“Restoring Honor Rally” In DC., Part 1

One half million patriots from across the nation showed up on 8-28 at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in DC. at the request of radio and TV talk show host, Glenn Beck.  Much already has been written about this wonderful event where the generic themes of God & country, specifically faith, hope, & charity were the emphases.  Perhaps the most impressive for me were the large volume of families with children sitting atop shoulders.  I hope these young people will burn the experience in their memories.

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4-H Fair & Parade, Greenfield, In.

A grand parade on July 11^th held in Greenfield, Indiana, sported cheerleaders, bands, political candidates both local and state, horses, and spiffy cars.  Republican candidate, Dan Coats,  for U.S. Senate  was well received.   Some marched for Richard Murdoch as Indiana Treasurer.  A sizable number of candidates and political floats filled numerous parade positions with signs, while candy was distributed to sidewalk observers.

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FreedomFest Tea Party Rally At Frankfort, Ky.

Frankfort, Kentucky’s State Capitol was the sight of several hundred Tea Partiers who gathered to celebrate their liberties and to protest the increasing size of government.  On July 10^th, people were bused in from other communities and attendees came from Ohio and Indiana.  Participants included several speakers including Leland Conway with Lexington’s AM 630 WLAP station, Attorney Kent Brown, Dan Blanchard, Pres. Louisville Tea Party, Dr. Rand Paul, Andy Barr, and Todd Lally, all conservative candidates. Rand Paul instructed the crowd about the opposition, including aspects of the media:  "We must not let them describe who we are, WE must describe who we are. We cannot let them characterize us. There has been a concerted effort since the Tea Party began to rise ... to paint us as something we are not."  Kevin Jackson of The Blacksphere and the author of The Big Black Lie provided a tongue in cheek speech that could make you both laugh and cry. Yours truly led the pledge. More photos

Carmel, In. Hosts July CarmelFest Parade

The July 5th,2010  St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana CarmelFest parade and was Grand Marshaled by Officer Fishburn.  The theme was Celebrating American Heroes. It was a long, hot, and rigorous parade with floats, karate kids, bands, and political campaigning.  District 87 Indiana House Representative, Cindy Noe, portrayed Betsy Ross sewing the 13 star Continental flag, and I was an everyday patriot.  Several candidates running for office included Dan Coats walking with the Hamilton County Republican Party.  Some Tea Party advocates also attended. 

More CarmelFest photos on facebook

Sharonville, Ohio July 4th Parade

Sharonville, Ohio held a “4th on the Loop” Parade as their contribution to the Fourth of July festivities in Cincinnati, Ohio. Some Tea Party adherents added some flavor to the march.

Potty Mouths Biden & Hill

Vice President Biden and Baron Hill were part of a fundraiser held on Monday, May 28^th inside a banquet hall at special events center called Kys in Jeffersonville, Indiana.  The attendees paid $250 for a chicken breast and a fruit tart for the luncheon and up to $2400 for a photo-op.  Lining the streets were tea party protestors with signs and bull horns voicing objection to the behavior and polices of both of these Democrats.  One mentioned example was the recent insult from Biden in an ice cream shop in Wisconsin who got a free ice cream cone from the manager who only asked Biden to lower his taxes.  The VP replied that the shop manager was a ‘smart-ass’.  Combined with the frequent use of 4-letter words and the perception of arrogance by these officials, the common theme is one that citizens deserve better leadership than this. 

Yours truly led the pledge and candidates running for office had their say.  The Louisville Courier carries the story;  “Kelly Khuri, a Clark County Tea Party organizer, said neither Hill nor Biden represent the people of Indiana. "They're usurping all our rights," Khuri said. "They don't represent their constituents. They've got to go." Full Story

Tea Party Shouts Protest at Pelosi Fundraiser

Saturday June 26

Prominent  Democratic Party fundraiser, Stan Chesley, of exclusive Indian Hill, Oh. , offered his posh home to House Speaker, Pelosi, who is seeking dollars for her campaign war chest.  Earlier in the year, Chesley hosted  a similar gathering for Senator Harry Reid with the same price tag of $500.00 to $10,000.00 @ plate.  Local Tea Partiers volunteered shuttle work from a launch site at Livingston Lodge to the protest site at Camargo and Given Roads.

