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On Saturday, September 12, thousands upon thousands of Americans marched in Washington DC to exercise their First Amendment rights and protest deficit spending and government-run health care. Estimates of protestors ran from tens of thousands up to over a million, all who showed up to throw their tea into the Capitol fountain – metaphorically speaking.

"Don't Tread on Me" flags were particularly popular as protestors marched down Pennsylvania from Freedom Plaza near the White House to the tea party rally at the Capitol building. Below is a partial list of the wide variety of slogans that plastered the signs and banners waving in the September afternoon. Serious or good-humored, these signs speak for themselves in describing the sentiments of a significant portion of America's population:

-In God We Trust, Not Government.
-I am here because I love America.
-Standard of Liberty: In honor of our God and religion, in defense of our Freedom, Peace, Home and Family
-No child left a dime.
-Keep us a sovereign nation.
-We're not Astroturf.
-Dissent is still patriotic.
-Liberate, don't regulate.
-Obama is a clunker.
-I am 1 representing 68 patriots. Can you hear me now?
-Change: This is a 1st-time protestor.
-Stop enslaving our children.
-Nobody paid me to be here.
-I'll keep my freedom, my guns, my health care, my money. You keep the change.
-Somewhere in Chicago, somebody is missing a community organizer.

On Taxation:
-Stop Taxing My Freedom.
-Born free, taxed to death.
-Dead people may vote, but they don't pay taxes.
-Don't drink the tea or they'll tax your pee.

To Congress:
-Hey Congress, try reading the 10th amendment.
-Politicians, beware 2010 and 2012.
-You can't fix stupid, but you can be voted out.
-Hey Congress, stop spending, borrowing, and printing $$$.
-Repeal what you have not read.
-Go Green: Recycle Congress.
-Congress shall make no law without reading it first.
-Drug test Congress.
-Hey Congress, don't read this, just sign: "I __________ do hereby resign. Signed ___________."

On Government Spending:
-We the people are not your ATM. Neither are our children and grandchildren.
-Give me liberty, not debt.
-Obama's change = all that's left in our pockets.
-Stop Spending $$$$ you don't have.
-Bail out the free market.
-Hide OUR checkbook.
-Your pork broke my piggy bank.
-1 trillion seconds ago is = to 31,709 years! 1 trillion dollars ago is only weeks with Obama. Do the math.
-Stop this insanity. We're already bankrupt.
-Stop the deficit spending! Can't you balance a checkbook?

On The Czars:
-Republics don't have czars.
-We don't need no stinkin' czars.
-America: More czars than Russia.
-Ali Bama and the 40 czars
-"Freedom Czar"

On Health Care:
-Grandma's not shovel-ready.
-Obama lies, Grandma dies.
-Sell your boat and pay for your own health care.
-Mr. President, we do not believe you.
-Think of their track record. Having government manage your healthcare is like having Michael Vick watch your dog.

Ronald Reagan Tribute:
-"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." – Ronald Reagan

Ayn Rand Tributes:
-Who is John Galt?
-"Every government interferences in the economy consists of giving unearned benefit extorted by force to some men at the expense of others."- Ayn Rand

On Socialism/Communism:
-McCarthy was right then and he's right now.
-Oh I see, "change" actually means "socialism."
-Spread my work ethic, not my money.
-In America, we don't redistribute $, we earn it.
-Obama is Kenyan for "socialism."

On Cap and Trade
-Cap and Trade is Tax and Raid.
-Cap spending and Trade ‘em.
-Stop Cap and Trade. To this Congress, it'll be like giving kids cocaine, alcohol, and the keys to the car.

A more cheerful, friendly, polite mob one could never hope to find. Even around the porta-potties (77 by our count) where the lines were 15-20 people deep, those waiting engaged in friendly chatter with one another. Then, after the march was done and people began to leave, their trash did not litter the street, but was piled neatly in and against the city's garbage bins.

A new study by the National Academy of Sciences suggests that scientists still do not know the exact cause of the disorder that has resulted in the mysterious disappearance of billions of honeybees. However there is some evidence that the bees may have been infected with multiple viruses that combined to create "the perfect storm."

This troubling phenomenon is the subject of a new documentary titled "The Last Beekeeper." The film follows commercial beekeepers from Montana, Washington, and South Carolina in an effort to shed light on the vital importance of honeybees and the struggles they face.

In recent years scientists have observed a pattern of abnormal behavior in colonies of honeybees across the nation - a puzzling phenomenon that could have far-reaching consequences. Thousands of colonies are dying off, and the cause remains a mystery. The problem began in 2006 and peaked last year. It is estimated that this phenomenon has resulted in the deaths of as much as 46 percent of the honeybee population throughout the United States.

Colony Collapse Disorder

For lack of a better name, scientists have dubbed this phenomenon "colony collapse disorder." Colony collapse disorder or CCD is the rapid and unexpected loss of adult worker bees from the colony over a very short period of time. Bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. And nobody knows why. Researchers say the bees are presumably dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold.

According to a report by the National Research Council, "In CCD, the bee colony proceeds rapidly from a strong colony with many individuals to a colony with few or no surviving bees. Queens are found in collapsing colonies with a few young adult bees, lots of brood, and more than adequate food resources. No dead adult bees are found in the colony or outside in proximity to the colony. A unique aspect of CCD is that there is a significant delay in robbing of the dead colony by bees from other colonies or invasion by pest insects; this suggests the presence of a deterrent chemical or toxin in the hive."

Experts say that large-scale bee die-offs have happened before. However never before has the cause of death been so elusive. Scientists have so-far been unable to identify what is causing the deaths. The most likely possibilities are a parasite, an unknown virus, some kind of bacteria, pesticides, or some combination of these factors. A few have even suggested that the problem could be the result of fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field. Scientists believe the magnetic field is what enables migrating birds and other animals and insects - such as bees - to navigate. The problem has prompted congressional hearings and has left scientists around the world scrambling to find answers.

Why Are Bees So Important?

The reason experts are so concerned is that honeybees make more than just honey. Honeybee hives are rented out to growers to pollinate their crops, and many commercial beekeepers move around the country as the growing seasons change. Each year, an estimated more than 2 million bee colonies are rented out to farmers. What most people don't realize is that there are more than 90 crops that rely on honeybees for pollination. Among them are: apples, oranges, avocados, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruit, melons, peaches, pears, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, soybeans, almonds and various other nuts, as well as a wide variety of other crops. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one-third of our food supply comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination. Even cattle, which feed on alfalfa, depend on bees.

Kevin Hackett, head of the USDA's bee and pollination program, described colony collapse disorder as "the biggest general threat to our food supply." He also said that if the collapse worsens, we could end up being "stuck with grains and water."

In the US, honeybees are used to pollinate 15 billion dollars worth of fruits, vegetables, nuts and other crops annually. Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation, described the importance of the bee population by saying "Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food." Thus the continued loss of billions of honeybees could have a substantial impact on our food supply and our economy. To learn more about this subject click on the links below.