Those anti-tax folks who brought us the "Tea Party" protests back in April are planning another Tea Party in Gettysburg on Saturday. The forecast is 82 degrees and sunny. I hope it's iced tea.

Here's their news release:

Who: Gettysburg Freedom Tea Party Organizing Committee
Sue Williams, Organizer, 717-677-9846
Walt Tuchalski, Co-Organizer, 717-309-2482 (Creator of this Press Release)

What: Like minded people who are TEA'ed Off gather to celebrate the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and to let their elected officials know they are "Taxed Enough Already".

When: Saturday, July 4, 2009 Noon to 2 PM

Where: Adams County Courthouse Plaza
117 Baltimore Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325

The Gettysburg Freedom Tea Party Organizing Committee is planning a rally and program at the Adams County Courthouse Plaza on Baltimore Street in downtown Gettysburg this Saturday, July 4th. Its planned as a family friendly event where all generations can gather to unite their voices in a celebration of the greatness of the United States of American and to put their elected officials on notice that we are "Taxed Enough Already".

Sue Williams is organizing a program line up that will begin at Noon with festive, patriotic music, an opening Invocation, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the National Anthem, remarks from local citizens, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and feature our guest speaker, Jim Broussard, founder of the Citizens Against Higher Taxes.

A Voter Resource Center will be available with contact information for our elected officials, voter registration information, absentee ballot information, and information about taking back our "... government of the people, by the people, and for the people ...".

As the planned program comes to an end at the rally point, the assembled citizenry will march up Baltimore Street, around Lincoln Square, and back down Baltimore Street to return to the Adams County Courthouse within the rules of our Gettysburg Borough Permit.

Bring your friends, bring the kids, bring the grandparents, and enjoy a celebration of America's greatest Freedoms ... especially our Freedoms of Speech and Assembly. Let your voice be heard! Bring your own American Flags, your homemade message signs, and your love for American to the Gettysburg Freedom Tea Party, this Saturday, at Noon, in front of the Adams County Courthouse, 117 Baltimore Street, in Downtown Gettysburg.

Learn more at www.teapartyday.com .

For your Convenience - Jim Broussard's Bio follows:

Jim Broussard
Jim Broussard, Citizens Against Higher Taxes

Dr. James H. Broussard is professor of History and former chairman of the department, at Lebanon Valley College. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Duke University, and has taught at several colleges before coming to LVC in 1983. He founded and was first president and then executive director of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. He has published a book on The Southern Federalists (Louisiana State University Press) and several articles on American political history.

In 1989 he founded Citizens Against Higher Taxes and for the last twenty years has worked to elect pro-taxpayer candidates to the legislature and state office and to enact legislation to control spending, reduce taxes, and expand taxpayer rights. His current major priorities are to eliminate the school property tax, give taxpayers the right to vote on school tax increases, and pass a Taxpayer Bill of Rights in Pennsylvania. Citizens Against Higher Taxes also works with local taxpayer groups around the state to elect pro-taxpayer school board members.

The big budget dispute is getting all of the attention up Harrisburg way. But lawmakers have a lot of down time while the caucus leaders are negotiating, and this time of year is typically when they pass a lot of legislation before summer recess.

By the way, "summer recess" isn't as galling as it sounds. It just means they're in their district offices instead of Harrisburg.

Anyway, here's a news release regarding from legislation from state Sen. Mike Waugh, R-Shrewsbury, who represents most of York County.

I have to admit, people don't make it easy for you when you're a politician. You keep a grueling schedule, especially during campaigns. Somebody always has a camera pointed at you. You can be poised and articulate 99.9 percent of the time. But make one verbal screwup and suddenly the video's all over cable news and the Internet, making you look like a boob in perpetuity.

Which, of course, isn't going to dissuade me from posting this:

Looks like newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter is in for some competition in the Democratic primary.

Read about it here.

Before starting my first year at Penn State, I attended an orientation session with other students who had been accepted at the university. One of the topics they addressed was how academically and intellectually advanced we were over the country's general high school population.

I wasn't sure whether to be skeptical or alarmed about that information in subsequent years, when I encountered some real dumb asses at that school.

One episode comes to mind immediately. I was at a party where a young woman was talking about a friend of mine whom she considered "hot." But she wasn't sure if she could hook up with him, because he was a "foreigner."

In the extended entry, you'll see a statement that U.S. Rep. Todd Platts, R-York County, released regarding the "cap and trade" bill that passed in the House. Apparently he has some concerns with it.

Here are some more opinions on cap and trade from Warren Buffet ...

From Steven Chu, director of the U.S. Department of Energy ...

And from some creepy, shirtless guy.

Here's me explaining the state budget process. You might want to have a change of underwear handy, because it's pretty damn exciting.