The New Orleans Tea Party

The American Revolutionary War ended in 1783. Only 29 years later, we were in another war with Great Britain. The reasons for the new war, The War of 1812, were many, but it boiled down to the fact that the British didn't accept the United States as a country. They didn't respect the fact that American fought and died for freedom, defeating the British.

What could have happened in 29 years to make Americans so willing to take up arms again and defend their freedom, once again? Did that little taste of freedom, of being Americans, give our country the will to defeat the British again? Could they have enjoyed those 29 years of freedom so much they would do anything not to be under England's control?

Think of Andrew Jackson, Ol' Hickory himself, going to New Orleans to beat back the enemy. He didn't take a large army. In fact, those who fought in the Battle of New Orleans were quite a motley crew. On his "trip down the mighty Mississip," Jackson enlisted the help of many to fight the British. Ol' Hickory stood up against the invading forces with regular army and militia. Kentucky frontiersmen and French-speaking Creole stood with him. Indians, slaves and even women took up arms to fight back the British.

While researching my family tree, I came across a letter written by an unknown woman who lived in New Orleans in 1814. She was writing her sister, fearing this could be the last letter she would ever write. She wrote about how Andrew Jackson and his men came and recruited her husband, sons and slaves to fight the British. So moved by the possibility of England regaining control, she fastened a kitchen knife on the end of a broomstick (seeing the men had taken all the "real" weapons) to defend her country.

I can see her, sitting on her front porch, with her homemade weapon, willing to die for the past 29 years of freedom. I can see the men that were hiding in the swamps and the bogs, waiting to force the British back into the Gulf of Mexico.

That is a Tea Party! After only 29 years of freedom, Americans weren't willing to give up that freedom. Men and women from all walks of life came together, fought and died so their children and grandchildren could experience the freedom they had for 29 short years.

Here it is - 2010 - 227 years from the end of the Revolutionary War and what are Americans up to? Some are handing their freedom to a socialist, left-wing government ran by Barrack Obama and his blind sheep. Then, there are the others. Those who have enjoyed 227 years of freedom and do not want to be forced to buy lousy health care, give up their freedom of religion and of speech and their right to bear arms.

Unlike many Conservatives, I'm not familiar with the current Tea Party. I do know a little bit about, what I call "The New Orleans Tea Party of 1814." That is a tea party I can get behind and support. I love the freedoms that I have and, like the New Orleans woman, I'll put my kitchen knife on my broomstick and defend our country and all it offers me and my family. I prefer my little blog that shares my thoughts, ideas and questions about the present condition of our country, but I will do what is necessary to make sure my daughter enjoys the same freedom I have had my entire life. Like the residents of New Orleans, I'm not willing to give it away.

That makes me wonder about those who support Obama and his blind sheep. Twenty-nine years was long enough all those years ago to defend their freedom, yet 227 years isn't enough for some of us today. I see how they are hypnotized, enthralled and moved by Obama's well-constructed speeches and promises. I see them follow him simply because "he's the president" and must know what he is doing. They like the idea of free stuff and change.

I don't understand it. I enjoy the satisfaction of working for what I have. I like being able to speak and write my mind. I like having a permit to carry a concealed weapon and enjoy taking my gun with me wherever I go. I love going to the church of my choice and worshiping my God as I see fit.

Twenty-nine years isn't a long time. It was long enough for Americans to know they preferred freedom to being under England's boot. My lifetime is long enough for me to know I don't want to be under Obama's boot and I don't want to bankrupt my daughter's future for his empty, useless and frivolous promises.

How long will the rest of America need to be free for them to stop this madness? Better yet, how long will it take for them to start fighting for the freedom they handed to Obama?