San Antonio Tea Party

Additional Images from C&T Protest

2009-05-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

Click on picture to see larger:

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Posted by Eric with permission of Gail

First Pictures from Cap & Trade Protest

2009-05-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Julia sent some quick pictures from our Rapid Response event today. (Just click on a pic for the big version.)

THANKS -- to both those who could come and those who could call. This is a TEAM EFFORT! We learned a lot with this and we should soon be doing more and better organized Rapid Response events -- One Step At A Time, folks!

(Posted by Robin at the request of Julia)

Even if you can't go--please help!

2009-05-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, you can still help, even if you can't be there!

The Instructions are HERE: http://www.theythinkyouarestupid.com/Rapid-Response-Team_support.shtml

CAN YOU BE THERE?

2009-05-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

LET’S DO SOMETHING!

Cap And Trade Cost Per Family = $4,000 Per Year! An MIT professor by the name of Reilly estimated that "the amount of tax collected" through companies would equal $3,128 per household--and "Those costs do get passed to consumers and income earners in one way or another"--but those costs have "nothing to do with the real cost" to the economy. Reilly assumes that the $3,128 will be "returned" to each household. Without that assumption, Reilly wrote, "the cost would then be the Republican estimate [$3,128] plus the cost I estimate [$800]." (http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/412cwueq.asp?pg=1)

What can I do?

Come and peacefully demonstrate with us. Make signs (please be respectful so as to not diminish our message as it goes through the filter of the liberal media – see our guidelines at http://www.theythinkyouarestupid.com/signage.shtml).
Let’s start with the office of Charlie Gonzalez, a member of the House’s Energy Committee.

Can you be at Charlie Gonzalez’ office on Tuesday, May 19, at 11 a.m. CST, at 727 E Durango Blvd, in downtown San Antonio? If so, please send an email to NoCapAndTrade@wildblue.net with “YES I will be there!" in the subject line. We need this to give an estimated count to the San Antonio Police Department. Although we do not need a permit to hold this demonstration, the SAPD has requested, as a courtesy, that we call the local precinct to give them an estimate.

NOTE: We can only stay on public property (sidewalks), and cannot block and entrances or exits for this building.

What If I Can't Come?

You will still be able to help! We will want to ensure the news media covers this event and that the politicians get the message. Keep watching here for upcoming instructions on how YOU TOO CAN HELP, even if you can't be there. For now, go to this TX House of representatives site and put in your full street address in on the "Find Your Representative" form (it's over on the right). That will give you the contact numbers for all of your US & Texas representatives. Write them all down and save them! As the Boy Scout motto puts it: Be Prepared!

(Published by Robin at the request of Gail)

Even if they took it ALL -- it's not enough!

2009-05-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a not-so-fun fact --

If the government increased the top tax rate from the current rate of 35% to 100% (yes, that's right 100%), it would only collect an extra $400 billion this year. In other words, confiscating all the income that is currently taxed at 35% would not raise enough revenue to cover any of the annual deficits projected in the next 10 years. There is no way that tax hikes on the rich alone can pay for proposed spending in the current budget.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/20/tea-party-taxes-opinions-columnists-ear-marks.html

What to do? Maybe you should plan on attending our Independence Day event at Rio Cibolo Ranch! And keep an eye here for news on smaller, more focused events we're also working on sponsoring.

Pictures!

2009-05-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Those of you who attended our fund raising luncheon with Glenn Beck will remember the man from Australia, Matt Smallbone. Matt works for Premiere Speakers Bureau.

Good news: Matt says the photos of our contributors with Glenn Beck, should be in the mail sometime this week!

What is the Bandera Tea Party Up To?

