AUGUSTA, GA - For the past six months, Augusta has increasingly become a site for some demonstrative political activity. The most recent rally, called the “Stop Obama Care (SOC) Rally” on Sept. 3, opposed the Democratic proposals for changing the way Americans look at health care.

This rally was organized by local retailer Billy Jackson in an effort to keep pressure on Congress and President Barack Obama over the reform debate on health care and health insurance.

Jackson encouraged attendeesto bring socks that would be mailed to Democrats in Congress,particularly the moderate “Blue Dog” Democrats, to express opposition in a tangible way.

“The town rallies were going to fizzle out,” Jackson said. “So many folks talking, and nobody knows what to do, but we had to dosomething. This affects our nation so greatly. It is beyond politics.”

The ire, of course, is directed at HR 3200, the bill that is the flagship legislation for Congress in the effort to change the way Americans’ medical services are controlled.

“There is something in thisbill for everyone to dislike,”Jackson explained. This aspectwas expounded on by Congressman Phil Gingrey, who called HR 3200 “a monstrosity.”

Gingrey was the second ofthree congressmen to speak, flanked by Congressman Paul Broun and Congressman Nathan Deal, each of whom were invited due to their health care credentials: Broun and Gingrey are both medical doctors, and Deal is the ranking Republican on the Health and Energy Committee, which has jurisdiction over this bill.

Gingrey is also on that committee; all three are Republicans.

Visitors filled about half of the Jessye Norman Amphitheater, including Mary Ann Mancuso of Grovetown, who explained her motivation for coming simply as, “We want to stop Obama Care.”

The majority of the members of the audience echoed the same sentiment, summed up by Ray Brees of Evans when he said, “I’m opposed to all this health care this government is doing. I don’t want the public option; I don’t want the government running anything. The government is lying about what they’re going to do. They lie about how mucheverything is going to cost.”There was a small contingent of opposition as well. Rev. Larry Fryer of Augusta explained, “I wanted to support the health care program by President Obama and this was on his platform, this was one of the reasons he was elected. I don’t want to make judgments before any final deal is made.”

The volunteers supporting the rally each wore T-shirts with a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson, “A government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have…as government grows, liberty decreases.”

There were other colorful shirts on rally attendees as well; a few standouts challenged the limits of good taste for criticism of a sitting president. One man wore an apparently custom-made shirtaccusing the president of being a “racist prick.” But the overwhelming majority of signage and other displays were pretty consistently targeted at health care, spending issues or the government in general.