by Ms.Underestimated

This is not just an idea anymore…it’s a movement! The Fair Tax movement.

What else do you call an event about something as dull and boring as the U.S. Tax Code that draws almost 7,000 to a rally? About 4,500 people got inside the doors, which had to be closed due to the 50,000 square foot Gwinnett Convention Center being at capacity at SIX THIRTY P.M.! The rally didn’t start for another hour, yet another almost 3,000 had to be turned away. People drove from Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, and all over the southeast. Hindsight being 20/20, I’ve heard some of them express disappointment over radio because they only heard the broadcast en route to the rally, and at 6:30 they weren’t even in Georgia yet. They knew they had to turn around and go home, but every single one said that next time, they’ll come a day or two in advance! Some who were turned away simply went to their cars and “tail-gated” with fellow Fair Taxers so they could all listen to the rally as WSB Radio broadcast it live.

After all, who knew there would even be a thousand that would attend? Neal Boortz, the co-author of the Fair Tax Book, certainly didn’t think so himself. In fact, when Neal took the stage at about 8PM, the old curmudgeon was visibly moved. But that’s just where it all begins. Let me take you inside the event in my memory.

I left my office at 3PM, drove 35 miles through horrific Atlanta traffic, and was about the 1,500th person in line. You could feel the passion in the air as attendees clutched their books, displayed their buttons or signs, or signed petitions that were being passed around. We slowly made our way into the Convention Center, and it was packed already. The setup was fantastic, with huge screens dangling from the ceiling above just about every seating section, so everyone was guaranteed a good view of what was going on on the stage. Neal has some fantastic pictures at his site. Here’s a couple of them.

(Photos by Carrie Carden)

Here’s what the inside of the Convention Center looked like, and above is what a portion of the line looked like just to get inside. I am not even a SPECK at the end of this line!

These are just a few of the supporters waving their signs of support inside the center.

Once I got inside, I hunted down a t-shirt, but to no avail - sold out. I did get a signed book, well, two actually, and a “fairtax.org” stamp for money:

What the heck… I figure if I stamp all of my bills, at least ONE of them might prompt someone who knows nothing about HR25/S.25,HR5 to at least look at the bill they’ve just been given from the store clerk, go “what’s fair tax?” and then go to the internet to read about it. Oh, well… back to the rally…

Neal was first up, and spoke to a rousing applause. He told us of how awed he was by the turn-out, and that it spoke volumes to him of just what this had become. He was actually surprised because he thought people wouldn’t come because it was the night of the American Idol finale (oh, please!). He also let us know that not only did the Gwinnett Convention Center DONATE the facility and time, but the stage, lighting, sound equipment, video screens, etc., were also all donated for the cause!

Neal spoke about the Fair Tax, then introduced Congressman John Linder. They both engaged the audience in rapt attention, raucous applause, and cat-calls when the IRS was mentioned. Then, as we’d been promised, Congressman Linder came bearing good news. In the past week, Hastert’s office had been in contact with Linder’s office, and Hastert has set aside a one-hour block of face-to-face time for Congressman Linder to discuss the Fair Tax (HR25) with President Bush! That eclipsed the other good news we would receive by video from Sen. Saxby Chambliss later on, that finally Sen. Johnny Isaakson has signed on to co-sponsor the bill with Sen. Chambliss!

Then Sean joined the fray. Sean came prepared with written questions he’d gotten from his listeners that day as he broadcast from Neal’s studio at WSB Radio. Sean proposed the questions to both Congressman Linder & Neal, and you know that Neal brought the most howls with his wry sense of humor.

As they talked up the Fair Tax, Congressman Linder reminded us that before the Revolutionary War, a clear 2/3 of the people didn’t want to have anything to do with a battle against the British Crown. But due to the hard work and persistent of a few determined people who yearned for their liberty, they fought all rationality and the majority who were okay with the status quo, and forged ahead to secure that very freedom that we have today. If it weren’t for those determined few, who knows what our America would be like today? Many thanks go to them.

Sean had to hurry off to do Hannity & Colmes from the Atlanta Fox affiliate, so he came in specifically to be with us for that 20-minute period of time. Sean really gets it. Next up, former senatorial candidate, Herman Cain.

For those of you who’ve never been blessed enough to hear Herman Cain speak, you have no idea what you’re missing. I am really sorry he lost out that campaign to Johny Isaakson in GA, because Herman Cain is TRULY a dedicated REAGAN conservative Republican, and he is wholly behind the Fair Tax. In fact, he sits in for Neal on his show when Neal’s out. Neal’s affiliates will accept NO OTHER substitute except for Herman Cain. Otherwise, they prefer to just run a “best of” in Neal’s absence.