2009-05-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Got the an interesting item from "Trap," AKA Chuck Warner, of the Bandera Tea Party. Trap is taking part in the July 4th March For Liberty on Washington, D.C. The article he wrote is in the form of a Microsoft Word document, with a bunch of illustrative links included. You might want to give it a look at Boiling in the Melting Pot.
(Published with the permission of Gail)

Boerne's Flag Day Celebration

2009-05-09T07:38:00.001-07:00

The good folks in Boerne are working on a Flag Day celebration!

Boerne Texas Tea Party
Rallying for Liberty and a Return to the Constitution

*Time:* June 14, 2009 from 3pm to 6pm
*Location:* Lake Country Homeowner's Park
*Organized By:* Joni Schmidt

*Event Description:*
Details are being ironed out. So far, there will be a Flag Day Rally/picnic sometime on June 14...more details forthcoming!

See more details and RSVP on the Boerne Texas Tea Party official web page
(published with the permission of Gail)

Take The Challenge!

2009-05-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Do you think you know the history of the US Constitution? Mark Weisberger put together this "small quiz for the US Constitution from a 'Tea Party' perspective." It's almost sure to surprise you!

Give it a try: http://www.webdbcf.com/HomeworkGrader/TakeATest.cfm?TestSelected=10165

Watch out--I only scored a 64%--it's a tough quiz!

(Posted with the permission of Gail)

No Racist Emails, Please

2009-05-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

A person to remain nameless is sending around a "joke" picture entitled "Historical Keepsake Photo." It shows a small photo of each President of the United States. But--in the last photo, there is just a set of eyes on a black background.

This is not funny.

This is not helpful.

The Tea Party movement is about the overreach of the federal government; it is not about race.

Do not send us racists "jokes." We don't want them. Please don't send them to anyone else, either. You'll just be hurting our movement. My response, by the way, included this:

You will please IMMEDIATELY remove me from your email lists.

Further emails from you will be referred to our counsel (who has been included by blind-CC).

Robin Juhl
San Antonio Tea Party
Chairman

(Post with the permission of Gail)

San Antonio's Independence Day Tea Party

2009-05-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

The San Antonio Tea Party Executive Committee is in negotiations to secure the Rio Cibolo Ranch as a venue for a traditional 4^th of July celebration, as part of our continuing program of rallies, gatherings and protests. The Rio Cibolo Ranch is located near the old town of Zuehl, just off IH10 East, about twenty-five minutes drive from downtown San Antonio (see this map).

A day of traditional Texas summer activities and games is being planned, with barbeque and live music, all culminating with a firework display after sundown. All of this is a backdrop for the serious purpose of the Tea Party, which is to educate attendees and their families on the limits and responsibilities of the government as outlined in the Constitution.

This event follows our wildly successful Tea Party Tax Day protest on April 15^th in Alamo Plaza, and is timed to coincide with other 4^th of July Tea Parties which are scheduled or being planned, both locally and nationally.

Other possible venues are also being explored in case an agreement cannot be reached. These other venues might also be used for other Tea Party events.

(Posted by permission of Gail)

Memorial Day in Boerne

2009-05-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

Joni sent me this. Not a bad idea!

(Posted by Robin with the permission of Gail)

Support our troops! Show Congress our fallen heroes, and our current military members, are our true National Treasure.

Time: May 25, 2009 from 11am to 12pm
Location: Boerne Cemetery
Organized By: Chuck Allen

Event Description:
Please join us as we honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day. This year, make Memorial Day a special day - one in which you demonstrate to your children how very important our military has been to the survival of our liberties.

Hosted by the Boerne VFW, they look forward to seeing many citizens at this ceremony.

We've Got (hate) Mail!

2009-05-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Somebody decided to send me a postcard. Unsigned and no return address, of course!

On the back, was this message (click on it to enlarge; and yes, I removed my home address from the image):

Let me be clear here: I had barely heard of Glenn Beck before his name came up as a suggestion of someone we should approach as a speaker. Here's what actually happened, as best I can put it together:

Joni Schmidt, who put together the 1,200-strong Boerne Tax Day Tea Party, actually held the first Tea Party at the Alamo Plaza on February 27th. She organized it via Facebook. I heard about the rally afterward, found Joni and the Facebook group through a Google search, and joined Facebook to be a part of it. We realized not everyone is willing to sign up for Facebook and the movement needed a publicly available web site, so I created TheyThinkYouAreStupid.com.

