At least 100 people gathered in front of the Greene County Courthouse on Thursday evening to thank area veterans for their service and rail against spiraling federal government spending, "government-run healthcare" and "intrusion" by Washington officials.

The 5:30 p.m. "Veterans Day Tea Party Rally," which was hosted by the Greeneville Tea Party Group and local "Project 912" members, featured a mixture of often hot rhetoric, praise for veterans and the powerful singing of baritone David Teague.

The Tea Party initiative is "a grassroots, non-partisan effort to bring attention to the excess spending and taxation, and increased control by our national government," according to a Tea Party announcement.

The 912 Project, according to a flyer distributed during Thursday's event, "is a civic-minded, non-partisan movement whose members meet the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at the Food Bank building at 107 North Cutler Street in Greeneville."

The organization, according to the flyer is dedicated to "reclaiming our sovereignty as a nation and restoring America's constitution."

A posting on the GreenevilleTN.net Web site that invited local residents to attend the event said, "Protest signs are encouraged; please keep in mind this is a family oriented event. Participate and show your concerns about the way our country is being run."

A number of protest signs were carried by those in attendance. Among them was one that said: "Our Constitution is on life support. Don't let Obama pull the plug."

Others thanked veterans for the their service and opposed "government run healthcare."

The 5:30 p.m. event began with a welcome and acknowledgment of veterans from Leah Moore, a leader of the Greeneville Tea Party group.

Following Moore's welcome message, Jim Teague, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, delivered the invocation and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

David Teague, Jim Teague's son, then sang the national anthem in a powerful, baritone voice that one audience member later said "could start a revolution."

Leah Moore then returned to the lectern that had been set up on the courthouse steps to deliver the first of three speeches that came before keynote speaker Lt. Col. (retired) John Cox delivered the keynote address.

"I'm going to fire you up now," Moore said before she began her remarks.

She then decried the treatment of Tea Party members by politicians and the news media.

"We live in a country where our politicians and the news media distort and confuse patriotism with racism," she said.

"Every day, hard-working Americans are being labeled racists, radicals, Nazis, terrorists and evil-mongers because we have chosen to stand up against out-of-control government bureaucracy and spending," Moore said.

She said that Tea Party activists and others had voiced their objections to lawmakers but had only "been called names" in response.

"They call us radicals because we refuse to toe the line of the socialistic policies they are forcing upon us," she declared.

Moore said that although Tea Party activists had vigorously opposed government bailouts of big business during the Bush Administration, they were being labeled racists for doing the same thing during the Obama administration.

"We are called 'ignorant' and 'confrontational' because we realize that running up a $1.3 trillion deficit in a [single] fiscal year does not stimulate our economy," she said. "It just drives up our debt to foreign lenders."

Marty Copelin, of the local 912 Project, spoke next.

She urged those present to band together to work for change.

"The 912 Project is designed to bring us back to where we were on Sept. 12, 2001 [the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon]," she said. "We weren't obsessed with red states and blue states. We were united as Americans."

Next, Ted Hensley, a local Realtor, addressed the audience from what he termed "a businessman's perspective."

Hensley began his remarks by noting that he was not "anti-government."

"Government is necessary," he said. "And the government we need is a limited form of government as this country was designed. A constitutional government."

He noted that the federal government was formed to "promote the general welfare, provide for the common defense and education."

Hensley said he found it odd that President Obama was trying to direct the activities of businesses "without ever having held a job in his life."

Government, he said, should be run as would a business.

John Cox, a retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. who is a Greene County commissioner, was the last speaker to take the platform.

People, he said, have a right to speak up to the government and have their views heard.

He noted that he was pleased to see local people doing just that.

"I'm so pleased that you are getting involved and putting boots on the ground," Cox told the audience.

"Someone told me once, and I took it to heart, never complain about anything that you're not willing to help fix.

"I encourage all of you to get involved in the local political party of your choice and work to find and support candidates who will support your views," Cox said.

"The silent majority has been awakened," Cox said. "Boots are being put on the ground. The message is, we're fed up with your way of government. We're mad as hell and we're not taking it anymore."

After the speeches, the audience listened as David Teague sang "Oh, Men of God Arise" and joined him in singing "God Bless the USA" as they held aloft lighted candles.