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Posted by amanuse at 12:00 AM on September 17, 2009

A first-hand account of the 9-12 Taxpayer TEA Party March on Washington

By Andrew J. Manuse

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Media reports varied widely on the number of people who attended the 9-12 Taxpayer TEA Party March on Washington (PDF) on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, but one thing is certain: A heck of a lot of people of all backgrounds, young and old, came from across the country to protest the growth of government power, excessive government spending and taxation, government corruption and government usurpation of the natural rights of Americans. More importantly, they came to state their intent to defend the U.S. Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Most articles said "tens of thousands" of people attended, but some cited numbers anywhere between 65,000 and 2 million people. I attended the march, considering it my duty to be there. My best guesstimate is that somewhere between 1.2 million and 1.8 million people crowded Capitol Hill and surrounding areas after marching up Pennsylvania Avenue from Freedom Plaza. (Download a zip file of all my photos here.)

We went to represent all liberty-loving people who believe in limited government defined in the U.S. Constitution, as amended. We went to represent those who think individuals are the answer to their own problems, and that government gets in the way of individuals' success and causes more problems than it solves.

After the absolutely astounding experience, I feel it is my duty to return for the next iterations, which will most likely take place until Congress and the President start listening to We the People or until we build up momentum to replace each corrupt elected official with an American who takes his or her oath of office seriously.

I believe authority belongs to God, and He has given authority and all natural rights to We the People to govern ourselves and control our own lives, liberty and pursuits of happiness. I pray to God, our Father in Heaven, that this effort is successful and that our guaranteed liberties protected in the constitution are restored.

The experience was amazing

Planning for the trip was easy. I got the blessing of my wife, bought a permanent marker and a poster board — Who says Obama doesn't stimulate the economy? — then packed a weekend's worth of clothes into a small bag and made arrangements to stay with friends and family along the way. My first stop was in Coplay, Pa., which is outside of Allentown, Pa. I stayed at my friend John's house on Friday, Sept. 11. On the way, I listened to talk radio tributes to the men and women who lost and gave their lives on Sept. 11 eight years earlier. My favorite was the story of Todd Beamer, who after discovering via Flight 93 onboard telephone that hijackers on his plane were headed for a U.S. target decided to rush the terrorists and put an end to their plan. His were the famous words, "let's roll," which remind me of the true bravery of ordinary Americans.

Wanting to truly represent the people who either could not or decided not to go to Washington for the 9-12 march, I asked my dad to text me a message for one of my signs. I wrote it out that night in Pennsylvania while thinking of the history of the great state once occupied by the likes of Ben Franklin: "We the people MUST secure the blessings of liberty" was the first message I brought to Capitol Hill. I also asked my friend John if he'd like to contribute a message, and he wrote: "My life, my liberty, my pursuit of happiness" — implying: "government: keep your hands off of it." It was the second message I carried to the Capitol.

My own message, which I displayed when the president visited Portsmouth, N.H., was already widely distributed, so I decided to leave it in the back window of my car for passers-by to see. That sign, to which my wife contributed, read, "Let me get this straight: My defense of American Principles — individual life and liberty, control of my own earned property, the constitution and the rule of law — makes me an Extremist? If that is so, Mr. President, then I don't want to be normal." The words "Extremist?" and "President" were written vertical to one another and in red lettering in the hope that viewers would understand a double meaning.

My sign was a response, of course, to the ridiculous progressive claim in Congress and the media that We the People are "right-wing extremists." Of course that only increased our numbers, so now these usurpers have resorted to the laughable tired tactic of calling freedom-loving people "racists." It somehow escapes me how a movement of people could be racist, when that same movement freed the slaves, amended the constitution to protect all people, passed the Civil Rights Act and now judge people, according to the words of Martin Luther King Jr., "by the content of their character" rather than "the color of their skin." I belong to that movement, but I digress….

I left Coplay, Pa., at 7 a.m. on Sept. 12 and arrived around 10:30 a.m. to 6th St. NW, which runs perpendicular to Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. I was hoping to arrive before the march up Pennsylvania Ave. from Freedom Plaza to The Capitol began at 11:30 a.m., but apparently, so many people had arrived at the plaza, organizers had to start sending people toward The Hill early. I marveled at the wave of people rolling by from right to left as I stared down the corridor toward the famous straight.

