What does the Tea Party movement have in common with Alcoholics Anonymous, Apache Indians, Apache Server Software, Wikipedia, Napster, and Craigslist?  They all represent the unstoppable power of leaderless organizations.

The Starfish and The Spider

Starfish and Spiders
In a matter of 10 months tea party activists, or more generally conservative activists, have amassed a rapidly growing powerful organization poised to take down the two largest political parties and not even realize it themselves. They represent the power of a decentralized starfish organization. The power of decentralized organizations is chronicled in The Starfish and the Spider The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom. The political parties represent spider organizations that need a leadership to direct them.

In The Starfish and the Spider you can read how Napster and its followers like Kazaa, eMule and iTunes removed the centralized power the record label companies like MGM had over music. They did it without warning and in light speed time. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is another decentralized example that continues today. AA meetings run on their own without the need for a central head. Unlike the Incas and the Aztecs, the Apache Indians were able to resist the Spanish because there was no centralized head to cut off.

Tea party activists can learn a great deal about themselves in The Starfish and the Spider book. For example starfish organizations sneak up on you unexpectedly. This has evidence with the push back of health insurance legislation in August 2009 and the July 2009 behind singeing given to Republicans who voted for Cap and Trade and thus placing that legislation in limbo.

Identifying a Starfish Organization
Brafman and Beckstom give us a list of questions to identify a starfish organization. We can apply them to the current conservative citizen activist movement:

1. Is there a person in charge? No
2. Are there headquarters? No. Groups meet in homes, church halls, factory conference rooms, restaurants and just about anywhere.
3. If you thump it on the head, will it die? Thump, heck tea party activists are stomped, kicked, beaten and sassed but still grow in numbers.
4. Is there a clear division of roles? Anyone in a tea party group can perform any task and often do.
5. If you take out a unit, is it harmed? No. Even internal squabbles have resulted in more units.
6. Are knowledge and power concentrated or distributed? If anything the efforts to centralize power keep failing. Knowledge to take action is possessed by each  member. They do take action and often. This can explain why you are seeing social media filling with conservative messages.
7. Can you count the participants? No. Only centralized organizations can do this. The unknown factor of numbers in the conservative movement has all elected officials shaking. If there is any measurement it is the conservative media growth: TV, radio and books. They are exploding.
8. Is the organization flexible or rigid? Tea party groups come and go and overlap. They are morphing from protest and information groups into political action groups.
9. Are they self funding or get money from a central pool? Self funding to the point many out of pocket expenses are born by individuals and not even shared with the group members.
10. Do working groups communicate directly or through intermediaries? Information flows in all directions. No need for the top down to provide the information to act unlike Organizing for America.

Ori Brafman Relates Cortez Aztecs and Apaches To Starfish and the Spider

The Starfish Template
Brafman and Beckstom provide a template for the starfish organization. This template will help you understand how we got this far.

1. Circles. We use the term cells for terrorist groups like Al Qaeda. A circle is really a cell. In a circle all members are equals. Generally circles of 14 or less and that meet in person have the strongest bonds. Internet based circles are less strong such as eBay users sharing ratings.
2. Catalyst. This is the motivational leader. It is the iron that causes hydrogen and nitrogen to form ammonia. Not really sure who we could single out in the conservative movement. However Beck and Limbaugh are possible names. It may well be Brafman and Beckstom have missed but implied that there can be more than one catalyst combining to get the results. Catalysts to starfish organizations generally fade into the background and are not the leaders. Often they are not credited with final result.
3. Ideology. This is the glue that binds the circles together. AA believes other alcoholics can help one another. This represents a strong bonding ideology. Free sharing of music is the ideology that challenged the music industry and represents a weak bond. Do not expect folks would not back you up if you got caught doing it illegally. For conservatives the ideology of freedom, smaller government and the strength in the individual having liberty is a strong glue. The patriotism is powerful and why circles routinely start with a Pledge of Allegiance with the under God part emphasized.
4. Pre-existing Network. The Quakers were critical to how Bill Wilson grew the AA. Tea party groups from what I see so far are building their own networks. They used existing networks to start slowly binding them together. This is an area that can be improved and the Social Media can help [See Social Media Is Freedom’s New Voice] .
5. Champion. Slavery had Thomas Clarkson. The conservative champion is yet to arise. It was Ronald Regan. It is not Newt Gingrich or John McCain. They are part of the disconnected centralized political organizations. It is not Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh. They are more catalysts. It might be Sara Palin. She did remove herself from a central organization. It will need to be someone from an unexpected background who connects like Regan. It may not occur in 2010.

