I’ve been inviting people to e-mail their “Don’t Tread on Me” tattoos to me for a couple years now. Here’s the complete collection, which is, I must say, pretty damn awesome.
For the past two months I’ve been remiss in posting new tattoos and the submissions have been piling up. Here they are …
Matt
Matt from Ohio writes, “I finally picked the perfect image to represent the American spirit. ‘Don’t Tread on Me!’ That sums it up! We as the American people can no longer sit by and let our freedoms vanish! We must stand up and support the rights we have before they are gone forever! Now is the time! Support your beliefs! Remember that we are a free people that control the government! They work for us! They are our employees! We pay their huge income! We tell them what WE want! Remember that! Let’s take our country back!”
Philip
Philip is a military veteran. He did two years in the US Army and three and a half in the Air Force. He says, “I have always loved the Rattlesnake symbol and the don’t tread on me warning. I feel like it symbolizes the true spirit of America.”
Turner
Roger Turner from Ohio just got his first tattoo at the age of 47. He was inspired by the book Enemies Foreign and Domestic. He writes, “I always liked the Gadsden flag and after I read the book and [thought about] the way our country is headed, I figured why not. The Gadsden flag says it all.”
Mark
Mark Harnois of Detroit had his tattoo done at the 2009 Chicago Tattoo Convention. It was done by Jason, the artist-owner of Trigger Happy Tattoo in Dubuque, IA. The scripts is still to go. Mark is considering whether to use the New Hampshire state motto “Live Free or Die” or “Don’t Tread on Me.”
On the left: Jeremy. On the right: Andrew.
College student Jeremy Shepherd got this tattoo on his forearm. To him, “It’s a symbol of my American heritage, and it’s also a symbol to remind us to be willing to defend our freedom.”
Andrew Cairns says he “tried to incorporate the snake” into his bad ass inside-arm Don’t Tread on Me tattoo but couldn’t come up with a good idea. No matter. I think it rocks.Andrew writes, “I’m 25 years old and I’m currently serving the active duty US Air Force. I’m stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona. The tattoo is a nod to the history of the country that I’m serving, but is also the title of one of my favorite 311 songs (I’m a huge fan of the band). My favorite lyric from the song: ‘nothing’s come easily, so don’t you tread on me, ’cause I will knock you down.’ I’m also a native of the city of Philadelphia, where most say the motto originated. I hope you like the design and I’d love to see it on your site some day.”
