CRYSTAL COAST TEA PARTY PATRIOTS
MEETING MINUES OF
10 JULY 2012

Word got around late Sunday afternoon (after 4:00pm) that the Golden Corral was closing its doors that very day.  The T.E.A. Party officers and some of the members spent a good part of Monday trying to find a suitable area to hold our meetings.  Ruth asked the Cox’s of Cox’s Restaurant about using their business again (This was the original meeting location for the T.E.A Party – formerly called the Morehead City TEA Party).  We had a problem with taking up too much of their parking lot and costing them customers, so we had moved across the street to the Golden Corral.  Mr. & Mrs. Cox told us they would be more than glad to have us back, but we still have a problem with the parking; however, they thought if we did not mind walking a little ways, then we could park on the side street (next to the business next door – formerly a pet store).  Several other restaurants were tentatively investigated or discussed, but the board decided to go with Cox’s again, until we could have more time to really investigate other areas.

Meeting held at Cox’s Restaurant, Morehead City, NC
Meeting called to order at 6:05pm by Chairman BOB CAVANAUGH
Pledge of Allegiance was led by Wes King, of Americans for Prosperity (AFP)
Invocation by JERE GUERIN
Attendance – 25

BOB recognized KEN LANG to read a ‘beautiful’ poem “I am Your Flag” that he had gotten from his pastor last Sunday.
I was born on June 14, 1777
I am more than just cloth shaped into a design.
I am the refuge of the world’s oppressed people
I am the silent sentinel of freedom.
I am the inspiration for which American patriots gave their lives and fortunes
I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to the bloody jungles of Viet Nam
A word of silence with each of your honored dead to their resting place beneath the             silent white Crosses row upon row
I have flown through peace and war, strife and prosperity, and amidst it all
I have been respected.
My red stripe symbolizes the blood spilled in the defense of this glorious nation
My white stripe signifies the burning tears shed by Americans who have lost their sons.
My blue field is indicative of GOD’s heaven under which I fly
My stars are clustered together, unified 50 states as one for GOD and country.
Old glory is my nickname and proudly I wave on high
Honor me, respect me, defend me with your lives and your fortunes
Never let my enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return.
Keep alight the fires of patriotism
Strive earnestly with the spirit of democracy
Worship eternal GOD and keep His commandments
And I shall remain the bulwark of peace and freedom for all mankind.
Author unknown.

