The Gift

 

Since the man in the red suit’s midnight marathon of gift giving, I find myself reflecting on the gifts I have received in the past.  I have received gifts that I didn’t want or need, ugly sweaters and stinky colognes that were more a penalty than a prize.  I have received some fantastic gifts, those that I always wanted and was overjoyed to open.  Some times I have gotten things I thought I wanted only to be disappointed to learn that the TV commercial was better than what was in the box under the tree.  Every so often I have gotten things I didn’t want and wasn’t impressed by only to have that gift change my mind as it changed my life.

The gift I am talking about in this post is a gift so often taken for granted that a lot of people will think of it as a burden or a curse.  But if considered objectively it is a wondrous thing that has been handed down to us.  But this gift has been maligned and vilified as what is wrong with our Republic.  Let me take a moment to write in favor of American Politics.  

Our nation is a constitutional republic, which embraces the future.  All American believe that the future will be better, and we have been proven right to believe that.  Nostalgia has a place in our hearts, but we put our hopes in the future.  We plan and dream about the future.  But the future is not easy to predict.  The future comes when it wants to and where it wants to and brings with it new challenges. 

People from previous generations couldn’t imagine that obesity would be as much a problem for this generation’s health as malnutrition was in their time.  The world views of previous generations were formed by the technology that existed in their experience.  Industrialization, modern farming, advancements in transportation, and, modern medicine has done more to upend settled worldviews than any political philosophers’ ideas ever have.  It speaks through results, and it can’t be ignored. 

Many leftist use this sort of argument to advance the idea that the Constitution is outdated.  “The Founding Fathers didn't know about airplanes and they would have outlawed hate speech if they did.”  They are wrong in this because of how they see themselves.  They start from a rigid belief that everything that has gone before them is fatally flawed.  Their self assessment is that they are here to break the chains of convention and tradition that have impeded humankind from achieving a paradise on earth.  To their way of thinking the urgency of NOW trumps all other considerations.  They are trapped by the belief that everything new is better.  In their mad rush “Forward” they are willing to abandon any thing to see it replaced with something “new.” 

The Left’s embrace of the “new” blinds them to the truth that what they call “new” really isn’t new at all.  “There is nothing new under the sun,” is an axiom that every new generation learns only when they become the older generation, and sometimes not even then.  The ideas that the Left is so in love with are really very old. 

We have seen it time and again, in all parts of the world, when people are faced with catastrophic problems they want to turn to a strong leader to solve the problems for them.  Such leaders take on more and more power over the lives of those they govern all in the name of crisis management.  Laws are amended by edict and enforced by wimp.  Eventually the leaders become dictators and crush the rights of the people they govern. 

The truly new idea is the foundation stone of our revolution:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

The government must be subservient to the people.  The way this plays out is through politics.  People become passionate about an issue and that passion fuels action.  People talk about the issue and more people get involved.  It is from such simple origins that political movements start. 

At this time, we hear voices raised in frustration and acrimony in our nation’s Capital.  On one side there is a man with a pen and a phone and every intention to use them.  On the other is a group of people that all too often has done nothing when action was needed and much of what they have done needs to be undone.  Plenty of disagreement is taking place.  But nothing seems to change and the will of the people is being held back by an entrenched few that clings to their antiquated view of what our future must be.

We can see that nothing will improve without us.  If we don’t participate if we don’t advocate, if we don’t do the hard work that is needed, then we are giving up some of our rights.  Today it is very easy to ignore what is going on in politics.  All of us have things we would rather do.  The problems we face can seem so huge that they can be solved. But across our nation, some of us are standing up.   Grass root initiatives like The Right to Refuse are showing that passionate activists can have an impact on our out of control big government.

But politics is that ugly gift we received not thinking we would ever want it.  Our founding fathers and all that came from then till now felt the same way.  We should want it and we all should use it to create a future that we will be proud to leave to our children.  The Future is calling.  Will you answer?  Will you work in politics in defense of our God given Rights?  

