Uni-TEA is coming to Independence Mall on July 31st – Noon till 3pm.  This is a great opportunity learn how an out of control government is taking away your jobs, money and future.

Uni-TEA has a fabulous line up of speakers that will inform and inspire you. I’m am so pleased to tell you that Andrew Breitbart will be among the speakers at this event.  There will be rocking music, of course. Tea Parties seem to attract talented musicians – I can’t wait to hear their sets.  Good conversation, good music, good people – what more could you want from a grassroot Tea Party event?

You betcha I will be covering this event for my readers. Stay tuned, my friends!

Don’t forget to clear you schedule for Saturday, July 31st – Noon till 3PM @ Independence Mall, Philadelphia

Tea parties across the US are starting to learn the realities of political life after the primaries. In this grassroots conundrum they have to suffer the sight of their tea party favorites appearing with many of the politicians that they set out to cull. Now that these candidates have gotten the nomination they become part of the party “establishment” and business as usual returns

Within the tea party movement, I’ve found that most groups are careful to state that their movement isn’t overtly democrat or republican – they see both parties as part of the problem. What I see are political opportunists that latch on to the Tea Party talking points; perhaps even organizing a tea party event in order to tap into the powerful grass root organizing power of the Tea Party. Some have even convinced prominent bloggers who identify with the tea party movement to cover their primary campaign. Once the candidate has used the Tea Party momentum to their advantage, it’s back to politics as usual; which leads to the well meaning activists getting screwed, yet again. This is the genuine weakness of this movement – part of being the new kid on the block – as some activists tend to latch on to any candidate who mouths Tea Party talking points without putting any effort into diligent research of the candidate.

I’ve found it wise to develop a keen political BS meter when it comes to candidates labeling themselves as the ‘Tea Party candidate’.  I believe as the Tea Party movement progresses, it will develop an overall political BS meter to avert candidates such as Rand Paul and Paul LePage.  We typically call this maturity. Remember, this movement has only been around for over one year. We have accomplished what was once unattainable in politics in that time, but we still are new kids and we have some growing ahead of us. I look forward to the journey as I look forward to 2010, 2012, 2014….

I found a post that seems to capture the essence of the Java people. Destroy Your Enemies..Make Them Your Friend:

Ed Morrissey tackles the Coffee Party idea of democracy in his latest post at HotAir:

Their idea of democracy is also interesting. “Democracy isn’t supposed to be about two teams fighting … it is about [a] community of people advancing common good.” Besides the fact that we’re a representative republic (with democratic processes), the notion that democracy is all about agreement certainly has the virtue of novelty. After all, if everyone agreed on how to advance the common good, you wouldn’t need democracy. This sounds very similar to Barack Obama’s continued insistence that people need to stop talking about health-care reform and just accept his proposal.

Besides, why does the Coffee Party need to “restore democracy in America”? The candidate they backed won the last election, as did the party they backed for Congress. Do the Klatschers believe that Democrats have destroyed democracy in America? Maybe they have more in common with the Tea Party than people think!

The ‘we won’ mantra is on tap at Coffee Party:

Astroturf.

More reading on the subject can be found here:

Dan Riehl: Denver Coffee Party – 2 Tsp Of Dem Politics And A Dash Of Progressivism, Please

Donald Douglas: Coffee Party War!

Robert Stacy McCain gets it: The Coffee Party – It Is All About The Hate

Arlen Specter Retirement Party

A raw spring day brought patriots from across the nation to Independence Hall for a Take Back Congress Tea Party sponsored by the Independence Hall Tea Party Association PAC.

