On April 15, 2009, I drove from work to the local Hardees in my hometown of Boone, North Carolina. I parked at a neighboring business a block away and walked to the Hardees lot where hundreds of my fellow townsfolk were gathered to join in the national tea party rally. It cost me nothing to attend. Volunteers were stationed all over the area handing out information on pages printed on their printers using their own ink. The speaker’s stage was a towable trailer borrowed from a local farmer. The signs were all hand made by the people holding them up. We were a gathering of simple Americans united under a common goal: stop the corruption in Washington coming from both parties and get America back to the Constitution on which she was founded.
It was one of the proudest days of my life.
The tea party movement is the thing I turn to whenever I need reminding that America is still full of people willing to not just sit idly by as the corrupt lawmakers, “representatives,” and legislatures, on BOTH sides of the isle, destroy all that has made America great and brought her to the position of wealth and influence she has today. On that day, we rallied around speakers who slammed BOTH parties for their corruption and their disregard for the Constitution they swore to uphold. These were not people going out to defend big-oil or big-business as the liberal media would have you think. We were just citizens who had reached our breaking point and we weren’t going to take it anymore.
Well, it’s been almost a year since that amazing day (that only ONE national news station bothered to actually cover with any kind of journalistic integrity) and already there are those who are seeking to take that unmistakable American spirit and bend it to satisfy their corrupt will. The group Tea Party Nation has decided to hold a national tea party convention next week at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Just the fact that this idea was even considered suggests there is foul play afoot. Why do we need a singularly located convention? Last year we had rallies in every single state, all at the same time! Americans were able to attend a tea party “convention” wherever they lived! Why would we centralize one of the most successful nation-wide events in our nation’s history?
Well, the convention was planned with a large number of guests, speakers and supporters, the most noteworthy of all being FORMER governor Sarah Palin. (The reason I stressed former is because I’m sick of the media still calling her Governor Palin. I know you’re supposed to hold onto the title even after you leave office but my stance is that you lose that title completely when you decide that the job your state elected you to do just isn’t worth your time anymore and you just selfishly quit to peruse your own interests.)
As the big day draws closer and closer, several of these backers and guests have decided to drop out or cancel their funding. Among the canceling parties are:
American Liberty Alliance
Representatives Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
National Precinct Alliance
In addition to these headliners, many of Tea Party Nation’s own volunteers have dropped out, fearing, “profiteering and…a Republican Party takeover.” These are the very things that the tea party was supposed to stand against! Remember, the first tea party movement was held in city squares and parking lots all across America and there was no charge to attend. Now, this group is trying to centralize the movement and charge (get this) $549 a person! That’s an exclusive event, not the grassroots, all-welcoming event that the tea party is supposed to be. There is no reason that this year’s tea party can’t go EXACTLY the way last year’s did!
It can even have big speakers too. Glenn Beck did his show from the rally at the Alamo in Texas because he wanted to go and believed in the movement! Sarah Palin is charging $100,000 for her to speak at this convention. How despicable is that? I can (kind of) see charging for travel expenses but a hundred grand? Does that seem like the kind of tea party you and I knew from last year? She states that the money will go to funding campaigns, candidates and issues but why not just take up a collection if that’s the case? I can see why all these TRUE tea party patriots are pulling out because this event reeks of the very corruption we’re trying to stop.
I truly hope that 2010 will have a real tea party rally like we had last year. I want to stand with my fellow Americans in a Hardees parking lot again, listening to no-name speakers who just want to grab a microphone and declare their disgust for the way Washington is ruining our nation. I want to sing the national anthem along with hundreds of others backed only by a CD playing off a Walmart stereo. I want real grassroots back and to feel that surge of American pride I felt that day. I want my tea party back.
Freedom Watch News 
Tea Party Express III is off an running a nation wide rally, ending in DC on April 15. I’m fairly sure that Tea Party Patriots are organizing local demonstrations again on April 15. While I share your outrage at the idea of charging per head for these events, and speakers charging for more than their travel, I respectfully disagree that occasional centralization does not have an impact. Sean Hannity did the April 15th Atlanta Tea Party that I attended last year. It was local, it was huge, and similar to what you described near you.
However, I traveled to DC for the 9/12 march, and the impact of 2 Million plus people streaming down the streets of DC to Capitol Hill had one heck of an impact. It showed that yes, we were a grass roots movement based in town squares and town halls over the country, but that all those small to medium sized assemblies of citizens adds up to a huge crowd when you tick us off enough to make us come to you.
Thanks for the heads up with regard to this particular event, as I’m not interested in dumping my money into a “general” campaign fund to be doled out to whomever Sarah Palin or others determine should have it. I’ll donate directly to worth while candidates. Just remember though that we are coming to a point where if the Tea Party wants to have an impact, we are going to have to do more than go out and protest. We’re going to have to start putting our time, energy and money where our mouths are to get citizens we can support in office to replace all the politicians we want to fire.
Well stated, Tara. I agree that “some” localization does good but this event seems to take that too far. It’s like they’re holding the equivalent of an RNC or DNC event for the tea party and that goes against everything the movement stands for. This convention is taking a grassroots movement and, not only profiting from it, but making it an exclusive event.
I’m on my local tea party group’s mailing list and I’m anxiously waiting to hear about what we are doing this tax day. I can’t wait! As for your statement about the tea party doing more, it already is. You stated yourself that you want to give your money to candidates that YOU select, not Sarah Palin. Well, that’s what the tea party does, it alerts people to what’s going on and motivates them to make a difference by themselves just like you’re describing. Anything in Washington is ultimately at the mercy of the voters and the tea party serves to educate voters so that they can turn the tide when the time comes.
Thanks for you always wonderful input.
Joe
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR:
Omnibus Appropriations, Special Education, Global AIDS Initiative, Job Training, Unemployment Benefits, Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations, Agriculture Appropriations, U.S.-Singapore Trade, U.S.-Chile Trade, Supplemental Spending for Iraq & Afghanistan, Prescription Drug Benefit, Child Nutrition Programs, Surface Transportation, Job Training and Worker Services, Agriculture Appropriations, Foreign Aid, Vocational/Technical Training, Supplemental Appropriations, UN “Reforms.” Patriot Act Reauthorization, CAFTA, Katrina Hurricane-relief Appropriations, Head Start Funding, Line-item Rescission, Oman Trade Agreement, Military Tribunals, Electronic Surveillance, Head Start Funding, COPS Funding, Funding the REAL ID Act (National ID), Foreign Intelligence Surveillance, Thought Crimes “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, Peru Free Trade Agreement, Economic Stimulus, Farm Bill (Veto Override), Warrantless Searches, Employee Verification Program, Body Imaging Screening.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST:
Ban on UN Contributions, eliminate Millennium Challenge Account, WTO Withdrawal, UN Dues Decrease, Defunding the NAIS, Iran Military Operations defunding Iraq Troop Withdrawal, congress authorization of Iran Military Operations.
Marsha Blackburn is my Congressman.
See her unconstitutional votes at :
http://tinyurl.com/qhayna
Mickey
Thanks for that. Always nice to see a constituent keeping tabs on his/her elected official. Good work.