San Diego Tea Party Pictures

We went, we saw, we conquered.  Or at least I’d like to thing we made some sort of impression on the people who claim to represent us.  Over at TCOT Report, they are being swamped with images and reports from around the country and estimates currently stand at somewhere around 25,000 poor fiscal policy protestors.  What an impressive number for a widespread and spontaneous grassroots uprising.

In San Diego, I was impressed by the size of the crowd in attendance.  SD Police estimated the number to be near 600.  I was also impressed by the diversity of the crowd.  Families, moms with strollers, kids running around, elderly, businessmen, concerned citizens all.  Respectful yet relentless.  These are the people who recognize and live financial responsibility and are chilled by the deficit-increasing scheming being pushed through government these days.

Here’s to good fiscal policy, or as Michelle Malkin says, “Fiscal responsibility is the new counterculture….A grass-roots revolt against the culture of entitlement. The spendzillas in Washington do not speak for us.”

Here are a few pictures I took while I was “revolting.”  There are many more pictures and accounts to be viewed and read at Michelle Malkin and TCOT Report.  The turnout has been inspiring!

 
“Repeal or Retire”

 
“We’re being set up for Socialism!”

Rally for the American Stars and Stripes North of the Star of India

These are the grassroots; America’s hope.  Good, clean, regular everyday folk.  I heard this lady mention that her children were the future leaders of America and one man suggested that he wished they could be our leaders right now; that they’d probably do a better job than our current ones.  I’m with him.  I am impressed by mothers everywhere who are recognizing the need to train up future civic leaders with strong morals and standards.  These kids will have a heaping mess to clean up if we don’t stand up and do our part to stay the hand of fiscal irresponsibility right now.

“No, no – B.H.O.  No taxation without showing your birth certificate.”

My personal favorite: “Commander in Thief.”  Ha ha!

That’s all for today, Pearl People.  Much love and success.  Thank God for your job if you still have one!

~Pearl

More pictures from the San Diego Tea Party here.

Technorati Tags: Pearl Diver,Pearl,Nationwide Chicago Tea Party,Tea Party,San Diego Tea Party,Barack Hussein Obama,Commander in Chief,POTUS,Stimulus Bill,Mortgage Bailout,Bank Bailout,Bailout,Auto Bailout,2009 Budget,$3.6 Trillion,Deficit

Tips for a Great Tea Party

For all of us attending Tea Parties around the country tomorrow (“today,” depending on when you read this), here are some great tips found at Instapundit:

SOME ADVICE ON FUTURE “TEA PARTY” PROTESTS, from a media producer who attended the Overland Park affair:

I attended the invigorating protest outside Congressman Dennis Moore’s Overland Park, Kansas office yesterday.

I hoped 10-15 souls might show up. I was thrilled to see hundreds. Here are some suggestions. I don’t really want my name used. Sadly, it could really hurt my business, which is already hurting.

As a professional media producer, here are my concerns:

1. Incoherent message - the signs were all over the place. There were lots of agendas. That’s fine. The color and signage look good on TV.

But, when it came to the microphone - the overall message was tepid and unsure.

2. Create a theme - like “We want Senator So-and-So to resign for voting for this bill.” Or, “We want the Stimulus Repealed!” “Start Over.” Have a definitive purpose to your Assembly. A central theme will also help public speakers to focus. And don’t be afraid to personalize this. Put it on your Senators, Congress people, and the President. That’s what they are doing to anyone who objects.

3. Speakers not prepared for the media - the organizer was asked to name some specific objectionable items in the stimulus. She couldn’t do it. I doubt many of us could.

If you are an organizer, or the “face” of the event - take an hour to prepare. You don’t need to know everything about the stimulus. Just find 2 or 3 things - hard facts - you can point to and credibly say - these are wrong, wasteful spending items. Or, these items grow government, not the economy. It is critical.

4. Pass out talking points, just in case Joe or Jane Protestor gets buttonholed by a reporter.

5. This is all about image. If we don’t present the media with a professional, organized and, unfortunately, scripted image, they are going to make their own, and it won’t be favorable.

