EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — Dec. 16 was the 246th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
On Dec. 16, 1773, a group of colonists boarded three British boats and dumped 342 boxes of tea into Boston Harbor. It was a tangible sign that demonstrated a frustration with the prevailing way of doing business and a willingness to jettison the status quo when it got in the way.
The Winter of Waivers follows this spirit of rebellion and innovation. In line with the bold action of the colonists in Boston, I want to challenge you with submitting 342 waiver requests before the beginning of the Summer of Waivers 2020. You already have submitted 102 waiver requests (96 have been approved), and we need to pick up the pace to complete 240 more requests in the next six months. It will be a tangible sign that demonstrates a frustration with the prevailing way of doing business and a willingness to jettison the status quo when it gets in the way.
On the day after the Boston Tea Party, John Adams wrote the following: “This is the most magnificent Movement of all. There is a Dignity, a Majesty, a Sublimity, in this last Effort of the Patriots, that I greatly admire. The People should never rise, without doing something to be remembered — something notable and striking. This Destruction of the Tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important Consequences, and so lasting, that I can’t but consider it as an Epocha in History.”
The consequences of your innovative spirit are critical to this nation. We need you to be bold and daring in your waiver submissions. Let us do something that will be remembered as notable and striking. We need you to be a part of this magnificent movement!