Ohio Liberty Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cincinnati Tea Party Contact
Sue White, Communications Manager
sue@cincinnatiteaparty.org
Media Line:  (513) 258-0454

“Friends of Liberty Day” Offers Opportunity to Learn About Tea Party Movement

September 4: Friends of Liberty Day at Kings Island

Cincinnati, OH, August 19, 2010.  The Cincinnati Tea Party and the Ohio Liberty Council have partnered with Kings Island to host “Friends of Liberty Day.”  The public is invited to a celebration of American freedom, Saturday, September 4, at Kings Island.  The day offers an opportunity for liberty-minded people to introduce a friend or neighbor to the tea party principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets.  It’s also a chance to discuss what friends of liberty believe.

Events include:

• An overview of the tea party movement
• Presentations by the Cincinnati Tea Party, Americans for Prosperity, the Buckeye Institute, the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, and the Ohio Freedom Alliance,
• Speeches by citizens from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan
• Dinner with various statewide and national candidates, including Steve Chabot who is running for U.S. Congress from Ohio’s First District, Robert Owens who is running for Ohio Attorney General, and Dave Yost who is running for Auditor of State in Ohio; the moderator will be Seth Morgan; Brian Thomas of 55KRC will be the featured speaker; sponsored by the Ohio Tea Party PAC
• Plenty of opportunity to connect with people to discuss issues facing America and possible solutions

Enjoy rides, attractions, and good company with friends and family—all at a special discounted price.  A “Friends of Liberty” BBQ lunch, with a cash bar, will also be available at a special price.

The day will culminate in a musical concert by Jordan Page, followed by the terrific Kings Island fireworks.  Come ready to celebrate our American freedom!

Cincinnati Tea Party                                 www.cincinnatiteaparty.org
Americans for Prosperity                        www.americansforprosperity.org/
Buckeye Institute                                      www.buckeyeinstitute.org/
1851 Center for Constitutional Law        www.ohioconstitution.org/
Ohio Freedom Alliance                            www.ohiofreedom.com/
Ohio Tea Party PAC                                 www.ohioteapartypac.com/
Jordan Page                                               www.jordanpagemusic.com/

Tickets

Entrance to Kings Island
$0 for season pass holders
$19.99 general admission if you prepay online or mention “Friends of Liberty” at the entrance gate
(otherwise, $49.99 regular Kings Island admission)
“Friends of Liberty” BBQ Lunch (prepay online only) $9.99 adults
$6.99 kids under 48 inches tall

Get tickets:  www.visitkingsisland.com/liberty

Kings Island opens at 10:00 a.m.  Parking cost varies.

Accommodations for Out-of-Towners

Cincinnati Marriott East has a block of rooms reserved for this event.  When you call, say you want a room for “Friends of Liberty Day” at Kings Island.  Rooms are $109.95 per night.

Cincinnati Marriott East: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cvgne-cincinnati-marriott-northeast

9664 Mason Montgomery Road
Mason, OH 45040
513-459-9800

About the Cincinnati Tea Party

http://www.cincinnatiteaparty.org

The Cincinnati Tea Party is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization promoting its core principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets, while strongly opposing wasteful government spending at all levels.  We encourage our members to actively participate in government by supporting candidates who share our core principles or by running for office.  Our goals include influencing elections to protect the freedom of current and future American citizens, promoting state sovereignty (Federalism), and compelling our elected officials to comply with the Constitution of the United States of America as written.  To accomplish our goals, the Cincinnati Tea Party:

• Provides Voice to liberty-minded Americans through rallies, forums, and town halls
• Supports the Education of Americans for a better understanding of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and the authority granted to our government by the People
• Impacts Elections throughout America by encouraging freedom-loving American citizens to run for office at the local, county, and state levels

The Cincinnati Tea Party was founded in February 2009 by a conservative group of Cincinnatians who love America and want to pass its gift of freedom to future generations.  In April 2009, Community Tea Parties were launched to allow local leaders to spread the core principles at the neighborhood level.

About the Ohio Liberty Council

http://www.ohiolibertycouncil.org/

The Ohio Liberty Council is a nonpartisan coalition of like-minded grassroots organizations throughout Ohio.  The council strives to achieve these strategic objectives:

• Foster accountability of elected officials and government
• Grow awareness of the movement
• Promote state sovereignty
• Educate citizens
• Affect elections

The council began in June 2009 as a way to connect liberty-minded Ohioans.  The group communicates on issues, but more importantly, seeks to create concerted action among the groups.  By working together, the council intends to achieve real results to protect and promote liberty in Ohio.  The most important issue facing Ohio is state sovereignty, which is the main focus of the group.

