A massive taxpayer march on Washington, D.C. drew Georgia participants, some in very visible roles during the event Saturday. In fact, marchers from Georgia led the procession from Freedom Plaza down Pennsylvania Avenue a mile-and-a-half to the Capitol. More than 200 participants from Cobb County attended the march in Washington, along with perhaps as many as 2,000 others from across the state of Georgia.

Patti Gettinger, vice chair of the Cobb County-based Georgia Tea Party, Inc., attended the march along with her husband, Gerry. The Gettingers enthusiasm and commitment to the cause was a common bond they experienced with many others who marched in Washington. Patti Gettinger described her thoughts:

There were no “strangers” the entire weekend; we were all American neighbors united together to stop reckless spending in Washington, to stop the total disregard for the Constitution, and to stop the erosion of our freedom. We became an extended family, getting acquainted, hugging each other and giving encouragement…as if we were at a family reunion.

On Saturday, the day of the march, the Gettingers left their hotel early, so as not to miss anything. It was a good thing they did. The march down Pennsylvania Avenue began an hour earlier than expected. Patti said, “My guess is that the crowd was too large to stay at Freedom Plaza.”

The walk to the Capitol was quite orderly and no major incidents were reported. It was a well-behaved crowd. Marchers heard reports that trains in the Metro system were jammed with people trying to get to the Capitol and that roads in the area had been closed to heavy traffic.

The rally on the west lawn of the Capitol featured speakers such as grassroots leader Debbie Dooley from Atlanta, one of the organizers of the April 15th Tax Day Tea Party at the Georgia Capitol. Congressman Tom Price (R-Roswell) of Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District addressed the crowd, as did State Representative Tom Graves (R-Ranger). Graves, who is also a candidate for Congress in Georgia’s Ninth District, told the crowd, “We will demand that the government empower the patriots and not the politicians anymore.”

Enthusiastic applause and cheers greeted Graves’ comments. He didn’t have to convince this crowd. They were true believers in limiting the power of the federal government. This theme was consistent throughout the day.

Patti Gettinger, who was in contact via Blackberry with several friends, eventually lost her connection. It seems that a lot of folks had similar ideas and that the airwaves were jammed with people trying to talk or transmit messages.

“People were texting, twittering, sending photos, posting to Facebook, calling friends and family, so I wasn’t surprised, just disappointed my outside link was gone!” exlcaimed Gettinger.

Gettinger relates what happened when the attendance numbers were announced from the stage:

Attendance exceeded everyone’s expectations. Mid-afternoon it was announced at the rally that the National Park Service estimated attendance at 2.1 million. The cheer that rose from the crowd was deafening. Folks rose to their feet, jumped for joy, hugged their neighbors; some wept, some thanked God. At that moment, we realized that America was truly awakening to the threat to our nation, and that together we could stop that threat.

Gettinger is convinced that every time Congress spends more money on wasteful new programs more patriots will join the tea party movement. She believes that criticism and insults directed at these citizens only stiffens their resolve to change what is going on in our government. And she believes that the 2010 elections will dramatically change the Congress.