Discussions progressed via email and Facebook, and on 17 March, Joni decided to handle Boerne and asked me to take over the San Antonio planning. We discovered the Alamo Plaza was reserved by the Fiesta Commission, so that was out. We first met in person at the Lighthouse Cafe's patio on 21 March. There were just six of us, and we wondered how we could manage to get a few hundred folks out for a protest. Eric Adam told us then that he was working on a video.

I posted the notes from the meeting on the web site and things began to happen. On Thursday, 26 March, Eric Adam got his now famous video posted on the 9/12 Project website. The next day, 27 March, Glenn Beck played Eric's video on his Fox News show and commented on wanting to be at the Alamo. That Sunday, members of the newly-formed Executive committee (about 14 people) met with two folks from the Texas 9/12 project, then went to the publicly advertised organizational meeting. We were meeting at the patio of a restaurant that was closed on Sunday and what a surprise we got. Over 120 people showed up, from all walks of life! We spent the next week trying to get a good venue and even reserved a park. One man, Matt Perdue, just walked in to ask the Fiesta Commission for permission to use Alamo Plaza. He says it took less than sixty seconds to get to “yes.” At about the same time, Glenn Beck surprised us by saying he was coming to do his show here and would be at our Tea Party.

THAT was the point at which we started coordinating with Fox News. (Yes, Glenn Beck eventually helped us. He sent the folks from Premiere Speakers Bureau to help us and then we paid for their expenses. Yes, he agreed to do the fund-raising luncheon for us and that was our biggest source of money--but all that money all came from the citizens of San Antonio (and wonderful people who came here from all over America!) who wanted to both hear Glenn and help us.)

That Sunday, we filled the 160-person capacity room at the Magic Time Machine. A week and a half after that, there were 20,000 people in front of the Alamo.

What help did Fox News provide? ZIP, ZERO, and NADA. They were adamant in not allowing us to use their resources. As Matt Perdue put it: "They wouldn't even let us use an extension cord!" They had their stage and we had ours. We let them use our stage and our jumbotrons. But when Glenn Beck's show was done, they packed up their equipment. That's when we discovered the people between our stage and the Alamo couldn't hear very well. They'd been listening to the Fox News audio system all day and ours didn't cover that area.

We cannot help it that Fox News decided to bill four of the Tax Day Tea Parties as "FNC Tax Day Tea Parties." This was the first I've heard of it.

Now, to answer the question "How stupid do you think we are?" That depends. If you really believe that these Tea Parties were not a spontaneous outburst of anger by those who are horrified at the implications of bail outs by the Trillions, a budget deficit that's over four times the previous record, and the imminent doubling of a debt that's already at $11 Trillion, then you aren't stupid--YOU'RE NUTS! If you believe that these Tea Parties are a spontaneous thing but want to continue to accuse us of Astroturfing, then you're not at all stupid--you're just someone who puts his party before the country and shame on you! If you just don't care if these Tea Parties are a spontaneous thing, THEN you are stupid!

BUT -- If you believe that these Tea Parties are a spontaneous thing and you want to make a rational argument as to why you think we're wrong, then you aren't nuts and you aren't stupid--you we can talk with! By the way, you can save the 27-cents and contact us through the web site's "Contact Us!" page next time.

--
Robin Juhl
San Antonio Tea Party
Chairman
(Published by permission of Gail; updated on 4 May as was promised by Jeanette)

A Resignation

2009-05-01T11:48:00.001-07:00

We have regretfully accepted the resignation of J. Scott Larson from the Executive Committee.

