Lloyd Marcus: Memories From the Road

Singer/song-writer Lloyd Marcus penned a moving recap of the Tea Party Express II.

As he notes: "Folks, the Tea Party Express II Tour was my third time traveling and participating in rallies across America. I have met and embraced the American people and they me. They call me brother because we share values. They are not racists. They are hard-working, decent people concerned for their families, grandchildren, and country.
Here are a few of my fondest memories."

Read Lloyd's full report - HERE.

Darla DaWald's Post from Final Day

Today is the final day of the tour. I am deeply saddened to leave this family of patriots aboard the buses and the caravan of those following to assist with set up, sound, product, etc… All of us however, are looking forward to being united with our families.

It never ceases to amaze me how that at each stop the people attending are clearly patriotic and yet the media continues to define them (us) as racists. We have persons from many origins and color among this tour and believe me we are all a family and stand together to defend and fight for our country together. The only way anyone could be correct as stating this movement is racist is in that we are many races coming together to stand for freedom and liberty in the United States of America!

The rally in Beaufort, SC was a wonderful stop. I was standing there in a very tight area filled with patriots and noticed I was rubbing shoulders with none other than Senator Joe Wilson (You Lie!). Senator Wilson spoke a motivating and inspiring speech and clearly the people of Beaufort are behind Joe. Everywhere you looked there were stickers and signs with Go JOE! There were approx. 1500 people at the seaside location.

Yesterday morning we attended the rally at Holly Hill, FL. The police and several motor cycle patriots escorted the buses in to the rally. The crowd was approx 3-5,000 and they were polite yet angry at the system. We see this everywhere we go. It has been especially meaningful to me as I am approached by many Resistnet and or Grassfire members who are aware of our efforts and the petition delivery issues we had in DC. They are grateful for the direction and information they receive from us to help them be involved.

We are now in Orlando, FL and resting today! I have been extremely hoarse. I barely ha a voice yesterday yet I have continued to speak thanks to the microphone and pa system. I hope my voice may be a bit better tonight for our last rally. We understand this will be a good size rally and I am not surprised. Floridians show up in numbers!

I cannot stress enough the importance of becoming united and engaged in the fight for liberty and freedom. I always assumed that liberty and freedom were a given in our country due to the way I was raised and taught. I never imagined in my lifetime that I would be caught up in the fight of my life to hold on to and restore liberty and freedom for all. We must remind and educate the public to become aware and act in 2010 as we vote in the most historic election of our lives!

God Bless You and God Bless America Again!
Darla Dawald, National Coordinator
http://www.Grassfire.org
http://www.Resistnet.com

Video Highlights from Tea Party Express

You can check out video highlights from the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day including interviews with people at the rallies from across America.

View the video segments from Pajamas TV - HERE.

A Beautiful Finale - Orlando Tea Party Express Rally!

THANK YOU ORLANDO & GOD BLESS AMERICA!

With bittersweet feelings (a mix of pride and a sense of accomplishment with a heavy helping of sadness that our cross-country tour has come to end) we held our grand finale rally in Orlando, Florida.

Our deepest gratitude to WDBO AM 580 and Ray Srour of Momentum Radio for helping put this event together and make it the huge success it was. Crowd estimates ranged between 4,000 - 4,500 people.

UPDATE: Orlando Sentinel reports that more than 4,000 conservatives jammed Lake Eola Park for tonight's Tea Party Express rally. Read their report on the rally - HERE.

Huge Tea Party Express Rally with Cong. Joe Wilson!

We are now pleased to present a brief report and pictures from the fantastic Tea Party Express rally with Congressman Joe Wilson.

The Tea Party Express caravan left Augusta, GA after a successful morning rally attended by hundreds of supporters in spite of being pummeled by bands of heavy squalls with rain and wind. The bad weather was a result of the Tropical Storm Ida slamming into the Gulf Coast. We were hoping that we would 'outrun' the bands of rain and as we neared Beaufort, things did indeed improve.

It was cloudy, but only intermittent light sprinkles and showers. Over 1,200 people turned out for the event in spite of opposition from the office of the Mayor of Beaufort, SC who made it clear he was no fan of the tea party movement.

As our caravan arrived in the outskirts of Beaufort, SC we encountered a giant traffic jam from so many people coming out to support the tea party movement and Congressman Wilson.

Congressman Wilson was greeted like a rockstar with chants of "Let's Go Joe!" - and yes a few enthusiastic folks repeated Joe Wilson's refrain of "You Lie!" in response to mentions of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Congress as a whole.

Congressman Wilson was fantastic! What we liked best about his speech was his constant appeal to people to fight for our country in a positive manner, focusing on what makes this nation great, and what we should hope to preserve, rather than allowing the media or others to paint this movement as a negative or divisive force. We had the local state representative on hand to speak, as well as candidates for office who either currently enjoyed or were seeking support from the local tea party activists - including Congressman Joe Wilson's son, Alan, who is running for Attorney General of South Carolina.

In the middle of the rally showers moved overhead but most of the crowd stayed put. By the rally's end (as the final notes of "God Bless the USA" rang out from our team of Tea Party Express singers) the skies opened up and a fierce downpour ensued. We were so thankful the worst of the weather held off until the event was over.

Birmingham, AL Sends A Message!

The patriots of Alabama sent a message loud and clear to Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Congress: NO GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTHCARE!


It was a fantastic rally with a large, enthusiastic crowd. The chants of "USA-USA-USA" rang throughout the park. We also saw a contingent of news media on hand to report on the strong outpouring of support for the Tea Party movement.

Huge Turnout in Brandon, Mississippi

It was an amazing night last night in Brandon, Mississippi. Our caravan of vehicles arrived into town in the early evening and we were shocked by the huge and energetic crowd that greeted us.

We're posting some pictures from the rally - but we also have a video of the buses arrival into the event facility. Check out the video, and pay close attention to the back section of the crowd - thousands of people packed in the bleachers overlooking the performance grounds.

To those who oppose the tea party movement and keep saying it's "dead" and writing its obituary, let the sounds and sights of Brandon, Mississippi's Tea Party Express rally last night put those false thoughts to rest!

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD7IzVhQW-U

And here are a few more pictures to enjoy:

Lloyd Marcus reports on Tea Party Express

Singer-songwriter Lloyd Marcus has been writing up dispatches from the road as he's traveled along with us on the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day.

You can read his most recent report - and have access to his reports to date at the Red County website here: http://www.redcounty.com/tea-party-express-ii-tour-a-great-day-texas

You can also get copies of Lloyd Marcus's music CDs at his website: www.LloydMarcus.com

Road Report from Darla Dawald - ResistNet/Grassfire

Resistnet.com Home of the Patriotic Resistance

Darla Dawald on the Road with the Tea Party Express II

Friday November 6th I joined the Tea Party Express in the great state of Texas representing Resistnet and Grassfire. The Texas Patriots were great and as expected showed up for the rallies in number and form from Austin to Houston, and Beaumont!

The Next stop was Baton Rouge where the people were feisty due to a 215-220 vote in the House of Representatives last night approving their version of the health care bill. It is maddening and de-motivating…..however, it is not the final word and we can still KILL the BILL! Furthermore, we should be proud that we converted the yes votes from the Bluedogs from 39 to only 5 yes votes yesterday. You were all dedicated and stayed the course and I am so proud to be associated with you.

At every rally when it’s my time to speak I inform the people about the difficulty we experienced in DC last week while trying to deliver petitions to the Senators. I share that we had to hire a courier to deliver the petitions due to the inept and unconstitutional actions taken by the security at the Senate buildings. I have spoken to the people about Flip this House and taking back our country in 2010 using Flip and the precinct strategy.

I encourage them to become involved and engaged and fight every step of the way. We cannot allow the Chicago thuggery who hijacked our country to remain in power and we have to use our vote to change it. I remind them to do this we have to come out in great numbers and bring others with us and we must remain dedicated to educating the masses along the way.

My message has been well received and I have met many Resistnet and Grassfire members along the way. As a matter of fact our own Streetsweeper met us in Houston and has been on the road following us along with many other people from stop to stop!

I feel blessed to be a part of this great team of people crossing the country to spread an encouraging message to stand up and unite and take our country back to the people! People appreciate the Tea Party Express II coming to their town and the dedication of all who are involved in the movement. We appreciate the many people that take time to support the cause and the movement. People are waking up in great numbers and only by working together can we affect long term change to restore our country and put it back on the right path of a Constitutional Republic.

One of my favorite portions of our event is the tribute to our veterans and armed forces. It is a moving, patriotic tribute and every one there seems to be affected by it. We owe a great deal of our freedoms to our veterans, armed forces and their families. Many who have sacrificed their lives for the very freedom we and others in the world enjoy today because America is about freedom!

We have a lot of work to do yet and we must remain dedicated to follow through by educating ourselves, our circles of influence, and those we can reach out to. We must be vigilant and steadfast and together, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, step by step….We will restore our American Republic.

God Bless,
Darla Dawald
National Coordinator
http://www.grassfire.org/ and http://www.resistnet.com/

A Giant Rally in Beautiful Beaumont, TX

Last night's rally in Beaumont, TX was especially meaningful as it came about while the House of Representatives was lining up the votes to pass the Pelosi-Obama government-run healthcare scheme.

We're here in Louisiana with a lot of our friends!

We've arrived at the Louisiana State Capitol and people are fired up - and mad - about the House's passage of government-run healthcare last night.

Here's the scene from Baton Rouge - the rally is continuing even as I'm posting this update:

Shame On Congress

In the middle of the night, using Rahm Emanuel's strategy of exploiting national tragedies to push through a radical agenda, the House of Representatives defied the will of the people and the Constitution to push through their socialistic healthcare scheme.

Here's the statement that Tea Party Express leaders put out last night minutes after the vote:
http://newsblaze.com/story/20091108065816zzzz.nb/topstory.html

Incredible Houston Rally!

WOW HOUSTON!

We just left our awesome Houston rally where thousands were on hand. The picture below tells the story. We've also briefly split up the 2 buses.

The red bus crossed town to protest the American Medical Association outside of their convention in Houston. The blue bus is continuing on with most of the team to Beaumont, TX for our rally there. The red bus will then join us for the middle of the rally and we'll all be reunited again. But check out Houston:

We'll be posting more and more updates from the past few days and today throughout the evening. So keep checking back!

And let us hope our phone calls and emails are working and that we can defeat this House vote on socialized government-run healthcare tonight!

Wow!!! Brenham, TX "Whistle Stop" is Huge!

Hi everyone, I have to get you all caught up with the reports from our rallies in Lubbock, Abilene, Waco (Whistle Stop) and Austin.

But today has started off with a huge bang!

Washington - can you hear the people of Brenham, TX? Because they have a message for you: they've had enough with you ignoring them and pushing through a socialistic agenda of big government.

We were only going to do a quick meet-and-greet with shaking some hands and saying hello to the folks of Brenham - a true "whistle stop" that was a quick in-and-out.

But something happened on the way to Brenham - several hundred people turned out in this small, sleepy town. So we brought out Deborah, Mark, William Owens and Lloyd Marcus for a quick Tea Party Express rally. People came up to us with tears in their eyes and thanked us so much for taking the time to come to their little community and rally the people together.

We'll have more later!

Amarillo, Texas - What great people!

We had a great rally in Amarillo (yes, I know it seems like we say just about every rally has been great - but they truly have been). There were 4 counter protestors who tried to march through the crowd and disrupt the event, but we pointed out to them that we conservatives DO believe in freedom of speech and tolerance.

So we allowed them to stand to the side and hold their signs (after there was a brief discussion between some of our supporters from Amarillo and them) and we pointed out to them that unlike the thugs of SEIU and ACORN they weren't going to be in harms way - unlike the way SEIU union thugs beat up Kenneth Gladney for simply trying to sell his Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flags outside Mel Carnahan's Town Hall in St. Louis.

After the rally was over we were inundated with people coming up to us and thanking us for what we do. We were provided water, coffee, and endless handshakes. And we were reminded why we really admire the people of Amarillo - they are good people, and it was an honor to stand with them in this fight to take our country back!

Oklahoma City Rocks - Huge Rally!

THOUSANDS TURN OUT IN OKLAHOMA CITY!

Oklahoma City was fantastic. It was almost as large as the huge rally we had in Puyallup, WA. Thousands upon thousands of people packed the Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City. The local organizers were incredible people.

They worked hard. They helped put together an incredible event. There was a lot of media in attendance. And then to top it all off, after we finished the rally they took the entire Tea Party Express tour out for dinner.

Here's some of the great news coverage our rally in Oklahoma City attracted:

News OK: "Tea Party Sees 3,000 at Oklahoma City Rally"

KOCO TV-5: "Tea Party Draws Crowd to Capitol"

NEWS on 6: "Oklahomans Rally Against Spending"

A lot more updates on the way...

It's Joe here everyone, and bear with me as I've had a pounding headache that's just now subsiding. We're at our Whistle Stop in Waco, TX and heading on to Austin. By the time I go to bed tonight I'll have a complete update on rallies and pictures.

We fight on folks - and the momentum and energy has only grown the past few days. People have pleaded with us to keep up this fight, and honor our troops' service and sacrifice by fighting for our country here at home - and taking back America from the corrupted powers of the establishment and Washington, D.C. Beltway crowd.

UPDATE: We've added a few new stops to what is now a 40-city Tea Party Express national tour. Check out our schedule and please spread the word via email, phone call, Facebook, Twitter, etc... to anyone you know who lives near these venues! You can find our schedule here: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/tour-schedule-2/

GOV. PERRY TELLS US HOW TO HELP

THE VICTIMS & FAMILIES OF THE FT. HOOD TRAGEDY

Riding along with Gov. Rick Perry's folks - and they have details on how you can help the families impacted by yesterday's horrific shooting at Ft. Hood.

Send donations to:

The Central Texas- Fort Hood Chapter
Association of the US Army
Attn: Community Response to 11/5
PO Box 10700
Killeen, TX 76547-0700

The Dutra Report - Days 13 & 14

Day 13

A windy day in Amarillo but in mid-60s. Probably about 500 patriots in the park for our rally.

Mark Williams asked how many in the crowd have ever been to a protest rally. A majority of hands went up.

But there are protesters here. About 4 people have suddenly walked to the front carrying posters -- Health Care Now. As they began to chant and walk in front of the stage the crowd burst out in singing God Bless America. The protesters continue to shout but Mark handles the matter superbly.

The Rivoli's reminded the crowd that cash for clunkers really worked: 90 percent of the Obama bumper stickers are now off the road.

The Rivoli's also asked in verse how many want more bail outs. As you may know the had the UTube sensation Press One for English with 13 million hits.

Both buses are getting a wash here in Amarillo as the rally starts.

As all 22 of us got onto the buses, we learned of the tragic news at Ft Hood Texas. The Tea Party Express will be in Austin tomorrow evening (Friday)which is very near to the Post.

Levi Russell issued the following from the bus -- in part: The Tea Party Express ends each and every rally with a special tribute to the military men and women serving, or who have served, their nation. We are still in shock at this tragedy, and are waiting to hear details as they become available. We do know that this is utterly heartbreaking, and are grief-stricken to hear of violence committed against our own soldiers at their home base. Said Deborah Johns, Blue Star Mom and Co-Chair of the Tea Party Express.

Lubbock -- A Special Evening

As we arrived in downtown Lubbock for the 5 pm rally they were already underway with a prayer for the troops at Ft Hood. Mark Williams then spoke eloquently of what it means to be an American. The crowd of about 500 was hushed. Mark and the rest of the Tea Party Express crew did a terrific effort.

Walking around I caught a local newsie setting up. Turned out to be a live interview for the local nightly news on ABC affiliate KLBK Channel 13. Reporter Mitch Carr interviewed local Lubbock man Kyle Wiseman. When asked why he was at the rally, Kyle quickly responded, "I don't want government run health care."

Throughout the tour most (not all) witness local television crews covering the rally. Plus Levi, our press secretary, gets out a lot of the radio and print to cover. But not often do we see a live TV shot.

The end of the rally in the darkness of 7 pm had the glow of the park gazebo aglow with the Tea Party Express speakers and entertainers. The program ended but no one wanted to leave. Chris Wynn, local Tea Party coordinator, shouted Amazing Grace. Diana Nagy took the microphone and asked all to join her in singing the song. Kay Rivoli joined Diana to lead everyone in singing the inspirational gospel song. Unforgettable.

TPX Crew In Shock Over Ft. Hood Shooting

The Tea Party Express rolled into Texas today and was conducting a rally in Amarillo when we heard the first reports of the shooting at Ft. Hood Army base.

We are scheduled to have a rally at the State Capitol in Austin at 5:00 PM tomorrow - and today's news has devastated and shocked our crew. The senseless act of violence has put some of our crew in tears, and the rest of us are dazed by the developments.

It's going to be very tough to hold our event in 1/2 an hour here in Lubbock. Our embedded CNN reporter has rushed to the scene to report on this awful tragedy.

Here is the statement we put out:

___________________________________

TEA PARTY EXPRESS SENDS DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO FAMILIES OF SOLDIERS

FROM THE ROAD IN AMARILLO, TX – The leaders and staff of the Tea Party Express II national bus tour wishes to convey our deepest sympathy to the families and associates of those killed and wounded as a result of the tragic shooting at the Ft. Hood military base.

The Tea Party Express is currently traveling through the state of Texas – and will be in Austin tomorrow (Friday) – and the pain and shock from the tragic shooting has deeply impacted all aboard the tour. The Tea Party Express ends each and every rally with a special tribute to the military men and women serving, or who have served, their nation.

“We are still in shock at this tragedy, and are waiting to hear details as they become available. We do know that this is utterly heartbreaking, and are grief-stricken to hear of violence committed against our own soldiers at their home base.” Said Deborah Johns, Blue Star Mom and Co-Chair of the Tea Party Express.

The Tea Party Express leaders learned of the shooting while conducting a rally in Amarillo, TX while celebrating our brave men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much for this country.

Tens of thousands Flock to Capitol - We're There Now!

LIVE FROM THE "HOUSE CALL" - PROTESTING PELOSI'S GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTHCARE SCHEME

Tea Party Express members Deborah Johns, Amy Kremer and Lloyd Marcus are at Michelle Bachmann's "House Call" at the U.S. Capitol right now.

Lloyd sang "God Bless America" and Deborah & Amy will be speaking.

Here's the first pic from the event:Tea Party Express members Deborah Johns, Amy Kremer and Lloyd Marcus are at Michelle Bachmann's "House Call" at the U.S. Capitol right now.

Lloyd sang "God Bless America" and Deborah & Amy will be speaking. The delegation has brought THOUSANDS of handwritten letters opposing Pelosi's government-run healthcare bill - the letters were written by attendees at each of our Tea Party Express II rallies that have thus far taken place.

Here's the first pic from the event:

UPDATE 1:Loving the chants of "Kill the Bill."

Interesting side-note... at the Denver Tea Party Express rally the other day the tea party organizers had a great drill where they distributed pieces of the bill to members of the rally who each shredded a page and then crews walked around with trash bags collecting the shredded bill. We had a BIG crowd in Denver, so it worked out to do a 1,900+ page bill shredded by members of the crowd.

UPDATE 2: Deborah Johns reports that a stream of Members of Congress just walked down the steps - these are the ones who do NOT support the bill, and there is now a group prayer going on.

Crowds grow as TPX II Rolls Into Wichita

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And these pictures tell the story of how great an event we had in Wichita.

The crowd was exceedingly patriotic, energetic and passionate. We LOVED the people of Wichita, and the people of Wichita LOVE their country: