A Tea Party at the Villa Barone

Outside the Villa Barone in Mahopac during Chuck Schumer’s speech last week, a group of demonstrators took to Route 6 to protest the senator, the health care reform bill he supports, and his proposal to mandate a bio-metric national I.D. card.

“We have to let them know that they don’t speak for us,” said David Rivera of Ossining. “They are trying to shove this health-care bill down our throats. And we don’t want it.”

Trevor Minnix, a conservative activist who opposed Schumer’s proposal for a national I.D. card containing biometric data such as a finger prints, chanted, “We Said No!” to the passing traffic. “We’re here to tell them ‘We won’t stand for it anymore,’” said Minnix.

Some of the protestors were veterans of the Tea Party movement. Carmel songwriter Chris Cassone was on hand to protest the health care bill. Cassone penned the song “Take Our Country Back,” which has become a nationwide sensation among Tea Party activists and can be found on Youtube. com

The group of protestors swelled up to 20, and several hailed from Connecticut. Palin Smith, a Tea Party Activist from Hartford Connecticut held signs saying “Dump Dodd” and “Scrap Schumer.” Smith makes videos of Tea Party protests which he posts online. “I’ve made over 500 videos since I started,” said Smith. “We need to stay energized.”

“We need more people out here,” said Rivera, “and more from New York. The Connecticut guys are so well-organized.”

The activists had learned of Schumer’s appearance in Mahopac through conservative e-mail chains. “I subscribe to several lists,” said Rivera. “It’s not one group organizing us from the top. We’re just people coming together for a common cause.”

Schumer was able to make both his entrance and his exit from Villa Barone, while avoiding any direct contact with the activists themselves. “C’mon out!” shouted Minnix, before adding quietly, “Cowards.”