We are, however, overjoyed by the reason. He's running for congress! He tells us he's planning to run in Texas district 23 against Ciro Rodriguez. Since we are a non-partisan organization, he cannot serve as both a candidate and an Executive Committee member. (That, and there's the small matter of our "NO POLITICIANS!" rule. Hey, we turned down both the Rail Road Commissioner and the Governor!)

Speaking of partisanship: No, I don't know what party banner he will be running under. I don't care. It's more important that the right people be elected than what banner they run under. if you know someone with the right attitude--driven by a desire to serve, not a desire to advance themselves--please urge them to consider running, no matter their party.

(posted by Robin with the permission of Gail)

I Propose an Experiment

2009-04-30T03:56:00.001-07:00

Been pondering keeping everyone involved (16,000 volunteers, as Eric the Wag put it). I think we HAVE to give everyone something concrete to do before July. We sure can't afford to let Congress off the hook that long!

I'd like to try an experiment that may prove useful. If it works, that is. I propose we organize a quick, small protest on one or two specific subjects at one congress-critter's office. Say a limit of 50 people at the event (or whatever the number is that doesn't trigger the requirement for a permit). If we can do such mobilizations, then we can enlist the rest of you Tea Party folks to "advertise" them for us. What I envision is that before the protests, those not going flood the media with calls asking them to cover the event and telling the media that we are limiting the number of people physically there, but that they should to count them as having been there, too. Then, during the protest, those not going make calls at the same time as the demonstration to both Senators and their congressman, saying "Count me in as one of the people now outside congressman so-and-so's office!"

For the single subject of the protest, we could use two items. First is the Hate Crime law now being considered, H.R 1913. Go to this link: http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/issues/bills/?billnum=H.R.1913&congress=111, which is part of the American Family Association (AFA.net) and read up on the bill. The danger here is that they are on the way to turning your free speech into a Federal crime. You know what happened to Miss California...now imagine a prosecutor with an attitude having the power to haul you into a kangaroo court for saying the same thing. THAT IS WHERE THIS LEADS. Seriously! They have huge problems with this very sort of thing up in Canada.

The second subject would be a protest of the actions of Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson over what they did to the Bank of America. They bullied the CEO into hiding the fact that Merrill Lynch had massive losses from his own stock holders. They threatened to fire him if he didn't break the law! I propose we demand congressional hearings on the matter, with witnesses testifying under oath.

What I like about this idea is that we'd be going after Republicans who sold us out and lead the way for the massive abuses that have followed. We're non-partisan, right? That means we go after Republican turkeys, too! Should we later be giving a Democrat heck--we can point to this event. That helps ensure our credibility in the future.

Below are extracts from two articles on this subject. Check them out and give it some thought, please:

One Nation, Under Banks With Justice for No One: Jonathan Weil Commentary by Jonathan Weil

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- The spectacle of Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson running roughshod over Kenneth Lewis and his minions at Bank of America Corp. raises a pivotal question for all Americans: Is the U.S. a nation of laws, or a nation of banks?

Let's start by examining the facts disclosed last week in a letter by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, while taking pains to present the actions of each player in this drama in the fairest possible light. Both Bernanke and Paulson in mid-December knew Bank of America was obliged by statute to publicly disclose the huge losses Merrill Lynch & Co. had racked up that month. You don't get to be chairman of the Federal Reserve or, in Paulson's case, secretary of the Treasury or head of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. without learning this basic tenet of U.S. securities laws. Instead of making sure the public was fully informed of the losses before Bank of America completed its purchase of Merrill on Jan. 1, they did all they could to keep the secret safe.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_weil&sid=aXHVu97lAGjs

and . . .

Mr. Lewis has told investigators for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo that in December Mr. Paulson threatened him not to cancel a deal to buy Merrill Lynch. BofA had discovered billions of dollars in undisclosed Merrill losses, and Mr. Lewis was considering invoking his rights under a material adverse condition clause to kill the merger. But Washington decided that America's financial system couldn't withstand a Merrill failure, and that BofA had to risk its own solvency to save it. So then-Treasury Secretary Paulson, who says he was acting at the direction of Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, told Mr. Lewis that the feds would fire him and his board if they didn't complete the deal.

