Posted on 06/25/2010 7:47:51 PM PDT by mdittmar
MANASSAS, Va. - It's still late June, but it sure looked a lot like July Fourth at Manassas' Harris Pavilion on Friday night.
The Old Town event center was the scene of the Manassas Tea Party's "Defend the Constitution" rally, which drew more than 500 folks despite summer evening temperatures in the 90-degree range.
That meant not only people leaning back in lawn chairs, but red, white and blue balloons, patriotic bunting and lots of American and Gadsden flags.
A George Washington re-enactor gave the invocation, kneeling as he said the genuine article would have. Some children were even hawking Revolutionary War-style tri-cornered hats to everyone they saw.
Many in the crowd, however, came to see Friday's featured speaker, state Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, who lives in Nokesville.
Cuccinelli spoke mainly about Virginia's lawsuit against the federal government over the insurance mandate included in the recently approved health care reform legislation.
"Everybody collects something, and I collect lawsuits against the federal government," the Republican quipped, referring not only to the health care suit but one decrying Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
Cuccinelli said that Democrats in Washington are "ignoring and trampling" the Constitu-tion.
Specifically, he said that the federal government has no business requiring people to buy health insurance, or any product or service, really.
And, he noted, not only do Americans have to buy insurance under the new law, they have to buy "Nancy-approved" policies, referring to Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives.
That brought out a clear, loud chorus of boos, to which the attorney general responded, "That's worth booing."
Del. Robert G. "Bob" Marshall, who introduced the legislation that is the basis for Cuc-cinelli's health care lawsuit, followed the attorney general at the lectern.
The western Prince William County Republican said that the health care fight is about liberty, which one loses with federal mandates.
And, Marshall said, stealing liberty is just as bad in 2010 as it was in 1776.
"I don't care what your motives are," he said.
Other speakers talked about the nature of the Tea Party movement itself.
Del. Jackson H. Miller, a Manassas Republican, said a reporter asked him if he was a leader in the grass-roots phenomenon.
No, he said: "This is a movement that is driven by the American people," not politicians.
Similarly, Manassas Tea Party chairman Dan Arnold described the crowd in a way that chided President Barack Obama's work before he was a Democratic politician.
"This is what real community organizing looks like," he said, noting that people came from as far away as Carroll County, Md., near Baltimore, for the rally.
It wasn't surprising to see Arnold or several GOP elected officials at a Tea Party event. Cuccinelli and Marshall, especially, are essentially rock stars to those in the movement.
More interesting to see was Al Alborn, one of the organizers of the Coffee Party, which begun as a sort of alternative to the Tea Party.
Alborn said he's still loosely affiliated with the Coffee Party. So why come to a Tea Party rally?
"Listening to all sides," he said.
Estimate given at TEA party was 2500.
I am in Northern Virginia and am not sure how to go about joining Tea Party activities.
When I search for a Tea Party website I find so many. Some ask for lots of details, some immediate contributions, etc.
I just want to find a site where I can connect with other Tea Party folks in NoVa.
bump
Same here for me in west Michigan. Is there a reliable website to go to with neaby date/time/locations?
Bump for Tea Party information...anyone?
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