What a sight to behold. Men and women of every age, race and color. Children, some of whom were not yet old enough to walk. Moms pushing strollers along a never-ending, bumpy road along side a two lane traffic-filled highway. Dads educating their sons about America and what she stands for. Grandmas waving flags patriotically while their husbands talked about the good ol' days when men and women strived to achieve the American dream. Individuals with special needs who smiled and held out a hand whenever a new friend passed by along the way. The veterans, many of whom wore veteran caps, whose love for their country was clearly evident in the way they talked about the wars in which they fought for the freedoms we now enjoy and hold most dear. The dogs, many of which were dressed up in patriotic t-shirts happily wagged their tails and licked the hands of children nearby. My fellow Americans, the Tea Party Express event that took place in Searchlight, Nevada, this passed Saturday March 27th was truly a modern-day Conservative Woodstock. An event so huge that people parked and walked what seemed like miles just to get in. I have always been a proud American, and I love my country, but what I experienced this past Saturday has made me an even prouder American and even more grateful to our founders and the Constitution to which our country is based.
For those of you who have never been to Searchlight, Nevada, you need to realize that this little town, population 798, is in the middle of the desert. Picture a deserted area somewhere in the desert and then picture a small town in the middle of this deserted land, and fellow readers, you have Searchlight U.S.A. For one day, for a brief moment in time, this little town became a monument for the Conservative Movement and the future of the tea party movement as a whole. This little desert became the location of an event so huge that its effects will be felt for days. For just a few hours, people from all walks of life, gender and faiths trekked up a deserted highway as if they were apart of a parade, or better yet- a pilgrimage through a desolate land. I will never forget the line of vehicles with the most patient of people inside, many of whom were in awe at what they were witnessing. Like them, I couldn't believe the enthusiasm around me. Like many, I have attended tea parties for months dating back to April 15th, 2009, but the Searchlight Tea Party was different for many reasons. Sure, it was being held in Harry Reid's hometown and the intensity level was at an all-time high at the thought of booting the Nevada senator's tush to the curb, but what really got me was the distances some traveled just to be there in this promise land of sorts where everyone gathered for a common purpose, a common goal. I met people from all over our great country. A woman from Anchorage, Alaska, a couple who, like me, traveled from San Diego , a family from Utah and even a woman from Georgia. I wouldn't be surprised if each and every one of our 50 states was represented there. This voyage united us all, for we were all there as Americans- Americans concerned about the direction our country is headed.
The multitude of signage was phenomenal. Signs with phrases like Real Men Honor the Constitution, God is in Control, Harry Reid has Taxed Me to Death, Sarah is Right, and the classic Don't Tread on Me were just some of my favorites. As I watched everyone around me, the media repeatedly came to my mind. The media and liberal left who continually try to act as if the tea party movement is an Astroturf movement in which people are basically bribed to show up and participate. Let me tell you something: The event I witnessed this past Saturday was as far from an Astroturf event as they come. Astroturf is fake, hard and cold. The tea party movement is a grassroots movement that is authentic, real and growing hotter by the day. There is no denying the fundamental point that Astroturf DOES NOT grow, and if the Searchlight tea party event is any indication, this grassroots movement IS growing and will continue to do so. The difference between liberals and tea party attendees is simple: When liberals get mad, they resort to lying, name-calling and violence. When tea party attendees get angry, they take peaceful action. They gather their loved ones together, and they set out on a voyage where they meet like-minded individuals who love their country and want to set it back on the right course toward fiscal conservatism and smaller government. They chart a course because they want the day to come when their elected officials will actually start LISTENING to them instead of IGNORING them. This is a course that adheres to the constitution instead of ignoring it. This is a course that promotes the use of an individual's First-Amendment right as the fundamental way in which individuals have the ability and the right to stand up and speak out without being told to sit down and shut up. Fellow readers, the left wants us to do just that. They want us to forfeit and take our flags and go home. They want us to roll up our signs and throw them in the recycling bin, but we know better. We know change- real change- is coming, and we know the only way to succeed is to keep up the good and noble fight and not fall prey to the left's attempt to bury us into the earth so many among us have fought to protect with their own sweat and tears.
The men, women and children who attended the Searchlight rally came because they WANTED TOO. They felt compelled to come and witness history in the making. The people I spoke with each had his or her own reason for being there. The majority of individuals came out on this windy, cold day and gathered on this dusty desert floor to let Harry Reid know that they were no longer going to let him abuse his senate powers and the constitution to which our country is based. To put it kindly, these people are pissed off. They are sick and tired of the fat cats in Washington. Our elected officials should be working FOR us, not AGAINST us. One gentleman whom I spoke with believes that Washington changes elected officials. Whether or not we want to admit it, this gentleman is right. Many politicians run with good intentions. They run with the hope of representing their constituents to the best of their ability, but as soon as they get to Washington, the power and greed overtake them. They lose sight of why they were elected, and they let the power and greed seep deep into their veins. Now, I don't know Harry Reid. Maybe he ran for office because, like me, he wanted to make a difference. Although this may have been his intention, it is no secret that he has lost his way. His hometown of Searchlight, Nevada, is a humble place people usually drive right by without a second thought. Just like many other small mining towns in America, it gets overlooked. It is in an isolated part of Nevada, which ironically seems to symbolize Harry Reid- a man whose approval rating is at around eight percent. Perhaps Harry Reid should do what I, and thousands of others did yesterday, and pay his hometown a visit. Maybe he'd learn a thing or two. Visit the corner gas station, or maybe grab a coffee in the cafe. Perhaps he should stop by the casino for a bite to eat. Would he learn what I learned yesterday? Would he learn that those who live in his little hometown and little cities like it all around America are hard-working family types who are living paycheck to paycheck. Sure, he has his supporters. We were all welcomed to such a large outpouring of Harry Reid supporters- 30 in all (and that's being generous) as we made our way through one of the town’s only four-way stop signs. After rolling down our windows, waving and telling the protesters "God bless you" and " Isn't it great we live in a place were we can voice our First-Amendment right," we couldn't help, but giggle at the jeers we got back. I found it ironic that these same people who call us angry mobsters, were the individuals who illustrated the most anger. These same individuals who call us violent right-wing extremists and racists were the same individuals who decided to throw eggs at the Tea Party Express bus as it departed Searchlight. I guarantee the mainstream, or as Sarah Palin correctly calls them "lamestream media" were not going give this insane act the attention it correctly deserved. Instead, they would rather accuse tea party attendees like myself of being racist and anti-American. Well, maybe they should listen to what Sarah told that heckler in Arizona: "Stick around, maybe you'll learn something." I, for one, sure learned something yesterday. I learned how much I love my country. I learned about how beautiful, how authentic the entire tea party movement is. This is a movement that started small and has grown to a massive movement without a single leader. This movement doesn't need a leader because it has thousands of leaders all over this great land. Men, women, children and their pets. These same individuals who walked in from miles back just to gather peacefully and speak out about the fears they have for the direction this country is headed.
