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Tweet this storyIf South Florida is a melting pot, the tax day TEA Party gave it a new flavor on Wednesday.
Indeed, a revolution is brewing across the country and residents of traditionally liberal Broward County are running to the battle line to exercise their First Amendment rights.
Young and old, black and white, Latino and Asian, South Florida’s multi-cultural community came out en force, mad as hell and demanding their country back.
The TEA Party event in Broward County was part of a nationwide grassroots movement that saw 2,000-plus similar protests from coast to coast. The rallies drew from the historic Boston Tea Party American colonists staged in protest of British taxation without representation.
Fort Lauderdale’s TEA Party saw about 5,000 people from around South Florida gather in front of the Broward County Federal Building in Fort Lauderdale carrying signs that read, “Spread My Work Ethics. Support Capitalism!” and “Just Say No to Socialism.”
Some were dressed up like American revolutionaries from the 1700s. Others were dressed up like the Statue of Liberty. And hundreds were wearing red, white and blue.
The key message from “We the People” to Capitol Hill: Stop the spending spree and read the bills before you sign them. The crowed broke out in chants of “U.S.A.” and some sang songs like “My Country Tis of Thee” or the national anthem.
Will the TEA Parties make a difference? Kids carrying signs that read, “I don’t want your debt,” homeschooled teenagers carrying boxes of Lipton tea, teachers decrying socialism and Cuban immigrants vowing that America would not go the way of Castro’s Havana believe it will.
Capitol Hill may or may not listen to “We the People” after a single event. But could it be possible that this grassroots movement has fanned the flame of the revolutionary spirit in America? Could we see a restoration of the spirit of our forefathers who founded this country as one nation under God, where we are guaranteed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
I believe it could – and I believe it has. As the dust settles on this historic event, keep this in mind: Independence Day is coming!
Check out more of The Voice TEA Party coverage from citizen journalists all across the nation.
Jennifer LeClaire is the editor of The Voice magazine and author of "Doubtless: Faith that Overcomes the World." You can visit her online at www.jenniferleclaire.org.
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