The Sweet Spot
The balance between decentralized starfish and centralized spider is called the sweet spot in The Starfish and the Spider. Toyota for example has a central organization, but uses decentralization on the factory floors. This is a factor cited for higher quality products and better worker discipline. The factory floor became circles where each member performed as peers. Nothing like those peers to keep you focused.

The Sweet Spot of For Conservatives
Will conservative tea party circles remain as a pure starfish movement? The answer could be the high story for 2010. For conservatives the sweet spot is still in flux. It may well turn out that the Republican party is overhauled and becomes the spider. That is already happening as tea party circles are already looking to Republican primaries. This includes conservative candidates as Republicans. We also see the message changing to conservative with incumbent Republicans who are often called RINOs. It may be too late for them. A third organization like GOOOH [See To GOOOH or not to GOOOH: That is the Question] or one not yet invented could become the spider. Perhaps the sweet spot is already reached as a highly decentralized movement and no centralized unit.

Liberal Authors
I digress but I need to mention that the authors, Brafman and Beckstromm, exhibit a strongly liberal bent with the usual liberal ignorance such as not knowing that FDR’s centralized policies prolonged the Great Depression and contributed to the destruction of lives for years longer than necessary (see page 39). Even contradicting themselves in making a comparison of today’s centralized Federal Government and Katrina as a failure yet believing the proven incorrectly written history of New Deal being a success. With the FDR reference, Brafman and Beckstromm revisit the comparison of how progressives prolong economic down cycles as you are now living through.

As well the positive light they depict Aztecs runs contrary to the book. The Aztecs were a highly centralized government as argued in The Starfish and the Spider. Aztec good works of temples, pyramids, roads and so on were at the expense of bloody barbaric ritual: public murders of its inhabitants. Cortez’s actions may not be praised, but he did end this hell for humans lauded as an “advanced civilization”. Brafman and Beckstromm clearly exhibit liberal communist indoctrination symptoms many suffer from during their collegiate years and need some serious deprogramming. Tyrants are evil; its that simple. However conservatives can learn from liberals as we are fighting them and the communist vulnerabilities they exude.

Required Reading For Fighting Communism
The Starfish and the Spider provides a key tool to understanding the evolution of the new conservative movement and tea party activism. It also provides the knowledge on how to combat and take down organizations based on their starfish or spider characteristics. The Apache Indians’ starfish organization eventually succumbed to the infusion of elements that made them adopt their own centralized spider organization. This lead to their demise from within and eventual subjugation.

Communists at one time were seen by Americans as a spider in the USSR. A highly centralized organization with some of its fatal foibles mentioned in The Starfish and the Spider. The USSR fell as communism is destined to do. Communism regrouped as a world wide starfish and grew within its opposition just about everywhere including within the US. The UN may represent the emerging spider for communism and together may be the dangerous sweet spot awesomely poised to eradicate the only known freedom for individuals known to civilization.  Thus for conservatives that wish to develop strategies against communists, this is a required reading assignment.

Chants for “Kill the Bill” and Nancy! Nancy! from thousands standing in line to enter the US House of Representative  Cannon Building echo in the streets. Similar lines occurred at the  Longworth and Rayburn office building on November 5, 2009 following a rally outside Capitol.

Kill The Bill Chants From Protesters In Line for House Cannon Office Building

Protesters orderly and vocal waited patiently to enter the building. Security was tight but very efficient at processing everyone. Still it took 2 hours to get most into the building.

Kill The Bill! Kill The Bill!
When “suits” exited the Cannon building, protesters in line began chanting “Kill The Bill” regardless of who might be in the suits. They wanted desperately to communicate with law makers who were scarce.

Nancy! Nancy! Nancy!
In between the chit chat among the line waiters, chants of Nancy! Nancy! referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She is supposed to have offices in the Cannon building. However everyone in line was convinced she had isolated herself from robust feedback from the country with hoisting ill conceived bills on us. Some from South Jersey reported they did get into her office, signed their names and added the message “Kill The Bill”.

