My First Protest: Silent No More

So, I attended a Tax Day Tea Party today. Did you? It was an interesting experience, to say the least. I heard congressman Jason Chaffetz speak, among others. I also held up a sign, a modern take on the Gadsden flag:



Before carrying such an interesting piece of history, I wanted to learn about it, so I did a little research on the Gadsden Flag. Wikipedia gives an admirable summary. Quoth Benjamin Franklin, speaking of the rattlesnake:

I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids—She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.—She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?

There were lots of little bags of tea, hanging from signs, from hats, etc. at the Tax Day Tea Party that I attended. I find the little bags of tea to be a perfectly appropriate symbol of our discontent, for now. It hearkens back to the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773 and reminds us that we are now being taxed without (competent) representation (did any member of Congress read the stimulus/budget bills before voting???). At some point, however, I believe the rhetoric will have to be stepped up a bit (kicked up a notch, if you will). I find the rattlesnake to be a great symbol.

It has been said that there exists a great, silent majority in our country. Are we members of this group? If so, I don't think we're silent anymore, and what better symbol to represent us than a rattlesnake. We have been content to stay camouflaged in the underbrush: we just want to live our lives, preserve our liberties and pursue our happiness, but now we feel threatened, and not accidentally so. We have just begun to move our tail in a sign of solemn, dire warning: do not tread on us.

The rattlesnake reminds us of the founders of this nation, those who signed not only the Declaration of Independence but also their own death sentences should their enterprise fail. The rattlesnake reminds us of the first marines who used the snake on their drums, and of every soldier since then that has fought, suffered, bled, and died for our nation, our freedoms, our very way of life. It reminds us of something uniquely American and not to be trifled with.

In 1751, Benjamin Franklin suggested in the Pennsylvania Gazette that, in response to Mother England's sending of criminals to inhabit the American colonies, Americans should return the favor by sending rattlers across the pond. I will send no little bag of tea to any member of congress. They may receive pictures of Gadsden's Flag, however. I hope the message is clear.

It's all fine and dandy to show up at a protest and hold up a sign and whoop and yell with the crowd, but even more important is becoming active in the preservation of our nation, our freedoms, and our way of life. I have thought about what our country needs, and I have come to the conclusion that we need three things, from a governmental perspective, anyway: a Constitutional amendment forcing a balanced budget, a flat income/payroll tax (everyone pays the same percentage), and universal term limits for all government officials, elected or otherwise. I think if we could put other issues on the backburner for awhile and focus on these three, our nation would be better off. This is where I plan to focus my political efforts from here on out, barring a worse turn of events.

In carrying Gadsden's Flag today, I marveled at what the founders of this nation were willing to sacrifice. I'm not just talking about those that signed the Declaration of Independence. I'm talking about every man, woman, and child that travailed to give birth to this nation. I hadn't planned on going to the Tax Day Tea Party, but then I thought that if I wasn't willing to give up an hour of my time to go learn about efforts to preserve my own country, I probably wasn't worthy of my own country.

This country was built on sacrifice, and it has been maintained on sacrifice. It will only be saved by sacrifice. May we be worthy of the challenge.