 Are you ready to accept this Gift?

If you were on trial for being in the Tea Party would they be able to convict you?

It is an old question, but it is one that it is worth asking.  Many men and women have publicly declared their loyalty to the Tea Party movement, but where do they stand now?  We have suffered some recent set backs and even some acrimony among ourselves.  Such things are natural in the life of any movement.  Grass roots movements such as ours have been subject to the ebb and flow of people’s passions.  History gives us examples of how this has always been true.

In December of 1777 General Washington encamped the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and he wrote letters to the state legislatures pleading for more support.  The commander in chief proceeded to detail the urgent need for additional troops and supplies.  Washington asked the state legislatures to take “early and vigorous measures” to raise more men.  He saw the outcome of the war depending on it.  General Washington wrote:

…The necessity and expediency of this procedure are too obvious to need Arguments. Should we have a respectable force to commence an early Campaign with, before the Enemy are reinforced, I trust we shall have an Opportunity of striking a favourable and an happy stroke; But if we should be obliged to defer it, It will not be easy to describe with any degree of precision, what disagreeable consequences may result from It. We may rest assured, that Britain will strain every nerve to send from Home and abroad, as early as possible, All the Troops it shall be in her power to raise or procure. Her views and schemes for subjugating these States, and bringing them under her despotic rule will be unceasing and unremitted. ...

 It is probable that the American Revolution could have ended at Valley Forge. Fortunately for us, General Washington did not give up. During this time General Washington made many important changes. He assigned a Prussian General, Baron Friedrich von Steuben to train the scrappy Continental Army, and he made Nathanael Greene Quartermaster General, relieving himself of the duty of procuring supplies. General Washington supported by a loyal officer corps and at the head of a well trained and disciplined army was now free to focus on strategies to beat the British. What could have been a disaster was turned into a triumph by hard work a dedication.

We face very serious challenges today.  Backed by “Progressive” political hacks, funded by modern day “robber baron” cronies, and shielded from the public by a lap dog media, President Obama’s scandal plagued administration shows no hesitation in pushing through his big government agenda.  He is the vanguard of those that wish to strip us of the rights which we hold dear.  They “will strain every nerve” and their “schemes for subjugating these States, and bringing them under her despotic rule will be unceasing and unremitted.”  This administration knows that if we are successful then the corrupt system on which they depend will be washed away like road dirt from a luxury car.  Those who seek to subjugate us must be defeated.  Their schemes must be revealed and they must be held accountable for the crimes they have committed and the failures of their schemes.

Stopping these people from committing these atrocities requires hard work and dedication.  There are many means through which we are working to reverse this dangerous trend.  The Worcester Tea Party is supporting many initiatives that taken together will restore liberty and prosperity in our nation, in our Commonwealth, and in our towns and cities.

 

• To support Due Process of Law we support PANDAA 
• To oppose a government take over of medicine we support the Right to Refuse
• To express our belief in a limitless frontier we support the Tea Party in Space
• To demand representation before taxation we support Tank the Automatic Gas Tax 

Through these initiatives and in many more ways we live up to the values and principles that our nation was founded on.  If you still believe in the core Tea Party principles of adherence to the Constitution, personal liberty, and fiscal responsibility; if you believe that overspending, waste, corruption and lawlessness must end, then we need you to join with us.  There is so much more work that needs doing.  There are great things that will only get done because of the hard work and dedication of people like you. 

 

In your heart ask yourself “What do I believe in?”  Remember the words of our Constitution, are you willing to stand up and do the hard work necessary to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity?  Then ask yourself “What am I doing to further those beliefs?”  Remember the words of President Reagan, "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny.  We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness.  If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here.  We did all that could be done."

