One of the better speeches at the RightOnline Summit in Austin, Texas was given by Erick Erickson, the editor of the freshly designed and re-launched Redstate.com. (Looks good Erick.)
The thrust of Erick's speech (download as PDF) was simple: Stop being pundits and start being (online) activists. Let's dig in.
Erickson opened his remarks with the classic red meat which has helped brand Redstate as one of the top conservative outposts in the blogosphere:
There are people in this world who are morally and ideologically opposed to us. We call them the left. They are a group of people who want you to surrender your hard earned money so they can give it to someone else who did not earn it and probably would not need it, but for the their insistence on government dependence.
Their rhetoric is “hope and change.” You know, hope and change are always buzzwords in the revolution against freedom. The only change theyʼll offer is more government. The only choice theyʼll offer you is whether or not to abort your kids. The policies of the last eight years will be replaced by the failed policies of the last 100 years.
And like a modern general addressing his modern army in what Erick terms the "Freedom Revolution," he was precise and direct in how the activists in the room could make an immediate diference:
So you have a choice: get involved or not.
Go to RedState or one of the other sites out there. Start reading. Develop a feel for the community. Then start writing. Give us your thoughts on your local sheriff. Whatʼs he doing. Give us your thoughts on your state representative. Become the person others rely on for information.
Find what interests you. Start blogging about it. Cover the issue. Learn to do an open records act request or learn to read campaign disclosures or learn to do both. Know who you are up against. Be the person who raises the red flags. At least join the conversation. You cannot sit on the sidelines and expect victory.
You donʼt have to be the commander. You donʼt have to do it full time. Just be willing to lend a hand. Just be willing to stay informed. Just be willing to help others stay informed.
Simple, sound, easy, and helpful advice.
In a conclusion to his speech which caused an eruption of enthusiasm and clapping from the grand ballroom, Erick said: "Weʼve beaten [the left] before. We can do it again. And this time, we can do it online, where they think they are strongest."
The troops are ready to go and the generals are willing to lead. We will beat the left online. It is just a matter of time.
Revolution.
Comments
Open Records
I would like to echo Eric's comments.
The Open Records Request or FOIA as some like to call it, is without a doubt, the most powerful tool that an individual citizen has in the fight against there government.
I would start by getting a copy of the law for your state. Each state has a Open records law, and while they are similar in nature, they do very slightly from state to state.
Then I would get in contact with the newspaper association in your state. They can help you with any questions about the law in your state. Some newspaper associations or in some cases, the Attorney General will run seminars on your Open Records laws. These can be very helpful and you can get any questions that you may have answered from these experts.
The most important thing that you will have going for you is your IQ and that has nothing to do with your "Intelligence Quotient" it does have everything to do with your "Innovative Quotient" meaning how innovative can you be when drafting your Open Records Requests. The bureaucrats who are the custodians of your records, will do everything they can do delay, deny or impose huge costs to retrieve the records that you are entitled to. It is your job to figure out a way around them.
Once you have the records in your possession, it is a good idea to establish a relationship with a good reporter. Because, it is not enough to ring the bell, you have to make sure that somebody hears it.
Good Luck
Red County: Grassroots Politics from the Center-Right
We at Red County are doing exactly what Erik is advocating. We have local editors who actively recruit a "blogpen" of center-right editorial contributors to provide people will quality information that isn't available in the local media.
Take a look at www.redcounty.com
If you're interested in starting a Red County in your local community, please contact us.
Scott Graves
President & Editor-in-Chief, Red County
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