6. Recruit some help to pack the area around people being interviewed for background. God love the guy in the crazy Uncle Sam suit, and we certainly need the Minute Men, but these folks will quickly become THE story because they are colorful or controversial i.e., Good TV. Welcome their support. Maybe give them a minute on the mic. But I recommend trying to pack in mainstream, boring looking, and diverse Americans around the camera. No offense to anyone. Anytime a TV camera comes out, a certain number and type of attention seeker will flock to it. Now is the time for Grandma and Grandpa, the Plumber, the Young Executive, and the Homeschooling Mom to flock to the camera as background. Don’t be shy. Remember, how do you want your cause to be presented by the media? As crazies? Or as Concerned Neighbors?

7. Have an Agenda and a Time. We’re going to Assemble at this Time. We’re going to have a Sign-In Table. We’re going to have a Sign-Making Area. We’re going to have speakers at 10:30. We’re going to March to the Senator’s Office at this time and demand she resign. We’re going to end with Chants, and a Call-to-Action for the next Protest. That, and Protestors want to know what’s going on. If they become unsure, they leave. Organization wins, and it also intimidates the opposition. And the opposition is going to start showing up.

8. Share the Day’s Agenda with the Media. You have to create your own press. The event in Overland Park was HUGE, but only one news station came out to cover it, and there’s not even a photo in today’s Sunday paper. Sell it to them. They love good stories.

That’s it. I hope this helpful. These things are only going to get bigger, and people need to realize that a great responsibility comes with this wonderful opportunity. Get a Message. And Get It Out.

Happy protesting folks!  I’ll see you there.

~Pearl

Technorati Tags: Pearl Diver,Pearl,Instapundit,Pajamasmedia,Tea Party,Stimulus Bill,President Obama,Barack Hussein Obama,Tips

I LOVE this. It is so accurate.

Democracy got stomped on.  Squashed.  Ignored.  Disregarded.

 

I also find this comment from The Rainbow Reclaimed to be very telling:

This comment is in reference to SR 7, so the sister resolution to HR 5

I just called leno's office to make sure he was the author of sr 7. He is.

I couldn't help asking the staffer: Why does senator Leno think prop 8 violates the equal protection clause?

She mumbled off some answer.

I said: "The prop 8 definition covers everyone regardless of sexual
orientation, race, gender, etc.

Then I asked: How come siblings can't get married, but it's okay for
same gender couples?

She laughed.

I said: Really, why don't we let siblings get married?

She said: Well, I think it's unhealthy.

I asked: Why?
Then I started to explain, that measures could be taken to prevent the
birth of children with birth defects.

Then she went on a rant. And then she hung up.

I plan on telling my own reps this story, and asking them to ask Leno and other Dems why this resolution is even taking up CA legislature time.

If you'd like to ask Senator Leno the same question (or different):
916-651-4003

Well, go to it, people.  Let’s take our “representatives” to task.

~Pearl

Technorati Tags: Pearl Diver,Pearl,California Voted,Democracy,Legislators,Representatives,HR5,SR7,The Rainbow Reclaimed,Senator Leno,Prop 8,Proposition 8,Senate Judiciary Committee,Assembly Judiciary Committee,California Supreme Court,Resolution,Hearing,Statement

Speechless: Silencing Christians; 12-yr-old Pro-Life Speech; CNN Rejects Pro-Life Ad; HR5 Makes Waves; Jonathan Lopez Sues LA City College Over Same-Sex Marriage Speech

Attacks on freedom of religion, freedom of speech, democracy, and family are heating up. We live in increasingly troubled times. Are you prepared for what’s to come if you fail to speak up and stand out?

Watch Speechless: Silencing Christians. This new TV special has yet to find a home on-air as station after station refuses to allow it. In today’s atmosphere of media bias and betrayal, if you discover that a station doesn’t want you to hear something, I’d suggest you actively seek it out as it is probably something worth hearing that contains something worthy of awareness. This is long, but not too long. Grab some popcorn, a soda, and your significant other. Cuddle by the computer. Make it a date and stick it out. It is well worth watching if you’d like to be educated about the gay agenda that homosexuals eternally and sarcastically claim does not exist. (For more on the gay agenda as outlined in After the Ball, click here, here, and here).

