"This is Our Time"

[Mary Ann Mobilian]

I agree this is our time!! I wrote this right after the Tax Day Tea Party Rally and ironically enough I titled it "This is Our Time"

This is Our Time
By: Mary Ann Mobilian, PharmD
The Tea Party rallies on April 15th were symbolic of an awakening; the realization that for the first time in our lives, we are seeing change that will bring about a fundamental re-structuring of values and power. Our collective complacency was to blame for this regime taking power. Many of us thought that a vote for Obama was a vote against G. Bush, or against a too liberal John McCain. Some voters thought that Obama would bring a novel outlook to our country. The warnings about his alliances with radicals were portrayed as the political “mud-slinging” that we had witnessed so much of in the past. But most of us didn’t take the time to really listen to what Obama was telling us that he was going to do if elected. Even if you didn’t vote for Obama, how active were we in the election process? How often do we hold our politicians accountable? Do we even know who we’re voting for and what their records are? Who’s really to blame for the state of our country? President Obama or us?
As I looked at the crowd of thousands gathered at the Jacksonville Tea Party, I noticed that a significant number were from my generation, “baby boomers”. We were the generation of angry protesters and idealists. But we soon bought into the political correctness that made us afraid to speak out against atrocities because we might offend sensibilities. Our Christian values were mocked, belittled or made out to be fanatical, while true fanatical religions that openly promote violence were to be tolerated and understood. We lost our way for a while America. We got lazy, complacent, and overwhelmed. But not anymore.
While patriotic songs played in the background, a huge screen with the national deficit displayed showed our children’s and grandchildren’s future ticking away at the rate of millions per second. Tick, Tick, Tick.
Ordinary Americans got up to speak. They reflected our frustrations, shared personal stories, and inspired us to action. There were no politicians or celebrities, only the real stars of our countries future, the American voters. This is our mess to clean up. This is our time to do what Murray Goff said in his song, “Stand Up America”. Tick, Tick, Tick.
When we’re tempted to go back to the same complacency that got us here, look into the eyes of your children and grandchildren like Billie Tucker, the Founder of the First Coast Tea Party, and “Stand Up” for them. Our mandate was best summed up by another speaker, Lou Pritchard, when he quoted Winston Churchill, “"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour." So America, we should consider our shoulders tapped. Be prepared, be educated, and “remember in November”. , Tick, Tick, Tick…our moment is here.

[Kay Ragan Durden]

Yes Mary Ann and we will hold there feet to the fire!!!!!