Friends planning to meet me in Washington asked me to head first to the Capitol lawn, where we would later meet around 1 p.m., but the wondrous amazement of the moment impelled me to head to the source of the flow and partake in the entire march. When I arrived, people were literally pouring in from all directions to Freedom Plaza, gathering there as originally planned. I took in the scene for a moment, then began walking, camera and signs in hand.

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Along the way, we shouted slogans such as "U.S.A., U.S.A, U.S.A. in pure patriotic furor;" "Do you hear us now?!?" directed at Congress, the President and the media; "You Lie," taking the lead from Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who told the truth when he shouted those words at the president; "We love Fox!," since the cable giant was the only media visible at the event; and "Vote them out!," which is incumbent on all of us come November 2010 and 2012 — after all, we must replace the current crop of elected scoundrels with true American Patriots who love the constitution and promise to honor it.

We sang "God Bless America" and "The Star Spangled Banner" a cappella. It was beautiful and inspiring!

We looked up at the amazing buildings that our forefathers built for us, wondering if the current crop of elected officials would even know where to begin. Particularly admirable was the Ronald Reagan Building, due to the late great president it was named after, and the Newseum, which has the wondrous First Amendment inscribed on it: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." After all, we were practicing all five of the rights protected by the First Amendment that day.

I looked behind us to see, incredibly, that the crowd had grown just as large as the one in front of us. People continued to flow down Pennsylvania Avenue toward The Capitol throughout the day.

We talked among ourselves, getting to know our fellow patriots. We spoke of the people we were there for, and why we were doing what we came to do. Personally, I knew of dozens of family members, friends and acquaintances who I was there representing.

Some of us TEA Party protesters rode the route in wheelchairs, others in strollers. Some walked quickly, others slowly. Some journeyed thousands of miles, others such as I traveled hundreds, while some commuted from one of many nearby cities. We were peaceful. We were friendly. We were clean. We were happy. Everyone had a gleaming smile on his or her face, knowing that we had come to do something extremely important that we had never done before. For us it was liberating. For those watching us from the other side, I imagine it was terrifying knowing that so many people are on to their game.

When we arrived at the Capitol, we dispersed not unlike water at a river delta opening into the sea. And what a sea it was! We filled all open areas of the Capitol lawn. Authorities attempted to keep the roads clear around the Capitol. We left a path, but by 1 p.m. we had filled the areas surrounding Peace Monument, the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial and the U.S. Botanic Garden. We surrounded the Capitol Reflecting Pool and parts of the National Mall. We eventually spilled onto 1st St. NW, South Capitol Circle SW, East Capitol Circle, Capitol Circle NE, Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW. We were massive, and everyone who was there knew it.

I walked around all areas of the gathering, hoping to capture an image in my mind of what was happening. Many folks wore t-shirts and almost everyone carried signs which were of astounding variety and creativity. You will see my favorites in the photos and videos posted along with this article.

Movement was sometimes difficult. At one point, my signs were pressed with both arms against my chest, and I could not move one inch as the crowd pressed in on me. But the pressure soon eased as those of us in the crowd communicated with each other, and the patriots who attended cleared a way for pedestrian traffic as well as the authorities, when they were needed to assist. People were helpful, and respected each other. I did not worry one bit that my pocket would be picked or my camera stolen. The crowd was obviously honest. It was palpable.

I also heard memorable speeches from U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., Bob Levy of the Cato Institute, Yvonne Donnelly of the 912 Project, Yaron Brook from the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, Brendan Steinhauser from FreedomWorks, William Greenef from RightMarch.com and state Rep. Joel Winters, D-N.H., who spoke in support of the Free State Project, of which I am a member. Many of the speeches inspired loud applause and cheers from a like-minded crowd.

