More than 500 people rallied outside the Midland County Courthouse Wednesday evening — some with signs. That rally was among Midland County's largest political events in modern times.
Hundreds of postcards to President Barack Obama and congressional leaders were signed, demanding an end to "taxation without deliberation, bailouts, out of control spending and borrowing."
A container held contributions to buy postage.
Several "Don't tread on me" flags in the crowd were reminiscent of the American Revolution.
Sustained chants of "USA! USA! USA" came several times during the hourlong rally, which began around 6:30 p.m.
Some members of the courthouse crowd also participated in a noon event outside Midland City Hall. It attracted approximately 60 people — many with homemade protest signs.
Those two TEA Parties were among many such rallies across the United States on the deadline date for income tax filing.
The TEA in TEA Parties stands for Taxed Enough Already.
After the courthouse rally, its organizer — Jayme Hazen of Mount Haley Township — said an organizational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. April 24 at Midland Christian School for continued opposition to big government and socialism.
"We're going to have a grassroots movement in this county.... We're going to take our government back," Hazen said.
Some people want to picket in front of the office of U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, a Midland Republican, because of "earmarks" — federally funded projects — he supported, Hazen said.
The local movement, which hasn't been named, will have a website and blogging, Hazen said.
Hazen hadn't previously organized a political rally. Mother of three children, she is a Sunday school teacher, Midland Christian School bookeekper and owner of a business with her husband.
The noon rally outside Midland City Hall was organized by Ann Marie Monaghan of Coleman — an Air Force veteran and mother of six. She'd thought she might be the only person at that rally.
Kathleen Stewart of Midland helped start the courthouse event by singing "It Aint Your Money To Spend." She wrote the music and her brother Steve Jones of Atlanta, Ga., recently wrote the lyrics of the song, downloaded thousands of times from the website
http://www.kathleensings.com
Hazen spoke after Joseph G. Lehman, president of the Midland-based, free-market think tank the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and Midland County resident Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan.
Glenn advocated replacing the income tax with taxation "of what we choose to buy."
"The side benefit" would be elimination of the Internal Revenue Service, he said. That brought a big cheer from many in the crowd.
Lehman said: "Defenders of big government say taxes have to be high to help people in need. But does anybody really believe that? Do you know anyone at all who, if he wanted to help the poor, would send a check to Washington, D.C.?"
Lehman also told the crowd: "Our founders gave us a heritage of freedom. We must not give our posterity a heritage of debt and virtually limitless government."
Some of the homemade signs at the courthouse read "Spend your money not mine," "Term limit D.C. " and "Here comes Congress. Hide Your wallet."
Outside City Hall, supportive drivers honked horns — and some raised a thumb — to approximately 40 protesters along Jerome Street.
Other protesters were on the plaza near City Hall and the Midland County Services Building.
Monaghan said there might be another such rally next year, and that some of the people who registered at the noon rally might be future rally leaders or willing to help others get information on topics.
Signs at the City Hall rally had various themes. Some objected to policies of President Obama. But some participants said they criticize Democratic and Republican officeholders alike.
"Wake up sheep," read one sign a man held up outside City Hall for people in passing vehicles to read. Also outside City Hall, Michelle Schull of Harrison carried the American flag she and her husband fly outside their home.
Schull, 43, said that when she was in school she and her fellow students didn't use the world trillion in math class.
Now, she said, its an everyday U.S. governmental word.
"That just amazes me. That scares me," she told a reporter.
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19 April 2009: Even as average Americans were planning to get out in towns and cities to demonstrate against Big Government and Big Taxes, Federal Bureau of Intelligence Investigation (FBI) surveillance was being unleashed upon them. In fact, unsuspecting Tax Day TEA Party participants were being closely watched during the demonstration planning stages in a covert operation that began on or about March 23, 2009.
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