In less than two days, I’ll be speaking at a Tax Day Tea Party in Southern California. I haven’t publicly spoken to a live audience since my high school graduation. Ten years ago. Ok, maybe on my wedding day, but really, I was nervous for other reasons that day (wink, wink).

So now I’m nervous. I’m downright skeered.

Or at least I was until I started reading about the Tea Party Crashers-a group of people attempting to infiltrate tea party rallies in order to make us look stupid. News flash: If tea party rallies are stupid groups of racist idiots, lefty liberals don’t need to show up and pretend to be what they claim we are in the first place. They’d just need to bring a video camera, not crash the tea parties.

In fact, if someone has video footage of Representative John Lewis being called a “n***r” as he made his way into a meeting on health care during the push for the final vote, Andrew Breitbart will write you a check for 100 big ones. 100 big Ks, that is. Yup. $100,000 is all yours, and all you have to do is come up with some footage of John Lewis being called a derogatory name by a tea party protestor, as Lewis claims happened fifteen times.

So weird about the lack of evidence, witnesses, or any shred of viability.

So why does the Crasher story make me less nervous? Because now I’m more ticked at these people trying to scare me into silence. I’m done being quiet. I have a right to my voice, and I’m not afraid to use it (not afraid, but still slightly nervous). If people don’t like what I have to say… well then it’s their right not to listen. Not to call me a homophobic racist or put words into my fellow protester’s mouths.

Not cool, people. Not cool.

If you’re in Orange County this Thursday, please come by and say hi; I’d love to meet you. And please try not to stare at my shaky hands or sweaty armpits.

Thanks a bazillion!