Guest Editorial: American Non-Idle is born

“Silent no more” was one of the chants as we marched on DC on September 12, 2009. The march was not scheduled to start until 11 am but it had to start early because of the overflow of people.

Sources estimate that at least a million were in attendance and an estimate of 1.3 million is not a stretch of the imagination.

Yes they came; from all over the country, even the globe. I met people from England, Germany and even the Czech Republic. Why you ask? Because they were there to visit and chose to support us and participate in this momentous occasion. They know from personal experience that we are doing the right thing, and they encouraged us to never give up or hence reap the product of what being “complacent” and “voiceless” will bring, as it did with their respective countries.

National Review Online (NRO) reported an interesting detail about the march — “it was filled with immigrants. I’m pretty sure every Cuban in a thousand mile radius was there, helpfully explaining to everyone who would listen that Cuba’s vaunted free health care system involves shoddily trained doctors and bringing your own linen to the hospital.

I also spoke to angry immigrants from England and Ireland, appalled the country was slouching toward socialized medicine.” Then the NRO went on to say, “There was some concern that media attention would focus on a few fringe cranks. Well, out of what had to be hundreds of thousands, I saw two, count ’em, birther signs in hours of wandering around.“

A truly “Transforming Event” as American Thinker put it. “Sometimes an event occurs which is transforming in a way that everyone who sees it or participates in it instantly is aware of. Yesterday’s demonstration in Washington DC is one of those rare happenings” and “..as a participant, I want you to know the attendees were wonderful people, civil and polite. They showed their respect for the Capitol and the event by leaving no mess behind when they were through, in marked contrast to the inauguration.”

Once again the Administration reared its ugly head of ignorance and indifference when White House Spokesperson Robert Gibbs said this to reporters with a shrug, “I don’t know who the group is.”

Really, Mr. Gibbs? So, you mean to tell me, that even though a House leadership aide warned you and your fellow Democrats that up to 2 million demonstrators could turn out for this event and the NPS and Local Police Dept right there in DC were well informed and prepared, you sir, expect us to believe that you did not know what was going on?

You would think that it would be Mr. Gibbs job, or one of his assistants, to keep him abreast of all the press from “both sides” of the spectrum.

The most common theme and complaint of the day was “Big Government”, no matter what the reason was for them to be there, it all lead back to the firm belief that we as Americans and Patriots simply want to keep the rights that are granted to us in the Tenth Amendment.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Whether the signs talked about “Cap and Trade”, Health care, 2nd Amendment rights, State Sovereignty, Card Check or Amnesty it all boiled down to us being able to keep the rights afforded us and fought for by our Founding Fathers. Just as they did not sit on their hands, and look back in deep remorse, we cannot either. Had they done so, than we would be living under the same type of oppressive government that we broke away from when they broke the chains that bound us and created our Union.

I look back at similar marches in history and I realize that every event of this magnitude had an effect on America’s future. The March on DC did however differ enormously from such marches, i.e. A woman’s voting rights, The Civil Rights movement, The March on the Pentagon, and The Stonewall Riots, just to name a few.

How did it differ? It differed in the fact that there was no violence, no arrests, no shootings, no killings, just good clean dissent that is afforded to us with the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. There is no doubt in our minds that we are making a difference in the future of America, the future of our children and grandchildren’s America.

The Whitehouse might be ignoring us, but in 2010 they will wish that they hadn’t. No political party needs complete control of the House and Senate; it’s been disastrous in the past and will be disastrous in the future. Such power was not part of what our Founding Fathers envisioned. Our Founders didn’t even envision anyone getting paid to be in office, let alone one party controlling an office. In addition to that they knew that Government could not and should not spend money it did not have as it is doing today.

James Madison told his fellow politicians in a speech to Congress in 1790: “To say that the United States should be answerable for twenty-five millions of dollars without knowing whether the ways and means can be provided, and without knowing whether those who are to succeed us will think with us on the subject, would be rash and unjustifiable.” Thomas Jefferson later stated in a letter written to Edmund Pendleton in 1792 that: “If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one…but an indefinite one….” Consider also Washington’s statement in a letter written in 1799: “To contract new debts is not the way to pay old ones.”

These words of the wise and the voice of experience should be a light unto our path that lights the way back to “Constitution based America and the Republic for which it stands.” We are taking a stand and we are bringing back America, one vote, one ballot, one office at a time.

Until next time, stand proud, be passionate my fellow patriots and we will prevail.

BreeLee Johnston is the founder of United American Tea Party which is a Chapter of Just Patriots Inc in St. Johns County. She is a member of the National Leadership Council of Tea Party Patriots as well as the Florida Coordinator for ICaucus.org and contributes a regular guest editorial to Historic City News.