CRYSTAL COAST TEA PARTY PATRIOTS MINUTES
OF 6 DECEMBER 2011

Meeting called to order at 5:10pm by Chairman BOB CAVANAUGH
Pledge led by WAYNE WILLIS
Invocation by Dr. Mark Creech
No. Attendees – 33

SURVEY POLITIAL CANDIDATES:
BOB said that a few weeks ago we discussed vetting the candidates for the upcoming primaries and CAPT STEVE MILLER has come up with a proposed/potential vetting questions.  He has brought copies for you to review.  Following is the survey Capt. Miller has presented:
2012 CARTERET COUNTY TEA PARTY SURVEY OF POLITICAL CANDIDATES
Energy:
1) Should the US artificially raise the cost of fossil fuel to stimulate and allow for
alternative fuels?
2) Do you support offshore drilling off of the North Carolina coast?
Health Care:
1) Do you support repealing Obamacare?
2) Should Insurance Companies be allowed to compete across state lines?
3) Do you support Tort Reform?
Spending:
1) Should a national sales tax be used to pay down the deficit?
2) Should Social Security be taxed at all levels of income?
3) Should we cut Foreign Aid?
4) If so, how much:, 10%, 20%, 30%, More than 30%, or Completely?
5) Would you support a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution?
Immigration:
1) Do the states have the right to enforce the federal immigration laws when the
Federal Government will not?
2) Should we build a fence and secure all of the borders of the US?
3) Should all illegal immigrants be deported or just the lawless ones?

Captain MILLER, asked us to look them over.  This is just a start and will appreciate any suggestions anyone may have.  The idea is to keep it to one page.
BOB said in the primary last time when he ran against Jones, he had not realized the number of questionnaires you get from organizations all over the place.  It was a full time job just filling out that stuff and getting it sent back.

POP:
BOB said we have heard about it for months now, but we finally have a finished product for sale.  WAYNE WILLIS finally has his History Game (Patriots or Potentate) ready for market.  WAYNE said it is on a CD ROM that you play on your computer, not on the TV.  He said it has been a year and change since he first proposed his idea to us.  It has taken him that long to find a ‘child’ (17 year old) that could write the software.  WAYNE said he had children a whole lot older, but that is what you have to deal with now; if you want to do something with the computer.  He has come up with retailing them for $15.00 each.  There will be discounts for volume purchases.  He plans to get in touch with the Heritage Foundation, Hillsdale College, Republican Parties, and NANCY BOCK, he hopes will follow through with our agreement (that was made so long ago that we have probably forgotten) of… if we put an ad on our TEA Party web site, all sales produced, will mean 10% going into the Crystal Coast TEA Party Patriots treasury and if we can connect with a lot of TEA Parties, this TEA Party group will not have to worry about selling tee shirts and hats.  He hopes that’s the way it is going to work out.  He’s going to get with NANCY and work out the details about handling the money.  He sold several copies at the meeting.  He only had 50 made up and has already sold around 10 of those, not counting what he sold here tonight.  If you would like to have copies to give for Christmas presents, please contact him as soon as possible.  It will be a while before he can get another batch made up.  For those who were new to the group, he explained that this is a History Teaching Tool and went on to explain how it works.  Ten people can play it at the time.  It has patriotic music, one liners, pictures of the subject matter, etc.

NEW FACES:
BOB asked Catfish Williams what he was doing here tonight, and Catfish said he understood there was free food here tonight.  He introduced Ray Muns, former County Commissioner and asked what brought him out tonight.  He said ‘Catfish’ and a chance to see a lot of old friends. BOB requested anyone that we do not have their email address to please include it on the sign-in list, so we can put them on our mailing list.

