As you know, the extreme left-wing and reporters for the mainstream media who go to cocktail parties with them are laboring under the delusion that someone other than you is responsible for what happened yesterday.
You know better but…I bet that some of us wish that today or tomorrow or next week — maybe because they’ve now seen what you did on April 15 — someone whose name we have at least heard of before would step up and set a new goal or agenda to give direction to all the fantastic energy, creativity and positive minds for change that you displayed yesterday.
Then you wouldn’t have to, right? You could get back to your normal life.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think if you want to find those leaders, you’re going to have to look in the mirror.
So here’s what I think we should be doing: We should do what we have to do to grow as leaders, and to grow our team of volunteers as leaders.
What does that mean? Here are some ideas.
1. Get together in a week or so with your team of volunteers and anyone else on your e-mail list who wants to come. Not for a “strategy planning session” but just to de-brief and get to know each other. Have pizza and beer in someone’s backyard or at a bar. Connect as people. See where the conversation goes.
2. “The only tool he had was a hammer so after awhile, everything started to look like a nail.” You know how to put together a protest rally. That doesn’t mean you will ever again need or want to do one…although maybe you will. Maybe that is exactly what you’ll decide to do. But while you’re waiting to see how that shakes out, think about getting some leadership or activist training for you and your key volunteers because maybe what you’ll want to do is run candidates for office, or recall campaigns, or ballot initiatives.
3. Do you have a gift for communication? If you’ve put together an e-list of those who attended your event, be sure and send them short e-blasts now that the event is over. Keep the momentum going with information.
4. One of the most important things that happened yesterday was that new activists surprised themselves with just how committed they are. But take some time to think about that. Talk it over with your family. How much do you want to/can you give to helping transform politics on the local, state or federal level?
5. Do you know any of the “established” political activists in your state? If not, try getting together for coffee sometime soon to see what kind of connections come about.
6. Keep reading the main Tea Party newsites online and encourage your volunteers to do the same because eventually you’ll see some (or contribute to) some leadership areas and activism opportunities that seem just right to you.
7. Drink plenty of water, get lots of rest and take care of yourself and your family. We’re in this for the long haul.
Love ya!
Linda,
Do not just use your wallet. Use your voice. One person not buying a printer is nothing.
Telling them you are not going to spend and will tell others not to spend is much more effective…don’t you think?
I, for one, is tired of the rants by these folks on the farrr left. It is they that are out of touch not us. But they know we will not call them to task.
That must end I believe.
How is it that ten people in pink get all the major news coverage when they protest at a Marine Corps recruiting station but the peotest we were apart of was called racist and degraded with minimal actual coverage? A protest that spanned the country!
Time to call them to task say I. Being nice has not worked. I’m not talking about anything physical, I’m saying we need to call them out every single time, every single day, they make these comments. Call them out as tough as we can and with as much focus as we can. Enough is enough.
For those of you that want to send a message to sponsors of CNN I would ask that we start with Lexmark. I have no problem with them and have been happy with there products that I own.
However, we must start with a sponsor. Since they made no public statement disassociating from the coverage why not them. Considering I use their products I felt it best to call them out. What good is it to call too task someone you are not happy with? Why not someone you support when they don’t support us?
Remember folks, this coverage by CNN was totally biased. There was no attempt to try and hide it. That is how confident they are right now. They are an extension of the political tools we protested. The main streams think they have a free pass to promote a political agenda which includes dismissing our efforts as a bunch of dimwits with signs.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE WINNING a battle of words with the intent to sweep a million or so folks aside as out of touch and racist. They are willing to cast aside anyone (including their own) who disagrees with this government and the previous on spending.
DO NOT LET THIS PASS.
Lexmark is @ tfitzpat@lexmark.com
CNN, MSNBC and others covered the tea party events in their typically biased fashion. I for one intend to pay attention to who their sponsors are and make my voice heard with my wallet. We as a family already do so at the box office. I refuse to attend a movie that features actors such as Sean Penn, Danny Glover, etc. They may be great actors, but they will not get my hard-earned money.
