[Updated 4/16] Tea Parties will be held today in a number of cities across the State of Kansas. See the AFP web site for info about Topeka or Wichita Tea Parties, the Kansas City Tea Party site for the Overland Park event, or look here for a number of other parties to be held across the state. For other areas see this national site.
This page will be updated all day long — but mostly this evening — with links to various reports about these events.
Three of us Kansas bloggers hope to report on Kansas Tea Parties with articles from the various cites, along with photos, videos, and other information. The current plan is to roughly divide the state into four regions with reports to be found on these web sites:
- Wichita area Tea Parties. About 2000 attended in Wichita and 175 attended in El Dorado.
- Wichita tea party: citizens speak, Voice for Liberty, April 16.
- Kansas tea party coverage, Voice for Liberty, April 16.
- Wichita tax day tea party a success, Voice for Liberty, April 16.
- El Dorado, Kansas tax day tea party, Voice for Liberty, April 16.
- Wichita tea party on tax day, 2009. Video. Voice for Liberty, April 16.
- Wichita tax day tea party photos, Voice for Liberty, April 16.
- Topeka area and Southeast Kansas
- Topeka Tea Party: About 1500 attended.
- TEA Party Video: Stay Strong, The KRA Blog, Apr 16, 2009.
- 2009 Shawnee County Tea Party 4/15/09 on Picasa (47 pictures)
- Topeka TEA rally draws over one thousand
- Topeka Tea Party video clips by Ed Kearn
- Emporia Tea Party – Photo Essay, Kansas Meadowlark, April 16. (about 125 attended)
- Independence. About 100 attended this Tea Party. Does anyone have photos?
- Iola. About 250 attended.
- Lawrence. 0 attended. Many Kansans throw ‘TEA parties,’ but Lawrencians not among them, Lawrence Journal-World, Apr 15, 2009.
- Lyndon. Reported by WIBW.
- Manhattan. Video TEA Party, Manhattan, Kansas, 5:02, Red County, April 16, 2009.
- Madison Tea Party – Photo Essay, Kansas Meadowlark, April 16. (about 50 attended)
- Parsons. About 100 people attended this Tea Party. Does anyone have photos?
- PIttsburg. Pittsburg, KS Tax Tea Party.
- Video of Pottawatomie County Tea Party, Kansas Meadowlark, April 25.
- Pottawatomie County Tea Party, Kansas Meadowlark, April 15. (about 80 attended)
- Topeka Tea Party: About 1500 attended.
- Western Kansas Tea Parties reported on the Salina Journal blog.
- Dodge City Tea Party – Photo Essay (about 120 attended.)
- Goodland Tea Party – Photo Essay (about 75 attended)
- Junction City Tea Party – Photo Essay (about 135 attended)
- Lakin. About 60 attended.
- Salina March and Tea Party – Photo Essay (about 700 attended)
- Kansas City area Tea Parties, including Overland Park, KS and Kansas City, MO.
- Video of Overland Park Tea Party, 9:33, Kansas Meadowlark, April 26. One estimate of this crowd was 10,000.
- Overland Park Tea Party at Johnson County Community College, Kansas Meadowlark, April 16.
- 980 Live with Darla Jaye
- Olathe Kansas TEA Party, The Grumbling Old Fart, April 15, 2009. About 40-50 attended.
-
- Video of Kansas City (MO) Party, 3:17, Kansas Meadowlark, April 25. One estimate put the number at 5000.
- The Kansas City Tax Day Tea Party Rocked, The Kansas City Tax day Tea Party Rocked, Conservatism with Heart, April 16, 2009.
- Kansas City Tea Party Success, Campaign for Liberty, April 17, 2009.
- Kansas City (MO) Tea Party at Liberty Memorial, Kansas Meadowlark, April 16.
- Kansas City Tax Day Tea Party at Liberty Memorial, Nice Deb, April 15, 2009.
- Kansas City Tea Party April 15, 2009 Liberty Memorial, ParadigmProject, April 15, 2009.
- KCMO 710 Chris Stigall
Others reporting about KC area/Kansas Tea Parties include:
- Huge Tea Party day turnout in Kansas encourages supporters, Kansas Liberty, April 16, 2009.
- Kansas City Tea Party (6 – 8 PM, JoCo Community College, 12345 College, Overland Park, KS)
- Before My 1st Cup’a Joe … Tea
X
Previous Tea Parties:
- Leawood Tea Party, Kansas Meadowlark, March 14, 2009.
- Leawood Tea Party (more pictures!), Nice Deb, March 14, 2009.
- Topeka Tea Party in the Rain, Kansas Meadowlark, March 9, 2009.
- Olathe Tea Party, Nice Deb, March 7, 2009.
- 84-picture slide show from Katablog, March 7, 2009.
- Braving the Elements: Kansas City Tea Party, PajamasTV, March 7, 2009. Great video and interviews with participants.
- “Tea Party” Rally and March to Senator McCaskill’s Office in Kansas City, Kansas Meadowlark, Feb 28, 2009.
- Sign Photo Essay of Kansas City “Tea Party” and March, Kansas Meadowlark, Feb 28, 2009.
- Poster Child: “Thanks for Putting My Generation in DEBT!”, Kansas Meadowlark, Feb 23, 2009.
- 750 in Overland Park brave cold, wind to protest stimulus, pork (photo essay), Kansas Meadowlark, Feb 21, 2009.
Tags: Debt-Stimulus, Tea Party

More photos at http://blog.rantingsandravings.....ansas.html
I would like to preface this comment by stating I had NEVER before attended a political protest or political rally of any kind. That said…
I’m writing to tell you about my Tea Party experience this past Wednesday night in Topeka KS. The Kansas Chapter of American’s for Prosperity put on this Tea Party. To start, we had an estimated 1,500 people. (I thought it was more like 500-700.) The event started great, with tons of energy. They opened with 2 prayers, and then had a few supposed “average Joe’s”, mostly business owners and doctors, speak to the crowd. Then came the pain.
AFP allowed spokes persons, speaking for major federal and state republican elected officials, to get on the stage and tout how wonderful the senator or representative was. They spewed warm praises for these republican representatives and slammed democrats and democrat policies as a whole. Then in their best efforts to drive a stake through our hearts, they had Senator Sam Brownback as the keynote speaker.
Sam Brownback stood in front of the crowd, proclaiming how he hears the people loud and clear, and how he will, and has always fought for what the people want including curbing government spending. Senator Brownback may be saying this now, but he was one of the many republicans that were in power under former President Bill Clinton AND the beginning of the former President Bush’s administrations. He, along with many other republican senators and representatives during that time, voted for pork as often as they could, especially if they thought they could claim how they were bringing benefit to Kansans. The thing that really bothers me is Senator Brownback’s claim to do what his constituents want. If this were true, why, when 72%-80% of the country was against giving amnesty to illegal aliens, did Senator Sam Brownback vote YES to giving this amnesty? How can one claim that they vote based on the desire of their constituents when they do the exact opposite?
I want you to know that none of the speakers at the Topeka Tea Party said that the current and past government as a whole is the problem. None of them said that out of control government spending is the problem. None of them said “Look folks; if you really want fiscal responsibility and no money spent on pork, that means you get no pork for Kansas.” You simply can’t have it both ways!
Sadly AFP turned our simple message into one about Republicans vs. Democrats. Because of this, I honestly believe my time and efforts were wasted. By attending I participated in a campaign rally for more of the same stupid worthless republicans AND democrats. I’m a registered republican! I’m a conservative! I don’t care if it’s a democrat, I’ll vote for them if I honestly believe they will vote to put an end to ALL of the wasteful spending by the government. This goes for federal, state, county and local candidates. I want them ALL replaced, every last one. I believe they are all worthless.
I had one of these spokes people try to get me to sign up to support an elected official, who didn’t even represent my area of the state. Even after I informed this person that I didn’t live in the representative’s area, they still tried to get me to sign up. I’m assuming this would be so they could solicit a supposed moron, begging for contributions to their campaign. Then this person had the audacity to tell me that instead of just whining, I should get involved at a local level. I was told to participate in the political process in my hometown. I told them that I had been doing this up until the newest mayor threatened to have people jailed if they tried to speak in the city commission meeting, that is, unless they were first put on the agenda. In order to be put on the agenda they have to make the request to the commission, with their topic a whole 3 days before the commission posts it’s own agenda. This means that citizens can NOT speak on a topic the commission plans to vote on in a meeting if the topic isn’t known until the commission posts it’s agenda.
This is the type of representation I’m use to. Just try to speak on the floor of your state senate or house. Unless either a senator or representative invites you, you have absolutely zero chance to be heard. Also, unless your message is very positive, you will never get a letter published in the local paper(s) if you should write a letter to the editor. You can however, spend money and pay to have your opinion published. That leaves little to no chance for an average schmo like me, who has little money, to be heard.
I’m sick of the corrupt system and the corrupt people we have elected into these positions because we are provided with no options. I’m sick of the status quo. I’m sick of being forced to bend over and receive another dose of our government’s medicine. This medicine is supposed to fix all my ills. I want my equal opportunity back! I want the little money my wife and I make to have the value it really should. I want my chance at the American Dream, and I want to do it by myself! I don’t want a handout from my government and I also don’t want them to make it impossible for me to achieve that Dream by taxing and spending me to death. I want the government to follow the law and obey the constitution!
Why won’t they… the people in government who ALL say they care, and say they are doing the right thing… why won’t they listen? Why won’t they listen us, and then do the RIGHT thing? Do they really have so much contempt for me and other average Americans out there? I feel nearly helpless, but am willing to fight this horrible uphill battle. I’m willing to fight as long as it’s the right fight. I’m not willing to stand by while the liars and thieves in government continue to lie and steal. I’m not willing to stand by while they tell us how great they are and how bad the other party is. I’m sick of them ALL!
George Mattson