>noise and go home, then I prefer you save yourself a step and stay home
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Why?

I, for one, will go back to trying to build the Libertarian Party of Marion County into a major contender in local politics.

If you’re not in the fight for the long haul, why are you here?!

Abdul…You have great ideas of how rallies and opposition should do things. I motion that you become the de facto leader of the tea party-like resistance groups in the greater Indy area. Anyone second that?

Ed, your idea is sound. However, consider this:

There is strong talent in both dominant political parties in this county. Very strong. Often, though, it’s muzzled by the power structure. Consider:

The GOP is led by a young attorney who had very little prior experience. Bart has hypnotized the GOP power elite into a sad “go-along-to-get-along” opposition. A populist comes along at the last minute, barely wins slating, gets almost no party help, and knocks off the giant. He got there without a sliver of help from the organized party, so he owes them nothing. A perfect opportunity to ignore the top layer of party bosses, and go to the neighbrhoods. He would’ve gotten some strong second-tier GOPers-in-waiting, and I’m not talking Plowman or Olgen. Opportunity missed.

On the other side, a defeated party (D) has many strong second-tier leaders, whether you agree with them or not. And where do they go? A semi-retired lobbyist who has never liked to share. And a decades-in-power assortment of hangers-on, who want mostly to feather their nests. Another opportunity missed.

I don’t have an answer, but I have given up.

it’s pretty obvious this is just a republican orchestrated front

A desperate Dan Burton is trying to make it into his re-election campaign rally.

LMAO Wilson.

I’m gonna miss having Burton around to kick. Virginia watermelon farmers may recruit him–he was a good customer.

aftertheteaparty.com

Laura Behney (Indy organizer) banned me for speaking out on a private message board that in order to fix our federal government, we need to first have our state and local government in order. (EXAMPLE: What Texas did yesterday)
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They were also peeved that I talked about the sheep who will attend the tea parties (driven there by MSM) who don’t even know their city councilor, state rep or senator.
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I did not plan to discuss my opinion on the HFFT blog until after the tea party.
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The organizers (self proclaimed christians and defenders of freedom) encouraged me to move my timing up a few days when they banned me and showered me in the love of Christ by doing so.

They have harvested who knows how many email addresses of newbie “activists” who are being herded to them by the MSM. I have seen no plan, no discussion, no interest whatsoever in helping people grow as citizen activists by the organizers. I hope I am wrong.

I heard a syndicated radio host this morning who was making fun of people who claim that the Tea Party’s are being driven by GOP operatives as an effort to hijack justifiable anger and transfer it into an effort that has no plans to do anything else besides vent some frustration.
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One of the things that the guy actually said was that if anyone is getting their information from blogs, they’re missing the boat because blogs aren’t professional news outlets with editors and ethical journalistic standards. He even went on to say “if you want the real story you need to listen to people like me or your newspapers, who have reputations at stake if we don’t get it right”.
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It was so bad that I had to turn him off. The guy is either a shill or he has virtually no clue about why people are disgusted with the liars on television, in printed media, or on syndicated radio – especially the anti-Constitutional ones who claim to be conservatives like the one I heard this morning.
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If the Tea Party’s don’t lead into something more fruitful that results in real value, it’s becasue the leadership has no intention of being anything more than a conduit to control citizen outrage and allow status quo to continue without the citizens physically removing the Gambino’s and Genovose’s from the halls of our government.

Think Again…what you said about Ballard is perfectly true as I see things. TOGETHER, we need to teach the “power elite” a lesson once and for all in the next election! It will be the most fun! Public humiliation of liars and hypocrites on steroids!

Melyssa,

I’ve been banned from message boards in the past. Just chalk it up as a learning curve when it comes to understanding whether organizations are pursuing legitimate issues or if theyr’e pusuing an agenda. It’s typically the agenda-driven boards that refuse to allow open dialogue.

Guess it’s ok to make watermelon jokes about white people?

Shorebreak, being banned is something not new to me. What gets me is that they proclaim so loudly to defend freedom and do the very opposite!

Yes John, it sure is!

Our merry neighborhood band is joining Freaks for Freedom & Kooks for Liberty at today’s tea party; in direct opposition to Constitutionally confused, agenda burdened, prejudicially profiling, fed-necks.

John Howard and Dave’s posts remind me of something I heard on the radio this morning. The radio host had just lamented that people were turning to blogs for information rather than getting “real news” from traditional media. He said “trust them like you would trust someone making claims over a CB radio.”
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In his next sentence he went on to claim that it’s becoming clear to many that the State Sovereignty movement is being driven by racists and bigots whose ultimate goal is separation from federal laws that protect individual rights – so that segregation and other bigotted laws can be introduced.
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You know that you’re achieving success when the lying mainstream media has no recourse other than broad, sweeping lies to try to discourage voters from working towards preserving a strong Republic.