I love covering the tea parties, there is an energy infused in the crowd that I’ve not seen at other political events. Recent posts by bloggers Melissa Clouthier and Erick Erickson question the viability of the Tea Party as it stands now. Erick speaks of moving beyond the tea party and becoming more active in local politics. Melissa echoes his sentiment and shares an impressive list of activities for grassroot activists to involve themselves.  IMHO,  Tea Party rallies are the tip of the iceberg in regards to grassroot involvement by supporters of the rallies. It is the work going on between rallies that is changing the political landscape of this nation. Perhaps Erick hasn’t chatted with a typical Tea Party participant lately, as they are doing the heavy lifting on the grass root political font. Most tea party participants that I work along side are juggling numerous projects – recruiting committee people, organizing educational events, running for office themselves, writing letters to the editors, blogging, volunteering in campaigns of conservative candidates and so on. In fairness to Erick, I understand his frustration with national Tea Party figures who seem more interested in marketing themselves than the movement – hello Dana Loesch. By and large, the movers and shakers of this movement are not  the media identified tea party leaders nor do they make regular appearances on Fox news;  they are too busy doing the crucial heavy lifting for this movement. These are the people I know and respect in this movement and I will happy to introduce them to Erik.

It was great to meet Lisa Mossie, a fantastic writer and fellow contributor at PaWatercooler.

Of course, I have photos from the event. Videos can be found on YouTube

It was a delightful surprise to see Eric Odom and Steve Foley in Philly at this rally. Good on ya, guys! I hope you enjoy your stay in the City of Brotherly Love.

Donald Douglas of American Power is busy documenting a local Tax Day Rally. As we wait for his report and photos, he takes a look back at a year in Tea Parties @ American Power.

Rochester Veteran files a stunning report of the 2010 Rochester, NY Tea Party.

The Lonely Conservative has the scoop on the Syracuse, NY Tea Party

Marathon Pundit has a great, growing list of Tax Day Tea Parties.

Anne Leary of Backyard Conservative caught this image of a plant in Chicago – Obie’s hometown:

Plant in Chicago

The Tea Party Crashers were an epic FAIL

Stacy McCain and Da Tech Guy have the Washington Tea Party covered, estimating 25K turned out to remind Obama and the Dems that November is getting closer. Meeting Lord Monckton must have been a treat for Stacy – I’m officially jealous! I am delighted to note Lord Monckton passed over the opportunity to cheer Queen Margarethe’s 70th birthday in favor of spending quality time with real Americans.

Valley Forge Patriots – Lou Flanagan estimates between 200 and 300 patriots rallied in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He notes “ Even more impressive was their spirit, their energy level. If anyone anticipated that the Tea Parties would whither after the recent setback, today gave them a cold blast of reality. We’re NOT tiring of the struggle, we’re NOT going away! More significantly, our groups are growing in size”

Philly Tax Day Tea Party – attended by two of the brightest bloggers in Philly – Ala of Blonde Sagacity and Grizzly Mama:

The City Troll - a talented blogger and husband to Grizzly Mama, keeps the Europeans who read the blogA Tangled Web educated on all matters pertaining to the United States.

April 15, 2010 – an infamous day for Americans who pay taxes.  Speaking of taxes, today is a good day to find out more of what we can expect from Obamacare.

The Heritage foundation has listed 18 taxes found in the Democrat Obamacare scheme – Deep Impact

These taxes will cost taxpayers 503 BILLION between the years 2010 and 2019. The burden of this taxation will fall on the middle class.  NOTE: This figure does not include the imposition of a sugar tax and VAT, these will be in addition to the taxes included in Obamacare.

Mike Pence laughs at the Democrats ridiculous claim of being the party that cut taxes more than any previous Congress:

It’s an interesting idea, but I’m not sure that it’s the best course of action. Now when misspelled signs are posted on Flickr and across the web, Tea Party activists can point the finger back at the rest of us, claiming it’s not their work. They can claim their opposers are nasty people who infiltrate them out of spite. They can more easily brush off the allegations of ignorance and racism in their ranks, when they need to be held accountable for it.

We want to rise above that. Don’t get me wrong, I am very much against these tea party ideals and I find their group unbelievably misguided. But we here at the Real Boston Tea Party want to stand for sanity, for rational, ethical, and respectful behavior.

