OPINION

I went to a Terrorist Tea Party (as I call it) meeting last night in Silverdale. It was a meeting of true subversives. Inside people's back pockets was more likely a Pocket Constitution than Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals," which some might find shocking, especially those (such as Queen Nancy Pelosi) who have called the Tea Party goers "Nazis." But even then, you never know what you'll find in the back pocket of a Tea Party member. More than a few conservatives are now trying to familiarize themselves with those who oppose our freedom-based rule-of-law society and so they might indeed have Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" in their back pocket as a reference, but only in the same way a Jew might carry around "Mein Kampf" in order to understand his opposition.

To Pelosi, Reid, Obama, and the useful-idiot mainstream press, the Tea Party movement are a bunch of terrorists, Nazis, radicals, and racists. But the most radical notion I heard there last night was that we ought to humbly follow the laws and constitutions of our land rather than rule over people like kings and queens in willy-nilly "make it up as you go along" fashion. The only remark about color I heard was that of "red, white, and blue." And the only people who should be terrified are those Democrats who are going to face a more informed and motivated electorate at the polls this November. The Tea Party movement, unlike the obsequious socialist types who "do as they are told" while willingly smothering themselves in Mother State and pretending they are free, are made up of cowboys and cowgirls. These are independent types who don't easily shut up and do what they are told by their supposed betters. You'll find very few, if any, cowbells. These people don't moo. They understand that self-government is ultimately a people-centric affair and requires their active participation.

At a typical Tea Party meeting, you'll not find people discussing the latest reality TV show or movie. More likely you'll find people discussing the latest book they've read on the Constitution, or on the Founding Fathers, or on some arcane (but important) political subject. Admittedly, there is a lot of catching up that people are doing. We have slept too long while the socialists have incremented us into a very dangerous state of subservience. We're frankly losing limited government and are more and more threatened by the rule-of-unelected-bureaucrats. But there are people trying to fight back. You'll find some of them here at the Tea Party meetings.

One of my pleasures of last night was meeting a hero of mine, Kirby Wilbur, who has long been involved in the conservative movement and has one of the best conservative minds in the Northwest. He gave a few remarks to the assembled audience and they were good ones. Rep. Jan Angel also gave a short speech, and it was one worthy of Ronald Reagan, if not Patrick Henry himself. Our rights and our laws are being butchered by the socialist Democrats in our state and she pointed out some of the atrocious methods they use. We could use a thousand Jan Angels.

I'm more an observer at these meetings than an active participant. I come to learn. And I find it interesting to compare the two sides – the Marxist-socialist Democrats one sees ruling from on high in Olympia and Washington DC , and the Tea Party people gathering in small, polite crowds where no "n" words are hurled, unless it's the n-word of "nincompoop" in regards to our own governor. It's quite a contrast. One side seems to be infused with a sense of self-righteousness, arrogance, and infallibility. The other, instead of wanting to "fundamentally change" the world (and we're now getting a notion of what that really means), wants simply to stick to the idea of self-government, to open and transparent government, to the integrity-based concept of the rule-of-law, to the idea of people – rather than unelected bureaucrats – running their own lives.

These Tea Party people are on a mission, but it's not a mission to get everyone to act and think just as they do. True American freedom is not a cult. It's not about stamping out carbon copies. The true diversity of America is about people finding meaning in their own lives by *running* their own lives and not simply putting on a cowbell and following the dictates of what socialists such as Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi say is good for you. I would say almost without exception that most of the Tea Party goers are parents. They *are* mothers and fathers and don't need another one in the form of the government. These are American patriots in the truest sense of the word. They are trying to secure freedom for themselves and later generations so that people have a say in their own lives. We kicked out King George a long time ago and it makes no sense to simply replace him with either Queen Gregoire or King Obama. These Tea Party people know this.

As I was walking out of the meeting at its conclusion, I ran into an old fellow in his 70's or 80's wearing a blue Navy cap with gold trim. On the cap was the name of a ship. The name escapes me, but it was the name of an aircraft carrier he had served on in WWII. He told me he served in three wars altogether. I had to shake this man's hand and say "Thank you for protecting freedom. We're trying to do that here in our own way tonight." This guy put his life on the line for freedom. And he and many others see this freedom coming apart at the seams as socialists try to turn freedom-based America into a dependency-based Europe….the very land of Kings, Queens, and better-than-thou's that we escaped centuries ago. But we're bringing that back here like you would a summer fashion. We're forgetting the uniqueness of our own ideals and institutions. And this old fellow that I ran into was a reminder of that. While some spoiled brats even now tread on our society by repeating the mantra of "rights…give me my rights…all my rights" (meaning "give me free stuff via other people's money and property that I haven't earned myself"), gentlemen such as this Navy man were fighting for life and liberty. He's the true spirit and soul of America . The Tea Party movement, much to its credit, is attracting these kinds of people, not Saul Alinsky or ACORN. We're getting the gems, not the nuts.

- Name withheld for privacy