THE People are Steamed on the 4th

Down the hall, the A/C was gulping air in an almost continuous effort to cool the house. It felt pretty good sitting on the couch, under the ceiling fan, and drinking coffee with my husband. The weather lady was talking about the heat advisory in effect for north Texas. It was going to be 100 degrees with a heat index of 107-108 this July 4th.

I couldn’t believe that we were going to get off the couch, grab our signs, and drive 20 miles just to stand out in the blazing sun and protest. But there was my sign, “The Road to Hell is Paved With Borrowed Money!”

Thinking about the absolute lack of common sense, defiance of the Constitution, and indifference to the will of the people displayed by our federal government irked me all over again. Those fools in Washington, D.C. have no idea just how irritated people are. Thousands of people, just like us, were preparing to protest all over the country this 4th of July.

“America’s Tea Party,” seemed like just too much for us, so we settled on a smaller gathering. The Tea Party at the Historic Rockwall County Courthouse was more our speed. There would be a few trees to shelter under, not too much traffic, and not too far to walk or retreat if the heat got to be too much.

We managed to get there a little past noon. There was a red, white, and blue crowd. The Court House provided a scenic venue. Many brought chairs to set in the shade of the oak trees and others were braving the blazing sun to get a better view of the podium. (Later, I read on the Rockwall County website that there had been over 1000 people there.)

There were speakers, but I found myself more interested in the protesters. There was an intense determination on people’s faces. One of the speakers managed to capture my attention, reading the “Declaration of Independence.” I felt kind of foolish as my eyes started filling with tears and there was this strange swelling in my chest—is this what patriotism feels like? Some, wiping their eyes, appeared to feel the same way.

I spent the rest of the time taking pictures of people and their signs. The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, spoke. Honestly, I barely heard a word he said; figured he’s just another politician and we’ve heard enough of what they have to say.

What’s important is what THE PEOPLE are saying.

Washington, just in case you didn’t catch it, people are saying “yes” to liberty, freedom, personal responsibility, gun rights, free-market competition, State’s rights, the Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and the American Dream. They are saying “no” to excessive taxes, borrowing, spending, printing, bailouts, cap and trade, czars, federal infringement on State’s sovereignty, socialism, nationalization of private enterprise, and the fed.

HEY WASHINGTON! THE PEOPLE are steamed! Remember nobody is “too big to fail.”

Plotting Radicals...

See photos:

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Standing Up!

I decided to take another step into the 21st century and get a twitter account. Yes, it’s interesting to admit. I tweet. Never saw that one coming.

You know how one thing leads to another? I suppose it's time for another step. Now, I blog.

It all started innocently enough when I was trying to follow what was happening with the protesters of the Iranian presidential election. When the Iranian government kicked out foreign correspondents and began to shut down all forms of communication with the outside world, the only information coming in was from sites like twitter, youtube, and facebook. I cared, so I learned.

At first, I lurked—trying to understand what I could do to help, but hesitant to get involved. The government of Iran, using software purchased from Nokia and Siemens, was trying to track down protesters who were trying to get information and images out. There was a war of propaganda and disinformation fought on twitter and other social networking sites. I was afraid that somehow my actions could endanger someone in Iran.. I changed my time stamp to Tehran and participated in dos attacks, but remained silent. It was only after I was accused of being an Iranian government agent that I spoke up. I limit my tweets on Iran to those of support of the protesters and ideas of freedom. I’m still concerned that I could inadvertently compromise someone. In that country people are being beaten, arrested, raped, shot, or even hung in the streets—just because they want their vote to count. What a dangerous desire.If you’re interested in what’s going on in Iran search on twitter for IranElection, GreenRevolution, or just Iran.

I’ve been concerned with what has been happening in our country for some time. As a student of history, it’s frightening. No country, business, or individual can borrow and spend the way Congress has for the last nine months without dire consequences. Our country has borrowed more in the last six months than has been borrowed in the cumulative history of our country. In the last six months the government has doubled the supply of money via the printing press. Since others are beginning to balk at buying our debt, we have even started lending ourselves money—by printing more. If continued, this behavior will lead to the total collapse of the dollar.

If you don’t think so, read about the Weimar Republic of Germany in the years just after WWI and leading up to WWII. Research “hyperinflation.”

The problems and solutions for our country are not simply about Republican or Democratic control. We could easily blame the start of this spending mess on Republican George W. Bush’s bailouts (it would be an admitted oversimplification, but for argument sake) and the continuation of the spending insanity by the Democratically controlled legislative and executive branches. It really doesn’t matter. It’s not about conservative or liberal, party affiliation, or who started what. Now, it’s about right and wrong—common sense. It’s about our economic solvency and survival of the free market economy.

Inspired by those willing to die to be heard, I’m standing up. I can do something. I can call and email my senators and representatives. I can go to Tea Parties. I can talk, write, blog, tweet and even scream until my voice is gone, if that will help.

I can no longer do nothing. I refuse to sit quietly. I will not willingly leave this mess for my children and grandchildren. Will you?

Stand up. Do something.