Herman regaled us with anecdotal stories about his grandfather, who was a poor Georgia dirt farmer. He remembered that going into town, his grandfather used to say to the kids “them that’s goin, get in the truck.. them that’s stayin, GET OUT OF THE WAY!” The audience went WILD! He reminded us that those who want to forge ahead and make change in the world should use that analogy in our lives if we want to affect change. He had the audience, at the appropriate times, shouting “GET OUT OF THE WAY!” A lot of people were yelling “AMEN, REV. CAIN!” I don’t know if he’s a reverend or not, but he definitely moves me. In fact, the gentleman next to me said “Lord, if he keeps this up, I’m gonna start speaking in tongues!” That was not only humorous, it was also true. Herman Cain is riveting. He didn’t stop there.

He continued stories about his grandfather, about when all the potatoes had been pulled from the ground and loaded on his truck, that all the kids would load in the truck with him. He said his grandfather didn’t take the smooth, already-dug grooves in the road. Rather, his grandfather drove over every bump, rock, rut, etc., and when they came to the market, he asked his grandfather, “why didn’t you just take the regular road instead of making the ride so rough?” He said it was then he noticed that back in the truck bed, all the big potatoes had risen to the top; and all of the little potatoes had settled at the bottom. Then he turned his attention directly forward, and forcefully shouted “.. and YOU people ARE THE BIG POTATOES!”

My God, I though it was the second coming! Would the roof stay on? Or would the trembling of the building turn out to be just be the response of the crowd? Either way, it was absolutely electrifying! And talk about feeling empowered.. WOW! I have goosebumps just remembering it as I write! He definitely had the crowd motivated, and that’s what made us feel so good. That we ARE the ones who want change, and are determined enough to see it through. There was also a tangible sense of camaraderie in the building, as if we have all just been reminded of our mission, and accepted the challenge.

John Stossel of ABC also came to speak for a few minutes, and he gave us this amazing tidbit: 1% of the people of this planet affect change; 9% of the people watch change being affected; and the other 90% wake up one day and say “what happened?” We ARE that One Percent!!!

I’m sick to death of those people who support the Fair Tax, but don’t participate in these events or even sign petitions because of their defeatist attitudes. “Oh, it’s a good idea, but it will never happen,” or “well, it won’t really work because of XYZ.” If our founding fathers had had that attitude, then… well, I don’t even want to ponder that lunacy.

If the patriots of the revolutionary war can do something as monumental as they did, then can’t this bunch of “potatoes” do even less? Let’s do it, everyone… let’s get rid of the IRS, and get the government out of our lives!

Folks, I’m here to tell you; after what I witnessed at the rally, I cannot and will not be defeatist about it. Everything good or bad that exists today in our country was brought about by grassroots movements. And if there’s one thing I learned last Wednesday, it is this: IT’S POSSIBLE!
The Fair Tax Book : Saying Goodbye to the Income Tax and the IRS

Buy the book TODAY (click the above link). Heck, buy 2 or 5, and send them to friends! And many thanks to the Americans for Fair Taxation, who sponsored the event. Group President Ken Hoagland (right) also spoke to a roundly appreciative crowd.

If you have Comcast cable, you may be able to see video of this rally free from Comcast’s On-Demand service. Details are here.

The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry or Jonathan. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

I received a comment on another post last night, regarding this news:

As Taking The Long Way debuts at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums chart this week, with first week’s sales of 525,829, the Dixie Chicks have become the first female group in chart history to have three albums debut at #1, breaking the record the Chicks established in 2002 when the group’s last studio album, Home, debuted at #1 and made them the first female group ever to have two albums debut at #1.

The commentor stated, “sounds like a stand for free speech to me”.

Why do people keep doing this? Why do they constantly misinterpret consumer choice with freedom of speech?

This is not a statement for, or against, free speech, whether their album debuted at #1 or #1000. All it means is they sold over half a million albums this week. Big whoop. Yes. It’s quite an accomplishment, and they have set yet another record, but does that really mean anything for free speech?

Was the government repressing the Dixie Chicks, forcing them to keep their mouths shut? Of course not.

Was the government imposing some sort of punishment or restriction on the Dixie Chicks because they spoke out in London, oh so long ago? Of course not.

Does debuting at #1 on the country album charts mean you are making a “stand for free speech”? Of course not.

The debut of a Dixie Chicks album has as much to do with free speech as spreading Cheez Whiz on a cracker has to do with eating a balanced meal.

Just because other people like it, doesn’t mean you rush out to the store and buy some.

The SloboPoll question this week is:

Are you a member of a social networking website, like myspace.com?

The choices are:

Yes
No

This post is open for comments on the SloboPoll, if you so desire.

The question was:

Do the allegations that Barry Bonds used steroids diminish the significance of his 714th home run?

