We are pleased to announce that ATPAC will be hosting a forum with Frank Anderson, co-founder of Independence Caucus. ATPAC will be using the IC system for vetting and recommending candidates for US Senate, US House of Representatives, and State General Assembly. Please join us for a unique opportunity to learn about the Independence Caucus process of candidate endorsement.
Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010
Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: AB Tech, Ferguson Auditorium
Cost: $20 for ATP members; $25 non members – box lunch included
Register by Saturday, July 24, 2010
Frank Anderson is the co-founder of Independence Caucus, a nationwide organization committed to removing compromised incumbents from office and replacing them with good men and women who commit to Fiscal Responsibility through Adherence to Constitutional Authority.
In 2008, Frank was a volunteer researcher and writer for the grassroots campaign of Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and he helped Chaffatz defeat a six-term compromised incumbent despite being outspent by more than 6 to 1.
In 2010, Mr. Anderson and the Independence Caucus helped organize the successful grassroots effort to defeat 18 year incumbent Senator Bob Bennett…the chief Republican architect of the TARP bailouts.
Frank has distilled his successful campaign experience and research into 2 presentations: “What’s wrong with Washington and how to fix it” and “How to LOSE grassroots campaigns…and how to win them, too!”
Fortunately for North Carolina, Frank will be delivering both presentations to us!
IC is focused on finding principled candidates, vetting, endorsing, and campaigning to get them elected; and holding them accountable to their principles and commitments. They are not a third party.
“A nation under a well regulated government, should permit none to remain uninstructed. It is a monarchical and aristocratical government only that requires ignorance for its support.”
–Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, part 2, 1792
Join the Asheville Tea Party in Reading The Constitution on Sat, September 18, 2010
Will You Read it?
In cooperation with Let Freedom Ring and Constituting America, Asheville Tea Party is organizing a nationwide series of local events celebrating the United States Constitution on September 18th, 2010. All across America, ordinary citizens will be engaged in hosting local gatherings at public places and backyard barbecues where they will read aloud the entire text of the United States Constitution. It is a profoundly moving exercise that will take no more than thirty minutes.
Will You Join Us?
Whether you wish to join one of the existing events or host your own, the following web sites will offer you the information you need to participate:
Just some thoughts to pick up where Tim [Peck] left off [at our meeting.]
We agreed upon a loose coalition desiring to effect more change yet we wish to avoid bureaucratic complication or hierarchical order. To “flatten” the structure as Tim suggested is quite valid. When a few persons from each group looks at all the issues out there it can feel quite overwhelming. Therefore, it is in our best interest to “divide and conquer”. Instead of each group dealing with the multitude of issues out there, may I suggest the following format;
Let’s sort Issues & Legislation into three (3) categories;
1. Federal
2. State
3. County
with a complimenting sort function to include the following divisions:
Property Rights & Annexation
Financial: Taxes & Budgetary
Environmental
Immigration
Right to Bear Arms
Health Care & Other Social Programs
Education
Other
As each issue is posted, there could be a comment section where groups can post their commitment to addressing the issue. The comment section would be designated for that sole purpose (no blogging, no pontification). Groups which signed on to specific issues would then contact each other to coordinate efforts.
This would also let us see when the flag has fallen on the battlefield of another issue. If no commitment posts have been offered, patriots can run in to lift that flag back in the air. This shared responsibility should maximize effectiveness.
I suggest that each group also adopt this within their own structures. We already know folks within our ranks who are best suited to the individual issues and we should court their ability to do so.
If you believe structuring information and creating this platform for action sounds reasonable, perhaps these steps could be taken prior to our next meeting in June? I’m thinking since this can be considered a stand-alone web site development issue, and that no one has argued against NCFreedom being the central clearing house, perhaps this e-mail could be forwarded to all that were in yesterday’s attendance for approval and consider the action adopted?
The Founding Mothers and Fathers of the Tea Party Movement to be Honored in Live Webcast by Viguerie Marketing Institute on 1 Year Anniversary Tomorrow
MANASSAS, Va., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Viguerie Marketing Institute will honor the 95 founding mothers and fathers of the Tea Party Movement tomorrow on the 1 year anniversary of the first 52 tea party protests held across the country on February 27, 2009. The names of these 95 founding mothers and fathers will be announced at the end of a free live Webcast that will be held tomorrow, Saturday, February 27, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern. The Webcast will include highlights of the recent training conference of Leadership Tea Party, held in Dallas, Texas on January 29-31, which consisted of 10 sessions, and included the keynote address by Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com.
Among the points Viguerie made were:
The Tea Party movement should avoid the temptation of forming a third party. It would be a disaster for the cause of freedom and limited government.
