For America they came

Sunday, 05 July 2009
On July 4, citizens from throughout Northeastern Oklahoma gathered at LaFortune Park in Tulsa to celebrate freedom.  They did not gather in the early morning to shot fireworks. Instead, they came to make new friends, each sharing a common concern that the nation they love is at growing risk.

The event, organized by USA Patriots, had an amazing turnout.  People came in the rain.  It had been raining since daybreak.  Still they came.  Over 350 stood for two hours amid intermittent summer showers.  These people were not from any one political party, religion, race or creed, just Americans by-choice and by-birth united.  

ImageOn Independence Day from 10 am to noon, in large part drenched to the skin under umbrellas and rain slickers, they cheered and clapped and praised God and County with a single voice.

There was a veteran from World War II standing beside those from Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.  There were young children and those greatly advanced in years.  Teenagers, usually the most careless on public policy, were also in attendance and attentively listening as speaker after speaker rallied the crowd.

ImageTulsa Today provided the sound system, but we did not speak.  We attended the event to listen and record the day.  We send special thanks to the folks that provided umbrellas to protect the system speakers and regret we did not get their names in the confusion of dealing with the weather.

Our competitor newspaper did not cover the LaFortune Park event. Instead, they attended an event at Haikey Creek Park.  However, Tulsa Today video is being processed and will, at a later date, post for review.  Our still cameras captured the accompanying images and KOTV Channel 6 also covered the event.  Click here to read the KOTV story and view the video.

ImageOne KOTV responder, Jenny Alexander, was quoted saying she participated because of the controversial Cap and Trade Bill.  She says it will result in unprecedented oversight on utility companies and will force major rate hikes on the middle class---a major theme and concern for many attending this event.

Many of the participants spoke of Congress and what they consider “reckless spending beyond sanity.” Others asked the question--how representative can an elected government be when they pass spending bills without knowledge of what each bill contains or what the economic cost of that spending will total?  

They believe bank bailouts and stimulus packages with increasing regulation are leading to unconstitutional government encroachment.

Others were not impressed with “change” as provided by President Obama, but insistent that America remember the foundational principles of the country.  Some praised God for Sarah Palin and urged her to begin her run for President.

USA Patriots sponsored the Tea Party Event with support from KRMG and many local businesses.  Tulsa Today will continue to cover their events and we may increase our support in future functions.

This activity by ordinary citizens is just one indication of a sea-change occurring in public debate. If over 350 people will brave the rain – it is possible that thousands will attend  in good weather.  
Online since 1996, Tulsa Today receives hundreds of real e-mail and thousands of spam (thankfully caught by our spam filter) each day.  We are on hundreds of e-mail lists for all kinds of reasons, both personal and professional.  From the diverse amount of interaction that goes on each day and the responses that we receive, we know that people are paying attention to government.

Beyond the promises of the political class and the vacuous hype of celebrity; our readers are concerned about the future of freedom---with increasing awareness that as taxes rise, freedom will fall away and a type of economic slavery will begin.  They will not accept that for their children.

One e-mail reminded us of Harry McCormick, a songwriter during the last Great Depression who wrote a tune he named “The Big Rock Candy Mountain.”  It's all about promises made by a hobo who had a good story and painted a pretty word picture to a group of homeless, helpless hobos sitting around wanting a better life.

The hobo with all the promises just came "hikin’ down the road" from nowhere.  He had no credentials.  He had no experience and had never ran a business or owned one.  ImageHe only had the ability to spin yarns and make promises he couldn’t possibly keep.  But he could get the folks' attention with his made up stories.  The story goes on to tell of cigarette trees, alcohol springs, free handouts and free food "a lake of stew, and whisky too" he sang.  

Law enforcement people were all amputees with wooden legs and "the jails are made of tin, you can walk right out as soon as you are in" the song went on “There is no penalty to pay for your crimes and even the railroad cops have to tip their hats.”

ImageThe e-mail continued. The writer had heard of such a place right here, today in the U S A.  A guy making all the same kind of promises is also a guy who has never owned or operated a profit making business and never was successful at anything but telling beautiful stories without any basis of truth.  He promised to open up the jails and set some of the criminals free.  He cut the legs from law enforcement people so they will have to use wooden legs.

The "jerks" that invented work have been hung or have gone broke.  So "there ain't no axes, picks, or shovels."  The silence of the workplace is deafening.  The hobos now wait and listen for the sound of the next freight train going to someplace else, but it won’t be going to The Big Rock Candy Mountain.

We looked and to our surprise, Wikipedia has a listing for Big Rock Candy Mountain with historical detail (click here for more).

If there is a moral to this ditty our friend by e-mail suggested it would be "It is better to sit with friends who share your suffering and figure a way to make your life better than to go down the road to nowhere following a smooth talking fool.”

Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 July 2009 )