Seeding the Grass Roots

Tea Party Continued

By Justin Katz | April 15, 2009 |

Sorry for the lag; nerves made posting even more difficult than the bright sun. Here are pictures from the past hour or so. There have got to be 2,000 to 3,000 people here.

Tax Day Tea Party

By Justin Katz | April 15, 2009 |

It’s not three yet, and I’d wager that the crowd’s on its way to a thousand (although I’m terrible at estimating). The most recent of these pictures was taken about ten minutes ago (before I sought a location in which it would be possible to see my screen), and people have continued to pour in.

The S-Word: Glenn Beck Refines the Reason Behind the Tea Parties

By Monique Chartier | April 14, 2009 |

It’s not so much taxes as what creates the necessity to tax. (And look, once again, Rhode Island earns a national mention for a dubious achievement.) The mainstream media will report on the tea parties as if they’re just a bunch of whack-job Republicans who only care about taxes on the rich (like New York’s…

Tea Party Speakers List

By Justin Katz | April 14, 2009 |

The RI Tea Party organizers have released speakers list: 3:00: Helen Glover (WHJJ) 3:10: Colleen Conley (RI Tea Party) 3:25: Bill Felkner (Ocean State Policy Research Institute) 3:40: John DePetro (WPRO) 3:55: Walter Muzzy (descendant of Battle of Lexington fatality) 4:00: Father Giacomo Capoverdi (Priest & OSPRI fellow) 4:05: Jason Matera (Young Americans Foundation) 4:20:…

On the Steps at 4:00 High

By Justin Katz | April 14, 2009 |

Anybody who can make it into Providence for the tea party at any point and for any duration should do so. I’ll be liveblogging the whole event and will be taking the microphone for a speech just after 4:00. Like Dan Yorke, I’m not sure what to expect, either as a participant or a speaker,…

“What Do We Need to Do to Get Out of This Mess?”

By Justin Katz | April 8, 2009 |

If you’re available on the morning of Saturday the 25th, you might consider joining me in North Kingstown, as a member of the the audience of Operation Clean Government’s spring public affairs forum, which is intended to probe “the RI fiscal train wreck.” There’s a breakfast beforehand, at 8:45 a.m., with the main event being…

A Not-So-Idle Question

By Justin Katz | March 26, 2009 |

Pondering something not at all self-referential, I got to wondering who might rank on a top 10 list of conservative Rhode Islanders. (Given the competition, let’s define “conservative” as “right-of-center.”) Some names and placements are obvious, but what would the breakdown be? I suppose one would first have to settle on criteria. There are folks…

Two Tea Parties for the Ocean State

By Monique Chartier | March 24, 2009 |

Further to the complaints pointed remarks of commenter TaxPayer and myself under Justin’s post, the Ocean State Republican blog reports that, in fact, There will be two Rhode Island “Tea Parties” on Tax Day, April 15th. The different times should allow anyone who wants to participate, to fit at least one of the parties into…

A Tea Party for the Ocean State

By Justin Katz | March 24, 2009 |

It’s becoming a frequently asked question of me, when I’m going about my business, when Rhode Island will host its own tea party. Well, I just received word that Ocean State Policy Research Institute has put up a Web site to promote just such an event on April 15th (tax day) 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.…

Back in the Town Hall

By Justin Katz | March 23, 2009 |

Missing a town meeting or two reminds the active citizen how nice it is to have nights at home. Ah, well. If we’re going to have a democracy… When I walked in (yes, a few minutes late) RI Rep. John Loughlin (R., Tiverton, Little Compton, Portsmouth) was giving the council the newly regular update of…