Patroits Flock to Boston Common for 2013 Tea Party Rally

...We in it Shall be Remembered-

 

With all due respect and credit to William Shakespeare and King Henry the V

What’s more to be wished for?
My brothers and sisters from Worcester?
No, my fair friends and neighbors;
If we are marked to fail, we are enough
Our freedom, our earnings, our children’s future, will be lost; but if we win,
The fewer, the greater share each of honor.
God knows, I am not covetous of a State Film Subsidy,
Nor care I who doth drink upon 20 oz cups;
It burns me not if men wear droopy drawers;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet Liberty,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, have faith, my family, wish not another from New England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honor
As one more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Worcester, through this host,
That they which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his E-ZPass shall be paid,
And Crash Murray will convey him home;
We would not share in that one’s company
That fears fellowship with us.
Saturday April 13th will be the Great Tea Party Rally.
He that Rallies this day, on Boston Common for Liberty,
Will stand a proudly when this day is recalled,
And rouse him at the name of the Tea Party Rally.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the anniversary, with his neighbors,
And say “To-morrow is the Tea Party Rally.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These sunburns I got at the great Tea Party Rally.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall the names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Grover Norquist, Tom Duggan and Dr. Keith Ablow,
Jeff Katz and Paul Craney, Jessica Vaughan and Jake Danishevsky,
Nathan Fatal and Andrea Taber, and Andres “DraMatik” Gonzales,
Jim Wallace and Todd Feinburg, Aaron Goldstein and Jeff Kuhner,
Be in their flowing Big Gulp Cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the patriots teach their sons;
And the Tea Party Rally shall never go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For they today that stands for Liberty with me
Shall be my brother, my sister; be they once a liberal,
This day shall redeem their condition;
And Prince Deval in Milton
Shall think himself accursed because we were here,
And held on to our wages and our rights
We stood for Liberty upon the Boston Common Tea Party Rally.

If you wish you can compare it to the original work Here 

The Question is Mightier than the Sword

I recently attended an anti-gun forum at the Adams Middle School hosted by the nice ladies of the Holliston Democrat Town Committee. They invited State Rep David Linsky to speak about his extreme legislation to curtail our Second Amendment Rights.  They were not expecting a repeat of what happen in Westford but that is what they got, as accounted by the local media and bloggers.  By all reasonable accounts it is evident that Linsky’s present attempt to keep law abiding citizens from protecting themselves with guns is meeting substantial resistance. 

At the event many good patriots got up to ask questions of the panel.  Most of them made a mistake common among salesmen; they talked too much.  Shakespeare reminds us that "Brevity is the soul of wit" and in this process, wit is the most essential tool, to winning our argument.  Because of that I want to make all of my brothers and sisters familiar with the “Elevator Pitch.”  In this context it is the ultimate weapon.

The elevator pitch originated sometime ago and is a quick and effective way of communicating the important parts of your business purpose and promise to a less than captive audience.  It is called an elevator pitch because it is an effective communication technique to use in a very short period of time, like an elevator ride.  It was so successful in our sound-bite driven society, that today the technique is used whenever important information is delivered to a less than engaged or even a resistant audience. 

Adopting this technique will result in better questions that are difficult to dodge or obfuscate.  The three parts of the “Elevator Pitch” are: Preparation, Message, and Delivery.

A relevant and air tight Message takes hard work.  You need to consider what you need to say and how it can be twisted or dodged, and then attempt to refine the message and question to avoid such pitfalls.  Also avoid having too much to say.  “Mr. Rep are you unaware that gun violence has gone up since legal private gun ownership has gone down?” is effective.  Although, “Mr. Rep I was at the frozen Chosin Reservoir defending our Constitution with a gun, are you unaware that the static you stated about gun violence is a lie and . . .” will only serve to confuse those listening and give far too much opportunity for the opponent to answer only the part they can answer.  Pick one message and stick to it. 

