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…was a huge success!

“A crowd estimated by organizers to number about 4,000 packed around the Fountain Park band shell Saturday to participate in the Sheboygan Tea Party, an event speakers called a “second American Revolution” against what they called out-of-control government spending, higher taxes and erosion of personal liberty.

“We’re on a national rescue mission to save a mortally wounded Lady Liberty,” said Bob Basso, a California-based motivational speaker and actor who addressed the crowd as Thomas Paine, the Revolutionary War patriot and author of “Common Sense.”

Basso brought the raucous, sun-splashed crowd to its feet several times, especially when he challenged them to face southeast, toward Washington, D.C., and send a message to government leaders there, ala Howard Beal:

“Enough is enough. I’m mad as hell and I’m taking back my country,” they shouted.” Source: Tea Party packed | sheboygan-press.com | Sheboygan Press

Any comments from someone who attended?

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“AUGUST 27, 1776, British General Howe trapped 8,000 American troops on Brooklyn Heights. Desperate, Washington ferried his army all night across the East River. Morning came yet half his troops were still in danger. A fog allowed the entire army to be evacuated. Never again did the British have such a chance to trap the American army. Major Ben Tallmadge, Washington’s Chief of Intelligence, wrote: “As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty. At this time a very dense fog began to rise off the river, and it seemed to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments. I recollect this peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance…We tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever.” Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull had written to General George Washington, July 13, 1775: “May the God of the armies of Israel shower down the blessings of his Divine Providence…in the day of battle and danger.”" Source: William J Federer’s American Minute. If not for that fog, we might all be part of Great Britain today. The Battle of Brooklyn Heights may have been one of the top 3 decisive battles of the Revolutionary War. Say what you will, but I believe that God’s hand was on General Washington that day and provided a means of escape for Washington and the Revolutionary Army…

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WFRV reports…

“Beneath the chants of people rallying for health care reform in Green Bay, were the voices of protestors.Yet most of the 400-plus people at UW-Green Bay on Wednesday, told Congressman Steve Kagen he has their support.” Source: Kagen holds ‘less heated’ session at UWGB – WFRV Green Bay: Northeast Wisconsin News, Weather and Sports

Yet WBAY has a different take…

“Hundreds of people packed a UW-Green Bay building for what was supposed to be a pro-health care reform rally with Congressman Steve Kagen. But many came to voice disapproval of the legislation, and emotions ran high at a rally drawing cheers and boos.Groups of protesters lined up outside UWGB’s student union at least an hour before the health care rally even began.

The protests remained peaceful outside but set the stage for what became at times a heated debate inside.

More than 400 people packed the student union — so many that organizers had to expand the room to let everyone in.” Source: Health Care Reform Rally Turns Into Noisy Debate – WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News:

The fix is in — Jenna Sachs at WFRV wins today’s Engebretson Award for Excellence in Journalism…

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Here’s his latest installment in an increasingly more ludicrous conversation (note how he loses his professional cool and starts getting vindictive):

Do your research and check with the organizers, it is not a listening session or a debate, it is a rally. People on the left have been holding these same type of rallies. Your angle on this event is not a story.

If this was a listening session or a debate, it might be a story, but I still wouldn’t think it would qualify. There is nothing wrong with either side telling supporters to go out and show your support for any event. However, it was a story nationally, when the networks discovered information from groups telling supporters to disrupt the meetings.
That was a story.

And why don’t you ask Fox news why they cancelled their interview with you. I’m sure you would love that producers response.

Kristoffer Engebretson
NBC 26 Reporter

lol! I almost feel like a bully on the playground; this man is clearly not equipped to debate on any intellectual level. My response:

Kristoffer,

I am not a reporter, I am a private citizen. Researching stories is not my job, it’s yours; but we all know from your history of investigating that no research is required to back up your angle on a story; if a google search and a screen shot are evidence enough, the Organizing for America email should be as well. I have no angle on this event; all I have is what Organizing for America has told me in their email blast. Again (and this time I’ve highlighted the key terms enforcing my impression, since those points seem to be eluding your sharp journalistic instincts): ” He’ll be talking to constituents and gathering feedback on the need for reform. Whether you ask a question or show your support with a sign, attending this event is a powerful way to show where you stand and thank those in Congress who are fighting for reform.”

And, again, I agree with you that this is not a story, anymore than the story on me was. I just figured that if you were able to turn my story into a breathless expose, you’d have plenty of material to work with here.

Feel free to investigate the Fox news story; I’d love to see them cover this baby from beginning to end. I doubt you’d receive the same accolades from them that you received from Rachel Maddow. Please let us all know what you find out.

Heather Blish
Just a Mom From Down the Street

Let’s see if he can resist the temptation to further expose himself as the biased hack that he is.

Update: he couldn’t resist. Here’s Engebretson’s last (?) stand:

Again, feel free to contact the Fox News producer to find out why they cancelled their plans to put you on camera.

Kristoffer Engebretson
NBC 26 Reporter

My response?

That’s all you got left? Okay, I’m officially bored with this conversation.

May I suggest that instead of spending your morning engaging in a debate with a housewife about whether a story qualifies as a story, you may want to get out there and find out why Congressman Kagen’s office is still refusing to confirm that he will be at this event today, even though the email I received confirms that he will. Now that sounds like a story. Here, I’ll even throw you a bone: here’s some audio of Kagen completely dodging the question during an interview with a reporter on Monday: http://partyofknow.org/2009/08/24/answer-the-question-dude/

That’s a good start for you. Start investigating. Get some sunshine. It’s a beautiful day!

