TEA Parties are Feel Good Exercises, but won't work.

n/a | 6/21/09 | A Navy Vet

[A Navy Vet]

Dear XXXX,

I thank you for your efforts. However, being the first or maybe second (SeekingTheTruth in Florida possibly the first) FR street activist back in 1998, and having done more with other organizations after, I have learned some things over time:

1. FR activists helped to impeach Clinton; the Fedgov leviathan didn’t try him. That said a lot;
2. Being the Chairman, and then Secretary/Treasure of a however small Veterans’ organization (VetsCoR) had little impact, as we reached out to the American Legion, VFW, VietNam war orgs, et al; They simply didn’t want to hear our calls and continue with their Fraternal club stuff.
3. After developing a slide-show called, “With Love and Appreciation” had little affect, other than to make our troops feel good it had NO impact on the average Joe-six-pack;
4. Spending countless hours on the streets and waving flags before anyone even consider it, there was no change in DC.
5. Just recently the Tea Parties were out on the streets in the 10’s of thousands. Did you see a change in the Obama, Reid, Pelosi triad? No, you didn’t. They ignored the Tea Parties and have continued with their head-long rush into socialism.

Bottom line: Demonstrations are a waste of time and effort and resources. So what is left?

ORGANIZED CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE! Think liberal tactics and how they have been so successful throughout the decades. If you’re not willing to do the same sit-ins and chain yourself to the Capitol steps, and face arrest for a misdemeanor (minor fine), than you are failing your Constitution and Nation.

It’s time to rise up. Make a stand. Support Jeffersonian principles, and let these socialist in DC KNOW we WILL NOT stand for more Fedgov intrusion in our lives and industry.

Political parties are the past. Repubs are just a slightly lessor version of the liberal Democrat socialist world they so long for.

What has your vote done for you to restore your liberties? Think GM, AIG, un-confirmed CZARS et al, that the Obama, Reid, Pelosi are doing to our free-enterprise system.

You want to be subjegated or do you want freedom to make your own choices? It will be a very hard effort to return of such Constitutional principles.

Good people will lose their livihoods, others may die or be imprisoned. What is worth to you for your libety? Personally, I will give up all and work in a car-wash if I'm assured the the Fedgov will get the **** out of my life.

STATES RIGHTS!

[Gaffer]

I share your frustration. However, If we give up on these things and succumb to individual doom and gloom, all we succeed in doing is making our own individual lives more miserable. I’d much prefer knowing there were at least more than a handful of like-minded freedom lovers out there than being separatist.....one of these days, things are going to get pushed too far and people, regular tax-paying freedom loving Americans are going to fight back....they have to...or this whole freedom thing is a waste of time.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

You stay at home, I’ll be at the next Tea Party. Everything has to start somewhere.

[wastoute]

It amazes me to see the folks in Iran putting it on the line and we here watch our freedom slip away. Tea Parties are where we START, not end. If Zero has ears, let him hear.

Μολὼν λάβε

[Jacquerie]

Despite the media blackout, the tea parties were noticed.

We killed the Shamnesty Bill two summers ago by melting down phone, fax lines and email servers. Job #1 of our Congress clowns is retaining their jobs. Threaten their job survival again and we will stop the fast ride to Obamanation.

I agree that we should take up more of the tactics of the Left as well. The problem there is that we have scruples and morals and are unwilling to violate the law in order to save it.

[Semper Mark]

“Good people will lose their livelihoods, others may die or be imprisoned. What is worth to you for your liberty?”

Sounds like the same questions facing another group of Patriots some 200 plus years ago.

As for me, I'm going to pick a fight.

[Zakeet]

Demonstrations have been known to work.

For example, they threw Johnson out of office and brought an end to the Vietnam War.

Just be patient and give the Rats a little more time to screw up the economy even further ...

[NTHockey]

I am slowly coming to see A Navy Vet’s frustration. People in Washington only understand power, money and votes. If you have any of the three, it is as good as having all three. The only time they make a pretense of hearing (NOT listening)is when they want our money and/or our votes.

You write to your “representative” in Versailles on the Potomac and you MAY get a response, full of “I did”. Most times you’ll get ignored.

Delaware is a prime example of what’s wrong with our government: A VP, two Senators and a lone Representative. VP, one Senator and the rep are owned by Bank of America. The other Senator was appointed and has no credentials other than he was Biden’s chief lackey.

We should take note of what is happpening in Iran. People are laying down their lives for freedom and liberty. Couldn’t we sit-in, once?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Any fight you run from is an automatic loss! I’ll be there if I have to stand alone.

[ansel12]

People have to meet and show themselves, and display their talents or else nothing would change.

Hundreds of people getting together for a showing and one or two or three emerging as leaders is how a movement finds leaders.

[DJ Frisat]

I also share the frustration that you express.

I attended a tea party, despite my feeling that it allowed the media, in what scant coverage they deigned give to them, to mischaracterize them as as tax protests, ala the original Boston tea party. This trivialized the issues, as the enormous taxes that are the inevitable outcome of Obamatization have not yet hit us. Therefore, it was easy to just fob us off as greedy 'rich folk' who wanted to hang onto our money.

My feeling was that something huge was needed, not a series of small, localized protests that the media could ignore.

They could not ignore our shutting down Washington. We need to converge on there en masse and literally clog the Beltway, effectively paralyzing the city for a day.

Then, we follow up with a demonstration.

[vanilla swirl]

“As for me, I’m going to pick a fight.”

We need to pick our fights carefully.
One of my fears is that there will be a disaster (natural/terrorist/orchestrated) in which 0 will gladly impose martial law confiscating guns and maybe imprisonment for “patriots”.
We need to be “of one mind” and not let some crazy start something before the rest of us are ready. Any of you out there know any military officers? What are they thinking about Obama? They have taken an oath to defend the Constitution, are they going to do that or defend the fascist dictator?
I’m not a young man anymore, maybe I’m like Mel Gibson in The Patriot. DON’T TOUCH MY FAMILY!
keep in mind that FBI and DHS is all over us reading everything we post........................

[Recon Dad]

I've been to two big TEA Parties and what gives me hope is the diverse attendees. This is not a single group of people these were people from every socioeconomic level. I knew a number of people attending in Cincinnati personally and for every one that was there I know there are four more that were not that feel the same way.

I could be all wrong but this movement will have legs at the ballot box, where it counts.

[SECURE AMERICA]

5. Just recently the Tea Parties were out on the streets in the 10’s of thousands. Did you see a change in the Obama, Reid, Pelosi triad? No, you didn’t. They ignored the Tea Parties and have continued with their head-long rush into socialism.

Come on now. Seriously.You KNOW that the Tea Parties are not intended to nor could they ever in any way change Obama,Pelosi Reid et al...
That was not is not the intention.The intention is to change as many of the American Citizens that can be changed that put those people into office and or allow them to stay in office. The purpose is to show 10’s of thousands of disenfranchised disenchanted, and disappointed Americans that they are not alone in feeling the Government has the Country on the fast track to hell.In that respect they are working.

[sauropod]

It amazes me to see the folks in Iran putting it on the line and we here watch our freedom slip away.

Precisely.

[Joe Boucher]

I attended my local tea party.
Some butthead walked the line constantly filming us all.
The feds admitted they were responsible for doing this at ALL tea parties to get a grip on who is an extremist.
So i guess they already know I’m an anti obamma lamma extremist.
I just don’t like socialism. I worked hard for my stuff and i don’t care to have this or any gubmint come take it and give it to others who do not deserve the rewards of my efforts.

[A Navy Vet]

"However, If we give up..."

I will be THE last man to say give up. I'm trying to tell you folks that I have been there and done that it HASN'T worked! Look where we are now with the Obama,Reid, Pelosi triad that are weekly diminishing out liberties and rule of law.

A bunch of people holding signs in front of the WH in Lafette (sp) Park won't make one iota difference. The obama machine will ignore it, as did the clinton machine.

Without civil disobedience, nothing will change. Mark my words.

[EBH]

I understand your frustration, but TEA parties were only a beginning.

But, it is my humble opinion that as long as we look to Washington, we are missing the problem.

We didn't wake up on Nov. 5th and all of a sudden find ourselves faced with a country on the verge of collapse, taken over by socialist, and ripe for pillaging.

Washington is just where the life blood of the free country called the United States is hemorrhaging from. But there were a million cuts made along the way. The election of 2010 presents us with an opportunity to put a bandage on the bleeding. And this too, the 2010 elections, isn't the solution. It is only a beginning.

It has taken our country nearly 100 years to devolve to this point. That means no one is really alive to tell us, teach us what it was like 100 years ago. But, somewhere back in the recesses of our minds we recall our own childhoods. Church, morality, God-centered, work ethics, plain ethics, etc.

Yesterday the liberal young lady I work with stopped by to chit-chat with ...me. She is only eighteen and will be venturing into college this autumn. She came over and asked me, “What's wrong with our country?” She finds herself needing to work 2 summer jobs this year. And her friends being ...”lazy.” I am not sure what happened in the last 30 days since graduation, but a light has been turned on. Her contempt for her “friends” was very evident
and she is seeing it in context of her Nation's problems.

I'll see her again in about a week. I left her with more a question than an answer though. Is it the government that has taken away Americana or is it the culture? She started to respond right away with how easy it was for her friends to get into college, but I stopped her from answering and told her to think about my question.

Our entire culture has been disassembled to a point where our own expectations for ourselves has devolved. Changing Washington in 2010 won't solve the problem. And we need to understand it won't change until we discuss and start to address our culture.

A people must be morally good in order to have free society. When government must step in to legislate morality all is lost.

[A Navy Vet]

"You stay at home, I’ll be at the next Tea Party. Everything has to start somewhere."

Don't even try to give me shit about "staying at home". I have probably done more political protests than you have even imagined. I used to carry a bullhorn in my car at all times.

My experience is telling me that in the era of Obami,Reid,Pelosi, and their idiot voters, your Tea Partys will amount to nothing. Been there - done that many many years ago, to no avail.

The ONLY thing these socialist/marxists care about is their own political survival. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE is our last hope. Think about it.

[A Navy Vet]

"I could be all wrong but this movement will have legs at the ballot box, where it counts."

Repectfully, I think you are wrong. The "ballot box" is not only corrupt, but the idiots who voted for "HOPE AND CHANGE" got it wrong, also.