Tea party comes to Odessa

While President Barack Obama was the subject of much of the ire, TEA Party protesters outside Odessa City Hall were hardly towing the Republican party line.

"I don't want big federal government or big local government," speaker Dawn Tucker said. "We're looking for leadership, and who we have in Washington is not providing it."

Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, and Republican U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison took their share of grief from the rally, which was one of hundreds organized across the country on tax day to oppose higher government spending. The events are modeled after the original Boston Tea Party.

Matt Pippen, an 18-year-old Monahans High School debate student, took issue with Conaway's vote in favor of the $700 billion federal Troubled Asset Relief Program last year, as well as taking $12.5 million in earmarks from the $410 billion omnibus bill.

"They are hypocrites that they did not take their earmarks out of their bill," he said of the state's representatives.

The crowd had lukewarm responses to statements from Conaway and Cornyn read during the event.

"Spoken like a true congressman. Throw him out," one attendee said after a speaker stumbled over some of the large words in Conaway's statement.

One Ron Paul supporter even called the Iraq war "an imperialistic march to benefit Blackwater and Halliburton" while addressing the crowd.

But there were plenty of jabs left over for Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress.

"I hope that our politicians will figure out that they are elected to represent us," said Merle Miller, who came to the event from Monahans. "We don't want socialism."

A fear of socialism was a recurring theme, along with passing debt on to children and grandchildren - or 26 grandchildren in the case of Donna Ayres of Odessa.

"Not one of them was a punishment, and they don't deserve to be punished in the future," she said. "They're gonna have to pay for all of this if it goes through."

Ayres wore a sign on her back reading, "I'll keep my guns, my Bible, my money. You keep the change."

"We want our freedom back," she said. "We want our country back."

Statements like "I saw it on Fox" were heard around the crowd, which organizers hope will be the first of many in the area. Another TEA Party is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans Memorial near Midland International Airport.

Stephanie Sparkman, one of the organizers of the event, said more than 500 people had registered at the rally. She said she would use their information in helping plan future protests.

"One of these days, I want to march on Washington," she said. "I want these people to come with us."

Speakers tried to get attendees involved by giving out phone numbers to the White House, as well as representatives. Some wasted no time making the calls.

"I'm at a TEA Party in Odessa, Texas, and we're not taking it anymore," a woman said into her cell phone seconds after the numbers were announced.

Jerry Carroll of Odessa said he looks forward to participating in events like the TEA Party in the future.

"We've got to get more people involved," he said. "You've got to build the momentum to get Congress to do things the right way."

Signs displayed at tea party

>> "No more bailouts...Geithner tax cheat."

>> "I'm only 8 already $36,000 in debt."

>> "Taxation with crappy representation."

>> "Stop rewarding failure."

>> "You won the election not the lottery."

>> "Socialism kills!"

>> "Yes we can stop the bailouts."

>> "USSA."

>> "Commander and thief."

>> "Save my grandchildren, Shut down D.C."

>> "Pirates in Washington? Take back our nation."

>> "Party like it's 1773."

>> "See what happens when you give a junior senator a credit card."