Living in Philly affords me the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of our founding fathers whenever I desire. To walk in the very rooms where the framers forged this nation into being is an exquisite privilege. It’s always a thrill to be in Philly for the 4th of July and know what all of America is celebrating happened right here 234 years ago. Yep, there are time when it is just so cool to live in Philly.
It is so very fitting that the Independence Hall Tea Party Association has returned to Independence Mall to celebrate all that is good about our nation and to remind the public of the precarious nature of our freedoms handed to us by those courageous framers in Independence Hall 234 years ago.
This year, Bill Kristol was the guest speaker and I managed to cobble together a video of his speech from two video devices. He makes some good points in his talk and I found him to be very personable and knowledgeable. I don’t agree with everything he says, but I respect his intellect:
Photos and additional video clips of speakers from the July 4th Tea Party at Independence Mall can be viewed below:
Members of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association acted out selected scenes from the play ‘1776’ – the exchange between Abigail and John Adams is my favorite part of the play. I hope you enjoy this rendition of Saltpeter – Pins:
Thanks for sharing the videos, skye. I can only imagine what that must feel like, to be in Philadelphia today, standing amidst historical landmarks.
One word: sweltering.
Thanks for posting video of the Kristol address. I spent about two hours there, but the heat forced me to leave early. Luckily, I have you still photos to remember it by.
As you well know, NeoCon, parking was a challenging issue in Philly. I arrived late to the Tea Party, but was able to get on the stage to speak about the Travis Manion foundation.
I still am baffled as to why the city closed 2nd street. I originally planned to park near Christ Church and walk the few blocks to the Mall.
In the end, it did work out. Glad you like the video of Bill Kristol.