ROME, Ga. - The U.S. needs to ramp up its domestic petroleum production to break the hold of Russia's energy dominance, said U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, in a wide-ranging speech to a crowd of supporters at the Coosa Valley Fairgrounds on Saturday.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Greene blamed President Joe Biden for inaction by not sanctioning Russia during the build-up of troops on Ukraine's border, removing sanctions from a Russian pipeline and continuing to buy Russian oil.
"Now Joe Biden is still having America buy oil from Russia," Greene said. "So essentially Joe Biden is funding Vladimir Putin, the murderer and the thug of Russia. He's funding war."
The rally was billed as a celebration of the Second Amendment and all American freedoms, and Greene was the final speaker among elected officials, gun rights advocates and candidates running for office in Georgia. American flags were worn and waved by the vocal crowd of hundreds.
Greene said the resistance of Democrats to increase domestic energy production puts America last. Not sparing her own Republican party, Greene also criticized Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for a call to assassinate Putin and said the party leadership doesn't deliver when it comes to America-first principles: balancing the federal budget, supporting police, border security and protecting gun rights.
Greene said she was glad to be home in Northwest Georgia and throughout her speech contrasted the values held there against those in the nation's capital.
"Washington D.C., needs to take a lesson from every single one of you, and here's why. Here in Northwest Georgia, we know what matters to all of us, we know what matters to Americans across this country. And that is our faith, our family and our freedoms. And we're not going to lay down to the Democratic communists who want to take those things away from us," Greene said.
Candidate for governor David Perdue said from the stage that Joe Biden took away American energy independence, creating a reliance on foreign - including Russian - oil.
"He enabled Putin to become the murdering thug that he is now," Perdue said.
Referring to the 2020 election, Perdue said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp "sold us out" by not calling a special session of the General Assembly to investigate the 2020 election. He said if he's elected governor, he promises to find out what happened, "make darn sure it never happens again" and create a single-purpose election law enforcement agency.
State officials have insisted the election was sound and have repeatedly debunked concerns of defeated former President Donald Trump, who will be the subject of a grand jury investigation starting May 2 for his efforts to subvert the outcome.
John Lovell, a former Army Ranger and gun instructor with the Warrior Poet Society who spoke Saturday, said freedom is not the natural state of the world and Americans have to work to maintain their rights.
"No one can afford political apathy," he said.
Georgians need to fight to save their state and country, said Jody Hice, who serves with Greene in the U.S. House from Georgia and is running for secretary of state. He said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger failed Georgians by not maintaining election integrity, bringing a chant of "lock him up" from the crowd.
Matt Gaetz, who also serves with Greene in the House from Florida, came out with a fist pump to a standing ovation. He said he was from Florida, the sunshine and "gun-shine" state. He said Georgia needs to clean up elections like Florida did after the 2000 election, when problems with "hanging chads" on ballots left the election results in limbo for some time.
"It was, of course, Rome, Italy, that launched Julius Caesar to go and win battles in the swamps of Gaul, and it seems only fitting that Rome, Georgia, launches Marjorie Taylor Greene to win back the swamps of Washington D.C.," said Gaetz, who is under federal investigation into whether he violated sex trafficking laws or obstructed justice in his relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
Eddie Hines, from Rome, Georgia, said he came out to show his support because he's a big fan of Greene and the Second Amendment. When asked about the atmosphere of the day, he said it was fine, and that the program was a little long, but just long enough.
Tammy Johnson moved from San Diego, California, to Rome recently because of high taxes, expensive housing and policies she didn't like. She said the rally was awesome.
"The message of America first is what we need, and I think America is awaking for the first time. I think a lot of people have had apathy and gone through the motions for the past few years, you know, decade, politically. And now the effects of the policies are affecting their everyday lives," she said, pointing to gas prices she said have increased from about $1.80 to nearly $4 since she's arrived.
Ray Pitman, who lives in Cedartown, Georiga, was dressed head to toe in American flag clothing. Wearing a costume with fake legs that made it look like a tiny Trump was giving him a piggyback ride, he said he came to see Greene, be best-dressed and enjoy the positive crowd.
"It's a really good crowd. It's fun. It's positive energy. So you benefit from the positive energy," he said, comparing it to a self-help seminar. "But this is people who are wanting to make better lives for their children."
Pitman said he's been to five Trump rallies and adds a piece of patriotic clothing to his ensemble every time. He also had a bag of star-spangled accessories for people who wanted to have a photo taken with him.
After her son was shot, point-blank, in the back of the head, broadcaster Lucretia Hughes told the crowd, she became involved with politics to help others avoid tragedy.
"You got a Black man in jail, a Black man in the grave and a Black man being raised without a father," she said.
Education is better than more legislation when it comes to preventing gun tragedies, according to Hughes, who is the host of "Real News with Lucretia Hughes." Her show is about pushing back against the dishonesty of mainstream news, she said, and teaching morality and American values.
Sandy Reno said he and his two friends drove down from Tennessee because Greene is charismatic and says what she believes.
"We love that. We like hearing truth," he said.
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.