Perth Amboy Tea Party

On Saturday, Sep. 5, the first day of the Labor Day weekend, I went to the Perth Amboy Tea Party. A lot of people warned me that this is a dangerous area, and it might not be a good place for an anti-socialist event, but while the downtown looked a bit scary, the Circle Park where the tea party took place was a very nice, safe venue. There were not too many people, no more than a hundred, but this was a tough day for a protest. Very nice day, maybe the last nice summer weekend, when people would rather be at the beach, or having a barbeque at home. So thank you to everyone who attended.

The first thing that struck me was that, while the other protests I've been to seemed very disorganized, here you had a few well-organized groups. One was that of independent gubernatorial candidate Jason Cullen's and his associate running for Aseembly, Jim Poesl. The other one was the FairTax.org organization. And there were maybe 30-40 other people who showed up spontaneously, including a few that I've seen at out Middletown rallies.

Kurt Epps as Gov. William Franklin

The tea party organizers had a nice setup, with a podium for speakers, under an arch which held the "We The People" sign. The speakers were both good and bad. To open, we had a guy dressed up as Gov. William Franklin, who had a funny speech, combing the history of the NJ colony and current events. Then, we had Jason Cullen, who might be a smart conservative guy, but I don't think he's doing us any service. As a conservative candidate, he'll just drain votes from Chris Christie, which ultimately means votes for Jon Corzine. His speech wasn't bad, and he's a nice guy, but I think he's just a self-absorbed young politician who wants his 15 minutes of fame.

The first good speech was from Michael Johns, a well-known blogger and conservative activist, who's worked for the White House and spoke as many tea parties nationwide. He offered us a broad view of the Obaministration's socialist plans, focusing on the healthcare reform. But probably the best surprise was the impromptu speech of Brian, a simple guy from the attendance, who asked for the microphone and gave us a spontaneous 10-15 minutes speech which drew everybody's attention. He spoke to us about the way Government is taking our freedoms, trampling the Constitutions, going against everything America stands for. He didn't need a script, and everything he said was right from his heart, it was a very inspiring speech. And even more, he's a union carpenter, and unions are the last place where you'd expect a passionate conservative, but as Brian said there are a lot of smart people in the unions who see that the union leaders' positions are plainly wrong.

Michael Johns addressing the crowd

There were a few snoozers taking the podium, but two more speeches stood out. One was from a very passionate African-American lady, who was Obama's hardest attacker, and who explained that disliking Obama has nothing to do with race. Then it was my friend Joe Schilp who gave a very factual talk on business and taxes, and how socialism is bad for business, therefore for us, Americans.

Joe Schilp delivering his speech

But the highlight of the tea party was probably Col. Manly Rash's final appearance. Manly Rash is another well-known blogger, who regularly appears in a Continental Army uniform. You can read about this tea party on his blog, complete with videos, but check back soon since he's having a series of postings.

Manly Rash suffered the most at this event, since it was so hot and his full uniform must've been baking him inside. But he didn't complain, he waited for his turn, and I'm glad I stayed until the end. Col. Rash climbed on the NJ Liberty Bell monument, opposite the podium in the park, and started by ringing the bell with his sword. Then followed a very inspirational speech, focused on the history of our Republic, the Constitution, and the principles our Founding Fathers stood for. He slipped in and out of his Revolutionary character, talking about our current situation, and what we must do to protect our freedoms. He was the only speaker on that day who didn't say anything negative. We all know what's bad about Obama, his plans, his bills, and socialism in general, so we didn't need to hear it again. What we heard from Col. Rash was the positive, what we must do as a nation to make sure we survive Obama's term.