Despite her low profile visit with a small entourage of four SUVs, Tea Partiers sent out an open alert from Northern Kentucky and Ohio with an open invitation to protest her policies.  All age groups with various signs dotted both sides of the road.    

Memorial Day Service: Crown Hill Re-enactment

On Monday, May 31st., Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis was the scene for the annual re-enactment for the life and times for those in the blue & gray during the civil war with tents, storytelling by both confederate and union soldiers and 1800 period dressed women knitting while children played.

500 Festival Memorial Service

Memorial Day weekend kicked off on Friday, 28^th. with a tribute to those who were fallen in all wars.  Every branch of service was represented during the Friday noon event presented by Rolls-Royce on the Circle in downtown Indy.  Among the dignitaries were Gov. Mitch Daniels, Mayor Greg Ballard, and Rear Admiral John Miller.  A rolling Caisson, wreath laying, and an F-16 missing man formation flyover were among the highlights. 

Indianapolis Prayer Rally

A week after the National Day of Prayer, another rally in Indianapolis with Mayor Ballard, Deputy Mayor Olgen, and concerned clergy and residents was held on May 22nd . On the downtown ‘Circle’, several clergy including James Jackson of ‘Fervent Church’ spoke passionately about the plight of those who cannot control their inter-personal relationships often erupting in violence. This was echoed by Mayor Ballard who had reviewed the increasing list of incidents that revealed horror stories among individuals who had no sense of self restraint or self control.

Rand Paul Takes Kentucky GOP Primary (Rand Paul series part 1)

A giant win in a step-up to becoming Kentucky’s GOP Senator to DC goes to Rand Paul.  This is his first time running for office, and he did it with grass roots support; specifically disenfranchised Kentuckians and Tea Party supporters.  This was another anti-establishment candidate including a backlash against the traditional GOP party endorsement.  Nationally, there are signs the GOP still does not either understand the movement or is simply in denial about the mood of their constituents and the founding values that once made the GOP the Grand Old Party of conservative principles that stood in stark contrast to the Democratic Party which favored larger government.  By today’s standards, even Ky. Office holders view him as too far right, but they would have said the same about many of the founders if they bothered to read what the founders stood for instead of passing congressional legislation they have not read and been complicit in a cumbersome system and dysfunctional representation.

After the primary win, a ‘unity rally’ was held near the Frankfort, Ky. State capitol at the McConnell building  where party officials officially endorsed his backing for November.  Those who feigned sincerity had to mask themselves with a grin and bear it routine.  Several things stuck in their craw.  Rand Paul won by giant proportions, won against his own party’s counter-endorsement, broke the back of business as usual within the KY. GOP, especially grassroots often taken for granted, and made the GOP look at its own unflattering and typically corruptive machine.  The man in the mirror is Rand Paul and the GOP has no choice but to embrace him if they want a win in November even if they find it hard to defend his image as a conservative with a libertarian bent and holding some ideas that may be philosophically repugnant to moderate Republicans.  In fact, such was the case when his appearance on the Rachel Maddow show dredged up a Louisville Courier news item where Paul questioned one of the tenets of the ’64 civil rights act.

The other segment of the unity rally brought not just avid local supporters and tea partiers but those from adjacent states as Ohio and Indiana.  The Lexington Herald carries the story:

‘ Paul Wheeler of Indianapolis attended the event dressed as a colonial patriot “to lend Tea Party support” to Paul. He carried a sign that read, “Randslide in November”. Wheeler said Paul’s concerns about one portion of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was him “expressing his Libertarian philosophy that government should stay out of people’s business.” “This won’t hurt him, especially not in Kentucky,” Wheeler said of the interviews on MSNBC, National Public Radio and ABC, among others. Full Story
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City-County Caucus Hosts National Day of Prayer

A little advertised group that conducts a voluntary time of prayer before each major Indianapolis Council meeting also hosted the National Day of Prayer on the grounds of the City Market. Counselor Christine Scales help lead the session which lasted from 10:00 am. To 1:00 pm.
Channel 6 carries the story with video. The Star quotes “Reba Boyd Wooden, the executive director for the Center for Inquiry, said she believes government and religion should not mix. "Would you like to be told that this is the national day when you should pray to Allah? I don't think most people who are Christians would want to do that," she said. "Government should not take sides when it comes to religion. They should be very neutral."

