A group of about 150 Mesa County residents cheered as Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert walked up the steps of the old Mesa County Courthouse in Grand Junction, where the group Stand For The Constitution (SFTC) hosted a July 4 “freedom rally” immediately following Grand Junction’s Independence Day parade.
Boebert was expected to ride on the Mesa County Republicans float during the parade, but when she hadn’t appeared by parade time organizers noted that she had been at a Trump rally in Sarasota, Florida , the night before and might be late. Rally goers gathered on the courthouse lawn as they waited for Boebert to appear, enduring triple-digit temperatures and listening to various speakers.
Wearing jeans, a white tank top, red stiletto high heels, and a red hat that said “Save America” — along with her trademark holstered firearm — Boebert made a commanding presence as she began to speak.
Her speech, which was full of God references, started off curiously with a mention of Israel.
“There are two nations created for God’s glory – Israel and the United States of America,” Boebert said. “We stand strongly with Israel.”
She went on to say how she was thinking of the Founding Fathers that morning and how they “dared to go against the King of England. They had faith in God and each other,” she said.
“We will not back down until we have everything God has promised us,” Boebert said. “We are an army for everything that Jesus has purchased for us and our children, and our children’s children.
“It’s not a coincidence that Independence Day is on a Sunday this year.”
She went on to say how it’s easy to complain about what the enemy is doing, and admonished the crowd “today [to] put a guard over your mouth when you’re tempted to agree with the enemy.”
Boebert made a few mentions of former President Donald Trump, including her most recent trip to the border in June.
“I went with who is still leading this nation, and so then suddenly [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] decides to go herself,” she said.
She mentioned joining Trump last year for the Fourth of July celebrations in South Dakota. She also told a story how she recently told him he “looked good” and hadn’t aged 20 years like most presidents when they leave office.
“That is the anointment of God,” she said.
Regarding President Joe Biden, whom she did not refer to by name, Boebert said he’s not in charge.
“God is on the throne,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who is President; we serve the almighty King. Trump has not given up and he will not give up.”
RELATED: Boebert Says Her Election Was a ‘Sign’ From God
Jim Drummond, a U.S. military veteran from Grand Junction, was one of many who posed with Boebert afterward for a photo. He said he has been an early supporter of Boebert.
“It was an amazing speech,” he said.
Grand Junction resident Richard Gunst, who wore a Trump 2020 hat, is also a fan.
“We’ve been with her all along,” he said. “We ate at her place all the time when we had a company in Rifle. [Boebert owns Shooters Grill in the town of Rifle, roughly 60 miles east of Grand Junction.] “I had no idea the woman serving us would be the same woman serving us [in Congress] not in the restaurant. I’m so proud of her. She’s easy to understand and clear-spoken.”
Afterward, as she mingled and posed for photos, Boebert was asked if she was in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She responded,“Who are you with?” before turning away and refusing to answer, saying, “I have to talk to these people.”
According to AARP, all ACA plans are required to cover emergency services and hospitalization due to COVID-19. Policyholders, however, may have out-of-pocket costs from coronavirus-related care, depending on their individual plans and any copayment and cost-sharing responsibilities.
Mesa County Health Department has stated that the highly contagious India variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Mesa County, where the vaccination rate has remained low, around 41%. At the same time the city’s two hospitals have operated at capacity off and on for weeks.
Other speakers at the rally included Jacquelyn Anderson, a close friend of Boebert’s who also serves as first vice-chair of the Mesa County Republican Party; Mesa County commissioner candidate Bobbie Daniel; self-described freedom fighter Pamela Chapman; and Tom Keenan, president of Stand For The Constitution, (SFTC), the same group that has been petitioning Mesa County’s Republican Commissioners for weeks to adopt a resolution declaring Mesa County a Constitutional Sanctuary. The commissioners declined the request at the June 28 meeting.
Keenan, who said he was an educator for 20 years, told the crowd that if you believe in God and the Constitution you are welcome to join SFTC, which meets weekly at a local church.
He complained about schools “rewriting history” and that the Critical Race Theory tells people that “if they are white they are racists and should feel bad about themselves.” Critical Race Theory is actually an academic concept that racism is not merely individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.
“We want to improve leadership in Mesa County to what it used to be,” before the community veered “away from moral character,” Keenan said.
“It’s time for us to fight as warriors,” he said. “This is a war. It’s no longer about Democrats and Republicans. It’s about good and evil replacing what we believe in in this country.”
