Updated 3/28/2024
Statutes of the Order
We hereby set forth the following guiding principles of the Liberty Vanguard, in order to reaffirm the charter of our founders and to ensure that we are never corrupted or compromised in its principles. We hold the following articles indefeasible and central to the legitimacy and continued survival of The Liberty Vanguard:
Article I
We have established a community that is open to all people, regardless of origin, who want to demonstrate their commitment to America and the core values this country was built upon. The Liberty Vanguard Community is built in America, by and for the People of America. America is in a time of need, and it is time for us to answer that call.
Article II
Membership is open to ALL men and women who are American citizens and are at least 18 years of age, except that the sixteen-year-old sons and daughters of Members may also be granted Limited Membership.
Article III
We decry all forms of socialism, communism, and anti-American sentiment, declaring them to be anathema and forbidden to all those in the Liberty Vanguard. Any member who engages in this is automatically excommunicated from the Liberty Vanguard and will be formally expelled.
Article IV
As an organization, we will never embrace any one political party. While individual members are free to hold their own opinions and to take part in the political process, they must never associate the Liberty Vanguard with any one political affiliation. The Liberty Vanguard is loyal to liberty, freedom, and those individual politicians who represent our values.
Article V
No officer or official in The Liberty Vanguard will ever order a subordinate member to perform any act or duty that violates his or her conscience or religious beliefs, including the canon law of his or her church, or the laws of his or her country, or applicable international law.
Article VI
We are bound to uphold all just and moral oaths, such as oaths of fealty, marriage, or sacerdotal vows, but no secret oath shall ever be required in the Liberty Vanguard. Nor will blood oaths ever be required of a member of the Liberty Vanguard.
Article VII
We hold, now and forever, that neither titles nor ranks shall ever be for sale, nor will entry into the Organization ever be dependent upon any person’s financial or social status. Nor will any Member ever be dismissed from the Liberty Vanguard or held in contempt for the inability to pay donations or obligations. Neither shall any affiliate nor other governing body of our organization ever levy involuntary assessments on any member. We will never value money or other material things over humble service to our Country.
Article VIII
The Liberty Vanguard and its members will respect all state and national laws. We claim no sovereignty. All affiliates that make up The Liberty Vanguard shall recognize and honor those officers elected to serve as the governing body of The Liberty Vanguard.
Article IX
In the case that any member violates this Declaration, the statutes of the Liberty Vanguard, or the bylaws of the affiliate itself, in that such a person may have departed from our principles and operates in such a manner as to bring dishonor and discredit upon our Order, that person will be expelled from our Organization.
Article X
The Liberty Vanguard may, from time to time, select a Chaplain for the Organization, and shall pay homage to the same; however, the selection of a Chaplain will not imply or express an elevation of the protector’s church over any other church body. We also hereby ordain that all members of the Organization shall never seek to cause division or schism in the Order due to theological differences between the various order members.
Article XI
We have chosen Benjamin Franklin, American Diplomat, Inventor, and founding member in our organization. We feel this firmly establishes our historical lineage for the community and sets the precedence for our core values.
We have established this Community to last as long as America is a country. The Liberty Vanguard has been designed to pass unto each generation of Americans, establishing a program you can pass on to your children and grandchildren helping keep alive historical American values for generations to come.
Article XII
The Liberty Vanguard will never reject any member on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, or family/parental status. The chief criterion for acceptance will be the Member’s willingness to serve the Organization faithfully and without thought of recompense. We similarly hold that no member has an automatic right to join the Organization but must be accepted by the membership of the Organization or State Affiliate to which he or she has applied and meet the standards established for membership in the Bylaws.
Article XIII
We are looking to preserve the American way of life. We are based on a strong belief in God. Treat others with respect & show goodwill. Support family values, Support your community. Hold up our Constitutional Rights. We seek those looking for a way to increase the positive difference they can make and feel they were meant to be part of something bigger.
Article XIV
We will remember the brave and valorous Founding Fathers who died in the name of Liberty and Freedom and who were unjustly taxed, imprisoned, and killed on the orders of a Tyrant King.
Article XV
Elections will be held on the first Saturday of May during each calendar year.
