Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

TEA PARTIES WERE INSPIRING AND PATRIOTIC
boblonsberry.com ^ | 04/16/09 | Bob Lonsberry

Posted on 04/16/2009 8:07:37 AM PDT by shortstop

I almost cried.

Yesterday at noon, as I stood and watched the tea-party protesters march by, I almost cried.

It was the most beautiful and inspiring thing I had seen in a long time.

I was at Four Corners in Rochester, New York. The tea party there, like scores of others across the country, was put together by local people and brought out folks who had mostly never participated in a demonstration before.

In the middle of a workday, in the cold of early spring, waving flags and carrying signs, something like a thousand people marched past where I stood.

I was so happy, grateful and proud.

And I was wrong.

I publicized the tea parties, but I didn’t support them, and I didn’t participate in them. As the events were being planned, I was bothered by what I saw as competing egos, and a clamor among national talk-show hosts and columnists to take credit or command.

I got up yesterday morning hoping they wouldn’t be a flop, that numbers wouldn’t be so paltry that the effort would end up a laughing stock on the evening news.

Like I said, I was wrong.

And that fact happily swept over me as I looked out onto Main Street and saw a steady stream of people, a parade of folks several abreast, that took almost 15 minutes to pass me.

For 20 years I’ve been covering demonstrations and protests in Rochester, and I’ve never seen one this large. Or positive and orderly. I’ve never seen a demonstration where the participants were so upbeat, gracious and determined.

I found myself almost choked up with pride at the decency and patriotism of the event’s organizers and participants.

It was an historic event in an historic place, and that is no exaggeration. As the tea-party marchers crossed Four Corners on their way to the County Building, they walked the same route marched by Rochester men returning from battle in the Civil War, the First World War and the Second World War.

They marched past the place where Frederick Douglass published the newspaper that was one of the loudest and most influential voices against slavery. They marched past the place where, in 1825, an aged Marquis de Lafayette met with Rochester veterans of the Revolution, to reflect on their service under George Washington.

They walked where heroes and patriots have walked, and in their own way they were heroes and patriots, too. Each generation, each American, is asked to stand in defense of liberty and the Constitution which protects it. Some do this in battle, some do this in protest. All do it by living the precepts of the Constitution and standing in resistance when they are violated.

Like other tea-party participants all across the country, the Rochester marchers were happy people. They were resolute in their opposition to the wrongs being perpetrated in Washington, but there wasn’t anger or hatred in their voices, hearts or faces.

Rather, they laughed, cheered, sang and prayed. They carried signs that spoke of faith in God and American goodness. They were the best of citizens saying the best of things.

And they were taking on a regime that, from the White House and Congress, is enslaving our country with debt, regulation, socialism, oppression and rapacious taxation. In an era when those in power want them to be silent, these good Americans demanded to be heard.

There were children, grandparents, moms and dads. Young men and old women, immigrants and business people, groups from work and clusters of family.

And there were tens of thousands just like them all across America. They might be mocked on CNN, and ignored in the White House, but these people have right on their side.

And as Abraham Lincoln said, right makes might.

Which is something the White House and Congress won’t long be able to ignore.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: aar; bho44; constitution; fubo; lonsberry; patriots; restorution; revolution; rochester; taxday; teaparty
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last
Unfortunately, Cindy Sheehan plus two Code Pinkos would have gotten more MSM coverage than this, were it not for Fox News.
1 posted on 04/16/2009 8:07:37 AM PDT by shortstop
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: shortstop

“Unfortunately, Cindy Sheehan plus two Code Pinkos would have gotten more MSM coverage than this, were it not for Fox News.”

No doubt MSM was getting it’s marching orders from Obambi.


2 posted on 04/16/2009 8:13:05 AM PDT by Slapshot68
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

It is frustrating.


3 posted on 04/16/2009 8:13:24 AM PDT by FreeAtlanta (Join the Constitution Party)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop
For 20 years I’ve been covering demonstrations and protests in Rochester, and I’ve never seen one this large. Or positive and orderly. I’ve never seen a demonstration where the participants were so upbeat, gracious and determined.

No violence? /s

No wonder Leftists are haughtily dismissing these tea parties. They don't recognize them as protests, because there was no violence.

4 posted on 04/16/2009 8:14:47 AM PDT by syriacus (Obama, like Hitler, does not think morality should meddle in science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

“I’ve never seen a demonstration where the participants were so upbeat, gracious and determined.”

