Washington, D.C. – Black activists with the Project 21 leadership network support the right of talk show host Glenn Beck to hold his “Restoring Honor” rally at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 2010. Because Beck’s event takes place on the anniversary and at the location of Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1964 “March on Washington” rally, leaders of the establishment civil rights groups oppose the event.

“It’s my understanding from reading the Constitution that the First Amendment applies to all. And nothing better exemplified that than when Dr. King exercised his First Amendment rights nearly 50 years ago,” said Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie. “This isn’t about Dr. King or the day and venue itself. It is about a contempt for the message. It is about those who trade on race as a means of notoriety and income fomenting discord for the sake of keeping those who are loathe to realize they are free imprisoned on a plantation of resentment and bitterness.”

Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally is described on its web site as a way to “celebrate America by honoring our heroes, our heritage and our future.” It also states that it is a “non-political event that pays tribute to America’s service personnel and other upstanding citizens who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor.” Speakers include Beck, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Dr. Alveda King (niece of Dr. King and a member of Project 21) and decorated Navy veteran Marcus Luttrell.

Among the restrictions on the event, Beck wants no political signs because “they may deter from the peaceful message we are bringing to Washington.”

Marc Morial of the National Urban League, a fierce critic of the Beck event, calls it “insulting” and a “hijacking of the imagery and symbolism of August 28 and the Lincoln Memorial.” Reverend Al Sharpton is planning a “Reclaim the Dream” rally and march that is supported by the NAACP and NUL that will end at the site of the under-construction King Memorial within several hundred feet of the Lincoln Memorial.

Project 21 members question the goals and wisdom of the Sharpton-led event.

“So, Al Sharpton essentially wants to crash Beck’s event. Has anyone noticed how the left loves to invite themselves to things for the sole purpose of smearing them? Just because the good reverend says he doesn’t plan on confrontation, would he explain the provocation of having his marchers be turned loose within yards of Beck’s rally?” asks Project 21 member Bob Parks. “You might want to ask the families of those who suffered — and died — in the 1991 Crown Heights riot or the Freddy’s Fashion Mart firebombing in Harlem in 1995 about how Sharpton’s brand of non-confrontation is working for them. The only reason for bringing marchers that close to the Glenn Beck rally is to start something.”

“Groups such as the National Urban League must realize that Martin Luther King had no monopoly on the public square — or the Lincoln Memorial. Holidays and special events are shared at various sites and on the same day,” said Project 21 member Emery McClendon. “Check the record. Find out that Glenn Beck is holding his event on this day to honor Dr. King as well as to remind all Americans that God alone can heal our Republic. It is an event aimed at restoring honor.”

The truth is many of us can and do see only what we want to see. This is partially what defines us. God forbid we should all be so much alike that life would be boring. The black box above can represent anything you would like it to be and probably even some shrink would tell you that what you wrote would be a reflection of your inner being, perhaps even your suppressed fears, or hopes and dreams.

So much has been made of the Tea Party movement. From both sides we have witnessed the influence of the Tea Party. The Republicans, who seem to think they own the movement, got handed a rude awakening as we saw what happened in Utah with Bob Bennett. The Democrats as well, are dropping like flies as Americans in general are fed up with politics as usual.

If you don’t fit the mold of what the local Tea Partiers want, you won’t get their support. Why is this considered bad by some? Isn’t this exactly what American politics was supposed to be? A country governed of and by the people?

That black box takes on odd illusions I think for some. We have always had political organizations that put their support behind the candidate of their choice. But this Tea Party thing is grass roots and scares the living hell out of some people. As a result a person’s black box becomes a living nightmare for them.

Witness an opinion piece posted at Politico by Charles Postel, an assistant professor of history at San Francisco State University, about the Tea Party that he labels the “dark side of conservatism”.

For whatever reasons, in Postel’s black box he focuses on the main stream media and their insistence on calling Tea Partiers, “populists”. In case Postel hadn’t figured it out yet, the MSM is clueless when it comes to the Tea Party and they too are petrified of it. He spends much of his time wanting to paint the Tea Party, as he says, the “dark side of conservatism” by disproving the media’s contention that it is “populist”.