GUEST SPEAKER DR. MARK CREECH:
Dr. Creech said he was honored to be asked to speak to this group tonight.  He has had the opportunity to speak to three or four TEA Party groups before but this is his first in this county.  He wanted to talk to us very briefly about the ministry of Christian public policy organization and the Christian Action League of North Carolina and then he will talk to us about the urgency of the Marriage Protection Amendment.  He has to confess he is a little apprehensive about giving the speech, after a recent experience he had where his car had broken down and he had taken it to the shop and the mechanic was bent over looking at the motor and he raised up, and with a very disturbed look on his face said to him, “Mark, it’s really bad, and it’s going to cost you.”  Dr. Creech said ‘Please don’t tell me that, I’m just a poor Baptist preacher’.  And do you know what that mechanic said to him?  He said “I know, I heard you last Sunday!”  (Laughter)  ‘I hope you won’t feel like that after I talk to you tonight.’  “For those of you who don’t know the Christian Action League of North Carolina is a Christian public policy organization that has been in existence in this state since the 1930’s and today represents conservative evangelicals from seventeen denominations in the Tar Heel State.  We are in the NC General Assembly with a full time presence promoting legislation that is consistent with Christian World views.   We advocate for those measures that strengthen the family and we oppose any legislation or public policy initiatives that would erode the family structure.  If you consider yourself a conservative evangelical Christian then I am your lobbyist.  I am there in the NC General Assembly whenever they are in session whether the long session or the short session or special sessions that they call.  I am there representing your Christian values in that political process.  The Christian Action League is on the front line combating the gambling industry and all of their highly paid lobbyists and their efforts to bring more legalized gambling to this state.  We discourage the promotion of alcohol beverages and other drugs, pornography, sexual immorality, and all the other evils that undermine our culture.  We also provide educational material as well as help communities like yours to form coalitions to battle such influences.  I want to take the opportunity to invite you tonight to personally become a part of our efforts.  One of the ways you can do this is simply by allowing us to put you on our email list.  If you have a personal computer our email will send to you every week a report about the latest and most significant culture war events and how they specifically relate to the state of NC.  Many times what we will do is suggest some action that you can take to make a positive impact for righteousness sake upon our legislators or some other situation.   Further more, I would like to encourage you to visit our web site that you can find at www.christianactionleague.org or christianactionleague.net.  If you go to either address you will get to our web site which will keep you updated on state wide concerns.” BOB asked could we sign up to be included on their email list.  Dr. Creech said yes, some of the handouts he has for us here tonight include a signup list.  He had neglected to put that one out that gives the option of signing up for that email service as well as getting on their email list but did so as he spoke.  He would very much like to get everyone here signed up tonight before you leave.  “You will forgive me if I boast a bit, but I am convinced that there is nobody in NC who is covering the social concerns better than we are.  I think that anytime you get our report you will find it to be a very thorough report.  We want you to be thoroughly informed.  Whether you have a personal computer or not we would also like to start sending other critical mailings to you via snail mail, so please give us your mailing address as well.  I would love to tell you more about this ministry, but I have so many things I want to talk about like what we have been doing in this year’s session of the NC General Assembly and then focusing my remarks for the remainder of our time together about what I believe to be the most important public policy matter before this state and that is the approval of a Constitutional Amendment that will protect marriage as one man and one woman.  The Christian Action League had high hopes heading into this last legislative session and we were not disappointed.  With the General Assembly under new leadership now and an aggressive agenda on the table, the League had innumerable opportunities to advocate for family values and help law makers understand proposed legislation from a Christian World view.  The passage of several vital pro-life measures, getting the marriage protection amendment on the ballot and stemming the tide of dangerous alcohol consumption rates, predatory gambling in the Tar Heel state made this one of the best years the Christian Action League has ever had.  The Woman’s Right to Know bill which ensures that women seeking an abortion gets an opportunity to view an ultrasound, to have a twenty-four hour waiting period to carefully weigh all of their options.  The passage of that legislation is expected to save hundreds, possibly as many as 3,000 or more unborn lives in this state every year.  Abortion forces feverously fought this measure as law makers voted to approve it.  And then voted again to override the governor’s veto.  Passage of that legislation in this state under those circumstances was no small matter.” (Applause).   FRED DECKER asked ‘wasn’t Pat McElraft one of those who introduced that bill.  Dr. Creech said she was and she did an excellent job arguing on the House Floor favoring that legislation.  “You can be proud of her, I can tell you.  One of the sad things that happened was a judge in court blocked the ultrasound provision of the bill which has been misrepresented.  Actually that provision in the bill simply requires that a women be availed of an opportunity, to see her unborn child and hear its heart beat.  But she is not forced to look at anything, not forced to listen to anything.  