Editor’s Note: We don’t know who wrote this, but we agree with the sentiment, so we thought we’ve publish it for everyone to read. If the author steps forward, we’ll be happy to credit them!

Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands.

Yes there is!

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn’t the fancy-eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint.

Remember, folks this isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your hometown Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I know I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theater.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

• post it to discussion groups
• throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city
• send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments.

This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn’t that what Christmas is about?

MeridianTeaParty.com will hold a Candidates Forum on July 26th, 2011 starting at 6:00pm at EMEPA Auditorium.

All candidates who responded to our Candidates Questionnaire by the deadline have been invited and will be given time on stage to talk about their candidacy. Everyone will have the opportunity to personally question candidates after the candidates have spoken. We’ll be designating different areas of the room for candidates to make themselves directly available to any voter.

Everyone is invited to attend this event and take advantage of this opportunity to spend some time with the candidates just prior to the election!

Date: Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: EMEPA Auditorium

There will be three showings:

• Friday, June 24th at 7:00pm
• Saturday, June 25th at 4:00pm
• Saturday, June 25th at 7:00pm

Tickets will be $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for Students.

This film is rated PG-13.

Atlas Shrugged Movie: Part I Film Synopsis

Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling) runs Taggart Transcontinental, the largest remaining railroad company in America, with intelligence, courage and integrity, despite the systematic disappearance of her best and most competent workers.

She is drawn to industrialist Henry Rearden (Grant Bowler), one of the few men whose genius and commitment to his own ideas match her own. Rearden’s super-strength metal alloy, Rearden Metal, holds the promise that innovation can overcome the slide into anarchy.

Using the untested Rearden Metal, they rebuild the critical Taggart rail line in Colorado and pave the way for oil titan Ellis Wyatt (Graham Beckel) to feed the flame of a new American Renaissance.

Hope rises again, when Dagny and Rearden discover the design of a revolutionary motor based on static electricity – in an abandoned engine factory – more proof to the sinister theory that the “men of the mind” (thinkers, industrialists, scientists, artists, and other innovators) are “on strike” and vanishing from society.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Atlas Shrugged is a novel that has generated inspiration and controversy since its publication in 1957.

Its theme is the role of individual achievement in society and its goal is to demonstrate what can happen when individual achievement is undervalued, suppressed and demonized. Complex characters embody heroism and evil, in a plot that combines drama, mystery, romance, and science fiction – the result is ultimately inspirational, not apocalyptic.

Dagny Taggart is one of the finest female heroines in modern literature: intelligent, courageous, and as beautiful as she is strong. She is a rare screen example of life lived on one’s own terms, for one’s own values. Steel magnate Henry Rearden says, “My goal is to make money” with pride. He is an industrialist who improves the quality of life for all – and values his reward. Atlas Shrugged’s villains are evil, but as familiar as our local neighbor – as they undercut and subvert talent and achievement.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Relevance Today – Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged & Objectivism

Ask yourself: What would happen, if our producers disappear – Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin and other industrialists fall off the radar, their companies shuttered and their creative genius no longer powering America? The answer lies in Atlas Shrugged Part I.

For the millions around the world who have read Rand’s books, for those curious about her controversial philosophy, and for the uninitiated, and skeptical – the film, which only covers the first third of the book, is an opportunity to see a faithful adaptation.

Rand’s unique literary genius – which we hope to make accessible to a broader audience via film – is to show the price to be paid by the individual and society when the tragic words “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” are carried out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hope and Change Sticky Notes Coming To A Pump Near You Soon!

I’ve heard the low rumblings of a movement afoot within the Tea Party to start raising awareness of the failures and frankly the terrible successes of our President and his Administration. It is gaining some traction and it seems like an awesome idea.

It’s called The Sticky Note Campaign and though it started as an idea to present Conservative messages across the country at individual gas pumps is now expanding into grocery and retail stores such as these in Georgia. There are even photos of them posted in bathrooms and elevators!

The idea is absolute genius, low cost, non-destructive and really simple to do.

