STUPID press don't get it..

[ironmanwife]

Anti-Obama protesters hold ‘tea party’ rally in Nashville

By Associated Press
Monday, June 29, 2009 - Added 3d 3h ago









NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Several hundred people have gathered in front of the Tennessee Capitol to protest the policies of Democratic President Barack Obama.
The event marks the third time this year that protesters have held "tea party" rallies in Nashville.
Monday’s lunchtime protest filled about half of Legislative Plaza, a much smaller turnout than the previous rally in April that was part of a national turnout on tax day.

Protesters heard speeches from conservative talk radio hosts and a handful of Republican state lawmakers. Several waved "Don’t Tread on Me" flags and homemade signs that included slogans like "Overthrow Congress" and "Revolt Against Socialism."
The crowd gave loud cheers following comments critical of climate change legislation passed by the U.S. House last week and Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
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Conservatives' tea party rallies keep on coming

Events express discontent

By Jennifer Brooks • THE TENNESSEAN • June 30, 2009

If you missed Monday's tea party protest at Legislative Plaza, don't worry. Another one will be along soon.




The conservative rallies, which hearken back to the Colonial rebels who dumped British tea into Boston Harbor, are becoming a regular thing around Middle Tennessee.
Legislative Plaza is booked for at least two and possibly three tea parties this week. Nearby counties are staging similar rallies to coincide with the Fourth of July. The question is: How many tea parties are too many?
"Some people think that if we have these too often, we'll get tea party burnout," said Stacie Burke, president of the nonprofit Tennessee Tea Party group, which sponsored Monday's tea party in Nashville. "But the thing is, as fast as we can organize these things, it's not fast enough to keep up with what's coming out of Washington."
Monday's rally, which drew several hundred protesters, featured speeches and placards railing against the recent House vote on the cap-and-trade bill, which aims to curb greenhouse gases by cracking down on polluters. Opponents believe the legislation will lead to skyrocketing gas prices and energy bills for ordinary people and businesses.
But the topics weren't limited strictly to policy.
'Grass-roots' movement

"I was offended by being called a racist redneck teabagger," said Bernadette Ash, a Nashville veteran who is African-American, and who spoke at Monday's rally.
"Let's start in 2010 by getting these idiots out of office and let's get some conservatives — Democrats or Republicans. Because this isn't about parties," Ash told the crowd. "I don't like stupid. And a lot of what goes on in government is stupid."
On Thursday, many of the same speakers — and probably many of the same faces in the crowd — will return to Legislative Plaza for a 4:30 p.m. tea party hosted by Tea Party Nation, the group that hosted the Tax Day Tea Party on April 15. That rally drew more than 500 protesters to downtown Nashville, and was part of a coordinated national effort to condemn the $787 federal stimulus package.

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"People will have multiple opportunities to come out and be heard," said organizer Judson Phillips, undeterred by the idea that Monday's pre-emptive tea party might take the wind out of his rally's sails.




"You can have too many tea parties," he said, but "a lot of this is not controlled by any organization. It's a spontaneous movement by the grass roots."
Phillips has heard that yet another group hopes to book Legislative Plaza on Saturday to mark its rally on Independence Day. He said he preferred an earlier date for the event he's calling a "patriotic revival," because "somehow it just didn't seem right to protest on the Fourth of July."
United sense of unease

One person who doesn't mind all the tea parties these days is vendor Hosea King, who travels the country, hawking tea party-specific merchandise to the crowds.
"We've made the Midsouth round," said King, who got a plug from the stage for his bright yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags and was selling them like hot cakes for $5 a pop. "Last few days we've been in Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas and now Tennessee."
What brings the protesters out to the tea parties, over and over again, is a united sense of unease about the country's direction, several participants said. Daryl Spindler of Hendersonville, who was laid off from his job as a plant manager in March and is still looking for work, brought his two sons to the rally.
"This is just our way to let the president know that First Amendment rights aren't just for Democrats," said Spindler, who stationed himself on Charlotte Avenue, holding a sign that read, "He's not qualified to be president, but he did stay in a Holiday Inn Express
last night." His 14-year-old son, Joe, stood next to him, holding a large American flag.
Denver Woders, a truck driver from Ashland, Ky., drove down to protest the cap-and-trade pollution control bill passed by the U.S. House last week.
He had to take a 6 percent pay cut when gas prices jumped to $4 a gallon last year, and his wages didn't go back up when gas prices went down.
"This cap-and-trade bill is going to ruin us. We can't afford $500 electric bills," he said.
"What's going to happen to us when the price of gas goes up to $7 or $8 a gallon because of this?"

[rebel]

Sounds like you're getting some kind of coverage -AP.
So, how did it go? Looks like a good turnout.
Of course nothing has made the nat'l news. But I am getting more info than I ever cared to know about Michael Jackson......

[roadkill439342]

Over 1500 people attended the Independence Day Tea Party in Grand Rapids, MI hosted by W.M.T.P. on July 4, 2009.
NOT ONE BIT of local news coverage.