I was once the Chairman of something wonderful -- the San Antonio Tea Party. Joni Schmidt held the first Tea Party in front of the Alamo in February 2009. I joined her loosely knit organization
by joining her Facebook group. I started TheyThinkYouAreStupid.com to give those not wanting to join Facebook a way to get involved. A couple
of weeks later, Joni decided she'd have her hands full with the Boerne Tea Party, and asked me and another guy to take
it over. Next thing I knew, the other guy never showed, we were six people at a table and I was in charge! Not
many weeks later, I was introducing Glenn Beck at our fund raising luncheon to 300+ big donors. Then, there were the
16,000-20,000 people cheering at the Tea Party that evening. The time between "six people at at table" and
the Tea Party was filled with miracles. I certainly know I didn't do all that! There was a lot of help from
other mortals, too. Each stepped up and added a critical piece to the puzzle. God bless 'em all! After
the Independence Day event, a lot of internal tensions in the SATP came to bear, and I was convinced the best thing I could
do for the SATP was to resign and stay out of Matt's way. Yes, I was wrong. I was gone just over two months and
came back just in time to see the SATP was "burning" and the "flames" were rising high. Sigh.
So, I was wrong. I am most sorry. A while back, a prominent member of the SATP (you'd recognize his
face at Magic Time Machine Meetings) wrote me: Robin, how long is your term of office and do you expect to stay
in this position for the full term. This is nothing personal, but I have had some people ask me if you are really "one
of us". Some people that have seen you lead the group actually believe that you may be a "plant from
the other side" to derail our movement.
. . .I feel as you being Chairman, that the members need to know
where you stand on the issues. If you are our leader, then we need to know exactly what you do believe, who you are,
and what you have accomplished in your lifetime. To which I responded (in part): 1. Am I a "plant from the other side" to derail our movement? This question is a low blow that makes me very, very angry, but I
will answer it. Frankly, the way you worded it is beneath you. "Some people...."
No, I am not a plant. But I am beginning to wonder about the wisdom of those intent on taking
over the Tea Party movement in service of a different agenda. 20,000 people gathered in front of the Alamo, as millions
did elsewhere, to protest out-of-control spending that will inevitably lead to out-of-control tax increases; They didn’t
gather to protest amnesty for illegal aliens. They didn’t gather to protest abortion. They didn’t gather
to protest the exclusion of God from the classroom. Personally, I am sure we are both on the same side on all those
issues. BUT. There were both supporters and opponents of all those causes at the Tea Party, united to protest
spending. I was against getting into social issues, but allowed the Executive Committee to overrule me. In retrospect,
that may have been a mistake. Every issue we take on splits some people off of the Tea Party. Shall I accuse each
of these people, who probably just want the best for our country, of being a plant for Obama? Hardly.
2. Where do I stand on the issues? I
am pro-life. I am against illegal immigration and amnesty. I am extremely pro-Second Amendment rights. (In fact,
I'm probably the most extreme of any of us on that. Bill Gates wants to buy a few M1A1 tanks to help protect his
property? Fine by me.) I am against big government—the Federal government has overstepped its bounds on
many fronts that belong at the state level. 3. Exactly what
do I believe? I believe in God as described in the Nicene Creed. I believe
in the Constitution of the United States. I believe in doing my duty as an officer of the United States.
As to my statement about taking a bullet that so bothered some – anyone holding a commission
as a military officer of the United States who would refuse to protect the person of the president is an oath-breaker and
not worthy of the uniform. It doesn't matter that he spent 10 years at the "Church of God-Damn America" and
pals around with an unrepentant terrorist who should have been hanged but was instead set free and made into a professor of
education. He's the man occupying the office and I have taken an oath. You want him removed? (So do I!)
Impeach him for a crime or vote him out in 2012, but bullets are out of bounds. 4. Who Am
I? I am a Minnesota boy whose father was a union leader (but he voted for Wallace). I married MyLovelyWife,
Cathy, almost 29 years ago. I did lots of interesting things in the military. Got to meet Chuck Yeager, even before
“The Right Stuff” came out! Got 800+ hours logged as a communications jammer in the back end of an EC-130H.
I rose through the ranks to Technical Sergeant before getting my commission. I retired as a Captain. I’m
also the guy who thought to ask Frank Abagnail, Jr. (“Catch Me If You Can!”) what he thought of the “memos”
Dan Rather claimed to have on Bush, and was named as such by the NY Post (& many web sites).
5. What have I accomplished in my lifetime? Almost 20 years ago, I helped
develop the ideas and first prototypes for a whole bunch of sh1t that was so advanced at the time that it is just starting
to be used by the war fighters today. There’s a lot I can’t discuss. This I can: the free operating
system called Linux has a version called "Security Enhanced Linux." The National Security Agency (NSA) puts
that out. It uses a thing called "Type Enforcement" to really lock down the system. Why did NSA
feel they could dedicate the resources to create that? How did they know it would work, that you could "bolt on"
Type enforcement? Because about 17 years ago, I was one of two guys who demonstrated for them that Type Enforcement
(which was then new and experimental) could be added to an existing operating system. That's how I got my AF Achievement
Medal, but the real reward is every reference I see to Security Enhanced Linux. The other stuff I did I cannot discuss,
but I also got a Defense Meritorious Service Medal...What I continue to do for our country's defense as a contractor is
important enough that my patriotism goes under a microscope every few years. It’s a bit like a proctology exam,
only more public. Catholics are supposed to confess their sins to a priest; people with my job have to do so to a security
investigator and God help you if they catch you in a lie. Just try sitting for a polygraph--LOTS of fun (not).
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