Mark Thomas of Cornwall, Chairman of COOL, said that they were excited about the opportunity to present “The Birth of Freedom” in Souderton as it will be their first course in Montgomery County.

“COOL has presented courses and presentations all across Pennsylvania, but interestingly, we have not done anything in Montgomery County,” Thomas said.  “It’s a natural fit to conduct Constitution-oriented courses in Southeastern Pennsylvania because of the historic relationship between our Founding Fathers and the Philadelphia region.”

Lani Kimenhour, who arranged for COOL to do the presentation, said she was motivated to have a course in the local area after attending the 2011 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference outside of Harrisburg where COOL had a morning workshop on the Constitution.

“After attending a COOL seminar in Harrisburg last spring, I knew that it was something that others in our area could benefit from,” Kimenhour said.  “The folks at COOL bring passion and enthusiasm to the topic of the U.S. Constitution.”

“They remind us just how important it is for citizens to understand the role and limitations of government as the Founding Fathers intended,” she noted.

“The Birth of Freedom” outlines the origins of human liberty, the unique principle of individual freedom, and it’s influence on western culture and the United States.  It is presented in a combination video/open discussion format and runs 2 to 3 hours.

“The Birth of Freedom” is scheduled to begin at 1:30 PM at Immanuel Leidy’s Church, 276 W. Cherry Lane, Souderton, PA.  Cost of the course is $10 and includes all necessary study material.

Additional information may be secured by contacting 215-723-8707, or by e-mailing office@leidyschurch.org.

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Mark Thomas of Cornwall, Chairman of COOL, said that the five-year old organization designated the plan as “Operation October” due to the number of events and functions COOL will be participating in to encourage additional education on the Constitution and America’s founding documents.

“Since Constitutional education is the stated purpose for COOL’s existence, we wanted to highlight the many events and functions that we are engaged in this month,” Thomas said.  “We have hosted courses and functions throughout central Pennsylvania and the activities this month will supplement what COOL has been doing all year.”

Thomas said that “Operation October” will begin with a “Liberty Breakfast” in Bucks County on Saturday, hosted by The Loyal Opposition of Pennsylvania, which counts among its leaders Jennifer Stefano, who is reported to be considering a primary challenge to Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick.

“We have had a number of successful breakfasts this year, and are excited about taking the ‘Liberty Breakfast’ to the Philadelphia metropolitan area,” he said.

COOL will follow up the “Liberty Breakfast” with an intensive weekend course presentation of the “Institute On The Constitution” in Jonestown (Lebanon County) beginning on Friday, October 14 and concluding on Saturday, October 15, and then again the following weekend in Spring Grove (York County).

“We refer to this presentation of the IOTC as a ‘Blitz’ because we have modified the coursework to comply with the busy schedules that so many people have today, and present all of the material in an engaging and fast-paced manner,” Thomas said.

COOL will be concluding “Operation October” by hosting a table at the Non-Partisan Political Faire hosted by the Lebanon 9-12 on October 25.

“We were pretty excited about the opportunity to participate in the Faire this year because it will be a great opportunity to network with a wide variety of people,” said Laurel Lynn Petolicchio, who serves on COOL’s Board.  “When the Lebanon 9-12 approached us about sponsoring a table, we thought this would be a great way to wrap up our October promotion.”

The Jonestown IOTC Blitz is scheduled to take place at Lebanon Area Evangelical Free Church at 600 Shepherd Drive, and the Spring Grove Blitz is set for St. Paul Lutheran Church at 201 S. Main St. in Spring Grove.  Both courses are fee-based and attendance confirmation for the IOTC Blitz sessions is requested to ensure sufficient seating and study material.

Additional information may be secured by contacting 717-228-7524, or by e-mailing COOL directly at reclaimliberty@verizon.net.

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Mark Thomas of Cornwall, Chairman of COOL, said that the five-year old organization has arranged for the morning function at the Old Country Buffet, beginning at 8:30 AM.

“We’re very excited about bringing our breakfast to Chester County,” Thomas said.  “We have hosted courses and functions throughout central Pennsylvania but this is the first one we have held in Chester County.”

