At venues all around the country yesterday, thousands of people turned out to protest an oppressive federal government and the high taxation that comes with it. Most of these groups and protests have turned into "fronts" for incumbent Republicans and Republican Party interests. Some still have the feel of ordinary citizens tired of both parties and wanting to make a difference for the future of their children and grandchildren. In the Houston area, both types were represented. I chose to spend my day at the Greater Houston Tax Day Tea Party held at Discovery Green park in downtown Houston.

Four area tea party groups joined together to present a rally in the spirit of the movement that started last year: Houston Tea Party Society, Fort Bend Tea Party, Katy Tea Party Patriots, and San Jacinto Tea Party. Their program featured not a single incumbent politician. Just ordinary citizens: white collar, blue collar, young, old, white, black, Latino, Asian - basically, a picture of America!

Just plain fun

One of the best moments was one that very few people saw or were even aware of. I was on the west side of the hill, looking out across a field where a dozen or so teens were playing soccer. I noticed another group behind them with peace signs, all dressed alike. As I watched, they joined hands and walked over to the fence that separated the Tea Party from the "soccer field". They walked over hand in hand, chanting something like "Peace for everyone". Just as they got to the fence, the band cranked up with an Elvis tune and just as quick as their protest got started, it ended with them dancing and saying, hey, this is pretty cool!

And it was. No bloviating politicians promoting ick-rotting ideas, no paid for by Republican party slogans, no planes flying over other tea parties trying to entice people to move to theirs, just plain old coolness of people with like minds coming together.

Random Act of Kindness

Another memory is captured in this photo:

It is a moment I won't forget soon. I saw an elderly couple (on the left in the picture above) walk up and sit on the lawn. It was obvious that they were uncomfortable but they wanted to be there. To my surprise, a young woman with her young daughter walked up to them and offered them her chair. Just behind her was her husband with his. The elderly couple was very grateful and accepted the offer. As the young family walked back and settled in place, with the husband standing and the son sitting on the lawn, I asked them if they knew the people they had just given their chairs to. No, the woman said, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Yes, indeed. The next time you hear something bad about "teabaggers", just smile and think of that story.

Faulk campaign demonstrates effectiveness

For those of you that still have not tuned in to John Faulk's campaign to unseat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, you really need to take a look, pitch in and help. His team put on a clinic in how to effectively use a large gathering to help your campaign. I came in from the East and the very first thing I saw was a large Faulk sign - you couldn't miss it. And this was an hour and a half before the official start time.

And as I made my way back and forth through the crowd for the next four hours, it was difficult to take any picture without seeing a Faulk T-shirt, a Faulk sign, or a Faulk button. I was asked at least a dozen times by different volunteers if I knew about Faulk and if I would be willing to help in his campaign. The volunteers would ask for help even from those outside the district, stating that removing her would also help their district. It was effective and they gathered almost a thousand new names and emails. Very well done. Click here to donate to the Faulk campaign - any amount will be appreciated and will not be used frivolously or wasted.

Precinct level initiative

The theme of this rally was "Less Talk, More Action". To accomplish this goal, the groups have started to focus on precinct level activities. They had packets to distribute for each precinct in Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend, and Waller Counties. There may have been others, perhaps Chambers and Montgomery, I'm not certain.

Unlike other Tea Party groups, these guys have maintained their non-partisan push. All you have to be is conservative - they are not focusing on Republicans. The idea is (roughly) to organize your own precinct and get conservatives to vote. Sure, today that means that most of the votes will be for Republicans, at least in this region. In South Texas, it would be conservatives voting for conservative Democrats. Eventually it will probably be the same here.

This is in stark contrast to the groups receiving funding from Republicans and Republican supporters. I had to laugh when one of the parties yesterday was sponsored by Mattress Mac. Great guy and he does a lot for the community but I bet that most people would be startled to find out that he is also funding a group to keep red light cameras up and pumping revenue into government coffers. Calling them "Intersection Safey Cameras" doesn't change their purpose, which is to bring in revenue. And dang sure doesn't contribute to freedom. Good grief.

A few pictures from the rally: