Meanwhile, Back at the Roundhouse . . .

NEARLY WORDLESS SPECIAL

It was inspiring to know that more than a million taxpayers marched on Washington yesterday, asking "Can you hear us now?"

About 500 of us who did not go the Washington for various reasons, marched on the Roundhouse--the New Mexico State Capitol--yesterday as a local action. This Tea Party was sponsored by the Santa Fe Tea Party.

We were able to get in touch with Patriots from around the state, and five of us passed out literature for upcoming events from New Mexico Patriot Alliance.

Bruce carried the First Navy Jack.
A message to the State of New Mexico, where political corruption and payola is a way of life.
Don't Tread on ME!

People came from all over the State. This van carried the Las Cruces Tea Party group.

We also ran into the High Plains Patriots from Clovis, Boot Heel Patriots from Deming, and the Four Corners Patriots. Most of these groups caravaned and had their vehicles painted with slogans such as "Defend the Constitution!" and "Enough is Enough!"

Signs, signs, everywhere signs.

Mostly homemade. One in the back reads "There's no astroturfing here!"

I saw another that said, "I am not being paid to be here!"

Some marchers arrive, and exchange hellos and greetings with the Capitol Police.

At every Tea Party, we all make a point to thank the police, from the podium as well as personally. Here, the II American Revolution group members have a friendly exchange.

We drove up with our friend, Charlie "O", who is holding my sign. I gave him custody of it while I was passing out literature for LPNM.

When he signed the petition to the State Legislature, Charlie wrote: "Pork is not kosher. NM Jews for Responsible Government."

I guess we have a new group. We'll have to get the website name reserved! :)






Listening to the speeches. After the opening ceremonies, the first speech was from a young St. John's College Student, who was clearly an Objectivist.

I was very interested in what she had to say. Unfortunately, she was rudely interrupted by a heckler when she said, "I am not my brother's keeper."

The heckler, a middle-aged man, seemed angry to the point of tears as he was escorted out of the crowd by a Tea Party volunteer. He tried to talk to several of us, but another gentleman calmy but firmly told him, "I see your passion, but we want to hear the speech. The young lady has the floor."

It was a lovely day, not too warm, and the afternoon rains held off so that people could sit under the trees, listening to the speeches and enjoying one another's company.

In addition to the Objectivist, we heard from an orthopedic surgeon's concerns about Obama-Care, as well as a Lea County Engineer discussing the perils of Cap 'n' Tax.

Marine and Iraq war veteran Adam Kokesh is a candidate for the NM 3rd Congressional District seat for the United States House of Representatives.

He is also a fiery speaker, but he did not speak yesterday because the Tea Party chose to have citizens who are not currently politicians, officeholders or candidates.

Here Adam and his dog Balleu (sp??) pose for my camera.

Adam is a true patriot, and Ragamuffin House supports his campaign, even though we reside in NM's 1st Congressional District.

Yesterday was an excellent day.

Driving home, though, I realized that I am getting a cold or the flu. Unfortunately, I will be missing a friend's B-day party and a Kokesh volunteer meeting today. But I've got to keep my feet up, and sip Ragamuffin House Chicken Soup (TM) and hot lemonade and try to kick this thing.

9/11 & 9/12: Standing Up in New Mexico

This weekend is an important one for patriots.
Here in New Mexico, Ragamuffin house will be joining in two days during which we will stand up.

Tomorrow is Patriots Day, the day upon which Patriots will gather to REMEMBER the terribly attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.

A day upon which we began to wake up. The day upon which the unraveling mood began to change forever.

For Ragamuffin House, this is a day of REMEMBERANCE. And we will be lighting our Shabbat Candles at Haynes Park in Rio Rancho, where the Albuquerque Tea Party will be putting on a Candlelight Vigil as a memorial to those who fell and those who helped. The Vigil is at 7:30 on 9/11.

Picture Credit: New York Post, 2007.

On Saturday, 9/12, we will be joining with Tea Party groups and 9/12ers across the state in Santa Fe, as we March on the Capitol.

This will be the fourth such Tea Party Rally that we have attended. In the picture to the right you see the Chem Geek Princess at the first Tea Party.

For this Rally, I am planning a new sign. It will have a picture of Barack Obama and say "L'Etat es Vous? NO! Where is the Fourth Estate?" On the back it will say, Where are Woodward and Bernstein when we need them?

It is time we called the press on their inaction. Why 30 years ago they would have been all over some of the scandles we have been treated to in Washington in the past few years.

Americans, it is time to stand up!

Don't underestimate us, O ye who claim to represent us!

May the memories of the fallen on 9/11 spur us to action.
May G-d save the Republic of the United States.

