Loading ...Ann Arbor, MI -- April 16, 2010 -- What a difference a year makes. Last year’s Ann Arbor Tea Party Tax Day protest attracted a surprising 150 people. This year’s version was substantially larger as nearly 1,000 pro- and anti-Tea Party celebrants flocked to the University of Michigan Diag on an unusually warm Thursday night in April to vocally share their thoughts and opinions on such hot topics as taxes, personal liberties, big versus small government, the Constitution, Congress, and the Obama Administration.
New to this year’s Tax Day protest (which was sponsored by The Ann Arbor Tea Party) was a PA system and featured speakers. The event began with the pledge of allegiance, followed by the National Anthem and a prayer. Interestingly enough, as a way of emphasizing the patriotic, traditional leanings of many Tea Party supporters, the National Anthem included an original stanza never heard at a sporting event and unfamiliar to 99.999% of Americans.
The speakers left a bit to be desired. The first, a well-educated professional woman with an impressive resume, offered a bit more fluff than substance. Yet, she passionately plead her case for smaller government and the freedom for every American to succeed or fail without the intervention of an overreaching federal government. Thayrone X of local radio station WAAM 1600, was woefully unprepared and proud of it. His speech was uninspiring, disorganized, off-the-cuff and, given his professional credentials, embarrassing. Why accept an invitation to speak and then do little or nothing to prepare? Nonetheless, the partiers enjoyed the show and the chance to exercise their right of free expression.
The crowd was just as diverse as year ago. All age groups, races, and genders were represented. It’s worth noting that based upon the signs people were carrying you couldn’t tell how they stood on the issues just by looking them. At least as it pertains to last night’s gathering in Ann Arbor, Tea Party supporters don’t fit into a single homogenous mold.
Unlike last year, UM students made a vocal appearance (both for and against the Tea Party movement and in support of and in opposition to the Obama administration). They were well-behaved and respectful of differing opinions.
This year’s batch of signs were far more entertaining than last year’s.
The most impressive part of the event was not what was said but what wasn’t. The crowd’s behavior was commendable. Both sides of the spectrum expressed their opinions in a respectful fashion. While there were a few heated exchanges here and there, cooler heads prevailed. All in all, the Ann Arbor Tea Party Tax Day protest was an interesting and fun event to attend.