I agree that the Tea Party needs to focus on measurable acts targeted at taxation/spending/redistribution of our tax monies. Changing to an Independent is a signal to those now in power. May I add to this suggestion - -
!. Many have filed for extentions and/or reduced their withholding amount in an attempt to shut off funding to DC. Yet they feel anxious and intimidated because fo possible penalties, interest, jail, etc. The Fair Tax would give some leverage in gov. financing through aor purchasing power. We need to make a BIG push for the Fair Tax and give it a try.
2.Illegals receive mmany benefits from our tax monies. This needs stopped. PA just had a bill to stop benefits to illegals. I never heard whether it passed or not. Every state needs to pass this tyoe of legislation. DC is coming with a plan in May that addresses illegals. So that doesn’t give us much time to mobolize.
3. Six companies just received some of the 75B tax monies to help w/mortgages.
Some, if not all 6, are the same co’s that participated in the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 that brought on this housing crisis. (Search this act to be informed). I am closing out my accounts with these six co’s. The newspaper listed them as JPMorganChase,Wells Fargo,GMAC,Citigroup, Select Portfolio, and Saxon Mortgage. One site suggested we picket these co’s but that is what the low income did to “force” them to give the mortgages. The gov would release the names of the banks that weren’t complying with the Reinvestment Act and low income groups would picket outside their co.
I read many of the posts on this subject and there are a lot of great ideas. I thought that the idea of a boycott was great. So much so I found a sponsor of CNN. It is Lexmark. I have no problem with this Company at all with the exception that they sponsor CNN, which is enough for me. I sent them the following E-mail last night. The E-mail address is: tfitzpat@lexmark.com
I am very disappointed by the news coverage of the “tea party” protests by CNN.
I enjoy interviews from journalists but what I witnessed from CNN’s Susan Roesgen was so unprofessional I actually felt sorry for her lack of ability. It was painful to watch.
But what was really disturbing was CNN using the sexual connotation of “teabagging” during the reporting of this event. This, to me, is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated. It is quite offensive and I find it unacceptable for the …..Company to promote this type of Journalism. I can only assume your company finds this to be acceptable due to your lack of comment concerning this. Therefore, I will no longer buy products from your company. I will also be forwarding a copy of this E-mail to the hundreds of friends, which accompanied me to the protest in Phoenix. I will also be posting a copy on the multitude of blogs of like-minded Americans, many, if not all of which, will agree with my opinion.
Of course, if the ……. Company was to provide a statement concerning this offensive action by CNN I would reconsider. I like and have supported your products over the years and look forward to doing so in the future. The offensive nature of this coverage leaves me no choice but to find an alternative product.
Another idea I agree with is becoming an independent. Something I did a few years back.
Getting out “THE MESSAGE”on the 4th of July will be perfect, we all must contact our local groups and get a plan established. It could be bigger than the Tax day success! Those of us who have the time and energy to do more, could join their local Democrat party, I know how distasteful that would be, and see and record (LEGALY OF COURSE) what they are doing to derail US. This is a war after all!
After reading some of the ideas here I felt that a boycott of sponsors of CNN would be a great idea.
The totally irrational coverage by CNN was beyond “over the top” and politicised a non-political event. Not to mention it degraded all of us average Americans that are fed up, with not just the spending, but our voices being ignored. We know what is going to happen in the future due to this spending. We cannot let this die out.
I picked out Lexmark Company to start with, simply because I found there support and address. I have nothing against Lexmark but they do sponsor CNN.
The E-mail addy is: tfitzpat@lexmark.com
Here is what I sent.
I am very disappointed by the news coverage of the “tea party” protests by CNN.
I enjoy interviews from journalists but what I witnessed from CNN’s Susan Roesgen was so unprofessional I actually felt sorry for her lack of ability. It was painful to watch.
But what was really disturbing was CNN using the sexual connotation of “teabagging” during the reporting of this event. This, to me, is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated. It is quite offensive and I find it unacceptable for the Lexmark Company to promote this type of Journalism. I can only assume your company finds this to be acceptable due to your lack of comment concerning this. Therefore, I will no longer buy products from your company. I will also be forwarding a copy of this E-mail to the hundreds of friends, which accompanied me to the protest in Phoenix. I will also be posting a copy on the multitude of blogs of like-minded Americans, many, if not all of which, will agree with my opinion.
