If you have liked either of the previous MTP Facebook Groups, please unlike them and then visit the link below to like the new MeridianTeaParty.com Facebook Page. We are no longer updating the old pages other than encouraging friends to move to the new page.

http://www.facebook.com/MeridianTeaParty

Once you have liked the new page, please share it with your friends on Facebook. We are hoping to get as many people as possible to like our Facebook page and are setting our first target at 1,000 friends. We need your help to promote this new page!!!!

2012 is right around the corner and we believe that MeridianTeaParty.com in conjunction with Tea Party Groups all over the United States will have a huge impact on next year’s elections. The Tea Party was a big player in the recent debt negotiations in Washington and while the RINO’s and Liberals may have won that fight, they were put on notice that the Tea Party movement is far from dead and is in fact prepared to get in their faces and fight for what is right. Help us make an even bigger difference. We’ll be working on State elections for November, 2011 and National Election coming in November, 2012. This is one of the easiest ways to get involved and help us spread the word!

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.

He told me that he met with the MS GOP elite in Jackson, MS and that while they were supportive of his run and encouraged him to do so, he would have to win the primary election before they would even consider supporting his campaign. So Bill went to work running a very strong campaign and in the end, Bill bested two candidates in a very close race to win the Republican Nomination and the right to challenge Bennie Thompson in the general election on November 2nd of this year. During that primary, MeridianTeaParty.com issued several recommendations of support for Bill, and was contacted by several Tea Parties around the State who all wanted to ask the same questions: “Is Bill Marcy a true Conservative?” , “Is Bill Marcy the real deal?”, and “Can Bill Marcy Beat Bennie Thompson?”

My short answers to all of these questions were “Yes!”, “Yes!”, and “If everyone gets behind him, YES!”

Reminiscient of the Scott Brown race in Massachusetts, Tea Party groups in District 2 began to invite Bill to their meetings and listened to him speak. Then they began to invite him to speak at their rallies to expose his message that “Mississippi Deserves Better Than Bennie!” to more people. Very quickly a grassroots campaign sprang up around Bill’s formal campaign to support Bill and increase his chances of winning. Tea Party members began knocking on doors, calling neighbors, emailing flyers to people and donating money. Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like Bill’s campaign in almost 30 years of watching politics. It has been an amazing thing to watch and in every conversation I’ve had with Bill since the primary, the first words on his lips have been appreciation for all of the efforts of people who have worked tirelessly to get him this far. Recently, he told me that grassroots support for his campaign has expanded to include Tea Party groups from Louisiana who are lending people with technical talent and campaigning skills to help.

I had the opportunity to speak with Bill this past week and I expressed to Bill the anger I felt toward the Republican Party after their initial announcement not to support Christine O’Donnell after her amazing win in Delaware. I told him I had received calls from MeridianTeaParty.com members who stated that they would never give to the Republican Party again and would from this moment forward only donate directly to candidates of their own choosing. I told him that I had contacted Jamie Peavy, Chairman of the Lauderdale County Republicans, to express my own anger and frustration that barring gross unethical or felonious behavior, it was wrong for elites within the Party to deny assistance to candidates who had fought and won the votes of the people to represent the Republican label.

So, imagine my surprise when he told me that so far, neither the Mississippi Republican Party nor the National Republican Party has given one cent to his campaign to help him win. Imagine my further surprise when he told me that the leadership of the Republican Party told him that they had decided to focus on the races in District 1 and District 4 because that’s where they saw the best opportunities to win. Imagine my anger when Bill told me that his own internal polling showed him gaining strongly on Bennie Thompson among those likely to vote.

For a moment, I felt sorry for Bill. But then I remembered that Bill has the heart, soul and mind of a conservative, which means he will not stop and he will not give up and he will not be ignored. He voice was clear and strong as he reminded me that he wasn’t depending on anyone but himself and his supporters to win this race and that he never had.

I told Bill in the beginning that I thought the race against Travis Childers in District 1 and the race against Bennie Thompson in District 2 were to the two places we all needed to place our attention because I believed that Childers and Thompson were low hanging fruit, ready to be picked. I was concerned that Taylor was too strong in District 4 and that he had scored points with Conservatives by voting against Obamacare. I also felt that Reg. Gregg Harper benefitted greatly from his support of conservative values and would be a difficult challenge for anyone running against him.

Bennie Thompson has treated his district like a fiefdom so much so that he hasn’t even formally campaigned in his district in the past 3 cycles. King Bennie as he has been called, believes that he is due his seat in Congress and I told Bill in that first conversation that if he made Bennie actually campaign in the district, Bill could count that as a huge success because it would mean that Bennie was worried. The fact is, Bennie has campaigned harder than he has ever had to in this cycle and it is because of Bill Marcy. Bennie Thompson is running scared because whatever else he is, he is not stupid. He knows that the public is unhappy with Democrats. He knows that the public is unhappy with Barack Obama. He knows that the public is unhappy with him. Above all else, Bennie Thompson knows just like I do that Bill Marcy is the real deal and that Bill Marcy CAN beat him.

In spite of Bill getting individual donations from the Republican Stars in our State such as Haley Barbour, Phil Bryant and many others, the elite within the Republican Party still believe that the party shouldn’t “waste” any money on Bill Marcy’s campaign because they think he can’t win. How can they come to this conclusion when they haven’t even tried? The only thing I can come up with is that they don’t understand Bill Marcy and they definitely don’t understand the Tea Party Movement yet. They still think that they have their hands on the levers of power. They still think that they are controlling the game. I’ve got news for them, they are sorely mistaken.

Look around the Country at primary race after primary race where Tea Party Support has been the difference in producing a winning formula. Listen to the conservative voices who speak via the Internet rather than through the traditional media outlets to thousands of people who agree with what they are reading. Consider the fact that Christine O’Donnell raised almost $1 Million dollars in a single day directly as a result of the disrepect paid to her by the National and State Republican Parties. You’ve got to ask yourself, “What the hell is The Republican Party thinking?”

One sure fire way of proving that Bill Marcy will not beat Bennie Thompson is to withhold needed funds and starve his campaign. The question I keep asking myself is whether the Republican Party really understands that if they do not support Bill Marcy then when he does win this race, they will not be able to claim any of the credit of Bill’s success. That credit will belong solely to the Tea Party Movement.

We are now in the final days of the campaign season and as you can see from this article, Bill Marcy needs our support more than ever. His fast and dramatic climb is the internal polls and Bennie’s efforts to campaign everywhere he can are proof that Bill is making a difference. Bill isn’t getting help from within The Republican Party; so, that leaves it up to the rest of us. It’s simple: Bill needs money to put him over the top and to win this race.

To donate to Bill Marcy’s campaign, go to http://www.BillMarcyForCongress.com.

I know he will appreciate any amount you can give.

I was using a tool called FeedDemon to subscribe to various conservative blogs and news sources (I can highly recommend FeedDemon, so get it!). In the previous year, I subscribed to many RSS feeds and I sorted through the wheat and chaff by identifying the sources where the best articles originated. That process produced a short list of great bloggers who I now follow on a daily basis.

I’ll save the list of my favorites for another article, but one source made the favorites list early on partly because of the material presented, partly because Michelle Malkin was involved and in part because of the quality of the comments.  

The source was HotAir.com and as I read more and more, I began to find myself gravitating to the posts of Doctor Zero. It could be argued that he was simply becoming more popular and therefore I was seeing his posts more often, but I believe it was truly because I really liked his writing style. Doctor Zero wrote informative, entertaining articles which made me feel like we were sitting across the table from each other over a great meal as we regaled each other with some of our latest opinions.

Like a good friend, he was comfortable sharing his opinions, but never arrogant about them. It was clear, at least to me, that we could agree to disagree, even though we rarely did. His examples often contained references to the pop culture of my generation and I got a lot of them on the first reading. Movies and music popped up frequently and his tone was not condescending in any way.

So, when it came time to recruit writers to contribute to TeaPartyConnect.com, I compiled a list of some of my favorite bloggers and I wrote to them. I explained what I was trying to do and asked permission to re-post or cross-post some of their work to our brand new site. Some wrote back and some didn’t. But, while I was excited with every reply, I was particularly pleased when Doctor Zero wrote me and kindly gave me permission to republish his material.

The first Doctor Zero article I republished was perfect for TeaPartyConnect. It was titled “Misunderstanding The Tea Party” and in it he wrote exactly what I had been saying since June, 2009 when I helped found a local Tea Party:

The Tea Party movement is not crazy, hateful, or stupid. Their rallies are disarmingly cheerful affairs, which most certainly do include women and minorities. The movement is still in the process of coalescing, and seeks inspiration and representation, rather than leadership. They know their country is rocketing down the wrong path, and while the current President has a heavy hand on the throttle, the course was set long before he entered politics.

Little did I know when I reached out to Doctor Zero that the path that brought him to prominence on HotAir.com was as amazing as it was. Turns out he was a blog reader who loved HotAir.com and often commented on the the pieces he read on that site. His comments generated so much attention, that the management of HotAir.com invited him to join their ranks of “Green Room” guest bloggers.