Confidence is key to effective Delivery of any message.  Without confidence, one can be overwhelmed when asked to speak in a public forum.  Knowing what one is going to say and knowing it will very likely accomplish a goal is what makes us confident in our convictions; a necessary element to quality communication.  If you practice together you can have a lot of impact.  Our goal should be to be as polished as this:

Preparation is what ties this all together.  Meet with like minded people and discuss the questions.  Let your fellow patriots deliver the other parts of the argument.  Which are open to interpretation?  Which can easily be dodged?  Which others are confusing or too open-ended to be effective?  Before you arrive at an event learn about who will be there. Have they made any mistakes that we should take advantage of?  I would have liked to ask the Attorney from Stop Handgun violence about his attempt at an illegal straw man purchase in NH in 2007. 

Finally, with a well researched question is in hand, and a refined delivery of that question prepared, this will be fun.  Knowing a question is so well crafted the answer can only be proof of the conclusion you wish to convey, confidence in saying it is a foregone conclusion.  Be prepared and the result will be well worth the effort.

Celebrate Gun Appreciation Day!

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Why the picture of a hammer in a post about the Second Amendment?  According to FBI crime statistics more Americans were murdered with blunt implements than with any rifle.  But all the chatter in the media is about evil scary assault rifles. I wanted to give equal exposure to assault hammers.

Because of the natural grief everyone feels about the horrific murders committed by madmen and the malpractice of those propagandists in the media and the insatiable lust for power of some politicians, our right to self defense is again threatened.  Our forefathers saw self defense as a preexisting right of all men.  They believed in it so strongly that a band of about 70 farmers stood ready to face the might of the British Army at Lexington Green.  Today at our Statehouse patriots from across the commonwealth will gather at noon to voice their support for the freedom of self defense.  Across our nation, patriots are speaking out in opposition to heavy handed and unconstitutional laws being proposed by our president and governors in the most corrupted states of our union. 

There is a sirens’ song of, “we will protect you,” coming from those that seek to rob us of our freedoms.  They surround themselves with children and promise that they can prevent this from happening.  They lie.  No man can keep that promise.  There will always be evil in this world.  Evil cannot be stopped by the pens of a legislature or the speeches of a president.  The best that we can hope for is to be able to defend ourselves against it.  And for that we will need more than hammers.

The First Tea Party Activist Lobby Day!

Today was the first time I ever visited and went inside the State House.  I participated in the first Tea Party Activist Lobby Day.  We meet in the Great Hall of Flags, where each city or town of the Commonwealth is represented by their flags.  There was an introduction by Christen Varley of the Greater Boston Tea Party and Empower Massachusetts.  State Representatives Paul Adams, Daniel Webster, and Jim Lyons all spoke to the crowd encouraging us to keep involved and working to bring common sense to government.  Representative Steven Levy and Marlborough City Councilor Matt Elder spoke about their efforts to bring the Secure Communities Program to Marlborough and the road blocks that Governor Patrick has put in place to stop them. 

After lunch and some mingling many of us proceeded to the Gallery to watch the Constitutional Convention.  The Constitutional Convention was reconvene on July 13^th at about 1:00PM and after some confused activity was adjourned by 1:20PM.  The joint session of our legislature was supposed to discuss three important issues.  First, raising state income tax from 5.3% to 5.95%, this proposal is aimed at changing our system from a fixed to a variable rate Income tax.  Such a move would make it easier for raising taxes and would further weaken fiscal discipline.  The second would raise the percentage of signatures needed on citizen amendment petitions from 2% to 6%.  This Amendment will reduce the political voice of all the citizens of the Commonwealth.  It will make it very expensive and almost impossible for average citizens to use the Initiatives.  The third would change the existing Governor's Council in to panel appointed by the Governor.  They have been a rubber stamp for the Governors wishes.  But since new Councilors who are more independent have been elected those in the “smoke-filled-rooms” want to do away with this voice of the citizens.  Taken together these Amendments are a betrayal of democracy and are an obvious attempt to further the control of one political party.  These bad ideas are not dead only sleeping until they reconvene.  All freedom loving citizens of our Commonwealth need to call your Rep. and Senator about these three Major Amendments that will adversely affect all Massachusetts citizens.

