All stirred up at Tea Party
Thousands decry health-care plan, stimulus. State senator says 'I want my country back' to cheering crowd
By Linda Golz
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Aug 20, 2009
CUYAHOGA FALLS:
About 7,000 people crowded into Falls River Square Wednesday night for the first Akron Tea Party.
Organizers said it was the largest Ohio Tea Party so far.
Many in the crowd wore patriotic hats and shirts, waved American and ''Don't Tread On Me''flags and carried homemade signs protesting policies in Washington, D.C., and the direction the country is headed in general.
''I was not born in a socialist country, and I will not die in a socialist country,'' Republican state Sen. Tim Grendell of Geauga County said. ''And neither will my children.''
The crowd roared its approval.
He said it is ''all American'' to get involved in government and let politicians know what policy changes voters would like to see.
''It's called the First Amendment,'' Grendell said.
Instead, he charged, the government is trying to keep the people ignorant and apathetic.
Grendell also urged the crowd to support strong states' rights and to protect their freedoms.
''I want my country back,'' he said...