Security and Other Staff Report House Calls Unprecedented
Most who I talked to from security to staff said they have never seen anything like this in DC. You can see in the video the Longworth building balcony caught white shirted workers looking down at the event. That focused attention on the windows of the Longworth building and we noticed heads bob in and out and many windows were opened. We guessed they were opened because the building was too hot. But gee we are asked to cut our energy and they have the audacity to allow heat to escape. I give credit to security to their efficiency of processing everyone expeditiously and politely at the Cannon building entrance.

Watch The Kill The Bill And Nancy Nancy! Chants

10.2% Unemployment Predicts How Health Bill Will Fail
Democrats were tallying the jobless while the protesters were in line. Today the number 10.2% is out and if you ran out of unemployment benefits or are an independent contractor out of work you are not in that number. The Democrat gigantic, biggest in history and more than combined spending of previous Congress’s, jobs stimulus bill has failed. Democrat representatives have had to come up with open lies to support its colossal failure . [See Rush Holt 3 Lies About $787 Billion Stimulus] [Just received news alert from visitors at Holt's office in DC 11/5. Audience questions had him RED FACED! This is because he is fronting the lies on stimulus and being in an indefensible position he had to stomp off mad and angry. See Democrats what your life is going to be like for years to come.]

Pelosi Has Democrats on Suicide Mission
Democrats are loaded down with failed Pelosi leadership and forced failing legislation. Pelosi has Democrats cornered in a suicide mission to vote on Saturday November 7th on another colossal failure; a gigantic untried experiment on the Nation’s health care system impacting everybody.  Designed so that when it fails like bankruptcies of gigantic experiments Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and sub prime lending through Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, everyone gets hurt badly. This will include a loss of jobs starting with those fine people with families who work for insurance companies offering medical insurance. Get resumes out as your next job is with the Government.

Fox You Were Late!
To my surprise on leaving the building the line had dwindled to a few hundred and then Fox news reporter Griff Jenkins finally discovered the big news item happening outside of House office buildings. Griff Jenkins had gotten popular with the first few Tea Party express bus stops reported for Greta Van Susteren. However in my opinion he went down hill after those missing the points and the individual stories of the people for the rest of the tour. However people still love him.

Fox needs to embed reporters into the folks who get up at 3 am to get to DC or travel the previous day to find the good stories  or hire me to do it with a good camera crew rather than my dinky Panasonic that is seeing more that the main media big ones. An ABC news reporter was on our bus down getting first hand accounts I am sure ABC will twist against us if they bother at all.

Modern Minute Men
Police estimated between 50,000 to 75,000 at the Capitol Building. Everyone was called to action within 72 hours of the event. Even Pelosi is not giving 72 hours to read her bound to fail big time health bill. Most people traveled 4 to 12 hours one way to attend. They were from Florida, Illinois, Washington State, New Jersey, Virginia, Minnesota and Ohio. Some got on planes, some on trains even Amtrak, some by car, some by two day bus rides. [See Don’t Make Us Come Back: Tea Party Minutemen To Washington DC.]

Just Try Us Democrats!

Do Not Make Us Come Back
I would not want this energy against me if I held a nice cushy House seat. The arsenal of protest exercised is only at level one now. This is the people’s right to speech aimed to steer you in the correct direction. What other rights will they need to deploy to persuade you that your are voting for another colossal failure? Take real heed of these warnings Democrats. You do not want to us come back.

GOP is growing perhaps reluctantly to accept the conservative activist movement manifested in the Tea Parties. At a Chris Christie ralley on November 1, 2009 , Congressman  Rodney Frelinghuysen thanked the Tea Party movement for their support.

Rodney Frelinghuysen Holding 1990 page Pelosi Health Care Bill

The ralley was the end of the 21 country tour Chris Christie has laid out for the end of his campaign and held on the Morristown Center Green a plce where over 10,000 people have attended The Morristown Tea Party events since April 15th this year. The latest was just the day before.

The conservative activist movement this year has given strength and support for exposing and opposing the current Congress moves to expand government to unprecedented levels. GOP is virtually powerless in Congress  without an active citizen movement.