There were a total of 523 votes which breakdown like this:

Yes (320 votes) [61.2%]
No (203 votes) [38.8%]

Check out the new questions each week here on Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff.

Squeaky clean 70s pop star Marie Osmond was furious when her two teenage daughters put obscene messages and photos of themselves on the internet.

The raunchy profiles on website MySpace.com left by Jessica, 18, and Rachael, 16, were revealed by an American magazine.

…

Marie, 46, said in a statement after reading her daughters’ web comments: “I am saddened by some of the choices our children have made. Like any other parents we had hoped to deal with these challenges privately.”

She added: “The insidious potential for harm from adolescent internet sites like myspace.com only exacerbates these kind of problems.”

This is yet another case of parents being absolutely clueless about what their kids are doing online.

While MySpace.com is definitely a breeding ground for trouble makers and perverts, I think the bigger problem is parents not monitoring what their children are doing on the internet.

While the “insidious potential for harm from adolescent internet sites like myspace.com only exacerbates these kinds of problems”, I think the greatest potential for harm comes from parents who do not take enough interest in what their children are doing while sitting at the computer.

MySpace.com and other social networking websites could not “exacerbate” problems if parents took more iniative to eliminate the problems before allowing their children to access the internet in the first place.

Barry Bonds stands alone at No. 715. He hit the milestone home run with a two-run shot to center field Sunday, moving past Babe Ruth into sole possession of second place on the career list behind Hank Aaron.

So?

In a break with his counterparts in the House, the Senate’s leader said Sunday the FBI was within its right to search the office of a congressman under investigation in a bribery case.

“No House member, no senator, nobody in government should be above the law of the land, period,” Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said.

Frist, R-Tenn., was responding to the search conducted May 20-21 in the office of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. FBI agents carted away computer and other records in their pursuit of evidence that Jefferson accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for helping set up business deals in Africa.

It’s a bit late, but it’s nice to see someone from the Hill admitting that those serving on the Hill are not above the law.

Some think the FBI violated the Constitution by searching and seizing records from Jefferson’s congressional office, but Dick, “Turbin” Durbin probably answered that question already.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said there needs to be “hard look” at whether the FBI violated the Constitution. But he said the FBI has raided judge’s chambers before, so there is precedent for crossing branches of government for searches.

Rep. Jefferson is not above the law, and it’s about time people like Sen. Frist spoke out and said so.

How many will stand up like Bill Frist? Let’s keep score.

Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in “Trading Places” and the angry high school principal in “The Breakfast Club,” has died. He was 67.

Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.

“Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment,” his wife said. “He was awesome.”

…

Gleason was survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Funeral plans were pending.

Rest In Peace, Paul.

The Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines apologized for disrespecting President Bush during a London concert in 2003. But now she’s taking it back.

“I don’t feel that way anymore,” she told Time magazine for its issue hitting newsstands Monday. “I don’t feel he is owed any respect whatsoever.”

…

For band member Martie Maguire, the controversy was a blessing in disguise.

“I’d rather have a small following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their 5-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith,” Maguire said. “We don’t want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do.”

When I was a very young man, my mother taught me about respect. I learned what it meant to respect people. People don’t always earn your respect and you don’t have to know someone, or agree with them, to treat them with respect. And there are times when you show respect to a person, simply because of who they are.

For instance, most people respect the Pope. Many people worldwide, especially non-Catholics, respect the Pope. Most people respect the Queen of England, even people who have never stepped foot in Britain, simply because she is the Queen.

Natalie Maines did not make an “anti-war” statement. She made an anti-Bush statement, thereby disrespecting the office of the Presidency. Natalie Maines does not respect our President. She doesn’t feel he is “owed any respect whatsoever”. Amazing isn’t it? The very person who disrespected our President, on foreign soil, thinks her former fans, country music radio, and everyone else in the world should respect her, and her position.

One who treats others with such disrespect is rarely shown respect themselves. While respect isn’t always earned, it can be, and usually is, withheld when you treat others with such a level of disrespect. She’s nothing more than a hypocrite. Period.

Martie Maquire, on the other hand, is nothing more than a dolt. Has she totally forgotten that the fans who used to have their music in a 5-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith are the ones who helped her and the other “chicks” get where they are today?

She would rather have a “small following of really cool people”, and it appears, with the help of Natalie’s big mouth, and her own stupid comments, she may just get her wish. She doesn’t want “those kinds of fans”, which is no problem for me. I haven’t listened to a Dixie Chicks song in a very long time.

There is only one problem with Martie’s statement. “Those kinds of fans”, like me, own every album Reba McEntire has ever released. We’ve been there for the good times, and we’ve been there for the bad. We own every album Toby Keith has released. We were there in the early days, and we will be there for the long haul.

We are fans for life, and with our support, there is no limit to what they can do. Imagine that.