Thomas said that the Liberty Breakfasts are new for 2011 as they found a number of individuals were interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Constitution but were not able to commit to long term coursework.

“After the successful classes we had last year, COOL’s Board went ahead and approved the use of the breakfast model in order to broaden our access and appeal to the different locations we think would be receptive to our courses and educational approach,” he said.

Carris Kocher, of the Bill of Rights Bicentennial Committee, which, along with Chester County ACTION, is hosting the breakfast, said she personally made arrangements for the breakfast in Downingtown and is looking for a strong turnout.

“This area has a large number of deeply convicted individuals when it comes to the Constitution and how the law should be applied,” Kocher said.  “I really felt the time had come to start combining COOL’s strong educational expertise with the conservative activists in the area.”

Kocher also noted that since 2011 is the 275th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s birth, the breakfast will include a musical tribute to Patrick Henry by Charlie Zahm of Philadelphia,

“Charlie is an outstanding musician with a wealth of musical talent and historical knowledge,” Kocher said. “He is popular at Maritime, Early American and Celtic festivals, and his rich voice is matched only by his masterful guitar playing.”

“Having this tribute to Patrick Henry at this event seemed fitting,” Kocher said, ”as, without Patrick Henry, there would be no Bill of Rights and no First Amendment.”

State Senator Mike Folmer (R-48^th), who serves as a Board member for COOL, attended the first Liberty Breakfast in Palmyra and said he was very pleased with the function.

“I enjoyed the fact that the breakfast allows participants to gain additional knowledge about the Constitution and our Founding documents without feeling pressured to stick to a long term schedule,” Folmer said.  “And for an elected official like myself it is a great time to just catch up with local constituents without having to worry about being the center of attention.”

“Anyone who attends these breakfasts comes out learning something,” he said.

The topic for the Liberty Breakfast scheduled for August 6 will be “The First Amendment” and will feature both a review of the Amendment as well as an open discussion of the critical aspects of it.

The meeting room at the Old Country Buffet has been reserved and breakfast will be served ala carte whereby participants will order and pay for their own meals.  After the meal, the forum will begin, and there is no charge to participate, although donations will be solicited.

Attendance confirmation is requested to ensure sufficient seating in the meeting room, and may be made by contacting Kocher via e-mail at kochercj@verizon.net.  Any other inquiries may be made directly to COOL at 717-228-7524, or by e-mail at reclaimliberty@verizon.net.

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Mark Thomas of Cornwall, Chairman of COOL, said that the five-year old organization has arranged for the morning function at the Old Country Buffet, beginning at 8:00 AM.

“We’re very excited about bringing our breakfast to the Mechanicsburg area,” Thomas said.  “We have hosted courses and functions throughout central Pennsylvania but this is the first one we have held in Mechanicsburg.”

Thomas said that the “Liberty Breakfasts are new for 2011 as they found a number of individuals were interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Constitution but were not able to commit to long term coursework.

“After the successful classes we had last year, COOL’s Board went ahead and approved the use of the breakfast model in order to broaden our access and appeal to the different locations we think would be receptive to our courses and educational approach,” he said.

Kelly Krouch, of Mechanicsburg, and a course instructor for COOL, said she personally made arrangements for the breakfast in Mechanicsburg and is looking for a strong turnout.

“Mechanicsburg has a large number of deeply convicted individuals when it comes to the Constitution and how the law should be applied,” Krouch said.  “I really felt the time had come to start combining COOL’s strong educational expertise with the conservative activists in the area.”

State Senator Mike Folmer, who attended the first Liberty Breakfasts in Palmyra and Manheim, said he was very pleased with the function.

“I enjoy the fact that the breakfast allows participants to gain additional knowledge about the Constitution and our Founding documents without feeling pressured to stick to a long term schedule,” Folmer said.  “And for an elected official like myself it is a great time to just catch up with local constituents without having to worry about being the center of attention.”

“Anyone who attends these breakfasts comes out learning something,” he said.

The topic for the Liberty Breakfast scheduled for June 4 will be “The Second Amendment” and will feature both a review of the Amendment as well as an open discussion of the critical aspects of it.