Tea Party leaders should work to be a third force in politics in order to push Republican and Democratic politicians to the right.
For now, all Tea Party activities should be focused on the 2010 primaries challenging every establishment Republican and Democrat.
Other topics in the Webcast conference include community organizing, dealing with the media, defeating powerful political machines, and protecting members and groups from legal pitfalls.
Nationally renowned presenters include American Liberty Alliance founder Eric Odom; Zen Conservatism author and co-founder of the St. Louis Tea Party Bill Hennessy; attorney Mark Fitzgibbons; Dallas Tea Party leader Lorie Medina; and St. Louis-based radio talk show host Dana Loesch.
The Webcast will be hosted live by Nationwide Tea Party Coalition co-founder Michael Patrick Leahy, author of Rules for Conservative Radicals. Leahy will be joined by other presenters to respond on camera during the Webcast to viewers’ emailed questions. In addition, the Webcast will provide a live report from the Dallas Tea Party in Dallas, Texas, to discover if MSNBC broadcaster Keith Olbermann shows up to accept the Dallas Tea Party’s recent YouTube invitation to attend their tea party celebration of the one year anniversary of the Tea Party Movement.
The live webcast is free. A complete schedule of the February 27 Webcast and registration information is online at www.vmionline.com. Additional registration for on-demand viewing of all ten training sessions is available for $19.95.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called “one of the creators of the modern conservative movement” (The Nation magazine) and one of the “conservatives of the century” (The Washington Times). He is the author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.
Asheville Tea Party, an organization which was born on a cold and rainy February 27th 2009 in Asheville’s Pritchard Park, is among the listed 95 “founding mothers and fathers.”
All of the candidates for U.S. House NC District 11 participating in the Tea Party selection process have returned their questionnaires for our review. Below are links to each candidate’s response to our questionnaire.
On the evening if the first day, we gathered in the main hall for mingling and hors d’oevres. There, we ran into good people from Cherokee County, Cleveland County, Henderson County, and Polk County. Meet Debbie Arceneaux of Polk County 9.12 Project:
The featured speaker that evening was former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo. While many of his remarks, especially those about the education system in America, were on target, Congressman Tancredo’s speech was met with mixed reviews and was, of course, portrayed by the media as jingoistic and racist.
The speech would likely have been objectionable to Progressives, Socialists, supporters of amnesty for illegal immigrants, and opponents of the preservation of American culture, but it was not racist. If I could find the entire speech anywhere online, I would post it here. Apparently, it doesn’t serve the media’s purpose to publish the entire speech in context. Here is part of the speech.
Feb.5
On the second day, after breakfast and a short speech by Memphis Tea Party organizer Mark Skoda, we broke out into sessions. We attended the Leadership Institute‘s training session on using new media. This class was led by one of the media directors of the wildly successful Scott Brown campaign. In it, we learned more about the effective use of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter Google AdWords, Google Docs, Google Forms, Google News Alerts, online petitions and polls, Ning, Drop.io, and text messaging services such as Tatango. This class was a great value and many of the ideas put forward are things that Asheville Tea PAC will be able to use effectively in the upcoming Congressional campaign.
We then went to lunch where we heard speeches by Judge Roy Moore, candidate for Alabama Governor, and Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch. Tom Fitton’s speech was extremely informative. Asheville Tea Party members should definitely avail themselves of the information provided by Judicial Watch at their website.
After lunch, David DeGerolamo and I conducted a breakout session on “How To Unite State Tea Party Groups.” The session was well attended and received. After we finished our presentation (without PowerPoints because the IT guy never showed up) we took questions. When the hour allotted for our session was up, the participants agreed that they wanted more of this topic and material. We inquired of Judson Phillips, the convention organizer, if it would be possible to hold another session during the free period the next day and he provided us a room and a three hour time period.
At dinner, we heard from Congressional Candidate and media personality Angela McGlowan and WND founder Joseph Farah. McGlowan’s speech was inspiring. Farah’s speech was almost entirely devoted to challenging the authenticity of the President’s birth certificate. This was a disappointment to me and, I believe, a negative contribution to the Tea Party Convention.
Fortunately, what followed eclipsed Farah’s speech completely. We had the privilege of screening an as-yet-unreleased movie, Generation Zero. This movie which will be released in select theaters in the coming weeks, is a jaw dropping assessment of our current economic straits, presented in a way that holds you visually captive. I had the opportunity to speak to Stephen K. Bannon, the man behind the movie, at the close of the convention and found him to be sincere and passionate about his work. He wants this movie to not only be a tool for education and motivation, but a source of pride for the Tea Party movement which he feels is heir to the Ronald Reagan legacy. As soon as the film is available on DVD, Asheville Tea Party will host a public viewing.