Mr. Paulson told Mr. Lewis that the government would provide cash from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to help BofA swallow Merrill. But since the government didn't want to reveal this new federal investment until after the merger closed, Messrs. Paulson and Bernanke rejected Mr. Lewis's request to get their commitment in writing.

"We do not want a disclosable event," Mr. Lewis says Mr. Paulson told him. "We do not want a public disclosure." Imagine what would happen to a CEO who said that.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078909572557575.html

This will be on the agenda for the Sunday general meeting.

The Coming TARP Debacle

2009-04-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Way back when -- President Bush, Secretary Hank Paulson, and the spendthrifts in congress were trying to sell us on the "Troubled Assets Relief Program." They told us it would only be about $700 Billion.

Suckers -- It's now up to almost $3 Trillion!

The good folks at the Powerline blog take a look at what's happened in TARP: The Looming Debacle:

On April 21, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program Act of 2009--"SIGTARP"--submitted his quarterly report to Congress on his office's activities in relation to the TARP program. The report is a disquieting document that should be read by every American--certainly be every taxpayer.

The Inspector General's report documents the stunning and at least partly illegal expansion of TARP from the $700 billion originally allocated by Congress to what is now a $3 trillion complex of programs. This chart shows the various programs that are now included within SIGTARP's oversight, and how they have expanded from the initial $700 billion. Note that some of the programs are still incipient; $3 trillion is by no means a final number.

They also include this graphic:

As they say: READ THE WHOLE THING!

(posted by Robin Juhl with the permission of Gail)

Executive Committee Notes

2009-04-26T08:29:00.001-07:00

We had a very productive Executive Committee meeting yesterday. The big news is that we have a candidate venue and approach for the 4th of July. We want to do something more family oriented--an old-fashioned Independence Day picnic. Something with just a few short speeches and lots of family fun. We plan to visit the proposed venue next Saturday, and hope to be able to announce the location at the Sunday general meeting.

We also had a long discussion on lessons learned. Each of the committee members sent emails to me and I collected them in one document. It's 19 pages long! (No, I am not going to post it. But I will say that many of them were more brutal on themselves than anyone else.)

More good news: Your generous donations covered the cost of the Tax Day Tea Party event, plus some. We're not in hock! That's a relief to one member who had pledged to take out a loan against his property to guarantee we could cover our bills. There are still some bills we don't have nailed down to an exact figure, but our accountant should soon have a pretty full accounting of our income and costs.

As it was before the Tea Party, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that you don't see. We know everyone wants to help--we all get emails and phone calls saying "I want to help!" As one wag put ityesterday : We had 16,000 volunteers in front of the Alamo! Another thing we're working on is better utilizing the volunteers. One member will be stepping up to coordinate volunteer efforts. For the moment, the best thing you can do is follow the steps we outlined in the program and repeat at the "IMPORTANT! What Can I Do Now?" link on the page. Educate yourself and figure out which is the best way for you to contact your Senators, Congressional Representative, State Senator, State Representative, county representative, and city council representative. As the Boy Scouts say: Be Prepared!

One last announcement: This web site, TheyThinkYouAreStupid.com, is no longer "Robin's personal fiefdom." Control has transferred to the San Antonio Tea Party. Eric Adam, Matt Perdue, and my humble self will be the ones with the passwords. Don't be surprised by the updates that are eventually coming. For instance, we'll change the "white text on black background" to something more neutral. We also have a two-person rule in effect now. All posts have to be approved by a second person. And yes--I had to ask for permission to post this.

