Adorned in the colors of the American flag, Bill Veazey sat quietly in a chair outside a closed grocery store on Quintard Avenue.

In his right hand was a handmade sign featuring a caricature of President Barack Obama and writing demanding the country move away from socialism.

Veazey had never protested before, but then again, he said he had never been so worried about his country.

“It’s about the only thing I can do,” Veazey said. “I don’t like what’s going on. The people in power are re-writing the Constitution.”

Veazey of Anniston was one of around 200 people who poured into the city Thursday to attend a tea party event, hosted by the Birmingham-based tea party group, the Rainy Day Patriots.

“This is not the military militia in the west … we’re not those people,” Veazey said. “We’re your next-door neighbors.”

During the event, which featured guest speakers from the community, attendees with various homemade signs lined up alongside Quintard Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets. Many motorists who drove by honked their horns.

Carrie Poole of Jacksonville carried a small sign that promoted the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service.

“I think there is a fairer way of being taxed, be it a fairer tax or a flat tax,” Poole said. “Granted, we must have someone to administer what we have, but there must be a less-expensive way of doing it. Smaller government is better government.”

Like other tea parties held across the country since the movement began a year ago, Anniston’s event focused on various grievances with the government, the supposed liberal bias of the media and the nation’s rising debt.

“Unfortunately the truth is, most of the media is not going to talk about the real situation,” Veazey said. “We’ve got laws being made by the Supreme Court. “What (the government) is doing is setting us up for socialism … when we’re having a government takeover of businesses and healthcare. It’s just scary.”

William Lester, professor of political science at Jacksonville State University, was the first speaker at the event.

“It would be much, much easier to stay home,” Lester said. “But I can’t, I can’t be silent. We are on the edge of bankrupting the next generation.”

Lester said the founding fathers of the country set up a political system whereby the people could have a revolution, not with bloodshed, but with votes.

“We have a marvelous system where our voices are heard,” he said. “We can change our government in a peaceful way and that’s exactly why we’re here.”

Lester told the crowd that they had to vote into office courageous leaders who understand the current situation.

“If you stand around and just wave signs, if that’s all you do, then all this means absolutely nothing.”

Elois Zeanah, president of the Alabama Federation of Republican Women, also spoke to the audience about the dangers of the country’s rising debt, which is now in the trillions of dollars.

“Our nation today is being forcibly marched to socialism and bankruptcy,” Zeanah said. “Government has many ways to take our liberties and one way is to drown us in debt.”

Zeanah said the government should cut taxes and entitlements such as the government’s recent overhaul of healthcare to help move the country back into prosperity.

Contact staff writer Patrick McCreless at 256-235-3561.