We speak about American exceptionalism, and there is a fundamental truth that America is indeed exceptional, not because of its political class or its bureaucracy, but due to the American people.
Those of us who believe in the founding principles, who understand that divine providence had a hand in the formation of this country, realize that there is something ingrained in the American spirit, some inherent yearning for liberty, some desire to be left alone to make our own fortune, to seek our own happiness, coupled with a unique belief in charity, in extending a helping hand to those in need.
It is this spirit, this drive for freedom that prompted the first settlers to cross an ocean to form a new life in an untamed new land in order to flee religious persecution.
It is the spirit that allowed the colonists to rise up against British hegemony in a revolt against burdensome taxation, and forge a nation that would be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.
It is this spirit that drove the pioneers westward, spurred on by that rugged individualism that characterized a people who would make their own way.
It is that same spirit, spurred on by Kennedy’s challenge to conquer space that culminated with the 20th century cowboys, the astronauts of our space program, landing on the moon.
And it is that same spirit that has caused American men and women to risk all, to make the ultimate sacrifice at the beaches of Normandy, on the island of Iwo Jima, in the jungles of southeast Asia and in the hostile environments of Afghanistan and Iraq, and on and on, in an heroic effort to come to the aid of their oppressed brother and sisters around the world.
My friends, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you. Politicians may squander our treasure leaving us bankrupt, they may decimate our economy leaving us jobless, they may confiscate our wealth through burdensome taxation, and they may try to regulate every aspect of our lives in a veiled attempt to enslave us, but they can never forcibly take away our American spirit.
The only way we can lose this God-given blessing is to surrender it, to turn our backs on it, to trade it in, if you will, for some handout. We here understand the folly of such a trade off – we understand that our liberty is precious, and that no amount of perceived government largesse is worth the surrender of that liberty.
So where does that leave us in today’s America?
Countless Americans, weaned on generation after generation of government handouts perpetuated by the progressive liberal ideology, have indeed surrendered their spirit.
They have accepted a new way of life, dependent on a bureaucratic leviathan for their every need, no longer the makers of their own dreams, no longer the guardians of their children future. And as more and more of these weakened Americans accept the yoke of enslavement in return for their vote, the more powerful the bureaucracy becomes. The current administration, aided by their progressive cohorts in Congress, by organized labor, by the mainstream media and enabled by a Republican establishment that has no stomach for a fight, continues to up the ante, to impose their soft tyranny, in an attempt to get the holdouts, the concerned citizens of America, those of us in whose hearts still burns that indomitable American Spirit, to finally surrender to their will.
It is out of this dire situation that the Tea Party movement has flourished, encouraging Americans of every stripe to rise up, to raise their voices, to stop the madness and to restore America to its founding principles.
Make no mistake; it was the Tea Party that brought about the tsunami of change that washed across the political landscape last November.
It was the Tea Party that forced the struggle against Obamacare, causing the administration to spend precious political capital to get the legislation passed, and exposing blatant government corruption.
It was the Tea Party that forced the fight in Congress over the debt ceiling from being just a rubber stamp.
It is the voice of the people, expressed through the venue the Tea Party has created that has exposed the president, his policies and his minions as the reason why America is suffering today.
In today’s America there should not be such widespread unemployment, but for the Obama agenda.
Business growth should not be stymied, burdened with overregulation and stagnant, loitering in a sea of uncertainty, but for the Obama agenda.
The greatest economic engine in the history of the world, the bastion of capitalism and free markets, should not be borrowing billions of dollars from Communist China, but for the Obama agenda.
Illegal immigrants should not be allowed to cross our borders with impunity, and then be coddled by our government, nor should American citizens be killed by guns delivered to Mexican drug cartels by our own government, but for the Obama agenda.
The security of our ally Israel should not be severely jeopardized, and the threat of Iranian warships off the coast of our country should not be happening, but for the Obama agenda.
Americans should not be at each others throats, locked in a battle of class envy, and separated by race baiting demagoguery, except for a president whose rhetoric seems intent on fomenting flash mob confrontations and civil unrest.
In today’s America, concerned citizens, acting as our founders had intended, engaging in a debate over the current and future policies effecting us as a nation, speaking out against the harmful, willfully malicious decisions being perpetrated by this administration, acting in a concerted voice known as the Tea Party, should not be subjected to vile, hateful speech by the very people elected as our representatives.
