Who said political columns can't start internet movements?

OK, probably no one said that, but it happened here. It turns out a tongue-in-cheek column by our own Doug Clark has inspired a group of conservative Spokanites to launch an "8th Man" Facebook page. 

Clark's piece was a fun column about all the recent ruckus at Spokane City Council meetings. He tied the rabid fans of the Seahawks - i.e. you and me and everyone else - to the large crowds that have taken over the council chambers during recent meetings. (Excluding this week's meeting, which was attended by about 20 people. Where's the love?)

The 8th Man group took Clark's hand-off and ran with it. Or at least tied it to their conservative politics. The 8th Manifesto, which is reproduced in full below - is largely a rehash of Tea Party-esque principles: the taxpayer as the base unit of democracy, no fruit confiscation, public servants should follow their heart and avoid hubris, give the ball to Lynch and... wait, I'm getting off track.

Time will tell if Spokane's left will form a Seahawks-based political organization to forward their agenda. May I suggest the Legion of Economic Equality, Civil Justice and Multimodal Transportation? Has kind of a ring to it.

THE 8TH MANIFESTO

We, the taxpayers of Spokane, find these truths to be self-evident:
That the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Washington are the Supreme Laws of the land. 
That we, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our gifts, hold in reverence our inalienable rights.
That all people are created equal and are due the maximum fruits of their own toil and labor. 
That those fruits shall not be confiscated for reasons light or transient. 
That our rights shall not be infringed for the same. 
That all political power is vested in “We the People” and is merely on loan to those we choose to hold public offices or who are hired in our city departments. 
That the larger our Government, the smaller the individual liberty and individual opportunities for the citizens; and therefore seek a small, effective but limited entity at City Hall. 
That the City Council is the body that shall craft our laws to secure these rights and do so by fulfilling the basic essential functions of government with maximum efficiency as the goal, keeping in mind our inalienable rights in the process. 
THEREFORE, when the municipal government or any of its elected officials, officers or employees becomes destructive to these ends we join as one cohesive mass known as Spokane's 8th Man to right the destructive wrongs that public servants, led by hubris rather than a servant’s heart, can do – so that we may restore the blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity. 
We are Spokane’s 8th Man.