Banned
The oldest continuous Independence Day parade in America, despite having a history of famous (and some infamous) speeches and activities occurring during the event, has decided that a group using one of the most endearing Revolutionary period’s actions as its symbol will not be welcome to participate next year.
First, some background. DailyAdvance.com writes of the Bristol, RI Fourth of July parade:
In July 1785, the citizens of this waterfront town assembled to heap praise on their newly minted nation and to thank God for helping them survive a fierce assault by the British during the Revolutionary War.
In July 1892, lawyer Orrin Bosworth preached that the townsfolk should be accepting of the immigrants arriving en masse: "America has no cause to fear the lover of freedom, be he American or foreign born."
And in July 1963, judge Arthur Carrellas roared to the citizenry about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to ban Bible readings in public schools.
Prayer, speeches and other such "patriotic exercises" have marked the Fourth of July in Bristol every year since 1785 — allowing the town to lay claim to the nation’s oldest Independence Day celebration.
Over the years, the speeches — given by judges, senators, war veterans and others — have run the gamut from typical exhortations of patriotism to muscle-flexing against Communist countries to criticism of court decisions.
The patriotic exercises and annual parade that follows are institutions in Bristol, where pride in country is manifest in the red-white-and-blue center stripe that runs through the main artery of the town and in the American flags and banners that hang outside restored colonial homes.
Fast forward to the present… According to an email from one of the organizers of the Tea Party movement in Rhode Island, they have been banned from participating in the parade in future years because some members of the group (gasp!) were distributing copies of the Constitution!
As we informed you this week, the RI Tea Party float in the Bristol Fourth of July Parade was a HUGE success, with people in the crowd showing overwhelming support and enthusiasm for our cause. Although we expected a positive reception, the response of the parade watchers was beyond our wildest imaginations. We were proud to represent the freedom loving people of Rhode Island to celebrate our country’s Independence!
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