Following Winters' speech, I met up with fellow Freestaters to hand out fliers about the Free State Project, which is "an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire." The project is "looking for neighborly, productive, tolerant folks from all walks of life, of all ages, creeds, and colors who agree … that government exists at most to protect people's rights, and should neither provide for people nor punish them for activities that interfere with no one else." As a group, we handed out about 9,000 fliers to people at the D.C. rally. I personally handed out about 1,000 of the documents, which listed several of the 101 Reasons to Move to New Hampshire. Among them: New Hampshire has no general sales or personal income taxes; state law prohibits eminent domain for private use or development; the state has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the nation; it does not mandate automobile liability insurance; state legislators, who comprise the third-largest legislature in the world after Congress and the British Parliament, are paid only $100 a year to ensure commitment to public service; among others.

This time, when I was handing out pamphlets, was one of my more memorable experiences from the rally. First, I hit the people standing in line around the latrines (because they had nothing else better to do than to read something while they were waiting). Once I had exhausted those lines, the event was nearly over and people started to trickle out of the event. I handed fliers out to everyone who passed by who would take one, which I estimate was about 85-95 percent. After dispensing a stack of pamphlets, I went back to the Free State Project table to get two more stacks. By that point, more people were leaving, so my friend Keith Carlsen and I stood on each side of the exit. We couldn't hand out the pamphlets fast enough. Some folks even stood waiting for us to catch up with the flow so they could take one home with them. I eventually got through most of a fourth stack. Winters' speech was obviously effective.

As each person walked by, Keith and I repeated to each of them, "Thank you so much for being here today," "Thank you for coming out today" and "Thanks for being here." It was wonderful to see the smiles on people's faces as their effort was recognized. What was most satisfying to me was when folks replied, "… and thank you," to which I replied, "you're welcome." Others said, "Thanks for having us," which I certainly couldn't take the credit for. We all hosted each other. It's our Capitol, after all. I suppose words can't describe the emotions involved with the experience, but I hope you get the picture. I also hope that some of the folks who received the pamphlets will consider them seriously, and join our cause in New Hampshire where our motto is "Live Free or Die!," a statement uttered by N.H. Revolutionary Gen. John Stark.

By the time my pamphlets were exhausted, I stood around and watched the rest of the crowd empty out of the Capitol lawn. The flow was just as amazing going out as it was coming in. A military man walked up to me at that point, saying he had just got off work and wanted to come by and experience the event before everyone left. I told him the story I just told you, then we talked politics for a while. We agreed that we should have crushed the Taliban after 9-11, then got out of Afghanistan and left the country to its people. We agreed that we would have been better off not going into Iraq, but the Iraqi people might not have been. We agreed that the military's constitutional role is to protect the United States, not to fight other people's battles or serve as a global police force. We agreed about Obama, too — that he is obviously party to the same school of socialist fascism as the dictators of old, and he must be stopped. We agreed that the American People may just have this one chance to take back America and confine the U.S. Government to the limits strictly defined in the constitution as amended, which is what our Founding Fathers intended for us. We both knew we would have to return to Washington, to do what we just did again. It was exhilarating, so I don't think that will be too much of a problem.

I walked back to my car and drove to Baltimore that night to stay with cousins; then to York, Pa., the next day to see my aunt and uncle. We talked politics and saw eye-to-eye as much as possible for partisan opposites. The enthusiasm garnered by the event seemed to pay off a bit. Finally, I made the trek home to Derry, N.H., on Monday, the 14th, to my wonderful family, who supported me all along the way. And here I sit into the night and the early morning, typing away a journey that will live on so long as there are people with ears to hear and eyes to see.

A philosophical defense of liberty

You see, liberty is an easy concept to sell, because it is the natural state of moral man under God. When the law, set up by men under God, is king, and everyone is treated equally to the letter, no one's natural rights will be violated and prosperity is the result. In a Constitutional Republic, which is what we have here in the United States of America, the constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land. Capitalism thrives in such a system, because everyone is free to pursue their dreams according to their ability, and they receive all of the fruits of their labor in return. It rewards people fully for producing the most wonderful goods and services imaginable. It aligns perfectly with human nature because it encourages hard work as the price for good living.