With Deep Gratitude,

Robin Juhl
San Antonio Tea Party
Chairman
http://www.theythinkyouarestupid.com

We're Thinking July 4th

2009-04-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

Folks,

Thanks for you patience as we've had a rest (and paid some attention to our spouses and chores at home). Well, most of us. Some have been very busy, like Eric Adam (video), Tiffany (T-shorts) and Gail (getting the books straight). Here's our immediate plan:

The Executive Committee will meet tomorrow, to discuss lessons learned (many!) and plans for the future. We're shooting for July 4th.

The General Meeting will be a week from Sunday, May 3rd, at 5PM. The Magic Time Machine is graciously allowing us to use their facility again, so we can accommodate up to 160. I do of course suggest you plan on having dinner there as the best way of saying "Thank You."

Until then, something to ponder, via Instapundit:

What do you all think of THIS idea?

2009-04-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

An idea for keeping the Tea Pot nice and warm from National Review Online:

If 100-1,000 people show up at a rally, the event may or may not get
media coverage, and that coverage may or may not be snarky or
dismissive. Congressmen may or may not notice, and the President's
spokesman will announce he's not aware of them.

But if 100-1,000 people show up at a town council, city council, etc.
meeting, in most places, that's an earthquake. It varies widely, but
most local government budget meetings are sleepy affairs, and many local
lawmakers are used to settling their spending with minimal scrutiny.
They've never seen anything like several hundred people showing up with
the same message of "don't waste my money."

That just might work! From Michelle Malkin:

It’s not just about protesting in the streets. It’s about demanding accountability from your government at all levels — and getting it. In Woonsocket, RI, Tea Party activists swarmed the City Council and stopped massive new supplemental tax hikes to bail out the public school district. The tax measure, which had been expected to pass 6-1, went down by a 4-3 vote (hat tip - Granite Grok):

So, did your State Representative and State Senator vote to force the governor to accept the bailout money? Maybe you should call them and ask--and be SURE you POLITELY let them know how you feel about the answer!

Find your State Senator HERE.

Find your State Representative HERE.

They Really MUST Think You're Stupid

2009-04-21T03:55:00.000-07:00

The minor cut of $100 Million that President Obama was making such a fuss about yesterday are like a family with a $60,000/year income cutting out a latte or two per year. Another great way to look at it came courtesy of Instapundit, but originally from Heritage.org:

Egotistical Request from Eric

2009-04-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if any of you that were in front of the stage just MIGHT have had a camera rolling when I got up on stage to make the annoucement about the t-shirts, and then kicking the party off with the updated version of the video.

I don't think our official film crew was in place when that happened, so if anybody does have it, please contact me at info@sateaparty.info, and use "I have the video" in the subject line.

I know this seems so egotisitcal, but I would just like to see it from the cameras point of view.

Thanks

Eric

T-Shirt Survey Released

2009-04-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

We are trying to get a good idea of what the demand is for the shirts.

If you pre-ordered before the rally and have not received your shirt yet, keep in mind, when you fill out the form on this page, you are stating how many ADDITIONAL T-Shirts you will want.

THIS IS NOT A PRE-ORDER FORM, we are just trying to get an idea of the demand that is out there.

Go to the form

Adam McManus & Robin Juhl

2009-04-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Jeanette was kind enough to send me this picture and I am just vain enough to post it. It was taken during Glen Beck's show, as Adam was interviewing me on the air for HIS show on KSLR. Those headphones are AMAZING. We were right next to the stage and the loudspeakers. The crowd & show noise was incredible, but these headphones blocked it all out.

(Um...I'm the ugly one, there on the right.)

SAPD Confirms Crowd Size at 20,000

2009-04-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Apparently the Express-News must have come really early, because the SAPD has run the numbers using their geometric grid system, and have confirmed that the crowd size was about 20,000 at it's height.

Aerial Footage from Mike Hayes!

2009-04-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks Mike!!

I think we can definitely say that there was more than 4000 people there!! (Which is what the main stream media is reporting)