I’d like to sit down over a steaming mug of tea and discuss Kathleen Toomey’s evidence backing the allegation of racism that is pointed out by therealbostonteaparty.com website. Of course, there is none, but it would be fun watching her make stuff up.

In fairness, I am happy to note they brought cookies to this rally and not eggs. Eggs in the hands of liberal/union employees is never a good thing. Whoops! Spoke to soon on this issue – it seems there was attempted assault and egg throwing at the Boston Tea Party. Kathleen Toomey..time to back up your convictions with action – care to infiltrate this group?

Unlike Kathleen Toomey, I’m proud to be a teabagger:

Beats being a ‘cookie-bagger’.

In the area:

April 15th, 3-9 PM: Coalition for Advancing Freedom – Tax Protests

Avondale
The location is the corner of State Street and Route 41 (near the post office). If you want to attend the Avondale protest RSVP to Glen Simmonds. (chestersonliberty@yahoo.com )

Cochranville
The location is at RT 41 and 10. If you want to attend the Cochranville protest RSVP to Larry Denver. (lbdenver@yahoo.com )

Jennersville
The location is just south of the intersection of Old Baltimore Pike and 796. If you want to attend the Jennersville protest RSVP to Sue Pizzini. (truckparts19311@aol.com )

Oxford
The location is near the intersection of 472 and 10 near the flag pole in town. If you want to attend the Oxford protest RSVP to Susan Hancock. (susanh1999@gmail.com )

Party at the Kennett Square VFW
After we protest, come for a fun evening at the Kennett Square VFW. Dinner will be served and we ask individuals to bring a side-dish to share. The evening will be informal with a movie presentation or possibly a speaker.

April 15th: OnLine Tax Revolt for America – 200,000 participants so far!  Get your avatar HERE

So many Tea Parties..so little time! If you can only make it to one Tea Party than I strongly urge you to attend the Tri-State Take Back Congress Tea Party, hosted by Independence Hall TeaParty Association PAC.

Saturday, April 17 2-4 PM
Independence Mall
5th and Market Streets
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Featuring:

Former Eagles Star and NJ Congressional
Candidate, Jon Runyan;

Businessman,
Joey Vento;

National Tea Party Leaders,
Michael Johns and Eric Odom of Patriot Caucus;
Redeem the Vote President, Pastor Bill Devlin;
PA Congressional Candidates Mike Fitzpatrick,
Gloria Carlineo, James Jones, Ira Hoffman,
Josh Quinter, Pat Sellers; PA Congressman
Charlie Dent; NJ Congressional Candidate,
Dale Glading, DE US Senate Candidate,
Christine O’Donnell; DE Congressional
Candidate, Glenn Urquhart.

Invited:

PA US Senate Candidates Pat Toomey, JoeVodvarka; PA Congressman, Joe Pitts;

PA Congressional Candidates, Lou Barletta,
Dave Argall;

DE Congressional Candidate,
Michele Rollins.

There is little doubt campaign momentum is strongly with Republican candidate Scott Brown in these final days before Tuesday’s special election. What was expected to be a business as usual elevation of the Democrat candidate, Martha Coakley to ‘Kennedy’s senate seat’ has taken a decidedly different direction.

It all began to unravel when Martha Coakley began to speak:

“al-queda is not in Afghanistan”

Guess she was too busy campaigning to read this report on CIA agents killed in Afghanistan by an al-queda double agent.

I didn’t see Reporter Get Pushed:

Hmmm..a liberal guy assaulting a journalist. Where have I seen this before?

Curt Shilling is a Yankee fan:

Curt Shilling responds while the rest of us pick our jaws up off the floor.

But never, and I mean never, could anyone ever make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn’t know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could

“The law says that people are allowed to have that. You can have religious freedom but you probably shouldn’t work in the emergency room.”