Watch this 12-year-old, 7th grader speak out on the issue of abortion. She is a superb advocate for life.

And in another case of screaming media bias, CNN has now joined the ranks of TV stations boycotting the amazing CatholicVote.org Pro-Life ad. Again, if the media doesn’t want you to hear it, you’d better tune in, because it’s probably something important for the regular, Joe-shmoe, American public to hear. What was CNN’s reason for rejection, you ask? Here’s a direct quote: “Thank you for your patience. We have decided to pass on this creative. CNN doesn't accept advocacy ads that portray personal decisions in a manner that suggests a position in favor of the advocacy message, without having permission of the persons involved.” The only thing is, it’s not true. It’s a blatant lie as exposed by CatholicVote. See here:

The standard CNN used to reject our ad did not prevent the network from airing a 2005 ad sponsored by the pro-abortion group NARAL that suggested that then Judge John Roberts supported violence against abortion clinics.

FactCheck.org described the NARAL ad this way: "An abortion-rights group is running an attack ad accusing Supreme Court nominee John Roberts of filing legal papers ‘supporting . . . a convicted clinic bomber' and of having an ideology that ‘leads him to excuse violence against other Americans' It shows images of a bombed clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. The ad is false.'"

Several prominent pro-abortion supporters condemned the ad, including President Clinton's Solicitor General Walter Dellinger. The commercial, which attributed views to John Roberts that were not his, was ultimately pulled from the air not by CNN, but by NARAL.

At the time CNN issued a statement saying: "CNN accepts advocacy advertising from responsible groups from across the political spectrum who wish to express their views and their opinions about issues of public importance."

CNN is willing to run ads insinuating that a federal judge supports violent criminal activity, but it won't allow an ad celebrating the potential of all human life, including Barack Obama? Not to mention, we are fairly sure NARAL didn't get permission from John Roberts to run their ad.

So, what do we do? Write to CNN President Jonathan Klein at jon.klein@turner.com. And, of course, watch the ad again! :0)

HR 5 is making waves among supporters of democracy. Watch our non-democratic, love-touting California legislators in action right here! (And don’t forget to hone your ears for the lovely derision with which opponents of HR 5 are treated by member of Equality California (EQCA) – psst, it’s not that hard to catch).

And last, but certainly not least, is the case of Jonathan Lopez who is suing his city college over his stumped 1st Amendment rights to free speech. Reports the LA Times article:

Student Jonathan Lopez says his professor called him a "fascist bastard" and refused to let him finish his speech against same-sex marriage during a public speaking class last November, weeks after California voters approved the ban on such unions.

When Lopez tried to find out his mark for the speech, the professor, John Matteson, allegedly told him to "ask God what your grade is," the suit says.

Lopez also said the teacher threatened to have him expelled when he complained to higher-ups.

[hat tip: Kingfisher Column]

Well folks, that’s quite the line-up if you ask me. Religion, speech, democracy, and family; they’re all being attacked with increased fervor. We would be wise to be aware. Is awareness enough, though?

~Pearl

Technorati Tags: Pearl Diver,Pearl,HR5,Jonathan Lopez,Freedom of Speech,religion,speech,family,marriage,Life: Imagine the Potential,life,CatholicVote.org,Catholic Vote,CNN,NBC,Speechless: Silencing Christians,12-year-old Pro-Life Advocate,LA City College,LACC,NARAL,FactCheck.org,After the Ball,Marshall Kirk,Hunter Madsen,John Matteson,Kingfisher Column,Barack Hussein Obama,President Obama,POTUS

Lobbying in Sacramento – HR 5 Passes

I’m back.  We’re back.  I took a lobbying trip up to Sacramento with my blogging buddy, Beetle.  The drive was lengthy, but the company was the best.  My boys made some best friends out of Beetle’s kiddos, and Beetle and I got to yakkity yak for the duration of our loooooong round trip. :0)

So, the 17th dawned cold and rainy.  No one was positioned outside the capitol building, No or Yes.  The Assembly Judiciary Committee room filled up quickly and flowed over into a balcony room which also filled to the hilt.  We were in the third, yes third, overflow area located in the cafe: 90% Equality Network America, 10% Prop 8 supporters.  We watched the entire proceeding on a television.

