By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

Shelle Thomas doesn’t classify herself as a “political person,” but last November, she started sharing her concerns about the direction of the nation with like-minded people on the Web. 

In April, Thomas, who lives in Corbin but has a business in Somerset, participated in the Pulaski County “tea party,” a rally organized by the people she met online who were protesting federal bailouts and government spending.

This weekend, when a second round of tea party rallies is held on Independence Day, Thomas will be leading her own event here at Corbin City Hall.

After registering at teapartyday.com, she said she’s gotten thousands of e-mails from people across the country. She said several musicians have contacted her about performing at city hall on Saturday, and other tea party organizers have sent her petitions to have available at the event. 

“Everybdy feels like nobody has a voice anymore,” Thomas said. She said the tea parties came about from “aggravated citizens” who feel Congress and the mainstream media aren’t listening to their complaints.

Though critics have claimed the tea parties are a tactic of the Republican party, Thomas said she organized the Corbin rally individually and as a non-partisan event. 

“Last year before the election, I was actually considering going over to the Democrats,” she said. “I don’t want to be labeled as just Republicans... Republican and Democrat, that doesn’t mean anything to me and most of the people who have the complaints.”

 Bryan Mills, Republican Party chairman for Laurel County, is helping organize what will be the second London tea party at the Laurel County Court House, but he says it won’t be a GOP rally. 

“I believe that Republicans feel their own party has abandoned fiscal responsibility over the last eight years, and the Democrats were blind-sided by how far to the extreme the current Congress and administration is taking us with their massive spending programs,” Mills said. “These events are truly non-partisan; they are about the American people holding their elected officials responsible for their actions.”

 David Adams, best known as a blogger at kyprogress.blogspot.com, will be one of the featured speakers at the London event, along with Ronnie Gregory, who helped organize the first Laurel County tea party in April. 

“We are inviting local elected officials to participate, but I truly believe that the tea party is a movement created by the people,” Mills said. “It is their concerned voices that need to be heard.   In April, we had several regular citizens speak about why they felt frustrated with the direction of our government.   We will continue with that type of format for the July 4th Tea Party.”

 The TEA parties — and that “tea” stands for “taxed enough already” — were first held across the country on April 15, the filing deadline for income taxes. 

Mills said he was encouraged by the London turnout — more than 100 people — who came on a cold, windy weekday in April. He expects even more to attend on Independence Day. 

A promotion for the July 4 events at www.teapartyday.com names several complaints about the current administration and government, including the growing national debt,  federal dollars earmarked for special interest groups, government-controlled health care and illegal immigration. 

It also criticizes those who “vote(d) for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it,” those who “want to take your wealth and redistribute it to others” and those who “want to force doctors and other medical workers to perform abortions against their will.”

“There’s a sense across the nation right now that we’re moving away from individualism, from people believing in self-determination, and moving to the idea that government is the answer,” Mills said. 

The tea parties will take place from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Corbin City Hall and from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Laurel County Courthouse steps. 

For more information on the Corbin event, contact Thomas at shelleree@live.com at 606-305-6842. For more on the London event, contact Mills at 606-215-9161.