Tea Partiers, Protestors, “Astroturf”, Patriots – or Whatever…

... by whatever name you know them, they are making a difference. They are being heard, regardless of the negative name-calling or condescending remarks made by the liberals in our government and in the media.

Our legislators ran into buzz-saws last month at the town halls, and they found out that the message directed to them was the same no matter what town or what state. "Listen to us! We don't want what you are trying to force on us!" Those legislators also found out that this "mob" was not of just one party, or of some right-wing extremist group, regardless of what Harry Reid or others said. That was really eye-opening to some of those legislators, I'm sure.

One thing that struck me about the huge crowd of 9-12ers in DC this past weekend was that while some expressed that they were "angry about...", their countenance was not of anger but of determination. They were determined to be heard, and were all the while peaceful as evidenced by the fact that there was not one single arrest at the demonstrations this weekend.

These Tea Party/"Astroturf"/9-12er protestors are quite different from the angry mobs of the last eight years where people pushed forward into opponents' faces with spit flying as they shouted derogatory and hateful things about the President, rather than stating their positions on issues. You remember those scenes? Some of those people are still "spitting" on nightly talk-shows, in their blogs, and elsewhere about the same old things - Bush this, Bush that!

But, rather than describing these Tea Partiers/"Astroturfers"/9-12ers as "angry", as the Democrats are declaring, or violent as Nancy Pelosi accuses, I would say that they are extremely concerned about the changes taking place in the country right now and the direction the present administration is taking this country. And they match that concern with determination to be heard as they speak out against these changes and in favor of restoring the government as it was outlined in the Constitution.

Thankfully, these people hold their beliefs sacred as did our founding fathers. That is something that is a marked difference from demonstrators of the past. Rallies, demonstrations, sit-ins - these were all based on ideologies and social issues of the day. Today, these Tea Parties and 9/12-er rallies and town hall meetings are about issues of the heart. These people are coming out to these gatherings to express what is in their heart - their love of country and their devotion to the principles upon which our country was founded. Dare I say that many of these people are of the same ilk as those who came together over 230 year ago to lay out a plan upon which to establish this country? I think that is a fair comparison. The fervor is there, their belief in God-granted liberties is there, their love of country is there, their belief that the government is of, by, and for the people, and not the other way around, is there. Their determination to prevail is there - first in their hearts and now in their actions.

So while most news reports paint a grim picture of this group of people, let my voice be among those who are declaring the truth. The truth is that what these people are doing with their Tea Parties, with their "astroturfing", with their town halls, and rallies - they are changing things in Washington! They are having an effect on lawmakers as is evidenced in several things that have happened lately. To enumerate a few of them: Van Jones - out; Congress' questioning the constitutionality of "czars" - beginning; Acorn - under investigation, and funding cut; Healthcare bill - in trouble, reform on slower track, and the list of effects is growing.

As I have said previously, don't mess with old vets and grannies; they've nothing to lose! They are driven by concern for their families' futures, and they are motivated by the excessive spending this government is doing and the underhanded way the Obama administration is organizing a radical "new" government. They have grown weary of the blatant lies and deceitfulness in Washington, which are now being exposed daily. They want accountability in our government. They want the same freedom from governmental control for their families that they and their parents enjoyed.

But what is heartening, too, for these older Tea Partiers/9-12ers is that many younger people are seeing that their futures are becoming more and more uncertain, their futures do not seem as bright as was promised during the campaign, and the path that this country has taken since the election will not take them to where they want to go. Rather, their futures are beginning to look more dismal as more and more of Obama's plans to reconstruct this country are revealed.

So if I were to sum all this up, I would say that there's a rumbling in the distance that is growing closer and closer, gaining in speed and intensity - and it's the rumble of change. Change? Yes, change. The kind of change people thought they were getting last fall. Change to once again live in the freedoms that were granted to us by our forefathers through our Constitution and paid for with their wealth and their very lives. Change from tyranny of Washington bureaucrats. Change from impoverishing the people of our nation for the sake of making a few people rich. Change from corruption to integrity and accountability.

To those who are Tea Partiers/"Astroturfers"/9-12ers, I say keep on believing. Fan the flame that burns within you. It's that flame that is catching on. It's that flame that has shown light upon a darkness that has been spread over our country. It's that flame that is making a difference!