The American Freedom Network

Tea Party 2009 – Lansing, Michigan

About 200 Americans came to peacefully, but energetically, express their opposition to the Obama bailout plan.  The crowd was older, middle class/working class, and was sprinkled with flat tax supporters (Michigan’s Legislature may consider a graduated state income tax soon), as well as Campaign For Liberty (Ron Paul’s PAC) activists. 
The speakers were a mix of activists and regular Joes and Janes – a military wife, for example.  Their tone was polite, but firm in strenuous opposition to taxing success and hard work to subsidize incompetence and failure.  No identifiable members of Michigan’s political establishment were on-hand, and only one TV station sent a reporter to cover the event.  (Most Capitol demonstrations, unless organized by groups like the NRA, draw much smaller crowds, but often more press coverage.)
This writer’s overall impression was of a loose coalition, not yet a movement, in search of a leader to give voice and direction to the unifying ideas that brought these Americans together – freedom means the right to fail, not a right to have your neighbors subsidize your failure.  The picture below was taken shortly after the rally began at noon on Friday, february 27, 2009 at the Capitol steps in Lansing, Michigan.