Even large lobby groups for industries have one by one been  lured in to support these government expansions with the promises of the basic stuff called money and to some extent the appearance of no Whitehouse reprisals. However on the latter point they are seeing how fast the Whitehouse and certain members of Congress can turn on them if they step out of line. Something you see in dictatorships and communist countries.

Recognizing the independents from both major parties behind Chris Christie, Rodey reached  out with gratitude returned by applause.

“There are a lot of people who support the Tea Party movement. And we want to thank the Tea Party movement.”

Well we are not done yet and all politicians need to get used to us.

GOP Sees Value Of NJ Election For Washington
Rodey brought the new Pelosi Health Care bill to stage. The photo for this story shows the marveling faces of Rodney and the other Christie supporters on stage. Rodney tied the New Jersey voting on Tuesday to a message for Washington DC

“On November 3rd, you have an opportunity to send a message  not only to Trenton  but to the Whitehouse – your not going to take it anymore!”

This is evidence that the GOP is looking for all political momentum to form their battle strength in DC. Conservatives of course are daily taking action from homes, their computers, in the streets, in meetings with elected officials and even running for office from school boards to State legislatures around the country.

The New Jersey Tea Party movement has evolved to the ultimate political action of grassroots citizen candidates running for office.

Barry Funt Tea Party Candidate for NJ Assembly District 27 www.funtforassembly.org

Probably the first of a trend in candidates nationwide, New Jersey has spawned over 40 first time like minded citizen candidates for the 2009 State Assembly elections.

The candidates have grouped  together as the Citizens for Assembly.

Barry Funt, speaking without a  teleprompter at The Morristown Tea Party School Choice event on September 30, 2009, said “No one is a professional politician in this group. We work for a living. Some are … semi-retired.

Barry is a newcomer to politics.  He attended the event for his own interest and was asked to speak after being recognized in the audience. He identifies himself with the Tea Party audience and sees himself as a citizen moved to becoming a candidate for office.

“I’ve never been involved with politics before. I am a Tea Party person just like you guys. I’ve been stirred to action like all you have. I am sure some of you before this tea party movement started – its the first time you ever got out of your chair, couch – I’m that person”

Tea Party activism is only a part of the New Jersey citizen movement. Barry points out, “through out this State people are standing up.” He finds people in communities are taking citizen action on issues of jobs, education and violence outside of the Tea Party movement.

“There are other citizens movements that are happening in urban centers. I go to Newark – Stop the Violence Rallies – there are people taken to the streets who are demanding a better life and to end the violence. … I think these are tea party people in a different name …”

The new grassroots citizen NJ Assembly candidates have adopted a citizen friendly agreement of 10 issues permeating the community movements. The agreement is called the Common Sense Pledge. Read the full story at Common Sense Pledge A Citizen Friendly Contract for NJ. The Citizens For Assembly plus other candidates have the needed seats to implement all of these once in office. All NJ Gubernatorial candidates need to take notice, the next Tea Party may be in the NJ Assembly.

New Jersey State Assembly 2009 candidates have adopted a Common Sense Pledge that outlines a citizen friendly contract for NJ.

Citizens For Assembly In NJ Common Sense Pledge

Announced at the NJ State House on September 30, 2009, the Common Sense Pledge has the trappings of the 1994 Contract for America. Both were announced only a few weeks before the election. The 1994 Contract for America only 6 weeks and the Common Sense pledge just about 5 weeks.

Both also represent the unusual coalition of campaign platform points. The Contract for America was the first time since 1918 a US Congressional election was run on a national level. The Common Sense Pledge unites NJ Assembly candidates at a statewide level. Common Sense Pledge candidates are running under the banner Citizens for Assembly. The Common Sense Pledge elevates state wide government issues above local issues. Local issues have dominated the NJ legislature and resulted in corruption and mismanagement of State funds to the point of fiscal bankruptcy for a decade.

Different from the Contract for America, candidates pledging support for the Common Sense pledge do not need to have a particular allegiance to a political party. Although most candidates are Republican, independents have joined as well. This calls into question the impact on the NJ Gubernatorial candidates. The planks for the Common Sense pledge are grounded in grass roots sentiments that emerged in 2009 at tea party rallies, town hall meetings and other citizen activism events. The appeal ranges from conservatives through to moderates and independents. The latter often voting for such ideas only to find they do not see them implemented. The elected governor will need to contend with citizens and the Common Sense Pledge legislation.