Feb.6
On the morning of the third day, we heard from Amy Kremer, early leader in the Tea Party movement and one of the organizers of Tea Party Express. We also were treated to a speech from Andrew Breitbart, founder of BigHollywood.com, BigJournalism.com, BigGovernment.com, and Breitbart.tv. Andrew’s speech was amazing and, as he brought the crowd to its feet over and over again, his words brought the mainstream media to its knees. We are so pleased and proud that Andrew Breitbart counts himself among us. I had a chance to speak to him and, hopefully, have persuaded him that Asheville should be one of his next stops in his busy travel schedule.
After Breitbart’s total evisceration of the the mainstream media, we had a Panel Discussion. Our own David DeGerolamo, founder of NCFreedom, was a member of the three person panel answering questions from the general audience. The other two panelists were Amy Kremer of Tea Party Express and Mark Skoda of Memphis Tea Party. Videos of the panel discussion are available here and here.
After the panel discussion and lunch, we returned to the meeting rooms for our second session of “How To Unite State Tea Party Groups.” We presented the material with PowerPoint slides this time and took a few questions. Then, we broke up into four geographical regions to discuss amongst ourselves what works, what doesn’t, and what’s next. After a half hour, we reconvened and Judson Phillips joined us. At this session, we discussed how to use Tea Party Nation’s website as a hub of communication for the nation’s Tea Parties and where to begin with networking. In the coming weeks, we will be developing this network further with Tea Party Nation and devising a Toolkit for Tea Party organizers to use in their efforts to organize their states for improved communication. Also at this session, we had a chance to utilize a new media tool we learned about in the Leadership Institute session.
The day was capped off by dinner, a performance by singer/songwritier/patriot Jon David, and a rousing speech by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Governor Palin’s much anticipated speech carried no hint of an attempt to coopt the Tea Party movement for personal or political gain. Much to the contrary, Governor Palin extolled the benefit of the Tea Party not having a national leader or spokesperson in that we are a force for change in both parties and across ideological boundaries. You can see her entire speech here.
Much to my great pleasure, the convention ended without a single mention of the formation of a Tea Party political party. It was entirely devoted to opening up lines of communication among patriot groups, encouraging the movement, and moving forward using strategies that work. There was no heavy handed partisanship on display and no divisiveness or conflict among members. If my schedule permits, I will gladly accept the invitation I received from Judson Phillips to present another session on “Uniting a State” with David DeGerolamo at the next Tea Party Convention in July.
Opinion articles from NC Freedom members. The views expressed in Editorial articles published on NC Freedom are those of the authors alone. They may or may not represent the views or opinions of NC Freedom or those who volunteer to maintain the site.
As America observes the unfolding carnage in Haiti, we have been brutally reminded of our blessings. As we shift our recliners to more comfortable positions, we might pause a moment to ponder a deeper truth – those blessings do not convey immunity.
No Free Rides
As a conservative appreciative of our country’s traditional values, it is a personal belief that prosperity and safety are not without cost. The Bible, reinforced by nature and the test of experience, assures us that nothing is free and the pretense of such is anything but loving.
God may have made men equal, but such is certainly not the case with cultures. Whatever romantic attributes previously granted to Haitian culture were grievously assaulted by recent events. The broken rock fault under Haiti has revealed a long standing cultural fault on top of Haiti.
In spite of the lessons of history and this current event so close to our shores, most Americans believe we retain an inevitable destiny of power and security. To do anything else would require we step around the soft allure of comfort and face the much more demanding mistress of accountability.
Confronting the Anointed
In my home town a couple of dozen Tea Party members recently stepped away from their comfort zones to confront elected officials returning from a junket. The state legislator and county commission chair flew in from Hawaii, an island paradise coincidently located at about the same latitude as the paradise lost – Haiti.
The benefits of a tax payer funded vacation evidently included a respective four thousand dollar dose of Maui’s version of ‘chutzpa’ – Hebrew for ‘audacious entitlement’. It seems that both officials were stricken with the crucial importance of their roles on the Airport Authority and the daunting skill sets necessary to that function. Hawaii was clearly the only place to properly acquire those proficiencies.
Those with a resistance to chicken manure marketed as chicken salad have tilted their heads at the assertion that board membership necessitates exotic trips to tropical vistas. Those acquainted with books, the Internet, and other affordable and accessible learning tools were equally skeptical of the attitude of personal entitlement cheerfully defended as an act of accountability. It is apparent that awareness of a real national unemployment rate approaching 20% and enough debt to mortgage the future of our children’s children is not one of the skill sets of an information deprived airport authority.
Insult was added to injury when it was learned that Mr. Commissioner wanted to be reimbursed for using his frequent flyer miles for the trip. Audacity was added to absurdity when it was discovered that Mrs. Legislator graciously shared her room when her family showed up in Hawaii to enhance her learning experience.
Opinion articles from NC Freedom members. The views expressed in Editorial articles published on NC Freedom are those of the authors alone. They may or may not represent the views or opinions of NC Freedom or those who volunteer to maintain the site.
By now, you have likely heard the scuttlebutt going around about the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, TN. Specifically, the for-profit model of organizer Judson Phillips has raised red-flags. Making matters worse for the organizers, Phillips has a history of financial problems.
Phillips has announced that the $549-a-head convention featuring Sarah Palin is sold out. But Tea Party critics and allies alike have been asking questions about what Phillips plans to do with the money. Concrete answers have been in short supply, and in the end it looked like too big a risk for any public office holder.
The Minnesota Republican, who has become something of a heroine of the Tea Party movement, decided Thursday morning that she is canceling her appearance at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel next Friday, where she was scheduled to be a breakfast speaker.
Bachmann’s office cited the same concerns that other Tea Party activists have voiced about the first-of-its-kind national gathering: “We’re out,” said Bachmann spokesman Dave Dziok. “It comes down to conflicting advice as to how these profits are going to be used after the fact. We’d rather err on the side of caution than do it and find out it’s improper… with somebody saying ‘they’re using the money from an event you were at to support this and this,’ which comes as a direct conflict with what you’re doing as a member of Congress.”
As someone who paid out of my family’s personal budget to attend this event, I have to say that I am deeply disappointed in Rep. Bachmann’s decision.
Notice what is glossed over in the news article: this event is sold out. No one attending was forced or coerced to purchase a ticket. Obviously, attendess bought tickets because they felt the value would, at the very least, equal the cost. The waiting list has over 300 people on it. A great many people want what is being offered at $549 a head. Phillips and Tea Party Nation are offering a conference at which Tea Party leaders from across the country can network and communicate. We will be able to attend break out session classes. We will hear former Governor Sarah Palin speak. Until yesterday, we were also going to hear Rep. Michele Bachmann speak, something which was to be the highlight of my trip.
Does it matter what Phillips and Tea Party Nation will do with the money? Should we care that they will make a profit? Ought we be outraged that they might make a very large profit? No, no, and no.
Are we liberty loving capitalists or aren’t we? Tea Party Nation is a for-profit corporation. They have organized what, for all appearances, will be a well attended, well executed conference. Does it strike anyone else as a little odd that Rep Michele Bachmann, a woman known for her embrace of the free market and individual liberty, would back out of this event due to concerns that the ticket price is too high?
Unlike Palin, who is reportedly getting a $100,000 speaking fee, Dziok said Bachmann was not getting any money for her speech.
This event has been much maligned, not unlike every other step of this movement. Bachmann has dealt us a blow, but as usual, we will soldier on. Ultimately, I believe the damage will be to her credibility, not ours.
Opinion articles from NC Freedom members. The views expressed in Editorial articles published on NC Freedom are those of the authors alone. They may or may not represent the views or opinions of NC Freedom or those who volunteer to maintain the site.
This year, Asheville Tea Party’s big trip to Washington DC will be September 10-12, 2010.
While we had originally planned to travel to Washington for the August 28 rally being promoted by Glenn Beck, the scope and focus of that rally has changed and information about it has been very hard to come by. The best information that we can find is here, which seems to be saying that the rally which we believed would be “9.12.2009 Part II” has become a non-political rally in support of the wounded soldiers. While this is a noble and worthy endeavor, it is not what we were led to believe was going to happen on 8.28, it is not an event that will bring hundreds of thousands of Americans from all points of the map to Washington, and it is not the best use of our time and energy when we have to narrow our travel focus to one DC trip in a year. In an informal survey of two dozen NC patriot groups, nearly all agreed that 9.11.2010 is the date for DC travel.
If you were unable to attend the 9.12 March on Washington last year, commit to attending this march.
If you did attend the 9.12 March on Washington last year, commit to attending this march with a couple of friends or family members that didn’t go last year. Read more »
Events | janeq | 
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Phillips has announced that the $549-a-head convention featuring Sarah Palin is sold out. But Tea Party critics and allies alike have been asking questions about what Phillips plans to do with the money. Concrete answers have been in short supply, and in the end it looked like too big a risk for any public office holder.
