I arrived at about 11:00am (the party started at noon), there were already a couple thousand people there. It was phenomenal- I had never seen such a large crowd in this very blue area. There were republicans, democrats, independents, and people who aren’t political at all. There were young, old, well to do people dressed up in business attire, and people who appeared to be on their last nickel. There were all nationalities, all religions, male and female. I met a man from Kosovo, telling the crowd that where we’re headed is what he left. The only people I could find that were paid to be there, was the local media who came out for reporting.

Now, it must be said that the media that I spoke to- the local NBC affiliate, the Associated Press, Pajamas Media and another radio show (can’t remember the call letters!!) were very polite, in good spirits, amazed at the size of the crowd, and unbiased- unlike their national counterparts. The woman from NBC who interviewed me was very polite, smiled a lot and seemed to enjoy herself, walking through the crowds. She asked me general questions about why I was there, she asked me if I had a political affiliation, and if there was anything I wanted to say in the way of message to anyone listening. How come Susan Roesgen can’t do that?

We had many speakers, and about 5,000 were in attendance! There were so many people, it was really hard to navigate. Everyone felt the same way, and as I was talking to people, they were amazed at this- they said it was like they were talking to themselves, everyone was so on the same page. We were videoed by the Connecticut highway patrol. Goodie for them- hope they got a nice shot of me, because I got one of them! I heard reports of this around the country. My family in Oklahoma that attended said the cops were there filming. In Norwich, CT, they were there. Dunno why… maybe they want something to show their kids… that’s gotta be it!

There were a couple politicians with disdainful looks. I showed them my sign, “Congress’ unemployment rates should go up!” and they gave me dirty looks and turned away. One guy came up to me whose name is Ron Simmons, running for senate. He was happy to be there and happy we were doing this, and in light of it, I don’t know nor care what party he is from. He explained to me that he wanted to speak, but our organizers wouldn’t let him. I replied- respectfully, of course- that we didn’t want to listen to him, we wanted him to just listen to us. We have listened to them long enough, and it’s time they pay attention to what we’re saying. I told him that because of that, I truly appreciated he was there to listen to us.

The organizer said our permit lasted until 2pm and at that time, we would work on vacating the premises, being guests at the Capitol. The crowd went wild, shouting that they owned the building- we paid for it with taxes, we maintain it with taxes and we employ every single solitary person in that building- it’s ours and we don’t have to leave. And they didn’t. The reports I had heard was people stuck around until 3:00 and 3:30pm. (I left about 2:30pm).

From there was my mad dash home, so I could make it to City Hall in NYC by 7pm. My goal was Grand Central by 6:00. Having had nothing to eat, I stopped for a snack on the way to pick up mom at the Port Authority- it’s not easy to eat and rush through Times Square at the same time. Mom and I got to the tea party at about 6:30pm and there were so many people there, it took us damn near 20 minutes to navigate to a spot where we could see anything. People went four city blocks back, packed in like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, on both sides of the street. As far as the eye could see and beyond, there were patriots standing together against the government irresponsibility. My pictures were terrible, because I simply couldn’t get great ones- there were too many signs in the way. Only a couple could convey a percentage of our population, because I climbed on a rail to get people’s heads. Just a sea of taxpayers, sick of this.

We could see people peering out their windows from the upper floors in the buildings surrounding us. It seems as if every person on the ground had a flag or a sign, some both. The cheers were thunderous. They seemed to echo from off the buildings and reverberate down the street, practically begging more to join us! And they did- towards the end of the rally, I asked police what their estimates were, I asked other people, and I made phone calls to the local precincts. I have received estimates ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 people, counting the people who were unable to be gated but instead gathered outside of the official area. I cannot even estimate. Simply put, where I was there were a few thousand people that I could actually see. There's probably no way to really know, but to say ALOT.

Let me add that every single person within earshot of me while leaving, thanked the NYPD for being there. I know mom and I did, thanked them for being there and wished them a good night. They loved it- the ones that I saw. They smiled back, happy. This may have been one of the easiest most peaceful bunch of protesters, ever. If anything got broken, it was by accident, no one was arrested or got in trouble, because no one broke the law. Get that Liberals? We don't break the laws, we don't get in trouble to make our points. I would also like to thank the NYPD for arranging for the obnoxious bus that got in the way of the people across the street, so quickly. some of us were ready to push it- what a horrible place to break down! But New York's finest got on it and got it outta there, so we could ALL party!!

On the way back uptown to catch the train home, Mom and I saw several people on the street recognize us with our Tea Party paraphernalia. Three people on the Subway sat next to us, amazed at what they were just a part of. They couldn’t believe how many different types of people- indeed the sheer numbers of people- come to speak out. They couldn’t believe how this little idea had grown to the proportion it had. Starting with a few bloggers putting out the word that they were going to take Santelli’s idea and run with it. It was beyond our wildest imaginations. When I left Grand Central to catch my train home, there were people on the train who asked me about it- seeing my Tea Bag earrings and necklace set. J They heard about it- they supported it, they wanted to know more about it!! They thanked me for being involved- which is something I’m not used to. I am doing this for others, but I’m also doing this for myself, too.

When I went to work the next day with hardly any voice left from cheering and four whole hours of sleep, I told anyone who listened, and everyone was excited. I want to thank my boss for giving me the day off and encouraging me to do this. Ironically enough, we work in the tax department. She has been very supportive, offering ideas, paying more attention and her own family has gotten involved. Unable to attend a party, she sent Dear Leader some tea bags instead.

This was truly phenomenal and I was proud to be in attendance. Nothing else in the history of the United States has ever happened where so many came together, united, with only themselves to organize- without corporate sponsors, without George Soros.

To Anderson Cooper and Keith Olbermann calling us Teabaggers… it must take one to know one there, pals. Janeane Garofalo needs to get a clue. And to Janet Napolitano- I’ll be calling your office on Monday to turn myself in. If you call the CTHP, they probably have a good picture of me.