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Laurens County Tea Party, after incorporating with the State of SC in March of 2010, filed for 501c4 status with the IRS on July 22, 2010. I called the IRS approximately a year later, and was told our case was still “pending,” but in the meantime, we were still responsible for filing tax returns, which we have done. Nothing more was heard until Sept. 6, 2012, when we received a communication from the IRS which was sent to an old address for our organization. They tracked down our correct address from our website, but there was NO EXCUSE for them not to have it, since we had notified them of the change, had filed tax returns, etc. In any event, the IRS was requesting extremely burdensome additional information, which includes the following:

1. Confirm mailing address.

2. Provide copy of articles of incorporation (which we had sent with our initial application in 2010.)

3. Information about all of our committees, including Legislative, Educational, and Vetting, and HOW MUCH TIME/RESOURCES are devoted to these activities.

4. They sent about 20 pages copied from our website, and wanted confirmation that these were, in fact, from our website. Then they wanted samples from any other social media sites, including Facebook.

5. Detailed information about all meetings, rallies, events, with dates and names of speakers, agendas, any associated materials, if a guest speaker made remarks concerning upcoming elections and whether our organization took a view on anything expressed, and how much time or resources are devoted to these activities.

6. How much time/resources are devoted to vetting candidates.

7. The IRS noted that our website had a lot of videos of candidates running for local office. They wanted to know what offices the candidates were running for (which was stated in the videos), a list of all candidates for these offices and an explanation for those who didn’t participate, copies of any written materials, including invitations to the candidates, copies of any introductory statements by us, and copies of all questions asked to the candidates, whether the interviews were edited, a list of which interviews were posted on our website and explanation for any not posted, percentage of time/resources devoted to this.

8. As regards a Candidate Forum we held, more questions were asked, including the date and elective offices for which it was held, a list of candidates and explanations for those who didn’t participate, copies of opening remarks from us, who asked the questions, copies of all questions asked, copies of written materials, including invites to candidates and advertising, whether the videos posted were edited, and the percentage of time/resources devoted to this activity.

9. Provide info about voter registration: when and where, whether we target particular groups, copies of materials used, percentage of time and resources devoted to this activity.

10. Provide a list of expenses for 2010, 2011, and 2012, including any amounts expended in support of any candidate for Federal, state, or local public office.

Since I was already aware that the IRS was targeting Tea Party groups, I immediately contacted the ACLJ, and they agreed to represent us at no charge. Nevertheless, in order to comply with this “information request,” it took HOURS of time and aggravation. The original deadline given to comply was Sept. 27, 2012, but the attorney was able to get an extension until Jan. 2, 2013. By the end of
Dec., we had filed the requested information with them. Then, on Jan. 31, 2013, we received a request for MORE information, which included:

1. Again, a request for the Articles of Incorporation. (How many times do we need to send them?)

2. Copies of emails sent out on issues we deal with like Sharia Law, Agenda 21, and day-to-day current events, plus copies from our Facebook group. (The attorney requested 50 pages, which I personally found excessive, and since our group is closed, I took the time to black out the names of everyone who had posted in order to protect them.)

3. Copies of free and paid ads places, pictures submitted to local papers, press releases, and materials for distribution.

We complied with these demands, and it is now May 13, 2013 and to date, we have still heard nothing. I’d like to note that our group is a small-time operation with very little money, and this represents a complete waste of time by the IRS in terms of any money they would collect if we were NOT tax-exempt. No one in our group gets paid anything, and instead, we fund everything ourselves. The timing of this request, not to mention the overly burdensome questions, certainly seems suspect. Was this an effort to harass and distract us with the Presidential election pending? Furthermore, nearly 3 years in waiting for an answer is totally unacceptable. The IRS needs to be fully investigated and held accountable for its incompetence, harassment, and targeting of conservative groups.

Dianne Belsom, President
Laurens Co. Tea Party

Last time my precinct reorganized 2 years ago we had 16 people, this time 29. There were similar stories in other precincts.

Now the fun begins. There was an okay leadership team in our county for the last four years, however there were times when the Republican platform wasn’t fully supported/defended. In one instance, we had six state “republican” House Representatives who voted against a strong School Choice bill, which is a plank in the GOP Platform. The bill died by one vote, and our county Chair defended (and campaigned) for several of those legislators. We had some struggles with communication (lack of), and our state delegates were selected by a nominating committee via a slate, instead of being voted on by the party members. We thought we could do better.

