Another Saturday. Another Tea Party. This one directed at Obama surrogate Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009

I overslept so Joe and I had to hurry up and get ready for the Porkulus Rally...er Tea Party at Claire McCaskill's office. I checked my e-mail and had a short note from Amanda Grosserode, who is coalescing as the Tea Party's main organizer in the Kansas City area even though she is from Lenexa, KS. She said no one had called off the event even though there was four inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing.

We finally got on the road around 9:30 a.m. and it was a little worse than we expected. Joe and I decided our anger was greater than our fear of the inclement weather so we pressed on. The plan was to meet at the Nichols Fountain, at 47th & J.C. Nichols Parkway, in Kansas City, MO, at 10:00 and march to McCaskill's office about a mile from the fountain.

The going was slow on the road but we made it to Nichols Fountain about 30 minutes late. The loose knit group of a few hundred fired up people were still at the fountain, signs waving. Passing cars were honking their approval and it was snowing like crazy. Joe parked the car and by the time we got our signs and walked toward the fountain, the group was already starting their march up J.C. Nichols Parkway.

We sloshed our way across the Parkway but the group of men, women and children were already marching up the hill toward 42nd Street. Joe and I tried to catch up but it was no use. I couldn't walk fast enough and the grade up the hill was proving to be too much for this 62 year old body. Joe decided to go back and get the car and we drove up the Parkway where we finally caught up with the Protesters at 42nd Street.

I was snapping pictures of the group as they crossed the Parkway at 42nd Street, and I noticed one sign in particular being carried by a woman who was surrounded by a group of kids. The sign was on a black board and it had "Freedom Lovers" with the Revolutionary symbol of the severed snake to represent the original 9 colonies at the beginning of the founding of our country. I couldn't help thinking about General George Washington and his troops crossing the icy Delaware River during the Revolutionary War on December 25th in 1776 or Glenn Beck's Nine Principles from his We Surround You campaign.
Find Glenn's information at: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/21018/

I'm in no way comparing the Tea Party participants to our founding fathers but we are Patriots. We love our country and we support each other and our efforts to fight against the socialization of our nation at the expense of our future.

One year ago this country was flourishing, with problems, yes but not even close to what distress it's in today. I don't believe that this crisis occurred because the taxpayers didn't do what was right or responsible. Greed from unseen entities seems to be where this crisis is pointing. My belief is that people with a lot more money than's been spent in this bailout started this thing to elect a President but it got out of hand. Power brokers who have no allegiance to any country...but I digress, marchers were still going up the hill.

As we turned the corner onto Pennsylvania the line of Protesters stretched from J.C Nichols Parkway, up the hill on 42nd and all the way down to Claire McCaskills office. We parked our car about a half a block away and entered the fray. The group had several cheerleaders shouting slogans like 'No More Pork" and "No to Socialism". The group was made up of people who were young and old and middle aged and kids most carrying signs with their particular message on them.

The crowd was noisy, angry but polite. As we winded our way through the crowd we stopped and talked to people in small groups, Many were small business owners who said they didn't see anything in the President's plan to make them hopeful for the future. One businesswoman said she employed 15 workers and from what she could tell, if the plans are implemented in the way the Stimulus bill is being interpreted, she may have to lay off 10 of her workers. People around her agreed that "the Stimulus Bill is not stimulating any thing but a bigger government. None of us were hopeful that growing the government was going to lead to anything other than less freedom and higher taxes.

There were Fair Tax people there and workers against FOCA the "Freedom of Choice Act" (the bill that would take away the secret ballot for Union workers) Stimulus Bill Protesters, Mortgage Bailout Protesters, Free Speech advocates, etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is there were a lot of Patriotic Americans who were using their First Amendment Rights which includes prohibiting the United States Congress from making laws that infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

It is also the Amendment that guarantees one of our most important freedoms, the "Freedom of Religion", and it begins the Bill of Rights.

The crowd braved the elements for more than two hours before they started to disperse. Amanda had arranged for a few of us to meet after the Protest at Power Play in Shawnee, KS for lunch and discussion about where we go from here. It was a small group. Nine of us ate and talked briefly. A Gentleman named Mike said there was going to be a protest in Olathe next weekend. We agreed we must keep this movement alive.

Obama say he realizes that there are people who disagree with his policies. In his weekly radio address on Saturday, President Barack Obama predicted fierce opposition from the various industries in insurance, oil and gas companies, student lenders and banks, saying: "I know they're gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this: So am I." He forgot about the people expressing themselves in these Tea Parties. Our message to President Obama is "Your ready to fight...well so are WE"!

Use this link to view the Slideshow from this event:
http://picasaweb.google.com/windyjo36/McCaskillProtest02

Contact me, Gayle Brown at gbrown895@kc.rr.com.