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Once we all had registered, we quickly convened in the large meeting room where
we were joined by the other leaders who were unable to make the train trip with
us: Judith Whitmore, We the People; Paul Venable, Libertarian Party Chair,
Idaho; Tom Cryer, Truth Attack; Daneen Peterson, Stop the NAU; Steven Vincent,
End the Fed; George Shepard, Republic Magazine; Jon Roland, Constitution.org;
Mark Lerner, Constitutional Alliance; Amanda Moore, Liberty Belle Consulting;
Ernest Guy Cunningham, Oathkeepers; Robert Crooks, Minuteman; Robert Gray, The
American Open Currency Standard; and Clyde Cleveland, Common Sense Revisited.
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Thursday and Friday were an inspiring mix of powerful statements by Bob Schulz,
welcoming us to the event and outlining his vision for the 2009 Continental
Congress; G. Edward Griffin, ("Freedom Force International") who gave historical
commentary about the original train ride to Jekyll Island and described the
mission of Freedom Force as a means to restoring government accountability to
the people; followed by each of the other organizational leaders who spoke on
how they have been working to right the wrongs of specific governmental
violations of the Constitution. Karen and I, of course, spoke about the
violation of our basic right to vote by the use of machines that secretly count
our votes and how VoteRescue and the Coalition for Visible Ballots have been
fighting for years to re-instate hand-counted paper ballots (with enhanced
security measures) instead. We also publicly offered our expertise to plan the
elections of the delegates to the Continental Congress 2009.
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Lunch on our first day was served in the "Federal Reserve" room at the Hotel,
the actual room where the founders of the rogue central banking system gathered
to "hatch their plan" in 1910. We found it ironic that their photographs were
on the wall there, displayed in a manner that lent a heroic air to these
individuals who plotted the financial servitude of the American people for
generations.
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After the wonderful meal, Bob gave a statement about the historical significance
of this gathering, and presented a scroll to the group which stated a
reaffirmation of support to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution,
and the Bill of Rights. In a ceremonious manner, each of the organizational
leaders was invited to the front of the room to attest our commitment to those
principles by signing our names to the scroll. We were then each given a
miniature copy.
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Both meeting days were interspersed with historical reenactments of founding
fathers' (and mothers') dialogues comprising key moments in our country's
history. Judith Whitmore graced the gathering with her beautiful voice. Actors
dressed in 1770s costumes portrayed at various times John Adams, Ben Franklin,
Thomas Jefferson, and others. We even got to hear Patrick Henry deliver his
awe-inspiring speech that ended with those famous words: "Give me liberty... or
give me death!"
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The final business of the meeting was to plan the 2009 Continental Congress,
and committees were formed to finalize the venue, plan the PR and media,
fundraise the expenses for the delegates to the Congress, and to create a
synergistic wave of support and commitment to the upcoming event.
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The two-day meeting seemed to only last moments, and before we knew it, Friday
afternoon had arrived and we were sadly saying goodbye to our new and old
friends as they boarded the bus to the Amtrak station; most were returning to
New Jersey by train. (Karen and I had chosen to fly home out of Jacksonville,
which was a 90 minute drive from the resort.) Though we didn't miss the tiny
sleeping compartment, we missed the camaraderie of this wonderful, inspiring
group of people.
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On the plane home the next morning, after a restful night's sleep, we excitedly
brainstormed the outline of the nationwide hand-counted paper ballot election of
the delegates to the Continental Congress 2009! Soon we will be announcing the
details of this historic, citizen-controlled and citizen-observed election that
will occur at a voting center near you on October 10th, 2009!
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SO STAY TUNED!
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Vickie and Karen
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