The Chair was not running again, but was promoting her husband to be our county Executive Committeeman to the State. Several folks who had served the party who were content with the status quo were going to take a shot at the other offices. We felt confident about the guy who was running for county chair; several of us met with him one-on-one over a few weeks time and he shared our vision for platform, improved communication, and delegates being voted on, not selected by committee.

So we stealth campaigned. Our people didn’t announce until about 10 days out, we sent out emails only, no glossy mailers, no campaign events, but we networked our precinct delegates we’d built up for the past 8 months daily. Our candidates attended several local club meetings and shared their vision. Our candidates for State Executive Committeeman, Treasurer, Secretary, and Vice chairs (we get four in our county) made calls and we made calls and then … convention day.

Our Treasurer candidate won her seat 201 to 75, that was the high point, but there was no low point.

Each of the candidates we worked with won their seat, and there are 2 other vice chairs we feel good about. We now have a county GOP made up of several tea party folks, several Republican Liberty Caucus folks, several strong platform Republicans, all of them are well versed and committed passionately to the party platform and the Constitution. Republicans first. They are going to work within the party, no mavericks, to educate, ID candidates, grow the party through neighborhood outreach etc. It is important to note that it was NOT ONLY members of various liberty organizations, but many non-aligned Republicans who just wanted better for our county who helped and voted for these officers.

My next project is to propose to our State GOP Chairman a 46 county strategy in our state, organized and training provided by those of us who killed it in our county. I see it as sort of a pilot program I’m hoping will provide the blueprint for success at growing the party across the state through precinct reorganization. If successful, I’m hoping our State Chair will share our success with Reince Priebus. Pray … do the happy rain dance … think good thoughts … that my vision is executed in some way. If South Carolina blows it out these next two years, I’m envisioning “hey … how’d you do that?” from the RNC. And then … we’re off!

That is shameful. And I mean that it the fullest sense of the word. It brings shame on South Carolina and South Carolina voters that SC’s Governor is grateful that the news of corruption and concentration of power, and legislators appointing judges that led to 250 challenger being removed from the ballots has not received national attention.

It brings shame to South Carolina that thousands … hundreds of thousands? … of South Carolina voters had their right to vote taken away in the primaries and our Governor is grateful that no one outside of our state is really talking about this.

It brings shame to South Carolina that the incumbents wrote and passed a law that resulted in their protection from having a challenger for at least 2 or 4 more years, that those incumbents did nothing to rectify the situation to give SC voters back their vote, and Governor Haley is grateful that no one outside of our state know how a law that she sponsored was used to cancel elections entirely in some SC counties.

It brings shame to South Carolina that, in order for South Carolinians to have a choice at the ballot in November, citizen volunteers had to spend 8 weeks of their time, time away from family, using up vacations, walking neighborhoods gathering 300,000 signatures to put 150 candidates back on the ballot … and that Governor Haley is not bragging on the national stage how committed citizens in her state is to making sure that every candidate had a chance and every voter had a choice, despite the Court ruling.

From the Patch article:

When then-Gov. Mark Sanford signed H3066 into law on May 28, 2010, it seemed to be a positive step forward in the state’s quest to be more transparent and less ethically-challenged. But that’s not what happened, Sanford recently told Patch. Instead, “the bill basically turned into an incumbency protection program,” he said.

“I think it’s a travesty. It was supposed to allow for greater information about candidates to taxpayers.”

Current Gov. Nikki Haley has referred to the ballot mess of the last few months as an “embarrassment” on several occasion and expressed gratitude that the story had not received national attention.

It certainly is an embarrassment to us, Governor.

Cross post from SpartanburgTeaParty.org

On July 11 / updated July 16, Jim DeMint posted on his blog that he had the 34 Senators who would stand against the LOST Treaty and ensure its defeat.

I know that people all over, including our folks at the Spartanburg Tea Party have been calling Graham’s office asking about his votes on these treaties. Here is a sample of the responses our folks have been getting:

July 17, 2012
I called both offices this morning and got the usual responses, “The Senator has not made a decision on this legislation.” I asked, “So he is in dither as to how to vote on the most important piece of legislation before the Senate since the U. S. joined the UN?” Reply, “Sir the Senator is very busy with other important legislation.”