We should not hear California Congresswoman Maxine Waters saying “The Tea Party can go straight to hell.”
Nor should we hear Indiana Congressman, Andre Carson, saying “the Tea Party wants blacks hanging from a tree.”
Vice president Biden should not be agreeing to rhetoric saying “the Tea Party is acting like terrorists.”
If you do not believe that your country is being fundamentally changed, that the constitution is being trampled, and that we are being led down a path that will leave America weakened economically, militarily and morally, it is beyond time for you to wake up and become involved.
If you believe that you can wait until November 2012 to correct things, let me tell you that America, as the country we all know and love, will be unrecognizable by then if we all were to do nothing.
You have an opportunity here today, with so many groups represented, so many local venues available to you to become engaged, to become part of the movement. I implore you to take advantage of this opportunity.
But besides just becoming involved, it is equally important for us to frame the narrative, to counter the lies that are being spread, to move from defense to offense. To do that you must become educated, aware and emboldened. You must find your voice and express your beliefs. You must have a positive vision for America’s future and be able to articulate that vision. And you must live that vision.
If the Tea Party movement is to continue to be effective, to be the one refuge where conservative ideology can flourish, then it must be pure to the founding principles and it must exhibit a moral character that is beyond reproach.
In today’s America, my Tea Party is all inclusive, open to every American who espouses the virtues of individual freedom, fiscally responsible limited government, personal responsibility and free markets. There can be no exclusions, no exceptions, no doubts and no room for prejudice of any nature. My Tea Party welcomes every race, every creed, every color, every social class, every sexual orientation, and every party affiliation that believes as I do, be it Republican, Democrat or Independent.
When the policies of this regime result in joblessness, it impacts every family, black and white, Christian, Jew and Muslim.
When businesses fail because of overregulation, bureaucratic red tape and excessive taxation, it hurts all business owners, the small mom and pop as well as the corporate giants and their stockholders.
When our borders remain porous and we remain beholden to foreign nations for our economic survival, our security as a nation becomes tenuous, threatening the well being and safety of all Americans, straight and gay, democrat, republican and independent.
When political patronage and failed initiatives, bent on promoting a Green Job agenda result in the waste of billions of dollars of taxpayer money, all Americans suffer.
My friends we are all in this together. In the words of Ben Franklin, “We must all hang together or assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” Do not let those who would silence us have any excuse to paint us with the harsh brush of bigotry. Set the agenda, frame the narrative, hold the moral high ground and act decisively.
Our movement is under constant attack, both from the left, who understand that we are not going away, and from the establishment opposition, who also see us a threat to their hold on power.
Our cause is just, our resolve unshakable, but we need more concerned citizens to join the fight. My friends, if you are not part of the solution, you remain a part of the problem. The current administration as well as the progressives in national, state and local governments has radically changed the fabric of our society.
If we allow this change to remain, we will have forfeited the inheritance of our children and grandchildren, which has been safeguarded and nourished by the sacrifice, blood and commitment of generations of American citizens. If we fail to overturn the radical agenda of this corrupt regime, we will forever be branded as the generation that refused to fight, the generation that lost the Dream, the generation that forgot that this country was founded under a Divine Providence to forever be a beacon of hope and liberty to the entire world.
As I said earlier, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you. It is yours to hold forever. It can only be lost if you willingly surrender it, so cherish it, nurture it, draw strength from it, and pass it on to your children. And always hold that bright vision for our future.
Let me leave you with this thought, since you are all gathered here today for a common cause and can support each other as you back to your homes, your friends and your families. A year ago I attended Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally at the Lincoln Memorial. A half a million concerned, patriotic citizens gathered, prayed, and drew strength from each other then as you can now.
If we each understand who we are as Americans, why we are here, why America is a special place, “that shining city on a hill,” and if we return to the founding principles, the traditions and mores of our Judeo-Christian faith, and begin to live our lives guided by the principle of personal responsibility, if we encourage entrepreneurship and free markets, if we fight for limited government at every turn, if we cherish our liberty, fight for it with every breath we take, and if we do it with confidence in America’s future, with a smile on our face, with a hand extended to our fellow Americans, and with a profound belief that all we have has been given to us by our Creator, then we can, and we will make things right.