Nominee Eligibility:
- Nominee must be a Citizen of the Country of their Affiliate.
- Nominee must be a resident of their state.
- Nominees for State Lead must have been active members in good standing for the preceding 6 calendar months.
All nominations are required to be submitted to the State Secretary and International Secretary before 12:01 am on April 1.
All nominees will be announced to the membership no later than the fifth day of April.
Voting will be done by secret ballot.
Ballots will be counted immediately following the vote, in the presence of the assembled members, by two approved members approved by the State Lead under the supervision of the State Secretary.
All elections will be done via Ranked Choice Voting:
Understand the Ballot:
Voters are presented with a ballot that lists the candidates running for a particular office.
Instead of choosing just one candidate, voters rank the candidates in order of preference, typically from first to last.
Marking Preferences:
Voters mark their first-choice candidate with a “1,” their second-choice candidate with a “2,” and so on.
Voters can choose to rank as few or as many candidates as they want.
Counting First-Choice Votes:
The first-choice votes are counted initially. If any candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, that candidate wins.
If No Majority:
If no candidate has a majority (more than 50%) of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated.
Transfer of Votes:
The votes for the eliminated candidate are then transferred to the voters’ next preferred candidate still in the race.
If a voter’s first-choice candidate is eliminated, their vote is transferred to their second-choice candidate.
Recounting and Elimination:
The votes are recounted, and the process of eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes and redistributing those votes to the next preferred candidate is repeated until a candidate has a majority.
Declaring a Winner:
The candidate who eventually accumulates more than 50% of the votes is declared the winner.
Tie Resolution (if needed):
In the uncommon scenario of a tie, should the State fail to resolve the deadlock after three consecutive elections, the International Council will conduct a vote to select the State Lead.
Voting eligibility:
- Voters must be active members in good standing
Article XVI
MEMBER
A law-abiding citizen who is dedicated to meeting with fellow members of the Liberty Vanguard.
Qualifications to become a member:
- Must submit to a state and federal background check at potential members’ expense.
- If the Potential Member is a convicted felon, the International Council must vote to accept this member.
- If the convicted felon becomes a member, they must follow all current state and federal laws.
- Liberty Vanguard will not consider potential members convicted of Pedophilia, Child Pornography, Child Abuse Charges, Human Trafficking, and Sexual Assault and Rape.
- Individuals with a history of felony convictions are ineligible for leadership positions unless their records have undergone expungement.
Article XVII
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Our organization requires members and leaders alike to be trustworthy and honorable individuals. Anyone who does not follow our bylaws and the rules within is subjected to disciplinary action by their State Lead or National Director.
There are two degrees of offense:
- 1st degree: non-malicious offense: Disciplinary action: warning given. A trial is not necessary. Corrective action will be taken if need be.
- 2nd degree: malicious offense. Disciplinary action: immediate dismissal from our organization. A trial is necessary. Corrective action is taken if need be.
- Corrective action examples: The leader deletes the member’s offending post. The leader makes a statement regarding the offense of the member and denounces his or her actions.
Rules subjected to 1st Degree Offense:
- Posting spam
- Openly arguing with a leader, admin, or moderator
- Sharing your account non-maliciously
- Posting unnecessarily graphic images or comments, or anything else not safe for work
- Posting copyrighted material
- Solicitation or advertising
Rules subjected to 2nd Degree Offense:
- Name-calling, insulting, and attacking other members or leaders in public or private
- OPSEC violations
- Sharing your account maliciously
- Threatening violence or harassment
- Racism or discrimination
- Lying during the vetting process
- Physically being an aggressor or antagonist
- Undermining or defaming the organization, or leaders in public or private
- Illicit use of controlled substances
Any action that has malicious Intent: If the State leader or National Director determines the intent was malicious (i.e. the member/leader knew the rule but intended to break it to do harm to a leader or our organization), then any 1st Degree rule can be upgraded to a 2nd Degree offense. 2nd Degree rules are not subjected to the intent of the member/leader, as they have already been deemed a malicious offense. Members can commit multiple 1st Degree offenses without being upgraded to a 2nd Degree offense; however, this is left up to the discretion of the State Lead or National Director.