I wish I had good news to report, but, not surprisingly, it’s just more of the same.  As I watched gay “marriage” supporters approach the mic and listened to their heart-wrenching pleadings in support of HR 5, my stomach was turned by the extreme emotionality of it all.  Story after story surfaced about love this and love that.  And then came the Prop 8 supporters, and the appeals were for our legislators to respect the vote of the people…the people they represent.

90% emotionality
10% democracy

Also not surprising was the fact that the HR 5 supporters, advocates of gay “marriage,” had to be chastised on three separate occasions for their disrespect during opponents’ testimonials.  Too much snorting and snickering throughout.  When one woman introduced herself as a mother of eight, our overflow area erupted rudely with all-out, mocking laughter.  I was perturbed by the lack of respect.  And, in the end, it was clear that while the legislators were adamant about maintaining a respectful atmosphere during the proceedings, they didn’t actually care one whit about democracy.  As was predictable, their vote followed precisely along party lines and the resolution passed with flying colors (pun intended).

Pearl’s summary:

I loved meeting Beetle’s family; they are awesome.  I enjoyed being present for a process I’ve never witnessed.  And I just want to remind everyone that our government is not in the business of governing based on what’s “fair” (or it didn’t used to be, anyway).  In fact, I’m 99.99999% certain that the word “love” is not present anywhere in our Constitution.  What it absolutely is built on is democracy, and yesterday democracy was categorically ignored…again.  Bummer.  Big bummer for our state.

~Pearl

P.S. The senate hearing was cancelled due to ongoing and pressing budget discussions.  Having just arrived home, I have not had a chance to research whether that has occurred or not.  Though I can imagine that the results will be similar, if not identical, I would like to hear nonetheless.  If you have any updated info, please post it in the comments section!

Technorati Tags: Assembly Judiciary Committee,HR5,SR7,Senate Judiciary Committee,Lobbying,Lobby,Democracy,Prop 8,Proposition 8,Pearl Diver,Pearl,Rally,Protest,Sacramento,California,Capitol Resource Institute,Capitol,UFI,United Families International,Digital Network Army,DNA

Support Prop 8 Rally! Sacramento, CA - Tuesday Feb. 17th.

From Beetle Blogger

 

Go!  Rally!  Bring Your Signs and Spread the Word!
Sacramento, CA – Tuesday Feb. 17th, 10:30am
State Capitol

This resolution would put the Assembly on record as supporting the repeal of Proposition 8 and declaring that the initiative was an improper revision to the California Constitution. -Equality California Website

Dear California Supporters of the Family,
State Assembly and Senate Considering Resolution Encouraging State Supreme Court to Overturn Prop 8!!!

SR7 and HR5

On Tuesday, February 17th at 10:30 am, The Assembly Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing followed at 12:30 pm by a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Proposition 8. The committees will be considering crafting a joint resolution encouraging the California State Supreme Court to overturn Prop 8. By issuing the resolution the Assembly will officially express its opposition to Proposition 8, calling for its repeal, and stating that it was an “improper revision” to the state constitution.

Read HR5 and Read SR7

Passing these resolutions flies in the face of the will of the voters.  Prop 8, was passed by a clear majority of California voters in November 2008. Fifty-two percent of California voters stood up to protect the family, which is the lynch pin of civilization. William Glaston, a former policy advisor to President Clinton, is quoted in the UFI Marriage Advantage Family Guide. He states, “Marriage is an important social good, associated with an impressively broad array of positive outcomes for children and adults alike….Whether American society succeeds or fails in building a healthy marriage culture is clearly a matter of legitimate public concern.”

Don’t let the Assembly take your vote away. Join us in protecting marriage, children and the future of family and our society.

