A message to the Tea Party
I woke up this morning from an ominous dream compelling me to write this message.  The voice I heard said “America is in jeopardy”! There is a nascent movement in this country, even around the world calling for change.  They have “Occupied” cities in the U.S. and over 80 countries.  But, do they really know what they want to change to?  I don’t believe this movement is going to go away, nor should it.  It’s seems to be expanding worldwide.

The Tea Party has been protesting for over two years now.  We have actively pursued a redress for our grievances from our elected officials, somewhat to no avail.  Only after the 2010 election was the juggernaut of collectivism slowed down, but in no way has it been stopped.

We have been calling for a return to our founding principles as defined in the Constitution including the Bill of Rights and other amendments.  Hopefully, we have been studying those principles and know the reason why our Constitution is special.  Many countries have a constitution.  What makes ours special is that it protects the rights of the smallest minority, the individual.  It sets up the checks and balances between the branches of government so that we can never be under the tyranny of a dictatorship.  And, it lays the power of this government in the hands of the citizens, the people.

Our founding fathers believed “The power under the Constitution will always be in the people”.  Maybe that’s why the Preamble to the Constitution starts with “We The People” in an extra large font.

For over two years, we have started our Tea Party meetings with a prayer that God will protect our country.  We recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our Republic which ends, “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”, a pledge that is no longer a cherished activity in our schools.   We have studied the Declaration of Independence which proclaims “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.  These are foundational principles that we can all agree on.

America is in jeopardy in many respects because this young group of participants in the “Occupy Movement” have not been taught the fundamental principles of individual liberty and limited government.  They don’t know the difference between a democracy and a republic.

If you believe America has been protected by Providence and has a special role in the world, now is the time to share that knowledge. Else, why are we learning these principles.   We are the foot soldiers of God.  Not in a military sense, but as standard bearers of these foundational principles.  We should arm ourselves with these truths.  We should reach out to the Occupy participants.

NOT to be confrontational.
NOT to get into an argument and be divisive.
But with a spirit of love for freedom and a love for mankind as God has commanded us to have.

We need to find that common ground and unify on those purposes as we continue to engage with them in the arena of ideas.  I think you will find that the number one unifying principle that we can agree on is individual liberty.  We could also probably agree to an end to corporate and government corruption at all levels, an end to the backroom deals of crony capitalism, and an end to our enslavement by an over burdening government debt caused by unending war and unsound monetary and fiscal policies.

We continually ask in our meetings, where are the young people?  We have a few but not like the crowds of younger people that are participating in the Occupy Movement.  Whether we like it or not, they are the next generation.  Soon we will be gone and it’s up to us to pass the torch of liberty.

The Tea Party is the defender of the Constitution, if we don’t teach them, who will?  If not now, when?  Will we allow radical elements to influence them and fundamentally end the Republic?  America is in jeopardy, nay our whole world is in jeopardy.  If liberty dies here where will we go?

In defense of liberty,

Field Searcy
Co-founder and Board Member of the Georgia Tea Party

“It does not take a majority to prevail…but rather an irate, tireless minority , keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” – Samuel Adams