In the event that the State Leader is accused of an offense, the International Council will convene to review the information available regarding the offense. The International Council will vote to determine if an offense was committed. A 3/4 vote that the State Leader committed the offense is required to invoke disciplinary action against the State Leader.
If disciplinary action is required against the State Leader, the National council will vote on corrective actions to be taken. The actions allowed are:
- Disciplinary Warning (only if the State Leader has not previously been warned)
- Removal from the position of State Leader (remains a member of the organization)
- Removal from the organization
APPEALS PROCESS
Should any member feel that they were subjected to an unfair disciplinary action, they may appeal the decision by contacting the International Secretary. At this point, the disciplinary action taken will undergo a review by the International council, and a 3/4 vote of the National council is required to overrule the disciplinary action.
Article XVI
NO CONFIDENCE PROCESS
General:
Leadership positions within the organization come with a great deal of responsibility. It is the responsibility of leaders at each level to ensure that the leaders and officers operating under them are performing their duties well and to guide them in the performance of those responsibilities.
In the event that an officer is not performing and is not showing progress through corrective action, it is the responsibility of their leader to remove them from that position and appoint another member to take over the position.
If members have concerns about an officer or leader not performing their duties or not adhering to the mission of the Liberty Vanguard, they should report their concerns to their State Lead. If their State lead is their concern then members should feel comfortable reporting their concerns to the International Secretary.
International Director
Given that there is no higher authority than the International Director within the Liberty Vanguard, concerns or issues stemming from a lack of confidence in the International Director are addressed collectively by the International Council. If any International Council member initiates a vote of no confidence in the International Director, the International Council must assemble within 72 hours. During this assembly, the presenting member outlines the reasons for the vote of no confidence. Subsequently, the International Council votes on
Article XVII
CONTINUITY OF LEADERSHIP
International Director
In the event that the International Director is temporarily unable to perform their duties, the National Assistant Director will assume the authority to act as the International Director.
In the event that the International Director is permanently incapacitated, removed, or steps down from the position, all members will be notified of the vacancy and have one week to submit their name for consideration as the next International Director if they so choose. After this time, an election will be performed in accordance with Article XIX by the entire membership worldwide.
During the time that a new International Director is being elected by the members, the International Assistant Director is the acting International Lead.
The International Director can be from any country that has a Liberty Vanguard Affiliate. In the event the International Director is chosen from a country other than the United States of America, the International Board will be moved to the International Director’s host Country.
State Lead
In the event that the State Lead is temporarily unable to perform their duties, the Assistant State Lead will assume the authority to act as the State Lead.
In the event that the State Lead is permanently incapacitated, removed, or steps down from the position, all members will be notified of the vacancy and have one week to submit their name for consideration as the next State Lead if they so choose. After this time, an election will be performed in accordance with Article XIX.
During the time that a new State Lead is being elected by the members, the current Assistant State Lead is the acting State Lead.
CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF LEADERSHIP
In the event of a natural or man-made catastrophe that eliminates multiple levels of leadership in a tier or removes the ability of those officers to reach or communicate with members to coordinate efforts, the following shows the order of succession for a tier’s leadership chain.
Internatonal Leadership
- International Director
- International Assistant Director
- International Strategic Planning Officer
- International Training Officer
- International Chaplain
- International Communications Officer
- International Public Relations Officer
- International Secretary
- International Vetting Officer
- International Treasurer
- State Lead
- State Assistant Lead
- State Strategic Planning Officer
- State Intelligence Officer
- State Training Officer
- State Chaplain
- State Communications Officer
- State Public Relations Officer
- State Vetting Officer
- State Secretary
- State Treasurer
International Officers supersede State Leadership in command in the event of catastrophic loss of leadership and will relay orders to State Leadership when possible. If communication from International Leadership to State Leadership is cut off, State Leadership will act with autonomy.
Article XVII
PERSONAL PROTECTION ORDERS
Those under the restriction of an active Personal Protection Order are ineligible to participate in any training or activity that involves firearms.
Those under restriction of a Personal Protection Order or its equivalent from another state are not allowed to hold any leadership position in this organization. They especially are not allowed to talk to any news outlet or to represent this organization in any fashion.