This is part of the argument to remove God from the public square because we are a pluralistic society and should be a non-offensive public, rests mainly on the idea of separation of church and state; a largely misapplied concept originally meant to repel any attempt for a compulsory State endorsed religion. The inherent mistake of Reba Wooden is found within her rhetorical question because she thinks public prayer assemblies would involve Christians praying on Islamic prayer rugs or Muslims being offended by praying to a Christian or Jewish God. Therefore, she wants even less than a generic God; she wants no mention of any God, so as to be ‘very neutral’. Yet, anyone who has read of our founding cannot ignore the Biblical God whose laws of morality formed the underpinning of inalienable rights coming from God and were embedded within our documents and our tradition. Freedom OF religion; not FROM religion. No Ms.Wooden; it isn’t that Americans are being ‘told’ when you ‘should’ pray. It is a volunteer effort and officializing the matter does not make the U.S. a theocratic nation that mandates one God on anyone. I don’t care for peas but that doesn’t mean we should make the cafeteria neutral so no one is offended.

I’m reminded of the movie ‘The Ten Commandments’ wherein Pharaoh, having learned of Moses’ Hebrew birth and alleged ‘deliverer’, instructed “Let the name of Moses be stricken from every book and tablet. Stricken from every pylon and obelisk of Egypt. Let the name of Moses be unheard and unspoken, erased from the memory of man, for all time.’ Opponents of public prayer would like to do the same with God, so everyone can be neutral; a concept alien to our founding fathers.

Cincinnati Tea Party Draws 7,000 on a Weeknight.

Several thousand tea partiers attended the annual Tax Day Tea Party held April 15^th at the University of Cincinnati Fifth Third Arena.  Several speakers, including Joe ‘the plumber’ spoke of accountability to about 7,000 fired up taxpayers, according to channel 19. Full Story

One no-show was Sean Hannity of Fox news who was to tape his nightly program there but was called to NY on ‘personal’ and later revised ‘technical’ reasons based on perceived conflicts of interests.  As usual the media seized upon this by asking if I was disappointed, and I said not especially because it’s the people; not a personality,  which celebrate our liberty.  

WCPO channel 9 carried the quote: "I think it's a great time to get together with like-minded people to rediscover our founding principles that made this country strong.  We've gotten far too away from that and it's time to get back," said Paul Wheeler from Indianapolis.

"I can tell you one thing, we are going to continue to have these tea parties until the last snake legislator has to slither over our hot smoldering bodies.  And that's about all I have to say right now," Wheeler said.’  Link

Dayton, Ohio Throws Whopper Tea Party

Filling nearly half of the arena at Wright State University, 8,000 tea partiers provided a forum for speakers, entertainment and prospective brown-nosing from candidates chasing the Tea Party vote.  Alan Keyes was the vivacious keynote speaker as a crowd favorite.  There was no small contingent of security including a lockdown where everyone was ‘wanded’ after a lengthy waiting line.  If you wanted free general admission to a family patriotic event, this was the place to be on a Tuesday evening hosted by the Dayton Tea Party partnered with Homemakers for America.  There was a kiddies area for learning ‘colonial’ games, toys, and face painting.  To further networking among the various local liberty groups, there was an announced effort to bond with businesses that are either involved or are pro-tea party with reciprocal, adding a new dimension to the party’s growing influence.   Article

Jon Voight wants people to join Tea Party to defeat Obama’s “Greatest Lie”

“In one year, the American people are witnessing the greatest lie that is cleverly orchestrated by President Obama and his whole administration.

The lie is a potent aggression that feeds the needs of people who either have not educated themselves enough to understand the assault upon us all or the very poor and needy who live to be taken care of.

