I know that I should have reached out to you sooner, however like you; I have been wondering “what in the world happened?” My initial response resembled that of the grieving process. I was in total shock and denial. I was denying the reality of the loss and I am sure protecting myself from the feeling of becoming overwhelmed with grief. I moved quickly to the guilt phase wondering if I could have done more, what I should have, could have and would have done differently. Many things came to mind. By Day 3, the anger set in and my facebook friends were the ones who felt my disgust for the people that allowed this to happen. I cannot say that I was depressed, but certainly sadness had set in. Sadness for my country and for all the FCTP Patriots who worked so hard for the seven long months that we had been together working on the ground. I also felt sadness for the memory of those who have fought and died in the fight to keep America free. How could millions of voters still be asleep to freedom slipping away? If they aren’t sleeping how could they possibly believe that a move to a socialist country is a better solution than taking responsibility and fighting for all that has made us great.
      As I looked to another day and the courage to move ahead I began to refocus. I decided to do what I have always done and started to organize my thoughts and feelings. I needed to seek realistic solutions to the problems that we face as a nation, a state, a community and as the First Coast Tea Party. With this thinking came renewed hope.
      I will admit that I do not have the answers but I do know that I will not just accept the results of this election and let the move to destroy my country continue without a fight. The question for me right now is how many FCTP Patriots will be on the battle line? The challenges that we face are many and they are ugly. It will take an army of committed men and women, if we are to address those challenges and make any significant impact .It means that you must get actively involved and take leadership. To be very honest the handful of members who gave it everything cannot continue at the same pace for another 4 years. Reinforcements are needed. It is not good enough to say that “I belong to the Tea Party”. It is not going to be good enough to go to a meeting and never return because you decide it isn’t just what you thought it would be. This is a “We the People “organization and it is up to each of us to speak up and work towards a common goal.

      Let’s just take a look at some of the needs and challenges we are facing…
* We have a huge financial need! Without an ongoing revenue stream there will not be an office, nor will we be able to fund events or rallies.
* We need to rebrand the FCTP and move outside of ourselves. Preaching to the choir is no longer an option if we wish to change the outside world.
* We need to expand our Community Groups and the presence of those groups. That will require individual leadership.
* We need to have a presence in our local governments and our school boards. We need to have continued knowledge as to the happenings in Tallahassee and at the National level.
* We need to find ways to educate the public on critical issues. Sadly we know that the media is not doing this job.
* We need to reach out and work with the “younger generation”. Children that are 14 today may well be voting in the 2016 election.
* The UN Agenda 21 must be understood and challenged at every level.

      These are just a few of the items that come quickly to mind. We are in the process of gathering input from others and working to set our direction for the next 2 years.
I do know that as with all organizations as things around us change so must we. Our overall success and the number of tasks that we can undertake will be based completely on the level of involvement of our members. We are working through the planning process now, the work will be identified and it will be shared. Look and see where you can engage and make a difference.
      One of the things that I have found most interesting as I talk with both members and non-members is the following comment. “Where is the Tea Party?” “The Tea Party is gone, we never hear from them.” My response if very simple, if you really believe that then it simply tells me that you were not involved. If you were looking for rallies at the landing, with motivational speakers and folks in costumes then I can see where one would think we had gone underground. What we were doing was working week-ends registering voters for months, we were on the phones, we were walking neighborhoods, we were sending American messages on the street corners every Friday for 15 weeks, we were poll watching and poll working. Members were working independent from the Tea Party for their individual candidates. Behind the scenes we were developing and implementing a membership program, a newsletter and developing candidate research data. The list goes on. This was not the time for rallies, it was a time to put “boots on the ground” and do the hard work.
      I do not even know how to thank those who gave it everything they had and who gave up their time and energy day after day for this cause. I have seen the heart and soul of the everyday Patriot.

      Someone wise beyond her years said to me. “Well this is it, you are either in or out…last call… you can watch the ship sink or you can paddle like hell to get back to shore.” I think that pretty much says it all. I for one am going to paddle. I hope I look around and see you in the boat.

        As a nation and as individuals we have been blessed with the gifts given to us by our creator and the opportunity to live in the most wonderful country in the world. May we all give thanks to him and those that have given so much so that we may live in freedom.
      I pray that God will fill us all with a spirit of thanksgiving this week and every day of our lives. Please enjoy your family and loved ones and have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Leanne