Of course, if the ……. Company was to provide a statement concerning this offensive action by CNN I would reconsider. I like and have supported your products over the years and look forward to doing so in the future. The offensive nature of this coverage leaves me no choice but to find an alternative product.
I also like Glenn’s idea.
1. Change your political affiliation to Independent. This act is something you can do now, something that is measureable, and something that would tell the status quo establishment that you are serious.
I did this very thing two years ago. I was registered as Republician but the spending by Congress even then was appalling. So I went independent. I promoted this action to all who would listen primarily because I felt this action by many would send a strong message and effect the funding provided to the party. We all know money talks…just look at us! I would hope that like minded Democrats would do the same. Minimalizing the two parties would go along way.
After the Tea Party
Well folks, you have all most likely heard the quote, freedom is not free. We will all have to examine our personal motives and determine if we are truly fed up with the Democrats and Republicans managing our government. On the surface it appears the silent majority is ready to make a stand, but, are we? I would like to offer the following ideas for what might be next:
1. Change your political affiliation to Independent. This act is something you can do now, something that is measureable, and something that would tell the status quo establishment that you are serious.
2. Plan and attend, at your own expense, a protest in Washington DC.
3. Call and email your elected local representatives and the congressional leadership to tell them that you are fed up and will not take anymore of this irresponsible government.
4. Remain politically active, this is not a sprint it is a marathon.
5. Vote out incumbent democrats and republicans during the next election cycle.
6. Understand that the status quo establishment will not go quietly or quickly.
7. Make future votes count and make the recipients earn your trust.
8. Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States of America with your peaceful political action. Our future depends upon it.
MESSAGE & FOCUS FOR 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!
RE-SIGN “THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE”
WE SHOULD HAVE ALL WHO STANDS FOR FREEDOM & LIBERTY
AND BELEIVES IN AMERICA, RESIGN THE DECLARATION. THIS WOULD ALSO
SHOW THAT ALL AMERICANS ARE CREATED EQUAL AND WE ARE NOT A PARTISAN GROUP!
After the Tea Party - General Strike?
Atlas shrugs for a day, or half a day?
At the Lansing, MI tea party I saw thousands of solid middle class citizens, mostly in their 40s, 50s, 60s.
People who have worked all their lives, followed the rules, tried to build a nest egg. These truly are the Atlases who carry America’s economy.
What if they all took a powder for a day?
What if every small business closed for a day?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further thoughts: Most big businesses would not participate due to fear of (quiet, indirect) government reprisals, and reasonable reluctance to alienate lefty customers (whose money is still green).
Response: Establish a three-hour period on the strike day to picket Wal-Mart, Kroger, all big retailers. Do it very politely. Ask people entering the store to come back in a few hours, and explain why. Don’t dis the stores for not joining the strike.
Another thought:
This would represent a major escalation in the level of activism requested of thost 500,000 middle-aged, middle-class Americans who attended Tea Parties, almost all of whom were asking each other, “What next? What do we do now?”
Too much for most of them?
Picketing stores almost certainly so, but there could be many other events at the same time.
The key to a successful boycott is getting the information out to as many people as possible. We need a list of all the advertisers on each of the networks that were particularly offensive and we need to back up our grievances with examples. It is looking like more than 500,000 people turned up for these protests which is GREAT! And, you don’t have to be a rocket science to determine that many of the people (most really) are the driving force of this economy. In other words, we are the desired demographic–the one advertisers pay big money to advertise to. Let’s get that list together and then call on all tea party members to host a nationwide boycott of these products–letting the networks know EXACTLY what we are doing. It’s the only way to start hammering home that we are serious–very serious. next should be a letter drive. But after we get those lists.
Sorry the last line should read: I am not convinced voting out current politicians in favor for ones of the other party is going to be effective.