The meeting room at the Old Country Buffet has been reserved and breakfast will be served ala carte whereby participants will order and pay for their own meals.  After the meal, the forum will begin, and there is no charge to participate, although donations will be solicited.

Attendance confirmation is requested to ensure sufficient seating in the meeting room, and may be made by contacting 717-228-7524, or by e-mailing COOL directly at reclaimliberty@verizon.net.

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“We were excited about hosting this breakfast because it was our first function in Lancaster County,” said Mark Thomas, Chairman of COOL.  “And we were pleased by the response, both in terms of attendance as well as the interest that was expressed by people who were not able to come out.”

“We’re looking forward to having another breakfast in the area again soon,” he said.

With 30 people from across the region in attendance, COOL course instructor Louis Petolicchio directed an interactive, point-by-point review of the first article of the Bill of Rights, emphasizing the definition of words and phrases as intended by the Founding Fathers.

We can only express our heartfelt thanks for the support COOL received this year as we hosted one of the opening workshops entitled “Fundamentals of the U.S. Constitution.” We had been advised shortly before the presentation that the PLC was anticipating about 40 people to attend, but a final count at the end of the morning found that more than 130 people had sat in on the workshop – one of the largest ever held at the PLC!

In addition, just like last year, COOL had the largest contingent present, with five reserved tables and one overflow table at the annual dinner. And, if it may be said, COOL had the finest display table in the entire showroom with books, t-shirts, buttons and various other items available for purchase.

The 2012 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference has already been scheduled for March 23 and 24, so make plans now to join COOL for what will be yet another exciting event.

If you have taken any of COOL’s courses in the past, then you know that our presentations are both informative and entertaining, and our first breakfast in Lancaster County is sure to continue to build on that reputation.

For breakfast, participants can order off of the menu and pay for their meal and gratuity as they see fit; the Grill has a large meeting room which will serve to accommodate our meal and the presentation.

Please let us know of your interest to attend so we can advise the restaurant for sufficient seating.

We hope you can joy us for a great time.

Why not consider joining us on April 8 & 9 in Harrisburg?  COOL will be bundling registrations and checks to provide to the PLC so we can secure a sufficient number of tables for those who will be attending with us.

To register for the “COOL PLC 2011″, simply complete the registration form and send it with payment to us; we will then provide a final total to the PLC.  And we will look forward to seeing you in April!

If you have already registered directly with the PLC but want to be a part of the COOL contingent, go ahead and completed the COOL registration form and simply check the box that you have registered directly with the PLC.  Arrangements have been made with the PLC to secure sufficient tables for anyone who is associated with COOL.

Mark Thomas, Chairman for COOL, said he was shocked that the educational group was being considered a terror threat to the Commonwealth.

“It is stunning that some obscure group included COOL in its report,” Thomas said. “Our objective and primary focus is, and always has been, educating the people of Pennsylvania about the principles our country was founded on.”

“If teaching the Constitution is now considered terrorist activity, then I guess we’re guilty as charged,” he said. “But at least we’re in good company – like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin.”

State Senator Mike Folmer, one of the original organizers of COOL and a current Board member, expressed frustration when he learned that the group had been included in the report.

“I’m really not happy about this,” Folmer said. “We have a governor who has spent our state into near bankruptcy, who has driven countless businesses out of the state, and who is forever trying to take more out of the taxpayers wallet – and now we learn that he used public money to finance a report that attacks people who are trying to educate citizens about the very document he swore to uphold and defend.”

“This is not a Republican thing or a Democrat thing, it is a liberty thing,” he said. “When law abiding citizens become the target of suspicious government because the people in government don’t like what they are saying, then the 1st Amendment is in greater jeopardy than we realize.”

Folmer said he intends to help push for legislative hearings to find out exactly who authorized the ITRR report and how ITRR was designated to complete the report.

Louis Petolicchio, who serves as a course instructor for COOL, said he found the inclusion of the group in the ITRR report ironic since COOL had nothing to do with the activity which was deemed as ‘terrorist.’

“According to the report, COOL was sponsoring the 2nd Annual State Capitol Taxpayers’ Protest in Harrisburg on June 8 of this year,” he noted. “Problem is that COOL had nothing to do with that rally as it was organized by State Representative Darryl Metcalfe.”

