This weekend, I celebrated the birth of our nation by writing a pithy sign and thrusting it into traffic. Unfortunately, my camera has died. I believe it's the motor. It can only reflect on the pictures I've taken over the past weeks. So I cannot share any pictures from the rally, and instead I'm substituting a sprinkling of links and some visual aids I have found on the internet. Enjoy!

This is officially my second Tea Party. I've been fascinated watching this movement evolve. The first Tea Party I attended was supposedly opposing the stimulus package, but it had somehow managed to interbreed with tax activists. There were many signs advocating an end to the Federal Reserve, but there were just as many opposing illegal immigration. I was curious to see if this event was more on point. The missives going around in advance of the rally had said it was a response to the health care legislation. Even we counter protesters had gotten that memo. I know how hard it is to corral protesters, but damn... you guys are starting to make the hippies look organized.

I really wish I could have photographed my favorite sign. It said, "SOCIALISM WAS THE REASON FOR THE SECOND AMENDMENT". And here, all these years, I had thought it was the monarchy! Was that in the Federalist Papers somewhere? Did Thomas Jefferson have a fever dream about Karl Marx?

I also enjoyed trying to figure out two ladies across the street from me. They were both white and elderly, and they both held signs on the same shade of green poster board, with the same big black lettering. One said, "Hands OFF Medicare!". And the other said, "NO SOCIALIZED MEDICINE".

Maybe it's just me, but that seems a little, uh, mutually exclusive? Are they missing one of a triptych?

Anyway... last time I only carried a camera, and I didn't dress up or carry a sign. This time, I was clearly a member of the opposition, and no one let me forget it. Getting out of my car, a man immediately came over shouting, "Do you support single payer? DO YOU??!"

And even though I never raised my voice, he shouted so much that two other people came to yell back at him. I didn't see what kinds of signs they were carrying. Should I presume they were on my side, because they were coming to defend me?

Or was this man simply so ridiculous that he was embarrassing the other Tea Partiers?

It's hard to tell sometimes.

I confess that it's hard for me to stay on point too. Why, just that afternoon I could only stand to holler slogans with my fellow single payer advocates for about a half an hour. I kept wandering over to talk to the opposition because they were so much more exciting. You can't get entertainment like that anywhere else. Inspired by the sign about socialism and the second amendment, I decided that I would get one of them to parse it for me.

 "Was Socialism really the reason for the Second Amendment?" I asked.

The portly, short, bewhiskered man looked me right in the eye and said, "Yes".  He continued, "One day, we're going to come for you. Are you ready for that?"

Fortunately, I have built up an immunity to threats from 80-year-old men. I think I only gaped for a second before I grinned and said, "Sure! I'm from Texas!"*

And exasperated, he wandered off. Violence is no match for unrelenting cheer. His friend actually stayed to chat with me a while longer about all sorts of things. When we touched on the subject of cap and trade (or "cap and tax" as my new pals called it) another TPer chimed in that he'd worked in a nuclear power plant, and he was angry about the way the government had throttled back that industry. I noticed that his sign said, "Clinging to my Bible and Guns. Now my Wallet too." And so I asked, "Why don't you guys demonstrate in favor of nuclear power and become a force for positive change?"

And he gave me a look like I was an idiot and said "They won't let us!!" Then he shook his head and returned to confront traffic.

As I spoke to my new found friend, I found myself agreeing with a lot of his complaints. Yes, it IS a shame that we're not investing more in nuclear energy. Yes, it DOES suck when you feel like your government has been hijacked by vocal special interest groups. And I admit I got a little thrill by the way he looked at me, stunned, when I would nod and add to his litany of bureaucratic sins. Oddly, we didn't talk about health care at all. And when he said we shouldn't have to save the world by cutting our own emissions while the rest of the world just watched, I pointed out that Europe and Japan were already running experiments to try to reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing their way of life. There's no reason we couldn't be looking at them in case they had a good idea or two.

And on that, at least, we agreed. And later, surfing Flickr, I was unable to find any photos of the party I attended.** So I thought I'd share these instead. The French, it seems, have colluded with the Japanese and they are beating the pants off us when it comes to Tea Parties.

* this is only what I wish I said. I can't remember what I actually said, but it still made him leave.

** I still can't find any pictures on Flickr, but if you have a Facebook account, you can see some here.