The Goochland Gazette | News - Goochland Tea Party meeting draws more than 200

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Goochland Tea Party meeting draws more than 200
Published: July 21, 2010

Photo by Ken Odor
Ed Spicer, right, talks with Keith Flannagan and Larry Eggleston before the start of last Thursday night’s Goochland Tea Party meeting.

By Ken Odor
jodor@goochlandgazette.com

Having learned its lesson when an overflow crowd forced members to move outside last month at the Goochland Library, the Goochland Tea Party held its second meeting last Thursday in the Goochland High School auditorium.

“I’m here because of love of country and love of God,” said Ed Spicer when asked why he showed up. Spicer bought three Goochland Tea Party T- shirts from Larry Eggleston and Keith Flannagan, who manned a table with Tea Party items for sale just inside the auditorium.

Paul Yates of Rockcastle, who came with his wife Joyce, said he was interested in “restoring fiscal and constitutional sanity.”

“The more demonized we are the more committed we become,” said Yates.

As folks got seated Dennis Uselmann warmed up the crowd with several patriotic songs. Then Hadensville’s Susan Lascolette kicked off the 7 p.m. gathering by introducing WRVA Radio talk show host Doc Thompson.

Thompson talked about his recent comments on his afternoon radio show, lambasting Gov. Robert McDonnell’s decision to use part of a $22 million surplus to give state workers a one-time bonus.

Citing one state worker who emailed him, Thompson said he told him if he wasn’t making enough, “You can always get another job.”

“It’s the attitude that you deserve a raise” that bothers him, said Thompson.

Thompson also said he favored total tax reform.

“Many times the things I say would be detrimental to me,” he said, but stressed that consistency when advocating cutting government spending was essential.

“You’ve got to be consistent. If we are consistent it will transfer to those we elect,” he said.

Next to the podium was Jeffrey Spence, who said he changed his prepared speech to counter recent charges by the NAACP that the Tea Party movement is racist.

“I consider prejudice a cancer,” said Spence.

“I am proud to live in a country where we have elected our first president of color, even if I disagree with him,” said Spence. “We have come a long way.”

Spence, who called himself both a “recovering Democrat and a recovering Republican,” called the U.S. Constitution “the closest thing to scripture written by man.”

Spence said the Tea Party movement grew out of the anti-health care movement and maintained that the actual numbers of uninsured is more like 15 million when including illegal aliens, those who are insured by choice and those who haven’t taken advantage of programs for which they are eligible.

“I ask the busybodies of politics to leave us alone,” said Spence, decrying the growth of the “nanny state,” which he maintained could provide only the “illusion of safety” and not the real thing.

Spence made clear who the boss in the country is in his political view.

“The president, the congress, the Supreme Court – they are the hired help,” thundered Spence, to enthusiastic applause.

“They work for us; we don’t work for them.”

“More government always means less freedom,” said the third speaker, Richmond Tea Party head Jaime Radtke.

Radtke said she was “incredibly encouraged” by current political trends.

“We are relearning our history,” she said, drawing a parallel with the prophet Nehemiah, who exhorted the people to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem, one section at a time.

Just like the foundations of the destroyed walls of Jerusalem, Radtke said, “our foundation in the country is still strong.”

“The real growth is at the local level,” said Radtke, exhorting the crowd to take part.

“If it is not us in this room today, who is it going to be?” she asked. “If not now, when?”

Lascolette wound up the meeting asking the crowd to sign up for a number of committees and listed upcoming Tea Party events, including an October Virginia Tea Party Convention.

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