Saturday, July 04, 2009

My Tea Party Videos

If anyone is going to the July 4 Tea Parties, be sure to read the material or view the videos at http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_topic_tea_party to get a sense of what is really important, the deeper principles we need to convey in order to make a significant impact.

I took my old camcorder to New York City’s Tax Day Tea Party back on April 15 to do some interviews and generally videotape the event. I intended to do this as a volunteer reporter for www.PJTV.com (Pajamas TV).

Unfortunately, I discovered that my old camcorder recorded in a format that YouTube and other sites would not accept. Eventually, I downloaded format-conversion software, but the urgency (newsworthiness) seemed to pass, and I became busy with other activities. More problematic was that my computer memory modules were not working properly, causing the computer to keep freezing up. Then the video was too long for YouTube so I had to figure out how to break it into smaller chunks.

So, to summarize, the internet debut of my videos were delayed due to technical difficulties.

Now, I have replaced the memory modules in my computer. Also, I have a new camcorder for future ease of uploading.

The good news is, I finally uploaded the Tax Day Tea Party video in time for the renewed interest created by the Independence Day Tea Parties! And the message of the Tax Day Tea Party is even more relevant now. The administration’s reckless spending and regulations have only compounded since April. Taxation and hyperinflation fears are even more well-founded.

And since the Tax Day Tea Parties, some on the left have claimed that the Tea Party Protesters are racists, or are a bunch of rich white guys, or are organized and paid to show up by large corporations.

These allegations have made my videos perhaps more valuable. I interview an Asian woman, a lesbian mother, and a young ordinary middle class couple. I videotaped an anti-tax sign proudly displayed by an African American woman, and a sign protesting the banks’ mishandling of money that clearly wasn’t being held by a wealthy Wall Street banker. It’s plain to see that there are people of all ages and all walks of life in the crowd.

Some of the signs refer to Ayn Rand and “Atlas Shrugged” and “John Galt.” I brought my own copy of Atlas Shrugged to hold up in lieu of a sign (My hands were full enough with the camcorder). Several people commented as they walked by, “Good book!”

The spirit was one of benevolence, and a deep desire to stop the destruction of America’s future, stop the violations of the Constitution (especially the Tenth Amendment), and of our rights. More than one member of the crowd told me they had recently been laid off, as I had just been laid off myself, after working for 23 years at the same firm.

I did see a few “VIPs” in the crowd although they are not in my video. I said hello to radio host and Fox News contributor Monica Crowley, and I met Kevin Williamson, an editor and writer at National Review. My video does include a few moments of a speech by KT McFarland, a New York politician.

Here are my videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVLnBm1odvQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av4lhjCrb7w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPdseI4p_ok