This may sound silly but any thought to organizing a third political party based on a few simple principles that all at the tea party agree on. A new party with a new real platform. The new party would have a clear code of ethics for the representatives that choose to run under that party banner. I think experience in running a small business should be one of the selection criteria for candidates. That may be the only way to clean out all those lifelong political morons in Washington currently. I am not convinced voting our current members in favor of an other party that is just as corrupt is going to be all that effective.
Yes … we have to keep this going. I talked to many many ppl who didn’t know about the tea parties yesterday. So this will grow if we are diligent.
I just heard a rumor that the Dept. of Homeland Security was at some of the Tea Parties taking pictures of people has anyone else heard of anything like this>? If that is true it is very creepy.
Why not to a tea party on Memorial Day to honor our troops at war, and vetrans at home. Not too far away, but it gives us enough time to organize. Then one for the 4th of July, then one labor day or 9/11. Then move to election day 09, and so on. A couple of months between, them, and can have a bit of a different, yet Patrotic theme. I thinks thats what we need to keep this focused on.
I totally agree. I am also hoping there will be a mechanism for donations. I think donations would be well spent on higher profile entertainment ect the next time around. The reason for this is not to diminish the message but to attract a wider range of people to come and see for themselves that these events are truly non partisan. You need to bait the young folks a little more:) The greatest thing about this cause is there is nothing to hide and no manipulation going on. We need to be active in looking for devices to make this truth clear to the general public do I dare say transparent heheh.
Rember K.I.S.S. keep it simple stupid and don’t allow this movement to start venturing down partisan lines. The Republicans are waiting in the wings ready to high jack this movement. As a former Republican I can say that the Republican Party certainly doesn’t have clean hands so watch them too
P.S. I think one of the most important things for people to do right now is arm yourself with education and encourage everyone you know to start rediscovering what are founding fathers wanted this country to be. How radical the Constitution was when it was written and how it is to date the greatest union between human nature and human ideals that man has ever seen in a society.
Well let me share what our local group is doing. First, in our last meeting to finallize things for our local tax day event we setup a meeting for next week. In that upcoming meeting it is our intention to possibly setting up officers (leadership) and propose future events.
Until our next public meeting or event we are pushing local people to get active on our websites forums. This is something all local Tea Parties can do. If someone in your groups is a bit more web savvy get a web site and use free forum software like phpbb. If no one in your group is web savvy get wordpress, also free, and build your site.
While national sites like this one allow a broader range of discussion we must get it back to a local focus. Changing the nation can not occur from the top down. Our nations Founding Fathers knew and understand this. We must change at the local level, starting at townships and counties. So we must organize with that focus. When the counties take back their power then we can effectively neuter the officer of the president leaving him no power but that which the constitution specifically gives him.
On the note of leadership training above be cautious of that our current leaders have training and that hasn’t worked out. Besides most in these parties are business men and CEO’s that “lead” employees, or some maybe pastors that “lead” churches. If nothing else most lead a family and that is all you need. Also leading is not a skill that must be acquired trough special training, it is learned by being a good follower. The leaders of this should not be those with training but those without training as they will use common sense in there decisions verses trying to fall back on what will always be inadequate training.
Knowledge is power, as a movement we should all know our history, read as many political book as we can get are hands on and be ready to hit back. Send letters to our Senators, congressman, local levels officials and boycott all and any supports of CNN and MSNBC.
Washington here we come, I know a bunch of us from NY will be there.
A boycott on all companies that advertize on all those news networks is a great idea . Money talks!!! They have to see that we are taking this all the way! Going door to door the get more people involed is another way to get people motived. For everyone of us that attended a tea party I am sure we all know 50 people who didn’t but feel the same way. America is starting to wake up and our college kids need a real education as to what is happening.
I’ve heard rumors about another big day being planned for July 4th nationwide. That would be wonderful! For every person that attended the events yesterday, there were 10 of us that wanted to be there and couldn’t. On July 4th most everyone will have the day off. Can you imagine the turnout????
The boycott of products that advertise on the biased media is a good idea. I started today on my reps and senators by emailing to stop the spending that we the people are not going to take it anymore that we were watching who was voting fo tax and spend and that they would be voted out in 2010. Keep pounding them with calls and emails. The big budget is coming up in the house this week, keep hamering with calls and emails and spread the word to others to do the same..Do not give up!