Here is a grocery list of the things Postel sees in his black box as what makes Tea Parties, “dark”.

1. Tea Partiers are conservatives
2. They repeat catchwords of Goldwater and Reagan
3. “echoes of a well-known grass-roots movement of the 1950s and ’60s — the John Birch Society”
4. Sound like the John Birch Society
5. Author views Obama as a moderate
6. Believes all TPers think Obama a communist
7. Tea Partiers have “angrily taken to the streets”
8. Tea Partiers “are boiling mad”
9. They are “punishing politicians”
10. Tea Partiers are “more concerned about possible inflation of the future than with the current ordeal of the unemployed.”
11. Tea Partiers don’t care about unemployment among blacks
12. Tea Partiers are like Ku Klux Klan members who want to protect their Protestant religion and white race from communism and immigration.
13. Sees Tea Partiers as “birthers”, opposed to immigration and against Mulims.
14. Tea Partiers, being “radical rights” have a “soft spot for bigots”.
15. Tea Partiers are “a movement of the haves and well-protected who” that since FDR, “have feared that their freedom will be lost” if government expands its powers and steals from the rich to give to the poor.

That’s a lot of things to see in a black box. The Tea Party is many things but “dark” is not one of them. It is unfortunate that Mr. Postel sees those who cherish the American dream and a return to following the Constitution as being “dark” and all the other nasty things he sees.

Makes you wonder what kind of a childhood he must have had. (snicker)

Photo from fOTOGLIF

The TPM has become a powerful force. Why? Because it is of the people and by the people. Because of the TPM business as usual in the political sphere got upended. We saw that in Virginia and New Jersey. When Scott Brown got elected to the Senate seat in Massachusetts, that is when it become clear to me that Republicans didn’t know what the Tea Party Movement was about either.

The next day Washington was abuzz. Politicians were scrambling around and doing one of two things – resigning or spinning their cocoons preparing to metamorphose into something they really weren’t out of fear for the life of luxury on Capital Hill they might lose.

The Democrats are running scared of the TPM because it has hurt them and they are clueless as to what it is and why. They rage on claiming “teabaggers” are just angry conservatives propped up by icons like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and others. On the other hand, the Republicans think they “own” the TPM, as if it is just a tool of their party. Some republicans are even saying that the TPM could destroy the Republican Party.

Recently Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential candidate under John McCain in 2010, said the Tea Partiers had to chose a party, I assume meaning they couldn’t form a third party, with strong hints they needed to morph into the Republican Party.

But Palin is not alone. Some political hopefuls, who have benefited greatly from the Tea Party Movement, are also encouraging the TPM to join forces with the Republican Party. Marco Rubio of Florida comes to mind. The list continues.

Speaking of Marco Rubio, I just got off the phone with one of his volunteers here in Florida. He was asking if Mr. Rubio could count on my vote in the upcoming primary. My answer was a simple yes, provided that he sticks to his conservative principles. I also mentioned about Rubio’s statement yesterday at CPAC that the Tea Party Movement had to join with the Republican Party. I explained my position and told him that what was good about the TPM as it stands is that if these candidates are the right ones, they will get the TPM votes. What’s more American than that?

So, is this joining forces really a good thing? I don’t think so. I am no suggesting a third party but certainly would not oppose the wishes of the majority of Americans. I think that it has become clear through witness of what the TPM has been able to achieve, it could possibly become a viable third party. Many oppose that claiming it would water down the Democrat and Republican parties. Perhaps but isn’t the meat and potatoes of the TPM all about destroying “politics as usual” in Washington? Serious argument can be made as to whether any of the existing parties really do represent the wishes of the American people.

I don’t think the TPM should become a third party but I also don’t believe merging into the Republican Party is the right move either. Both major political parties survive and rule over us by having far too much power, both within their own respective parties and on Capital Hill. This runs anti to the TPM.

The Tea Party Movement is powerful but they shouldn’t believe for a moment that they can meld into the Republican Party and still retain that power; the power of the people and by the people. Once the Republicans can seize the reins of the TPM, Washington will be back to business as usual without a very powerful watchdog group interested in real change – change back to a constitutionally run limited government.

The Tea Party Movement needs to pride itself on what it has accomplished and proudly stand alone sending a message to all party members, all politicians and all hopefuls that there is accountability. As a government of the people and by the people should be, representatives who go to Washington serve at the behest of the voters not via the powers of their parties. This country will return to its strength once the Tea Party Movement can reeducate Washington.

No more business as usual. It’s about the people.

Tom Remington

Here’s the deal though. Since forever it seems, the Federal Government has been stealing our rights and in particular our state’s rights and we have sat by and let them do it. Never before in all of history has this effort become more accelerated than since President Barack Hussein Obama took office. Now, some of us are ready to fight and take back our rights and our Constitution.

Tea Parties have formed. These are grass roots efforts to assemble American citizens who have had enough of government intrusion into their lives. They think Government is out of control.

We also know that at least 10 states either have passed or introduced bills similar to the Firearms Freedom Act in Montana and another 18 states are intending to introduce similar bills. The Montana Firearms Freedom Act challenges the authority of the United States Government to force its will on the citizens of that great state.

We now are beginning to hear of American citizens who have taken up the challenge to run for public office and are brave enough to run on the principles that made this country the greatest on earth. Among those principles is the desire to take back the sovereignty of the states, return the power to “we the people”.

Dr. Rex Rammell, a controversial figure in the state of Idaho, is running for governor. In 2008 he ran for the United States Senate and lost but he used that time to realize people want so much for a real leader. Rammell believes that he can win this race if he is himself and tells people what he thinks and what he wants to do for the people.

In a brief memo he sent out to his supporters yesterday, it looks as though Dr. Rammell is ready to take the Tenth Amendment Challenge.

I have pledged to sign an executive order to stand down all Idaho enforcement officers on protecting the wolves should I become the governor as my first act to reclaim state sovereignty.

This is a big piece of pie to chew and swallow and the odds are should he do such a thing, all hell would break loose. We might, however, have some court precedence before Rammell could have a chance to carry out his promise.

The Montana Firearms Freedom Act is schedule to take effect on October 1, 2009. That bill was essentially the brainchild of Gary Marbut, et. al. of the Montana Shooting Sports Association. They don’t intend to sit back and wait to see what happens. They have requested a court hearing in order to get a ruling. This will begin the process, one I am sure that will be long and arduous.

Is Gary Marbut nuts? Is Rammell crazy? Some would think so but having spoke to Dr. Rammell in the past, I can assure you he is sincere in his wishes to shrink the Federal Government and return the power and control back to his fellow citizens in Idaho.

Are there others out there who feel the same way and are ready to take up the Tenth Amendment Challenge? Let’s hope so. What would happen if Governor Schwarzenegger defied the Federal Government and turned the water back on so that California residents could get back to work and save the farms and businesses that are suffering because the water has to be saved to protect a small fish? That would be a worthy action that would qualify as a Tenth Amendment Challenge.

It took many decades to steal away your rights and render the Tenth Amendment a powerless decree for the states and we won’t get it back in one day. Incrementalism stole it away and incrementalism will win it back. But first we need brave people, people with a passion and a strong belief that our Constitution is a document to guide us through life, not a list of suggestions to ignore in a progressive lifestyle.

I was scanning through channels the other night on the television and I caught a glimpse of Lou Holtz, former college football coach and a great motivator and currently an ESPN college football anchor. Holtz was on the Sean Hannity Show as part of Hannity’s Great American Panel. The discussion was about who would step up and be a leader for the Republican Party.

When it became Lou’s turn to speak, this is what he said (my words not his). The people are crying for a real leader. They are tired of hollow and empty promises. They want someone who believes in what they say and will do what they say. They need someone with passion who isn’t afraid or ashamed to speak the truth. If someone will do that, then you will have a new leader.

