Last night was a proof of concept.

After work I drove over to Rep. Jan Schakowski's Town Hall meeting at Niles High School in Skokie, IL. The doors were tscheduled to open at 1700 and the event was scheduled to start at 1830. I got there at about 1730, and the place was a madhouse.

The doors weren't open yet and there were a good 300 people lined up outside to get in (later news reports had 1,500 people in the room). There were hundreds of people outside not even trying to get in, almost all of them Health Care Reform supporters, and about a third of those wearing purple SEIU shirts. Most of the pro-reform crowd—and virtually all of the grape-shirts—were carrying expensive, professionally-made signs.

Initially things were very peaceful. There were a few heated arguments out by the road, no real threat of violence. Things seemed safe enough that I relaxed and indulged in a little shouting myself. Note to the Jacks: don't do that. Our guys love it, but in addition to the flag and the Black Jack it makes you a magnet for anybody with a camera, so unless you're prepared to deliver an off-the-cuff disquisition on the mission of the Navy Jacks, you can wind up looking like a real idiot. You just can't do your job out there when you're trying to focus on a camera.

Anyway, at some point somebody ran over to tell me there was trouble by the door. I soon discovered a group of about a hundred anti-Obamacare protesters arrayed across a fire lane from a group of at least four times as many people from the other side. And things were getting nasty.

The ringleader appeared to be a stocky gentleman in a frayed suit who looked to be the very cliche of a union boss. Drunk, too, as I could easily tell when I got within a few feet of him. He faded back a bit when some folks from our side began chanting "Have another drink!"

There were a few other folks from the other side who seemed intent on whipping that crowd into a frenzy. There were a number of heated arguments on the border between the two groups, and I had to do double duty to step between them all. At some point I grabbed a few guys from the Conservative crowd and showed them how to use their bodies to keep a lane clear. Things went a bit more smoothly for a while after that.

Finally, at around 1900, something changed. The agitators in the back of the crowd moved to the front and came screaming in with loud threats of physical violence. There were four of these, two who looked like gang-bangers and a couple of clean-cut fellows.

I planted myself in front with my flag at port arms and used the staff to prevent them from entering the Conservative side of the crowd. They surged up against me for a couple of minutes, screaming curses and waving their arms at me and the older couple behind me who were apparently their target, but I kept my cool and stayed out of the argument except to create the barrier. Eventually they ran out of steam and faded back.

All this time the police were standing entirely on the sidelines. After this last near-altercation faded, an officer in a squad car finally lit off his lights and buzzer and moved in to clear the fire lane. Better late than never, though, and the local cops did well enough keeping the lane clear from this point on.

At the end of the day, there was a whole lot of shouting and some shoving, but no actual violence. The Conservative side was heavily outnumbered, and the other side was well-organized and ready for a fight. There is no doubt in my mind that my intervention—both personally, and through the fellows whom I deputized—was instrumental last night in keeping people from getting hurt.

Since I was the only Jack on the scene, I had to rely heavily on the help of civilians from the crowd. Given the intensity in the moment, it was impossible for me to keep track of their names, and so I'd like to thank those guys here for stepping up. It's a testament to the decency and gallantry of the average American citizen. Guys, you made a real difference last night, and you ought to be very proud of the way you carried yourselves. I thank you all.

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Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky is holding a Town Hall event TONIGHT in Niles, IL, just outside of Chicago. If you are in the area and can attend, please see the message quoted below:

Dear Patriots,

 

There will be a town hall held tomorrow by Congressman Jan Schakowsky.

 

It has been said that the young lass might be a no-show, so don't be surprised.

 

This will be a big town hall, packed with many of her sheep, don't even bother with them. They are absolute idiots; we need to concentrate on recruiting strong minded Americans to join our tea party.

 

Attached is the flier for the 9/12 march and a shortened version of HC 3200 -- do not argue with the ObamaFans -- it is like herding cats -- completely impossible.

 

Go to those with protest signs and say to them, "Hey are you with a tea party?  Come join us."  Give them a flier and tell them that we need all Americans.

 

Approach the man or woman who looks like a deer with headlights coming at them -- they are members of the public who actually believed that young Jan would be holding a town hall meeting where WE THE PEOPLE would be able to ask questions, be given information about how the bill will effect us and our families and, in general, just be able to participate.

 

That is not what this is about. This is sham. This is total astro-turf support. This is Hollywood.

 

And most of all, talk about the bill. Show them, don't tell them how congress are a big bunch of bully liars. Give them the tools -- www.IllinoisTea.com -- where they can read the bill for themselves.

 

Impress upon them how this legislation will forever alter the landscape of this great country. They may be confused and protective, understand where they are coming from.  For years, many were comfortable believing, even if we didn't totally agree with what was going on in DC, that those in Congress were so unAmerican that they would want to destroy the exact fabric which this great country is made from.

