Update: Denver Tax Day Tea Party:April 15th, 2009

I hosted the planning meeting for the second tea party at my house and spent hours making the CD of music that was played during the hours leading up to the party. My four youngest children decided to attend with me and we had a great time in Denver on Tax Day. Looking forward to the July 4th tea party!

Here is an overview shot of the Denver Crowd….DON’T tread on me!
Here is my original post which covers highlights from the first Denver Tea Party in February, where I was able to sing the national anthem and was the first to speak on Going John Galt.

Denver Tea Party on Tax Day! April 15th, 2009 at High Noon!
Freedom Lovers from all over Colorado will gather to Protest President Obamas Economic Policies! West Steps of the Capitol from noon to 1:30 PM – BE THERE!
Facebook Page for Denver Tax Day Tea Party
Tax Day Tea Party Page
I Bought a couple of these bumper stickers from Zazzle
And this t-shirt for the Tea Party!

Denver Tea Party You Tube Version
Our event yesterday was the most well attended rally I have ever personally been to in all of my years of conservative activism.
I was thrilled to be able to sing the National Anthem while my son Benjamin held up the american flag.
The whole crowd joined in singing both before and after we began. To test the sound system I sang My Country Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, and This land is your land and everyone sang along.
Then we had a welcome from Brian T Campbell Candidate to US House CD7, and he led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. We all sang the National Anthem and then I was able to speak.
My message revolved around “Shrugging” ala Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Some call this “Going John Galt” and I suggested to the group that we could all do three things to shrug as the government poises itself to rob us of our money.
1. Take personal responsibility for our own health.
2. Produce as much of our own food as is possible.
3. Barter/Trade with family, friends, and neighbors for basic services and goods to keep the sticky paws of government out of our business.
I finished up my remarks with a couple of good references to the founding fathers, activism, and the fact that my husband and I did not bring our children into the world to belong to the world collective. We gave them life to enable them to pursue their own happiness. And I said the parasitic Marxist Moonbats in Washington have no business robbing we the people of the fruits of our labors.
Some are claiming that I read from the book Atlas Shrugged as I made my remarks. I related a brief biography of Ayn, then gave a quick overview of the themes and story of Atlas Shrugged from memory. I have read the book nine times (the first time was when I was a senior in high school in 1986). Then I gave my speech, again, using no notes. Some of us don’t have to use a teleprompter when we give a political speech.

One True Media Version
The Denver Tea Party thread at Facebook has all of the information about our event.
Free Republic Thread on this post!

Kendall Helmstetter Gelner pictures on Flickr
Three ways to go John Galt! More on Going Galt by SHRUGGING found in this blog post.
Go Here.

Brian T. Campbell with Jon Caldera in the background.

During my remarks I asked the crowd who they were. In this picture I had asked how many of them were republicans. They were the most of the group. But we also had Democrats, Libertarians, and Constitutionalists attend the rally. I also asked if we had any Sarah Palin fans in the crowd and we all gave her a lipstick salute! Palin for President in 2012!
More Links:
Colorado Independent Story announcing the Denver Tea Party
Colorado Independent Story covering the Denver Tea Party
Free Republic Thread on that story
I googled “Denver Tea Party” and found several bloggers who attended our event and took pictures and wrote blog entries on it. Here are a few of them.
Peoples Press Collective
Slapstick Politics
Brad Crooks Flickr Photos
Holy Hell Blog
Slide Show on Flickr
Peenie Wallie
Face The State is planning a Denver Capitol Rally on March 1st
Click on the link below if you would like to learn more:
Face the State
Original Post on how to more effectively demonstrate as Conservatives
I’m really excited about the Tea Party Revolution that is happening all over the country in response to President Obamas Porkulus Economic Bill and Mortgage Bailout.
This is exactly the sort of activism that needs to happen to get the message out that half the country is balking at the redistribution of wealth that is taking place in our country.
Last week as the president signed Porkulus a protest took place on the steps of the capitol in Denver. This event was organized by some of the best rally organizers in the state, and should be a model for other rallies around the country. The most important factor in the success of the rally was a willingness on the part of the organizers to take pictures and video and post it on the internet as After Action Reports. This is crucial as the media does not do a good job of covering these events.