July 18, 2012
I also called both offices this morning and was advised he has not made a decision. I told them that I have not made a decision about voting for him in November after looking at his voting record and that he needs to vote for conservative values and that means voting to stop the Law of the Sea Treaty!

Today, July 19, Harry Kibler of RINO Hunt sent me a message that he’d just spoken with Graham’s office, that he will not vote for either treaty and will be adding his name to Jim DeMint’s pledge.

Senator, we no longer need you. Don’t need you to belatedly sign a pledge now that it’s a moot point, now that you held out expressing your stand until that fight was won. And we don’t need you to continue to waffle on crucial issues of liberty while you check with the champagne circuit to see what their wishes are, while patriots like Jim DeMint fight for us.

Cross post from Spartanburg Tea Party

Here’s what I found in an article by John Monk:

An unofficial symbol of the Tea Party — as well as logos of South Carolina’s 200-plus public and independent high schools — would be able to be put on S.C. customized vehicle license tags under a bill likely to be passed later this month when the General Assembly goes back into session.

A Tea Party emblem — a coiled rattlesnake with the message “Don’t Tread on Me” — would give that fledgling movement of anti-government, anti-tax activists a highly visible perch on perhaps thousands of S.C. vehicles that more established political parties don’t have.

Under a provision in the proposed license-plate law, any money raised by the sale of snake license plates — beyond the cost to produce the plates — would go to the State Museum in Columbia to be used for Revolutionary War exhibits.

However, a spokesman for the State Museum said Wednesday its officials didn’t know anything about the snake plate or that the money generated by its sale would have to be spent only on Revolutionary War programs and exhibits.

The State newspaper on Wednesday could not learn which of the General Assembly’s 170 members inserted the provision for the tea party symbol into the license-plate bill. The bill doesn’t contain the words “tea party” — instead, it calls the logo “the Gadsden flag.”

Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, who served on the legislative conference committee that is proposing some 25 types of new license plates, including the tea party plate, said he had not originally connected the Tea Party to the snake license plate.

“I would like to know who proposed this,” Rutherford said. “If it is someone connected to the tea party, that is really hypocritical of them to use a government program to get their political message out in front of people on license plates.”

And there it was. “Hypocritical” … well let’s see what would happen at my interview.

Now I like Graeme Moore’s reporting generally, he’s done some very good reports, overall very fair. However, his first question to me was whether I thought it was HYPOCRITCAL of the tea party to request the government spend money on tea party license tags, isn’t that against what the tea party stood for? (paraphrasing, since as you’ll see in the video below this question didn’t make it into the piece.)

I told him I’d have to push back on that question, that no one I knew in the tea party requested such a plate, that in fact what I’d been able to find suggested that it was another entity, the State Museum which would receive the funds, and that no one knew which legislator proposed the plates or WHO asked that legislator to do so. You can learn so much about a legislative proposal by finding out WHO is behind the legislator making the request.

I explained that I have a spay/neuter plate and that I know where that money goes (I was involved in the discussions for that plate and its funding back when it was proposed) … the funds go to help provide low-cost surgeries for low-income SC families.

And there’s the lesson I learned from Andrew Breitbart. You don’t have to answer the questions the media chooses to ask, as the questions help to develop the story THEY want to tell. Push back on the question and tell the story as it is. Question the media right back. Use the question they ask as a way to expose the real story.

It’s too bad that exchange with Moore didn’t make the interview, as I think it’s MUCH more interesting to investigate a license plate credited to the tea party’s request with the money going to the State Museum.

Since we do not know who made this request or the details of the money I’ll say this up front, as I did in the interview: I don’t support the plate, and think our legislators’ time would be better spent on actually doing their job in getting some votes on school choice, the FOIA bill, and a real government restructuring bill.

If the Primary Election is allowed to go on as scheduled, I believe we are going to have an angry public when they realize our State Supreme Court removed their choices from the ballot over a technicality and enforced an obscure law for challengers and not incumbents, and our Republican Controlled Legislature (who happen to appoint the judges) did very little to rectify the situation for the voting public.

The thing is, the Democrats lost more candidates across the state and they have done nothing to help this situation either. There can only be one explanation; they actually want their voters to be angry going into the November Election. After all, the stage has been set where the blame will have to fall on the Republican controlled Legislature, complete with a Republican fall guy (Senator Jake Knotts of Lexington) who has already been clearly defined as a racist with his “raghead” comment regarding Nikki Haley.

