My Tea Party Experience..

The Tea Party and Tea Party Express movements have been quite the subject in the media over the past year.. There has been some favorable coverage and some unfavorable.. I had been contemplating over the past week whether or not to attend the Tea Party Rally that was scheduled in Sonoma County.. As someone that voted for Obama and has voted Democrat (and Green) most of my adult life, I did NOT know how I would react to many of the viewpoints.. However, being someone that LOVES to explore everything controversial, I decided to ditch my 12 o' clock Sociology Class and make the trek to Downtown Santa Rosa to experience "The Tea Party"..

I didn't know what to expect.. A bunch of Palin supporters? A bunch of "birthers"? Ron Paul supporters, Libretarians and Constitutionalists? Arriving downtown when the rally was in FULL swing a little after 12pm (as the Rally had started at 11 am), I was greeted by the presence of American flags blowing in the wind.. I also noticed a sizable crowd, which I was surprised to see, given my belief that Sonoma County was as liberal as North Dakota is Conservative..

There were HUNDREDS of people in attendance.. I walked a bit through the crowds and checked out some of the signs being held by those standing alongside Santa Rosa Ave. and 3rd St. Some of the signs were blasting "Taxation" and "Obamacare", others were rally cries for Republicans (or they called them "Conservatives") to "Take back the country in November".. My Personal Favorite sign was the Older more Hippie looking guy with a greying Ponytail that read "Grow Vegetables, Not Government".. That encompassed my sentiments more so than any Pro-Republican sign.. There were honks in support from many vehicles passing by, with no vocal dissenters..

I walked through the crowd which was, contrary to liberal stereotypes, fairly diverse.. There were older people, younger people, people "dressed up", young adults with facial piercings obviously "dressed down".. There were White people, Asian and Middle Eastern people, Latino and Black people.. Up on the stage, there was a Sonoma State student who decried "liberal instructors", there was a Latino business owner who gave an optimistic speech about the future of America and how the country "shall rise again".. The most impassioned AND the "Obama was born in Kenya" speech was delivered by a Black gentlemen.. He took the stage sporting a dark blue T-shirt with a USSR anchor symbol with the words "OBAMA" across the bottom.. He went in to rant about how the Democratic Party need not judge a "book by it's cover" and compared Obama, Pelosi and Reid to "Socialists".. He made a couple of references to Obama NOT being born in the U.S. and alluded to his election being "Unconstitutional".. WHOA!

The thing that I noticed though, as with other protests that I've been to, there seems to be a movement to gather the protesters into supporting ONE specific political party.. In this case it was the "Republicans".. In the Anti-War protests that I attended in 2002, it was the "Democrats".. These attempts at corralling voters into these two camps seems the most shameful to me.. The Tea Party was a grassroots movment launched by Ron Paul supporters in 2008, it was NEVER meant to be just a place to "hawk" a Republican political candidate..

Although it may not have been specifically my "cup of tea", it is ALWAYS a good thing to see American citizens exercise THEIR Constitutional rights.. The rights that most of us take for granted AND many around the World wish that they could attain.. God Bless America!

Scott Brown: Who's Victory is It?

**Today as Republican Scott Brown is sworn into the Senate seat occupied for over 3 decades by the late-Ted Kennedy.. Liberals view this is a major setback to such things as Health Care Reform, the Immigration Amnesty and other "progressive" programs. Conservatives have been glowing with their victory flag since the Election was held (and won) on January 19th.. As a former liberal now Independent, I think that both parties and their minions are missing the REAL message sent out by this victory.. Voters are fed up and want "REAL CHANGE!"

The election of Scott Brown was not necessarily a victory for the Republicans or a defeat for the Democrats as it was a defeat for the incumbent.. When Republicans gained a huge majority in the House and Senate in 2002, many swing and Independent voters wanted to see new ideas.. More fiscal conservation, low taxes and more job creation (opportunity).. Unfortunately, the Republicans, under the leadership of President George W Bush skyrocketed the National Debt and the then Republican Congress set the debt clock up by setting the $9 trillion dollar limit in 2006.. As a result of this and growing public sentiment against the Iraq War, the Democrats claimed sweeping victories in November..

