Motherlode Tea Party sees biggest turnout yet
Friday, July 16, 2010
The Motherlode Tea Party packed hundreds into Pokerville Hall at the county fairgrounds on Wednesday night.
Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson
In the span of a few months, the Motherlode Tea Party has outgrown every Amador County venue it has tried to move its flags into.
Wednesday night was no exception, with a hall at the local fairgrounds filled to capacity by residents cheering, laughing, singing traditional American songs and trying to establish themselves as a serious but "fun" party.
The latest event for the group was kicked off by county supervisor Brian Oneto, leading the pledge of allegiance, before Fiddletown troubadour Ron Scofield sang a cowboy rendition of "America the Beautiful."
Tea Party member Austin Ford welcomed the large crowd, encouraging them to have "patriotic fun" and to welcome even more residents into the group. "We don't make distinctions between any political parties or ethnicities," Ford said. "Anyone is welcome to join. The only requirement for membership is that you're interested in honoring the Constitution. If anyone tells you that the Tea Party doesn't accept certain people, tell them to show you where that's ever happened. We have all different types of personalities here. We embrace that."
Amador resident Wayne McCammon spoke for a few minutes about the Bill of Rights, contemplating several recent legal cases before the Supreme Court. Event organizer Virginia Manner fired up the crowd with recent memories of the Italian Picnic Parade and the Tea Party's win for best political float.
When it came time for Ford to introduce the keynote speaker, his excitement was hard to contain: Dr. Angelo M. Codevilla is a professor of international relations and the author of numerous books on national defense, politics and the Constitution and society. The title of Codevilla's address for the evening was "America's Ruling Class."...