As a member of the Tea Party of Gilmer County, I wish to express my opinion regarding the statements in both of the ridiculous diatribes written by the person hiding behind the pseudonym Gladius Veritas. Hopefully those reading this opinion will already understand that Gladius Veritas means “Sword of Truth.” This is also the name of a blog under which this same individual (or individuals) purport to inform the world of “truth” as they see it. In fact a statement on their blog says, “The purpose behind this movement is to not only educate and prepare those willing and wanting to learn , but to purposefully and meaningfully inject truth and value back into our modern society.” The problem here is that the false and vicious accusations made by a supposedly pre-Tea Party activist are far from the truth. Seems the quote from a famous Tom Cruz movie, “You can’t handle the truth,” certainly applies to our veiled hero or heroine, Gladius Veritas.

Veritas has taken up the sword as the self-appointed enlightener who is out to bring truth, justice and the Libertarian way to the uninformed masses of the world. Not that I think there is necessarily anything wrong with true Libertarians, most of whom I feel would be ashamed to be associated with a person so filled with venom that he or she can’t form a sentence that isn’t replete with disdain for anything or anyone who might have an opinion different from his or her own. By the way, there may be some tea party members who are Libertarians but I do not think they would consider that the tea party movement is one that advocates “a libertarian style of government.” What we advocate is a form of government called a republic. After all, that is the type of government the framers formed and out of that formation came our Constitution. Evidence can be found in the “Federalist Papers” and further proof provided by Benjamin Franklin who, upon emerging from the Constitutional Convention of 1787, was asked by a Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

I say to “Veritas,” if you are truly trying to bring to the citizens of Gilmer county what you imply is the truth about the “slimy” tea party movement in general and the Tea Party of Gilmer county and its members in particular, then you would stand up like one unafraid and reveal your true identity, cite specific tea party groups you were involved with, give names of those tea party members or leaders who are dangerous people and give examples of specific acts by those individuals that prove your accusations. But no, I daresay you prefer to hide in the dark shadows of your blog and swing your sword of truth in one hand while typing out with the other hand more vilifying unfounded accusations against the tea party people.

The Tea Party of Gilmer County has been politically active – that is true. But we have a policy of not, as an organization, supporting any candidate running for public office. Of course our individual members may support the candidates of their choice and are free to do so as they mingle with other members and guests at our meetings.

Our true desire is to bring information to the public regarding the issues of the day in the national, state, county and local governments. Our members do their homework and strive to present factual information to the public on those issues. In the past two years, the Tea Party of Gilmer County has sponsored the following activities which were advertised in the Times Courier newspaper and Fetch Your News so that the public would have the opportunity to attend and become informed first hand:
In 2012, we held two BOC candidate debates and a town hall meeting with our two sitting United States senators. In 2013, we held a BOC candidate debate and a state Senatorial candidate debate. We presented speakers including a candidate for State Insurance Commissioner, a candidate for US Senator and Georgia State Senator Steve Gooch. Open microphones were available at all of these functions so that members of the public could ask questions of the candidates and speakers.

Since you have painted such a demonic picture of the tea party and its members, I want to let the readers have first hand knowledge of what the members of the Tea Party of Gilmer County believe and strive to accomplish by including below our Mission Statement that is also published on our web site at [email protected]. Our web site contains information of who we are, what we stand for and an open invitation to anyone from the general public, regardless of political persuasion, to attend our meetings and other functions. Gladius Veritas, you are cordially invited to attend our November meeting tonight at 6:30pm at the North Georgia Christian Academy. We’ll save you a piece of pumpkin pie.

David Meadows – Tea Party of Gilmer County

OUR MISSION…
The mission of the Gilmer County TEA Party organization is to unite citizens of Gilmer County who share the same core values of Belief in God, Fiscal Responsibility, Limited Government and Free Markets – the values upon which this nation was founded. This united group of citizens will work together within Gilmer County and in concert with other local, state and national TEA Party organizations to educate and inform other of its citizens so that they will join us in securing public policy consistent with those values and electing leaders in the Legislative and Executive branches of the government who will support those values.

BELIEFS:
1. God created all men equal with certain unalienable rights among which are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
2. Our government should derive just powers from the consent of the governed.

3. Individuals who have free will and are personally and fiscally responsible will make better financial and personal decisions than a distant federal government.

4. Personally responsible individuals will productively respond to and interact with free markets to provide for 4. their families and serve their fellow man without unnecessary government intervention or oversight.

5. Our government was formed to serve and protect its citizens while having limited powers granted by the Constitution.

6. We believe in the free market system that has made the United States the most prosperous nation in the world and that the federal government should stay out of managing businesses and let the free market system operate.
RATIONALE: Excessive federal government spending and higher trending federal taxes over many years has served as the impetus for the TEA Party movement.
PROCESS:
1. Enlist and enable the citizens of Gilmer County to contact their elected Senators, Representatives and the President in Washington, D.C. protesting high taxes, pork barrel spending and manipulation of the Constitution.
2. Provide information to the members of the TEA Party of Gilmer County regarding pending legislation in Congress that will result in higher taxes, uncontrolled government spending and the violation of rights given to the citizens of the United States by the Constitution.
3. Coordinate activities and programs with other TEA Party organizations at the state and national levels.
4. Take action against other bills, programs and laws proposed by the Legislative and Executive branches that may be in violation of the Constitution and/or might result in the taking away basic rights guaranteed to citizens of the United States by the Constitution.
“Let’s keep the Pot Boiling”
CORE VALUES:
1. We recognize that our liberties are a God-given right, as codified by our Founding Fathers, and our Founding Documents, and apply to all people, everywhere, at all times.
2. Government has been instituted by men, in order to preserve these rights, and suffers under very defined, enumerated powers, to ensure the preservation of these Rights.
3. The natural rights of private property and free enterprise shall not be usurped by the imagined or un-delegated powers of government.
4. It is the right, and the DUTY of a free people to rise up against an unfettered government that seeks to gain complete power over free-markets, innovation, capitalism, and the role of God in our very lives.
5. We are committed to regain the rights and ideals of the American experience through legislative and grass-roots action.
6. The Rule of Law, as expressed in our Founding Documents, and preceded by centuries of classical thought, needs to remain the basic guiding principle of our unique experience.
7. We are a completely non-partisan organization of Americans, united in a common cause, which is the preservation of our society, our moral and financial supremacy and our unparalleled ability to spread prosperity throughout the world.
GOALS:
1. To EDUCATE people about the founding of our nation and the essential elements of that endeavor.
2. To Energize people, to take hold of the most basic Truths that we have been blessed with, and to SPREAD THE WORD.
3. Expose the lies and misrepresentations about our form of government and the free enterprise system that are flooding all the airwaves of this country, and polluting the conscience of the nation.
4. Be concise and accurate in all communications, because our choice of words should have a powerful impact.
5. Taking Effective Action requires: Honesty, always. Integrity, completely. Perseverance, absolutely.