What You Can Do

Attend the hearing. It is taking place Tuesday, February 17th at the state capitol in Sacramento. The Assembly hearing will be in room 4202 at 10:30 am. The Senate hearing will be in room 4203 at 12:30pm. We encourage you to make the trip. By attending you will send a visible signal to the committee members in support of the family. To get driving directions and parking information follow the click on the links below:

For directions
For parking information

Call the members of the committees and fax letters asking them to vote no on HR5 and SR7

Assembly Judiciary Committee-Vote NO on HR5

Julia Brownley
Phone: 916 319 2041
Fax: 916 319 2141

Noreen Evans
Phone: 916 319 2007
Fax: 916 319 2107

Mike Feuer (Chair)
Phone: 916 319 2042
Fax: 916 319 2142

Dave Jones
Phone: 916 319 2009
Fax: 916 319 2109

Steve Knight
Phone: 916 319 2036
Fax: 916 319 2136

Paul Krekorian
Phone: 916 319 2043
Fax: 916 319 2143

Ted Lieu
Phone: 916 319 2053
Fax: 916 319 2153

Bill Monning
Phone: 916 319 2027
Fax: 916 319 2127

Jim Nielsen
Phone: 916 319 2002
Fax: 916 319 2102

Van Tran
Phone: 916 319 2068
Fax: 916 319 2168

Senate Judiciary Committee-Vote NO on SR7

Ellen Corbett
Phone: 916 651 4010
Fax: 916 327 2433

Dean Florez
Phone: 916 651 4016
Fax: 916 327 5989

Tom Harman
Phone: 916 651 4035
Fax: 916 445 9263

Mark Leno
Phone: 916 651 4003
Mimi Walters
Phone: 916 651 4033
Fax: 916 445 9754

Please forward this to your friends and family members. We believe that through a grassroots movement, we can secure a safe future for families in our state.

United Families California

I’ll be there.  Will you?
~Pearl

Technorati Tags: Prop 8,Proposition 8,Prop 8 Rally,HR5,SR7,Assembly Resolution,Senate Resolution,Sacramento,California State Capitol,Marriage,Family,Vote,Will of the People

Freedom to Marry Week?

From silive.com

Same-sex couples set to rally for marriage rights

2/12/2009, 4:13 a.m. EST
By VERENA DOBNIK
The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of same-sex couples nationwide are prepared to apply for marriage licenses on Thursday — an exercise in legal futility.

The attempts are being undertaken to protest court and voter decisions restricting legal matrimony to opposite-sex couples.

Activists geared up for rallies at marriage bureaus or county clerks' offices in communities large and small — from New York, Arkansas, California and Florida to Kentucky and Nevada.

This week, which encompasses Lincoln's Birthday and Valentine's Day, marks the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Week, usually celebrated with marriage-license protests.

Same-sex partners and their non-gay friends, families and allies are demanding that no couple in a consensual, committed relationship be denied permission to marry — complete with the rights, protections and benefits the government assigns to the legal ritual.

This year's protests are more important than ever, said one New York organizer, because they come in the wake of California's Proposition 8 vote and just as New Yorkers look to their state Senate to pass legislation that could lead to legalized gay marriage.

"I want to have that option," said 23-year-old J. Heath Tucker, who doesn't want to get married now, but "when I find the person I fall in love with, I want to be able to get married."

He is a member of Join the Impact, a national community-based group that helped organize hundreds of people seeking licenses at the marriage bureau in lower Manhattan on Thursday.

This year's event "is more important because people had something given to them, then had it stripped away," Tucker said of California, where more than 18,000 same-sex couples were married last year.

[Read more…]

As per that last paragraph, I think it is important to remember that the fate of the “marriages” of those 18,000 same-sex couples has yet to be decided. 

So, throughout twelve years of “Freedom to Marry Week” observances, how has legalized homosexual “marriage” fared?  Perhaps this chart will give folks an idea of just how important marriage between one man and one woman is for Americans:

States With Voter-Approved Constitutional Bans on Same-Sex Marriage, 1998-2008

 

~Pearl

Technorati Tags: Prop 8,Proposition 8,Same-Sex Marriage,Gay Marriage,Gay Marriage Bans,Freedom to Marry Week,Pearl Diver,Pearl,Marriage Rights,Rallies,Protests,Marriage License