According to published reports, Metcalfe, a lawmaker from western Pennsylvania, has demanded that Governor Ed Rendell explain why the taxpayer rally was included on the bulletin intended to identify terror threats.

“What’s most disturbing about this report is the sloppy research that went into it on the part of the ITRR,” Petolicchio said. “They completely screwed up the parties involved on this particular item in their report.”

“And, if they couldn’t get their facts straight on this ‘threat’, then what else did they screw up in their report,” he asked.

“It is amazing that the ITRR managed to do enough research to quote the COOL website which makes it very clear that we teach the constitution as the rule of law but then completely muddled the facts about the rally and proceeded to identify COOL as a threat,” Petolicchio added. “The two questions now are how do they correct the mess they have made and why are our tax dollars funding such incompetence.”

Mark Thomas of Cornwall Borough was unanimously selected to serve as Chairman, and Jeff Griffith of Lebanon was elected Vice-Chairman, while Greg Keiper was chosen to serve as Treasurer and Sandy Miller as Secretary.

“I am really looking forward to working in this leadership role with COOL in the next couple of years,” Thomas said.  “We experienced significant growth in 2009, and with the increasing number of requests for classes from across the state, we expect to see continued growth and interest in the next year.”

“More and more people from all walks of life are concerned about the direction our country and state are taking in terms of the rule of law and the Constitution, and they want to learn more about the Founding Fathers and what they originally intended for this nation,” he said.

Griffith said that he looks forward to seeing COOL further its role in educating the freedom loving citizens of Pennsylvania.

“With the renewed energy for grassroots activism in our state, COOL provides the opportunity to know the Founding Fathers thoughts and beliefs as they crafted our government,” he said.  I expect the upcoming elections in 2010 will be shaped around the original intent of the Founders, not by the revisionists of the last 80 years.”

State Senator Mike Folmer, who served as the original chairman of COOL, was re-elected to serve on the Board of COOL, as was Herb Braden of Lebanon.  Julia Neumyer of Harrisburg and Robert Courtright of Manheim were also elected to serve on the Board.

“I’m looking forward to working with COOL in 2010,” Folmer said.  “I really feel that the next year will be critical to the American people in understanding where their Constitution came from and what it really means, versus what politicians tell us it means.”

“Our Constitution is a great document, and the freedoms we hold dear must be taught to our children,” he said. “If we don’t understand our rights and work to preserve them, then we are destined to lose them.”

Neumyer noted that John Adams argued that children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.

“Men like Adams spoke the truth and I look forward to working with the Board of COOL in educating the people of Pennsylvania about the truth of the foundations of our liberty so that we will not be the generation that loses our liberty,” she said.

Courtright said he was honored to be involved with people committed to preserving liberty in Pennsylvania and “look forward to helping COOL in service to the citizens of this Commonwealth.”

Braden, recognized as COOL’s parliamentarian, noted that numerous course participants have been energized to take a more active role in community and civic roles.

“A little publicized accomplishment of COOL is its preparation of leaders for government and civic activities,” Braden said.  “Members who have completed coursework offered by COOL are active in the Tea Party movement, Citizens’ Caucus, 912 Groups, the Commonwealth Foundation and local and state elected office.”

Laurel Lynn Petolicchio of Jackson Township, who served as Chairman for 2009, was excited about the increasingly broad appeal of COOL throughout the state.

“Our membership has expanded into much of south-central Pennsylvania, and we have been receiving inquiries about hosting courses in the Pittsburgh, Erie, McKean County, and the five-county area of Philadelphia,” she said.  “Between our continued presence at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, the five motor-coach trip to Washington on September 12, and the nomination of our past Chairman for the annual Bill of Rights Award last year, COOL’s reputation as a leading advocate of historic and genuine constitutional principles is continuing to grow.”

COOL is a conservative, non-partisan political action committee registered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and membership is open to everyone regardless of political affiliation for an annual fee of $15 per person or $25 per household, subject to approval by the Board.  COOL can be contacted at 717-228-7524 or at their website: www.ReclaimLiberty.com.