A Writer's Journey
Check out my interview with Dawn from Focus on the Family Action: Rising Voices (an XPAC sponsor). (Ignore the crazy miming. I talk with my hands.) Check out their website HERE!
You can also, go HERE to see awesome blogger Skye's excellent video skills as I interview with Doug Hoffman (in a very loud hallway) on harnessing the energy of the Tea Party movement. More interviews are on the way! Keep checking back.
This last weekend, my husband and I packed up our two pre-teen daughters and took them to one of the largest conservative political conferences in the country – CPAC.
I was worried about ME keeping on track with everything the speakers threw at us (and whether or not to agree or disagree on any particular point) but I was even more worried about my girls (as in how would I join the growing number of bloggers coming in various blogging sessions and parties and still keep them entertained – my daughters, that is – not the other bloggers who were really pretty funny themselves)– both of whom who my husband was determined needed to experience this event — one we had never even attended ourselves.
Two things became obvious – we had choices in this incredibly massive event gathering conservative pundits from all over the country. One, make them sit in the adult sessions (rolling their eyes and falling off their chairs)- which in some cases became quite adult in conversation (ahem,. . . blogger's panel with plenty of MALE blogger humor when it didn't digress into racism, sexism or homosexuality) or have them attend the call-to-action main speakers who were often quite engaging – though most attempts at humor the my girls did hear went flying right over their head and when they heard everyone laughing at what Ann Coulter said this time, I had no time to explain before more zingers were coming out of Ann's mouth. She was a lively one, as always. Sharp but a bit vitriol (or acidic in her humor).
SO, the second option came to light when we realized – about a week before going- that we could also register for XPAC, the new student's (but really for all ages) lounge that included both special seminars for youth and tons of fun Wii and other multi-media games. XPAC was the brainchild of actor Stephen Baldwin (see below) and radio talk show host Kevin McCullough. (Check out their site www.baldwinmccullough.com). Apparently last year the two men were walking around CPAC and wanted somewhere to connect with the kids on a more personal – kid-friendly basis.
Yes, I struggle with any suggestions at "dumbing" down what the adults are learning or suggesting that the speakers at CPAC were not able to hold the attention of our media-addicted youth but I do agree that sometimes you should try to connect with kids where they are. Because the conference had so many college students attending, I would wonder what percentage chose to be in CPAC sessions they were capable of comprehending versus breaking away for a little lighter fun fare over at XPAC. That is certainly not to downplay the sessions that XPAC did hold which had solid content with their own engaging speakers – often young conservatives like Sarah Huckabee & Hannah Giles who could talk to the students peer-to-peer.
We loved the room because it was both incredibly cheap ($15 for three days including dinner two nights) and because it became like a homebase where we could chill on soft couches and talk to students about what they found most important in life (- and now, we are back to talking about cheap food but . . . hey, that's where they are at).
BUT, we didn't really chill much after I finally figured out where the totally awesome blogger's lounge was which was hosted by RedState's Erick Erickson and coordinated with Lisa dePasquale, the CPAC conference organizer. I pretty much lived in there after that. If XPAC was buzzing with youthful excitement, the blogger's lounge was HOPPING with energetic writers, some as much of a newbie to the conference as myself, with various interesting characters milling in and out hoping for a blogpost and/or interview in their favor. More on this later (I am still processing video footage and books and papers given to me).
But, back to XPAC, I did get to interview one of the representatives from one of the sponsors of XPAC – a woman from Focus on the Family Action's Rising Voices. I love the work of Focus on the Family and wanted to highlight their new efforts in reaching out to the youth of today! More on that later. (Still working on it – between getting settled back into life here.)
We talked to briefly with Stephen Baldwin & Kevin McCullough {who were totally awesome} about their vision for XPAC but with so much going on, we didn't talk long.
Anywhoo – - once I found the Blogger's Lounge, there were plenty of people wanting interviews (including the illustrious Andrew Breitbart – love that guy!) and I will be posting those throughout the week – some over at Keystone Conservative! If you live in PA, you might want to go there to see more – even if I haven't posted yet b/c those guys are SHARP, I tell ya.
(I do want to add quickly that I met & saw some truly incredible bloggers while there -like Political Mommentary, Melissa Clouthier, and many more. So cool -I WILL BE GOING BACK and if XPAC is there, we will definitely sign up again.)
I am not a lawyer or career politician so I will share what I know about the healthcare debate in stories of people I have known.
When I was in graduate school, part of my job in the office included overseeing the affairs of two Russian scholars. They had barely arrived in our country in the Fall of 1991 when the Russian coup crumbled communism and irrevocably changed the lives of their families and comrades. Concerned, one gentleman would stay long past our closing hours to hit the fax button over and over again until one piece of paper slid through the machine and through the wires across the ocean. It was often after midnight that he succeeded. As time passed, faxing got easier and he would send letters to his wife about his life here in the U.S.
In the spring of 1992, the Soviet Union was officially gone and we were able to bring Vladimir’s wife over to visit. In her broken English, she told us that what made her cry were the letters detailing the feasts of ice cream Vladimir enjoyed in our school cafeteria while she stood in line to get government rationed potatoes while their economic system stabilized – a system mimicking our capitalist, free market based on private enterprise fueled by supply and demand NOT the interference of central government which FAILED.
See the rest of this post over at Philly Moms Blog today.
I am planning a Tea Party and NO, I am not talking about having you over for scones, jelly and lemon curd. I am jumping on the Tea Party bandwagon that is spreading across America, little towns and big. The threat of increased taxes, the stimulus package, the mortgage bailout, the government's leanings towards a massive takeover of just about EVERYTHING has got to come to an end. This is just crazy, people.
If you live in the area, this is your official invitation to come to the corner of Bridge and Main in Phoenixville, PA for a Tea Party on April 15, 2009 from 6-8 PM. You might not get tea but you will get a chance to make a public protest against the change happening in our country that I certainly can not believe in.
Glenn Beck is promoting the tea parties through his 912 project (9 principles/ 12 core values) and wants to see Americans of like mind gathering to make a statement.
Now, I have to tell you. I was never much of a rally girl. As I have aged, hopefully with some wisdom, I do see the value in not only joining a nationwide public statement but using that opportunity to educate the public and even the participants in how they can help support local causes towards a government that protects its families, liberties and privileges. There are a lot of writers who could say it fancier. There are those quoting the great minds of our forefathers. From the humble opinion of a Stay-At-Home-Mom, I am telling you that I am sick of seeing taxes go up with less and less benefit to the consumer and money being pumped into organizations that should have handled their own money (and mine) better to begin with.
It is seriously scaring me which is why I am organizing and hosting a Tea Party so that I can better understand what needs to be done, so that I can learn the issues and know how to express them, and so that I can help educate others in the process. More on this after I attend this weekend's PA Leadership Conference where I get to go hear people who do say it more eloquently. I will try to take good notes for you!
Here are just a few of the sign ideas from Tax Day Tea Party suggested for an event like this: (What would you put on a sign in 6 words or less?)
Pay for Your OWN Mortgage
Free Markets, Not Free Loaders
No Public Money for Private Failure
We The People ARE FED UP
– Cap and Trade = Broke and Poor
– I would rather live under a bridge than live under socialism
– Revolution! Nuff said
– The sleeping giant is now awake
– Is this what you voted for?
– Government is Broken
– RIP America
– I'm sorry I didn't do more to stop the madness
– Tea is only the beginning
– Do you know what happened after 1773? We Do
– We don't want pork, We Want Liberty
– Special Interest Get the Pork, We Get the Beans.
Repeal the Pork
REPEAL THE BAILOUT CONGRESS
– We the People…are now owned by the Chinese
– Atlas will shrug
– Stimulate business, not government
– Home ownership is not an entitlement
– I’ll pay for my house, you pay for yours
– Party like it’s 1773
– Proud American capitalist
– Repeal the pork or your bacon is cooked
– Your mortgage is not my problem
– Save trees, stop printing money
Stimulus = $870 Billion, 2009 Deficit = $1.75 Trillion, U.S. Dollar = WORTHLESS!!
– Just Say No (word “Socialism” with circle and slash)
– Liberty is all the stimulus we need
Reward Responsibility, Not Irresponsibility
Andrew Jackson was Right: No to Bank Nationalization
Cut Taxes, Not Deals
Next Time, Read the Bill Before You Sign It
You Can’t Borrow to Prosperity
Don’t Mortgage the Future
Solve Problems, Don’t Sweep Them Under the Table
220 Years to Build the Republic, 1 Month to Destroy It
Obama has a Crisis of Competence
Why Should I Pay for YOUR Bad Decisions
Restore the Republic, Revolt Against Socialism
Sleep? I’ll Sleep When Conservatives Run Congress
Netizen Warriors, Not Dependent Whiners
READ THE BILL NEXT TIME
No Taxation Without Deliberation
No Taxation Without Deliberative Representation
No Spending Without Deliberation
No Spending Without Deliberative Representation
Join Our Cause: Restore the Republic
We Don’t Want No Stinkin Socialism !
The Very Small List: Things Government Does Well
REPEAL THE PORK
REPEAL THE BAILOUT CONGRESS
Quotes:
– “Man is not free unless the government is limited.” Ronald Reagan
– “The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.” Vladmir Lenin
– “It takes as much imagination to create debt as to create income.” Leonard Orr
– “Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and the mightiest to undermine governments and corrupt the people.” Wendell Phillips
"A Republic, if you can keep it" Ben Franklin