View Our Founding Documents

United States of America
Declaration of Independence    http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
Constitution                                 http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Bill of Rights                                 http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

State of Ohio
Constitution                                 http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/constitution.cfm

For Immediate Release Contact: Carlo LoParo, 614-204-2242
Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Geauga County Board of Elections Filed Complaint Against Critic

COLUMBUS – In an apparent retaliatory action against an outspoken critic, the Geauga County Board of Elections charged independent blogger Ed Corsi with violating campaign finance laws. The elections board forwarded a complaint to the Ohio Elections Commission (OEC), where Corsi faces fines of up to $1,000 a day.

Corsi’s blog, http://www.geaugaconstitutionalcouncil.org, is critical of local government and political officials, including Geauga County Board of Elections Member Edward Ryder. Specifically, Corsi publishes a politically “most unwanted list” critical of several officials he refers to as “RINOs” (Republicans in Name Only). Ryder is chairman of the Geauga County Republican Party.

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law and the Rutherford Institute, non-profit legal advocacy firms, today filed arguments with the OEC on behalf of Corsi. The legal organizations argue the elections board improperly and unconstitutional applied campaign finance law to Corsi’s activities. Further, the board’s complaint infringes upon Corsi’s First Amendment right to criticize his government.

“This case has the potential to severally limit free speech in Ohio,” said 1851 Center Executive Director Maurice Thompson. “Should independent bloggers in Ohio be subject to registration, political disclosure laws, and fines simply because they discuss Ohio politics, and are critical of certain politicians? The Constitution says otherwise.”

The elections board based the complaint on O.R.C. 3517.20(A)(2). Thompson believes its action overreaches the application of the law and violates the freedom of alternative media, such as independent political bloggers.

“When applied to Corsi’s activities, the law violates the First Amendment right to anonymous political speech,” said Thompson. “It places an impermissible prior restraint on core political speech. And, it applies an overbroad regulation and/or prohibition on political speech that is not express advocacy.”

Corsi’s website and his blogger pseudonym Geauga Constitutional Council (GCC) are not registered political organizations. They do not coordinate with political campaigns. And, Corsi personally pays for all costs associated with the website and subsequent printed material.

A copy of the filing is available here.

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law is non-profit, non-partisan legal center dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of Ohioans from government abuse. The center litigates constitutional issues related to property rights, voting rights, regulation, taxation, and search and seizures. More information about the 1851 Center is available at http://www.ohioconstitution.org.

The Rutherford Institute is a civil liberties organization that provides free legal services to people whose constitutional rights have been threatened or violated. More on the Institute can be found at http://www.rutherford.org.

Click to view and download high-res PDF version

Your New Health Care System

Alicia Healy appeared on ONN’s Capitol Square talk show on Friday, July 16th to defend accusations by the NAACP that the tea party has “racist elements”.  Ms. Healy has spoken at many tea parties including The Ohio Liberty Council’s LiberTea Party last August.

We have been denouncing racism and violence of any kind since the early stages of our movement.  For example, here is a quote from an editorial one of our board members wrote in response to a smear-piece published by Terry Smith, Editor of Athens News:

“For the record, we completely and thoroughly disavow and condemn any comments or supporters based in racism or violence of any kind. We have, and will continue, to ask all tea party supporters to act with passion not anger, conviction not fear, and truth rather than slander.

There is no room for ad-hominem attacks when arguments based in substance will suffice.”

Several interesting comments made in this interview indicate that the media continues to get it all wrong as usual:

1. They continue to try to appoint Sarah Palin as our leader.
2. They continue to refer to the tea party as if it’s a political party.
3. They ignore instances when we do denounce racism at our events.
4. They continue to worry about blogs (like the one you are reading) and would love to have the government control and regulate them.

We will give ONN credit for bringing up the New Black Panther Party incident in the discussion and  Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to prosecute them.  Thank you, ONN, for recognizing the hypocrisy.

As an added bonus, at the end of the show, they consult with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.  ONN introduces her as a person that stepped into a “land mine of controversial election issues”, but they instead ask her about the tea party’s influence on elections, which she completely sidesteps and claims that there is a “racist element to the tea party here in Ohio.”  We’d like to remind Ms. Brunner that there are “racist elements” in every segment of society, including − yes − our own government.

The full video has not been made available by ONN, but they have posted the full audio.

Listen to Full Audio

Watch ONN Video and Article

Join friends and family from all liberty minded groups in the tri-state area for a day of fun, thrills, and patriotism at Kings Island on Saturday, September 4, 2010. Take a break and relax with other like-minded individuals at an unbelievable price presented by the CINCINNATI TEA PARTY and THE OHIO LIBERTY COUNCIL.

Here’s the best part though … admission tickets for this great day are just $19.99 each! You don’t need to be a member of any organization to attend – everyone is welcome!

