In Defense of Liberty

Now that I’m over the shock and awe of my removal from the Georgia Tea Party, I’d like to go over the charges by the Board of Directors for my removal.  These charges challenge my integrity and reputation and for that reason, I cannot let them go unanswered.  The following is my rebuttal and links to corroborating sources of information.    For the last 3 years I have been an active participant in the tea party movement.  I was one of the co-founders and served on the board of directors for the Georgia Tea Party up till April 15, 2012.  Fitting day, as it was 3 years ago exactly that I along with approximately 20,000 Georgia citizens attended one of the largest Tax Day Tea Party rallies in the country in Atlanta.

On April 15, 2012, I was removed from that Board for a number of charges which can be seen on this original resolution:
GTPI Resolution – Field Searcy.  I did manage to get the Board to strike certain clauses but even if you include those charges, most all appear to be an attempt to censure free thought, stifle honest debate and control the sharing of information.  The GTPI Board indicated that my activities “are not overt, easily identifiable, or readily observable”.  Further, the Board said such actions “were subversive to Georgia Tea Party’s principles and mission” and “have tarnished the reputation we have worked hard to build and discouraged some volunteers from participating in the activities of the Georgia Tea Party”.  Just what is the board saying here?  Is this based on rumor, guessing, or just a feeling?  They have not produced any volunteers that say they were discouraged from participating.  Charges should be based on fact, not some vague innuendo of what might be happening.

This really boils down to prestige, power, and control.  Let’s not ruffle any feathers versus challenging ourselves over what are acceptable established sources of information.  I would challenge anyone to document that I have acted in a manner that was inappropriate or subversive.  I believe the highest law is following the Golden Rule.  I have tried to address each person with a level of dignity and respect. Just because I listen to both mainstream and alternative news sources and share this information is not cause for termination. The whole process of scientific inquiry is to stretch the boundaries of knowledge.  To even insinuate that I’ve done anything to embarrass the board is an atrocity.  I have to defend my integrity against an organization that I love and was a co-founding member of.  It seems that even the Georgia Tea Party Board only believes in individual freedom as long as it falls within their thoughts and desires.

Let’s get into the details of the allegations brought against me:

1) “Discussing topics during volunteer meetings not generally agreed upon by the Board such as so-called “birther” and “truther” theories.” Some of our more controversial conversations occurred at the Marietta Diner after the tea party meetings had adjourned.  Meeting at the diner has been a practice since the founding of our group as a place to fellowship, share, discuss, and debate any topics that might be on our mind. I was able to get the Board to strike this allegation but it stems from the following which have received scant or non-existent coverage from the establishment media:

• Regarding the “birther” comments, this was after I played the CSPAN video of Senator Sessions and Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta where the Obama Admin cites ‘Int’l Permission,’ Not Congress, As ‘Legal Basis’ For Action in Syria.  Subsequently, House Concurrent Resolution 107 was read which expresses the sense of Congress that the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution.  This was in response to military action in Libya last year where the Obama Admin sent a letter to Speaker Boehner that it had authority for the action from the U.N.  A discussion ensued among the volunteers about impeachment and reasons why it could be undertaken. One of the points brought up by another Board member was the Georgia Ballot Challenge case brought by David Welden regarding “Natural Born Citizenship”  and I mentioned that Sheriff Arpaio’s forensic team had recently determined that the birth certificate posted on the White House website was a forgery.  Since then, an Obama Lawyer Admits Forgery but disregards “image” as Indication of Obama’s Ineligibility Damage Control.
• Regarding the “truther” comments, I am sure that this was never discussed to the volunteer body as a whole but may have been discussed privately with individual volunteers.  I don’t remember specific details of any discussions or incident/s but more than likely it centered around uncertainties about the official story and questions about the collapse of a third WTC Building 7, which was not hit by a plane but fell at free fall speed supposedly from fires.  There are also questions about foreknowledge of this collapse as BBC Reported Building 7 Collapse 20 Minutes Before It Fell.

2)     “Offering for sale publications and/or merchandise not approved by the Board alongside official Georgia Tea Party merchandise, creating an impression of acceptance and approval on the part of the Board.”  This was the result of some extra copies of Whistleblower and Republic magazines which we made available to the volunteers.  An announcement was made to the volunteers with permission that these materials were not GTP approved but that we felt they would be educational to the volunteers.

3)    “The use of official Georgia Tea Party email communications to promote events and topics not discussed or approved by the Board, sometimes in substitution for regular Georgia Tea Party communications.”  I have been sending the weekly email communications for GTP for the last 3 years, not always getting one out every week.  You can see all of the emails sent over the last 3 years here.  In any case, most all of the content sent in those 3 years was never approved by the Board.  There was an incident in March where I sent a dedicated email promoting a gathering of other tea party groups and concerned citizens working on challenging the Georgia Transportation Investment Act Referendum coming up July 31^st.  This transportation act will have major taxation and spending implications for Metro Atlanta citizens for decades to come which is one of the key areas of focus for the Georgia Tea Party, see the mission statement, statement of purposes, and operating standards. The main objection here is that the GTPI Board does not want to work with other tea party coalitions.