Yes; I work till 7:00pm but caught the tail end of the Hicksville, LI, NY tea party. All kinds of just folks: families with young kids; dads and teens, grandparents, salty dog types. The violations to the Constitution that are happening now, and the ones we know are coming unite us.
I already boycott the main stream media since their failure in vetting the Obama but I have taken it a step further. I also boycott all advertisers who support these hate filled networks. You can go on line and get a list of their major advertizers. I have e-mailed these companies and notified them that I will boycott their products for as long as they continue to advertize on these networks. If more people did this the networks would go out of business even faster.
We are bigger than ACORN! Remember we surround them.
We need a WEEKEND protest REAL SOON, not July 4th. We need to keep this on the front burner. We need to wake up these disillusioned politicians, that obviously are not representing us. I tried to email the Illinois one, and the site is shut down. I will write a hand written note. Also, the way to get to the bias media is thru their sponsors, I will start watching just so I can write them.
I disagree with the notion that continuing to gather regularly would be too difficult. Not every week of course… Maybe every 90 days perhaps?
I think this is important because some people might be able to make one, but not the other. There are some who didn’t realize gathering this way would succeed in attracting real attention. There are some who will be having a change of heart as they see it’s ok to say NO to runaway spending.
Retracting back into the box and disappearing behind a computer won’t grow the cause like standing up in the public square will. I think that is vital. It’s the most effective way to welcome others who wish to have their voices heard.
Words do not speak like action does.
Regarding the anti-tea party effort that’s beginning…… Remember, socialist thinkers have already been going full board with their message for quite some time now.
The elite media has been carrying their message for the entire election cycle. This is one reason why we are in the position we’re in.
I agree. Boycott them.
I agree wholeheartedly with Howard Roark!!! We must stay on-message - a message that is focused on wasteful spending of our tax dollars!
At our Tea Party in small-town Mississippi, the main speaker (perhaps the coordinator?) made statements that came across as partisan. And if this is going to become a Republican party front-group, I’m not interested… (Too many years of voting for R’s who then go to Washington and proceed to do their best spend-aholic Democrat impersonation have made me a little bitter…)
Additionally, the speaker made numerous references to things that I would consider “religious issues.” I wasn’t personally offended by these; I’m one of those religious types. However, I saw a real danger of having our group be marginalized as “one of those radical Biblical fundamentalist groups.”
The Tea Parties were about TAXES and SPENDING. Let’s keep it at that, please!
Whole-heartedly agreed with everyone’s statements. We can’t protest every day, but we all need to collectively discuss the next moves. An Internet forum might be a useful tool to collect ideas with sub-boards that break down into localities. We must continue to use the Internet and all of it’s applications - facebook, twitter, etc. to keep this going. I’m sure the British didn’t think much of the first Tea Party in 1773 either, and hurled similar insults at the colonialists. Look where that got them….
For further proof that the government is out of control
check this out:
http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/041609_extremism.pdf
It is the complete official government document characterizing all of us as dangerous radical extremists. When you read this, you’ll find out that you’ve been plotting this since the 90’s! It was intended to be “for official use only” but the Washington Times leaked it. (please note–not one mention of muslim extremists)
Let’s boycot the money behind the looney left MSM. NBC is definitely the worst. All the way to the top, GE owns it–now you know what kind of appliances and light bulbs NOT to buy.
We must remain vigilant to what’s going on ‘behind the curtain’.
KH
Mr. Roark’s comment above is very good. We need to stay on message that the government is operating outside the bounds of the Constitution, and needs to be reigned in now. One massive march on DC in September would highlight the significance of adherence to Constitutional requirements.
Focus nationwide attention on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
At the Richmond, Va Tea party, one of the speakers was touting a group based in Virginia near DC that AmericanMajority.org has formed. The site is http://www..aftertheteaparty.com.
This is a group that is organizing training on how to become an effective activist. Also, how to run for public office. I checked them out. You should too!