The Common Sense Pledge

The Common Sense Pledge does not apply any particular NJ Assembly District.

Barry Funt Outlines the Common Sense Pledge

The points are targeted at issues cutting across NJ State districts.

1. True property tax reform: End unfunded state mandates and reform the system that causes excessive reliance on property taxes.
2. Cut taxes and red tape: Promote private sector job growth by changing the climate that has forced citizens and businesses to flee our state.
3. Eliminate undue influence: Expand and enforce pay-to-play rules and conflicts of interest law to include special interest groups that take taxpayer dollars.
4. Zero tolerance for abuse of power: End the culture of corruption by stiffening penalties for violators of the public trust.
5. Free choice for affordable healthcare: Reduce state mandates and promote individual choice and competition.
6. Pension reform: New Jersey’s public pension system has been abused and is broken. Make the system simple and fair for workers and taxpayers alike.
7. Citizen Checks and Balances: Require voter approval for future state and agency debt issuances.
8. Election competition: Restore competitive elections by ending campaign laundering (“wheeling”) to encourage regular citizens to run for office.
9. Choice in education: Improve quality and reduce costs by introducing competition.
10. Stop the violence: Government’s primary responsibility is to protect the public. We pledge to devote the necessary resources to end violence in our communities.

The Times Tribune reporter Borys Krawczeniuk September 11, 2009 characterizations of Nurse Laureen Cummings 9/10 Tea Party Express speech heard by over 1,000 people at the Lackawanna County Court House and Veterans Memorial Plaza where contradicted by video tape.

Over 1000 attend to hear Nurse Laureen Cummings

Borys hides Laureen Cummings address to crowd about respect for the Office of the President by injecting the crowd comments spurred by President Obama’s Health Care speech impugning those who disagree. Tapes reveal her statements of respect.

Borys, when Nurse Cummings explained to the audience that without a living will it is assumed in the medical field that you want every effort to save your life, stretched her statement to assume she was talking about the President’s view on living wills as something to allow people to die. He did not attempt to clarify with Nurse Cummings before making his assumption and the tape proves she did not mention the President.

Borys Krawczeniuk in a story on September 11, 2009  ignored Laureen Cummings clear message to Tea Party newbies that respectful patriotic opposition deserves respectful responses.

Laureen Cummings of Old Forge Quoted By Borys Krawczeniuk

The  Borys quote of Cummings “Why would a president do this to the American people?”, at time point 1:32 in video below, left an unreferenced adjective ‘this’  not handled. The reader has no idea what ‘this’ means.  Rewind the tape below to 1:13 and you learn what ‘this’ means. Laureen preceded the Borys quote with “And the President had his speech last night. And he decided to call out Sarah Palin, Republicans and us, the American People.” Then she says “Why would a president do this to the American people?”

Borys focused on frustrated crowd members outbursts while discussing Laureen’s presentation. Crowd members were overwhelmingly newbies to protests as shown by a hand poll taken by Mark William; a human interest story The Times-Tribune reporters missed. Folks were there because of their frustration with Government minimizing their voice and are learning how to articulate by hearing qualified speakers like Laureen. Unskilled in messages, they often expressed strong statements from emotion.

Borys omits Laureen’s clear statement to the crowd about the objectives of Tea Party protests by saying “Even though he decided to say something humiliating about us, I’m going to tell him I respect his office and we have been very patriotic and we do not sit here and try to condemn the office of the President”. You can hear this at time point 1:41 in the video below.

Borys goes on to imply that Cummings “suggested Mr. Obama’s support of living wills amounted to allowing people to die rather than resuscitating them.” He was compelled to add another outburst from an unskilled crowd member standing next to him or a teammate who later admitted he was harmless and was apologetic. More so when you listen to the video above, Tom Zenker who expressed the sentiment, was no where near the speaker Cummings. The one sentiment you do hear is “Thank You” at time point 5:06 followed by a welcome from Laureen. That was about it on her interaction with the crowd on her comments about living wills. Cummings was expressing the voice of a qualified nurse. Tom Zenker could have been in another city as far as Cummings is concerned and perhaps so was the reporter.