Christen Varley did a superb job of bringing together members of the many Tea Party Groups to bring our concerns and questions to the Legislators of our Commonwealth.  After this successful first outing, more events are being planned.  Check with your local Tea Party to be informed about future events.

The Income Tax Increase is Coming!

The Income Tax Increase is Coming!
The Income Tax Increase is Coming!

Legislators in Massachusetts are planing on raising our state Income Tax to 5.95% from 5.3%. Previously the people of Massachusetts voted to return our Income Tax to it's historical rate of 5%. In November 964,210 Massachusetts voters saw through the fear campaign and voted to reduce our Sales Tax to 3%. Many of those that voted against lowering our Sales Tax believed that lowering that it would require raising our Income Taxes. We argued that voting against lowering the Sales tax would be seen as a green light for raising taxes. We are now seeing that prediction come true.

There are where hearings about this travesty held in Marlborough, read the press accounts here:
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1934472439/Eldridge-calls-for-higher-taxes-on-wealthy

Mr. John Niewiecki attended that meeting and his thought on this issue are published here:
http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-boston/everyone-give-me-more-give-me-more-says-massachusetts-legislature?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Friends, Neighbors, Voters of the Commonwealth ask yourselves if can you afford to pay 12% more for the State Government? If you are like me there is no money I can spare. My family pays enough. Call your Legislators and demand that they stop the Income Tax Increase and cut the waste in State government. You can find out their contact information here:
http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

Otherwise, The Income Tax Increase is Coming!
The Income Tax Increase is Coming!

2011 Rig Roast Rally Slideshow.

LAMBUSHED !

A letter from an insider with the Marty Lamb campaign.

Hi Folks,

On short notice and for an early Sunday morning, we pulled out about 10 Lamb volunteers to do an 8am standout and ambush McGovern at the Democrat Unity Breakfast at Coral Seafood this morning. We call it LAMBUSHED ! We were very cheerful and happy and said Good Morning to people as they walked by. The Democrats looked miserable. As they drove down Shrewsbury street and turned into the parking lot, their chins dropped. A few of them swore at us as they walked by. Democrat state auditor candidate Bump made remarks that insulted Marty. I won't repeat it. Campaign manager, Shane Hayes has her remarks on video, and the audio came out really clearly. He'll also get this over to Mary Connaughton. The Dems tried to block us out by parking cars in front of Coral Seafood one after another. We just moved down some to the driveway and there's nothing they could do about that. They still had to turn in to park and see us right there, and they still had to walk by us to get to the door. We formed a good line. Then, some of them found a need to respond and standout here and there on the other side of the driveway and on the island across the street. We had the space on the restaurant side from the parking lot covered well. I also put our volunteers on the island across the street.

The Democrat politicians that came were Margot Kidder, Mahoney who is running against our guy, Paul Franco, and also Foley who is running against our guy Lew Evangelidas, and Tim Murray who is running against our guy Richard Tisei. Democrat State Auditor Bump came as mentioned and couldn't wait to throw the insult.

Then, Jim McGovern came and said hello to people holding his signs and then came over to us on his way in and said hello and shook hands. He said, "Hi ******, congratulations on the primary win. Where's Marty?" Naturally, I'm not going to tell him. I just said Marty is very busy.

Jim Mc Govern is concerned about Mr Lambs campaign. He has a war chest that dwarfs Mr. Lamb's but he is still running scared.

In the Cold Light of Day

Scott Brown has been elected and now has more fame than any other rookie senator in Washington. We all wish him well. Going to Washington with him are all our hopes for “Good Government” and for a chance to improve our union. In a short time we will learn if this one man will live up to our best hopes or if he will disappoint us in the job we hired him for.

