Yumans brave Fourth of July heat for local 'tea party'

Approximately 1,000 people braved the heat on the Fourth of July to attend the Colorado River Tea Party at Britain's Farm. With many of the attendees sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the words, “We're TEA'D OFF,” they enjoyed picnics, barbecue pork sandwiches and plenty of cold soft drinks in the soaring temperatures while listening to speakers on a variety of subjects.

“We want to make people aware of their rights under the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence,” said Howard Blitz, one of the organizers of the event. “Those rights are being eroded every day by our government.”

With KTTI radio personality Jay Walker acting as emcee, speakers spent varying amounts of time outlining their ideas to the audience. Some were extremely brief, such as Ron Stewart, who simply said, “If you're not proactive, you're not part of the solution.”

Others, such as Dr. Constance Uribe, a local surgeon, spoke with great concern about the possible loss of individual freedoms under any of the new proposed health care solutions by Washington. “The government is going to track every detail of your health records. There is $20 billion earmarked in that bill just for tracking software to keep tabs on all your personal health care records. If that passes, you will no longer have any privacy in your health records. The government will know every detail of your life.”

“You'll also get lower quality health care, as doctors will be so busy typing information into their laptops they won't have as much time to spend with their patients,” said Uribe.

“We want people to know about the Declaration of Independence and then actually go out and be independent,” said Blitz. “Tell your friends and neighbors to stop asking the government to do everything for them and truly be independent.”

It was also possible to sign a copy of the Declaration of Independence, which organizers said will be sent to various levels of government, including Congress.

Between speakers, entertainment was provided by the band Highway 61 and food donations were solicited for local community food banks.

“If you want this day's events summed up in just one word,” said Howard Blitz, “it would be education.”