Laureen, a nurse with experience with life and death, said “a living will  is only good when you are unable to tell someone what you want done for your care. If you don’t have one they do everything in their power to keep you alive and bring you back.” That is it. Nothing about the President.

Borys needs to revisit journalistic use of pronouns such as ‘this’ in quotes. They need a proper reference to the subject.

Further I strongly recommend The Times-Tribune should assign Borys Krawczeniuk to spend a week observing in a hospital where life and death situations occur with someone who cares for people like Laureen Cummings before he comments on living wills. Perhaps there is a story there in Scranton and something valuable to learn.

The Times Tribune reporter Borys Krawczeniuk on September 11, 2009  identified a speaker at the September 10th Tea Party Express event as a black with no name and misses a compelling story.

Over 1000 attend to hear Kenneth Gladney

Here is what Borys Krawczeniuk writes as a focus on race in a political event open to everyone without any exclusivity.

Borys needed to use the word black twice, one time after a singer openly declared his heritage, so readers were not missing a race component.

Borys could have, with some research, learn all about the Kenneth Gladney story. However he would not find anything about Kenneth’s story in his own newspaper The Times-Tribune because if you search the web site you come up with nothing because the paper did not report the story.

No Story On Kenneth Gladney found in searching The Times-Tribune

Kenneth Gladney Was Publicly Beaten By SEIU Members.  It was important for Borys to mention Kenneth’s skin color, but Kenneth’s name was an important fact overlooked. More egregious is no effort to listen to Kenneth and realize he has a story that also can be easily researched on the internet. Kenneth is one of the unemployed not likely to return to work for 2 or 3 years. Faced with no prospect of a job turned to capitalism. While running his business, Kenneth was badly beaten in his efforts. His story is worth repeating, his business not withstanding.

Borys observation that the crowd was mostly white, or could have he said the crowd contained some blacks. This attitude mimics news reporting focus on race and skin color rather than American heritage. Honestly what is Borys’ point about skin color? Can the paper say it directly! Is it about the citizens of Scranton? Is The Times-Tribune a paper about the various American heritages?

Still not clear on the skin color of Lloyd Marcus after he said “not an African-American” but “an American”, Borys clarified for readers Lloyd’s skin color with “Lloyd Marcus, a black singer on the tour”. Lloyd appears to think of himself as African-American, one of the many great heritages that make up the Country. You can enjoy Lloyd’s creative work here and more at his web site.

Scranton deserves a better understanding of the composition of Americans and The Times-Tribune can be a leader for that “conversation” with some cultural training for Borys Krawczeniuk. Its about American heritage and the beauty of how it makes being an American refreshing and not divisive.

Morristown Tea Party Labor Day September 7, 2009 event speaker Tom Adkins spontaneously raised $2,200 for the USO.Tom Adkins auctioned two $10.00 Gadsden Flags to a crowd over 5,000 people.

Gadsden flag

The first flag was offered at the start of his talk to honor those who serve in the armed services. Later Tom got a request to repeat the flag fund raising effort from anonymous person who served on the USS Ronald Regan.

The first flag was auctioned for $1,000 matched by Tom with $500. The winner of the auction, only identified himself as Ken, noted before becoming an American he was a Brit. Ken bumped the bidding from $650 to $1,000 just after Tom offered a $500 match if the bidding reached $1,000. Ken relinquished the flag and requested the flag to be carried to Washington DC on 9/12/09.

Video Story Of $1,500 Gadsden Flag USO Donation

[ 9/18/09 Follow-up]

In a brief email from Tom Adkins, he said “It’s really strange…I decided to do this on the spur of the moment. I was actually shocked to get a bid that high. I actually expected maybe $100. And a better man couldn’t have won the bid. A Brit who moved here because he loved America!!! Does it get any better than that?”

After Tom concluded his presentation, an encore request from the person who served on the USS Ronald Reagan started another auction. The auction for the USO donation concluded with two women, only identified by first names, joining forces to raise $700 for the second Gadsden flag. During the bidding a crowd cheer erupted when Tom observed “She is counting her money, I love this lady. That is a good American. They count their money before they spend it.”

