Indy Tea Party 1, Rain 0

I have spent many days in the rain; I remember a time in Korea sitting on the back of an Army vehicle under my olive drab poncho while equally green frogs jumped all around me; I remember waiting for the rain to stop before several great Indy 500s. My children and I once slept in the car through a night of rain and lightening while trying to camp in the hills of Michigan. I can't forget living through three hurricanes in Florida. Again and again, it seemed like the rain, when it came, always won; but not on July 4, 2009. On that day the Indy Tea Party won.

There was an impressive march of people down the streets of Indy toward the park where the Indy Tea Party was held. There were hundreds of rain coats and ponchos and many signs with streaked messages proclaiming the attendees’ desire for freedom. There were young people, middle aged people and senior citizens. There were tents selling Tea Party paraphernalia and others for signing petitions against government boondoggles. There were speeches that got the crowd excited and there were hot dogs and lawn chairs.

The crowd was smaller than on April 15, but who wants to stand in the rain? Those who attended proved they were not fair weather patriots. And like thousands of others across the country they were part of a protest that will continue to grow. I was impressed by the thoughtfulness of the signs and by the friendliness of the people. The rain was not a problem.

Richard and Laura Behney and their staff of volunteers are to be congratulated for their hard work and organizational skills. If you haven’t donated to help defray costs, please do so, even if it is only a small amount. This is a grass roots organization. It does not get grant money like ACORN and they don’t have the backing of a political organization. It only has your backing.

Contrast these patriots who stood in the rain with a leader who utters the Presidential oath as if it were a punch line; who then fires executives of private companies and destroys the sanctity of contract – after 233 years of freedom – in only a few short days. To fight this cynical hatred of freedom, we must continue the Tea Parties. They may be our only hope.