Elections have consequences!....Make sure this danger to America is trashed in the next election....VOTE!


5 posted on 04/16/2009 8:15:26 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

I attended one and it was very moving to be among so many fellow patriots who have legitimate concerns for the direction we’re headed.

And I couldn’t help but wonder: How many LEFTIST protests start with a prayer, include the singing of the National Anthem and America the Beautiful, and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance (including the words “under God”) ???

It was definitely a ‘Proud to be an American’ moment...


6 posted on 04/16/2009 8:15:27 AM PDT by DJ Frisat (Where's my soma, Obama?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

Bump.


7 posted on 04/16/2009 8:17:03 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion (The conceit of journalistic objectivity is profoundly subversive of democratic principle.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop
I attended the Teaparty in Houston's Jones Plaza. It was HUGE 5000 people or maybe more, I haven’t heard the final tally. When I got home last night I called KTRH TV and told them I expected to see it on the 10pm news. The guy kinda yawned and said “it was on a 4pm 5pm 6pm and it will be on at 10pm, and it was. This morning the Houston Comical/Chronicle had a nice picture and story on the front page. There were many other rallies around the Houston area and the article mentioned several of them as did the TV report. That is more than I had hoped for.
8 posted on 04/16/2009 8:21:41 AM PDT by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: syriacus
No wonder Leftists are haughtily dismissing these tea parties. They don't recognize them as protests, because there was no violence.

The Leftists know, but will not say, that when the situation decends to violence it will be their Armageddon.

9 posted on 04/16/2009 8:25:31 AM PDT by DTogo (Time to bring back the Sons of Liberty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

"There are no Tea Parties. No one is protesting our beloved leader Obama. The American people are behind Barack Obama 100%."

10 posted on 04/16/2009 8:31:36 AM PDT by bolobaby
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DJ Frisat

Ohio’s Auditor, Mary Taylor, opened the tea party at the Statehouse with prayer.


11 posted on 04/16/2009 8:32:46 AM PDT by Bosco (Remember how you felt on September 11?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: shortstop
The tea party there, like scores of others across the country, was put together by local people

No, no. You're wrong. The Lamestream Media told me it was engineered by right-wing extremist Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

12 posted on 04/16/2009 8:36:24 AM PDT by PLK
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ditter

I attended at Jones Plaza also. The final count seems to have been somewhere between 8,000 - 10,000. The organizers stayed up late last night counting the sign-in sheets and they stated they ran out of sign-in sheets so many people were not able to sign-in to prove the numbers.


13 posted on 04/16/2009 8:38:27 AM PDT by Texas56 (The fat lady is singing.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Texas56

OMG! Fantastic!


14 posted on 04/16/2009 8:40:51 AM PDT by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: RaceBannon; libertarian27; Dutchy; StarFan
Excerpt:

I almost cried.

Yesterday at noon, as I stood and watched the tea-party protesters march by, I almost cried.

It was the most beautiful and inspiring thing I had seen in a long time...

15 posted on 04/16/2009 8:43:14 AM PDT by nutmeg (DemocRATs: The party of tax cheats and other assorted crooks)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

I cried as my daughter sang the national anthem at our party in Arlington, Texas. Great event!


16 posted on 04/16/2009 8:48:55 AM PDT by manic4organic (We Are S0 Screwed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

Way to go, Rochester!


17 posted on 04/16/2009 9:10:06 AM PDT by ataDude (My incredulity has already turned into disillusionment and is now turning into hatred.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

On Fox I saw thousands of people who love this country, love being an American, and want the best for its’ future.
It reminded me that there’s hope for this country when good people step up. God bless all who did, and all who wish the could have.

On MSNBC it was an angry (at what I’m not sure) Olberman mocking and insulting. He seemed to be barely holding back some sort of pent up rage... good. He should get in practice for having his warped point of view challenged. We’re all just getting started.


18 posted on 04/16/2009 10:51:08 AM PDT by Made In The USA (Liberalism)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: shortstop

Austin TEA Party report:
http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2009/04/austin-tea-party-report.html


19 posted on 04/16/2009 11:14:44 AM PDT by WOSG (Why is Obama trying to bankrupt America with $16 trillion in spending over the next 4 years?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: WOSG; All

Where’s the last page?


20 posted on 04/16/2009 2:02:33 PM PDT by combat_boots (The answer to 1984 is 1776)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson