Why I went to a tea party.
Never had I held a sign of protest in my hands until April 15th, 2009. Pictures of historical civil unrest are deluged upon us through the course of our lives in the media. People that wanted their voices heard and gained that right are represented throughout our modern history books with near reverance. The good fights against war, oppression, hate, for free speech, and, more have been heralded by historians as revolutionaries in spirit and action. When I finally found a reason worthy of protest, it was one that I considered truly worthy. When it was over, I found names being called that ranged from: hater, loser, and, racist. That was just what my friends were calling me. Never the less, those angry words could not stop the well from surging in me to take responsibility for the future of our country.
It was awe inspiring. I could feel the roots of our American Revolution thrive as the historic voice of the people stood firmly in its resolution to be heard. A half-million people across the country went to the streets to protest taxes peacefully. The resounding will of the people chanted in full force that we were “taxed enough already”. Signs representing the voices of those truly free Americans ranged widely in context, but, the message was clear: Stop spending money.
To me, conservative values represent the exact opposite of acting out in public. It is about home, family, thrift, responsibility, and, upholding the documents that gave us the freedom to do pursue those activities. The last thing that the term conservative related to in my mind was activism. Yet, there I was on Tax Day, proudly posing with my sign telling the world what I felt was my best message.
I thought long and hard about what to say in my sign. I looked up quotes. I weighed the remarks of others, then I looked back in history to what stood out to me as “profoundly American”. I thought of the founding fathers and what risks they undertook in declaring the freedom that I relish today. John Hancock’s signature stood out in my mind as the right message. My name would be the message that I sent. There would be no confusion when the pictures were passed around at the Department of Homeland Security as they assessed possible “Right-wing Extremists”. They would see it in my sign. “For imposing taxes on us without our consent, I pledge my life, my wealth, my sacred honor. Danny Dannels”, would be the message straight from the Declaration of Independence.
I called my mother to tell her what my sign would say. She, a lifelong Democrat, joked, laughed and ridiculed me for my beliefs, until I told her about the disclosed documents from DHS. Then, she got real serious. The brevity of the situation turned from something that she could emotionally sweep under the table while hanging on to her beliefs, to something that she had to reconcile with the administration that she voted into office. She realized, even if she wouldn’t admit it, that waves of real change were underfoot. All at once she had to admit that freedoms were being limited by the government meant to protect us. That government was, in fact, turning against its own people and dividing them. To many levels it is dividing I and my sister from my mom and brother. The Civil War had the same effects, and, I can’t help but make that connection when I think about our conflicts.
I am a reluctant protestor like many in America that took to the street on April 15th. I was there because I felt a calling. I wasn’t there to yell angry and hateful words. I don’t remember anyone like that at the Dallas rally that I went to. What I did see were lots of families. I saw people that would have never dreamed of acting out in public, were taking to the streets in solidarity. Something profound had happened to drive these moms and dads to act out. I think that it was the threat against our country that the liberal spending agenda is having. Rational hard working Americans that live their dreams quietly in the backdrop of our nation said that, “enough is enough”. I will never forget it. What happened that day has had that kind of effect on me. It has changed my life forever.
As I began to assess the changes that I underwent and evaluate the reactions of my friends, I noticed familiar themes. My CNN friends were using the same words: hater, loser, and, racist. Those kinds of words I expected. I am more than ready to stand in the face of rebuke. My values are that important to me. What I wasn’t prepared for, was Obama saying that he wasn’t aware of any tea parties. I felt as if the POTUS was completely disregarding anything that we were saying. It was like a slap in the face.
Those series of events have created my new purpose in life. I will champion conservative values to the people. I will do whatever I can, and, speak to whomever I can about why I believe the way that I do. That is the lesson that I took from the Dallas tea party. That is a lesson that I will teach to my children
Stand up for your beliefs.
