(Updated) Photos of Chicago's 9/12 Rally With Joel Pollak

The turnout was small, but the message was big: Smaller government, less interference in our lives by politicians, lower taxes, and... well, you get the idea. Updated: See "Post Script" below. Also: Chicago Tea Party 9/12 rally photo essay at Marathon Pundit There were about 300 people at today's 9/12 Rally, sponsored by Chicago Tea Party. Slideshow below! It's hard to compete with the first day of the official NFL season, and I'm sure a lot of people were enjoying one more good weather weekend of the season. Adam Andrzejewski of For The Good Of Illinois gave a great speech, as always. Rogers Keats, as always, gave a lackluster speech. The real star of the show was Joel Pollak, candidate for U.S. Congress, IL-9. He's running against incumbent Jan Schakowsky, and that's the reason why the Chicago Tea Party had their event up in Morton Grove: That's Schakowsky Country. Pollak's speech was strong. He's a dynamic speaker, and he did not disappoint. "We must win in districts like this one," he told the crowd with wife Julia behind him on stage, "because this is Ground Zero in the struggle for American freedom today. Jan Schakowsky is the most extreme left-wing member of Congress. She is also the number one biggest spender in the House of Representatives, costing each family in America an extra $10,000 per year. She is the worst in the House on economic growth and national security. She represents the worst of Washington." The crowd clapped and cheered, and Pollak pushed on. "Like many ideologues, Jan Schakowsky is a hypocrite. She attacks big banks and oil companies, but she owns shares in them through her extensive mutual fund portfolio. She wants to raise taxes on the rich, but she just took a private plane on her summer vacation. She even breaks her promises to her liberal constituents. She promised to vote against a health care bill without a public option, but voted for it in the end anyway." Read the entire speech here... Julia Pollak also gave a good speech. With husband Joel standing behind her on stage, she talked about growing up in South Africa and seeing discrimination at its worst. Julia is a U.S. Navy reservist and spoke about why she loves the United States. "I am proud to be here with you today–as a black woman, as a Jewish woman, as an immigrant, and as a future sailor in the U.S. Navy Reserve. I signed up for the Navy for the simple reason that I want to defend freedom, and because I know that the U.S. armed forces are the greatest force for freedom in the world today. I value that freedom, and I do not want to see it destroyed by enemies abroad or bad government at home. "I grew up in South Africa. When I was born, black people could not vote. I was born in a segregated hospital for “coloured” people. I was turned away from public schools that were set aside for “whites only.” My mother was part of the struggle against apartheid. I remember the day when she voted for the first time. Nelson Mandela appointed her to be on South Africa’s human rights commission. We fought for, and believed in, freedom. "I am not yet a citizen. I am a legal immigrant. Soon, hopefully, I will take my citizenship test. One of the questions on that test is as follows–number 41: “Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?” There are only four correct answers: 'A: to print money; B: to declare war; C: to create an army; D to make treaties.' That’s it! Anything else is the wrong answer! "Today, in Chicago and across the nation, people are gathering to support the Tea Party because we know we have to stop what is happening in Washington. We have to stop spending money we don’t have. We have to stop apologizing to regimes that oppress their own people. We have to stand up for the U.S. Constitution and for the American people and our future. That is why I am here with you today, together with my husband." Read all of Julia Pollak's speech here... POST SCRIPT: A reader left this simple-minded comment: "Suppose they gave a tea party and nobody came." Well now, that would be strange. I'd hardly call 300 people "nobody." The commenter is obviously a Lefty. Perhaps they're envious of the strength of the Tea Party movement. Perhaps they're fearful of it. Probably, it's both. The commenter probably knows too well that the Tea Party continues to grow even as the much weaker "Coffee Party" displays a flacid impotence on the political stage. To wit, an article from the California Independent Voter Network (CIVN). Excerpts: The Tea Party’s ability to make a noticeable presence in Sacramento says something about the movement’s ability to resonate with voters. It will be intriguing to see how much the Tea Party can chip away from the Democratic vote in California come the 2010 midterm elections.... Meanwhile, while the Tea Party movement seems to continue gaining strength, alternatives to the Tea Party movement seem to be quite weak. For instance, while the Coffee Party may have skyrocketed to nearly 300,000 members on their Facebook group, they have yet to hold a rally as big as the recent 9/12 events or even as large as the Glenn Beck “Restoring Honor” rally held in D.C. just a few weeks ago. Full article....