Monday, April 19, 2010

Protest @ Snowe's office tomorrow

Dear 912 members and other concerned Americans, 4/19/2010

After a year and a half of protesting, attending rallies, and talk of action, action has come to our backyard. The past two days I have posted on our site and sent out notification showing you what the Obama Administration is now focused on shoving down our throats this time. The financial reform act , which is nothing but a bail out fund and take over of the remaining 5/6ths of the economy.

I write you personally because, we have a unique opportunity here in Maine, by showing support and solidarity to Sen. Susan Collins and Snowe we can help them stand strong. We can show them that we will stand beside them, and have their back when they do the right thing, and stand up to the brutish tactics of the current administration.

This is a historic time in all our lives, and we, as Maine citizens and as taxpaying Americans have the once in a lifetime opportunity to derail the socialistic train that America has been shoved onto. We have Tea Party support that will get our message out to the rest of the country.

Maine can lead the way in saying, enough is enough! but we must act now and go show our Senators, that we will stand with them in their fight against the plans to "fundamentally transform America".

The battle for our nations future is here, and it is now, this is a call to action, and our actions Tuesday April 20th at 4:15 pm in Bangor at Senator Collins office will spread to the nation. We must keep the magic number at 41! It is only with your help and your devotion to saving our country that this can be done. Do what you must to be there, it will be a day for the history books.

Again, join me and Tea Party members alike, Tuesday April 20th 4:15 pm Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building, 202 Harlow Street, Bangor.

See you there, together we make a difference.
Bill Barker
Founder, 912 Project of Down East Maine

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Augusta & Portland Tea Party reports....

A couple of reports about the Augusta rally in WBZ and Stanford Advocate. Here are some pics from Augusta.

Here is the decent coverage of the Portland Tea Party by WCSH, Channel 8 and Channel 13.

Well done to all the tea party organisers up and down the state, including Pete Harring and Laurie Brown.

I suspect the Portland attendance was adversely affected by the Tea Party Express event with Palin on the previous day. I know that at least two buses went south to see it. Mainers have only so much free time and the timing of the TPE event was unhelpful to Maine tea parties.

Update: Here is a rough cut of my speeches in Augusta & Portland, ME. Slick the production ain't.

The Exception Magazine has some speeches from tax day tea party up on its site.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Tea Parties Share Common Goals but Speak with Many Voices

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2010
Contact: Andrew Ian Dodge (1 207 607 3299)

Last week’s announcement that 23 tea party groups from around the nation had organized into a single coalition – the National Tea Party Federation – in order to provide a unified message and media response platform was met with both encouragement and caution by other tea parties around the nation.

“We really like the idea of tea parties collaborating to bring a message of limited government, fiscal responsibility and free markets across the country,” said Ken Emanuelson of the Dallas Tea Party and the statewide group of Common Sense Texans. “Too often, control of messaging on issues that are important to all Americans has gone to the heavily funded media machines of the far left. We have always worked to discuss ideas with our groups around Texas and the nation in order to test our ideas and to share best practices. We do not believe, however, that any one group or person is – or should be viewed as being – the leader of a movement as diverse and far-flung as the tea party movement.”

“We congratulate our many friends in the Federation in their focus on the central tea party message,” agreed Greg Holloway of the Austin Tea Party Patriots and fellow member of the Common Sense Texans, “but we know that local and state tea parties, 9-12 groups and other grassroots conservatives each have their own voice, because they realize best what is most important in their communities. The tea party that meets in the town square with 50 local citizens brings a voice that is equally important to that of larger groups in the big cities.”

One of the key players in the nation’s largest tea party network concurs. “Ours is a loosely connected organization by design,” said Jenny Beth Martin, National Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. “One of our initiatives this Spring was a video project in which patriots from across the nation announced that each of them was the tea party leader. We were responding to attacks from James Carville and Bill Clinton, who were looking for tea party leaders to vilify. We say ‘good luck’ finding that one leader. All Americans who hold dear our Constitutionally-protected principles of limited government are tea party leaders.” Added Mark Meckler, fellow National Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, “The day that we are recognized as the leaders of the tea party will be the day that we have not lived up to our objectives.”