All over the Airwaves and in Newspapers and on the Internet there are Pundits and Journalists and others that explain to any whom would listen, the events of the election. My personal favorite was Mr. Howard Dean explaining how this election was a vote for socialized medicine. So many voices, all talking at the same time, about one event, is the surest way to learn nothing. I will let the historians work this over to distill the truth of what this means to America.

From my perspective this is a victory for those people that have formed into Tea Parties. Mr. Brown was supported by many people who have been energized by Tea Party movement. He in turn, supported the goals of the Tea Party. I am not claiming that he only won because of the Tea Party. It is that these people, whom have only recently become involved with politics, have exercised a new set of muscles that they weren’t aware that they had. I have previously observed that the Commonwealth has mostly an Independent (un-enrolled) electorate. We have suffered with lackluster representation in Washington and Boston for as long as I can remember (a very, very long time). Those of us that believe we can do better, that we deserve better, are taking heart that we played a part in this historic election. But I can see that this victory has only further energized us and already there is talk of what we will do next.

There are mid term elections and initiative petitions and town meeting and more work than hands. If you are interested join the Worcester Tea Party. There ain’t no party, like the Worcester Tea Party, ‘cause the Worcester Tea Party won’t stop!

Come to the Tea Party Party!

The Worcester Tea Party will be holding their 2010 kickoff party on Thursday, January 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. American Legion Hall, 180 Greenwood Street, Worcester.

The local band The Big GunZ will provide entertainment. The event will include food (pot luck appetizers and sweets), live music, and special guest speakers. Local Tea Party leaders will talk about events that are being planned for 2010, including the Tax Day Tea Party Rally, the 912 March on DC, new local tea party organizations, and involvement in Congressional elections. There will also be a training session to teach people how to better argue the case for fiscal responsibility and smaller government.

Guests are asked to bring a snack food, appetizer or sweet. A $5.00 donation is requested. Please R.S.V.P. to Joy Anderson at joy@worcesterteaparty.com or at 508-864-5484.

The Worcester Tea Party is a response to the usurpation and subversion of personal freedoms and free market capitalism by the federal government. Tea Party participants support:

• The return to our founding Constitutional principles of personal responsibility, integrity, honesty, liberty and economic freedom

• The re-assertion of our sovereignty as free men and women

• The re-establishment of local control through the strengthening of the rights of individual states

• The holding accountable of our government through citizen activism and to accomplish these objectives through educating, recruiting, organizing and mobilizing the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Let The Sun Shine

Attorney General Martha Coakley and Governor Deval Patrick agree to Develop Large Scale Utility-Backed Solar Power Projects. In a statement released Thursday July 16^th both the Governor and the Attorney General praise the increased use of solar photovoltaic power plants. They propose a convoluted system of Boards and Committees to oversee the planning and construction of these new large scale facilities all of which will be underwritten by Federal money from the ARRA. They present this as a coming together of the Attorney General in her role as ratepayer advocate, and the Governor, in his role as advocate for the state as a whole. Together they will fashion a new model which will bring cheap power and new jobs to the Commonwealth. I don’t believe it.

Both of these ambitious politicians are looking to their personal futures. Deval Patrick, who wishes to leave our state for greener Federal Pastures, is using this opportunity to show those in Foggy Bottom that he can turn the sow’s ear of ARRA money into the silk purse of jobs. Martha Coakley, who wishes to become the next Governor of the Commonwealth, is happy to help Deval move up and out while at the same time trying to polish her tarnished image as the statutory advocate for the ratepayers (just ask anyone in Fitchburg about the job she is doing).

Solar photovoltaic power plants can be a good idea, and I am in favor of lowering our dependence on foreign gas and oil. What I question is the ability of state officials to undertake large and expensive infrastructure projects and complete them on time and on budget. Maybe I am wrong, but this sounds very much like what Bill Weld said at the start of the Big Dig, and we all know how that story ended.