SAINT LOUISVILLE, Ohio — Nearly 200 conservative activists gathered in the Licking County countryside Saturday for the Ohio Liberty Coalition‘s statewide meeting to celebrate “The Blessings of Liberty.”
Vice President Barry Momyer emceed the event and President John McAvoy oversaw the activities along with members and supporters from around Ohio.
The coalition’s mission is “to unite, inform, and empower Ohio freedom-loving groups and citizens to affect policy in favor of liberty.” The issues they cover include common core, voter integrity, the Second Amendment, medicaid expansion, and more.
Individuals and groups came from all over Ohio and the United States to participate. Exhibitor tables were set up for #Walkaway, We the People Convention, Ohio Christian Alliance, Buckeye Firearms and Ohio Strong Action, just to name a few.
The speakers were full of information about organizing to support President Donald Trump, how to spread the truth about the nation’s founding and the Constitution, the importance of supporting Israel, and the problems conservatives will have with technology and social media this election.
Tom Zawistowski, president of We the People Convention, warned attendees against growing complacent. “We’re being silenced. We need new tools. We need to be able to communicate,” he said, while describing his idea for a radio network to reach liberty-loving Patriots throughout Ohio. Part of the problem, he said, is Big Tech’s effort to silence conservative voices.
EagleFire Nation and others shared Zawistowski’s concerns about Big Tech. Scott Andrews spoke to the crowd on behalf of the personal data hosting service. Andrews said his organization is “a suite of essential online services owned and managed by you.” He told the audience that Big Tech doesn’t want people to know that more than 45 percent of its mobile apps are frauds.
The Ohio Liberty Coalition was also visited by several elected officials. Justice Judi French of the Ohio Supreme Court emphasized that judges should not be making policy, but said that is what Democratic judges are doing. She said the complication is the non-partisan nature of the Ohio ballot – judges are not identified as Republican or Democrat, although they participate in partisan primaries. State Sen. Joe Uecker (R-Miami Township) is working on legislation to change that.
State Rep. John Becker (R-Union Township) was on hand and told participants about the status of Constitutional Carry. As reported in The Ohio Star, House Bill 178 passed out of Becker’s Federalism Committee, only to be sent to yet another committee for further vetting.
Two former U.S. Senate candidates addressed the group about their current ventures. Jim Renacci and Ohio’s Future Foundation, for instance, is focused on fixing Ohio’s backwards policy. In spite of Republican control, Ohio remains behind most states in tax climate and the number of regulations. Renacci said Ohio is struggling to create an energy policy that includes many options and said the state has been unwilling to work towards Right to Work laws.
Mike Gibbons, also a former candidate for U.S. Senate, and his Ohio Strong Action were on in attendance. While Renacci is working on policy issues and research, Gibbons is creating an organization to find Trump-like candidates for all levels of politics. Gibbons believes there is a need to replace the Republicans who have been treating elected office like a revolving door.
Freedomworks brought the house down with two speakers, Reverend C.L. Bryant and Trump’s economic advisor Stephen Moore. Both men had the crowd on their feet, applauding the accomplishments of President Trump and encouraging Ohioans to stay the course and work hard to re-elect the president.
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Beth Lear is a reporter at The Ohio Star. Follow Beth on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Love C.L. Bryant! Wish I knew about this event beforehand!
Get acquainted with a local Tea Party group or with the Ohio Liberty Coalition. They will keep you apprised of these type of events. C.L. Bryant was awesome!!