It was a good choice by HotAir.com. Doctor Zero has developed a devoted fan base who eagerly anticipate the next post. I wonder sometimes would I have been as bold as I was when I first contacted him had I known all of this in the beginning, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have mattered. As I said before, his style is to put the reader at ease and to make himself accessible through his writings. What I discovered after writing to him is that he is exactly the same way with personal contacts. His comments have been helpful and supportive. His answers to questions are direct and honest.

What more could you want?

How about a compilation of his best work? How about a political opinion reference? How about an educational journey of politics throughout the history of the United States?

Well, apparently, Doctor Zero was once again on the same page as his readers. He recently published one of the finest and most enjoyable compilations of opinion that I’ve ever read. It’s titled “Doctor Zero: Year One” and it contains the best of the best pieces he’s published in his first year of writing for HotAir.com. It ironically also covers most of the first year of President Obama’s administration and while the President’s actions during the first year dominate the book, it is not limited solely to commentary on Obama. It ranges broadly and sometimes in surprising directions. Economics, Tea Parties, and U.S. History are all hot topics. One of my personal favorite articles is “Who Mines The Dilithium?” It combines pop culture with historic economics in a way that makes the material extremely accessible.

While Doctor Zero’s style can’t be described solely as irreverent, he sometimes punctuates his pieces with irreverence. While Doctor Zero’s style can’t be described solely as humorous, I found myself smiling at many of his examples and metaphors. While Doctor Zero’s style can’t be described solely as professorial, he writes with the practiced knowledge of a teacher. While Doctor Zero’s style can’t be described solely as patriotic, his patriotism oozes between the lines, the words and the letters.

One of the things I’ve learned over the past year of working with a local tea party is that many people believe in conservative values without really understanding why they believe what they believe. Unfortunately, when confronted with opposing views, they are often unprepared to defend their own beliefs. If I were king for a day, I would force every member of every tea party group to read “Doctor Zero: Year One” because it would provide each of them with insight into the foundations of their beliefs in an accessible, easy to read format. I’m convinced by the end of the book, every tea party member would be able to confront any opposing view with educated confidence, without anger and with the knowledge that their beliefs are on solid ground.

In short, combine “Doctor Zero: Year One“ and “Confrontational Politics” and any tea partier will be more than qualified to debate almost any liberal.

Doctor Zero’s real name is John Hayward. He is a regular guy and a nice one to boot. Buy his book.

PS: If you want to learn how he got his online name “Doctor Zero”, click here.

PSS: When I re-read this review, I realized that I had written it as though John and I were old friends when in truth, we’ve never formally met. Basically, we’ve communicated only via email and through his blogposts. But I won’t re-write this because perhaps this happy accident is the best recommendation I could offer for his book. I believe that by the time you finish reading “Doctor Zero: Year One”, you’ll feel like you’ve made a good friend too.

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Bennie Thompson has demonstrated his support for the Liberal Agenda time and time again in spite of the overwhelming and obvious preference of the people to live by more Fiscally and Social Conservative values. It is clear that the longer elected officials stay in Washington, D.C., the more out of touch they become. Representative Thompson has been in Washington long enough and it is time to send him home.

Bill Marcy is a committed Fiscal and Social Conservative and his many years as a police officer reminds him daily that his role is to Serve & Protect. Bill will Serve the interests of Mississippi and Protect our Freedoms. Bill will focus his attention on the reducing the debts that our children and grandchildren will have to pay. Bill’s values are the values of the People Of Mississippi and he will represent our State honorably, honestly and humbly. Marcy has been an active member of the tea party movement since their inception and has spoken at many tea party events.

This link will provide you with a good overview of Bill’s stance on the issues. Plus, you can visit http://www.BillMarcyForCongress.com to learn more about Bill’s history and his campaign to defeat Bennie Thompson and the Liberal Agenda. He needs your support for the June 1st primary, so pass the word!

Rick Barber is a small business owner and a conservative Republican running for Congress in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

Rick is a product of the South. He spent his childhood in Arlington, Texas in a modest home with a Christian upbringing. Rick was one of twelve Barber children. His parents had six children of their own and adopted six more from troubled families in the community.

The Barber family is a military family. Both Rick’s father and brother served honorably in the Marine Corps. Rick also heard the call to serve, and he answered in 1995. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and became an information technology expert. He served for four years, three of which were overseas in Okinawa, Japan. Rick was promoted four times in three years. He received several citations for excellence and was honorably discharged in 1999.

Rick has been very active in the TEA party movement in 2009. He’s thrown open the doors of his business for TEA party events. He’s spent considerable time, money and effort protesting Washington’s runaway federal spending. He is deeply troubled by the way Washington’s lawyers and bureaucrats are spending our tax dollars. Until this year, Rick had never considered running for an elected office.