In late 2007 the recession hit.. The housing and stock markets plunged, employment began creeping up and many Americans were losing confidence in the Government.. The Democrats seized the opportunity to market and sell a Junior Senator from Illinois as their candidate and Obama Mania swept the Democratic Party and in November 2008, the Nation... It seemed that the nation finally had a President that brought about the "Change.. We Can Believe in"..

Sadly, the Honeymoon was short lived as the expensive $787 Billion dollar Stimulus Package failed to generate or create the number of jobs that it was set out to do.. Financial Reform fell by the wayside as AIG continues to reward the Executives with lavish bonuses despite being bailed out by taxpayers in late 2008.. National Unemployment soared to 10% and the Dow has tethered around 10,000 for over 3 months.. Meanwhile, that National Debt that I mentioned earlier, is set at a record of $11.4 Trillion with the ceiling raised to over 14 trillion.. Not to mention the proposed Health Care Reform bill that has earned critics on both sides of the aisle..

There is no doubt that the paradigm will continue to shift in November as the Electoral map will literally look like a circus with the number of Elephants that will score victories.. The voters will speak again.. The question is: Between the pundits, politicians and national media, Will anyone be listening?

The Supremes seal the deal..

Over the past few days, many blogs and op-ed's have been lamenting the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision from Thursday that opened up the floodgates for unlimited Corporate and labor special interest sponsorship of political campaigns. The Washington Post even calls for a "Populist Revolt". While the decision may have sent shockwaves throughout the nation, to political cynics, such as myself, it was just, to quote Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall".

The decision was reached by the more Conservative Justices with the moderate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Many say that this decision has successfully shut off debate and many of the provisions of the McCain-Feingold "Campaign Finance Reform" or BCRA (The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, and that this will lead to a windfall of money landing onto to laps of those not only on the Hill in D.C. but in state houses throughout the nation. With 2010 being a HUGE mid-term election year, this Green light will no doubt impact the coming election cycle.

Corporate and union interests have dominated D.C. in unprecedented numbers over the past couple of decades. One needs to not look farther than the Health Care Reform debate and follow the cash by the pharmaceutical and insurance companies poured into both sides of the aisle. It is also no secret that many Congressional representatives and Senators become lobbyists for these industries upon exiting their seats. While many decry the decision as an "end to democracy as we know it", I'm glad to see that debate has opened up on the issue.

For years, people such as former Presidential Candidate, Ralph Nader, have attempted to bring the subject of "Corporate Personhood" into the national dialect. In the 1886case of Santa Clara county V. Southern Pacific Railroad, the Supreme Court decided what would be interpreted as granting Corporations the right to vote. That decision paved the way, in the long run for the decision that was delivered on Thursday.

While many are playing partisan politics with the decision and using it as a chance to paint those of conservative poltiical leanings as being "corporate", the fact remains that BOTH Democrats and Republicans line their pockets with special interest and yes, Corporate cash. The decision is a defeat for conservatives as the ruling also allows for labor unions to pump cash into campaign.

As we gear up for this year's election cycle, expect to see ALOT more political ads, as they are bought and paid for in even bigger record numbers. It seems that campaign spending is constantly accomplishing new monetary feats. Funny how that is when millions of Americans are unemployed, have no health insurance and many have no food to eat. The polticians are busy feeding their egos at a time when many American families cannot even feed their children.

While many view the Supreme Court decision with disdain, I believe that the decision has opened up a healthy dialogue about our political system and the funding of such. The decision was an all too telling symptom of the overall disease. Sadly, I fear that this opportunity to establish meaningful reform and discussion will be overshadowed by partisan bickering and political posturing.