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Onalaska, WI (WXOW) -

More than 400 families participated in the 3rd Annual Mad Hatter Tea Party on Sunday at Valley View Mall in Onalaska.

The party adds a twist to classic Easter Bunny pictures.

Kids did crafts, coloredAlice in Wonderlandthemed pages, and took pictures with characters from the book.

Local titleholders in the Miss America Organization also took part in the tea party.

Laurie Cafe, marketing director at Valley View Mall, said the Mad Hatter Tea Party had a bigger turnout than ever this year.She said theAlice in Wonderlandtheme offers opportunities to grow.

"There's so many elements within that story line that let us unfold into a different theme every year that it's just so easy to build upon," said Cafe.

Cafe said the event is designed for the community to offer families a place to spend time together.

Valley View Mall holds similar events throughout the year, giving families a place to go no matter what the weather conditions.

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Mad Hatter Tea Party brings storybook to life - WXOW.com

Judge Neil Gorsuch

Senate Republicans voted to end the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees Thursday after Democrats refused to advance the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to a final vote, a move grassroots conservatives say had to happen out of respect for the Constitution.

Republicans cited the precedent of Democrats from November 2013, when then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led a rules change to kill the filibuster for lower-court judicial nominees and executive branch personnel requiring confirmation.

The move came after a 55-45 vote to end debate on Gorsuch, five votes short of the 60 votes needed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell then moved to consider the Gorsuch nomination under the rule change instituted by Democrats. His motion was denied, but McConnell then appealed the ruling of the chair, and the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees was killed in a party-line vote.

While Democrats call the move an attack on democracy, Tea Party Patriots founder Jenny Beth Martin told WND and Radio America its the Democrats who took an extreme position with their filibuster.

When it comes to Supreme Court nominees, never in the history of our entire country have we had a partisan filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee. It just hasnt been done. What the Democrats are doing right now is breaking the tradition and the practice that weve had in this country for over 200 years, said Martin, whose group has been aligned with the Judicial Crisis Network in pushing for the confirmation of Gorsuch.

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The Tea Party Patriots isbest known for advocating smaller government and lower taxes, but Martin said the Supreme Court fight is very much in her organizations interest.

We understand it is critically important that if we want to have constitutionally limited government, then we have to have a Supreme Court that upholds the law and judges laws based on the Constitution, Martin said.

Listen to the WND/Radio America interview withTea Party Patriots founder Jenny Beth Martin:

She is convinced the Democrats dont really have a case against Gorsuch but are still bitter over 2016.

They are just frustrated that its not their person, that they lost the election in November, that it is President Trump who won the election and, therefore, won the ability to nominate Judge Gorsuch, Martin said. They are doing all they can to resist what President Trump was elected to do.

What do YOU think? Sound off in todays WND poll on Senate confirmation of Gorsuch to Supreme Court.

Martin said the public is engaged on this issue and overwhelmingly in support of Gorsuch, but she said Democrats arent listening to all of their constituents.

Democrat senators are listening to their base. Theyre not listening to the whole of the American people, but they are listening to their base, Martin said. So they are doing what they think their base wants them to do.

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She believes the effort to filibuster Gorsuch will backfire on red-state Democrats like Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., in 2018.

She has said that this would be a very political maneuver if they filibustered Gorsuch. Thats what shes doing, and shes doing it out of pure politics, not out of whats best for the country, Martin said.

I know that it is a political job and they are going to look at things through the prism of politics, she said. Sometimes you need to do whats best for the country because you have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution.

And Martin is firmly convinced fidelity to the Constitution will be a hallmark of Gorsuchs time on the Supreme Court.

He looks at the law, and he respects the law as its written, she said. He doesnt intend to make law and create law out of whole cloth from the bench with his decisions, and he is going to look at the law through the prism of the Constitution.

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Tea party cheers GOP nuking of 'partisan' Gorsuch filibuster - WND.com

Fri, Apr 7, 2017 at 1:22 am CST

House budget night typically doesnt get fun until the liquor emerges and the ghost of legislatures past comes out from Sam Rayburns old inkwell, but a few things happened during the daylight part of the session that bear some mention.

First, state Representative Abel Herreros successful bid, early in the day, to bar the use of state funds for private school tuition, which passed 103 to 44. The practical meaning of the amendment is negligible, but it sends the strongest message so far this session that Lieutenant Governor Dan Patricks school choice initiatives are dead. Importantly Republicans care about this stuff more members of the House GOP caucus voted for the amendment than voted against it, so no one can say this was simply the work of House Speaker Joe Straus and his Democratic cronies.

In the history of Herreros amendment, it is possible to discern a second message. Herrero offered a similar anti-voucher proposal during the debate on the House budget in 2013, where its passage was seen a somewhat surprising declaration of the Houses true feelings about vouchers an unlikely victory from the Democratic minority that passed 103 to 43. And one that put Republicans in a tough spot.

On House budget night in 2015, he intended to offer the same amendment. But a protracted series of behind-the-scenes negotiations prompted Herrero to pull it down. The word was that, though vouchers had no chance in the House, members felt it was better to make that plain in private, and not, perhaps, to enlist so many Republicans in poking Patrick in the eye.