Meet up with friends or make new ones at The Friends of Liberty BBQ Picnic. This all-you-can-eat buffet features complete with chicken tenders, hot dogs, pulled pork BBQ, baked beans, potato salad, unlimited soft drinks, watermelon slices and popsicle treats. This great meal is just $9.99 for adults and $6.99 for juniors under 48 inches and will be available from 11am until 5pm in the Picnic Grove. A cash bar will also be available.

For more information and to reserve your tickets for this great event click here!

An open letter to our partners in Second Amendment victory

Buckeye Firearms Association

Dear BFA Supporters,

Recently the Supreme Court of the United States, in McDonald v Chicago, ruled that the Second Amendment applies to the states and cities.

For the first time, our highest court has “incorporated” the Second Amendment through the 14th Amendment. No matter what anyone may tell you, understand that this was a HUGE win for gun owners, and those who believe in the rule of law, our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

On page two of that brief is a footnote that reads, “Brief for Buckeye Firearms Foundation, Inc., et al. as Amici Curiae 8–9…” In other words, Buckeye Firearms Foundation was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in one of the most important decisions of our lifetime! That is something to be proud of.

It is also something to be thankful for. We are thankful to you – because YOU helped make this possible.

One of our most ardent supporters was U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).

When the time came to write a brief, we did not have the funds to do the job. We had only weeks to raise a seemingly impossible amount of money. But we knew the importance of this case; failure was not an option.

We needed a partner. Someone who could not only give us money, but help us raise more. I called Tim Schmidt, Founder of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association. I didn’t know Tim, except through his products and newsletters, but I knew he was a Patriot.

I asked him for help. I asked him to partner with us. Tim understood the magnitude of this case and its effect on his members, and indeed our Country. Without hesitation, he gave us all the help we asked for and more.

The U.S. Concealed Carry Association was a partner in every sense of the word. When you read those four letters, “et al” in the decision, it means the U.S. Concealed Carry Association. We could not have moved forward without their support.

But that was only the beginning. We still needed more money, more than we had ever before raised. And we needed it fast.

The response was overwhelming. We received donations large, small and everything in between from people in Ohio and around the country. We received help from individuals and other great groups like the Ohio Gun Collectors Association. We received money from people who don’t even own a gun, but understand that by protecting one right, we protect and defend all our rights.

And so with funding secured, we hired Ken Hanson to write another brief. His brief in Heller v District of Columbia was cited by the Heritage Foundation as one of the more important briefs. We needed another powerful brief, and Hanson delivered.

The rest, as they say, is history, but none of it could have happened without support. Support from individuals like you, who in turbulent economic times, with high unemployment, dug down deep and pulled together for a cause greater than any of us.

We thank you for your support, because quite literally we could not have done it without you.

Thank you to all our partners. You made success possible. You changed the world.

Yours for Freedom,

Jim Irvine
Chairman

Original post found on Buckeye Firearms website

For decades in Ohio, out of state special interests or corporate interests have been spending millions of dollars to pay workers to gather signatures in order to put issues on the ballot. The Ohio Project was conceived as an experiment to see if a true grass roots volunteer workforce could also get issues on the ballot. But not just any issues. We are talking about issues that limit government, preserve freedom, and protect your individual rights as the Ohio Constitution was meant to do!

Of course there was always a question if people would respond. The answer to that question is a resounding YES! We are elated to report that just 2 months after we received our first signature this ALL VOLUNTEER workforce has gathered over 150,000 signatures for the Health Care Freedom Amendment, and most of those signatures have been gathered in the last 4 weeks! This is an unprecedented accomplishment in Ohio political history.

The top 5 counties in terms of total number of signatures gathered are:

Franklin Co – 11,200
Hamilton Co – 9,560
Medina Co – 6,311
Fairfield Co – 5,236
Clermont Co – 5,136

The top 5 counties in terms of total signatures gathered as a percentage of voters that voted in the last gubernatorial election are:

Mercer Co – 20.4%
Van Wert Co – 18.9%
Auglaize Co – 17.5%
Fayette Co – 17.3%
Shelby Co – 16.5%

A total of 35 counties have an amount of signatures that surpasses 5% of the number of votes in the last gubernatorial election. 44 counties must meet or exceed this 5% requirement as set forth by the Ohio Secretary of State as part of the requirements to get an issue on the ballot.

Congratulations to the individuals in these counties and all dedicated individuals in other counties for an outstanding effort! You are participating in making history. The dedication you have shown by turning frustration with Washington into real action is inspiring. But, of course, our work is not done. It is important to keep on a steady and consistent course until we are done. Our goal of getting the Health Care Freedom Amendment on the 2011 ballot has not changed. As long as we continue at this pace, we will have our signatures by November. Keep it up – and keep talking to people about the project. The more people circulating petitions, the easier the job is for everyone!