Here’s how:

• Get a large stack of yellow sticky notes
• Get a magic marker
• Get a roll of transparent tape (use only if necessary)
• Write short messages on the notes
• Post the notes on gas pumps whenever you buy gas
• Post the notes where ever, when ever you find higher prices

Here’s some of the best Sticky Note messages we’ve seen so far:

1. How’s that Hopey Changey Thing Working For You? NOBAMA 2012
2. Full Of Hope & Change With An Empty Tank! NOBAMA 2012
3. Hope & Change At Work Here! High Prices – Thanks Obama.
4. You’re Fired – NOBAMA 2012
5. We cannot afford another four years of Obama
6. OBAMA-NOMICS: The “change” I have left after paying other people’s bills.
7. Higher Energy Prices – Thanks Obama – NOBAMA 2012
8. Like These Prices? NOBAMA 2012
9. Does Hope & Change Leave You Feeling Empty? NOBAMA 2012
10. NOBAMA – Let’s not find out how much worse it could be.

A Facebook page has been setup to share photos and info for this grassroots activist campaign.  Be sure to take photos of your notes and post them to your own Facebook page for your friends and relatives to see as well. That way, the notes can do double duty!

Here’s a couple of things to remember:

Do not write vulgar, racist or inappropriate messages on the notes. Do not put the notes where they will impede the use of any equipment or prevent a person from reading any necessary safety information or digital readouts. We are not union activists, so don’t confront anyone or seek to be disruptive in any way.

The Sticky Note Campaign is about having some fun and getting a message out to all those who are paying more for everything.

If you have some good ideas for messages or some pictures to send us, let us know.

This has become one of the highlights of the Run For The Wall riders as they pass through Mississippi and once again members of MeridianTeaParty.com folks did our hometown proud!

Elizabeth Lagrone who headed up the effort for us had this to say, “Our breakfast muffins were a great hit again this year. All the RFTW folks were very appreciative. Please put a thank you out on the website for all who helped.”

How about more than one:

Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!

From Heritage.org…

On March 30, 2011, Senator Charles Schumer (D–NY) with 15 cosponsors, including the Senate Majority and Republican Leaders, as well as six other Democratic Senators, six other Republican Senators, and an Independent Senator,[1] introduced in the Senate the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011 (S. 679). The bill was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The bill reduces the number of presidential appointments that require the consent of the Senate and establishes within the executive branch a Working Group on Streamlining Paperwork for Executive Nominations. Individuals nominated to senior executive offices suffer slow and detailed background investigations and mounds of duplicative paperwork before a President sends their nominations to the Senate. After nomination, many nominees suffer time-consuming inaction or time-consuming and excruciating action as the Senate proceeds (or does not) with consideration of the nomination. The sponsors of S. 679 have identified a valid problem, but proposed the wrong solution. Congress should not enact S. 679.
We can never, ever forget that Congress is completely controlled by Rinos and Democrats, and there is no distinction between the two.  This article from the Heritage Foundation describes a bill that is “totally unconstitutional” supported by all the leadership in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat.

Read the rest…

How can that be, unless they are subversive, uninformed, don’t care, are power drunk, or all of the above?  Or better yet, they are all politicians trying to avoid the difficult issues.  If they let the president hire his own people without confirmation they don’t have to vote against the bad ones.

Regardless of the reason, they are certainly not Constitutionalists.  I don’t think they even understand the original intent and may not have read the Constitutional at all.  This legislation just emphasizes why we must be ever vigilant and vocal about what is going on in Washington.

In this case, call your Senators because they will certainly not take action unless we bring this to the light of day.

Oh, by the way, if this passes we move one step closer to the monarchy Obama wants.

The time to welcome the Riders For The Wall is nearly upon us again and once again, MeridianTeaParty.com is planning to make these riders feel as welcome as we possibly can when they get here.

But we need some volunteers to help make this happen!

Anyone interested in helping with cooking muffins for the run for the wall group please contact Elizabeth Ann Lagrone at 601 632-1444 or email at ealagrone@aim.com by May 7.

Muffins will be delivered on May 24 at 5:30 AM at the agriculture center.

We will need about 1,000 muffins to feed everyone so we need your help!

Based upon the response we got from the riders last year, their Meridian stop is one of the highlights of their journey. Please help us make it a wonderful experience for these Patriots once again!

2010 Run For The Wall Photos:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It may sound paranoid, but what does he mean by “gone”?

It appears on the basis of this video and the audio released yesterday of Charles Schumer trashing the tea party, the Democrat strategy is to blame the Tea Party for Republicans’ resistance to come to the table and negotiate on the continuing resolutions and the debt ceiling. Fine. If they are going to blame us for holding our representatives feet to the fire, perhaps, it is time we actually did that.

Last week, when Rep. Gregg Harper stopped by the latest meeting of the MeridianTeaParty.com, it was clear that many of those in attendance were somewhat dissatisfied with some of  Rep. Harper’s comments and his answers to our questions.  When asked if he would vote for the next continuing resolution. He stated that he didn’t know for sure and that it depended upon what else was in the continuing resolution. For example, he explained, if the next C.R. contained a full defunding of Planned Parenthood or NPR, then he would find it hard to vote against it.

Rep. Harper tried to make the point that the budget situation didn’t happen overnight and that we couldn’t hope to fix it with one swift cut and immediately eliminate all of the deficit spending at once. However, the point Tea Party Members made to him was that while we understood his position, we also understood the fact that we cannot continue to spend money we do not have. A seasoned citizen even offered to give up some of his own pension if Congress would guarantee that the money would be paid against the Federal Debt. Rep. Harper rightly pointed out that doing this would only give Democrats the boldness to keep spending.

But the question that didn’t get asked or answered was the one that was probably most important: Would Rep. Harper stand firm on the debt ceiling and vote against raising it again? The dirty little secret is that standing their ground on raising the Debt Ceiling is the only weapon the Republicans have right now that can stop the runaway spending. To raise the debt ceiling, both the House and the Senate have to agree. Since the Republicans are only in control of the House, this gives them the ability to keep Democrat feet to the fire on cutting spending. A simple “No” vote on raising the debt ceiling will force Democrats to the table and get them to accept more dramatic cuts. This stance will probably be positioned as the “nuclear option” or some other idiotic phrase, but it’s really nothing more than growing a backbone and standing ground.

When it counted Tea Parties stood their ground and made a difference in the last elections. We knew going into this effort that the fix was going to take longer than just one election. Rep. Harper was correct about the fact that we cannot cure politicians’ addiction to spending overnight. What we can do overnight to find the brakes on this runaway train we call The Federal Budget. The debt ceiling is a perfect set of brakes. The question is whether the people we have representing us in Washington have the wherewithal to apply them.

In spite of what Harry Reid believes, the Tea Party is not going away anytime soon. In fact, on Thursday, March 31, 2011, the Tea Party Patriots will be holding a Continuing Revolution Rally on the East Side of the Capitol Building from noon to 1:30pm. While the Congress continues “business-as-usual” with their short term continuing resolutions, tea parties will be there to Continue The Tea Party Revolution and demand they make the tough decisions we sent them there to make.

It would be a good idea between now and tomorrow to make two phone calls:

1. Rep. Gregg Harper – 202-225-5031 – Ask whether he supports raising the debt ceiling and/or the next continuing resolution.
2. Speaker John Boehner – 202-225-0600 – Encourage him to hold the line on spending and live up to the mandate we gave him.

Caller Talking Points

• When calling Rep. Gregg Harper, tell them you are a member of MeridianTeaParty.com and thank him for his visit last week. When calling Speaker Boehner let his office know that you are a tea party member and that you support the concept of Fiscal Responsibility.
• I am calling to demand, as an American citizen, that House Republicans hold the line, and “NOT” raise the National Debt Ceiling, which will force the President and the entire Congress to make the hard cuts that are required to bring our nation’s economy back to health for our children and grandchildren.
• If Congress does not hold the line this year, and the ceiling is raised, they will be held responsible for the collapse of our economy, which is spiraling downward now.
• The voters will hold every House member responsible for their decisions, when given the opportunity to vote again. We do not have short memories.
• So I respectfully request that the Representative/Speaker makes this his main priority now!  If he does, he will go down in history for his resolve and courage.
• If he supports holding the line on debt, ask him, along with other House Republicans, to go out and stand in solidarity with the Tea Party protesters on March 31.  That will demonstrate to the nation that he and they, are serious about the pledges they took before the mid-term elections.