4)    “Attempting to gain Board approval for the distribution of documents which upon even the most cursory inspection clearly advocate for selecting candidates for public office to the detriment of all others.”  This charge results from a Presidential Voter Guide produced by a tea party in New England.  The guide had extensive links, sources and references on a number of candidate issues.  I had not deeply reviewed the guide but thought it was worth bringing to the attention of the Board to see if we could make it available to our volunteers.  This proposal was rejected by the Board, but in no way was it suggested by me in a ‘subversive’ manner.  The Board agreed to strike this from the Resolution of charges against me.

5)     “Advocating for policies and procedures not only in Board meetings, but directly to volunteers, that would subject Georgia Tea Party to mob rule and eventual takeover from outside forces that do not share Georgia Tea Party’s philosophy or mission.” Well, this statement is partially true.  I did advocate for more control of the Board by volunteers by having open Board positions as well as an Advisory Board filled by persons voted on by the volunteers.  However, I disagree that this would result in mob rule.  My aim with this policy was to give the volunteers a bigger voice in the direction of the Georgia Tea Party.  I have been repeatedly reminded by other board members that volunteers are NOT members of GTP and that GTP is NOT a democracy.  How does that make you feel?

6)   “Actively promoting issues and beliefs derived from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.  It is the opinion of the board that Mr. Jones is not a creditable source, and that he deceives listeners for the purpose of selling his wares.  Field’s activities in this regard include distributing Mr. Jones’ materials as well as linking to his websites through the Georgia Tea Party Facebook account.”  First of all, I’d like to clarify that Mr. Jones makes all of his audio and video content available for free over the Internet.  He’s doing nothing more than Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh when they promote their wares. There is no shame in free market capitalism. The InfoWars website is a news aggregator with content from many alternative and traditional sourcres.  In addition, the Alex Jones Show has daily guests from all across the political spectrum with many varying points of view. The only GTP Facebook post that I know of that linked to the www.infowars.com website was the article Virginia House Passes NDAA Nullification 94-6-4.  If you are not familiar with H.R. 1540 National Defense Authorization Act, this act was signed into law by the Administration on New Year’s Eve.  Many legal scholars have concluded that the provisions of the law allow the federal government to arrest and detain U.S. citizens without ‘due process’ until the ‘end of hostilities’ on the order of the Executive Branch.  This article detailed a move by the Virginia House of Delegates that was completely ignored by the establishment media.  That particular post has since been removed from Facebook.  The only Alex Jones material that I distributed were copies of Fall of the Republic and Don’t Tread on Me, which I have been making available for about 2 years.  In fact, the Don’t Tread on Me documentary was previewed in my home with several board members and subsquently shown to the all volunteers at one of the GTP meetings.  Now suddenly, there are issues with this activity?

Up until being removed from the board, at no time did any board member or volunteer approach me with concerns or reasons not to openly discuss or share any information.  So, what here has discouraged the volunteers?  What has damaged the reputation and good name of the Georgia Tea Party? What here is subversive or tarnishes the reputation of the Georgia Tea Party?  Is there anything here that you have not thought about, considered or questioned?  I make it a point to listen to a variety of sources of information such as Alex Jones, Glen Beck, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and George Noori.  In addition, I try to read a variety of mainstream and alternative news sources to seek the truth.  So many of the constitutional violations and egregious actions by government are being completely ignored by the mainstream establishment media.  It is incumbant upon all of us to seek out alternative sources of information through independent investigation and decide for ourselves what is true and what is not.  We must highlight the corruption and deceit either by commission or ommission, if we are ever going to be able to hold government accountable.

This action by the Board cannot take away the pride I feel for all of the good things the Georgia Tea Party has been able to accomplish over the last 3 years.  The mission of the GTP is “to impact public policy by teaching all who seek to learn the principles and spirit of individual liberty and constitutionally limited self-government”.  We’ve encouraged citizens to be actively involved in their local, state and federal government.  From holding weekly volunteer meetings, to rallies, to special sessions with their elected representatives, the Georgia Tea Party is one of the more organized and stronger tea party groups in the country.

GTPI has been at the forefront of educating citizens about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  In fact, recently, one of the most exciting initiatives has been The Marietta Declaration, which seeks to enumerate government abuses of authority that have incrementally diminished the very principles upon which our nation was founded.

The Marietta Declaration “calls on all candidates for the office of President of the United States to support the constitutional role of the Executive as envisioned by our Founding Fathers, and to swear to uphold the Constitution while in office,…”.  Surprisingly, but not unexpected, Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate to sign the document to date.

I will continue to promote liberty, research and seek truth, and provide information to help others learn about current issues facing humanity.  I do believe there is a bright future for mankind if we can become aware of the tyranny that is increasingly being implemented around us.  You can visit my video blog at www.indefenseofliberty.tv for more information on U.N. Agenda 21, the Education System, the Money System, State Sovereignty and Global Governance.

Much appreciation to all the volunteers.  I welcome your comments below.

Sincerely,

Field Searcy