Tea Party Forum last night

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Upper row: Aimee Carlson and Vote NO man
(someone told me it was her husband)
Col. Allen West
Bottom Row: Allen West campaign truck, Steven Rosenblum
and photo at reception

South Florida Tea Party, Inc. ("SFTP") is a non-partisan, non-profit social welfare organization dedicated to furthering the common good and general welfare of the people of the United States. South Florida Tea Party has not endorsed candidates for public office.

Ok, so that's an excerpt from their mission statement. I don't believe it! This particular organization was very much partisan and demonstrated that last night. Even the formal Agenda for their PB County Candidate Forum was predominantly (well over 90%) attended by Republican candidates.

It seems that a couple of people in the Vote NO group objected to my taking some photos at the reception. The Director in charge of the event came over and informed me that it was a private party and I would have to stop taking pics. I then told her that I had been invited. That didn't seem to impress her much either so I mentioned the First Amendment and free speech and all the jazz and then walked outside to continue holding our Amendment 4 banner.

Everett Wilkinson, state director of the South Florida Tea Party, came outside a short time later where we were standing to explain that they were a non-partisan group, etc., etc., etc. He was a pleasant fellow doing a little "damage control." I asked about the Vote NO Group and he said that they just "kicked them out."

A woman came up to us while we were standing on the sidewalk and asked us about the Amendment. As I was trying to explain it, an aggressive and rude dame, with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, interrupted and said, "I know EVERYTHING about Amendment 4. If you vote it in, you will have to vote on ALL development." She never looked at me once. I told her she didn't know what she was talking about. Then a few Tea-Party people came out and she hugged them as if they were her long-lost friends.

I honestly don't know if these people LIE on purpose or if they have been so brainwashed that they actually believe the lies. But this is what we are dealing with: A well organized and highly funded campaign, almost to the point of obscenity, to defeat your right to vote who are using all Chamber of Commerce's and every other group out there to carry their distorted message.

The right to vote is a basic right and land-use changes should not be decided by a couple of compromised politicians.