BOB introduced Wes King, who is a field coordinator with American’s for Prosperity.  He said “As of two weeks ago, I cover Carteret County all the way down to Brunswick County.  I have one of the bigger regions in North Carolina and I am excited to have it.  I think that it is important for eastern North Carolina to improve ourselves.  There is a reason that people started paying more attention to our area.   We have to continue to show people why they are paying attention.  I guess it is one of the more important things that we can talk about tonight.  A few weeks ago MSNBC posted an article that said that Americans are sleeping until September.  The same exact day, President Obama rolled out his Amnesty Program and apparently either ignored or decided to just take advantage of ‘we are all supposed to be sleeping’.  Two weeks later, we all had another rude awakening between the Arizona Ruling, followed by the Healthcare Ruling, followed by the Eric Holder ordeal followed by the ramping up the Eric Holder fiasco.  I have to ask you, with all these things going on, do you really feel like you are asleep?  Do you feel like you are starting to doze off?  I hope not.  We have to continue and we saw this very specifically with the Healthcare Ruling.  We have to continue to advocate for our values.  Advocate for our issues.  It doesn’t matter who we are holding accountable.  You can go after the Republicans or you can go after the Democrats.  It doesn’t matter because frankly….Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprises, said it doesn’t matter who you put into power, eventually they are all going to try to spend your money.  That is completely true and it is important for us to keep them accountable.  What I am doing in all these areas, I am doing what I can to set up call bases, to set up canvassing opportunities, to set up a base where we can go out and try to reach unaffiliated or unidentified voters.  You will have both sides, both Republican and Democrats.  The Victory Office just opened in Wilmington.  They are about to open one in Brunswick, I’m not sure if one is coming here to Carteret…there probably is.  If not already opened, it will be soon.  All of these different entities are trying to reach out to their base…to try to make something happen to their base, which is their party.  With 13 million conservatives not voting in 2008.…that is not good enough.  What we are doing is setting up these bases and reaching out to these unaffiliated and unidentified voters and trying to approach them on all these issues.  We have issue scripts.  I just got back from Wisconsin (a month or so ago).  The script that we were using there said, ’Hi, my name is Wes, I am working here with Americans for Prosperity in Wisconsin and I just have a short message….Gov. Walker’s reforms….did you know that Gov. Walker’s reforms created a one billion tax earn plus, turned around a 27 billion dollar tax deficit and created more than 38 thousand jobs.  So with that in mind, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?  That is where we are now.  That is the beginning of ’November is coming’.  November came to Wisconsin.  It is still in Wisconsin with a group of people that have been campaigning since April 2009.  This is when Gov. Walker made his announcement and they went straight through his election.  They continued on through every recall ever since.  They have another election in November as well.  And they are not tired.  They are not laying down and these people are working hard.  We’ve come to bring that to eastern North Carolina.  What we are going to be doing….I have a signup sheet over here on this table.  This signup sheet will put you in my data base.  You may be on AFP’s regular data base….this is a ’get active’ data base.  This is a ’make a change’ data base.  A change that we CAN believe in.  Starting next Wednesday, we are going to start having phone banks here in Carteret County.  I haven’t found a location…haven’t had the time yet…but I will get that information to Ken as soon as I can and get that out to you.  If you give me your name, email address, phone number or whatever you want to give me, I will be able to get that to you directly as well.  If you have time.  If you want to try to make a change.  If you want to affect those independents and unaffiliated voters, those that all of us know, especially those of you who are independent voters in the room, all of you know that those are the people that decide what direction an election goes.  So let’s reach them.  Because if we continue to lay our heads on our pillows and allow the momentum that came out of Wisconsin, that rolled over into North Dakota, that is continuing to make it’s movement throughout the states.  If we continue to allow that to fall flat on North Carolina we are going to have a very difficult time.  So I encourage you to get involved, do something, whether it is this or that, get involved – do something.  You guys are motivated people.  I have already seen that.  I have made a comment already that there are some very motivated people here that are already doing things…that are already excited.  When Dallas Woodhouse was here a few weeks ago, he said you could just tell when you walked in that people were excited and ready to do something in this area.  So what I want to do is give you a chance to do that….another opportunity…..If you are interested, please just put your name and information on the sheet.  Come and talk to me.  I want to talk to you.  I want to learn everything I can about this area.  I am not that familiar with Carteret yet, and I want to learn all I can.  Thank you very much for your time, and please come and talk to me.  Applause.

BOB asked ’what happened to the AFP group down in Onslow…are they going to re-form….I have heard they are trying to’?  Wes said, ’they are trying to.  We are working on charter re-forms.  I actually want to speak with the Carteret County groups, specifically about that…I believe that Carteret County has a vested interest in Onslow, just like Onslow has a vested interest in Carteret.  You have to deal with issues that no one else in the state deals with, so it is important to approach and deal with those issues together and as a force.  That organization was 150 strong every month and now they are down to 5.  That is a problem.  It is a matter of continuing to find the opportunity to motivate these people, find the leaders that want to step up and make a change.  I think we may have found some of those in Onslow County and frankly a lot of the contact information that we had for a bunch of individuals in Onslow County, we do not have that anymore.  What we are doing in Onslow is really a re-boot.  We are bringing it back to…it has already returned back to very base level…and we have got to get it back up again….so, whenever we start putting things back in order there, we are going to reach out to Carteret.   (BOB and FRED mentioned several names they knew had been involved previously.)

WAYNE WILLIS wanted to know if Wes knew of any organization in the state of North Carolina that is trying to do anything about the mechanics of people that are not eligible to vote…the graveyards, and the illegal aliens and the people that have registered 4 or 5 times.  Is there any kind of organization that is trying to do something about this problem in NC.  BOB said we have the NCVIP groups (North Carolina Voter Identification Program).  KEN said Voter Integrity Problem.  It is posted on our Face Book and also on the Republican Face Book.  They found 500 folks in Wake County (in Rowan) that are on the voter rolls that shouldn’t be.  In that project, they have advertised they need help.  He told Wayne he would send him an email that would provide him the necessary information.  Help is also needed in other counties and they are looking for assistance.  WAYNE said what is bad about that is Holder is going to stop anything being done, just like they did in Florida (TOM HARMON said in Texas).

LYN BAKER said she was a poll worker and they took one night to just study all these issues and one of the regulations about a death is…you don’t get off the polls until a relative calls and claims your death.  They can get the information from the Clerk of Court just like anyone else.  What happens now, and she had two of them come up, if someone had registered motor voter, they have to show ID.  There are some people who have to show ID, if they have not shown ID anywhere else.  The same thing comes up; they can’t vote until you see an ID.  TOM said they refused to look at his wife’s ID.  Another member who said she also worked at the polls and they were told they could not ask for ID.  Where did it come up that they were a motor voter?  LYN said it will come up and say ‘must show ID’ because they could have mailed in without any identification.  They could have registered at some event like one of our rallies and didn’t show the election board anything.  They may have not wanted to put their Social Security number on the paperwork, so whenever one of those shows up, it is flagged.  The other member said to her knowledge one of these never showed up where she worked.  LYN asked her if she was a clerk or a judge.  The lady said judge.  LYN said maybe that is why it did not show up on her paperwork, that she (LYN) had been to several courses, served as judge, so maybe had a little more information than most.  The lady asked if that had come up at her (LYN’s) polls and LYN said yes.  They had one….actually no….someone came in and asked her  ‘has anybody told you that so and so was dead?’  And she brought it up and it had that yellow line through it so if anybody came in…(several joined the discussion and unable to determine what else was being said).

BOB welcomed the new attendees tonight.

BOB said ‘I guess you all know the Golden Corral is closed’ (Really!!!) and we have to make a decision as to where we are going to meet.’  Understand the Golden Corral is supposed to open again sometime in September.  They are going to refurbish that building and have a new menu, etc.  The only two areas he has heard discussed are J’anni’s, the Italian Restaurant across the street.  Where the Bountiful Bagel used to be, right across from Taco Bell.  Eric checked out Tsunami’s Mongolian Grill down in the Belk’s/Sears Plaza.  Plenty of parking.  Whenever he has gone there, it is totally full and it is understood that some of the organizations that have been meeting at the Golden Corral are now meeting there.  His concern with J-anni’s is their menu is a little expensive (about double what we are paying for the specials here at Cox’s).  They do have ample parking around back at the rear entrance and you can walk right into the meeting room and you don’t have to walk through the rest of the restaurant.  They do not have any buffet style, but Steve said they would accommodate us (we can pick out a couple of items and he would set up a buffet for us).  Has anyone else thought of another restaurant we could consider.  He asked Ruth what the deal was here at Cox’s.  She said Gale (Cox) would love to have us.  It is just the parking.  It is a real problem here.  They have good food here and it is very reasonable (cheap).  She has such a turnover of tables here.  Ruth said she did not think Gale would mind us meeting here until October as long as we don’t tie up the parking lot.  There are plenty of spaces on the side street next to the business next door.  When we tie up the parking lot the girls over on that side don’t make any money because the business is mostly on this side and the girls working this room are the only ones that make any money.  Gale doesn’t mind about the elderly folks using the parking lot, (Mr. & Mrs. Garner eat here almost every Sunday).  (A lot of joking about being old vs. elderly.)   Howard wanted to know how the parking was on the side street.  Several said there was plenty and not that far to walk.  Eric said he did some research on Sunday when he found out about the closing.  He named several restaurants and gave reasons why some of them were out of consideration.  He had determined that the only two good options are Cox’s and Tsunami.  Parking as discussed earlier for Tsunami is no problem.  They have a buffet which is not unreasonable.  They have a good rating.  They have a very nice meeting room that is large enough to seat 60 to 70 persons.  Biggest problem is some people do not like that kind of cuisine.  Several said it was ok every now and then but not every week.  Eric said the other benefit with Tsunami is you are not required to eat there whereas here at Cox’s you are.  When questioned, he said if everyone that came to the meeting did not eat at Tsunami’s there would be a problem, but if only a few showed up and did not buy a meal, it would be ok.  KEN LANG said as we had discussed earlier, there were other organizations that met at the Golden Corral when we did and that he understands that they have moved to Tsunami.  We need to verify that the meeting room is available before we make a final decision on moving our meeting to that location.  We need to find out what is really available that we can lock down before a final decision.  There was a recommendation that we put off a final decision until next week so we can check all these problems out before we decide.  PEGGY reminded everyone that there will be no meeting next week.  It is the runoff election and most of us will be working at the polls.  Everyone look around and bring your recommendations and rationale in two weeks.  We will meet here again then and decide.  Someone asked about a place to meet in Beaufort, but the consensus was most of our membership was on this side of the bridge and we would prefer to meet in Morehead.
LYN said we had tried meeting in Beaufort, hoping to get more members from that side of the bridge involved, but to no avail.  Wayne said he thought he was the only one from the other side of North River bridge that came to the meetings.  HOWARD said he would suggest that we stick with Cox’s a few weeks and see how it pans out here, if we are creating problems with the parking.  If it doesn’t work out then we will have to do something else, but he liked meeting here at Cox’s.  They have been mighty nice to the TEA Party over a long period of time.  BOB said they have been supportive financially also over a long time.  When Ruth has gone around asking for donations for our rallies, etc, they have always come through for us with a big chunk of money.  TOM HARMON asked that ERIC check out Tsunami to make sure none of the other organizations have tied down the meeting room there or if it is still available and report back at our next meeting.  Most in attendance said they really liked it a Cox’s and hoped we could work out something on the parking.  Our next meeting will be on the 24th and we will reconvene here and decide what we plan to do about a meeting place.

HOWARD reported that the day of the Beaufort July 4th parade, while we were waiting to move out, David McFadyen’s mother came by and thanked the TEA Party group for their support for her son.  She was convinced that because of us he carried Carteret County by a wide majority and without us, he never would have been able to win his race.  She said she really appreciated all that we had done.  HOWARD said it was the first time he remembered having ‘Momma’ come by and thank us.

FRED asked that we get busy and call the people on those lists he had passed out.  We need to make sure they come out and vote.  It will be a shame for only a handful of people elect our Lt. Governor, NC Secretary of State,  Insurance Commissioner, and State Superintendent of Instruction.  These are very important positions and we need to make sure we get the right ones elected.  BOB wanted to know how we planned to get the voter recommendations out to the people manning the polls.  PEGGY said she had them with her tonight and requested that anyone who was working the polls to take what they thought they would need.  Ruth passed them out to the members in attendance.  BOB passed around a sheet for those working the polls to sign and which poll they planned to work.  He needed a phone number in case he needed to call us.
PEGGY said she had packaged the lists in stacks of 50.  All said that was perfect because many  of the precincts would probably not need anymore than that.  She said she had 45 packs of 50 and if on the day of election you found you did not have enough, (she would email you her and Howard’s cell phone numbers), and if need be she could run home and run some more.  BOB asked NANCY BOCK how many constitutions we had left and she said about 300.  JERE said he would go to Beaufort and help EULA.

NOTICE:  THERE WILL BE NOT MEETING NEXT WEEK, JULY 17TH, DUE TO IT BEING ELECTION DAY AND MANY OF OUR MEMBERS WILL BE WORKING THE POLLING SPOTS.  NEXT MEETING WILL BE JULY 24TH AT COX’S.

Meeting adjourned.
Minutes submitted by PEGGY GARNER, Secretary.