Americans for Prosperity Tribute to Ronald Reagan Dinner

Over 900 people attended last Friday night's Tribute to Ronald Reagan dinner during the Americans for Prosperity Defending the Dream Summit. The dinner was the first evening event after a day of grassroots training, press conference and rally at the Capitol, and descent upon the halls of Congress with our thousands of Hands off my Healthcare petitions.

And I almost forgot the Job Fair that ran concurrent with a pre-dinner reception. I made the rounds for all the organizations present, profit, non-profit, and not-for-profit. My marketing experience, eMedia skills and long, passionate love of (and participation in) politics made the job fair a major draw of the summit. Now I just need time to get my ePortfolio republished on one of my business sites. I'd love to find a local candidate to support. We truly do need to oust all the incumbents.

I'm used to traveling very light for business and I was totally disgusted that I had to take FIVE outfits for a three-day event. Casual for Thursday's reception, business casual for Friday's early events. Business formal for the job fair and dinner. Business casual for Saturday's annual meeting and training, then back to jeans (thank God!) for the seven-hour drive home. I can hit the west coast for three days with less of a wardrobe than what I took for the Defending the Dream Summit!

Back to the dinner. Once again, we managed to find a table of North Carolinians in a sea of almost one thousand diners. The chicken (what else?) was actually delicious and served hot.

And the speakers were fantastic: Congressman Mike Pence is energetic, enthusiastic, and emulates speech patterns beautifully. His description of meeting President Reagan was enhanced by his almost-perfect Reagan voice and mannerisms. (He does an endearing George W., too.)

Laura Ingraham also spoke and she was even better in person than on radio and O'Reilly. While Laura was happy to be at the Summit, she was a bit disappointed that she missed her usual Friday night guest-host for The Factor. Especially given that Chicago had been eliminated earlier in the day, in round one of voting, for hosting the Olympics.

The Dinner ended at 9:30 and we had the choice of staying for a film screening of Not Evil, Just Wrong, with a brief introduction by Producer/Director Phelim McAleer or heading out with other North Carolinians for a night tour of The Capitol, arranged by our State Director, Dallas Woodhouse. We chose the night tour.

We didn't have time to change clothes, and there was a light rain when we began the tour that turned to a steady downpour for part of the outing. Even though I've been to the District many times, I'm still in awe of the monuments and majesty of the setting. I should rephrase that: I'm in awe of the majesty of the character of the Founding Fathers, represented by the larger-than-life monuments.

The Jefferson Memorial is the most beautiful. Washington Monument the most interesting for history.

The Lincoln Memorial is the most impressive, inspiring, humbling... You might be able to tell why I was out in the rain, in my business suit, in heels, heading up the many steps of the Lincoln Memorial, after dark and on marble. I did exercise at least some common sense in that I took off my heels and carried them when I got to the top and after a warning from another visitor that the marble was extremely slick.

It was raining too hard to stop at the Jefferson Memorial, but we did circle the Capitol on the way back to our hotel. My Blackberry battery had died, so no photos there. Will add photos from my sister's phone in the next few days.

Our next stop was Lafayette Park where our guide fully expected everyone to get off the bus for at least a few minutes since the rain had stopped. The view of the White House would have been perfect.

He was surprised when the bus door opened. And no one moved. While some may attribute it to the extremely long and active day, I think I summed our mood perfectly when, after our guide's second invitation to "Get off and experience the view of the White House", I answered... "In 2012!" to a rousing response of laughter and cheers.

Really, anytime after November 6, 2012 will do. I think I'll plan on another trip to The Capitol for the next Inauguration.

Americans for Prosperity Defending the Dream Summit

Over 2,000 activists attended the Americans for Prosperity Foundation's 3rd annual Defending the Dream Summit, Washington, DC, October 2nd and 3rd. Jason was working, but my sister and I drove up October 1st rather than take the buses up EARLY October 2nd. By going a day early, we were able to attend an additional grassroots training session Friday morning.



The Summit was exceptionally well-organized, and, like the 912 March on the Capitol, the attendees were happy, polite, motivated, polite... no angry mobs, racists, or Nazis in sight.

912 March on the Capitol, 1.5 MILLION!!!

My sister and I had a blast at the 912 March on the Capitol. HUGE, enormous, polite, excited, dedicated, resolved, activist We-Are-Not-Going-Away throng of American Patriots.

It wasn't organized by party or ideology, everyone, every age, was represented. I did not see one "Fringe Radical", of any persuasion, supportive or combative. The overwhelming sentiment was a determination to return our Nation to its constitutional framework, as so beautifully devised by our Founders.

For logistics, we got to Belk's parking lot at 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Five full buses, seven hours each way. Got back 24 hours later.

We were supposed to rally at the Freedom Plaza, 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, and start the march at 11:30. But there was not enough room for everyone to stage. Understatement.

We started down Pennsylvania Avenue at 9:30 as soon as we got there from where the buses let us off at the Washington Monument (about a 30-minute walk). From Freedom Plaza, it took almost three hours to get to the Capitol, there were that many people.

Not all attendees marched. The marchers filled in the front, people who just showed up for the event, filled in on the mall.


Early on, CNN was reporting only 600 people. Park service and ABC reporting during the event, that there were between 1.5 million and 2 million.

More realistic would be 900,000+. Click here for how photographers and videographers estimated size. Makes sense, at 4,200 people passing each minute, based on the fact that it took us almost three hours to move from Freedom Plaza to the Capitol and we were in the front of the march with the majority behind us.

The marchers loved a version of The Wave... The Roar, that began at the back of the march and moved forward, overtaking us with sound. And we sang patriotic songs over and over, with chants of USA, USA. We were such an unruly, angry, racist, nasty mob. Not.

We never saw one Porta Potty. Park police told one of our group members that they were prepared for 5,000 people.

We were in the front because North Carolina marched fourth in line. Groups had state flags and colored banners for each bus/group to keep everyone together. Talked to people (most in large GROUPS) from:

New Mexico, California, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia. That was just my experience; I'd bet that every state was represented.

Check out this time lapse video.

Link to USA Today's graphic for estimating crowd size on the mall, developed for the last inaugural:

Michelle Malkin's site for more video and crowd estimates.

Click here for a compilation of GREAT signs.



Americans for Prosperity Defending the Dream Summit, October 2nd, DC.

I hope to go to the summit and everything else I (we, Jason couldn't go this time) can support.

So far, I'm exhausted today, but not any sicker. My weird-looking seat in the photo is a cane that converts to a sling seat and then you balance (Ha! me, balance) and it was a lifesaver -- to keep me from stumbling around -- and for resting.

My Internist told me not to go, I've been so sick the last month. But some things take precedent. This was one.

Feel free to share this, Share buttons for all social media in the far right column. And please research your local 912 events to see how your community participated, this was bigger than just DC. Fox News reported that the Texas 912 March expected 5,000 and had 20,000. In the rain.

Glenn Beck at 5 EDT for next steps. I tuned in March 13 when he launched the 912 Project. So glad I made it to DC.

But we're not done yet... 912 Project. Unite or Die.

Hands Off My Health Care Tour, August 7, 2009

August 7, 2009. Over 500 people gathered at the Harley Davidson shop on U. S. 70 to protest the federal governments planned socialization of our healthcare system.

The local paper actually covered the event correctly... even mentioning my sign and getting it right! "Just Say No to Socialism!"

We arrived about 30 minutes before the scheduled start time and I wound up directing vehicles and reorganizing the back parking lot, actually a field that had been designated for the event. County deputies were called to direct traffic along a service road to U.S. 70, because more than a mile’s worth of vehicles made it nearly impassable by the time the Americans for Prosperity, Hands Off My Healthcare bus arrived.

Taxpayer Tea Party Draws 1,200. April 16, 2009

Tea time was 6 p.m. but people began arriving much earlier and the crowd (we hadn't been labeled an "Angry Mob" yet), the size of the gathering exceeded all expectations. I was sick (what's new?) and couldn't go; Jason and Bill had a blast.



Bill and June had come over earlier in the week and we had our own small tea party, brainstormed what we wanted on our signs, then made posters the rest of the night. It was the first time Jason, Bill, and June had protested. I've been a lifelong political junkie, but never to this degree. Of course, our Nation has never been in as much peril -- from our own government! -- as now.



Jason said the line of marchers began at the county building and took at least 15 minutes for everyone to move to the Union Point Park. Our own small preview of the 912 March on the Capitol when it took us almost three hours to move the 1.1 miles down Pennsylvania Avenue!

The event took its name partly from the 1773 Boston Tea Party to protest the English crown's tax on tea and partly based on what signs near the group's booth spelled out: "Taxed Enough Already."

There were at least 35 similar tax protests across the state, there were 1,000 protestors in Morehead City, 2,000 in Charlotte, 1,000 in Rutherfordton, 1,000 in Winston Salem and 1,200 in Greensboro.

According to a show of hands, it was the first protest for about a third of those attending.