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Read the comments under his video. Hendricks is getting butchered by the same ignorant leftist haters that amused themselves for two weeks by calling me every epithet in the English language and threatening me in ways I can’t even publish. Drown out the hate with support; leave a comment on the video and thank him for standing up to tyranny.

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Last night I received this email invitation from President Obama’s “Organizing for America” (a mailing list that I stunningly have not been removed from since I was recently outed as a Republican town hall plant):

Heather –

I wanted to send you an urgent invitation to an important health care event with Rep. Steve Kagen tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26th.

He’ll be talking to constituents and gathering feedback on the need for reform. Whether you ask a question or show your support with a sign, attending this event is a powerful way to show where you stand and thank those in Congress who are fighting for reform.

I hope you can join us. Here are the details:

What: Health Care Event with
Rep. Steve Kagen

Where: UW Green Bay – Phoenix Room
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI 54311

When: Wednesday, August 26th
Arrival Time: 5:00 p.m.
Start Time: 6:00 p.m.

RSVP

Please arrive as early as possible to the event, and make sure that the most powerful voices in this debate are those calling for real reform, not angrily clamoring for the status quo.

RSVP here:

http://wi.barackobama.com/GreenBayTH

Thanks,

Dan

Dan Grandone
Wisconsin State Director
Organizing for America

P.S. — Before the event, please print off a flyer to display and make sure that your support is visible.

Assuming Kristoffer Engebretson would find evidence of people being influenced to attend these events (the only question he had for me, and one he repeated 6 times in hopes that my answer in the negative would change), I forwarded him the email, adding “Here you go, Kristoffer. You’ve got your story; I’ll look forward to seeing how you expose all the plants at this event tomorrow…”

My sarcasm is obvious, which is why I was so surprised that he responded. His response, however, is even more surprising:

Heather,
It’s a rally for pro health care reform and pro public option. This is not a listening session. There will be no question and answer format. There will only be speakers.
The people who will be there (from both sides) will be voicing how they feel loud and clear. And I know people from both sides will be going, check out our story from today.

By the way, an email asking people to show their support is not a story. Emails like this on both sides of this issue have been going out since the begining of the debate. It’s a way of letting people know what’s going on.

But if you have any concrete evidence showing the liberals are paying people to come or are trying to sabotage the event, please let me know. That would be a story.

Kristoffer Engebretson
NBC 26 Reporter

I couldn’t resist straightening him out on the facts. Again. (Why do I keep finding myself in the position of having to teach this journalist the basics of journalism?):

Kristoffer,

Nowhere in the “Organizing for America” invitation does it say anything about a “rally”. What it does clearly state: “He’ll be talking to constituents and gathering feedback on the need for reform. Whether you ask a question or show your support with a sign, attending this event is a powerful way to show where you stand and thank those in Congress who are fighting for reform.” Sound like a listening session to me. What’s interesting to me is how you know that it is a rally, and that there will be no question and answer format. I’d also love to have you explain how the Congressman plans to gather feedback when “there will only be speakers.”

And don’t you dare lecture me on journalism and what qualifies as a story. You’re right, emails like this are not a story; they’re nothing more than American Democracy at work. An ex-Republican housewife designing websites out of her home and networking online with potential clients wasn’t a story either, but you used spit and duct tape to patch together one Google search performed by another news crew, one screen shot, a portion of a private conversation between myself and a member of that other news crew, and my response to a question that was never aired, and made it a story anyway.

Now I’m actually handing you proof of a situation where people are being “influenced” to go (you remember that question? After all, you asked me that 6 times), and now all of the sudden you’re telling me it’s not a story.

Stunning. But then, you’re not one to allow the facts to get in the way, are you?

Heather Blish
Just a Mom From Down the Street

I’ll let you know if he responds.

Update: he did, and it’s a hoot! Read the second installment here.

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“President-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday the deficit appears on track to hit $1 trillion soon. Speaking to reporters after meeting with top economic aides, Mr. Obama said: “Potentially we’ve got trillion-dollar deficits for years to come, even with the economic recovery that we are working on.” — Associated Press, Jan. 6

Actually, the deficit is on track to hit $1.2 trillion this year, but what’s $200 billion among friends?

Seriously, what is it? To the average person, a number that big probably doesn’t mean much. At some point long before the hundred-billion-dollar mark, large numbers simply become figures on the page, well beyond human scale and intuitive understanding. And yet as discussion about the economy and the impressive numbers that come along with it continue to dominate the news, it may be more important than ever to try to understand. Is a $700 billion financial-industry bailout a lot? Is a $775 billion economic-stimulus package enough? (See the worst business deals of 2008.)

But that similarity trips us up when it comes time to imagine how those figures translate to the real world, where three more zeros make all the difference. “My favorite way to think of it is in terms of seconds,” says David Schwartz, a children’s book author whose How Much Is a Million? tries to wrap young minds around the concept. “One million seconds comes out to be about 11½ days. A billion seconds is 32 years. And a trillion seconds is 32,000 years. I like to say that I have a pretty good idea what I’ll be doing a million seconds from now, no idea what I’ll be doing a billion seconds from now, and an excellent idea of what I’ll be doing a trillion seconds from now.”" Source: How to Understand a Trillion-Dollar Deficit – TIME

So based on today’s report released by the New York Times (U.S. Raises Estimate for 10-Year Deficit to $9 Trillion), if you spent one dollar every second, it would take you 288,000 years to spend the equivalent to the projected government deficit. Still too abstract? How about spending $1000 every second for the next 288 years?

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