I am a mother of four children. I care about my country. I love God. I am a very passionate person and I put everything I have into everything I do. I am 32 years old and I cast the first vote in my life in the 2008 election. Can you tell that I’m proud of the former descriptives, but not of the latter? I never took the time to vote prior to this because it really didn’t seem to matter. I’m a Texan, and we not only bleed red here, but we vote red too. I have always tended to agree more with the Republican candidates of the past than I have with the Democrats. What’s more, it isn’t as if any of them have really ever stayed true to who they claimed to be when they were running anyway. I felt that it was kind of senseless to take my time to go down to the polls to cast a ballot when the candidate I was rooting for (in TX) would win the state even without my vote. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s what you call ignorance. I was ignorant to the fact that the entire reason we are in this political state is that level of ignorance from so many constituents. We do not hold our politicians accountable. Look at the recently passed Porkulus, I mean Stimulus Bill. They passed the bill, in a hurry like something I’ve never seen. And remember I’m a mother 4 and as such have had many rushed visits to the Emergency Room. No, these guys claimed that there was not a moment to spare, not even one to read the thing. Pass, then read, pass then read. I’m sorry but when I think of people sitting in an office somewhere signing their names to documents that supposedly represent my views, it is not ok for them not to have read the document first. Think about it; they might as well be signing my name or your name on the dotted line.
So now you know that I’ve never been politically involved before now. Better late than never, right? If you listen to the MSM and the Democratic leadership, it is not better late than never. Instead, we’ve got phony rage built on “Astro-turf”, as Nancy Pelosi called it.
“…we call it astroturf, it’s not really a grassroots movement. It’s astroturf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class.” Nancy Pelosi, on being asked about the grassroots Tax Day Tea Party Protests.
I would completely dismiss Nancy Pelosi’s comment if I didn’t think she knew a thing or two about Astro-turf. I seem to recall her claiming to be an ardent, practicing Catholic, and essentially arguing with Catholic Bishops regarding when the Catholic church believes life begins and a woman’s “right” to an abortion. So by her own definition, her own Catholic faith is not really “faith,” it’s what we call “Astro-turf.” To further use her verbiage, it’s astroturf by supposed religious individuals to keep the focus on “rights” instead of addressing the issue at hand…which is that she supports the murder of tiny babies in the comfort of their mothers’ wombs.
Alright, we’ve gotten that out of the way, now on to the party…The Tea Party, that is!
I was one of the organizers for Texarkana’s Tax Day Tea Party. I registered voters for the event on behalf of Smart Girl Politics. By the way, I’m a blogger at smartgirlpolitics.blogspot.com in case you’re interested. I was somewhat nervous about what our attendance would be. I had never been to a rally before, so I was afraid we would be expecting 500 and 12 people would show up. As a mother of 4, I am constantly running late. We planned to arrive early, and we were about 10 minutes early, so that’s doing great! The event was PACKED! I couldn’t get to my voter registration table because we were elbow to elbow, out in the streets. I think that I ended up changing 4 voters’ addresses, and other than that, thankfully everyone else was already a registered voter!
I can’t describe the looks on the faces of everyone who was there. Think of the feeling you get when you hear Lee Greenwood sing, “God Bless the USA.” Who doesn’t get goosebumps when you hear it? Looking at their faces, and the sheer pride in their cause was like that. I was one of the speakers, so I’ll include my speech below. Be kind, remember, it was my first rally, and most definitely my first speech. The words in red are what was said before the recording began.
Hi Everyone! You’ll have to excuse me…I’m just a mother of 4 and a wife…I don’t get a teleprompter so I’m going to use my notes.
I voted for the first time in my 32 years this past federal election. I have gone through years of thinking that no one really governed by my values anyway, so my voice didn’t count. I didn’t bother to get out and vote before now. I heard Sarah Palin speak and she struck something in me. Here was a woman who shared my conservative values and she wasn’t apologizing for them or trying to hide them. Many people loved her for that…and many people hated her for them and still do. And that’s ok. The problem comes when our politicians promise to share our common goals and then get into office and have a change of heart.
I’ve debated time and time again with my liberal friends and acquaintances and they always seem to have the same answers for me. They tell me, “That’s just how it is in Washington.” “That’s just how politics works.” They say, “Of course they’re going to make campaign promises that they never intend to keep-that’s just part of the process.” And my favorite response was when someone told me, “we have to look at the candidates and vote for the person we think will do the least amount of damage.”
When I have these conversations I am reminded that politics only works that way because WE THE PEOPLE have allowed it. We, like my liberal friends, see that our elected officials-Democrat AND Republican-are not living up to what we elected them to do. They scheme to get their earmarks added onto every bill. They spend ungodly amounts of our money and they don’t even bother to READ THE FINE PRINT! How many times have you heard that phrase? Read the fine print? If we sign a contract as citizens, we’d better be darn sure we read every line of it because we are agreeing to pay our hard earned money. But when it is a politician signing on the dotted line, it isn’t his or her personal funds, so they take a very nonchalant stance about it. Everyone assumes that SOMEBODY read it, and that WHOEVER that person is, THEY wouldn’t be pushing for it, if it wasn’t good for the American people.