On ‘Nightside with Dan Rea’ a Massachusetts nurse takes issue with Coakley’s statements:

From Verum Serum via Ed Driscoll -

In 200, as an official delegate representing the State of Massachusetts at the Democratic National Convention, she (Coakley) voted for HILLARY CLINTON even after Clinton had formally released all of her delegates to vote for Obama

Martha Coakley is a Tina Fey SNL skit waiting to happen. This campaign has been managed far worse than the McCain campaign in 2008, I never thought I’d see such a train wreck again in my lifetime.  As much as the nation is galvanized around this election, it is up to the voters in Massachusetts to make the final decision on who will fill the ‘people’s seat’. A win for Scott Brown will send shock waves throughout the Democrat party and this nation, a win for Coakley will be not make any difference – just more of the same crap.

2009 witnessed the rise of grass root citizen activism with millions of ordinary citizens turning out to tea parties all over the country. Without a doubt, history is in the making. So how does the newly energized citizen activist document it? Fortunately, we are living in the midst of a tech boom, especially digital recording and communication. Today’s activist has an astounding array of digital choices for documenting and disseminating the tea party message.

Attending conventions and tea party rallies, I find there’s a great knowledge gap between tech super users and newly energized citizen activists. I spend a fair amount of time evaluating digital technology used to document tea party rallies and have put together a ‘starter kit’ for the citizen activist seeking to document history happening in their own backyard. This kit cuts through the clutter and tells you exactly what you need to purchase – without having to apply for a federal bailout loan. Let’s start with a list of items you will need; Digital Camera, Digital video recorder, Netbook, Blog, Business Cards, and Local News Media.

Digital cameras can range from a simple point and shoot to high end digital SLR’s. For individuals with little experience with camera equipment, I would suggest a Canon point and shoot camera, specifically the Canon Powershot SD780IS. For more advanced users who may not want to bring the dSLR with an assortment of lenses to a rally or want a point and shoot backup camera, I strongly recommend the Panasonic Lumix LX3. The point is to use a camera that you are most comfortable with, not the one with the most bells and whistles. It will make all the difference in your photographs of the rally.

Digital video recorders have undergone a spectacular evolution over the past few years. HD or 780p High Definition is now routinely offered in even the most basic of video cameras. What that translates into is the quality of the video has gone up and the price has fallen. If you have recently purchased a digital camera within the last year, check the specs as you may also have HD video capability as well. If not, and you are new to recording video, I strongly recommend either the Creative Labs Vado HD or Flip Mino HD. Both are similar in video output HD 780p and have built in software to upload or edit videos. Both are simple to use and compact in size, they pack a big punch in a little package. For more experienced videographers, I’d still recommend the Flip or the Vado. Once you captured the perfect video, where do you upload it. Two places you should have accounts are YouTube and BlipTV. Both are free video hosting and sharing services, however, BlipTV is less draconian with its time limits and music uploads.

A netbook is optional but there are some critical points to consider with a netbook. It is a small, compact mobile assistant that can be taken to rallies and conferences without much effort. You can shoot a tea party in Philly, then head to Reading Terminal to munch on mint brownies as you compose a blog post while uploading videos and photos. With a netbook, you have the ability to file your report practically at the scene. The netbook I use is a Dell Inspiron Mini 10, so should you.

Get a blog, already! A blog can be set up for free in 5 minutes flat. Click on WordPress.com or 73wire.com to get started. There are far more free blog hosting sites than I’ve mentioned, however, these two are the best of the group. As simple as it is to create a blog, it requires much work as well. It is not so much about the platform, but content that makes a blog shine. Keep the posts honest, fair and well researched.

Once you’ve established an address on the web, you can have business cards printed for free at Vistaprints.

Now that you’ve got the gear and a place of your own on the web; you can start reaching out to local media that may be sympathetic to the teaparty movement. It is painfully clear that national media is not interested in a positive teaparty narrative. A better use of an activist’s time would be in developing relationships with local media. Speak up, reach out and be heard – it is making a difference every day.

It is my hope this guide helps activists in documenting this historic event and sharing the story. This list is by no means complete, but it provides a solid starting point for citizen activists to gain skills and tell the story the national media refuses to do.