I realized that listening to all the “gobbldegook” (nice word for BS) from the main steam media, has served only to rob my joy over the obvious enthusiasm we saw at our Bismarck, ND Tea party yesterday! I am here to say: “THEY JUST DON’T GET IT!” Scary to know these idoits are influencing thousands of people and “THEY JUST DON’T GET IT!!!” They actually think this was about the Republican Party.. Huh?? And, they call us uninformed and “not-unified? God help us…
My fellow Freedom Lovers,
I agree with you all, I will never ever watch those liberal news organizations ever again. I’m all for boycotting the sponsers on those programs, sign me up!
People we need to MARCH on Washington DC! Maybe then they’d get the picture and realize that we are NOT the silent majority.
Couldn’t agree more with boycotting the advertisers of CNN et al. But that would mean I’d have to actually watch the MSM to know who their advertisers are. Anyone have the stomach for that?
As for the CNN babe who was most insulting and condescending: I heard today that she also works for NPR. That means our tax dollars are paying her. Need to put some heat on NPR to fire her!
The Illinois Senator’s statement is delusional. Unfortunately, she is not alone. The Representative from the Second District of Arkansas was quoted on a local Little Rock tv station using words nearly identical to the Senator’s. This shows me that there’s an organized anti-T.E.A. Party counter-operation growing in the Democratic party, and that we will have to ramp up our efforts before Congress goes into its next voting frenzy. Write them, call them, email them, then do it again the next week. Write to the editors of your local paper, and national media outlets. Don’t lose your outrage! Ours is truly a non-partisan effort and we must not allow ourselves to be maligned or mischaracterized.
Two things.
First. It isn’t reasonable to expect that people across the country to turn out and demonstrate on a regular basis. The conflict with work, day care, school, etc is quite real. It’s not a lack of commitment, it’s that people are busy.
It is reasonable to ask that people continue to pay attention to the national stage. Letters, emails. and phone calls take less time and effort than hitting the bricks, and are more feasible for more people than making signs and marching.
The email lists and contact sheets from yesterday are an invaluable asset in this effort. I would bet money that many, many people signed them yesterday who normally would never.
Second.
I saw an amazing number of different groups on the street yesterday. I saw Paulicans, Randites, LaRouchies, Libertarians, Hippies young and old, and the odd Goth. There were people in suits, biker gear, street-warrior garb, and even the occasional Republican.
It was the economic issues that unified these people. I was standing next to people that I have real disagreements with, but in this one area, we agreed.
The more closely we adhere to the economic and federalist concerns, the more inclusive and unified the TP groundswell will remain. The farther we get from those central ideas, the more it will splinter.
Single-issue groups are highly effective because they can remain ‘on-message’ very easily. Simplicity of message and political effectiveness go hand in hand. Schism is an ancient weapon, and highly effective. If the TP effort becomes a soapbox for narrow-issue groups, it will fall apart fast.
Third.
I don’t know how local and national coordination are going to balance. There is going to have to be some direction at the national level. Without that, effectiveness will be limited. At the same time, local groups have needs and goals that won’t fit cleanly into a national effort.
That is going to be an interesting balancing act.
-HR
I sent a complaint to the FCC about Mr. Olbermann and his obsession over ‘teabagging’. Doubt it will do any good, but at least I did SOMETHING.
Boycotting sponsors of CNN is a great idea. One thing about organizing and planning, though: how do we do it without letting the opposition know what we are planning. I ask this because of the reports that Acorn was going to infiltrate the Tea Parties and make us look bad. (I attended a Tea Party in White Plains, NY and, indeed, there were four young men walking around with clipboards, looking for signatures, ostensibly for something on the level, but they sure did seem fishy.
So, how does a grassroots organization network and organize effectively, without giving opposition opportunity to disrupt?
Please take the time to visit this Senator’s website, review her comment and respond to it using the “Email me” service on the left side of the web page:
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/il09_schakowsky/pr_teaparties_04_15_09.shtml
Thanks
It was announced last night at the Atlanta Tea Party that the necessary permits have been obtained for a Tea Party in Washington, DC for September 12, 2009. See you in DC!