Tea partiers across the nation generally do not desire to be part of organizations that consist of pedestal positions such as leader or director. There are in excess of 1700 local groups and millions of tea party and 9-12 project members across the country that sometimes formally, and often informally, share tools, resources, training and networking. Many are already part of statewide networks and many are part of the Tea Party Patriots network, but all address their local politics and issues.
“I don’t view the Federation as saying they are the one voice going forward for all tea parties,” stated Sally Oljar of the Seattle Sons & Daughters of Liberty, “although we can certainly imagine the media running with that notion because it’s convenient for their own narrative. The message of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally-limited government, and free markets hasn’t changed in the 14 months since the beginning of our movement. We remain united and focused around those core principles. We trust one another to express those principles in our own way, in our own communities, and using our own best judgment of how to communicate effectively.”

“The strength of the tea party movement is the fact that it is leaderless, non-partisan and grassroots,” added Andrew Ian Dodge of the Maine Tea Party Patriots. “We do not need leaders, but merely people to help and advise those on the ground to maximize their efforts to overturn the socialist majority in both the House and the Senate. Americans are clearly tired of top down politics at any level.”

One of the newest tea parties, the Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots, made it clear that its voice needs to be heard. Its organizer, Gary Stein, pointed out, “In the Armed Forces we wear the same uniform, have the same haircut, and swore the same oath, but have different thoughts. We have come together as a band of brothers and sisters in uniform to stand for what is right. We share a life that unique only to us, we share a Tea Party that unique to us. We are the Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots and our voice will be heard!”

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Monday, April 5, 2010

Tax Day Tea Party 2010 (updated)

15th of April 2010

Augusta:

3-7pm in Capitol Park, Augusta

Portland

5-6:30pm in Monument Sq. Portland.

For more info on both these events please head to events page at Tea Party Patriots which lists all the events on the day around the country. It has links to the sites for the various events in Maine.

Bangor Details:

The Tea Party protest will begin at 12 noon, across from the Federal Building. No speakers are scheduled, but feel free to bring your own "soapbox" or just chat with like-minded people. Professor Frary will be there with hat and cane. It will be great to see you in Bangor!

AT 1:00, we will walk (on the sidewalks!) to the bridge on Main St. that crosses the Kenduskeag River. This should sound familiar to those who attended last year. The permit allows us to be there until 2:00.

Bring a great sign and we'll see you in Bangor!

FMI, contact:

Beth Wallinga
827-8781

Tea Partying in the County...

JOIN US! For some fun.......April 15th (of course!)
8:30 am: HOULTON: , in front of the "Welcome to Historic Market Square" sign, right next to Town and Country clothing store (the one with the big thermometer on top).
11:00 am: PRESQUE ISLE, at the four corners downtown (intersection of Main and State).
1:00 pm: CARIBOU: in front of the caribou statue across from City Hall
4:00 pm: MADAWASKA: intersection of Main Street and Bridge Ave. (at the top of the hill above Fraser Papers).

If you can bring a friend or your kids, bring them (great civics lesson!). We'll spend about an hour and a half at each place. Let's have some fun!
Contact Jim Cyr at jimcyr531@hotmail.com or 493-4827 if any questions.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Obamacare protest in Maine

Here are shots of the decent sized and well behaved protest crowd. Well done to everyone showing the Gadsden flag to the socialist hordes.

Of amusement is the fact they over-sold the venue and people were turned away. Considering they waited in the rain to get the tickets that is pretty lame. Course its nothing like the waiting list and disappoint in store for people thanks to Obamacare.

Obama is in town today... come protest Obamacare

A whole myriad of groups are turning up outside the Portland Expo, in Portland starting from about 1230 today to protest Obamacare. I know of groups from PaintMaineRed, Maine Patriots, Maine Heritage, College and Young Republicans. It should be quite the turnout.

Come join the fun.

Update: Please film and take photos of the event(s). If you do please send me the shots/links as soon as they are available.