Editor's note: The following received honorable mention in WorldNetDaily's Independence Day tea party speech contest.

Don't tread on me.

Those words, written on a drum at the battle of Bunker Hill are as significant today as they were in 1775. Today, the politicians in Washington are the redcoats. Today, our future liberties are as much at stake as the colonists who formed ranks atop the hill overlooking Boston Harbor.

Don't tread on me.

These words signify the independent spirit of our forefathers. Today, they are the rallying cry for a new generation of champions of independence and liberty who want nothing less than independence from the tyranny that is grasping the neck of the American people, choking liberty so that big government can prevail.

Don't tread on me.

The flag contains the coiled rattlesnake, which "… is found in no other quarter of the world besides America." No other country can compare to the American way, to the American spirit, to the American people. We must stop the tyrants in Washington and elsewhere from changing our way of life to satisfy some misguided diversity or politically correct guideline. We must be the rattlesnake, uniquely American.

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Don't tread on me.

The snake has sharp eyes, and "may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance." "She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders." We must be ever vigilant to shine the light on actions that violate our Constitution. We must engage the opponents of the America that our Founding Fathers envisioned. We must fight for our rights as Americans to live in a country free from the oppression of big government and the waste that is a natural result.

Don't tread on me.

There are 13 rattles on the snake, the same number as the original colonies. The rattles are united in a single purpose, the colonies were united in their efforts to become that shining beacon on a hill, and we must be united to bring back the vision and purpose of our Founding Fathers – liberty and justice for all.

DON"T TREAD ON ME.