The Tea Party in Dayton, like others, a success

Not too long ago I returned from the Tea Party held in Dayton, OH. An estimated crowd of 7,000 to 8,000 gathered in Courthouse Square downtown to listen to several speakers talk about the state of our nation and express their frustration at our economic predicament and their belief that the people of this country can turn it around.

Here are some pictures of the crowd:

As you can see, the turnout was pretty good for a middle-sized Midwestern city. I can’t stress enough how diverse the crowd was – people from all age groups and all walks of life were there to show their opposition to reckless government spending. These were your normal average Americans, not crazy deranged wackos as some might have you believe (The Anchoress scoffs at the smear labelling). The event was very nonpartisan, in so much as both parties shared blame for the failures and excesses of government. I saw a lot of good signs, and here are a few:

The folks at the rally weren’t rude or obnoxious, and everyone was fairly civil. There were only a few scattered counter-protestors, and this photo is great, once you understand what was going on:

Apparently, the sign in the middle that you can’t really see is something along the lines of “Protect Your Own Package, Don’t Listen to Teabaggers.” What’s funny is that several other ralliers quickly surrounded and raised their own signs to block the vulgar sign.

The speakers were pretty good, highlighting our own community here in Dayton by drawing on the inventiveness of the Wright brothers and our resolve in the face of the Great Dayton Flood of 1913. Particularly intriguing was Harald Zeiger, a small business owner and immigrant  from East Germany with a personal perspective on the ravages of socialism and an overbearing government.

 Above all, the message was one of frustration at seemingly out-of-control government spending and expansion of federal power, and one of support for the American workers and families that are the true source of greatness in this nation.

Across the country, the Tea Party movement seems to have been a success. Michelle Malkin has some photos from various cities and an open threadabout the Tea Parties. HotAir talks about the rallies as writing on the wall, Jack Dunphy relates the Santa Monica Tea Party, Karl at Patterico reminds us that the lack of coverage indicates the continuing peasant mentality among the intellectual elite, and Patterico himself reminds us that the spirit that spawned the Tea Parties must continue beyond today if it is to have any lasting impact.

I come away inspired and energized that there quite a number of people in my own town and spanning this great country that still give a damn about responsibility and ensuring future generations will enjoy the same prosperity and freedom that we have experienced here for the last 200 years. Safeguarding the future is hard work, but it is necessary, and judging from the turnout today, the sleeping giant of responsible America has been awoken.