The only reason tyranny gains any traction is because men lose their bearing in life and fall into self-hating despair for the gifts liberty has given to them. They then look to power for happiness, and use it to take what is not theirs to give it to those who don't deserve it. They resort to lies and slander to push their central-control agenda. "Socialism" and "communism" are names often associated with this brand of tyranny, which usually takes form as an oligarchy.

Tyrants love to confuse small-minded people by equating equal rights under the law with equal access to goods and services. Equal rights under the law are the epitome of liberty in a Constitutional Republic. Equal access to goods and services is socialism or communism, and is always maintained using force. Such "redistribution of wealth" philosophy is promoted as fairness, but nothing is more unfair than its founder's statement: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." After all, what incentive is there to work if you'll get the same thing if you don't work? The concept and those who support it is laughable.

Socialism and similar economic systems enforced via oligarchy and other forms of tyranny are the most egregious evils that there are on the planet, because they enslave a whole people. Such philosophy is a constant plague that continually promulgates misery and seeks to eliminate liberty-loving people. The way of thinking is counter to human nature and destructive of quality living. Capitalism as an economic system, particularly under a Constitutional Republic that protects everyone's rights equally under the law, is the best system available because it always raises the standard of living for everyone, even the poorest of its participants.

The men and women in power today in America subscribe to tyranny via socialism. They think they know better than the American People, and they seek the power to tell us what to do with our time, money and property. This is a farce. Americans know best how to manage their time, money and property and they make much better use of it without interference from the government. Make no mistake, that is what the 9-12 Taxpayer TEA Party Protest in Washington was about. We Americans know what the Founding Fathers gave us, and we know that we want to keep it. We will not rest until our leaders honor our authority or until we replace them with leaders who will. In the meantime, we are the ones who are going to set the rules. We aren't the ones making fools out of ourselves, after all. We know who the fools are:

How We the People were awakened to the threats to liberty now before us

The 9-12 March on Washington began in my estimation when two people made observations about the fleeting state of our nation and called on ordinary Americans to take action to restore our Constitutional Republic.

Rick Santelli rang the first obvious alarm bells, when during a CNBC report on February 19, 2009, he called on "capitalists" to have a Chicago TEA Party in July at Lake Michigan after President Bush's bank bailouts and President Obama's recovery package, auto company bailouts and similar moves.

Santelli said (Watch on You Tube or download a Manuse.com archive): "The government is promoting bad behavior. Because, we certainly don't want to put a stimulus forward and give people a whopping $8 or $10 in their check and think that they ought to save it. And in terms of modifications, I'll tell you what, I have an idea: You know, the new administration is big on computers and technology. How about this president and new administration: Why don't you put up a Web site to have people vote on the Internet as a referendum to see if we really want to subsidize the losers' mortgages or would we like to at least buy cars or buy houses in foreclosure and give them to people that might have a chance to actually prosper down the road, and reward people that can carry the water instead of drink the water. [Applause.] … This is America. How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor's mortgage [on a home] that has an extra bathroom and they can't pay their bills. [Boos.] President Obama are you listening? … We're thinking of having a Chicago TEA Party in July. All you capitalists that want to show up to lake Michigan, I'm going to start organizing. … We're going to be dumping in some derivative securities."

What ensued was a national grassroots movement, and ordinary Americans organized Tax Day TEA Parties nationwide on April 15, 2009. TEA stands for "Taxed Enough Already." According to the site, www.taxdayteaparty.com (Manuse.com archive), "On April 15th, hundreds of thousands of citizens gathered in more than 800 cities to voice their opposition to out of control spending at all levels of government. Organized in all 50 states by Americans from all walks of life, these "TEA parties" were a true grassroots protest of irresponsible fiscal policies and intrusive government." After that, grassroots organizers formed TEA Party Coalitions in each of the 50 states to provide a forum for like-minded folks to find out information about the next protest. New Hampshire's version is known simply as the New Hampshire TEA Party Coalition. After Cap & Trade and Obamacare emerged, the TEA Party Protests moved into Town Hall meetings with Congressmen to protest the big government power grabs, and when the president and many Congressmen condescended and insulted the TEA Party protesters, that of course led to the largest TEA Party of all: the 9-12 Taxpayer TEA Party March on Washington.

