Greetings, CIA Members!
Before reporting on the items discussed at our February 8 meeting, it is important to say that our accomplishments as a tea party movement have been commanding. Despite the power and resistance of the Democratic and Republican parties, and tremendous mainstream media opposition, we flipped the U.S. House of Representatives AND the Indiana State House. On the national news programs, we have gone from receiving begrudging acknowledgement of our existence to being a nightly topic of discussion.
We now know that restoring government to the ideals of the founding fathers is not going to happen from one or two elections, but rather it is going to be a lifelong battle. Knowing this and being informed without taking action can cancel out all of our achievements. In our fast-paced lives, it becomes difficult to know if and how much we can be involved, but my concern is that the tea party movement could become irrelevant over time due to the fading interest of its volunteers. Citizens In Action/Lafayette Tea Party is working to have maximum results with minimal resources of time and money. We have had our struggles but are attempting to have regular social meetings were we can have an interchange of information. There are many bright and talented people here in the Lafayette area and YOU are one of them! For those of you who are a bit shy, I know from my own experience that a small step out of your comfort zone can be liberating. A small amount of your time would keep our organization viable and maybe help you find your passion for a particular issue. We have no lofty, high expectations of anyone. We are grassroots people who want to make a difference!
· 2/8 DISCUSSION ITEMS:
o We now have a Citizens in Action/Lafayette blog http://lafayetteteaparty.blogspot.com/ that we encourage you to visit, submit news items and links, and comment on issues. This will be the place for announcement of meetings, activities, and calls to action as much as possible. We will continue to send e-mail reminders and to send alerts needing immediate action. If you are already following an important national, state, or local issue closely, consider sharing it with the group at the blog by submitting it to the blog e-mail lafayetteinteaparty@gmail.com .
o There are no plans for a Tea Party in Lafayette on 4/15. Perhaps, we could visit another tea party’s event and party-down with them! We can have fun while we learn and grow with other like-minded patriots. Submit your ideas at lafayetteinteaparty@gmail.com.
o The Constitution Institute mentioned in earlier e-mails has changed the first class date to March 24, rather than February 24. There will be 7 classes in Lafayette taught by former Congressman John Hostettler. Check out their site http://www.constitutioninstitute.org/ for more details and to register.
o Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate is a coalition of tea party groups formed to defeat Senator Richard Lugar in 2012 by searching out conservative candidates to run against him in the 2012 primary. Very little activity right now while they get better organized. One interesting turn of events is that State Treasurer Richard Mourdock will announce on February 22 that he will challenge Lugar in the primary.
o FreedomMaker Coalition of Indiana is an organization promotion the networking of regional patriot groups on issues of concern. We need a volunteer to be the "go to person" to report on its activities and to alert us of their calls to action. They currently have web meetings every other Monday evening. Please consider taking on this activity. If you are interested, contact us at lafayetteinteaparty@gmail.com.
o The Leadership Seminar (a conservative political action group) will be conducting a two-day workshop called “Activist and Campaign Management School,” in South Bend on March 5-6 for a nominal fee. Check out their website http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/ We would need 40 people to conduct it in Lafayette. If you are interested, contact us at lafayetteinteaparty@gmail.com.
o We need volunteers to attend city and county council and county commissioner meetings and report back to our group on their activities on a monthly basis or to send out alerts on important action needed alerts through the blog. If you are interested, contact us at lafayetteinteaparty@gmail.com.
o Andy Fischer reported on I-Caucus http:///www.icaucus.org This group has become increasingly prominent and influential in promoting people who believe in fiscally responsible government and adhering to the constraints of the Constitution. They vet candidates for office. He also spoke about how to become active in local elections.
o Norm Byers volunteered to make a sign to be displayed outside the rooms where we have our meetings to welcome visitors. He is also working with the Young Americans for Liberty group at Purdue to hopefully arrange for Tom Woods, author of "Nullification" as a speaker at Purdue while he is on his book tour this spring. He is also looking into setting up a meet up site for Citizens in Action for more privacy than a blog could offer as far as discussions.
o OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 6:30 PM, AT SPURLOCK’S. Please confirm your attendance at lafayetteinteaparty@gmail.com.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRIOTISM AND YOUR DEDICATION TO THE CAUSE!
Donna Huffman
Program Coordinator
Citizens in Action/Lafayette Tea Party
No comments:
Post a Comment