Guest Column: Tea Party Chairman Mesmerizes Republican Club

Lance Thate
St Johns County
Special to Historic City News

On June 13, 2022, the Republican Club of Greater St Augustine held its monthly meeting at Cucina Giovanni Restaurant on SR-16, St Johns County, Florida. The featured speaker was Shawn Morrison, Chairman of the St Augustine Tea Party. This is the second time a Tea Party Chairman has addressed the Republican Club. The earlier event occurred on August 14, 2015, when I was Chairman.

The St Augustine Tea Party has been on the right side of Conservative politics in St Johns County since its inception in 2010. Since 2015, the leadership of the Republican Club has been divided between two elected Republican Executive Committee members. Each has been the President and the Vice-President of the Club over the years.

Currently, Peter Royal is the President and Marty Miller is the Vice-President. Both men were once members and frequent attendees at St Augustine Tea Party meetings. Both had participated in Town Crier activities. Both men withdrew from the St Augustine Tea Party when they acquired leadership positions in the Republican Club. They each allied with “establishment” enemies of the St Augustine Tea Party who held membership in the Republican Executive Committee.

The moment Club President Peter Royal handed the microphone to the St Augustine Tea Party Chairman, The St Augustine Tea Party was in control of the meeting. It was like watching an old faded black and white film representing the Republicans, with Grassroots Patriots blazing on the screen in bright living colors. So it is when the living meets the dead.

Chairman Morrison read the complete text of Section 847.0133, Florida Statutes, as it relates to minors and obscenity. Morrison explained that 7 books have been identified as obscene in St Johns County school libraries. The total number of books may be as high as 50. Morrison reported that at the School Board meeting held on May 24th, the members were forced to hear passages from the books that contained obscenity.

The School Board’s reaction was to refuse to remove the books from the school libraries. Instead, they removed the Patriots informing them of this outrageous reality. Their removal was accomplished by using St Johns County sheriff’s deputies, under the direction of Commander Scott Beaver.

In the hallway outside the School Board meeting, Commander Beaver was confronted by Chairman Morrison who explained that a crime is committed when one knowingly transmits obscenity to a minor. In front of numerous witnesses, Beaver promised to investigate the situation and get back to the Patriots. Beaver has failed to respond to those involved, to this date.

The goal of the Patriots present was to make sure that the School Board was informed of the law. The Sheriff’s Department, now complicit, is also on notice. To knowingly provide minors with obscene material is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each offense.

“Now you have been informed and failure to take action would make you complicit or at least supportive of their behavior,” Morrison said, speaking to the Republican Club members present. “You need to call the School Board members and you need to call the Sheriff’s Office, demanding enforcement of the law.”

Chairman Morrison challenged Club President, Peter Royal, to introduce a resolution to the Republican Executive Committee removing support for any School Board member who votes to keep the obscene books. After three failed attempts to get Royal to act, the Club President finally said, “Put that in the form of a motion”.

Morrison fired back a most coherent motion. Royal, sensing the mood of the crowd, made the second on the motion. A voice vote, without discussion, passed the motion in less than a minute. This is how important the issue is to “WE THE PEOPLE”.

The Republican Party no longer stands for anything related to its namesake. America is a republic! A republic is based on the concept of equal justice under the law. The American middle class is under attack by the Democrat Party and Republicans have bought into the lie that America is a democracy.  They have become a “ME TOO” party that really stands for nothing and as a result, does nothing. Both parties serve the same masters, central banks and international corporations.

The Town Criers have witnessed the disillusionment of middle-class Republicans on the streets of St Augustine, Florida since 2012.   This disenchantment is why the Republican Club has gone from hundreds to its current number, of around 50 members, according to the Club’s membership Chairman. It is only logical that a social club run by the Republican Party members would take a hit. Who celebrates with people you no longer trust?

The opinions and remarks of the writer of this column are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Historic City News, its advertisers, employees, or others producing this publication.