 

Make sure they know that the Congressional Budget Office has given the thumbs down to this bill. Talk about the facts of the bill... Talk about small business, talk about special needs, talk about how Acorn and other community groups and the power they would wield, talk about how medical care would be rationed, make them question the information they have received that Barack Obama and his people.

 

And do yourself the biggest favor, stay away from the idiots. The SEIU thugs willl be there as well as Acorn and rent-a-protestors.  They are absolute idiots -- remember the days of Jim Jones and those who walked behind him -- that is who we are against at these rallies.

 

Remember, when you talk facts to "The Innocents" they will recognize the sincerity and appreciate the genuineness.  When you start spinning, regardless of how cathartic it is, we lose credibility.

 

Get interested parties names, phone numbers and emails. Give them our fliers.

 

Contact me with any questions or concerns and let me know how everything went afterwards. I will not be attending.

 

Take this to the mattress and TALK ABOUT THE BILL.

 

Schakowsky Town Hall
Time:6:30PM (Doors open at 5:00pm)
Monday, August 31st
Niles West High School - Auditorium
5701 Oakton St
Skokie, IL

Catherina Wojtowicz
ChicagoTeaPatriots@Gmail.com
(312) 662-8666
Chicago Tea Patriots
www.IllinoisTea.com

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President Obama visited Montana last Friday. Watching the video footage, you get the impression that the entire state's human population (and most of the trees) are solidly and enthusiastically behind the President and his vision of socialized health care.

Right?

Not so, says Montana resident Sue in a letter to Pamela Geller's Atlas Shrugs blog:

During the week, cargo by the TONS was being shipped in constantly. Airport employees could not believe how it just kept coming. Though it was our President coming several expressed how excessive it was, especially during a recession. $$$$$ Late Tuesday/early Wednesday the 12th, they said that tickets would be handed out on Thursday 9am at two locations and the president would be arriving around 12:30 Friday. Thursday morning about 600 tickets were passed out. However, 1500 were printed at a Local printing shop per White House request. Hmmmm... 900 tickets just DISAPPEARED.

Read the letter... apparently the President's staff needed those 900 extra tickets to stack the hall in Obama's favor.

But the real action occurred outside. Once again, SEIU figured in heavily:

On Friday Joe and I got out to the airport about 10:45am. The groups that wanted to protest Obama's spending and healthcare had gotten a permit to protest and that area was roped off. But that was not to be. A large bus carrying SEIU (Service Employees International Union) members drove up onto the area (illegal)and unloaded right there. It was quite a commotion and there were specifically 2 SEIU men trying to make trouble and start a fight. Police did get involved and arrested the one man but they said they did not have the manpower to remove the SEIU crowd.

The SEIU crowd was very organized and young. About 99% were under the age of 30 and they were not locals! They had bullhorns and PROFESSIONALLY made signs. Some even wore preprinted T-shirts. Oh, and Planned Parenthood folks were with them.....professing abortion rights with their T-shirts and preprinted signs. (BTW, all these folks did have a permit to protest in ANOTHER area)

Those against healthcare/spending moved away from the SEIU crowd to avoid confrontation. They were orderly and respectful. Even though SEIU kept coming over and walking through, continuing to be very intimidating and aggressive at the direction of the one SEIU man.

So once again we have a band of union thugs acting as agents of Government to intimidate Citizens exercising their Constitutionally guaranteed rights to free assembly and expression. Local police did their best, but were simply outnumbered and out-maneuvered by the well-organized SEIU crowd.

Let's get the word out, shipmates! From Bozeman to Baton Rouge, no event is so small that our Statist President can't drum up an army of thugs to silence the voices of American Citizens in protest. And no army of thugs is so large that it can lurch its ham-hocked way through a stalwart line of trusty Navy Jacks.

Hat tip: Smitty.

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This has to set some kind of a record: within two weeks, the Navy Jacks have gone from the germ of an idea to a national organization with a website, a uniform, and a valuable mission.

What ARE the Navy Jacks? Our mission says it all:

The mission of the Navy Jacks is to employ all measures consistent with the letter and the spirit of the United States Constitution in order to guarantee the ability of American citizens to assert their Constitutional rights.

Simple, right? But what does it mean?

Meet Kenneth Gladney:

On August 6, Kenneth Gladney went to a town-hall meeting hosted by Rep. Russ Carnahan, Missouri Democrat. While passing out "Don't Tread on Me" flags, he was viciously attacked by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) members. One—ironically, another black man named Elston McCowen—called Gladney a "nigger" while beating him.

These union thugs were directed by the White House to go to the protests and "punch back twice as hard." And they did.

The Navy Jacks mission is to get between citizens like Kenneth Gladney and thugs like Elston McCowen. This kind of obscenity will not occur while the Jacks are on patrol.

Look for us at a town hall meeting near you. If you are planning (or simply plan to attend) a protest or other event where you fear intimidation by the Government or its agents, contact us and we will stand up for you.

Are you an able-bodied veteran or fellow-traveler and want to take a stand for liberty and against tyranny? Then contact us and tell us about yourself.

Hat tip: Real Clear Politics

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