The Tea Party Two gathering in Post Falls last night drew close to 700 concerned citizens, even though the time conflicted with Car d’Alane. The tone was more serious than at the first rally back on Tax Day. This one underscored how genuinely worried folks are about the direction of our country. It was informative. It was thoughtful. And it was a serious call to action. There were 10 committees established for people to sign up, learn more, follow the news and lead the way for North Idaho and the country. The web site for the local, ongoing Tea Party/We the People effort is: http://IdahoTEA.org
Cheers to those who spent so much time and money to organize this event! (free food, beverages, music, park, etc.)
Any comments, ideas or questions? Here are three photos from last night. (click “more” to see the last two)
Tea Party Two, Post Falls, June 12, 2009,
Ron Nilson
Brent Reagan
Mary: Was your favorite stalker there? Taking pictures? Looking gloomy?
Comment by Dan — June 13, 2009 @ 9:36 am
No sign of anyone taking photos of attendees in a probable effort to intimidate them, like at the last rally. The crowd last night was very pleasant but seriously concerned, and included a surprising number of 20-30 year olds as well as teens too. These folks want to DO something to save our rights!
Comment by mary — June 13, 2009 @ 9:44 am
One of the more moving moments was when all the military veterans were asked to stand and be recognized, and the speaker then asked the non-veterans in the crowd to walk around and thank the veterans who were standing. While not every veteran advertises her or his service and certainly doesn’t expect public thanks, it was a very thoughtful expression of appreciation.
Comment by Bill — June 13, 2009 @ 11:23 am
One of the more humorous moments was when Gary Ingram rolled up in his antique car. A lady near me wondered if that was someone from the local FBI office in one of its new undercover cars.
Comment by Bill — June 13, 2009 @ 11:27 am
I agree, Bill, when the veterans were honored it was very moving. All the veterans were asked to stand up, which many of them did reluctantly. Then the crowd was given time to approach the veterans, shake their hands and thank them for their service. You could tell the vets did not expect it and were modest, but seemed quite pleased with the appreciation.
Comment by mary — June 13, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
An evening gathering was better than a midday event. Still, being on a Friday night competing with the signature Car show was not the best timing. This was also not a co-ordinated nationwide Tea Party affair. I think such independent local support gatherings should identify themselves as something other than a ‘tea party’. Perhaps a name like Tea Party North Idaho distinctly identifying the event is in order (for example). The idea is to not confuse a separate local gathering with the national Tea Party movement. Somewhat like the delegates to a national political convention each geographical region needs its own identity. Have the next gathering of our local tea-folk on a Saturday.
Hows about a name our local group contest? Dan?
Comment by Wallypog — June 14, 2009 @ 6:28 am
Wallypog,
The gathering’s organizers have a website, Tea Party Patriots of North Idaho. It includes a Contact section where interested citizens can provide input and suggestions. At Friday night’s gathering the organizers said they are eager for constructive input. They have formed several committees that will facilitate citizen involvement.
OpenCdA.com had a table at Friday night’s event, and we’ll continue to report on the group’s activities. I think we have to be a little careful, though, to not be like some Coeur d’Alene City council members who contribute little but like to claim credit by riding on the coattails of others who do the hard work.
Comment by Bill — June 14, 2009 @ 7:42 am
I find it curious that while there are many similar issues on both the national and local stage, that some associated with the tea party events avoid local issues. The local issues are where “fixing the country” needs to start. You can’t fix the world until you’ve fixed your own backyard.
Comment by Dan — June 14, 2009 @ 9:50 am
Bill……. Thanks for the link. I think it should be moved out front and perhaps added to this site as a permanent link feature. They too should link to this site.
Comment by Wallypog — June 14, 2009 @ 10:29 am
Hey guys, the link to the IdahoTea.org website IS in my original post! Maybe we need more contrasting colors for links so they stand out more. (the website is also visible in the above photo of Ron Nilson speaking, which is one of the reasons I didn’t cut the size of the photo down)
Bill, to your point about the organizers, you are right that they deserve great kudos for the tremendous amount of work to pull this type of event together. Leslie and Phil Damiano, along with Ron Nilson, planned the event. Lorna and Paul Finman supplied a great portion of the financial support and many, many other volunteers helped to make the evening work. Thanks to them all!
Comment by mary — June 14, 2009 @ 10:44 am
Bill, isn’t there anything that you like about our local gov’t? Or any of CDA’s leaders? I know that there is this perception by some that:Idaho is a hick state and most of our towns leaders have an outlaw attitude and our local gov’t is being run with ‘wild west’rules.
Comment by kageman — June 14, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
Kageman,
Sure. The City is fortunate to have Jon Ingalls as its de facto City Administrator while Wendy Gabriel is paid too much money to be little more than the Mayor’s political action officer. I think Jon Ingalls has forgotten more about public administration and leadership than Wendy Gabriel will ever know.
I think Sid Fredrickson has done a masterful job keeping the city’s wastewater treatment system performing well. I think Tim Martin and the Street Department does a good job keeping the snow cleared and the streets drivable.
While I’m willing to praise them and their subordinates, I hesitate to identify the several subordinate employees in other departments who are far more competent and in some cases more honest than their overpaid bosses. As Mary has pointed out, there does exist a culture of intimidation at City Hall.
Answer this, Kageman: If there is a perception that our local government is being run with ‘wild west’ rules, who holds that perception and how did they acquire it? If you believe that characterization is unfair, why?
I am one of those who believes that some of our town’s officials (I refuse to call most of them “leaders”) have an outlaw attitude if by that you mean they believe the laws and ordinances can be applied selectively and preferentially. In some city offices cutting legal corners is acceptable behavior. Maybe that’s because it is the only way they know to get things done, or maybe they’re just lazy. While some may consider the laws to be cumbersome, the fact is that evading or breaking the laws and ordinances, even allegedly in the name of progress, undermines the public’s trust in its hired help, our elected and appointed officials.
Comment by Bill — June 14, 2009 @ 2:06 pm