In December 1773, the citizens of Boston were frustrated with the arrogance of their distant king and parliament who taxed them unjustly without due representation. In their frustration a group boarded a British merchant vessel and dumped more than 300 crates of the newly taxed British tea into the Boston harbor. The Boston Tea Party was a precursor to the "shot heard around the world" at Lexington and Concord in 1775. During the summer of 2009, Americans of all races and backgrounds around the country began to spontaneously gather into protest rallies that they called "tea parties." Their protest was in response to the arrogance of their distant legislative and executive branches of government, which had turned deaf ears to their voices and concerns. Higher taxes, skyrocketing national debt, out-of-control government spending and increasing government intrusion into the private sector of the economy fueled their anger and frustration. As the Boston Tea Party of 1773 was a precursor to the great American Revolution of 1775, the tea parties of 2009 and 2010 are a precursor to the second American revolution. On Nov. 2, a shot will be heard around the world. Our Lexington and Concord will be at the ballot box. It is rare in modern time for ordinary Americans to have the opportunity to do something that is truly revolutionary in order to save their country. Charles D. Wersler Beaufort
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