Here is Nancy Pelosi’s take on the Tea Party thing.I wonder if that was funded by George Soros. I wonder if the family below falls into the 95% of people getting a tax cut.
Click to enlarge pics. There has been excellent coverage of Lansing so I decided to show just a few more pictures and give a synopsis of the rest of my tax day.
Joan the organizer of Lansing 
After Lansing I went to Jackson which had their party “Under the Oaks” which is the birthplace of the Republican Party. As I drove around looking for the address I was reminded of Muskegon my hometown. Specifically of my 6th Precinct Ward #2 in the City of. Both were once the jewel of the city and now are run down and mostly slummy and mostly rental houses. Same groups of kids (different names) wandering the streets with nothing to do.
A group of Republicans bought the old house and tore it down and with the City of Jackson made a small park out of it with a couple of benches, a couple of Boulders, and a couple of Historical markers. The markers tell the story of how in 1850 Rev. Gustavius Foster gave a sermon demanding that people should disregard the law. The law was the one stating it was illegal to help in any way runaway slaves. Charles Delang the editor of the Jackson American Citizen printed the transcript. This started a public debate which caught the attention of the nation. He became a leader in the anti slavery movement and also the organizing secretary for the beginning of the Republican Party, right on the spot I was standing taking the pics below. The first pic is as I was leaving 1/2 hour before the event and people were starting to show up. Next two are of the historical markers. The other side of the big marker explained about the editor and the sermon but the pic didn't turn out.
I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting on the bench behind the Markers. H was busy going through his garbage bag of the stuff he picked up that day. Pop and beer cans mostly but some other stuff as well. We just passed the time. Next I went to find something to eat and found a nice little restaurant that reminded me again of Muskegon’s own Mia and Grace, but instead of going the high end route, Max’s café (?) went into huge plate full sandwhiches such as the deliciously messy huge pulled pork I ordered and the large bowl of bean soup with homemade bread along with a large Iced tea under $10. The store was right downtown and just a few blocks (walking distance) from “Under the Oaks”. It was also a couple doors down from the Democrat HQ.
It was getting late and they were getting ready to close. I was the only customer and Max was one of those staunch independent voters that probably voted Democrat in the last 4 election cycles if not always, I’m sure. Regardless we got along well and had a good talk. The Democrat HQ was just 2 doors down. Again the similarities abound. In Muskegon I live a couple blocks from the Democrat HQ downtown. Max said it was ironic (without my prompting) that the Republicans started in Jackson downtown, but now has their HQ out in the burbs.He seemed to think the Republicans have lost their foothold in the City.
This picture is identical to Muskegon. This guy also was a perfect candidate to become a Republican being a business owner and interested in politics and helping his community. As I left we both were doing some thinking. At least I was.
I drove back the the Oaks and talked with some people then snapped a couple pics and took off for Brighton. I had to leave before the start of the Jackson Tea Party, in order to make the hour drive to Brighton to go to the Livingston County Lincoln Day Dinner. I was hoping that I could get a feel for the event before it started. When I returned from lunch to sit “Under the Oaks”, there were only two other people. It was 4:30. Then slowly people started to show up. I met the organizer and some others. I also found out they also had had another Party at noon at Rives Junction. A man and his wife had it in front of their house. I was told 50-75 showed up for that. I forgot to ask if there lawn was astroturfed.
By 5:30 the crowd was getting bigger about 50 and I decided I had better leave. As I started to drive off I could see cars parking on the side streets and there were people walking towards the Oaks. My estimate would be at least 100. If I find out I’ll let you know.
I left and on my way, I ran out of gas just out of Brighton. Luckily it was a short walk to get gas but it threw my timing off and I arrived almost ½ hour late. I had to change into my finery in the rest room and barge in late.
I was sorry that I missed Norm Shinkle and others give their speeches. I did however hear Mike Rogers and Pete Hoekstra talk. The dinner by the way was well done. The people in Livingston County were as warm as ever. I really do like that bunch. I’m sorry the pics didn’t turn out well. By that time I was pretty shot. I had been working on the Tea Party thing since 4am it was a long day.
Pics below, Audience, Pete, Audience, Mike Rogers, Audience.
Through listening to the speeches, I gained some insight and appreciation of Mike Rogers whom I never really had looked at in the past. He and Pete seem like a good team in the US House. Both are on the Intel committee. My main impression of Pete’s speech was that he had caught some of the Tea Party energy.
Pete had been to the Lansing one when I was there. Pete’s talk centered around his efforts in the past during the Republican Revolution with Newt and the Contract with America. The Young Turk in him was showing in his speech that night. It was good to see. He mentioned the 5,000 people in Lansing and there were some in the audience I had seen in Lansing there pic. is above. Like I say, I like the Livingston crowd. A bit feisty they are.
I sensed a change in the tenor of Pete’s speech. It was more critical of what is going on. His criticisms were also of his own party which I found enlightening. Some of the Young Turk again was coming out. He talked about what he was intimate with, about that which he had the facts and the desire. As past chair and ranking member of the Intel committee he had a lot of heartfelt and experience born criticism of the way our foreign policy was headed. Pete railed against the notion that the administration has downgraded the War on Terror to an “overseas contingency situation”. He talked of how he felt going to the parents of a killed soldier and offering condolences.
“Overseas contingency situation” my ass, my words, not his.
He was also incensed over the use by the administration of their new term “man-made disaster” when referring to Terrorist Attacks. This then led into a definition of what the difference was between the Republicans and the Democrats. I was glad to see he thought that was worthy of saying in his run for Governor. I was happy to see a statement of conservative, principles stated so unapologetically. His plan for change was reminiscent of the Republican Revolution. Starve the government, pull their teeth by cutting taxes, and cutting the regulations on free people and enterprise. At one point he put principle above politics by saying (and I believe meaning) that we need a governor (and that it didn’t have to be him), that believed in the conservative principles of lower taxes, less regulation and more freedom. I started to think of Engler.
I'm adding this botched movie clip, it's short but you will see something that not even Right Michigan will publish. If you pause you will see Nick from Right Michigan taking my picture. lol.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
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