COUNTY JUDGE IN SAN JACINTO COUNTY SHUTS UP PASTOR

Terry Holcomb Sr., pastor of Huntsville-based Crossroads Baptist Church has now added a second arrest to his list of badges of honor in his fight for the freedoms our Founding Fathers risked life and limb for in the American Revolution. Terry is accused of disrupting the meeting even though I can’t imagine any citizen sitting in the court had his peace disturbed.  

Terry, in fact, was speaking up for anyone there who might have the audacity to want to exercise their free speech rights and address public officials.  Terry was told by an elected official – yes, you heard it right, an elected official – he nor anyone else would be allowed to make comments at the regular portion of the public meeting.

“We’re not gonna allow public comments today?” Holcomb said to the four county commissioners and County Judge Fritz Faulkner of San Jacinto County.

“It’s not on the agenda,” Faulkner replied. And rather than correct what we can only hope was an oversight and allow for comments, Faulkner doubled down. What a patriot. Not! What an arrogant public official who has forgotten exactly who he is denying opportunity to speak – the voters……

“That’s unacceptable,” Holcomb said. If therere are any history buffs out there, this is the kind of rebel rousing stuff Samuel Adams did that has made him known to be the Father of the American Revolution. Even more so, this is the kind of leadership heard and seen from the pulpit in the days of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson.

Faulkner with the full courage he could muster knowing there was surely some lawman nearby then told Holcomb he could “go outside and discuss it,” but the meeting was moving forward with an executive session.

Saying again that the situation was “unacceptable,” Holcomb accused the court of taking the rights of the people. Dang rebel rouser….. there he went again with something that sounds like the Constitution.

Terry Holcomb then stood his ground inthe courtroom and waited for Faulkner to collect his thirty pieces of silver and protect his fellow elected officials from a time opf public questions. Oh, what a brave and patriotic commissioners’ court! Faulkner mustered up the courage to then declare to Pastor Holcomb, “You’re dangerously close to disrupting a public meeting.” It must have seemed odd to the average person who attends public meetings to hear this…… after all any question Holcomb would have asked could not have possibly disturbed the court as much as this oppressive County Judge!

Holcomb told the judge that he was denying the people their right to have their voice heard.

Faulkner responded by saying, “You can go out there and talk to the people. We’re fixing to have executive session.”

Still seated in his chair, Holcomb said, “You didn’t want to hear from the citizens and you’re gonna hear from them. You are gonna hear from me. You are not going to silence us by your abuse.”

At that point, Faulkner was not man enough to relent and give the people a time to speak as he should have without any help from Pastor Holcomb or anyone else. Instead he called for Pct. 2 Constable Roy Pippin Jr. to remove the Pastor from the meeting chamber. Poor Pippin……

“You have been requested to remove from the court,” Pippin told Holcomb.

“I am not leaving. I am not leaving,” Holcomb replied.

Directing his comments to the commissioners that had sat right there and not spoken up on behalf of the citizens and a time for publc comment, Holcomb then said, “And y’all commissioners that are allowing this, you are all cowards. All of you.”

Pippin implored Holcomb to leave the room but Holcomb remained in his chair and demanded to know what law he had broken. Poor Pippen…….

“No law is broken. You were given an order to remove from court,” said Pippin, adding moments later, “By not following my order, you are resisting arrest. Do you want to go to jail for resisting arrest?”

Faulkner in an effort to feel some sense that he was in the right told Holcomb that commissioners court meetings are not a political stomping ground. What he surely meant was “only us big shots get to stomp on this political ground”.

Outside of the courtroom, Holcomb was confronted by Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Sowell who asked to have a “private word” with him.

Holcomb asked if he was being detained and Sowell replied, “You’re about to be,” prompting Holcomb to ask if he had committed a crime.

“I didn’t say you committed a crime,” said Sowell.

Sowell placed Holcomb in handcuffs and escorted him away from the premises.

According to Pct. 1 Commissioner Ray McCoppin, Holcomb filed a written request to make public comments at the meeting. However, comments were not included in the agenda.

Faulkner, told some on the media Tuesday night that comments were left off due to an already lengthy agenda.  How convenient! Might we expect all the agendas to be “too long” when the County Judge does not want others stomping around his own personal political space? Faulkner denied all citizens from speaking because, according to him, they may say something political with an election going on.

Faulkner, the Democratic incumbent county judge, is defending his position against Republican challenger John Lovett in the November general election. Unless you are ate up with being a Democrat loyalist, please consider ridding San Jacinto County of someone who does not believe in, and does not practice, our way of governing here in the United States

Allowing comments during commissioners court meetings are not required by law, but are a good practice whenever possible, according to Liberty County Judge Craig McNair. In Liberty County Commissioners Court meetings, the only comments allowed are those that relate to agenda items; all other comments are denied.

After Holcomb’s arrest, members of the San Jacinto County Republican Party expressed their frustrations about what transpired.

“There was no reason [for it],” said San Jacinto County Party Chairman Dwayne Wright. “That’s what activates people like myself. That’s what activates people like Terry Holcomb.”

Wright explained that Holcomb specifically wanted to address a resolution regarding the housing of illegal immigrants, which was decided against last month.

“He was upset that [the] resolution he put forth was not dealt with,” said Wright. “The judge prepared and substituted his own version [that] wasn’t even close to [Holcomb’s] version.

To view the videos from the commissioners court incident, go online to https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O5vuNb3lDiQ and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk40pSrZPyphso9CXsxnNYQ.

Terry Holcomb at a casual glance may seem like he is a bit too much for the average person. But from personal experience I can tell you he is more like the average Texan than the media and the men like County Judge Faulkner will ever admit. The media will quickly point out Holcomb lost an election and Holcomb was arrested in 2013. But the real losers and the people who would look more at home in a jail cell are those who do not see the signs of the times. The charges against Terry Holcomb’s in his ongoing battle on behalf of gun owners and the Constitution were dropped.  As for Terry Holcomb spending money and time out of his own pocket in an effort to represent this area in Austin, he should be honored. His efforts were honorable and his message was 100% American.

Look past the caricature the media paints of this man and you will see someone who has decided to give his life to God and country. You decide whether we will stand with him or play into the spin and the half truths used to make him look like something different than he is. A patriotic Texan fighting the good fight for the country we all love.

Right Judge Faulkner?