These are the same individuals who cheered, laughed and cried when Sarah addressed the crowd. Sarah's speech was phenomenal. While I have met her in the past, this was the first time, I had the honor to see her speak live. It was so amazing! As soon as they began to address her as "Todd's wife; Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig's mom; and Tripp's grandma, the crowd erupted with the loudest cheers and applause. You had to be there, for it was a moment that I will NEVER forget. People were there to voice their First-Amendment right AND to see her; she was truly the woman of the hour. Woodstock may have had Joe Cocker, but the tea party movement can say they have Sarah Palin, and boy, did she give a great speech. She spoke for about a half hour about the importance of love for God and country, for the need to boot Harry out, for the importance of the tea party movement, and for the unfortunate way in which tea party attendees are being unfairly attacked. She thanked us for attending and continuing to stand up and speak out. It was so cool to be there. As she spoke, five jets wrote messages in puffy, white smoke above in the crystal-blue sky. One of the messages read Thank you, Sarah Palin. Another read, God bless Sarah Palin. I learned later that night from a friend that Sarah looked up to the sky at one point and blushed, and I have a feeling she was looking at what was being written. She was overwhelmed at just how amazing the whole event was. It was during her speech that I developed shivers and had tears in my eyes. It finally hit me, and I was overwhelmed at just how BIG this movement really is. There were many other great patriots who spoke that day. People like Andrew Breitbart, Hannah Giles, Victoria Jackson, Joe the Plumber, Danny Tarkanian (whom I’m trying to get on Camille Friend and my radio show), as well as many other great Americans. It was truly a great day. I even ran into California Senate Candidate Chuck Devore and his family as I was walking into the event. We had been tweeting back and forth the whole morning, and I had been passing along traffic updates to them as well, so we laughed about how many people showed up and how windy and chilly it was.
Don't let the pundits and msm tell you that only 7,000 people showed up yesterday. I was there, and I can testify that there were at least 20,000 people there if not more. This is huge when you take into account that this event was held in the boonies, in the desert, in the middle of nowhere right to the side of a two lane road. I will never forget the excitement level. I will never forget how safe I felt with those around me. I bonded with the individuals I spoke with, and while I will probably never see them again, we will forever be connected. Another thing I want to mention is just how patriotic and kind those in attendance were. One incident comes to mind. Being the high-energy girl I am, I didn't bring a chair, and the gentleman next to me asked if I wanted to sit in his. This one person is an indication of just how great the people in attendance were. We were even lucky enough to see a protester, and you know how violent and angry us tea party attendees are, right? We were so mean that we allowed the guy to parade his sign around, and no one confronted him or threatened him because like us, he was there voicing his First-Amendment right, and fellow readers, that is our beautiful God-given right; that is what makes America-America. Yeah, based upon this event, I’d say us tea party folks are pretty downright evil aren't we? Were so evil that we give up our seats for our fellow man and allow others to protest us. So much for the media even attempting to get it right. If the media wanted to report their stories in a straightforward, objective manner, they would be reporting just how neat, polite and intelligent we really are, but the media do not want the truth out there because they know that if the real story got out, they would be toast. Millions would learn how corrupt and biased the lamestream media really are.
I thank God each and everyday that I live in a country where I can stand up tall and freely speak out. Nobody should be told to shut up and sit down if they are simply speaking out on policies to which they disagree. The people who gathered yesterday gathered together in a united front. Whatever the media report, know this: There were no acts of violence yesterday; there were no threats, only promises. We CAN guarantee that come this November, the democrats WILL be shaking in their boots. The democrats WILL lose seats, and the democrats WILL finally realize they were downright WRONG when they called the tea party movement a fringe group that will have no effect on upcoming elections. I'm predicting right now that if the Republicans continue to listen to the American people and chart a course back down the path of Ronald Reagan, we WILL win. In the end, Sarah Palin is right: "No matter how tough it gets, never retreat, instead RELOAD!”
I hope you enjoy all of these photos my photographer (aka Dad) was nice enough to take. Make sure to click here and here because there are many more photos that I did not have room enough to include here.
Oh, and one more thing. I gotta take a minute to network a little bit: Griff Jenkins of FOX News Channel, my dad met you and gave you my business card. If you read this, Camille and I would LOVE to have you on our show!!!!
My friend and fellow blogger Robert Stacy McCain was at the Searchlight event as well, so make sure to check out his blog here because his stuff is always a MUST READ!!!
(Make sure to follow me on Twitter @rachellefriberg.)
