On Saturday afternoon inside the Panera Bread on Big Beaver, about 50 people gathered to talk about how to address the problems that face our government and our country with a commonality of purpose. Some of the ground rules of the Coffee Party are:
Respect everyone. Even if we disagree, listen to understand.
Give people the benefit of the doubt. Check party affiliations at the door.
Big tent. We need all kinds of people coming together to create solutions.
This isn’t a debate. Don’t waste time arguing or proving you’re right. We are here as a community.
Kelly Jones Interview about the Coffee Party Launch
These are a few of the ground rules for common ground promoted by the Coffee Party organizers. Many of those in attendance have watched the tea parties and the images that they have conveyed and stated they have been appalled by the images and tactics of the Tea Party movement and they hope that the Coffee Party will bring about a real dialogue about the problems facing the country.
There were six purposes to the meetings taking all across the country on Saturday.
Come together to build community as people who care about our country.
Make our voices heard in the media through our photos videos and signs.
Build a team that works together locally to make government represent us.
Model community to replicate in every coffee shop in America.
Plan Coffee Day 2 (March 27) & Coffee with Congress (March29-April 11)
The Troy meeting was organized by Kelly Jones and Sharon MacDonell. At Saturday’s meeting everyone got to introduce themselves and tell everyone why they were attracted to attend the meeting. Attendees then broke into groups to determine what they’d like to see happen as a result of the meeting. The group also got busy setting up their next meeting and within hours after the conclusion of the meeting their Facebook page for the Troy group was active.
Tisha Joyner Recounts Her Interaction With a Tea Party
There were over 400 Coffee Party gatherings all across the country on Saturday and the national Facebook page has almost 140,000 fans as of Saturday evening. The Coffee Party’s mission statement, “The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.”
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PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP TO MEET AT CRITTENTON HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER 