Ohio Liber-Tea Party attracts 10,000 people
Central Ohio Chair, addresses the crowd.
By Linda Walker
Ohio Liberty Council sponsored the first-ever statewide Tea Party at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus on Saturday, August 1. Between eight and ten thousand people attended this massive, well-thought out, well-organized event.
TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Parties have popped up all over the country since the federal government has been stimulating our economy with trillions of "The People's" tax dollars. The People are taking a stand against all of the tax and spending increases, and other losses of freedom, that are currently running rampant with our Congress and the President.
After a short rain prior to the event, it turned out to be a beautiful day for the rally. Several speakers talked about the Tenth Amendment and Sovereignty of the States Resolution, which were the main focus of the Tea Party. The featured speaker was "The Judge", Andrew Napolitano, a popular Fox News contributor. He received a great response from the audience.
Buckeye Firearms Association endorsees Sen. Tim Grendell and Rep. Jarrod Martin also were featured speakers. Both have sponsored Sovereignty Resolutions in their respective sides of the Legislature. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones gave a very rousing speech as well. 'Thomas Jefferson,' portrayed by Ken Hammontree, was one of the most popular speakers of the day.
Representing Buckeye Firearms Association, I gave a speech on how the First & Second Amendments tie to the Tenth Amendment. The First Amendment states...,"the freedom of speech..., the right of the people peaceably to assemble...," but as I explained to the crowd "without the First and without the Second, there would be no Tenth." I went on to convey the real possibility of our Second Amendment rights being easily stripped away from us if we do not stay vigilant and holding our elected officials accountable to the U.S. Constitution.
The Ohio Liberty Council (www.OhioLibertyCouncil.com) is made up of volunteer leaders from several past events. Groups such as the organizers of the Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati Tea Parties, Ohio Freedom Alliance, Central Ohio and Cincinnati 9/12 Projects, Americans for Prosperity and Buckeye Firearms Association all came together to organize this huge, successful event.
The leadership of Buckeye Firearms would like to shout out a huge "thank you" to Jason Mihalick for all of his hard work and dedication on this project. We are privileged to have Jason as one of our "Minutemen" volunteers, and he serves as liaison between Buckeye Firearms and the Ohio Liberty Council. We are all very proud of his efforts.
Linda Walker is the Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair, and recipient of the NRA's 2009 "Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award".
*Video produced by Roy & Kathy Wagner. Walker's speech starts at 68 minutes on the time stamp.
Media Coverage
Associated Press - Columbus rally draws large crowd
A rally attended by thousands Saturday at the Ohio Statehouse protested federal government power under President Barack Obama and called for the passage of a measure to assert states' rights.
The new Ohio Liberty Council staged the rally to protest what the council views as the usurping of power by the federal government in areas such as health care and energy.
The council called for passage of an Ohio Senate resolution to assert states' rights in areas that the U.S. Constitution does not grant the federal government the power to oversee.
The council consists of such groups as Americans for Prosperity, the Buckeye Firearms Association and the Ohio Freedom Alliance.
Columbus Dispatch - Group slams federal, state, local government at Statehouse
The featured speaker, Andrew Napolitano, a New Jersey Superior Court judge and a Fox News commentator, got the crowd into a "freedom" chant and blasted the expanded government authority and lack of oversight contained in the Patriot Act.
"Remember, the government hates freedom. It is an obstacle to what everyone there desires," said Napolitano, whose speech ended with Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It blasting from the speakers.
Though there was plenty of anti-Obama sentiment in the crowd, speakers took aim at both parties.
Liberty Council co-founder Mike Wilson asked everyone to punch the numbers of U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and George V. Voinovich into their cell phones.
"If they have voice-mail, I suggest you blow them up today."
Marion Star - Marion men attended protest of fed power
The Ohio Liberty Council is a coalition of grassroots groups including the Ohio Freedom Alliance, the Buckeye Firearms Association and Taxed Enough Already organizations. The council was formed to "get all liberty-minded groups and individuals in Ohio connected and communicating on issues and activities," according to the council's Web site.
Similar events took place nationwide April 15 and July 4 as a throwback to the original Boston Tea Party, when colonists protested the British government in 1773. ...The Associated Press reported thousands attended the rally.
WBNS 10TV (CBS Columbus) - Group slams federal, state, local government at Statehouse
Speakers who took to the steps of the Statehouse declared citizens are being overtaxed and over-regulated by the federal government. They also contended government has grown beyond limits the U.S. Constitution intended. Persons at the podium touched on everything from gun rights to the efforts to reform health care.
One participant told 10TV's Glenn McEntrye she just wants to be heard by the people elected to represent her.
"We're hoping that they will listen in Washington, D.C. And if there's enough of us, maybe - just maybe - Congress and our representatives will get the message," said Vivian Skovgard.
While many of the protestors identified themselves as being of a conservative political ideology, everyone who talked with 10TV said the protest was not about any one political party. They said they wanted leaders of all political persuasions to hear their message.
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