Video Story Of $700 Gadsden Flag USO Donation

The event is one in a series of model Tea Parties hosted by The Morristown Tea Party organization that in addition to leading conservative speakers, offers patriotic activities such as information booths loaded with information on bills in Congress, family activity center, constitutional signing, 911 displays and patriotic musicians. To hear all speakers at the event visit the organization’s YouTube site.

.

The USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform. You can make a donation at their site.

Lacking communication over pickup instructions, Flemington NJ Tea Party bus was beached 1 hour and 15 minutes on road delaying departure for the 9/12 DC Tea Party Rally. Swift action got the bus extricated in plenty of time to make the event.

Arriving early, 5:15 am, the driver of the chartered bus arranged by the Fleminton NJ Tea Party did not get the instruction not to enter the parking lot where riders would park there cars. Organizers worried that the entrance would not suit a bus and their prediction proved correct.

A few riders had arrived before the bus and I was one. As in all Tea Party activities you meet new patriots. This was no different as we stood near our cars making new acquaintances in the drizzly rain in the dark under parking lot lights.

The parking lot was a good 1000 feet back from the road down a dark entrance when we saw the lights of the bus and then heard the fateful sound of rubber spinning without traction.

Photo Story

As we  hurried towards the bus headlights down the drive thinking the unthinkable happened and it did. The bus was inextricably lodged with driver’s side caught on the driveway’s embankment border, actually flatting it into a muddy slide. The rear was tilted enough that the other side’s undercarriage was dug into the apex of the roadway. Moving forward the driver side wheels spun in the mud. Moving in reverse the other side’s wheels spun. So much for limited slip differential.

Early bus riders found wood along the road and used it to attempt a rescue only to be rewarded with the smell of burning rubber and wood. Meantime the many riders arrived and lined the road with their cars before the morning light. Their headlights shined in the light drizzle.

A muddy back road was found to the blocked parking lot and a decision was made to get the cars parked for safety and the optimism the bus would be freed. Riders drove their cars down a dirt road you might find on a farm with many large holes filled with water in a pitch black night. From SUVs to the tiniest of sub compacts slipped through the tree lined rutted path.

Eventually the State Police and a towing service arrived. With brute force the bus was dragged over the apex of the road surface and freed.

Riders already lined up along the unlit road with protest signs, chairs, ice chests, children and unbounded anticipation boarded within seconds of the freed bus.

Taking pictures I still had not unloaded my items from my car and made a mad rush back down the 1000 or so feet to get my belongings and was one of the last to board ahead of standby riders.

Standby riders stood in the drizzle and boarded finally about 6:30 am. It turned out the original reserved bus was substituted with a larger more posh bus, compliments of the bus company Transbridge.

The Tea Party Express stop at Scranton Pennsylvania on 9/10/2009 was filled with newcomers taking their first steps to joining the protests against too much government. Location was on property with the Lackawanna County Courthouse and beautiful patriotic monuments of Veterans Memorial Plaza.

The event was very patriotic, peaceful and energetic. When the crowd was asked how many this was their first event, over 1/2 raised their hands.You can see this in a vast array of creative signs folks made with the heart and souls for the event. See photo story below.

Laureen Cummings of Old Forge addressed the President’s health care plea before joint sessions of Congress. “Why would a President do this to the American people”, she asked. Sentiments from the crowd of common citizens could only answer with concepts of a tyrant, communism and socialism in the face of an attack on the people by its own government. The hidden answer conservative analysts is about saving a failing Presidency.

Speaker Mark Williams who hosts the radio show On Air, On Line and On Demand!, clarified Laureen’s questions with President Obama’s past associations and present White House Czars with avowed beliefs in Marism, socialism and communism. Mark warned the people are “under attack from within.”

The Photo Story

Video Story

On the day the event a Senate committee voted to cancel major military projects: a combat search-and-rescue helicopter, a presidential helicopter and a missile-defense project called Kinetic Energy Interceptor.  John F Kennedy warns against such cuts on a granite memorial at Lackawanna Court House foundation on grounds where event was held.

From Tea Party Express Scranton PA

I decided to cross the street to take pictures of the buses without obstacles. I saw a bagel shop with this sign. I bought a multigrain with lite cream cheese.

From Tea Party Express Scranton PA

Later I suggested to SEIU protesters after they chanted “Health Care Now”, they could have health care now by crossing the street and taking a job. Bagel shop proprietor was offering health care.