Thread: Residents fed up with illegal immigration take it to streets

TEA Party protesters

Area residents fed up with illegal immigration take it to the street

By TONY REID - H&R Staff Writer
Monday, November 16, 2009 6:00 am



DECATUR - There was no tea but plenty of cold water Sunday afternoon as TEA Party protesters braved a steady rain to march silently through downtown Decatur to protest illegal immigration.

The event was organized by Restore Our Constitution, which calls itself the "Decatur TEA Party Group, with TEA standing for "Taxed Enough Already."

Members say the TEA Party is a grass-roots movement composed of people who want low taxes, limited government and those in government to follow the Constitution. The group says one of the few things the Constitution does empower the national government to do is to protect the nation's borders, and it claims that is not being done effectively, leading to a flood of illegal immigrants.

Robert Moon, a regional coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, a national body that assists local organizers, says America must not put up with illegal immigrants who compete for jobs and resources with citizens and legal immigrants. "We're just saying we're in such dire shape economically that we can't afford to have 15 million uneducated poor people in this country bottoming out our wages and taking our jobs," said Moon, 33, who lives in Forsyth.

Preparing to lead the march at the head of about 50 people who ignored the rain, Moon wore a sign around his neck saying "You Lie" in bold letters. This was a reference to the controversial words Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted at President Obama, who had denied proposed health care reform would cover illegal immigrants.

TEA Party members had been in Springfield on Saturday to protest what they call "Obama Care," and Moon says he doesn't believe the president, either, claiming health care reform will give illegal immigrants another way to drain American tax dollars.

"Joe Wilson was excoriated for yelling out ‘You Lie!' and I thought he was a hero for saying it," he added.

Most of the people marching with Moon were his age or older, but not all of them. Chelsea Peters, 16, lives in Decatur and says some people her age are worried about the effects of illegal immigration on the future of their country. "I have a friend who wished she could have come out here today, and she is like ‘Good for you,' " Chelsea said.

"We're concerned that illegal immigrants are taking away jobs."

treid@herald-review.com 421-7977

THE NET

To find out more about Restore Our Constitution and the TEA Party movement, go to www.roc-usa.net

http://www.herald-review.com/news/local ... 002e0.html

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Thank-you Decatur Tea Partiers for marching, even in the rain.

There are alot of teenagers, especially new voters, who have the same concerns. We just don't see or hear much about them since they are harassed by the PC crowd when they do speak out. They will make a difference on election day.

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God Bless our brave Decatur patriots.

Good to see Americans out in force all across the nation. Thank you to those in Decatur.

Psalm 139:14