Shaheen, Porter, Hodes Protested
It was bitterly cold in New Hampshire today, but the warm glow of Patriotism was burning warmly in Madbury, Rochester, and Concord.
A grand total of 50 souls withstood numbed feet and hands, standing alongside snowy roads at the homes of Representative Carol Shea-Porter and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and at the Concord office of Representative Paul Hodes, from 10 AM until just after noon.
They protested in this unusual way, and in these unforgiving conditions, for three reasons:
(1) Their representatives are complicit in one of the largest Congressional spending-sprees in our country’s history, steering it towards bankruptcy and default;
(2) attempts to communicate disagreement with their positions, via phone, fax and email, appear to be falling on deaf ears; and
(3) they have failed to make themselves adequately available to their constituents, to attempt a defense of their positions and to accept input from the people they were elected to serve.
All things considered, these Patriots felt it was necessary to position themselves in a more “personal proximity” to their public servants, before they left the home districts, hoping this message would be received. In the end, nobody intruded on personal property, no injuries or accidents occurred, and absolute cooperation with local authorities was achieved.
And then there is Thomas Paine.
As you probably know, Paine wrote the pamphlet Common Sense in 1776. Before it was published, the Colonies were locked in contentious debate as to which of three avenues to take: The first choice was to maintain the status-quo and remain loyal subjects of an intrusive Britain; next was to negotiate some autonomy with the Motherland, hoping to bargain a mutually agreeable existence; the third choice was outright rebellion, initiated by a declaration of complete independence. The Continental Congress found itself debating this issue for months, with some of the Colonial Representatives instructed to reject rebellion at all costs.
When Common Sense arrived, it sparked an amazing energy among the people, who suddenly saw themselves as mutually exploited, rather than a collection of people with various degrees of suffering. In effect, it created the first sense of Nation among the American Colonies.
Once this sense of Nation came to be, the Representatives started to see things in a different light. Their constituents were united in spirit, and that spirit demanded revolution. The key here is to understand that once the people unified on a concept, the Representatives felt empowered to follow their direction; without it, the representatives did whatever they felt was right.
What is the point here?
The point is – it can be said that the current “Tea Party” movement has played the role that Common Sense played when it was published. Although a physical revolution like we saw in 1776 is unlikely today, a spiritual and emotional revolution is not only possible, it is well under way. These New Hampshire Patriots, suffering in the cold New England January, re-lit the spark that began in the summer of 2009. They are not waiting until the election of 2010. They are not waiting until July 4th and they are not waiting for Tax Day 2010 to voice their opinion and make the statement that change is demanded.
On Sunday, January 10, 2010, the very day that Common Sense was published, 234 years earlier, these New Hampshire Patriots stepped back out into the arena, ready to lead the way, in their spirit of a revived Nation, hoping to empower their Representatives to follow their direction. Those who choose to follow this lead will most likely remain but those who refuse to hear this message will be pushed to the sidelines during the next election.
Here’s to some common, New Hampshire, sense.
Related: Fosters
“People believe that Congress is putting the country into debt,” he said. “Town halls and public forums have been almost nonexistent … That’s not exactly facing your constituents.”