We have to stop thinking like this and we have to hold our politicians to a higher standard. They haven’t changed thus far because we haven’t made them. We have quietly grumbled in our own homes or to our small circle of friends. How well has that been working for us? If you are here, you are likely fed up with the direction our government is trying to drag our country. Quietly venting to your friends and family does nothing but blow off a little steam. If we want to make real changes, we are going to have to do it at the polls-from the bottom up! Vote with your values and ideals, and tell everyone who you see, the direction you want YOUR country to move.
Some of you may not be currently registered to vote. Some of you may have moved recently and need to update your voter registration. On behalf of Smart Girl Politics, we are conducting a voter registration drive tonight. If you would like to register, please see me before you leave. If you have a friend or relative who needs to register but isn’t present, please take them home a registration form. Don’t put it off like I did. If we aren’t out there making our voices heard, we have no right to complain!
Remember these words by the beloved Abraham Lincoln in his famous Gettysburg Address “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth..” NEVER did President Lincoln say that government should be ABOVE the people. Take those words to heart…make sure your voice is heard…send the message that WE THE PEOPLE “shall not perish from the earth” and LET – FREEDOM – RING!!!
People keep asking: What’s next? Well, my answer is simple. Do not stop! Do not shrink into the shadows, and do not forget about the voice that you found! There is a very good reason the MSM and the administration tried, and still tries to minimize what we have done. They are hoping that if we feel slighted, we’ll just go away and they can go on with “business as usual.” My theme song from now until the end of time for the Conservative movement is, “We’re Not Gonna Take It!” We may have been the usual conservative crowd, quietly minding our manners and trying not to ruffle feathers, in the past. But those days are gone, and we’re not gonna take it anymore!
[...] Original post by 1conservativemomma [...]
[...] we don’t like what we see. We have been lied to enough and now standing up for our rights! Texarkana, TX Tax Day Tea Party Protest I am a mother of four children. I care about my country. I love God. I am a very passionate person [...]
No teleprompter required for you, Miss Lady! That was a brave and gutsy thing you did for this movement, and I’m proud to call you my friend!
“We’re Not Gonna Take It!” I like it! Keep up the good fight!
It is unfortunate that you have come into the political spectrum so late and with very little in terms of perspective. If you have not, please head over to Zfacts.com and look at spending with relation to the GDP. The site is not nasty or nefarious, but rather a collection of statistical data.
Peace.
Rick Beagle
Sweetheart, I will give you that I came into the game late, but you honestly have no idea about what my perspective is or is not. If you actually read this post you will see that most of my gripe with the government, both parties actually, is with expansion of government. This is something that the MSM and most, if not all, democrats have failed to recognize. The constitution does not give our federal government the rights, nor the power, to do so many of the things that are being put into place. What exactly shall I gather from your non-partisan source: That Limbaugh is “un-republican?” Certainly I am fed up with spending, however the lack of deliberation on such spending is what unnerves me. (Again this is actually summed up in my speech with “read the fine print.”)
There is no “gotcha” moment in which you can dismiss me as someone who is ranting about things about which I have no knowledge. Even my 9 year old son, who was at the rally actively protesting, was only allowed to go after he could explain to us, what the issues were, and what they meant. My 9 year old could also look at the lack of grammatical correctness and trivial spelling errors on your “fact check” site and note that while Mr. Stoft claims to be checking on all of the details for us, he’s overlooked the obvious details in his own work. There was something that someone told me many years ago: Just because someone writes something on the internet, doesn’t make it so. Everyone has an agenda, and Mr. Stoft’s is apparently to sell his books. I don’t blame him for that, that’s what it is all about.
I do thank you for your concern about my perspective, but, alas, you can stop worrying. My concern is simply for the future of our country, and leaving my children “America” after I’m dead and gone…not some other vision of some politician. All I want is for politicians to ask the constituents what they want, and then vote accordingly. I honestly don’t think that is too much to ask.
Hmm….
I am uncertain what you gleaned from Zfacts.com, but I only wanted you to look at a graph of the nation dept versus GDP. Here is a direct link to the graph.
I really don’t care to hear how you are indoctrinating your child into your belief system, other than to call the whole thing vile and disgusting. Children to not form opinions at nine years old, they just throw up whatever makes mommy and daddy happy. You should be ashamed, not proud.
Finally, the government is listening to the people, which is why your comments and others like it are so absurd. The problem with you and your ilk is that you refuse to believe that the majority of Americans disagree with your perception.
We do not disagree because we are forced fed the koolaid from the age of nine (apparently in your family), but because we actually have the ability to look at the impartial data to make up our own minds.
The Republicans sold off your children’s future starting with Reagan, and you didn’t even bother to vote. Now that people are working their butts off trying to fix so many years of mismanagement, abuse of power, and the total disregard for our childrens’ future – suddenly you want to participate? I don’t think so…..
I think you are a one trick pony with a myopic voting criteria trying to pretend you actually care about anything beyond your far right evangelical view. At least have the courage to state it clearly.
And for the love of all that is Holy, quit brainwashing your child.
Peace.
