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Kelly Gardner (KellyGardner) [Message] Interim state coordinator Reno, NV 89506

Welcome to the Nevada Campaign for Liberty!  The Battle Born State has a proud tradition of individualism and independence, and we're using that tradition to restore our republic and strengthen state sovereignty.  Please join us in every way you can!

◊ The first thing you should do is become the local coordinator of your precinct.  A little time invested in getting to know your neighbors and letting them get to know you will pay huge dividends when it comes time to ask them to stand with you against bad government!  As a local coordinator, you have access to fantastic training tools that will help you become more effective and efficient in your activities.  

◊ The price of our Liberty is eternal vigilance, so join your local political party (of your choosing) and get involved with local government.  Every position matters.

◊ Gather with other Liberty-minded folks at a county chapter meeting or on the monthly state conference call if you're not near a meeting.  

◊ Please remember that this is fun!  The message of freedom is a message of joy.  Meeting and connecting with other Liberty-loving people is deeply satisfying and it helps to know that you're not the only one out there who desires a rational government!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the interim state coordinator, Kelly Gardner, or your county coordinator.

Rebuilding the Social Structure Posted by Deb Wells

Posted 11/16/09 Last updated 11/15/09

I recently received an email from a fellow Local Coordinator.  In part, she wrote:

"We used to have neighborhoods back when we were kids, when mothers stayed home and kids played outside after school, but that world is long gone. I think this is one of the reasons it's such a hard slog.

Some of us have been going door to door with petitions; people don't even answer the door when you knock, even when they're obviously at home. This is happening now, more than it was, but it's slowed by the inherent social decay."

I responded to this Local Coordinator, and I hope this will give all of our Local Coordinators food for thought and encouragement.  Here is my message:

I grew up the same way and have fond memories of my neighborhood.  I agree that the social structure has decayed, so we need to re-build the social structure first. 

Here's what I'm doing -

My first step was to decide to be a "neighborhood watchdog" of sorts. I attended neighborhood meetings, drove the neighborhood to see if there were things that might hurt the value of property, and counted how many homes are being sold on the market. I started talking to my neighbors during my trips around the neighborhood - would wave, stop the car, or stop to chat about these things when I walked.

I had a pizza party at my house for several of my neighbors and we discussed the board actions of the homes association.  I walked door to door to get email addresses so I could send tips, news and alerts. I now have 125 email addresses and send a monthly newsletter. I have a crime alert sent to me so I can let my neighbors know about crime happening in and around our neighborhood.

We had a board election for our homes association and some of us walked door to door. Almost all of our neighbors were happy to see us. Two of our candidates won and we had a huge turnout at our annual meeting.

My neighbors email me with tips and their opinions and I've got a much better idea of who might be with us based on our conversations. The value of this cannot be under-estimated. I now have 3 solid conservative neighbors that I know will be active with me, and a few others that I'm cultivating.  I know they will help me walk the neighborhood and we are building a network here.

My next neighborhood meeting will be to talk about how to keep our neighborhood safe and maintain property value - these are things that are important to all of us.  There will be food, of course - that always brings 'em in.

Note:  My next step will be to walk door to door with a survey.  It will go something like this:  "Hello, again.  I'm Deb Wells and live right down the street from you.  I will be visiting our government representatives and would like to let them know what is important to you. I have a short survey here....(the survey will contain questions that will let me know who is with us)." 

Next will come a local candidate forum where we'll have the opportunity to control the debate.

* * * * * * *

There are different approaches that Local Coordinators use.  Some have a "sales" personality - they walk right up, knock on the door, introduce themselves and say "I am the neighborhood representative for Campaign for Liberty" and hand their neighbor a flier, speak eloquently about it, and follow up with another visit. 

Some take a slower approach like mine.

Whatever approach you use, there is no feeling like the first time you wave and speak to a friendly neighbor...you suddenly realize deep in your heart that you will be successful because you have begun rebuilding the social structure.

After sending my story to my fellow Local Coordinator, she wrote:

Very interesting. Rebuilding the social structure of the neighborhood will of course have inherent value, quite in addition to providing a framework for getting our message across. One could even posit that the whole "need" for big government is because of the breakdown of the neighborhood, along with the breakdown of the family. In earlier times, one's neighbors and family were the "safety net" that is now provided by the government.

I agree.

It is up to us to build the social structure again and as you begin to do this, soon you will find neighbors who want to help you build, and you'll view your neighborhood and your ability to succeed as a Local Coordinator in a whole different light.  Remember:  If you know that a person is home but won't open the door, they are probably not interested in their community and more than likely, not interested in voting or making a difference.  Spend quality time with friendly neighbors that care - they will become your "army".

For additional news and tips, see:

What is a Local Coordinator - http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=26555
Local Coordinator Training: Step 3 - http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=26815

Starting Small Posted by CharleneN

Posted 09/16/09

It doesn't take much to make an impact on the politics in your community.  If you've taken the Local Coordinator training, you've already taken a huge step to being an effective leader in your community.  Local Coordinator training will equip you with the information and resources you need to make a difference.

We've often talked about the three areas of involvement: party involvement, issue involvement and running for office.  Well, I've just taken the plunge and have become an office holder.  Today I was appointed the Municipal Judge for Casselton.  ND laws allow cities smaller than 5000 to have judges who are not attorneys.  I am filling an unexpired term, so I will be running for election in June 2010.

This is a small position.  I will only hear traffic and city ordinance violations (except for 3rd time DUIs.)  Court is held two times a month and many times there are no cases to hear.  But if anyone remembers the kerfuffle with David Habiger earlier this year, one aspect of his case (the junk cars in his yard) was decided in Casselton's municipal court.  So no Kelo vs. New London cases, but maybe smaller, lesser known, Habiger-type cases.

This wasn't hard at all.  In fact, it was embarrassingly easy.  Casselton ran an ad in the paper, I responded and sent in a resume.  Now remember, I am a SAHM.  I haven't held a real job in 18 years.  But I wrote up a resume that listed my political involvement and my community service (I volunteer at the library, local nursing home and have worked a lot in Cub Scouts.)  Apparently this was good enough for our City Commission, because I got appointed without an interview, based solely on my resume and my reputation. 

And now I'll have nine or ten months to further establish my reputation in the community before the next election.  I'll also be going to training in Bismarck and be meeting and networking with others in the state and local municipal system.  All of this is good experience and will make me more effective for future political races (mine or others I want to help along.)

So keep your eyes open.  There are lots of boards, commissions and committees you can get appointed to.  Some go begging to be filled and all will give you a door into the political process.  If a homeschooling mom from rural ND can get appointed as a municipal judge, you can easily do the same or similar.

Start today by getting the Coordinator Training.  And then attend local city or county council meetings, ask questions and find your place at the table.

HEALTH CARE - REMEMBER GOVERNMENT CREATED HMOs Posted by rbunce

Posted 07/15/09 Last updated 07/15/09

I am sure you have heard the Democrats talking back and forth about who’s Universal Health Care is best and who is going to give more to hard working Americans. But just stop and think for a minute what happens to things when big government gets involved. Remember the federal government created HMOs in 1973.

The basic business model of all HMO's is to deny people treatments which they deem as unnecessary, in order to increase profits, which is pure evil. Instead the model should be centered around the doctor. A doctors basic business model benefits by helping the most people, which increases profits. Now keep this in mind as you read about Universal Health Care.

Universal Health Care would be a dream come true for the drug and insurance industries. This may seem counter intuitive but once the system is in place, the drug companies will have guaranteed income. Once the contracts between the government and drug companies are setup, no new drug companies will be able to exist. This will allow drug companies to charge anything they want with a guarantee that it will be paid. The federal government will have no choice, either give Americans no health care or pay the ransom to the drug companies.

On the insurance industry end, it will be lobbied and setup so that instead of the government paying the hospitals directly. The government will pay the insurance premiums to an insurance company, which will pay hospitals; this is called single payer insurance.

This will give the insurance companies a guaranteed income, and at the same time they will be able to slowly buy the hospitals. Once they have a large enough percentage of them, they will be able to ransom the government as well. They can begin charging whatever they want for services, and again the government will have no choice. The federal government can either let the people die or pay the ransom.

Unfortunately this will not be the worst part of Universal Health Care. When new treatments are discovered, the doctors and patients will not be able take a chance on them. Instead these treatments will have to go through the "bureaucrats gauntlet of red tape" to get to the people who need them to survive, which will take years and years. So by the time they are available to be used, it will be too late for thousands of Americans.

With Universal Health Care, everyone pays the maximum because the money is guaranteed through government intervention, which is funded by the people’s taxes,  through force, by  the IRS. No matter how the picture for this is painted, this is the plan. This is how big government sells things, sugar coating cyanide pills. Sweet to taste, but by the time the people swallow it, it is way too late.

Instead we can choose freedom! Health Care should be between a patient and their doctor. Prices for a doctor's services should be controlled by the doctors, so a sliding scale can be implemented, the poor can pay what they can, while the rich can pay more to provide for those without. Also all treatments will be available, and their uses will be up to the patient and the doctor to decide. True Freedom, is the ability to make your own decisions!

FreeOIurHealthCareNow.com Posted by Joe Barnett

Posted 06/16/09

Congress and the Obama Administration are pushing for health care reform that will move the US health care system closer to that of Canada or the UK.  You can help stop a government takeover of health care from happening. Send a message to the White House and Congress by signing the "Free Our Health Care Now" petition.  Go to www.freeourhealthcarenow.com and sign the petition today!

Joe_Barnett

How we Convinced our Congressman to Co-Sponsor HR 1207 Posted by Jeremy DeWitt

Posted 06/09/09

Our objective from the beginning was to determine whether Congressman Boswell (D - Iowa 3) was willing to co-sponsor HR 1207 and we were not going to accept anything other than a definitive yes or no. 

The first thing our members did was to call the congressman's offices and ask for an answer as to whether or not the Congressman would sign onto the bill as a co-sponsor.  We were told that they would pass the message on to the Congressman and that he would get back to us with an answer.   

We determined that it would be good to let them know that we were serious about getting an answer so we sent out a notice asking our members to meet at the Congressman's office to inform them about HR 1207 and ask for our Congressman to be a co-sponsor of the bill.

A group of about 15 Campaign for Liberty members met at the Congressman's office and expressed their concerns about the Federal Reserve System and the lack of accountability when it comes to our government's monetary policy.  (See the story here:  http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=17050)  Our opinions were welcomed by the staff members but we were once again told that the Congressman would be informed of our opinions and they would let us know one way or another where the Congressman stood on the issue.

We also happened to have a booth at the county gun show prior to our office visit where we promoted Campaign for Liberty and were able to secure many more petitions asking for the congressman to co-sponsor HR 1207. 

Within a week or so, some of the members who went to the office received a letter in the mail from the Congressman that basically said he would keep our views in mind if the full house considered the legislation.  This sounded like a "no" but we were determined to get a specific answer about whether he was willing to co-sponsor HR 1207.

One member was able to talk with one of the chief staff members in the Congressman's Washington D.C. office who was very helpful and through a direct yet cordial approach was able to build a rapport with the staff member and secure a commitment from him to get an answer on the question of whether or not the Congressman would be willing to co-sponsor HR 1207.  The CFL member always made sure to follow up with the staff member and if there were no results would politely ask when they should check back with him to see if he was able to speak with the Congressman to get an answer. 

After some conflicts of the Congressman's schedule the staff member was able to speak with the Congressman who had some questions as to how it would affect local banks in Iowa but said he was otherwise open to being a co-sponsor.  Once again, the staff member asked the CFL member to check back with them in a week once they were able look into it a little further.  Surprisingly, within about 30 minutes the CFL member received a call from the staff member and was told that their concerns were alleviated because after a brief investigation they realized it would not affect local banks and the Congressman was now willing to be a co-sponsor! 

Incredible news!  Through the efforts and perseverance of the Iowa Campaign for Liberty members Iowa's 3rd District Congressman has added his voice to the many voices in Congress who are now seeking transparency from the Federal Reserve Bank!

We still have 3 Congressmen in Iowa who have not heard enough of our voices yet and have been unwilling to take a stand regarding HR 1207!  We need to turn up the effort on these remaining Congressmen and make sure that we secure a bipartisan victory with 5 Iowa congressmen as co-sponsors of HR 1207!