McHenry County Blog

A post on FaceBook from Tonya Franklin, the mother of a waitress fired by Crystal Lake Outback Steakhouse, led to a demonstration at the restaurant Sunday afternoon.

The demonstrators posed in front of Outback Steakhouse in Crystal Lake last night.

Most of the message follows:

Boycott Outback Steakhouse ~ Don’t Tread On Me!

Here's the message: "State of Illinois stated she was Wrongfully Terminated! MAN UP - Outback Steak House."

My daughter was fired from Outback Steakhouse after a customers (husband/wife) got very upset over her wearing this bracelet, the woman kept asking where she got it and what it meant and when my daughter said my mom got it at a TEA Party convention the woman flipped.

Flags were flying in the wind on Route 14 in front of Outback.

“Those were the wrong two words to say to me. The Tea Party is ruining this Country and you need to get yourself educated little girl”.After the woman was finished insulting her she said, “Box up my damn food, get me some more water and while your at it get me your damn manager”.

She sent the owner over and he was at the table for close to 10 mins or longer and then he said he had 2 complaints tonight and that he was letting her go.

He is insisting it isn’t over the bracelet, but she has been with the corporation for several years and a couple of transfers.

No one ever requested she not wear it.

I for one am boycotting Outback forever.

I also used to bartend for them back in the day.

BTW I just ordered 400 more of these bracelets and they say “Don’t Tread On Tea”.

Now a 3-4 yr work history, 2 Carraba’s locations and an Outback reference down the drain.

And a report about the demonstration:

"Fired for a bracelet. HONK 4 Free Speech," the sign says.

“The event at Outback Steakhouse was a huge success.

“There were about 60-75 people there at it’s peak; I’d say about 45-50 people were there the whole time, 4:30-6:30.

“We were in the Outback parking lot for awhile, and the other half of the people on Rte. 14, then the police came about 5:15 and politely asked us to stand out on the easement on Rte. 14.

“CONSTANT honking of horns throughout the evening!

“The Northwest Herald came and interviewed the fired employee, and took pictures.

“Meghan has a document from the State of Illinois that states that she was wrongly fired.”

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

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Posted Monday night:  Outback Steakhouse management sent an email to a protestor late Monday.  You can find it here.

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog told of a possible demonstration against Elgin Kiwanis’ invitation of domestic terrorist Bill Ayers to speak at lunch.

Here is a report from the scene:

“There were around a dozen of us at the (Bill) Ayers event.

“Quite a few reporters came and asked questions and a couple of what looked like some ‘students’ of Ayers were taking pictures.

“I guess they said it was justified for Ayers to be a cop killer because cops had killed some Black Panther in his bed….who expects liberals to make sense!

“Ayers arrived at the event very early, so we didn’t see him.

“Guess he didn’t have the guts to drive by us.

“Hopefully we made some people driving by more aware.”

The Daily Herald’s story is here.

He said he was “sorry.”

First time I’ve heard that.

Among the comments was:

“Note to Kiwanis: Order fewer peanuts this year.”

The photo is from a video found on Midwest Conservatives.

When my son and I got to Cary we discovered people who had been at the Crystal Lake demonstration, 550 strong according to Libertarian Party Chair Dave Brady of Wonder Lake.

This was the third McHenry County TEA Party I visited April 15th. The second was on Route 62 in Algonquin.

We parked at Kelli’s Cuckoo’s Nest across from the Metra station. She offered free pizza to protesters. (All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

When I recognized some protest signs and asked what had happened in Crystal Lake, I was told that the Crystal Lake Police closed down the demonstration at one.

Apparently, Crystal Lake requires a permit and an insurance policy if more than 50 people are going to demonstrate and organizer Jim Thompson said his demonstration would be from noon to one.

So, a number of people just drove down the road to Cary.

There Cary Coffee Shop proprietor John Bobrytzke didn’t contact city government.

His location, across Main Street from the train station, didn’t attract many demonstrators. That was because people figured out that more motorists could see their signs from Route 14.

But Bobrytzke is the reason the demonstrators were there.

He stepped out in front and the rest of us followed him to bring the message to homebound commuters in Cary.

And, it’s a superb location for a protest, because not only motorists, but those taking the train could see their signs.

I’m sure the Metra engineers were not blowing their horns because of the signs, but, then again, I don’t ever remember hearing a train horn blast in Cary before.

Again, big trucks blowing their air horns brought a thrill to my body. Above you see a Crystal Lake-based W. Smith Cartage gasoline truck “blowing”around the corner past the old village hall.

Sometimes when the trucks and cars were not blowing their horns enough for one sign carrier, she pulled out a tiny air horn to make some noise.

Not that it was silent for long stretches.

This man was the chief horn honking cheer leader. He was so persistent.

And, when the folks on the street couldn’t get a honk, there were people like this lady with open windows giving the sign holders a “thumbs up.”

How far did people come?

This man, a sign shop owner from West Frankfort, IL, came up to Palatine to help out a buddy and they both came up to Cary for the demonstration.

I found an anti-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin sign in Cary.

Every once in a while another horn-blaring semi would breeze through town. Here’s one from Custom Companies.