Denver Anti-Stimulus Rally and Pig Roast IV
Some great tips for those planning events around the country:
1. Get the word out on Talk Radio and prepare a Press Release for all of your local media. Have a flyer prepared with your talking points and goals for your event clearly outlined, as well as contact information for all of the organizers.
2. Use the days leading up to the Tea Party to prepare effective signs (Some of the best are found at Peoples Cube) Home made signs are great as well and don’t forget to bring your America Flag. It is the best “sign” of all.
3. Keep your event short, an hour or less and do it at lunchtime at your state capitol or a large city close to a population center. This way attendees can come on the lunch hour. Keep speakers to a minimum and give each five minutes or less to make a speech.
4. Begin each rally with someone singing the National Anthem and leading the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
5. Give the local press a specific time, generally fifteen minutes at the end of the rally, for a Press Conference where those who have organized and spoken will be available for interview.
Be prepared with a few talking points, flyers, business cards etc so reporters can do follow up interviews. Don’t be surprised if the press interviews and then does little or no reporting on your event. Hold them accountable by getting the name of the reporter, a picture or video of them interviewing you and/or the name of the editor of the piece and then make a follow up call or email asking them to publish the interview.
I was interviewed by a Daily Camera video reporter intern during an Anti War rally and the editor in charge of the video online at first told me that no one from Boulder had been at the rally. When I sent her a picture of him interviewing me she finally admitted that “yup, he was the intern they had sent to the rally”.

I like to stand on the UN Flag when I am demonstrating. I also think it is effective to hold Rallys outside of Media Establishments, which is why I have organized several events right outside of our local papers building. I sent press releases to the Daily Camera before and after a september 2007 Fight for Victory rally in Boulder.

They did not bother to send a reporter to our event, but I believe it is important to use these visual images to hold them accountable. You don’t need a large amount of people to have a sucessful event. We used the time to write out words of encouragement to our troops. A few of those who attended this event were parents of troops serving and we used the time to get aquainted and share stories. As the organizer I led the group in prayer, the star spangled banner, and we all said the Pledge together. This was one of my favorite rallies. Short, sweet, and a chance to meet some wonderful people.
After the Gathering of Eagles event in Denver an activist friend and I held a bake sale to raise some money for a Daily Camera Intern who interviewed us for his video but did not even bother to mention that we were there counter protesting. His editor told me that the Camera did not have the “time or resources” to provide balanced media coverage. So we earned $23.00 for him selling cookies to help him out. When he did not respond to my emails offering him the money to help him be more balanced in the media, I told him I would use the money to buy him some Halliburton Stock.

Google Video of our bake Sale
I have been interviewed literally dozens of times by local media at the many rallies, demos, and conservative events I have attended. Only a handful of these interviews ever made it into the local press. It is why I believe the most important thing you can bring with you to an event is a video camera to take your own footage.
At the million mom march event in Denver back in 2000 I brought my young children with me and we counter demonstrated with signs that said “I am a Mom 4 guns!” At the last minute as we were preparing to leave our home, I decided to grab my huge old fashioned video recorder. At a crucial moment during the rally I pulled it out of my stroller and started filming the activity. I believe this helped to diffuse some of the energy of certain activists who looked like they were about to become violent. Cameras have a cooling effect on potential criminals.
6. Have fun, smile, and enjoy getting together with fellow activists. A little bit of righteous anger is not a misplaced thing, but overall the feeling of your event should be upbeat. Don’t be shy about inviting local politicians to come speak at your event, and make certain that as organizer you investigate all local laws regarding licenses and event planning. Most cities have people assigned specifically to the task of coordinating events in public places. With the current emotion tied to the Stimulus bill, your biggest issue may be too many people attending your event and potential problems with parking, etc…
Good Luck as you use your Constitutionally Endorsed right to organize and protest the government.

Jenny Hatch

The Natural Family Blog
Healthy Families Make A Healthy World!
The Natural Family Company
Right.org Say NO to bailouts!

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