Look, Kids. Grandma’s an Activist!

A reader post from "Peregrine," pictured below at the Ruidoso, New Mexico Tax Day Tea Party of April 15, 2009.

      They may come to take me away in handcuffs any day now. Who knew?

      Friends tell me I project a calm, even serene, countenance. But according to my critics my benign exterior hides a dangerous anti-social streak that must be squelched—if not by force then by derision and contempt. How did I come to this unfortunate state of being?

      A mentor often reminds me that we get into trouble when we believe a lie. Oh, the lies I’ve believed: that the majority of our elected officials in Washington were honorable representatives of their constituencies; that those officials had at least a modicum of knowledge of history and basic economics and sought to pass legislation benefiting the country rather than themselves; that logic and facts presented cogently would influence opinions; and that all government officials would at least attempt to honor their oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

      Silly me.

      All the while I was busy going to school, raising my family, working hard, and trusting in the integrity of those representing me in Washington, my country was slipping further and further from its foundation. I contributed through ignorance and complacency. During the last ten years my growing awareness of the abuses in politics has caused me to shift from concerned to terrified. For the first time in my life I participated in a political protest, enthusiastically attending the local April 15, 2009 symbolic reenactment of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, carrying an American flag and a big, boldly lettered sign advocating support of the Constitution. Was I on drugs? You bet. The doctor had to up my blood pressure meds to keep me from stroking out at the way the federal government has been doling out boatloads of cash for the past few years. It felt good to join with others from a broad cross-section of citizens who feel disenfranchised, who are frustrated by a government that is no longer of and for “we, the people,” but of and for self-serving politicians and appointees that seek to create a subservient and victimized citizenry.

      The mainstream media (MSM) coverage of the tea parties all across the country didn’t surprise me—after all, teaching media literacy was part of my career as a substance abuse preventionist. It did deepen my understanding of how the MSM functions and how it sees those who dare differ from it in opinion. Also, comments by government officials clarified how they view those that adhere to conservative values.

      One top presidential advisor branded me a mutant. Referring to us protesters, he said, “I think any time you have severe economic conditions there is always an element of disaffection that can mutate into something that’s unhealthy.”

      Okay, so now I’m an unhealthy element of society. That’s not all. According to others in the MSM, I’m a racist, bigot, part of the “lunatic fringe,” and, possibly, capable of terrorist actions. Wow! And all because I don’t believe in killing babies, in illegal immigration, in financially supporting those that would rather not work as hard as I have, or in financial reward for graft, corruption, and poor business practices. Being a Christian and believing in our Constitution and in the Judeo-Christian values on which it is based, in freedom of speech and religion, and emphatically supporting an armed citizenry for protection against a renegade government, lands me solidly in the group my critics consider highly dangerous.

      Dangerous for whom? Perhaps a government that has jettisoned the principles so carefully crafted by the founders of this country.

      It is unlikely that such events as the April 15^th protests will be squelched by force. But some of the MSM tried to minimize us by ratcheting up scorn and derision with some pubescent snickering at our ignorance of “tea bag” as a verb. What those individuals don’t understand is that there is no shame in being ignorant of deviant sexual practices and their terminology. It is, however, shameful to pass off adolescent bathroom humor as “reporting the news.”

    And no, I don’t contemplate committing any violent actions. My weapons will be spoken and written words of truth based on knowledge, facts and logic. Unless, of course, my Second Amendment rights are forcibly threatened. And then it will be “shoot, if you must, this old gray head,” but only if I run out of ammunition first.