In Support of TEA Party and Liberty

Floor Speech

Mr. BENTIVOLIO. Mr. Speaker, I know how George Washington felt at Valley Forge. His troops cold and starving, a disillusioned public, the horizon bleak. He had more failures than successes in a war against aristocratic tyrants. He did not have a Constitution to defend, just a dream of something like it, far off in the mind's eye. That ``faith'' in a dream, of something better, yet but a concept, blurred, not yet fully focused. They stayed the course nonetheless, warmed by the untouchable concepts of freedom; they could see the unseeable; with empty stomachs were nourished by prospects of economic and individual liberty and in God's grace they fought on, they persevered.

The death of a nation happens with a whisper and a nudge, patently and stealthily, robbing its unsuspecting citizens of inalienable rights and replacing them with government controls ..... For the good of the people, of course.

Only when it is too late to turn back the clock does a nation realize that freedom has vanished in the blink of an eye.

Harsh and tyrannical treatment will not nourish respect. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy. The breasts of liberty nourish freedom, her voice patiently educates, her ears listen to the formerly unheard, her heart offers respect due others. It is this spirit that can not fail to inspire in people regards for him/or herself and in so doing nourishes others by example.

Patience and perseverance got the snail to the ark.

So too will those valiant souls dedicated to freedom's prospects, individual liberty, and respect for others without the interference of tyrannical dictates of a Godless government overshadowing our every move and choice.

To the Lakes Area Tea Party and liberty minded folks everywhere. I say persevere. Your valiant struggle, stout heart, and dedication to honest and transparent government has not gone unnoticed. Persevere.

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