Associated Press - November 7, 2009 4:25 PM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Protesters from across Tennessee demanding limited government are sending "pink slips" to their elected officials.

A statewide "Tea Party" at the Capitol on Saturday drew about 1,000 people by organizer's estimates.

Attendees signed pink pieces of paper stating their opposition to government health care, cap and trade legislation, hate crimes laws, UN treaties and more government spending. The pink slips are part of a national effort by like-minded activists.

Vicki Towles, an analyst for FedEx from Memphis, said she was there to protest big government, which she called a "behemoth that oppresses the human spirit."

Cathy Skaggs, a self-employed marketer from Millington, said the goal of the event was to get politicians, whether Republicans, Democrats or Independents, to "wake up."

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