right4lifenow: Searchlight, NV Tea Party

Kylee and I with signs are ready to go

My t-shirt tells what I think of Obama

What an experience it turned out to be! I was fortunate enough to travel to Searchlight, NV, hometown of Harry Reid for the Tea Party event.

Kylee, my 8yr old granddaughter loves Sarah Palin. She was very excited to come with me. We took a very no frills bus trip with about 40 other like minded concerned conservative citizens.

The plan was to leave from Santee on late Friday afternoon to stay at a hotel in Laughlin, NV for the night. The traffic was wild on the 15 so we got to the hotel around midnight. We didn't even care that the phone and TV in the room didn't work. It was straight to bed to get an early start on the big day.

The morning began on a great note as Kylee and I observed five bunny rabbits by the river from our hotel window. After breakfast, we loaded up on the bus heading to Harrah's next door for the Tea Party Express morning press conference.

We were disappointed when we learned that the hotel had rescinded its permission to allow the press conference to take place on its property. Didn't realize old Harry had that much clout.

So it was back on the bus as the winds kicked up, for the short trip into Searchlight. The caravan was an awesome sight as we got closer, patriots lined up as far as the eye could see. Each conveying the message that we the people will be heard.

Of course, the main message was to rid us of Reid! He had a handful of supporters waving signs and giving us the one finger salute. They had posted a line of Reid signs welcoming us to "his country".

We arrived and got off the bus to an amazing sight of thousands and thousands of people hurrying to get to a piece of the desert where the the program had already begun. They had come from all "57" states as Obama would say.They were of all ages, sizes, colors, and backgrounds, united in saving the nation from the slide into socialism. The estimated of the number of people ranged between 7000 up to 30,000. My guess is it was somewhere in the middle.

As we rushed toward the gathering, the winds blew, buffeting my sign. I grabbed Kylee, two heavy folding chairs, the snack bag, purse and sign as we made our way. As the cold wind cut through my light wrap, my arms ached. The thought entered my mind- what was I doing here? We could barely hold our signs and my feet hurt walking on the rocks, big and small. Guess wearing wedge heeled sandals was not a good idea. We walked and walked trying to find a spot to at least see the stage. (Later I realized there was a big screen but somehow I hadn't noticed it.)

At last we found a spot to set up our chairs in the crowd helping to block the wind. The sun had begun to warm things up a bit. The crowd was incredible. Everyone was courteous. Unlike some other types of public gatherings, I didn't hear any foul language.

The excitement exploded as Sarah Palin took the stage. Her inspiring words electrified the people as the crowd roared in agreement and appreciation.

Many terrific speakers followed including: Mark Williams, Roger Hedgecock, Andrew Breitbart, Joe the plumber, Chuck DeVore.

Some of the speakers referred to the media present admonishing them to simply tell the truth about the tea parties. We truly are a wide variety of American citizens united in the common goal of restoring adherence to the Constitution and sanity in the government.

The liberal media seem to have a difficult time believing that it is a genuine grassroots movement. During an interview with a newspaper reporter, he had an odd question. He remarked on the number of signs. then inquired if the signs had been given to the people! After I explained the reality before him, he inquired about my sign. He still found it hard to believe that we are for real unlike the left.

During the exhilarating experience in a sea of red, white and blue and American flags, I understood why we must make the effort and take the stand. Freedom isn't free. It never has been. I watched Kylee enjoy the thrilling day. She even made herself a couple more signs on her own. They said, "No More Taxes" and " Go Sarah Palin". So we will show up, speak out and fight for our God, family and country. In our own way, we will pay the price for our liberty.

(Below are some pictures I took on the adventure. If you scroll to the bottom and view them as numbered they'll be in the right order. I'm still learning how to post)