More tea parties on tap; Organizers meet in Casper (Sturgis, Fayetteville, Las Cruces)

Casper Star Tribune ^ | 6/07/09 | TOM MORTON

[Libloather]

More tea parties on tap; Organizers meet in Casper
By TOM MORTON
Star-Tribune staff writer
Sunday, June 7, 2009 2:05 AM MDT

A half-dozen community organizers gathered in Casper on Saturday to order the next round of "tea parties" this summer calling attention to the growth of the federal government.

"Each group has its own identity, focus," said David Kellett, who organized the tea -- "taxed enough already" -- party in Powell on April 15.

While they want to shun any top-down leadership, the representatives from six cities -- Casper, Powell, Lovell, Sheridan, Cheyenne and Riverton -- want to improve their communication and share resources, Kellett said.

Former Casper legislator Marvin Emrich, representing the Wyoming Family Coalition, said his group is considering starting a ballot initiative -- identical to the recent California Proposition 8 -- to add language to existing law stating, "only a marriage between a man and woman is valid in this state."

The coalition has not decided when it wants to launch this petition drive, Emrich said.

He encouraged the approximately 30 people meeting in the Crawford Room at the Natrona County Public Library to consider the coalition's goals that mesh with those sponsoring the tea parties.

"I do not see them as a bunch of nuts and kooks because I was among them," Emrich said.

Brenda Manning of the Wyoming 9/12 Project was among the organizers of the April 15 tea party in Casper, which attracted more than 1,000 participants.

"Our mission is to educate people on current legislation, state and federal," Manning said.

"We want our country back; we're losing our constitutional heritage," she said.

The Wyoming 9/12 Project will sponsor a picnic at Bear Trap Meadow on Casper Mountain on Saturday as part of a Flag Day celebration, Manning added.

Kristy Tyrney of Sheridan was an organizer of the tea party in April and will help organize one a week after the July Fourth holiday to coincide with the Sheridan rodeo, she said.

Tyrney wants to promote family-friendly events because some people don't like to participate in gatherings perceived largely as protests, she said.

Representatives of the April 15 tea party in Cheyenne plan a "Cowboy Tea Party" at the Capitol from noon to 5 p.m. July 4.

"The whole purpose is to pursue state sovereignty," said organizer Lisa Ray. "The federal government is out of control."

However, what that means with specific issues ranging from civil rights to monetary policy to interpreting the Constitution remains to be seen, Ray said.

"The issues, we'll sort out later," she said.

[Libloather]

Some other headlines -

TEA Party meetings set for Sturgis, Newell

Fayetteville Arkansas 'Tea' Party Scheduled

Las Cruces Tea Party seeks volunteers