MORE UNION TEA PARTY PICS

A few thoughts on the Union Tea Party:
1) Good turnout. I was surprised to see the number that showed up. I won't even attempt an estimate; math never was my strong point.
2) The little kids running around were all really polite. Nice to hear a kid say excuse me and yes sir. Good job Mom and Dad.
3) The speeches were good. I did notice what seemed to be a bit of fatalism regarding the direction our country is taking. From the Patrick Henry "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech to one speaker saying that he would rather rebuild the country from the ashes of conflict than see his kids live under socialism. Are we all starting to sense that this is coming to some sort of turning point, that we can only say the same things over and over so many times? Pray for peace but prepare for the worst.
4) OK, take this for what it's worth. I understand the importance of God to the success of this movement. I also understand the influence a belief in God, or at least a creative power, had on the Founding Fathers; those that were Christian, Deist or Agnostic. They believed in the Natural Law and the importance of a moral system of living and understanding our place in the world. This being said, I felt at times like I was at a fundamentalist camp meeting. I believe that the movement risks driving away people that would be important allies if it begins to proselytize a certain religious view. It is good to offer thanks to God at these meetings as a necessary reminder of who is behind the show. We should attempt to keep this show of faith just generic enough to allow those of truly religious beliefs, but not Christians, from being either offended or feeling as though they are being asked to become part of something that they cannot, in good moral conscience, participate in. It would be easy to drive away devout Jews, Muslims, Hindus or whatever by too narrowly focusing on a specific religious doctrine. Just had to get that off my chest.