But even before Santelli's call to action, the seeds of the second petition to mobilize were planted by Glenn Beck. One day around the end of January or beginning of February, a man phoned Beck on his radio program and said he wanted to unplug from the system because he felt there was nothing he could do to change it for the better. Beck took the call seriously and promised the man that he would prove to him that there are more Patriotic Americans who love the country and the constitution than there are big government tyrants trying to destroy the country. He asked for a few weeks to prove it and come up with a plan to make individual voices heard.

In the next few weeks, Beck asked for listeners to send in photos of themselves to him, and asked us to trust him. This mosaic (to the left), which he released on Friday, March 13, 2009, was the result. He wanted to show us that "We Surround Them," meaning We the People outnumber the small minority of Americans in government, and not the other way around. In reality, our society is more complicated than that. There are the big government tyrants and their activists, the people in this country who enable them, and another group of people who have already unplugged from the system and just don't care. Then there's us. Beck came up with a formula to help identify who we are.

Beck named nine principles and 12 values that he felt most Americans hold as their basic truth. The nine principles are: "1) America is good. 2) I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. 3) I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday. 4) The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. 5) If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. 6) I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results. 7) I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable. 8) It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion. 9) The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me." Beck said we would have common ground if we agreed with just seven of these principles. The 12 values are: "Honesty, Reverence, Hope, Thrift, Humility, Charity, Sincerity, Moderation, Hard Work, Courage, Personal Responsibility and Gratitude."

The number of principles and values were not a coincidence. They stood for the date, 9/12/2001, about which Beck had this to say: "On 9/10 we were burying our heads in the sand or we were playing politics. It was about Republicans or Democrats. On 9/11 we were freaking out and no one knew who attacked us. Where did this come from? What is this? On 9/12 no one in the government had to tell us what to do. We just did it. We went and we found a place to give blood. We went and we gave money. We gathered together. We gathered our family around. We prayed. We were the people that our grandparents were and nobody had to tell us…. And we just need to be those 9/12 people."

Beck's TV program on Friday, March 13, one of the first of his shows on Fox News, pulled everything together. He explained what We Surround Them (PDF) means, and he launched the 9-12 Project (PDF). He said he was creating a 9-12 Project Web site (PDF), where the principles were expanded. He said it was a place for people to gather, though he would leave it up to us to use it. He said we didn't have to use it to organize. It was just one option of many.

Beck said this about his involvement: "You know, everybody says we don't have a special interest group for us. We don't have a lot. You are going to be the special interest group, but it is important that — and I'm going to let this happen organically. I'm not going to steer it. Whatever it is you decide to put together. Now look, this is a very libertarian idea and, you know, libertarian is like trying to round up a bunch of cats. It's almost impossible. You are going to disagree with people. You are going to have a hard time getting through, but forget about arguing about the parties. Forget about arguing, "Oh, well, you guys did this and you guys did that." Forget about it. It is a waste of time, and I really believe time is running out. So focus on what you are, who you believe, what you think we need to do as a country and stop tearing the other side apart."

Grassroots organizing put together the 9-12 Taxpayers TEA Party March on Washington, which is what I call it. And what an organized event it was! It was amazing. It will happen again and continue to happen until We the People again rule our nation under God and the constitution.

By the way, it is no accident that I'm posting this article today. On Sept. 17, 1787, 222 years ago today, the United States Constitution (buy a copy today) was adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., and later ratified by conventions in each U.S. state in the name of "We the People." There is no greater sense of purpose than what our founders wrote in the preamble to the constitution, and if there is anything that should be our call to action today, it is this: "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." This article is my tribute to the grandeur of the day and the document that must guide us going forward.

Press coverage of the 9-12 Taxpayer TEA Party March on Washington

Below you will find links to various news articles that covered the 9-12 Taxpayers TEA Party March on Washington. Some are better than others. Many are just links to Manuse.com PDF archive files, others include both a html link as well as a PDF download link.