Putting the tea back in politics

Channeling the revolutionary spirit, about 4,000 Texans showed up to the West Texas tea party that was hosted by the Odessa tea party.

Overcast skies couldn’t keep people from around West Texas from making the trek to Odessa for the gathering. Odessa tea party president Elizabeth Wooldridge said people came from as far away as north of Lubbock to San Angelo and everywhere in between.

"We’re bringing all the small towns together in West Texas so we can share information," Wooldridge said. "We’re just getting everybody together."

Wooldridge said it’s a place for people to come and share a common voice.

"They’re watching TV and they’re frustrated," Wooldridge said. "(Here) They know they are not alone … this gives them a place to yell."

Wooldridge said this tea party was in support of Texans who couldn’t make it to the rally in Washington, D.C. Tens of thousands of protesters fed up with government spending marched to the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, showing their disdain for the president’s health care plan. The line of protesters clogged several blocks near the capitol, according to the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Demonstrators chanted "enough, enough" and "We the People." Others yelled "You lie, you lie!"

The West Texas group was more subdued, but Wooldridge said the Odessa tea party hired additional security in case any protestors of the tea party became an issue.

Houston-based organization Raging Elephants attended the West Texas tea party. Founder and Chairman Apostle Claver T. Kamau-Imani, who also spoke at the rally, said the organization’s mission is to "penetrate the community of color" to rejuvenate the conservative-libertarian cause by promoting racial diversity. Kamau-Imani said there has been a major disconnect between the GOP and people of color.

"Citizens of color are quite conservative in their values," Kamau-Imani said. "We want to educate them to vote their values, not their color …we want to diversify the ballot."

Kamau-Imani said Ranging Elephants hopes to repair the disconnect and to help communities of color realize that the conservative platform is more suiting to their values.

Bestselling author of "Where Did My America Go?" Michael Solomon was the keynote speaker at the event said he was invited to speak in Washington but declined to come to West Texas. Solomon urged people to get involved in government.

As the national anthem played and citizens settled in for the speakers and music acts, Odessa resident Carrol VanCleave held his sign and reflected on why he came to the rally, his first.

"I’m here to express my support for the people who are sick and tired of the way this country is being run. If we don’t stand up for America, I don’t know who will."