The tea party is from 1 to 3 on Saturday at the Fargo Civic Center and the Take back Washington rally is at the UMM campus.

You can get more details for both events (e.g. times, locations, maps, etc.) over at Sayanythingblog.com. Here’s a handy link to the info on the Tea Party in Fargo.

Rob Port, the coordinator of the whole shebang, put on a great event and the speakers managed to keep it very non-partisan with each side of the aisle getting their fair bit of razzing.  Now, keep in mind that it was a conservative rally, so most of the razzing was aimed at those who don’t follow a conservative agenda.  But, in today’s climate, that seems to include just about anyone within 100 miles of Washington D.C.!

Rob said that he was told by one of the attendees that there were 10 or so of the North Dakota legislators in attendance. I can’t vouch for that, but I did see Rep. Craig Headland there. He’s a local rep for my area, so it was good to see him there.

I took a few photos of the event and if you care to see them, here’s a link:  Bismarck Tea Party 7/2/09

God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.  The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. …
And what country can preserve its liberties, if it’s rulers are not
warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of
resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure.  — Thomas Jefferson

Natural Manure.

Let’s start at the top.  “The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive.”  How important are the facts that are distorted by the leftist main-stream media?  And how long will we allow that distortion before that discontent becomes more?

“If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.”  How long have we been quiet?  Rather, how long have we truly been lethargic about our governing bodies?  How close to death is the entirety of public liberty?  Closer than you think.

“… if it’s rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance?  Let them take arms [...] The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”  Why has there been no resistance?  When will there be?  Will it be too late?  Is it too late already?  Have we given too much power to our rulers already?

The truth is that we have let them get away with their back patting, pork barrelling, party-lining, negligence for far too long.  It’s time we took our country back.  I’m not saying we should take arms just yet.  Let’s give a few more reasonable means have a go first, but we need a concerted effort to take back our leadership positions from the eliteist bastards and vote some true statesmen into office.

I really could care less what party you’re affiliated with.  In fact, if you can be argued for a partyline man (or woman), you’ve lost my vote.  I want someone who will look their party leaders in the eye and tell them no.  That will risk the loss of support for the integrity of their morals and ethics.  It’s damn well time that we said no more to politics as usual and hello to politics for the good of the people.

I’m no orator, and I’ve already toed the line between a purposefull post and a horrible rant, but the idea must be passed along.  A few tea bags sent to the President will not do.  We must find statesmen who are willing to make change.  If you aren’t questioning anyone who is put before you to vote on, you are failing in your duty as a citizen of these states.  Don’t vote for someone because your party says you should, vote for someone because you have proven to yourself that they are statesmen who intend to do what is right for the good of the people, not the good of their fellow politicians.

I’ve said enough.  I’ll stop ranting now, but I have a favor to ask.  If this has even come close to touching a nerve with you, please pass it along.  E-mail it to a friend. Post it to a social bookmark site. Let’s start setting things right.  The time is now.

I’m all for the advancement of the movement, but the GOP needs to realize that the movement is just as much a movement against the GOP establishment as it is against the current administration.  Years upon years of lackadaiscal GOP leadership and quid pro quo legislature makes them just as bad.

Sure, they aren’t the ones in the drivers seat behind the multi-trillion dollar fiasco currently going on, but they certainly haven’t been trying too hard to put on the brakes.  The best they can claim is that they haven’t gone out of their way to forward the issue.

I’ve never really associated my self with any one party, and I don’t know that I’m going to start now (although I’m considering it), but the Republicans have earned a spot on the “not eligible” side of my ballot.

If there are any GOP folks out there reading this, I have this to say.  Pass it on to your GOP friends.

The Tea Party movement of late 2008 and early 2009 is a citizens movement.  It has no party affiliation (except being aligned somewhat out of the Democrat field) and no party sponsorship.  The fact that you’ve tried, in a vain attempt at redemption in the eyes of your constituents, to hijack the movement only proves that you haven’t learned a damn thing in the last few cycles and you never will.  The time is nigh for the current “good ol’ boys” establishment in Washington to fall.  And I can only hope that it doesn’t come to violence.