This year there were no such qualms. The amendment appeared and passed by almost the same margin it did in 2013. For what its worth, this session, the House seems very willing to cut off further debate on Patricks education policy proposals, and they were willing to do it loudly.The other major source of daytime ruckus was a series of measures by the Houses tea party faction Observer favorites Jonathan Stickland, Briscoe Cain, Tony Tinderholt and others to muck up little parts of state government they dont like, to derail other members amendments, and to shame the cabal they say runs the House.

This is not a new dynamic in the House far from it. But it seems to get weirder every year, and its degenerating into a kind of sputtering rage thats transfixing to watch. Last year, Stickland in particular hinted darkly and repeatedly about the blood that would flow if the House didnt start listening to him and his friends. Nothing happened. This year, something did happen with Stickland, though Im still trying to figure out what it was. (He made his first-ever personal privilege speech more here scoring what is likely to remain the highest Stickland Number ever recorded.)

The House Freedom Caucus particularly its most colorful members are weaker than ever. But its unsurprising that theyre ineffective. Whats strange is that theyre so bad at messaging. Its possible to glimpse an alternative universe in which theyre driving an effective, visible opposition to Straus, but this is not it.

Part of the problem is the targets they pick. In one memorable episode last session, Stickland tried to kill an uncontroversial and uncontested bill that would have decreased the use of euthanasia at San Antonio animal shelters. Today, he tried mightily to end state funding for smoking cessation programs. He also has a fixation with defunding state programs to kill feral hogs. At one point, Briscoe Cain, pint-sized fighter of tyrants, rose to offer an amendment that would have eliminated a state advisory council on end-of-life care, which he termed a death panel. Then he accidentally called a rep John Zerwas, the chairman of the god-powered finance committee Mr., and the chamber swatted him down like a pesky gnat.In other words, theyre against puppies and hospice care and for cigarettes and hogs. Hogs everywhere. Instead of focusing on real examples of government corruption and incompetence, they putter around, doing nothing and getting repeatedly sonned. In a way theyre even helpful to their enemies, moderate Republicans, because they suck up oxygen and attention and are as formidable as a paper target.

Read more here:
The House Tea Party Caucus is Mad as Hell, Weaker Than Ever - The Texas Observer

Officials at a mosque have answered the "hatred and division" of an English Defence League (EDL) rally by hosting a "best of British" tea party.

The open-to-all gathering at Birmingham's Central Mosque, which saw the building decked out with Union Flag bunting, was organised in response to an EDL event being held on Saturday in the city centre.

Originally earmarked to take place in the East Midlands, the EDL demonstration was switched to Birmingham after the Westminster terror attack to highlight what the group describes as a "continued increase in Islamic terrorism" linked to the city.

The rally condemned by Birmingham's political leaders in a cross-party statementis also said by the EDL to be a reaction to the city's so-called Trojan Horse schools inquiry.

Speaking to more than 100 guests at the tea party, which started two hours before the EDL event, Birmingham Central Mosque's chairman Muhammed Afzal said local people would remain united irrespective of their religion or race.

In a Facebook message posted prior to the party, Mr Afzal said: "When the English Defence League is protesting and trying to divide the community, we are holding this party just to prove to them that Birmingham is a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith community.

"We are all united and they will not be able to divide us and create hatred."

The West Midlands' elected Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, also attended the party.

Claiming the EDL was bringing "little more than division" to the region, Mr Jamieson said: "We are here today to celebrate the things that Brummies and English people hold in common.

"The English Defence League are spreading a message of hatred. They have come from outside Birmingham and they don't understand our values."

Birmingham Hodge Hill MP Liam Byrne also addressed those who gathered to chat over cake, tea and coffee at the mosque.

The Labour MP told party-goers: "Today this is how we protest by celebrating the quiet miracle of a normal life and the things that we love most about our city and about our country.

"Getting together as friends, getting together as neighbours, breaking a bit of Victoria sponge and having a cup of tea. That is a potent, powerful message that we will send to those who seek to divide us."

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Muslims in Birmingham defy EDL rally with 'Best of British' tea party - The Independent

Posted: Apr. 7, 2017 12:50 am

HAMPTON -- A Democratic candidate for state Senate spoke at a Skylands Tea Party meeting with hopes of finding some measure of common ground, but it didn't take long for the guns to come out. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Jennifer Hamilton, a state Senate candidate in the 24th Legislative District, was invited to speak at the Skylands Tea Party's monthly meeting at the Hampton Diner on Wednesday night by the group's president, Doug Amedeo.

Prior to giving the floor to Hamilton, Amedeo explained his reasoning for inviting a Democrat to his fellow conservatives.

"Jennifer opposes the gas tax and has said she wants to be a fiscally responsible state senator," he said. "I wanted to know what she meant by that, and I think she should tell us."

Amedeo later said, "We need to get past treating political parties like sports teams," and encouraged the group to be respectful.

Hamilton spoke for just under 10 minutes and almost immediately hit her stated goal -- and campaign slogan, "Joining Together to Bridge the Divide" -- of identifying similarities between opposing political ideologies.

She asked the room who thought their taxes were too high and nearly every hand went up. Hamilton asked her small contingent of Democratic supporters in the room -- which included Sussex County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Leslie Huhn and 24th District Assembly candidate Michael Pirog -- the same, and all of their hands were raised as well.

"We have just found common ground," Hamilton said to a small spattering of applause. "It's a start."

Hamilton said her goal in running for state Senate is to "find those common problems that we all see every single day" and find a way to fix them.

The 34-year-old attorney from Sparta said she was "under no illusion" that her speaking at the meeting would sway voters in the room but that she hoped it would start a dialogue.

"I think (dialogue) is something that we have been missing," Hamilton said. "I think it is something that is so important, and I think it's something that we should all demand from our representatives."

Hamilton expressed her views about the sagging local economy -- she called it her "biggest arch-nemesis" -- as well infrastructure, property values/taxes and the gas tax increase.

"These are problems that I believe are universal and they transcend party lines," she said. "If I were in Trenton, those are the issues that I'm going to fight for."

She acknowledged there were issues where Democrats and Tea Partiers were going to disagree. Once Hamilton had finished speaking, the group posed numerous questions to her about those wedge issues, including the one everyone in the room knew was coming: firearms.

Skylands Tea Party Vice President William Hayden, who just last week entered the GOP primary to challenge state Sen. Steve Oroho, R-24th Dist., was the first to speak up.

"Second Amendment. Where are you?" Hayden asked.

Hamilton didn't back away from the topic: "What are your concerns?" she asked.

Hayden said he was in favor of concealed carry in the state, to which Hamilton said Sussex and Warren counties were "two of the safest" in New Jersey.

"But I have no concerns about us and our gun ownership here in Sussex County," she said. "I have no problem with people having firearms. ... I have no intention of bringing legislation that's going to restrict any of your rights to own a gun."

Hamilton's thoughts on pension payments to state employees -- a statewide political battle that has divided political parties from within in recent years -- also were questioned.

"I believe that benefits that are given to employees for their service, for their hard work, for their loyalty and their commitment ... they've been paying into that system," Hamilton said. "I think that those are not negotiable. What is negotiable, however, is the future of those pension systems."

The other hot topic of the night was sanctuary cities. A Tea Party member questioned Hamilton's view on a bill sponsored by state Sen. Brain Stack, D-33rd Dist., which the Democratic candidate deferred answering until she had more information about the legislation. When pressed on the larger issue, Hamilton said she believed sanctuary cities were acceptable in certain instances but agreed with the group that finding ways to reduce illegal immigration need to be worked on.

Hamilton's appearance at the meeting was met with civility, and several members of the Skylands Tea Party said afterward that they appreciated her willingness to address a "hostile crowd."

But not everyone was pleased at Hamilton's appearance. After the small group of Democrats left the diner, a woman who had abruptly left when the candidate began speaking returned to the room and expressed her "outrage."

"We had a Democrat in here -- those Democrats are at war with us," the woman said. "I'm outraged that the Tea Party would even consider being polite to these people. They have no business being at our meetings."

After the meeting, Hayden admitted he was surprised Hamilton had been invited to speak and said he would have to "put out some fires" with a few members.

"I thought she did good," Hayden said of his potential general election opponent. "She walked into the lion's den, don't get me wrong. She's a very affable person."

For her part, Hamilton said there were a lot of "good moments" in the nearly h our-long back-and-forth with the Skylands Tea Party.

"I hope I started a dialogue," she said. "I really do. I don't know that anyone's minds are going to be changed, but perhaps when they're thinking about the issues and the voice that they want to represent them, they'll look and say, At least this is a person who is willing to listen.' "

Freeholder candidate speaks too

A 2017 GOP primary candidate for Sussex County freeholder was also afforded a chance to speak to the Skylands Tea Party on Wednesday night. Ailish Hambel, the former chair of the Sussex County GOP committee, was invited by Hayden.

Hambel is running against Herb Yardley in a contested primary for one, three-year term on the freeholder board. Democratic freeholder candidate Daniel Perez awaits the winner of the Republican primary.

Hambel spoke about her journey that started as an Irish immigrant to the U.S. to eventually becoming a Sparta Township councilwoman and business owner.

"I want you to understand that I feel very, very qualified," she said. "I am very conservative. I listened to all of you and I agree with this room completely."

Phoebus run in 2019?

Assemblywoman Gail Phoebus, R-24th Dist., was the third and final speaker of the evening.

Phoebus, whose departure last week from the state Senate primary challenge to Oroho opened the door for Hayden's campaign, said she dropped her campaign bid because of financial concerns and wanting to spend time with her family.

However, Phoebus casually mentioned her political career was not yet over.

"Trust me, I'm not done," she said. "I'm going to run the next time around for my Assembly seat again."

David Danzis can also be contacted on Facebook: ddanzisNJH, on Twitter: @ddanzisNJH, or by phone: 973-383-1274.

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Tea Party hears from candidates, even a Democrat - New Jersey Herald