It’s time to remind Harry Reid that we haven’t gone anywhere and we don’t plan to for a very long time.

Forget all of the predictions.

Forget all of the news media hype.

GET TO THE POLLS AND VOTE!

Need Motivation? Watch These Two Videos:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The formation and growth of the Tea Party movement across the United States has been nothing short of miraculous. Every day citizens are coming together in communities, towns and cities to form various groups with the common goals of liberty, freedom, fiscal responsibility and a constitutionally limited government.

Mississippi has experienced that same growth and the time has come to connect the various groups throughout the state in order to create a stronger voice for political action and representation.  Therefore, the current legal structure, name and web site of the central Mississippi tea party, officially known as “The Mississippi Tea Party”, will be transitioned into a new statewide organization through a planned state convention, with representatives from many of the organizations throughout the state. The various groups have been cooperating, sharing resources and working together for several months. Most recently, their efforts have been largely credited with obtaining over 130,000 signatures from around the state on a petition to place a photo Voter ID law on the ballot in 2011.

While participation will be voluntary, it is hoped that most, if not all, of the current groups agree to participate in the state convention, finalize the draft constitution that has been proposed, and ratify a new Constitution for the now united Mississippi Tea Party. The state convention has been scheduled for April 30 – May 1, 2010 and will be held in the Jackson area. At the end of the convention, the existing leadership of The Mississippi Tea Party will turn over the reigns of the group to the newly elected officers and then become the leadership of the brand new Central Mississippi Tea Party.

Five Tea Party Groups have been invited to be Charter Chapters of The Mississippi Tea Party and these five groups have been asked to send 5 delegates to Jackson for a two-day convention to create the By-Laws of the new state-wide organization and to elect officers and board members from the attending delegates. Committees will also be formed at this time. MeridianTeaParty.com is honored to have been invited as one of the Charter Chapters and the MeridianTeaParty.com Board has agreed to participate.

MeridianTeaParty.com will continue to operate as it always has and will retain it’s independence and complete autonomy from The Mississippi Tea Party. The goal of The Mississippi Tea Party will be to improve communications between the various Tea Party and 9-12 groups around the State by creating and enhancing the network between groups. Ultimately, the Mississippi Tea Party will publicly represent all Tea Party/9-12 groups within the state on issues that the groups agree on.

It is the belief of the Board of MeridianTeaParty.com that the key to future success is to  build links to other Tea Party groups and sharing information equally. We cannot continue depending on the mainstream media to let us know about candidates such at Scott Brown or Mark Rubio. They will learn if they haven’t already that the more accurate information we have the more powerful Tea Party groups will become. Therefore, it is our responsibility to connect to those who believe the same way we do and to leverage the individual strengths of our separate groups and to speak with one voice whenever possible. For example, MeridianTeaParty.com counts it’s membership around 500, but just the five charter chapters of the new Mississippi Tea Party can truthfully claim a state-wide membership of close to 5,000 members. This association of Tea Party groups will make it easier to approach statewide media and will give each chapter access to resources and manpower greater than we might achieve individually.

We have posted the proposed by-laws of The Mississippi Tea Party here and you can download them, review them and send your suggestions for changes to theguru@MeridianTeaParty.com. We have also posted a poll on www.MeridianTeaParty.com to get a sense of your reaction to all of this. Feel free to send us any questions you may have and we’ll try to put together a list of all the questions and answers and publish them for everyone. This message will be published on our website and you can post your comments or questions there as well.

If you are a member of MeridianTeaParty.com and would like to participate as one of our delegates to the By-Laws Convention in Jackson, please contact us here. If we get more than five volunteers, we’ll come up with a way to select the five delegates at our March meeting (TBA).

For more information on The Mississippi Tea Party: www.themsteaparty.org