Wow. Color me impressed! As I drove out to Sam Houston Race Track for the North Houston Tea Party Patriots rally, I half expected to see a train wreck. After all, how many people would turn out for yet another rally, this one on a Monday night with a late starting time? Have no fear, there was no train wreck. Thousands of people turned out to make their voices heard. And guess what? This time, the media took notice.

That's right, this time, the media took notice. Take a look at these links, every single major media outlet in Houston reported on the event and the reports are, for the most part, straight up and unbiased (despite Mr. Benzion's problem with 'neutrality'.)

• Channel 2 - KPRC
• Channel 11 - KHOU
• Channel 13 - KTRK
• Channel 26 - KRIV
• Channel 39 - KIAH
• Houston Chronicle

Do you think that the Houston, Can You Hear Me Now? rallies made a difference? No doubt. That and the fact that a business model that continues to ignore thousands upon thousands of people that spend money isn't going to work in the long run.

Okay, so I'm impressed, big deal. What was the event about? People. Seriously, this event was about the people that attended. Sure, there were a few speakers but that isn't the news part of this event. The news is that after nine months of these rallies, people are still coming and are not growing fatigued and moving on to the next big thing.

All around the country, these groups are starting to make a difference. Think not? Think again. Go ask Dede Scozzafava if she thinks they make a difference. Ask Creigh Deeds. Ask New Jersey's governor. Ask President Obama, who thought it wise to make them the butt of his jokes. Go ahead, ask him what he thinks of them now. Still funny, Mr. President?

Rallies are one thing but what about the hard work of winning elections? As I noted earlier, that part of the plan is just starting. The HTPS has trained about a hundred people thus far and has more sessions planned. In fact, they had one last night. Raging Elephants had over 40 people turn out for their first "Boots on the Ground" training session. Roy Morales' campaign is going to have an impact on today's Houston mayoral election largely because of volunteers from the tea party movement. These American citizens are not afraid of the hard work it will take to make politicians reign in ever expanding government.

The North Houston Tea Party Patriots as an organization are somewhat friendlier to Republicans than some of the other strictly non-partisan groups. For example, they are co-hosting the arrival of the Tea Party Express this Saturday, a Republican front that other, non-partisan groups have shunned. As such, there was a good turnout of Republican politicians last night. A partial list: Rep. Kevin Brady, Rep. Ted Poe, HCRP Chairman Jared Woodfill, Texas gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina, State Rep. Debbie Riddle, judicial candidate Donna Detamore, district clerk candidate Paul Dwight, CD-18 candidate Tex Christopher, judicial candidate Sheri Dean, Houston mayoral candidate Roy Morales, candidate for county clerk Stan Stanart, and challenger to Ted Poe, David Smith.

Okay, on to the speakers. Joe Pags from The950 was the emcee and did a great job. I'm not a fan of his radio show but he really did well as emcee, coming across much better in person than on air. Although the NHTPP is Republican friendly, Mr. Pags ripped Republicans early and often, especially former President G.W. Bush. He also plays the sax well. Claver T. Kamau-Imani said a prayer and then later spoke about the need to expand the reach of the party. A couple other radio personalities also spoke briefly.

The featured speaker for the evening was Lord Christopher Monckton. His thrust was the Copenhagen Treaty that will be discussed in December, saying that if President Obama signs it, it will take away the sovereignty of the U.S. That treaty appears to be dead in the water but the conference and opposition to any "political decisions" that arise from it should still receive plenty of media attention. He also talked about his opposition to the entire debate on climate change because it is based upon junk science. He has his detractors. I met him briefly before the event and he seemed like a sincere guy, even if he did look a bit odd in that cowboy hat.

Mattress Mac of Gallery Furniture will save you money fame was next up. He talked a bit about the recent fire at his warehouse and how he didn't expect the government to help rebuild. And that the fire department was an example of a good government function. It was a nice talk but I always wonder how it will affect a guy's business enterprise when he takes sides in a political debate. Good for him and maybe I'll buy something just because.

All in all, a great event. Many kudos to the team from NHTPP for a well publicized, well organized rally.

Click here for a slideshow from the event.