Here's to You, Mr. Jefferson . . .

This is too good not to share . . .




And don't forget Mr. Santelli, who hit a nerve and started the Tea Parties.

This seems right in line with the Festival of Freedom! Now I am getting my enthusiasm back.

Committees of Correspondence and Safety

In the past week, I have hear references to two organizations, the Committees of Correspondence and the Committees of Safety, that I had not thought about in years; and then, only in the context of my high school history books. Who knew that we would need the aid of such as these again?

During the time period leading up to the American Revolution, various groups (such as the Sons of Liberty) within the 13 Colonies developed Committees of Correspondence for the purposes of communicating among the various colonies in order to organize opposition to British actions, and bring people together to support the common cause. The first Committee of Correspondence was formed in 1764 in Boston in opposition to the Currency Act. Other such committees were formed to rally people in protest of the Stamp Act and the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts. These various acts all aimed to tax the colonies into oblivion in order for Great Britian to pay for the recent Queen Anne's War (in Europe), which was called the French and Indian War in North America. The English colonists, not used to such oppressive taxes, and unwilling to pay them, generally refused to do so. The Committees of Correspondence were instrumental in organizing mass actions such as the Boston Tea Party.

Starting at the about the same time (the early 1760s), Committees of Safety were formed in many colonial towns and cities. These were local organizations that were often composed of all of the adult males in the community, whose purpose was to discuss the concerns of the day, and to keep watch and act upon threats to the welfare of the community. As part of the latter, the Committees of Safety elected representatives to larger decision-making bodies (regional or colonial), and often were responsible for ordering out the local militias.

Now as events accelerate towards a great crisis that could destroy our Liberty, bankrupt the United States, and change our political system irrevocably, the patriot community is finding ways to communicate for information and action once again. We are also thinking about how to strengthen our communities and prepare our friends and neighbors for the terrible economic disruption (and all that this implies) still to come.

Last weekend, when the Engineering Geek and I attended the New Mexico organizing meeting for the 2009 Continental Congress, the state chair of the New Mexico Constitution Party passed around a letter and call to action for the purpose of organizing a steering committee for a coalition of the liberty parties and organizations (libertarians, constitutionalists, 9-12ers, etc.) in the state based on shared values and goals. The coalition would be based upon small, local groups, which were called 'Committees of Safety.' He listed the following objectives:

“A Proposal for Your Consideration:

“Formation of a unified patriot community here in New Mexico will provide not only mutual support but also enable us to prepare for what appears to be on the horizon for America. As most citizens are woefully ignorant of indifferent to what is going on, it is imperative that we this NOW so that we will be able to help them later. I submit for your consideration these primary objectives:

· That we continue our efforst in the various groups that we represent
· That we cooperate with one another instead of remaining isolated or distant
· That we identify common or shared values and rally around those principles
· That we form a broader coalition based on these shared convictions
· That we develop a functional network for mutual care, training and mobilization

“To this I would add the following suggested goals:

Formation of a steering committee to chart the course of this network
Cross-pollination of our groups and collaborative efforts
Develop strategic plans for crisis preparedness, patriot education and training
Form localized, small groups to facilitate and achieve these goals
Strengthen and expand this alliance across the State of New Mexico

“Find out more at http://americansynergy.wetpaint.org/ or www.committeesofsafety.org"
(From "To the patriot community of New Mexico" by Dave Batcheller, distributed March 21, 2009).

Although there are many of us who have been aware of what is coming for some time, we had all hoped against hope that we were wrong about the severity of the approaching storm. However, in the past few weeks we have seen spending packages passed that commit us well beyond our ability to repay, the monitization of said debt, and now we are hearing our genius Secretary of the Treasury ask for power to nationalize and close any businesses he deems "a threat to economy" without asking leave of anyone. This same brilliant man has also been heard to say that he supports a world currency. He was against it before he was for it. And then he was against it after he was for it. The destruction of the dollar is well underway, and the aforementioned monetization of our debt could lead to hyperinflation. We have begun lending ourselves money to pay for our committments because of the deficits. It is a vicious, downward spiral, that will lead to the destruction of our wealth and the suffering of millions.

All of this has been occuring while the corrupt clowns in Congress have tried to distract our attention by bussing the ACORN equivalent of Brownshirts to protest outside the homes of AIG executives and to threaten their families with all manner of creative destruction. The attorney generals of Connecticut and New York have threatened to "out" the executives who dare to keep their contractual and earned bonuses, not in a court of law, but in the court of public opinion. This is government sponsored rule by fear and intimidation; instigated by the fools (in all three branches and in both "major" parties) in Washington who do it to save their own guilty butts from the opening salvos in the class wars they are creating. (Here at Ragamuffin House, we wonder what they will do when the mob turns on them, as mobs are wont to do. It may well be the Reign of Terror on steroids).

And since our government is pouring gasoline on a variety of fires, we understand that it is up to us to work with our friends and neighbors to develop networks for mutual aid and support in order to weather the coming storm. Those of us who have been aware and have already prepared ourselves can be of great assistance to our friends and neighbors who have not, and those who cannot bring themselves to believe that this could be happening now. Thus, the idea to develop these Committees of Safety.

DISCLAIMER FOR HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE MISSOURI STATE POLICE ASSOCIATION: We are not militias. Even though: 1) most of us have in the past or do now belong to third parties such as the Constitution Party or the Libertarians; 2) most of us have actually voted for people like Ron Paul and Bob Barr; 3) some of us belong to the NRA or JPFO; 4) all of us own pocket copies of the US Constitution provided by that subversive group, the Heritage Foundation; and (gasp!) 5) all of us have had the termerity to criticize or complain about the IRS at some point in our lives.

We live in interesting times.

This morning, I heard Congresswoman Michelle Bachman* interviewed on the Glenn Beck Program. In the course of the interview, which can be found in its entirety here--and it's well worth a listen), she commented that radio programs like Mr. Beck's and groups like the 9-12 Project and the Tea Parties, are the modern equivalent of Committees of Correspondence, because they help Americans who love the Constitution keep abreast of the increasing pace of its destruction by the very people sworn to uphold it. And they provide a rallying point for purposeful action by citizens to defend the Constitution.

*Congresswoman Bachman is the committee member who asked Secretary (and Tax Cheat) Geithner to show her where the Constitution would allow him such powers as he was requesting. She asked it over and over again. Funny, how the good secretary could not find anything like that in the Constitution. I mean, he must know what's in it. He has sworn to uphold it.

As I listened, I thought that the good congresswoman was right. Last night, as I sat in a group of 9-12ers at the Independence Grill in Albuquerque, as we discussed and debated the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, I understood also the meaning of our gathering. These are our Committees of Correspondence. We will be Committees of Safety for the mutual aid and support of our neighbors. We love our country and the exceptional form of government passed down to us from those miracle makers in Philadelphia. We want it to continue and prosper. And as we gather to speak and debate, we find our own voices. Voices that no Fairness Doctrine can ever silence. Here we develop the courage not only to express our beliefs, but to act on them.

And just in time, too. It feels downright serendipidous.

Banding Together: The ABQ Tea Party and the East Mountain 9-12ers

Yesterday, I blogged about the problem.


But as we used to say in Chemistry 101 Lab: If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the precipitate. (You know, that stuff at the bottom of the test tube).


Not wanting to be precipitated out, some of us have been moved to do something to take our country back.

Albuquerque, New Mexico is at the heart of Manana-land, a place where it's too nice outside to bother getting grumpy, and where the patron system is alive and well.

But even we have gotten excited by the unprecedented speed at which the past few federal administrations have sold us down the river.

It may not be Boston, but Albuquerque is going to have its very own Tea Party on Taxx* Day.





*Yes, I know what Webster says, but if any word deserves to be a four-letter word, that one does!

______________________________________

Last week, a group of us here in the East Mountains got together to watch the Glenn Beck "We Surround Them" special, which was a response to the sense that there is no common sense, and that those of us who uphold the Constitution are quite alone. This has become the 9-12 Project. (No, Glenn is not putting together an army for revolution, this is about us raising our own voices).


We decided to keep meeting, to plan to participate in the Tea Parties, and to support one another, as many of us work in places where speaking our truths leads to being shut down. Thus, we have begun the East Mountain 9-12ers. I am planning to begin the book club next month.





The patriots of the American Revolution gathered in churches and taverns to discuss the issues of the day and, as Samuel Adams said, "Hatch much treason," in their quest for liberty. They did everything they could to petition their government in England for redress of grievances, before they gave the reasons for their Declaration of Independence to a candid world. In his book Democracy in America, written a generation later, Alexis de Toqueville was impressed at how passionately Americans gathered and read and studied their principles and applied them to the issues of their day.


We mean to do the same,except that we do not intent to hatch any treason; the treason is being hatched by our government in its ongoing violation of our liberties. By our Constitution, the government is answerable to us and exists to protect our rights. In order to take our country back, We the People must know our history and live the principles upon which this nation was founded. That is our purpose. I believe the tax revolt, in the form of the Tea Parties now brewing, is the first shot in the across the bow in the Second American Revolution.


We mean it to be a peaceful and principled stand for the liberties and rights so secured to us by the Founders.