TEA PARTYERS CALL FOR REVOLUTION IN HELL

This article in the Detroit News depicts the sentiment of many here in Michigan.  We are not all democrats in this State, or if we are, not all democrats support what this administration or this State government is doing - mainly not listening to its people.

Valerie Olander / The Detroit News

Hell --The sign outside the Dam Site Inn, a tavern in the Putnam Township hamlet known for its fiery name, claims "Americans are going to Hell" tonight to watch President Obama's State of the Union address.

An Iced Tea Party begins at 7 p.m. to celebrate what a Hartland Township organizer called a "Cold day in Hell" victory last week in Massachusetts, when Republican Scott Brown won a Senate seat held by Democrats for 57 years. Afterward, the tea-partyers will listen to the State of the Union address.

Notice of the event went out via e-mail, blogs and social networking sites, such as Facebook.

Inn owner Jim Mills expects the bar to fill up fast . Mills will be serving drinks and dinner, no political punditry, he said.
The man behind the Iced Tea Party idea is Wes Nakagiri, who was so angered by the federal health care debate in mid-December, he went door-to-door and polled about 150 neighbors, 70 percent of whom were against it, he said.

"I just felt the need to do more than vote. I'm really concerned about the direction of this country," Nakagiri said.

Last summer, he jumped aboard the Tea Party Express, a conservative national movement named after the 1773 Boston Tea Party, to protest high taxes and marched on Washington D.C. on Sept. 12, 2009.

His Web site, RetakeOurGov.com, is under construction, but other social networking sites are booming and spreading the word about tonight's event as well as another planned next Wednesday outside the Capitol Building in Lansing at the same time as Gov. Jennifer Granholm's State of the State address.

The "State of the Citizen" address has been planned by the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance (MTA) to tell how failed policies have impacted Michigan families. All lawmakers have been invited to attend. MTA's president, Leon Drolet, said he has not received any RSVPs yet but seats will be available for each and every state lawmaker.

"I think the politicians need to take a break from listening to each other. Instead they need to listen to (the people)," said Drolet, a former state and county lawmaker from Macomb County.

About 2,000 people signed up through MTA to attend the address, he said. Another group, No Broken Promises, has been encouraging its 2,000 student members to come through blogs and its Facebook page. The group represents those upset about the elimination of the Michigan Promise scholarships in the state budget.

Common Sense in Government, another organization, has 795 members on its Facebook page who have been encouraged to attend.

"It's the citizens on the Internet deciding on their own what value to put on this and whether to be part of it and choosing to pass that along to their friends. It's very organic in nature," Drolet said.

Mark Brewer, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said he had not heard of either event but questioned Drolet's involvement after his questionable activity involved petition signatures in a recall effort against Rep. Andy Dillon, D-Redford.

"People should be aware of who they associate themselves with, when attending something like this," he said.

Nicole Ellison, assistant professor of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University, said social media sites have empowered those who have traditionally remained silent by connecting those with like-minded views.

Today's grassroots movement, or revolution as some conservative bloggers have called it, is emerging from cyber villages. Critics say its divisive.

Wendy Day, a Howell School Board member serves as president of Common Sense in Government, said the movement is about accountability and transparency in government and has been brewing for some time.

"It's not just about Barack Obama," Day said.

"If you're unhappy with him, you can wait four years and vote him out. It's more ingrained than that. People feel their voices are not being heard," she said

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100127/POLITICS02/1270340/1022/Tea-Partyers-call-for-revolution-in-Hell#ixzz0domjWoHr