[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN SUPPORT OF TEA PARTY AND LIBERTY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 1, 2014

  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.

                          ____________________