As in Crystal Lake, a police presence was evident. In Cary, they weren’t in cars. They were standing in full view of the demonstrators. Pretty easy duty.

“Term Limits” were the answer to one man.

Another man had the simple message of

A bit longer, but quite understandable message was

Her friend’s says

One of the woman who drove down from the Crystal Lake event was pro-life leader Irene Napier. Her sign said,

Next to her on the Southeast corner of the intersection I saw the above.

There was one of the few non-homemade signs nearby.

A family of four was on the north side of the street. Two flag wavers and two sign carriers.

They could see this scene across the street if they looked. I like the sign held by the little girl saying,

A longer view of that side of the street showed this.

It was crowded in front of the little park with a pond next to the old Cary Village Hall.

There were two misplaced Obama supporters standing on the traffic island next to the railroad crossing. They were electricians whom I suppose were not working on tax payment day.

Those who went to Algonquin to protest being “Taxes Enough Already” were pretty much gone when my friend Pete Castillo and I arrived after taking part in the record-breaking demonstration in Crystal Lake.

Fortunately, Algonquin’s Stan Gladbach sent me some photos he took at the Algonquin Road protest site.

We did see these folks leaving.

You can see signs saying

• Don’t Mortgage My CHILD’s Future
• Obamaconomics, Chains You Can Believe In
• Say “NO” to Socialism
• NO USSA

I took the photo above because the gravel truck’s horn was blaring as it went east on Route 62.

Gladbach got a couple of shots with the unfinished Riverside Condos in the background.

Here’s another one, a bit closer to the action.

I really like the composition of this shot of protesters shot through the Cornish Park arch.

Here you see a man who usually photographs life much wilder than this flag and tea bag carrying dog and his master getting in some practice on a different venue.

Don’t you love the message on the “TARP” sign?

I’m TEAD’D
Taxed
Enough
Already

reads the sign in front of what was left of the Algonquin TEA Party at about 1 PM.

I found one of the few signs that were produced by the national TEA Party organizers in Algonquin…plus an ordinary tea bag.

But, as I mentioned above, what I saw was the tail end of the demonstration. Above is what its peak looked like.

Here’s another truck whose driver was laying on his horn while driving past.

I couldn’t figure the initials on this sign out until the man carrying it told me the “BHO” stood for President Barack Obama’s initials. Funny how newspapers don’t use his initials. Remember “JFK” and “LBJ?”

Here are some women who are about ready to wrap up their demonstrating against taxes they think are so high.

Don’t you love this flag covered protester carrying a sign that says,

Give Me
Liberty
Not Debt

Here are some folks who were posing for my camera.

Here are some more people about to finish up their public service for the day.

The Cary Route 14 demonstration will be the next one covered.

Other stories you might find of interest:

Noon TEA Party Biggest Demonstration in McHenry County History at Route 14 and Main Street

TEA Party Moving Down to Cary

Obama Supporters Object to My Sense of Humor

You know when I would schedule it?

Inauguration Day.

There will be hundreds of thousands of African-Americans in Washington that day to celebrate the swearing in of President-Elect Barack Obama.

If I were an ambitious black leader, I would be preparing for a demonstration to support continuation of one black United States Senator—Roland Burris.

And, if I were Barack Obama, I would ever so quietly pass the word to those white Democratic Party U.S. Senators to make sure than Burris was sworn in before my day in the international sun.

The alternative would be the danger of Burris being too large a story on January 20, 2009.

Can you think of a better end game for the racist pitch made by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Congressman Bobby Rush?

You know when I would schedule it?

Inauguration Day.

There will be hundreds of thousands of African-Americans in Washington that day to celebrate the swearing in of President-Elect Barack Obama.

If I were an ambitious black leader, I would be preparing for a demonstration to support continuation of one black United States Senator—Roland Burris.

And, if I were Barack Obama, I would ever so quietly pass the word to those white Democratic Party U.S. Senators to make sure than Burris was sworn in before my day in the international sun.

The alternative would be the danger of Burris being too large a story on January 20, 2009.

Can you think of a better end game for the racist pitch made by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Congressman Bobby Rush?

I got emailed this photo from the time of Democratic Party President Woodrow Wilson this week.

It reminded me to the blue thumbed women we saw as Iraqis voted for the first time since being liberated from Saddam Hussein.

If only people in the United States valued the right the vote as these women did.

The picture pretty much says it all, but let me encourage you to register to vote if you have not done so.

If you have moved, you need to call the McHenry County Clerk’s office and ask how to change address. The phone number is 815-334-4242.

Click on the photo and you will be able to read what is on the signs better.

I got emailed this photo from the time of Democratic Party President Woodrow Wilson this week.

It reminded me to the blue thumbed women we saw as Iraqis voted for the first time since being liberated from Saddam Hussein.

If only people in the United States valued the right the vote as these women did.

The picture pretty much says it all, but let me encourage you to register to vote if you have not done so.

If you have moved, you need to call the McHenry County Clerk’s office and ask how to change address. The phone number is 815-334-4242.

Click on the photo and you will be able to read what is on the signs better.