President Obama feeds these people poison, giving them the idea that they are entitled to take from the wealthier who have lived and worked in a democracy that understands that capitalism is the only truth that keeps a nation healthy and fed.

Now the lie goes very deep and President Obama has been cleverly trained in the Alinsky method and it would be very important that every American knows what that method is. It is a socialistic, Marxist teaching and with it, little by little, he rapes this nation, taking down our defenses, making new language for the Islamic extremists. The world looked up to us as a symbol of hope and prosperity now wonders what will become of the entire world if America is losing its power.

The American people who understand exactly what is taking place have come together in the thousands, vowing to try to stay together as a unit of love and freedom for all men and women, from all walks of life, shivering to think that this once great nation will be a third world country.

This will be the first president to ever weaken the United States of America. President Obama uses his aggression and arrogance for his own agenda, against the will of the American people when he should be using his will and aggression against our enemies.

Every loving American for peace and truth and the security of our nation must come out and join the Tea Parties in their states. The opposition will continue their tactics; they will lie and plant their own bullies amongst us. Everyone must pay close attention to who stands next to them. We can weed out the liars and agitators. Let us all stay in Gods light. Let no man put asunder. We can and we will prevail. God bless us all!” – Jon Voight

North Vernon, Indiana Throws Tea Party, Candidate Forum

The North Vernon, Indiana City Park was the site of a Saturday Tea Party and candidate forum called ‘This is Our Congressional District’, hosted by the North Vernon Tea Party patriots.  Scheduled speakers included Tea Party speaker favorite Richard Mourdock, Indiana State Treasurer, U.S. Senate Candidate Don Bates Jr., U.S. States Senate Candidate Richard Behney, U.S. Senate Candidate John Hostettler, Mike Sodrel - 9th District Congressional Candidate, Todd Young - 9th District Congressional Candidate, Travis Hankins - 9th District Congressional Candidate, Rick Warren-9th District Congressional Candidate, Tonye Rutherford - New Albany Indiana Resident, Steve Bertram - North Vernon Indiana Resident. 

Tea Party Express Hears Indiana Candidates

About 9:00 am. Monday, roughly 2,000 Evansville area citizens greeted three Tea Party Express III tour buses that set up a makeshift stage for speakers, singers, and speech making including area candidates.  Founding principles and an anti-incumbent theme drove the crowd.  “Six Republican candidates for Indiana's 8th District congressional seat, as well as John Hostettler, the former 8th District representative now seeking the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, spoke at the event” and yours truly led the Pledge, according the Courier Press. article

Evansville Tea Party Can’t Find Ellsworth

Many more filtered throughout the crowd handing out their biz cards, fliers, or soliciting potential voters.  One could not help but notice the conspicuous absence of 8^th district Congressman Brad Ellsworth; certainly the most unpopular man of the day for his Obamacare vote and Stupak-like convenient prolife reversal some saw as a betrayal of campaign values considering his vote. This crowd would not believe him even if his website’s U.S. debt clock ran backwards. Despite having an office there, the only Ellsworth sighting was a mug shot on the side of a large milk carton with ‘Have You Seen Me?’

Tristate homepage carries the video

Tea Party Gains Strength Despite Attacks

Those of us in the ground swell of the Tea Party movement know that it virtually is impossible to have a growing group of rallying citizens without some sort of discrediting  issue.   Whether individual(s) or the movement, it is striking the lack of any self-inflicted wound in excess of its one year existence would be so clear of any proof that malcontents usually associated with any large movement  would sabotage it or fall under its own weight.  Given a defeat of a core issue of Obamacare preceded by Stimulus packages and the heightened government regulations of the auto industries,  one would think dejected Tea Partiers would head to the hills instead of Capitol Hill;  that the bitterness from watching our unfolding nightmare would have us reach for the Tylenol Extra strength as we return home to deposit protest signs in the dumpster for trash pickup; that we would return to the couch position and find therapy in an “I Love Lucy” sitcom, or embrace anything that would distract us from our recently deflated passion of calling for less government, less spending, and less taxation.   After all, look at the names we’ve been called by our representatives and media:  astroturf, gun toting citizens, religious zealots, the fringe, racists, homophobes, wing-nuts, rightwing extremists and the angry mob.  What must our neighbors, our co-workers, our church think of such a bunch of troublemakers who purportedly used spit, the ‘n’ word, troubling posters, objectionable town hall outbursts by a disrespectful fringe, clinging to its guns?   Not since the slings and arrows against Ross Perot’s independent political party have such publically venomous attacks been waged warrantlessly against a large proportion of unorganized and leaderless U.S. citizens.

Yet, the once obscure Tea Party, largely media and politically ignored in early 2009, is blossoming a year later onto the political scene with enthusiastic sentiments of conservative populism that the two major dysfunctional parties could only wish for.   But the Tea Party is not a political party nor cultists nor inconsequential.  Few disagree today that it is grassroots, everyday housewives, men with conviction, and many elderly who have seen much since WWII, all of whom, as the ‘greatest generation’, underscore the need to stop the erosion and  return to foundational principles of less government and more free enterprise.  Constitutional verbiage is coming from the bottom up; a strange sight to see given our representatives were the ones sworn to uphold it.  Even town hall attendees had more in-depth knowledge than our paid non-representing representatives.  Once considered the ‘silent majority’ of the right of center, there is no soft underbelly of a weary consensus of ‘go along to get along’  inbred with a perverted political correctness.  What we have is a reformation movement with a solution.  Follow our founding documents.

It’s strength seems to be resilient for each time a dart is thrown, it becomes stronger.  One protester had his finger cut off; others suffered unsupported racist attacks but were vindicated by dozens of cameras and audios as nonexistent, despite a $100,000.00 reward for such evidence.  But Union members physically attacked a seller of political buttons and a recent Tea Party Express bus was pelted by eggs from supporters of the Union as video shows.  Each time the Tea Party is baited with name calling, your average mom and pop neighbor gets more passionate and vindicated for their Ghandized nonviolent stance.  Their signs were not put into the trash but were stuffed in their garage, or in their trunk, or under a bed; ready to be used to fight again another day.  The current leadership of both houses and the presidency, have exacerbated wrongheaded DC. bubble solutions with both sides of the aisle entrenched with statism that leaves the only real ‘public option’;  the ballot box.  If the Tea Party can keep itself Teflon clean on the major issues and refuses to succumb to race baiters and corruptible compromises,  perhaps we’ll see principle above party win the day.                  

WILL GUAM TIP OVER? HERE’S A LAUGH

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Behney Energizes Lafayette Base

Republican Richard Behney visited Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday as part of his whirlwind state appearances with a question/answer session.  At Purdue University’s Beering Hall of Liberal Arts & Education, he spoke of his background and emphasized that America is a nation of laws which need to be followed with respect to immigration.  He received applause when mentioning the need to “reclaim our sovereignty, states’ rights, and our liberties.”  He lamented the Health Care bill first with mourning, then with anger.  “Are you a freeman or are you a slave?  Someone else will determine when you live or die.”  He asked the crowd that on the May 4^th primary, people should ask themselves “is it the people or the party”.  Behney said he was pleased to receive the nationally known ‘I caucus’ endorsement among the Indiana candidates running for U.S. Senate, receiving ‘over 75% of the group’s vote as best fundamentally qualified’ in alliance with our founding documents.  His name is listed on I caucus as follows:

We are pleased to announce the endorsement of 3 outstanding candidates:
US Senate Candidate: Richard Behney - receiving over 75% of the membership vote

Sign-in

Two Opposite Rallies Carry Temper

Kill the Bill Rally- Indianapolis, In.

A "Kill the Bill" Rally in Indianapolis began at 4:30 p.m. Monday 15^th on the south steps of the Statehouse with hundreds listening to various speakers including keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Mike Pence.   "We don't like health care reform that forces every American to buy health insurance whether they want it or need it or not."  

Diane Hubbard of Mooresville was credited publically for helping to coordinate the Tea Party which she said donations would be helpful to defray the $4,000.00 event expense.

The Indianapolis Star carries the story. Full Story