The New Year brings a host
of new challenges for the Tea Party in
Massachusetts and for me personally. It
is with a mixture of humility and pride
that I have accepted a 2-year position as
president of the Greater Boston Tea
Party.
What a tremendous honor it is to succeed
Christen Varley, who has tirelessly
dedicated the past 3 years to promoting
the Tea Party message simply,
clearly and eloquently. Christen has been
a mentor, an inspiration and a friend to
me as I struggled to come out
as a conservative and encourage others to
proudly do the same.
I am both thrilled and relieved that
Christen has agreed to serve as
secretary, meaning she will remain an
integral part of this important
grass-roots organization. She is credited
with making the Greater Boston Tea Party
the go-to organization for information
about candidates, legislation and public
policy.
Stark contrasts exist between me and my
predecessor. I consider myself a loner,
and will have to part ways with my
comfort zone, becoming less of a private
citizen and more of a public one. This
will, no doubt, leave me exposed to
attacks from our political foes on the
spectacularly intolerant left. But, my
strong belief in the Tea Party principles
fills me with the confidence to stretch
beyond what I ever thought possible.
My biggest contribution to the movement
thus far has been as a writer. However,
writing is a secluded endeavor, which
involves spending copious amounts of time
alone, with only a pen, paper and the
voices in my head. I have had the luxury
of time -- time to think till it hurts,
time to make more coffee and time to
consult my thesaurus in order to create
the perfect combination of nouns, verbs
and adjectives to make my point. As a
newly elected spokesperson, I will be
expected, at a moments notice, to
speak unrehearsed, at times into a camera
or microphone. The prospect is daunting,
but I am up for the challenge.
That said, this is not about me. I am
simply a figurehead; someone to
articulate a consistent message. I will
have a tremendous organization behind me,
filled with passionate and committed
activists. I would like to think that the
Tea Party is not about egos, power
struggles or who gets the glory (if you
can call it glory). Its about
inspiring people to get off the couch and
help save our republic, before its
demolished beyond all recognition.
The Greater Boston Tea Party will
continue to collaborate with Tea Parties
and liberty groups across Massachusetts,
unifying for a common goal: to change the
one-party system on Beacon Hill and
beyond. With that accomplished, we have a
greater chance for the representation we
deserve and our forefathers fought for.
When we can clearly articulate the
principles of limited government, free
speech, free markets, individual liberty
and personal responsibility values
sorely lacking in todays society
we will motivate others to join
us.
We will right our country in 2012 by
demonstrating that big government rarely
delivers what it promises; that it is
better to lift up those at the bottom
than to tear down those at the top; that
people, not government bureaucrats know
what is best for themselves, their
families and their communities; that we
are more free when we take responsibility
for our choices and our futures; that
there is inherent dignity in work and
that no one owes us a living, a mortgage
or a college tuition.
For those of you still unsure about the
Tea Party, I ask you to give us a second
look. Even if you despise politics or
have no interest in it, you need to know
what your legislators are up to
both good and bad and how they are
spending your hard earned money. Because
when they waste your tax dollars or use
it on things you are opposed to -- and
then ask for more theyve got
some splainin to do. The Tea
Party will ask the questions and provide
you with the answers.
I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring
of support since the announcement of my
new position. So when the progressives
inevitably discover their new Tea Party
target and pounce on me like a puma, I
know hundreds of people will come to my
aid. That makes it all worth it.