Wilmington's Riverfest routinely draws over 100,000 people (that's a real number, not a teabag estimate). The goal is to support the local Cape Fear Community College by using the proceeds to fund scholarships. It's a non-partisan good time for all, with the usual vendors, fatty (but wonderfully yummy) foods, waterfront events, and entertainment.
The local Obama people were told last year that they did not allow political organizations to have a booth or give out information. Great. Fine, that's within their rights. Again, Riverfest is about the community and raising money for scholarships.
Well, apparently things have changed.
More after the fold......
This year the local hate talk radio station is hosting, on Center Stage, an "I Love America" rally, a three-hour extravaganza with patriotic music and speakers. Well, 1 hour of music and 2 hours of lectures from Fairtax.org, the John Locke Foundation, and a slew of local conservatives who just happen to be running for office this fall.
Monica Caison, president of this year’s Riverfest celebration, said she’s been assured by Paul Knight, vice-president and general manager of Sea-Comm Media, which owns The Big Talker and is organizing the I Love America Rally, "that this is not a political (event)."
Knight, a Republican, is running for Wilmington mayor against incumbent Bill Saffo, a Democrat.
This is in Wednesday's Wilmington Star News Online, and is rife with the typical conservative denials, which means, in essence, They're having a Tea Party!!
Not just any old Tea Party. One run by the conservative talk radio station whose GM is RUNNING FOR MAYOR THIS FALL!!. But again, how can 'I Love America' be anything more than an outpouring of good 'ole folk music, hot dogs, and apple pie?
Well, let's see who will be at the 'non-political' rally: (Typo on 'Center Stage' is theirs. I guess Teabaggers don't have copy editors!! I'm thinking that maybe they pasted this from a Red State event?)
I Love America Rally 2009
Date:
October 3, 2009
Time: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location:
'CENTER STATE' Riverfest 2009
Riverwalk Downtown Wilmington
(in front of Federal Building)
PROGRAM
11:00 - 11:15 AM Show Intro Music - Daniel Parrish
11:15 -11:30 AM Show Open: Curtis Wright, Host
Pledge of Allegiance & Remarks: Pastor Tony McGhee
11:15 - 11:35 AM Star Spangled Banner, Patirotic Medley: Marcus Gipson, Baritone
11:35 - 12:05 PM Dr. Mike Adams, Townhall.org
Jason McKinley, FairTax.org
Ginny Quaglia, We the People of NC
12:05 - 12:25 PM Performance: Cape Fear Chordsmen
12:20 - 1:00 PM Bettie Fennell
Joe Miller, Cape Fear Fair Tax
Becki Gray, John Locke Foundation
1:00 - 1:30 PM Thom Goolsby
Dr. Timothy Johnson, PhD.
1:30 -1:50 PM Performace: Coastal Christian High School
1:50 - 2:00 PM Show Close: Curtis Wright, Host
1:55 - 2:15 PM Program Close Music: Daniel Parrish
Just to give you the 'non political' nature of this event, let's check out the speakers, shall we?
-
Dr. Mike Adams, Professor at UNC Wilmington, and a 'victim of discrimination' because of his views. No, 'Dr. Mike', you're a misogynistic, homophobic ass.
- Jason McKinley,
FairTax.org "Fair Tax" or no tax? These people want to repeal the 16th amendment
- Ginny Quaglia, We the People of NC. Apparently she loves the country so much that she wants to
secede!
-
Bettie Fennell. Local Good-Ole-Girl, John Locker, teabagger, etc. Planning on running for state senate in 2010
- Joe Miller,
Cape Fear Fair Tax. See a pattern, anyone?
- Becki Gray,
John Locke Foundation. Another anti-tax (read 'anti' Democrat) proponent
- Thom Goolsby, ANOTHER
candidatefor NC Senate in 2010.
- Dr. Timothy Johnson (or is it
"Dr."?). Because you can't have a 'non political' conservative rally without a person of color in the lineup. Because now they can't be accused of being racist.
-
Curtis Wright. Local morning host. He repeatedly calls Barack Obama a 'Muslim Communist', and of course he kept his kids home from school for the big Obama School speech.
If you're in North Carolina, especially the Wilmington area please contact the Riverfest folks at info@wilmingtonriverfest.com or through the contact form at the website. Let them know that you're concerned with the partisan slant of this 'show' and that it has no place at riverfest. You can also become a fan and write on their Facebook Wall
These anti-tax, anti-government organizations rally on the government property every chance they get. Don't let them ruin an otherwise good time on the waterfront.
====================================
UPDATE: The Star News has run an editorial objecting to the politicization of the event, and had this to say about the non-partisan nature of the event:
You be the judge. The lineup includes: a UNCW professor well known for his biting conservative commentary; two representatives of FairTax groups that seek to replace the federal income tax with a 23 percent national sales tax; a local resident who attended last weekend’s Tea Party march in Washington; a representative of the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank in Raleigh; two announced Republican state Senate candidates; and the vice chairman of the N.C. Republican Party.
FWIW, Curtis Wright himself wrote a response. If you haven't heard him, you don't need to. You can smell the wingnuttery in his writing.
On the radio this morning he was mad as a hornet that the Communist regime of a New York Times owned newspaper would give their Pinko take on this 'patriotic' tebagging event.
Letters to the Riverfest people however, have gone unanswered.