I have no doubt the Democrat mantra will be something like: “Forget Voter ID, we just won’t let them vote at all in South Carolina.” They will point their fingers at the Republican Legislators and proclaim them all racists and do what the Democrats do best; create a divisive and hostile environment while claiming the higher ground. Their campaign tactics will become all about how “we were not allowed to vote in June, so we must turn out and show them in November that we will not be denied our right to vote.”

Make no mistake, what they are doing is creating a tragedy, and they will not let it go to waste.

For background on this story:

Lauren Hale: 179 candidates thrown off SC ballot

Spartanburg Tea Party: Potential Fallout from Lexington Lawsuit

Easley Patch: A Letter from the Pickens County Republican Party President

Crosspost from Spartanburg Tea Party

This week I’ve chatted/communicated directly with a Congressman, a county council member, a handful of state senators and house members about issues, bills, legislation, campaigns, the state of our state and nation. There’s no trick to it, you just call, email, or text them. Now, because I am the organizer of the tea party I may be slightly higher on their radar screen, but that’s just an advantage in an initial contact. Once you become someone who reaches out to your elected officials … and if you have dialoging skills (and not just complaining), it’s a great partnership.

I get SO tired of people who I’ve met through the grassroots movement whose first response to anything that an elected official does is to complain about them. Sometimes they don’t vote our way, or sponsor or don’t sponsor a bill we want, but I confess running through my mind sometimes with these EEYORES (you know Pooh’s pal who never saw a situation he couldn’t complain about) is … if YOU could do better why didn’t YOU run for office?

And then there’s the invective launches. They “always” cave in, they collaborate with tyranny, they shackle our liberties, they ignore the Constitution blah blah blah. REALLY? Every time? Even if you could make a case for that … what have YOU done about it? Sure you sent them 58 emails about Agenda 21, many containing 20 minute videos, yeah I’m sure they had time to examine them all, and make a living, and raise their families. And despite your best efforts at nagging and complaining THEY don’t do what WE want.

You may think that’s strange for me to be writing that since the tea party movement has been all about holding feet to fire. And if you’ve been around this website for a while, I’ve done plenty of that! But some people want all of the accountability from their elected officials with none of the shared responsibility. And that’s my point.

Occasionally I get a vision of some folks who ALWAYS complain and bitch and threaten without getting their own feet wet as similar to the medieval indulgences. I’m sure I’m taking this a bit out of context, call it poetic license! I see us voting politicians into office and once they go off to serve, we dust our hands and say “Well, that’s that”. As if being involved in the voting process is our payment, our offering of “indulgence” and now it’s up to the politician to do the work. And folks like that have a tendency to speak in terms of THEY and WE … when it really needs to be US working together.

I think I’m particularly invested in writing this blog because this is primary season and 6 weeks from today we vote. I don’t have to explain to the regular readers how important these primaries are. The primaries are EVERYTHING. And we have candidates who are walking neighborhoods 6 days a week, meeting voters, asking for votes, getting up to speed on issues, having constructive conversations. And just a handful of people are helping.

That’s where I see a clear distinction currently between THEY and WE. THEY are running for office and WE hope they do well, but we’re kinda busy. THEY are spending time away from families and WE can’t’ miss too many dinners or ballgames or book clubs. THEY knew what they were getting into, while WE didn’t count on really having to help out that much. And so when THEY are elected you wonder why you don’t feel part of the team, why you have a hard time getting hold of them, why you are confused about what exactly is going on in Columbia.

Indulgences and shared responsibility. What would happen, what would the dynamic be if our candidates held us, the electorate as accountable for ensuring that South Carolina is the freest state in the nation as we do them? What would that partnership be like … if they called and emailed and texted us requesting us to step up and act on issues of liberty? If they had a list of voters they called, urging us to come walk neighborhoods with them during election season? If they had the expectation of partnership of financial responsibility to fund campaigns? If they didn’t have to ask for help and money, but we just filled those needs because we look at them as our partners?

Don’t send candidates to office as if they are your indulgence, dust off your hands as if your work is done. Be their partners, beginning with their campaigns. This is it. Six weeks.

Thanks to those of you who are calling the candidates asking “what can I do to help you today?”

There need to be more like that.

Cross Post from Spartanburg Tea Party

The SC Election Commission changed the rules from last election to this election. Last election (and previous elections) candidates had to fill out their Statement of Economic Interest on paper form at the same time they filled out the other forms they needed to file to run for a seat. In the interim the rule was changed … candidates now have to file their Statement of Economic Interest electronically.