I agree with an above poster. Right now we should start showing that we are more than some “bitter group of right-wingers” like we have been portrayed. We know who we are and what we are doing and I personally will never let the MSM have any power over me to diminish that. Like the poster above, I agree that we should immediately look to target the MSM who have clearly insulted us as morons and put pressure on their advertisers to discontinue sponsoring these media outlets. We have the strength of our purchase power to back up what we say. Let them feel it in their pocket books!! We will NOT accept this unacceptable so-called journalism…
While we are doing that, we can be planning our next show of force!
…
Mega thank you’s to all of you who organized this event and worked so very hard to make it happen!! I was proud to stand with you. Does anyone have a good estimate of the number in attendance nationwide, or state-by-state?
May I join the conversation about where we go from here?
If this is a movement, and I think it is, the next step is to focus attention on our founding documents. Over taxation, bailouts, overspending, the President of the United States’ firing of a private industry executive, etc…, are symptoms of the root problem, which is the FAILURE of the federal government to stay within the boundaries of the U.S. Constitution, and the FAILURE of state governments to DEMAND that Washington honor and abide by the 9th and 10th amendments restricting their actions.
I think yesterday’s response nationwide reflects that millions of Americans instinctively know something is seriously wrong in government. Sadly, our present crisis is that many Americans have simply not learned (or forgotten) that our elected officials serve beneath the Constitution, the “law of the land”. Office holders must be made to obey its restrictions, period. Otherwise, we creep (Bush) or lurch (Obama) towards tyranny. It is up to We The People to make them obey it (upon pain of losing their position when they fail to). Let’s begin immediately to put relentless focus on the Declaration of Independence. Talk about it with your family. Get together in community groups (including online groups) to study the reasons behind our founding, and the ideals that we felt so imperative as to take on such an audacious task as declaring independence from England. Make the Declaration the topic of relentless conversation between now and July 4th, then we will speak loudly and singularly again on that date about why we love America. After July 4th, the focus shifts to September 17th, and the anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. We do the same; educate ourselves about it’s deep meanings, it’s timelessness, and importance. With this renewed knowledge, we converge on Washington, D.C. to loudly and unequivocally DEMAND that our States and the Federal Government begin obeying it, or LEAVE!
Just a thought.
Thanks again, all.
David Massengill
Clinton, TN
It’s not just CNN. Try finding evidence of the tea parties in the NY Times. The Mainstream Media has erased it by choosing not to report the fact that there were protests all over the country. Boycott any media network that didn’t cover it or covered it in a negative light, because they are all against the tea parties. Even the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, sad but true.
here’s my essay and how the media failed to cover it. http://thenewspin.ca/blog/?p=798
in response to CNN’s condescending coverage of the tea parties…we should organize a list of the top advertisers to CNN and make a concerted effort to boycott their products until they pull their ad dollars away…
Boycotting the Mainstream Media would be a start. They’re not on your side, clearly. Yesterday has proven this. That message really needs to be sent to everyone, I think. ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, New York Times, NPR, LA Times. Boycott it all…good luck.
Great advice, teablogger. We Americans are a unique people on this earth, with a unique form of government based on informed SELF-government.
That requires contemplation, study, reflection…and also requires diligence. Plain hard work. Staing free isn’t free; it requires that many citizens do regular work to “ride posse” on elected officials.
Human nature doesn’t change over the ages, regardless of the formal type of government under which it manifests itself. The feckless and greedy will always exist, and they tend to like two kinds of careers: politics, and bureaucracy.
On a bit more elemental level: without paying for it, they want to eat what you produce. If you want to keep them from doing so, you’re going to need to learn a little American civics because according to the US Constitution, they can’t legally do that.
Law enforcement of this kind is the epitome of self-government; but we’ve never practiced it before. Not in 220 years.
Now the work begins. Many of us are going to start meeting in local CHSAs (Citizzens Homeland Security Associations); like an HOA or a VFD…on steroids. We’re going to share best practices with similar groups across America, and we’re going to start kicking serious butt. Putting criminals into the limelight, and finally under indictment if they don’t cease and desist.
Hardball. And hard work.
If you’re in, then we have a chance of recovering the Constitution, and a way of life that’s been slipping out of reach for generations.
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