MENTAL ILLNESS
The Liberty Vanguard, as an organization, holds physical and mental fitness as being one of the most important things that a member must maintain at all times. With that being said, we are well aware that some members may have various challenges with mental fitness that they face every day. For example, we are aware that a number of our members who are prior service or who work in law enforcement have PTSD. This is not a disqualifier for becoming a member or participating in Liberty Vanguard events. Just like any other medical condition, we hold that it is important to work towards establishing and maintaining the highest degree of fitness that is achievable.
While a mental health condition is not something that would prevent someone from being a member, a leader, or participating in various events, the display of certain behaviors can be. For example, displaying agitation and potential for violence towards others is not a behavior we could allow at a firearms training exercise. As another example, displaying poor judgment and decision-making because of paranoia is not a behavior we can allow from our leaders. In being sensitive to this, while working to maintain the safety and effectiveness of our members and organization, we utilize three tiers of participation.
If a State Leader or officer, based on an individual’s display of behaviors, has sufficient cause for concern that an individual may pose a risk of harming others or the organization, the State Leader or officer may temporarily bar that individual from participating in specific activities and/or serving in leadership roles. This shall be done with the agreement of the leader’s next in command. The concerned leader shall inform the individual of their concern and what would be expected of that individual to resume participation in barred activities. The leader shall also convey to the individual that being barred from specific activities is not a punishment but rather to ensure the safety of others, the organization, and the individual. The leader shall support the individual in their efforts to resolve any issues contributing to their display of concerning behaviors.
RECRUITING
Recruiting is best done face to face, though not required. Only invite those who you think you can trust and who you feel would make a great member. Those who are anti-government, racist, homophobic, violent, etc., are not allowed. The first recruiting focus of each member should be to recruit family members, friends, and neighbors, as they are the easiest to recruit. The second focus should be to recruit those people you see in person or on social media that seem to have the same ideals that we have in this organization. You could even make business cards to pass out to potential members.
The best way to attract new members is to tell them about the organization. From there, the vetting and networking process for members and leaders can begin.
VETTING
State Leaders, State Assistant Leaders, and State Vetting Officers have full discretion to accept or reject any applicant for this organization. State Vetting Officers should only accept applicants who they feel are upstanding, law-abiding citizens who believe in the Constitution and are good, honest people.
Every person vetted should be vetted with the same questions and by the same process. To maintain fairness, it is up to the State Leaders, State Assistant Leaders, and State Vetting Officers to ensure the vetting process is consistent.
Typically applicants should be vetted within 14 calendar days, however, if there is a backlog
of applicants the process could take longer. The following is the standardized vetting process:
State Leader (SL) or State Vetting Officer (SVO) reviews pending applications on the
vetting spreadsheet and performs an initial fitness evaluation by reviewing any available social
media platforms and by using any other legal means of determining the applicants fitness for
membership.
◦ Site 1: www.intelius.com (search name for previous addresses)
◦ Site 2: Search your local state court dockets
◦ Site 3: https://dockets.justia.com (Federal case search)
◦ Site 4: Simple google.com search of NAME + DOB
◦ Site 5: Social Media profile (group affiliations, or anything that would raise concerns)
◦ Perform a criminal background check and child abuse clearance. If a fee is required it will be the responsibility of the applicant to incur this cost. This background check is to be conducted by the SL or SVO.
- SL or SVO contacts the applicant and, if zone leadership has been established, puts them in
contact with their Zone Leader (ZL) or Zone Vetting Officer (ZVO) to conduct a face-to-face or
video conference call interview. A phone call cannot be utilized for this step. - If applicant passes the face-to-face or video conference call interview, the ZL or ZVO
ensures the applicant is added to the appropriate communication platforms and notifies the SVO to
add applicant to the roster, and other communication platforms. The applicant is now considered a
candidate of The Liberty Vanguard - The International Secretary shall reciveve a copy of all forms and background checks.
TRANSFERS
If any vetted member moves it is the responsibility of the vetted member to contact their
State Vetting Officer to get their information updated to include the new information and to move
them in the state organization to the appropriate zone, county and district. The vetting officer is also
required to inform the leadership of the Zone, County and district as necessary.