I agree, Abdul. We need to do more than just make a little noise. We need to tenaciously pursue good government and drive the pay-to-play politicians from the courthouse and the statehouse.

Here’s proof that a little tenacity goes a long way:

http://diana-vice.blogspot.com/2009/04/two-birds-one-stone.html

I hope they keep it up as Retards-on-parade makes great entertainment. I just saw some of these whackaloons on CNN and wow, they just don’t seem all that bright. I’d think that after the protests they’ll go back to their care-givers to have the spittle wiped from their mouths and have their Depends changed. Gotta love `em.

Re: shorebreaks post @ 12. “professional news outlets with editors and ethical journalistic standards” If there is anyone out there who believes that this exists I have a cruise package in the Indian Ocean I’d like to sell you.

Unfortunately, you just have to bend over and someone will insert the tea.

Melyssa,

You should have known something was up when Richard and Laura Behney started asking folks to give them $25:
http://www.meetup.com/The-Indy-Defenders-of-Liberty/messages/boards/thread/6576356#26406870

It strikes me as odd that he went through the trouble of paying Bob Basso’s way out here and thought about how he was going to cover the costs afterward. It also strikes me as pretty stupid, since a Thomas Paine cosplayer isn’t going to do a damn thing about the CIB or the big picture problems we’re facing here.

I’m often on the other side of an issue from you Melyssa, but I’ll give you this: I’ve never heard of you asking for a dime for any of the numerous projects you’ve led.

“Guess it’s ok to make watermelon jokes about white people?”

When they’re shooting them to prove crackpot conspiracy theories it’s always ok.

The Tea Party on the statehouse south lawn was similar to the statehouse gathering three weeks ago, in being larger pep rally of sorts. But, as several speakers reiterated, they’ll start getting more enthused if they see the same thousands(?) of people, “…in the third quarter or during the two minute drill.”
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They obviously lost some folk in the planning stages with focus on the national level and perhaps with a decided lean to Christianity. However, I thought sticking with a couple of Federal issues (Taxes/spending & Constitution) lent greater focus, while the Christian orientation a bit too exclusionary. More partriotic singing than I’m accustomed too, but if they pared down to a couple of songs, an opening prayer, and rounded-up a fuller net of the American spectrum than Pakistani and Irish immigrants, then the gaterings will better bear a Shellaesque scrutiny. As is, I can imagine banjo-pickin’, beer-swillin’, tobacco-spittin’ stereotypes that will be summoned- while the real quality of the issues and speakers will be ignored.
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I believe the national level to be deepest in the hole and needs the oodles of focus, ground work, and money that the resident pundits have mentioned earlier. Thanks to those who came out. If you’ve not given up, it’s the start of a tough climb.

Abdul is right in asking “what’s next”. I don’t think the answer is clear, because we really are a grassroots group without political experience (contrary to the blogs that suggest we are sheep for the Repubs).

What’s the problem with the Behneys asking for financial help??? It takes money to make events happen; they did a ton of work and put in their own money for what they thought was important. Nobody was obligated to donate.

I’m not a Christian (I’m agnostic) and I didn’t feel at all excluded. The clear theme was big government spending and taxation.

Josh, I have asked for money before. For the state house revolt, I put up a list of needs and suggested if people were called to help financially, there were specific things we needed.
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When the Indiana Voters League started, about 12 volunteers all ponied up about $100 or so.
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I don’t think there is a problem with asking for money if it benefits a lot of people. You can’t produce events for free so I never saw a problem with the fact that the Behney’s asked for donations. I suspect they personally covered most of the costs and that’s commendable.
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However, I don’t feel as though they treated me as Christians should treat their fellow humans on this planet. Laura Behney banned me and had very harsh words for regarding an opinion I stated on another private email list.
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By her actions, she showed she is not tolerant of others, their speech, or their opinions. That’s not who I want defending my liberty.

Melyssa, I’m with you on the intolerance. Some of these people want liberty, as long as they get to define it: “It’s freedom for me and those who think like me, but not to anyone who disagrees.”

On the flip side, I am more than willing to extend liberty to them, down to defending their churches if government forces crash down on them, as government did to Indianapolis Baptist Temple. I do not have to subscribe to their take on spirituality to defend it as if it’s my own because that’s what liberty is really about.

I am attending these things to create tolerance for the libertarian side of the spectrum and to earn the trust we need if we really want to go forward toward liberty. Without willingness to establish common ground, the movement is over.

Some of these people who attended have come to me and said that the direction at the Indy event wasn’t what they were seeking. If they wanted to join the Christians-Only wing of the Republican Party – and these folks get to define who the Christians are – these genuine liberty-seekers didn’t need to take off half a day from work to head to Indy. They could do that at home.

We need to be polite, yet firm, offering a genuine alternative because that’s why a lot of people were there.