You’re here for any number of reasons. You’re tired of government spending. You’re concerned about your job. You worry about the decay of moral values in the United States. Most of us can start there and make a long list.
Now we’ll tell you why we’re here.
While many of the issues of the day concern us, the core problem we face in this country is this: we have become complacent and ignored the warnings of our founding fathers. We have not kept careful watch over those we place in our local, state, and national governments. And, as Thomas Jefferson and others warned, the central government has become too large, too powerful, and too corrupt. Both political parties and independents are guilty of stepping far outside their constitutional limitations. But they are not to blame.
We are.
We’ve taken our liberty for granted, put our faith in a government made of fallible men and women, and shown concern or taken action only when we weren’t inconvenienced. “To protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America” is not an oath for one man to uphold. It is the duty of each American. God has granted us our inalienable rights, not the government. It is up to the individual to keep them. A government outside of any Constitutional control can, and will, take them away.
Our irresponsible behavior of the past century need not be the final chapter in the freest nation on Earth. We still have the basic tools necessary, those handed to us by the founders and drafted into the Constitution and Bill of Rights, to regain the heritage fought for by our forefathers. This is not over. We will, once again, be the last great hope of a world crying out for a chance to live free.
The road will be a long one. It took most of the 20th century to get here. The struggle to reverse the damage done will take at least as long. When you join a Tea Party, you’re not joining a group of sign-carrying grandmothers protesting on tax day. That’s only a very small part of what we do. Just as the original Boston Tea Party was very symbolic and drew the attention of a tyrannical government, the act itself did little to gain our independence. The real fight took place in town halls, in meeting rooms, on the pages of newspapers. When that failed, violence became the only recourse.
Fortunately, we never need take that path again. Because of the brave men and women of that era, we have a system of government that allows us to speak out without fear. The shame is ours when we fail to do so. If we don’t speak out and protest that which we know is wrong, then we may as well not vote, either. Use all the freedoms alloted, or use none.
The North Oakland County Tea Party Patriots will do our part in restoring the principles outlined in our Constitution.
We will accomplish this task by educating our members of our nations history, the intent of the founders, and the failures of a century of progressivism.
We will accomplish this task through community involvement. Not just public, peaceful protests, but by taking an interest in our community, our neighborhoods, and lending a hand to those in need.
We will accomplish this task by taking active roles in the political process. We will register to become precinct delegates for the Democratic and Republican parties. We will engage our elected officials when we see them stepping outside of their Constitutional limits. We will write letters to the editor of our local newspapers. We will attend local meetings. We will not allow any political party or persoanlity to claim the Tea Party as their own, and we will not endorse candidates based on party affiliation.
This process begins today. With you. With us. Today we vow to never return to the apathy that brought this nation to the brink of bankruptcy. Today we vow to keep careful watch on the activities of our local, state, and federal governments. Today we vow to never trust that a party label excuses us from our due diligence as citizens. Today we vow to teach our children and grandchildren that the defense of freedom never ends, and it is the responsibility of every United States citizen.
The future of our nation starts today. We, the North Oakland County Tea Party Patriots, make this pledge to defend the United States and its Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic.
Will you join us? Your country calls.
Please watch this video before you proceed:
