When the Tea Party began in earnest 4-15-09 it was an exciting time! I was downtown San Antonio and a police officer asked me “how long is this going to go? We were called and told get down town there is something big going on!”

After that time I met a guy by the name of Ray Holt from MS. He started “TeaPartyPhotos.com” he asked me if after the July 4Th Tea Parties if I would cover the south and go state by state , city by city and send him links to the Tea Parties so he could upload them to his site. After I did that he said the guy doing the North East did not come through. So I started there. Close to 39 of the 50 states later I was done. I viewd 100′s of videos from across the country! I have contacts in most every state.

Long story to let you know that I know our core beliefs are all the same. Which candidate we support will change from time to time.

In the 2010 Elections I kept in contact with folks who after their candidate lost in a primary that they would keep in mind the goal of the Tea Party and that
is to TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY!! Many after bitter fighting were not so willing to pick up the torch and run with it for the candidate that just beat theirs.

11-2-10 We took our first step , 11-6-12 We will
FINISH THE JOB ! ! !

Repeal Obama and his Czars !! “In God we Still and always will Trust.”

The video below I took every photo even the ones
from 9-12-09 March on Washington D.C. .

http://youtu.be/cHRtgCvw3qE

God bless you all,

Matt Troy

What is even more shocking & confusing is the number of supposedly Tea Party conservatives who are “endorsing” Gingrich (e.g. Sarah Palin, Herman Cain, Tea Party Express, etc.). How can this happen if these individuals truly espouse the Founder’s conservative principles for LIMITED government and individual responsibility.

I would suggest a mantra for the upcoming 2012 election cycle be:

“Use PRIMARY to vote PRINICPLE; use ELECTION to Encumber & Ensnare the “Progressive Transformation Agenda.”

We should definitely choose to stand on PRINCIPLES, supporting any conservative opponent running for office in Federal & State PRIMARY races office against an incumbent who has lost their way from these principles during their tenure.

Those seen as “ELECTIBLE” usually are individuals with financial backing that far exceeds a conservative who has decided to oppose them… making it more difficult to access the much needed funding & volunteers to help make for a stronger, more conservative opponent. Once, again, we will have missed the opportunity to send to those more “ELECTIBLE” incumbents the number of principled conservatives who will be “vigilant” during their next term.

Come November, our vote for the more “ELECTIBLE” primary winners will force us into voting for them since we MUST cast our vote for the least moderate/liberal candidate. It will result in a vote NOT on PRINIPLES but one based on the politician who is NOT their more progressive opponent.

Marilyn Murray

(1)“We in the tea party movement are passionate about principles, but are not typically sophisticated on how to get things done”. This is a two part statement requiring a two part answer. (i) Mr. Kaplan fails to identify (much less define) what these “principles” are. I know the San Antonio Tea Party (SATP) holds dear the principles of the Founders—the right to life, the right to liberty and the right to own property. Mr. Kaplan, in his first dictum on the SD25 candidate debate, makes it clear that the winning principles center on greed, money and power, i.e., greed + money = power. Mr. Kaplan infers he who has the biggest purse wins (or deserves to win) the prize. (ii) “(the tea party is) Not typically sophisticated on how to get things done”?? Speak for yourself, Mr. Kaplan. The concept of “citizen lobbyist,” developed by JD Benfer of San Antonio, Texas, was taught to, and adopted by, numerous grassroots activists across Texas. Using Benfer’s citizen lobbyist techniques, grassroots organizations (including SATP members) from around Texas energized and descended upon Austin and the 82nd legislature and, to a large part, successfully influenced legislation in the House of Representatives (not necessarily so in the Senate)—both for and against bills in both the House and Senate. Not once did I see Mr. Kaplan in the halls of the state capitol. Not once did I see Mr. Kaplan testify before either House or Senate committees or sub-committees to “citizen” lobby for or against pending legislation. Mr. Kaplan is wrong. The tea party movement IS sophisticated enough to affect law making and law makers in Austin. That was proven last year. The difference between Mr. Kaplan and his SATP associates is that he chose to sit on the sidelines during active portion of the 82nd legislative session (Jan-June 2011) while numerous others in the SATP (as well as other Texas grassroots activists) took the lead and headed for Austin—not to protest on the south lawn but to actively lobby in the chambers of state representatives and senators.

(2)“Let me offer the example of two honest men in the GOP Presidential race, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. If we nominated one on principle, would four more years of Obama be worth our stand on principle?” Translation: disregard the core principles–life, liberty and property. Discard the Founding principles this republic was built upon. Pick up and carry the yoke of “might is right!” where the rich and powerful, morally bankrupt politicians rule with an iron fist all the while “fighting for Texas and Texans” and a photo op on the front page of the San Antonio Express-News or Austin-American Statesman.

(3)“…how to build consensus to pass legislation, and how to choose candidates who can win without violating our principles.” Again, Mr. Kaplan, your baseline principles—greed, money, power—are NOT the principles of the tea parties across Texas or across the country. Citizen lobbying, building coalitions of conservative activists promoting and supporting conservative candidates (no matter the amount of money they have in their coffers) and their messages and putting substance before treasure is how the grassroots candidates will win.

Steve Baysinger, San Antonio, Texas