Searchlight, Nevada, March 28, 2010 - Stickers with gun references line a table during the first Tea Party Express rally in Searchlight, the hometown of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. With the threats and violence in the wake of the health care vote, the Tea Party has been criticized for escalating the rhetoric. Keynote speaker Sarah Palin during her speech repeated her oft-used line, "Don't retreat, instead reload." Then she asked the media not to misinterpret her statement to... more »
Searchlight, Nevada, March 28, 2010 - Stickers with gun references line a table during the first Tea Party Express rally in Searchlight, the hometown of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. With the threats and violence in the wake of the health care vote, the Tea Party has been criticized for escalating the rhetoric. Keynote speaker Sarah Palin during her speech repeated her oft-used line, "Don't retreat, instead reload." Then she asked the media not to misinterpret her statement to be meant as an incitement to violence. Dubbed the Showdown in Searchlight, the event is located just north of town on private property near Reid's home. The raucous, but peaceful event was expected to draw 5,000 to 10,000 supporters, with actual estimates ranging from 7,000 to 8,000 - though party organizers said the numbers were as high as 13,000. The 20-day tour will wind through the United States ending up in Washington, D.C. on April 15 for a tax day rally. . « less
