Archives > Flower Mound Leader > Opinion
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Celebrating Liberty at July 4th Tea Party
By Ernie Vogel, Viewpoint
As the celebration of our nation’s independence takes place on July 4th, we will immerse ourselves in the traditions that were born of our youth. We all remember the special ways that the generations of our family observed summer’s major holiday. I remember 4th of July parades, cook-outs and fireworks at a community park. Those traditions have been passed on to my children.
Behind the traditions, there is a fundamental reason that we can enjoy those activities: Liberty. I say that we are celebrating our liberty by being at liberty to honor the founding of our country through the traditions of our families.
If we look outside the traditions of our youth, what other ways can we celebrate liberty? This year, I am breaking tradition to do something that I would never have dreamed of in the past. On July 4th, I’ll be attending America’s Tea Party at Southfork Ranch.
I want my kids to enjoy all the liberties that I enjoyed when I was young. I want their kids to continue the traditions that defined my family. At the present time, I fear that our liberties are being taken away by a massive expansion in federal government. So this year, I’m going to join tens of thousands of other people to celebrate our independence while voicing our collective displeasure with the direction being taken in Washington, DC.
The Tea Party protests began with bloggers in Seattle, Wash., who organized a demonstration on Feb. 16. As word of this spread, rallies in Denver and Mesa, AZ, were quickly organized for the next day. Then CNBC talker Rick Santelli delivered his Feb. 19th "rant heard round the world" in which he called for a "Chicago tea party" on July Fourth. The “tea party” moniker stuck, but angry taxpayers weren't willing to wait until July. Soon, tea party protests were appearing in one city after another, drawing at first hundreds, and then thousands, to marches in cities from Orlando to Kansas City to Cincinnati.
On April 15th, Tax Day tea parties were held all over the country in anywhere from 300 to 500 different locations. Estimates of the number of people attending numbered one million or more! I attended the April 15th Tea Party held at the Courthouse Square in Denton. That was the very first time in my life I ever attended any kind of protest gathering. As it turned out, I was not the only “first-timer”. I was joined by around 500 others, a majority of whom had never done that before either. More importantly, the crowd was very family-oriented, with babies in strollers, kids of all ages, parents and grandparents.
Given my rewarding experience on Tax Day, I hope to have a similar, if not enhanced experience at Southfork. The event is free to attend, although you must pay to park. It runs from 3pm until midnight. There will be live music, kid-friendly events and speeches about liberty. Food and drinks are available to buy, although you can bring your own, as long as there is no alcohol. Bring a pop-up canopy and you’ll have plenty of shade throughout the day. If you choose, you can upgrade to reserved seating areas by purchasing tickets after you arrive, assuming they are still available. For more information, go to www.dallasteaparty.org.
Join me in celebrating LIBERTY by being free to celebrate our independence with like-minded people. Sounds like that could become a tradition!
Ernie Vogel is a resident of Flower Mound, a blogger and an avid Twitterer when he’s not working as a CPA in Irving. He and his wife are raising teenage kids and hope that those kids forever enjoy the uninterrupted blessings that liberty has bestowed on them.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: Opinion «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
no fire department.
no public roads or bridges.
no libraries.
no public schools.
it's all a socialist-marxist-gay-lesbian-crypto-vegetarian plot to destroy our country! "