Isn’t that what we really need? When was the last time a politician spoke the truth and you knew they really believed in what they were saying?

So who wants to be the next brave individual or maybe a group who wants to step forward and take the Tenth Amendment Challenge? Maybe it’s you. Think about it.

Tom Remington

It was only last March that I did a review on a brand new DVD production of Carter Davidson’s of Gray Ghost Productions, LLC called East by Northeast.

Davidson, through his generosity, took a section from his movie and made it into a short film, about 8 minutes in length. This film talks of the history of the Androscoggin River in Maine, once one of the 10 most polluted rivers in America. Not a title you really strive for. The films depicts some of what the river has become today.

The video can be viewed below but I thought I would share with readers my own personal knowledge about the river and the effort to clean it up.

In the video below, the narrator mentions the efforts of the federally mandated Clean Water Restoration Act, an act often tagged with the name of Senator Edmund Muskie, a resident of Rumford, Maine, located just a few miles downstream from my hometown of Bethel.

While the CWRA was responsible for cleaning up a lot of rivers and water bodies, it was not the end all solution to dirty water. Strong-arming the companies and municipalities along the river could only go so far. In attempts to keep the effort going to clean up the river, taxing and regulating could only go so far.

Essentially, the stiff arm of government forced paper companies and towns along the river to take care of the majority of their wastes and pollutants they were dumping in the river. That was the easy part. Taking care of the last 5-10% of the waste became very costly. Efforts stalled.

That was only part of the problem. What about all the private landowners and farmers along the river corridor? Was the government going to force them to stop spreading manure and fertilizers? Where they going to make landowners clean up old garbage dump sites, many of which the current landowner never participated in?

The effort to clean up the river seemed to come to a grinding halt. Opposition grew to the tactics being used by government and environmentalists. Let’s face it, you can only push Mainers so far before they balk.

Speaking specifically about the Upper Androscoggin River, the effort wasn’t quite dead yet. The actions taken so far were beginning to return life to the river. Ducks returned to some degree, fish were jumping and a few brave soles were paddling their canoes as well. Ospreys soon were seen overhead and occasionally a bald eagle.

I will give the Maine Environmental Protection Agency credit for one thing. Someone thought it might be worth the effort to try a different approach. Something other than force and bullying. I’ll have to go try to verify my history but if memory serves me, this effort might have been initiated, at least to some degree, by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s director at the time, Bucky Owens. I do know that Bucky loved the Upper Andro and during his tenure at MDIFW he had a vision to turn the Upper Andro into a trophy fishing mecca.

I knock came at my door one day. Someone from the EPA was looking for a location to have a meeting and help getting volunteers to attend a meeting. I had the meeting space and drawing from a few members of the Friends of the Androscoggin, we rounded up a few volunteers.

Our newly formed group thought that if we could convince the locals, that included me, that the river was clean and stayed clean all the time, perhaps we could begin a process of deprogramming these people about the past and get the years and years of dirty, nasty images of the river out of their heads. This was a huge chore.

A friend, Walter Hatch, and I volunteered to do sampling of the water once a week for the summer. We had five sampling stations spread out from New Hampshire to just below the Bethel village and the confluence of the Androscoggin and Sunday Rivers. We were all surprised at how well the water tested and how consistent those tests were.

That was 15 years or so ago and as they say a lot of water under the bridge. What makes this story such a success and one that I wish others would model is that the real long lasting clean up effort never happened until after big government butted out and local residents took ownership.

Industry, along with careless and thoughtless use and abuse of the river snatched it away from the people. Government tried to take it back. Once we could convince the people that there really was something there of value, something they could own and participate in caring for, then we knew the river could be safely returned to the people.

Enjoy the video. In it are many of my friends. I recognize most of the spots that you will see along the river and I can personally attest to how dirty it was and how clean it is now. I also want to take a moment and pay special notice to my good friend Rocky Freda, who appears in this movie. Rocky passed away just this summer and I miss him. His name will be forever etched into the Upper Androscoggin River for his efforts and tireless dedication to keep the effort alive.

Tom Remington