The Walla Walla Tea Party Patriots held a rally outside the county courthouse on Thursday, April 15, to demand fiscal responsibility from the government. Theirs was one of hundreds of protests occurring across the country, including a gathering of approximately 25,000 in Washington, DC. According to event organizer Martha Clinehens, holding a rally on tax day sends an important message to the government about its use of citizens’ money.

“If our tax burdens become too burdensome, we will be shackled to the state,” she said.

Clinehens said the intent of the event was to celebrate the things which have made America great, and  to rally for what she believes are core American values: limited government, fiscal responsibility and the preservation of free markets.

“In a time of economic stress and political controversy, we felt it would be useful to remind Americans of the principles that make this Nation unique among the world’s nations,” she said.

To this end, the evening’s events included a reading of the preamble of the Constitution, a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the performance of several patriotic songs. Pride in American freedoms was a recurrent theme in both songs and speeches.

“It’s our men and women in uniform, not any campus organizer, who have given us the freedom to demonstrate today,” said Clinehens.

Clinehens started the Walla Walla Tea Party Patriots last year with several other Walla Walla residents who were concerned about government overspending, particularly the stimulus bill.

“We thought we should make a few signs and just do something,” Clinehens said of their first rally, which about 400 people attended. “We saw there were more people who were concerned about having so much debt.”

Clinehens is particularly concerned about government spending on entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare. While she doesn’t advocate eliminating these programs, she believes they need to be reformed, with a focus on eliminating fraud and wasteful spending.

“Funding ever-expanding government entitlement programs simply by raising taxes or issuing new debt obligations is a vicious cycle that is unlikely to be successful,” she said. “While it is probably unrealistic to think in terms of rolling back federal entitlement programs, it is foolhardy to allow such programs to continue to evolve into bottomless money pits.”

Prior to her involvement with the Tea party movement, Clinehens said she had little to no previous involvement with politics. She believes this is true for most of the other Walla Walla Tea Party Patriots. This is part of the appeal of the Tea Party for many of its supporters: it is seen as a grassroots movement, which is largely organized at the local level and built on common concerns about government spending. The grassroots claim has been contested by some observers, who note that the movement was encouraged by cable news coverage, particularly Fox News, and supported by current and former Republican Party leaders.

Regardless of how it got its start, Tea Party supporters are eager to claim the movement as their own. Walla Walla resident Douglas Murphy, who attended the rally, said he saw common ground between the Tea Party principles and his own political views.

“[The Tea Party] seemed like a unification of people that were discussing political principles that were similar to mine,” he said. “While I may differ slightly in various views politically and socially, I find that Tea Party members are standing up for what I believe to be essential to a strong and ethical nation.”

Murphy was one of a few college-age people in attendance. According to a recent New York Times article on the Tea Party movement, the average supporter is a married white male over the age of 45. This statistic seemed to accurately describe the Walla Walla rally’s attendees, though there were several families with young children present.

The keynote address was given by Ret. Lieutenant Colonel Larry Adams, a former member of the Marine Corps and the Boy Scouts of America. Adams spoke about the importance of patriotism and standing up for American values.

“Patriotism has nothing to do with politics,” he said. “It is a true emotion. It cannot be summoned.”

He also derided government bureaucracy and overspending.

“It appears that for some, as of late, the Constitution guarantees life, liberty and the pursuit of loopholes,” he said.

Several rally attendees held signs in protest of recent government policies and the Obama administration, including signs that read, “Obama, Pelosi, Reid: The Axis of Taxes” and “I will not be subjugated.”

The speakers largely focused on general principles and beliefs, such as limited government and freedom of speech, rather than attacking specific policies of the Obama Administration.

For Murphy, the purpose of the rally was to engage with other people who are questioning our nation’s government.

“Whether I agree or disagree with what they are questioning makes no matter to me,” he said. “The fact they are questioning in a logical and peaceful manner and participating in their society’s future is what I find truly important and [worthy of] respect from any free-thinking citizen.”