Rick Beagle
You consider yourself the gate-keeper on who ‘suddenly gets to participate’ and at what age parents should begin teaching their children? Seriously? How lucky we are that you are here to plan our lives!
Thank God, we live in a Republic, where your ‘tyranny of the majority’ delusions have no sway. Indeed, it was the democracy-pushing progressives that codified the poll tax and Jim Crow laws. Pure evil. No, sir, even if you gained a 99% majority, you could never vote away the Rights of the individals protected by the Constitution.
Mr. Beagle,
With all due respect, you appear to have no grasp of the concept of parenting, and have confused it with “brainwashing.” As parents, we are tasked with educating our children, imparting a system of values and morals, and leading by example. I’ve openly admitted that in the past I was not the best example of political activism for my children. Contrary to what you think, they are free to form their own opinions. I did not drag my child to a political rally and make him a sign to wear. I addressed this previously by letting you know that he had to explain to me his grasp of the issues because I didn’t just assume that he had an understanding at 9 years old. I think we can all agree that there are people at 90 years who have no understanding of political/social issues, and that there is not a specific age where that switch turns on. I’m all about teaching my children more than they could ever find a use for, not just one side of any issue. Not that I feel a need to explain that to you, I’m proud of that fact and am glad to do it. You honestly believe that children do not form opinions at 9 years old? Seriously? I’m guessing that you’ve never heard of Hannah Montanna or Sponge Bob Square Pants because most 9 year olds have formed the opinion that they are both pretty cool, regardless of the fact that their parents care nothing for either of them. That was just an ignorant statement. Good try though, I’ll give you kudos for the effort.
Had you done any research and actually read each of the posts here, you would see that I blame both Republicans and Democrats, and us as the American constituents and our lack of action for the current status of our country. We all have had a hand in it, even if that was just sitting back and saying nothing. I am not trying to pretend that I am not a Christian conservative, and have even labled myself a “right-wing extremist” so your admonition for me to be courageous enough to admit that fact is moot. I’ve admitted it, yet you’re still here reading.
Had you done some research, or even read a few sentences, you would realize that when Reagan was elected, I was 3 years old, not quite at the voting age yet. Again, another moot point, but it did sound good. “Suddenly you want to participate”…you betcha! And so do many, many others like me. As I said in another post, I have to issue a big “thank you” to the MSM for choosing to ignore the protests and giving us even more of a reason to keep moving. It is precisely the attitude you’ve displayed here…essentially saying that because I remained silent before in the political process, I don’t count anymore. It’s wrong on so many levels. I may not have the right to complain about what happened in the past, since I didn’t do my part to change or prevent it, but I most certainly have the right to stand up against it now and forevermore.
You gave me your biased (altough it claims to be non-partisan) link of “facts,” and I did check it out. While we’re on the subject of who is and is not “drinking the kool-aid” maybe you should check out “Media Malpractice.” It was produced by a Libertarian who has mostly voted Democrat, but that really doesn’t matter. It shows an honest accounting of the obvious bias in the MSM, which is where much of your “majority” gets the information which will be the basis of votes. If you honestly think there is still impartiality in the media, I would like to come to your house to try that kool-aid.
When you stated that “finally, the government is listening to the people,” and asked how it is that I think that you and others like you not agreeing with me equates to the government not listening to me…you missed my point and interjected your own. I don’t blame you personally, that’s what the MSM has been doing too. I am not saying that all of the government is not listening to me, I am saying that those who I elected are not listening to me. Those who I voted for, because they campaigned on my principles, are not listening to me. That is essentiall the sticking point for me. There is no “one trick pony” about it. I think that our elected officials should be held to the campaign promises that they make. I am not ignorant enough to think that they can work miracles, but if they promise not to vote in favor of some issue, they better make darned sure they don’t vote for it. That goes for Dems, Reps, and the government as a whole. For too long, too many people didn’t pay attention to voting records and took the politician’s word. No more. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Even a nine year old can conceptualize that–the horror!
Thanks, for taking a stand!
I was at tha TEA Party and heard you speak (I am the guy in the desert floppy hat and red shirt on the far left at 1:33 on the slide show above). I am retired from the Army with 23 years of service in the Infantry. I attended to support and defend the Constitution against domestic enemies, in accordance with my Oath. My goal is restoration of the Constitution and the preservation of liberty.
As one of the organizers of the April TEA Party, can you say if there is going to be a July 4th, 2009 Tea Party in Texarkana?
Well nice to “meet” you. Thank you for checking out my blog. I was honored to be a part of the tea party, and look forward to many more! There is a 4th of July event in the works for Texarkana! It is still in the planning phase, so I don’t have much information. We have a Tea Party site for our area and I will update it there as soon as I get concrete info on the 4th. http://texarkana.reteaparty.com/
In the meantime, I will be speaking at the Star of Texas Republican Women’s group this month.
That was fast! Glad to hear about the July 4th event. The April event was short notice, so the big crowd was impressive! The best estimate I got was just shy of 2,000 attendees. With advanced notice, I bet the event would pull 4,000+. In Texarkana, known for its apathy, that would be nothing short of amazing!
I will start spreading the word so people don’t schedule conflicting events.