As a successful small business owner, Rick Barber doesn’t need a Congressman’s salary. As a devoted father and husband, Rick doesn’t need to spend time away from his family on the campaign trail. Rick is running for Congress because Alabama’s 2nd Congressional district needs a Congressman who will stand and fight in the House of Representatives for fiscal responsibility and America’s founding principles of limited government.

Check out Rick’s stand on the issues (http://www.rickbarberforcongress.com/ISSUES.aspx) and consider supporting this candidate.

They are requesting help from Tea Party/9-12/Conservatives who live in the districts that currently do not have an opponent listed to please send them an email and let them know about the best candidates. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

You can access the list by clicking here: http://www.meridianteaparty.com/index.php/links/november-is-coming/

They also ask that you send the link to all your friends and family and ask them to consider supporting the opponents listed so that we can clean House in November.

…online activists are chattering about two more special elections, one in Florida and the other in Massachusetts. Whether or not this online dialogue will bring about the same type of attention as the NY-23 race is too early to be determined. However, it does deserve some consideration.

I have to give her credit, her sources must have been better than mine, because at the time, I was monitoring some of the most popular conservative blogs and while almost all of them picked up the Scott Brown race in Massachusetts, to my knowledge, none of them said anything about the Florida race in District 19. I was introduced to the candidacy of Allen West in District 22, but nothing about Edward Lynch in District 19.

And that is a shame, because on February 2, 2010, Edward Lynch won the Special Republican Primary Election in FL-19 and is running a strong race to replace Robert Wexler, the Democrat who resigned from Congress on January 3, 2010 to become president of the Washington-based Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation. Wexler called for impeachment hearing for Dick Cheney & George Bush in November, 2007 and made news again in June, 2008 when he signed on to Dennis Kucinich’s articles of impeachment for George W. Bush for abuse of power.

However, just one month later in July, 2008, Bill O’Reilly reported that while Wexler claimed his mother-in-law’s home in Delray Beach as his official residence, but actually lived in a Marylan suburb for most of the year. The information came from Edward Lynch who had been researching Wexler and took his findings which included the fact that the home in Delray Beach was a 55 and older community that Wexler didn’t qualify to live in because Wexler was born in 1961. Wexler tried to cover by saying that he stays there when in Florida on average twice per month. The “arrangement” as a “Florida Resident” allowed Wexler to pay no personal income tax despite living almost permanently near Washington D.C.

It was not clear whether the residency issue had anything to do with Wexler’s resignation from my research, but it was clear that Edward Lynch stood up and forced the issue. Lynch took his case to the people of South Florida and it must have resonated because even as a Conservative running in a very Democratic District (just like Scott Brown!) Lynch is running a very strong race in the District.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lynch has picked up endorsements from D.C. Works For Us, several retired Military Officers, local elected officials and even comedian Jackie Mason. Lynch supports free market health care reform, not a government takeover of health care. He believes the primary role of the government is to protect it’s citizens with a strong military and strong national security. His approach to energy is to “use it all”: oil, nuclear, wind and other alternatives. He believes in a single state solution for Israel and unwavering support for Israel. Taxes and government spending should be cut aggressively to reign in government and return our Country to free market solutions to our most pressing problems. He supports either the Flat Tax or Fair Tax, but either way our tax system needs serious reform. He is strongly in favor of the 2nd Amendment and any citizen’s right to free exercise of this right. And finally, even as a proud Hispanic American, Edward Lynch believes that immigration policy should include no amensty. Period. You can read up on all his positions here.

On April 13, 2010, Edward Lynch will be the Republican candidate in the Special Election for District 19. We highly encourage you to take a look at Edward Lynch as a candidate and then decide for yourself if you feel his campaign is worthy of some support.

PS: Watch the Red Eye video below you’ll find that he has a pretty good sense of humor as well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Based on speeches such as this one, Phillip decided to throw his hat into the ring and run for Congress to represent District 5 of Alabama.

Les Phillip is a conservative, Republican candidate for the Fifth Congressional District of Alabama. A native of Trinidad-Tobago and the son of immigrant parents, Phillip became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1978. He is a former aviator for the U.S. Navy and an experienced operational manager. After leaving the Navy, Les entered the private sector where he has owned businesses and worked in sales, marketing, project management and operations.

His past professional experience includes Arrow Electronics in Huntsville, AL, where he successfully increased sales and implemented cost-saving processes for the company. At Vulcan Materials in Birmingham, Les implemented process improvements and strategic solutions for the company, resulting in more efficient operations. As a candidate for Congress, Les has a passion for defending the Constitution, protecting the freedom we hold dear and restoring America’s conservative values.

Here’s his campaign commercial released in December, 2009:

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can visit his website to review his stand on the issues here.