Today we attended the Tea Party in our little community of about 25,000 people. My oldest daughter, Val, is the President of the Young Republicans in Bell County and Mr. G and I showed up to help her pass out programs and take pictures. The organizers were expecting around 500 people. The final count was over 2,000. As I was uploading the pictures I named the folder "Tea Party" but then realizing it would probably not be the last, added the date. This was a fine start!
Pretty good turn out for a Wednesday afternoon rally that started at 4:00, before most people's work day is over:
But not everyone, as these ladies pointed out. I just wandered around asking if I could take people's pictures and ya gotta love Texas 'cause everyone was enthusiastic about mugging it up for posterity. Texas is a conservative, freedom loving state and we had the signs to prove it:
Odd fact. This is the engineer from a job Mr. G is currently working on. There were people today from all walks of life. I saw a doctor get off a Harley, tuck his helmet under his arm, still in his scrubs, to attend. Having been around the hospital in the last few months, first with the pumpkin's stay and then Vision's surgery I've noticed the coolest fact about doctors in Texas. The vast majority wear boots with their scrubs. Is this a great state or what?
More great Texas Tea Party Signs:
As many have noted, there are young and old at these Tea Parties, but this mother and son especially caught my eye. He's the little red head in the right bottom corner:
And here's his sign!
Okay, I'll just stop commenting now and let the great Americans from the great state of Texas have their say:
Many flags. This one said "Liberty". Tons of American flags and patriotic shirts, hats, pins, etc.
And there were quite a few signs on this most excellent theme:
This sign says, "Texas OUR Texas...Preserve the Heritage our Founding Fathers Fought For!"
This being Texas, obligatory reference to our first flag and fight for independence from Mexico; a lone star, THE cannon, and the defiant words, "Come And Take It":
Shot of the crowd. Most had tea bags hanging everywhere. On their signs, on their glasses, waving them, attached to hats, clipped to shirts. Tea bags everywhere:
Bless her heart, her spelling is almost as bad as mine, but her heart is in exactly the right place:
Note the newsbabe in the background. She interviewed several in the crowd but also spent half her time interviewing the 12-15 counter protesters and eventually set up her camera between the two groups in the sign face-off. More about that later. Back to the signs:
Then the "right-wing extremists" showed up and obviously, I got a little nervous:
Boo!
And doesn't that say it all? I loved this lady because she's got the patriotic outfit and as an added bonus, the little Betsy Ross cap. What's not to love?
Among my favorites of the entire day:
Just ordinary, happy people wondering what is going to happen to their country with this kind of spending and more importantly, what is going to happen to their children and their grandchildren who are being forced to shoulder this debt.
And they've had quite enough, thank you very much:
This might be my favorite sign:
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