It only requires that that abortionist avail her of that opportunity.  The judge knocked that provision of the legislation down but it is in appeal and we are quite confident that in time the courts will re-establish that provision in the appeals process.”  BOB asked why did he think the judge ruled the way he did.  Dr. Creech said the judge had said he thought it was too invasive.  (A lot of ‘do what’s -taking a picture is invasive?)  Dr Creech said  “Yes, how is it invasive to simply avail someone an opportunity.  It would be an invasive matter if you were forcing her to look at it and if you were forcing her to hear it, but simply to avail her of the opportunity if she should choose to take it is another matter altogether.  So I don’t understand that ruling except to say we think that in time the appeals process will restore it.  This session of the Legislation also approved Ethan’s Law; that is legislation that establishes when a pregnant woman is murdered or injured seriously/maliciously/purposely enough to lose her baby; there are two victims and not just one.  That bill was modeled after the Federal Unborn Victim of Violence Act and I am happy to say that bill passed.  Further, a bill that would authorize the production of a choose life specialty license plate, which would benefit pregnancy life centers, was also passed.  That bill, too, unfortunately, is currently tied up in the courts.  A court case brought by our friends of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  I speak facetiously.  But once again we feel confident it too will prevail in the appeals process.  A banning of so called Spice Drugs (have any of you seen those in stores – that is synthetic marijuana – sold as incense – but smoked by users.)  Methroyl (?) sold as bath salts, but also used for a quick and d
angerous high – we wanted  approval from law makers for that to be banned.  That took effect in June of this year.  We also helped secure the passage of legislation that tightens controls on medications containing pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient used in the production of methamyphetamines for the meth industry.  The Christian Action League also successfully battled bills for legalized video sweepstakes, full fledged charity casino nights in hotels, as well as the push for Las Vegas- style gambling at Harrah’s Casino in Cherokee.  As for the issue of expanded gaming at Harrah’s Casino in “Cherokee, the Governor’s office and the Eastern Band of Cherokees reached an agreement that throws the door wide open for dealers and virtually any and all table games, allowing class three Las Vegas style gambling, something always previously been frowned upon in this state.  Those new games which will be allowed are also tied to another failed government policy like the lottery extending 8% of the profits to school districts.  I hate that mess.  That means that the carrot of gambling is going to now be attached to government – it is always going to be dangling before law makers, tempting them to loosen further the restrictions on gambling in the state with the hope of eventually garnering more revenue for the state.  Already the Christian Action League is urging folks to contact their law makers and ask them to oppose any expanded gambling on the Cherokee Reservation.  The governor has made this compact but the Legislature will have to seal the deal by voting for it if it is to become effective.  Finally after nearly a decade of unsuccessful attempts to get a marriage protection measure heard before an NC Legislature; law makers not only heard the proposed initiative in committee but they also passed it allowing Tar Heel voters to decide whether to amend the state’s Constitution to affirm the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.  The Christian Action League was in the very vanguard of garnering the 3/5th majority for the vote.  Now, until and unless voters approve this Constitutional Amendment which will be a ballot measure in May during the primaries, North Carolina, the only state in the southeast without such protection for traditional marriage, will remain a target for the legalization of same sex marriage.  You know some years ago I had just finished a sermon on the pleasures of married life and on the way out of the church that morning I overheard one man say, to the chagrin of his wife, I wish I knew as little about the subject of marriage as that preacher seems to know.  Well, I would argue that I know more than he contested that I do.  Listen carefully folks, I believe that I am discussing with you the most important subject perhaps, one of the most defining subjects, of our time.  The union between one man and one woman, marriage, is timeless, universal, and special.  Throughout history diverse cultures and faiths have upheld marriage as the ideal.  Marriage is the fundamental building block of all human civilization including our own state.  The life giving foundation of marriage is the very thing that creates and sustains our civilization.  Marriage benefits society, especially children, in ways that no other relationship possibly can.  The life long faithful union of a husband and wife promotes healthy natural families for the common good today and for future generations.  Sixty-three million Americans, thirty states, have voted on the definition of marriage.  Nearly two thirds of the electorate have affirmed and preserved marriage as a union between a husband and a wife.  And as we approach the Constitutional Referendum of the definition of marriage in our state, we can see that the public here largely agrees that marriage should remain as one man and one woman.  According to public policy polling, which is not known for espousing conservative principles, votes in a poll last October showed that 61% of likely primary voters in NC support a marriage protection amendment and only 34% are opposed.  The marriage protection amendment is also supported by a margin of 63% to 30% of voters who say that they think same sex marriage is something that ought to be illegal.  According to a Civitas poll, also provided in October of this year 61% of likely voters support and only 31% opposes the marriage protection amendment.  Protecting marriage is society’s time tested way to bless as many children as possible with both a mother and a father.  You know, people often argue that the opposition to same sex marriage is much like our culture’s opposition to inter-racial marriage was many years ago.  But that comparison, I would suggest to you, is untenable, because race is irrelevant to marriage while gender is essential to it.  Moms and Dads are both necessary.  Neither is replaceable by a generic adult.  Many men make good dads but no man, would you agree, would make a good Mom.  Many women can make good moms, but no woman could ever make a good dad.  Marriage sustains the great truth that children need both a mother and a father.   It discourages the establishment of good homes that purposely exclude one or the other.  But you say, Rev Creech, is there really a genuine threat for the potential of same sex marriage in the Tar Heel state?  The answer to that question is that same sex marriage is now legal in six states; Conn., Iowa, Mass., NH, NY, Vermont, as well as the District of Colombia.  Same sex couples that reside in our state could marry in anyone of the above states and then file suit in a NC court to have their same sex marriage recognized in this state.  But by placing an amendment in our state Constitution, it will protect marriage from being re-defined by a judge or by future Legislatures that might seek to legalize the union of same sex couples.  Should same sex marriage be legalized in this state the short and the long term effects would be devastating.  Allow me, if you will tonight, to list for you some of those consequences as mentioned in the testimony prepared for the NC House of Representatives in favor of the marriage protection amendment by Peter Sprig of the Family Research Council.  First some of the immediate effects would include:  Tax Payers, Consumers, and Businesses would arguably be forced to subsidize homosexual relationships.  Currently some employers already offer domestic partner benefits to same sex couples as a matter of choice.  But as homosexual couples are granted the full legal status of civil marriage then employers who do not want to grant spousal benefits to homosexual partners whether out of principle or simply because of a prudent economic judgment would be coerced by court orders to do so.  They would have to, because they would be considered discriminatory if they did not.  You as a tax payer, consumer, or a small business owner, would arguably be forced to bear the expense of subsidizing homosexual relationships, including their higher health care costs.  Second: Schools would teach that homosexual relationships are equal to or identical to heterosexual relationships.  Just months after same sexes were legal to marry in Mass. In 2004, National Public Radio interviewed D. Allen,(?) a lesbian, who teaches eighth grade sex education.  Allen now says she can boldly teach the gay curriculum.  According to NPR her lessons include descriptions of homosexual relations, thoroughly and explicitly with a chart.  Allen declared if somebody wants to challenge me, I’ll say ‘Give me a break, it’s legal now!’  Third:  Freedom of conscience and religious liberty would be threatened.  Religious liberty applies not only to formal houses of worship but to parent church ministries, religious educational and social service organizations and individual believers trying to do their work and live their lives in accordance with their faith.  For example: Charities in Boston who stayed true to principle and refused to place children for adoption with same sex couples, were told by the state of Mass that they could no longer do
adoptions at all.  When a faith based  organization  refused to rent for a same sex union ceremony, they were stripped of their tax exemption.  Religious positions, psycologists, marriage counselors, etc, could be denied licenses if they treated opposite sex couples different from same sex couples.  Religious educational institutions would be at risk.  A Jewish school in New York City was forced to allow same sex domestic partners to live in married student housing.  These are some of the more immediate effects that occur when same sex marriage is legalized.  How about some of the long term effects?  First:  Fewer children would be raised by a married mother and father.  Legalization of homosexual marriage would mean, for the first time in history, society would be placing its highest stamp of official government approval on the deliberate creation of permanently motherless or fatherless households for children.  It should be limited to a mother and a father who are committed to one another in marriage.  Children raised by their married mother and father, the evidence demonstrably shows the experience of lower rates of numerous social problems.  A closely related harm is that more children would grow up fatherless.   Most children that only live with only one biological parent will live with their mothers.  This is true both of single parent households, and of homosexual households of couples raising children.  Same sex marriage would thus result in an increase in the number of children who suffer the specific negative consequences of fatherlessness.   For example, researchers show that boys without fathers suffer higher risks of incarceration while girls without fathers are at elevated risks for early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy.  Or as one scholar summed it up ‘Fatherlessness results in more boys with guns and more girls with babies.’  Some lesbians are deliberately creating fatherless children through artificial reproductive technology.  In a recent study of children conceived through artificial methods, it was found that they are more likely to struggle with delinquency, substance abuse and depression.  And then finally, birth rates will fall.  The most fundamental task of any culture is to reproduce itself.  And that is why virtually every human society until the present day, has given the privileged social status, that is called marriage, to male/female sexual relationships.  The only type capable of resulting in natural procreation.  Extending marriage to homosexual couples would eliminate any incentive to form life long potentially pro-created relationships.  The long term result would be that fewer such life long relationships would be formed.  Fewer such couples would choose to pro-create and fewer babies in the long term would be born.  There is already evidence, my friends, of at least a correlation between low birth rates and the legalization of same sex marriage.  Four of the five states that permit same sex marriage rank within the bottom eight of all fifty states in both birth rate and fertility rate.  We are now being warned that declining birth rates lead to an aging population with negative results such as threats to solvency of Social Security, Medicare, and other such important programs to the nation.  These are just a few of the many concerns that we can raise and I wish I had time to expound upon more.  Indulge me to mention just one more, one that has to do with the short term nature.  The vast majority of homosexual relationships and how that would impact marriage as an institution.  Homosexual partners are less likely to remain committed for a life time.  Laurence Kirk, a homosexual psychologist, a gay psychologist, has declared that after extensive research, and I quote, ’it is safe to conclude that gay and lesbian couples dissolve their relationships more frequently than heterosexual couples, especially heterosexual couples with children.’  A study of same sex couples in Mass found that after only a year, only one year or less, of marriage, more than a third of the male couples and nearly half of the female couples had seriously discussed ending their relationships.  A study in Sweden found that the divorce risk in partners of men is 50% higher than in heterosexual marriages and the divorce risk in partnerships of women is double that of men, thus making lesbian divorces almost three times as likely as heterosexual ones.  Now what do these factors mean?  Well the so called conservative argument for homosexual marriage suggests to us that granting marriage to homosexual couples would somehow make their relationships change to resemble heterosexual.  But jurisdictions that have recognized these relationships, that even the open declarations of many that say they are in, they can see just the opposite is what would occur.  If homosexual relationships are held up to society as a fully equal part of the social ideal that is called marriage then the value of commitment, sexual fidelity, and permanence in relationships will further erode, even among heterosexuals.   The long term result would be basically a threat to our society.  Fewer people would marry, fewer people would remain monogamous and sexually faithful to their partners, and fewer people would remain married for a lifetime.  Friends, this is not just the ravings of a Baptist preacher; it is the result of the research that has been done.  Make same sex marriage legal and over a matter of time the entire institution of marriage will largely become irrelevant.  Finally allow me to address one argument that is made against the marriage protection amendment that I think will be of great interest to the members of the TEA Party who I think are more often concerned with fiscal issues facing our state and our nation.  By the way, I would relish the opportunity to come and talk to you again about other issues, not just the marriage protection amendment.   The argument is sometimes made that the marriage protection amendment will somehow be bad for our state’s economy.  Well the truth of the matter is there is no study economic or otherwise that has ever shown that the protection of marriage has yielded negative economic consequences to even one state.  The fact that 30 states have already protected marriage in their Constitutions affirms that it does not hurt business.  The amendment will not prevent businesses that offer benefits to same sex couples from continuing to offer those benefits on a private level, including health insurance; because this amendment has no legal impact on private businesses in any way.  The amendment will not keep NC from attracting new businesses/corporations to the state.  North Carolina has consistently ranked as one of the top places in America to work, to do business and to live.  Our state marriage laws, which already limits marriage to one man and one woman, have not in anyway hampered those ratings in the least.  But are one of the very reasons that NC is currently ranked so high.  In fact, all of the top ten economically healthy states, identified in a report by the American Legislative Exchange Council in 2011 have laws affirming that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.  Nine of them in their state Constitutions.  By contrast the ten bottom ranked states for economic health, all undermine marriage in their laws.  This is no accident.  I hope that what I am about to say is emblazoned on your memory…Strong marriage laws lead to strong economies because marriage produces future workers, who are balanced, stable, healthy and good citizens.  According to Forbes magazine, eight of ten states ranked by that magazine as the best states for business have a Constitutional marriage amendment.  According to CNBC four out of the top five states for business rankings in 2011 have marriage protection amendments.  The National Chamber Foundation says that nine out of the ten top growth performers for 2011 recognized marriage as the union of one man and one woman, seven of them by a constitutional amendment; so this idea that protecting m
arriage of one man and one woman is somehow going to be bad for business is absolutely ludicrous.  You all know something, I’m convinced, and may I say this as an admonishment to my TEA Party friends, so many of your values of which I embrace and am with you on, I am convinced that we must, in this country, stop ignoring the elephant that is in the room.  We can have the best economic plans that could possibly be made but with the family in disarray, when the family structure is in serious decline, the strongest hope that we have for a good economy is lost accordingly.  Strong economies are built and sustained by strong families who produce strong citizens who contribute.  It is not all about the economy.
In the Huffington Post, published this fall, I quote, ‘marriage is quite literally the life blood of the economy.’  Citing a report from the National Marriage Project from the University of Virginia and its findings seven sectors of the economy experience tenable growth when people get married and have children and consequently suffer when marriage and fertility rates flounder.  The Brookings Institute, in a research study that it released in August, showed that, quote, ‘Women and Men who get and stay married are more likely to accrue substantial financial assets and enjoy good physical and mental health.  In fact married men enjoy a wage premium, compared to their single peers, that may exceed them by 10%.  I think that is significant.  The economic benefits of a strong marriage carry on to the next generation.  A skilled and educated work force flows most efficiently from the two parent state of family.  These families, as I have mentioned, raise good and responsible citizens who in turn drive our nation’s future productivity.  This is why any economic program must include policies that encourage and do not hinder family formation and marriage.  That is why I hope that many of you here who are so concerned about this issue, just as I am, join the Christian Action League as well as other groups, to campaign to protect marriage by helping us to educate the electorate on this issue and get out the vote between now and the May primary.  We are going to need your generous donations.  We are going to need for you to be a ‘ready, set, go’ volunteer as the campaign begins to ramp up.  I hope that you will take our information, get on our email list, and be prepared to be a part of this very critical campaign as it develops.  We are going to need your help and this is a battle, I suggest to you, that we can not afford to lose.  Thank you.”
BOB asked where their funding came from.  Rev. Creech said 85% of their funding comes from churches across NC who have written them into their annual budgets and supports them in that manner.  The other 15% comes from individual donations.  We have always had struggles for raising funds for our organization and I will tell you why…it is not because people do not believe in what we believe but because our lobbying activity in the NC General Assembly is considered too heavy under the IRS code to fall under a 501C3 Non-profit status.  We fall under the 501C4 Non-profit status.  We have greater leverage than a 501C3 would have.  We can be more involved in the political process than they can.  Our lobbying activities are unlimited and we can either support or oppose a candidate for election as long as such action is not a  substantial part of its ministry.  But what makes that difficult, the down side of all that is there have been occasions, few as they may be, where I may talk to a wonderful group like yours and someone comes up to me and says we really believe in what you are doing and my wife and I want to give you a $10,000 check right now.  But I have to be transparent to that donor and say we appreciate it so much, and you cannot realize how much we need that gift, but you must know that your gift will not be tax exempt.  Because of that we lose some of the larger donations that would normally be given to us.  I don’t know how to say it without boasting, but I want you folks to know that we are in the very vanguard of these social issues that are so critical to our time.  We are very strategic to the moral climate of this state.  And for those of you who hold dear to your heart Judeo Christian values.  We are your witness in the Legislative process bringing those principles to bear upon what law makers will do .  I know your law maker representative Pat McElraft.  I know everyone of them personally.  I have been with all of them in the House and in the Senate.  Many of them refer to me as their pastor.  I have a good relationship with them, whether they are Democrat or Republican.  I have good relationship on both sides of the aisle, because our focus is not on Democrat or Republican, but what we believe are biblical values, truly Christian values, and we try to keep that moral focus in front of us as they deliberate the legislative process.  I can’t tell you because I do not have the time how many bad bills we have stopped.  And I can’t tell you without sounding like bragging (and we really are bragging) how many good bills we have helped get passed.”  Someone in the group asked it there were any one person we could contact that would help you, who would that be?  Rev. Creech said ‘go back to your pastor and get your pastor to get your church engaged.  I believe it will be the churches that will pass this amendment.  And certainly we do want the TEA Party’s support.  We really do.  I would like to talk to you another time about what the Bible says about the role of Government.  You’d be surprised at how much what you believe in is supported by the Holy Scripture.  Because the values that you have embraced are not simply Republican, Democrat or even TEA Party values.  They are eternal values.  They come straight from the mouth of GOD.
BOB said we are in the process of planning an event in the spring.  We are not sure if it will be a rally, a fund raiser or both, but we normally get a pretty good size crowd.  Would you like to come and speak at that.  Rev. Creech said he appreciated the offer and would love to speak.  He thanked us again and said he was so honored to be invited.

Meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm so those interested could attend the Wind Power Workshop at Joslyn Hall at 7:00.
Minutes submitted by PEGGY GARNER, Secretary.