Incumbents, having previously held office, often had already filed their statements. Challengers had an additional step to take, to file online, and many challengers … up to 200 statewide in South Carolina in a variety of races … not having been informed of this rule change by the GOP county chairman at the time they filed … left their filing having done all that was asked of them from the people who took their filing. These challengers (perhaps because the rule changes was not sufficiently communicated from the election commission) were not asked to file their online statements at the time they filed the rest of the paperwork. Many filed later that day, others filed as soon as the miscommunication was made known.

Tuesday May 1 the SC Supreme Court will have a hearing to determine whether up to 200 candidates will be tossed off the ballots because of this rule change (which did not impact incumbents … or did it?)

Here are a series of articles by Paul Gable at Grand Strand Daily. They are quite complex. Today we learned that TWO of the judges have recused themselves. Now, in SC we already have the unfortunate situation where our judges are APPOINTED by legislators. What does it mean for accountability that TWO of them have recused themselves, at least one of those being replaced by a retired judge … a retired judge has accountability to no one, not legislators, nor voters through their support of legislators.

Oh … and … SC military ballots have already been mailed. Hope the online community will keep their eye on this situation in South Carolina.

Article April 23

Article April 24

Article April 25

Article April 28

Judges recuse April 30

Every time conservatives stop watching CNN or take children out of public schools or stop supporting an organization which was once benignly neutral on ideological issues, conservatives cast marketplace ballots that count.

I have subscribed to People Magazine for 30 years. I had to check that math… how can anyone do ANYTHING for 30 years!!!

But I have. It’s my Saturday night reading each week. A mindless guilty pleasure, accompanied by either a diet Dr. Pepper or a hot chocolate, depending on the season.

I’ve kept up with pop culture that way, all the while ignoring the glorification of progressive libs like Clooney, Hanks, Affleck, Damon … that crowd.

But today I’m choosing not to renew my subscription. They won’t miss me. No one will notice. I’ll notice big time and will selfishly miss that weekly infusion of fashion … latest books and movie reviews … covert look into the lives of the rich and famous and somewhat interesting.

But I’m determined to fight the war on America in every way, on every battlefield, at every opportunity. Today … People Magazine. Take That!

What are you doing with your Marketplace Ballot?

(cross post from Spartanburg Tea Party)

Last session the efforts failed because the legislators in Columbia did not pass legislation.

This session the efforts failed because the legislators in Columbia passed legislation that did not give true reform, left the powers shared, and provided cover for the Governor and the legislators to not answer directly to the voters. In addition, the Senate broadened its power through legislative “investigative committees” – which have the authority to question and depose not only state employees, but private citizens if they deem them to have relevant information!

(Did I mention we have a Republican House, and Republican Senate, and a Republican Governor?)

If you want to read one of the posts at the Spartanburg Tea party which details this struggle, click here .

At this point the bill needs to go back to the House, but the Governor and Senators in Columbia are feeling pretty good, in fact they are taking victory laps in the media, proclaiming what a GREAT JOB they did in restructuring SC government. But as you can see by reading the link above, that is far from the truth. Still … now that the vote is taken and the legislation is sure to pass … what can the South Carolina tea parties do other than write some blogs, some letters to the editor, and make a few more phone calls?

We can FOIA (Freedom of Information Act).

In response to questioning about why true reform and separation of powers was not achieved, we have heard that there was “a lot of pressure from the other side, we did everything we could.” But if you watched the hearings and listened to the amendments that were voted down … by Republicans … you have to question that. Who stood in opposition to the grassroots conservative agenda of real reform and separation of power? That is a great question. And, it’s one we plan to get answers to.

We are asking tea party/liberty group members across the state to send each Senator, Representative, and Governor Haley FOIA requests for “copies of all correspondence, including, but not limited to, letters, memos, faxes and emails, to and from you, as well as to and from any of your staff, between June 1, 2011, and the present date regarding the creation of a Department of Administration, dissolution of the Budget and Control Board or any other issues related to restructuring in state government.”

We’ll be keeping a record of how many FOIA requests go out by CC-ing them to one email address which we’ll monitor. Every tool we can use, every time we can use them until South Carolina becomes the freest state in the nation!

Click here to see more details and a copy of the FOIA that will be sent beginning tonight.