A Republic, If WE Can Keep It

Benjamin Franklin responded to the lady asking him if we had a monarchy or a Republic with, “A Republic, if you can keep it madam”. What is exactly did he mean by that? I believe Franklin was a very intelligent man and had Godly wisdom as to what would happen when the people began to remain silent and apathetic. He knew that eventually the people would lose their power and control of “their” Republic and that the government would gain it. He also, I believe, understood what a grave disaster this would be when it happened. Notice I said when. I do believe that Franklin had a preconceived notion that the people would not be able to keep the Republic because they would grow dependent on the government and too lazy to remain involved. Friends, that is exactly what is happening right now. We are losing our Republic because too many have gotten apathetic and lackadaisical in participating. We have become sideline spectators depending on others to make wise decisions for us. Now, not all of us have partaken in the sideline catastrophe. However, we have been affected by it because so many others have chosen to do so. Those spectators are awakening and realizing their roll and importance in rerouting the bus back to Our Republic.


Here, I will follow up to the first article, A Republic, If You Can Keep It. I will go a little deeper into the information and ideas of how we the people can redirect that bus. The rallies and tea parties served a necessary and significant purpose in the beginning. They were the sounding alarm to the government making them aware of our loyalty to and love for our great Republic. The rallies and tea parties also served as a motivator to get common, everyday people excited and interested about getting involved in the political process. For so many people the rallies were a first time political activity in their life. For others, they were all too familiar with them, as they were marching and protesting in their earlier years during the 1960's and 1970's. Rallying is much like a pep rally, preparing everyone for the game, building up excitement, creating energy, passing on positive engagement and including as many people as you can to join the cause. What happens when the pep rally is over though? Usually a football game or some big event follows where there are many involved at several levels. There are the bus drivers, coaches and specialized coaches, the players, which have specialized teams, the trainers and medical staff, the referees, ball boys, water boys, the cheer leaders and their coach, the booster club, the dance team, the concession stand workers, parking lot attendants, commentators, reporters, cameramen, and on and on. The body rallied together and energized one another, building up steam and focus. They boarded the buses, arrived at the games, and played the game. We have had our rallies, we have energized each other, and we are building our focus. I believe that is where we are right now. Building our focus and strategies. We are drawing up our game plans, finding our coaches, creating our special teams, and preparing to board the bus so we can play the game. We are preparing the game plan that will in essence serve as the directions for the bus driver. Our victory will be won when we have rerouted the bus in the direction that “we the people” want it to go. We must learn how to make our plans clear, concise, and easily understood.

One must know where they stand and what their belief system is in order to motivate people to move in any particular direction. You must know what your moral standards are and what is most important to you. We must also recognize that our nation was founded on Judea Christian beliefs. We must seek the wisdom of our Creator and pray for guidance, boldness, and discernment. We must stay focused and not get distracted or grow weary. We cannot allow a few to carry to the torch, we must all play the game and support each other. For a few to carry the torch is too burdensome. How do you figure out what exactly you want from the government? In the first article I provided you with some fantastic links. You will need to be a team player and so you will need to know how to communicate with others and understand how others receive you. Other skills that will be of great use are composition, or writing skills, verbal communication, leadership, coordinating events, organization skills, and presentation. I realize that this may all sound overwhelming, but, there is help. It is really not that scary. Revert back to your educational experiences both in your lower educational years as well as your higher years. Other great resources for assisting you in communicating effectively with your local, state, and national congressmen are listed at the end of this article under resources.

What is the plan of action? Where do you start? After you have decided what you want from the government and what your beliefs are, then you will need to research what bills are up for voting. You can go to Open Congress and easily find the hot topic issues that are currently being discussed and voted on. You can also easily track items that you are personally interested in by clicking on the issues tab and register to receive updates on those issues. Open Congress also provides a tool that allows you to follow each senators and representatives and how they are voting on issues in addition to providing ways to communicating with them. It is best to focus on just a few issues and stick with them. What I mean is, focus on those two to three issues, research them, know them inside and out, and get involved in regards to those issues in addition to communicating with your representatives. For example: Gun Rights or the 2nd Amendment. You will want to know which congressmen feel the way you do and the ones who do not. You will want to send e-mails of appreciation to the ones that agree with you. The ones that oppose your views you will want to e-mail them, send them faxes, call them, and quite possibly schedule appointments. It is better to go in that order and utilize the appointments as necessary. If a bill is getting close to passing or not passing, or going the way you don't want it to go, it is time to schedule an appointment. The most effective way to do this is to not show up alone. You would make much more of an impact if you show up with a larger group of people. That being said, it is imperative that you have only one spokesperson. Everyone else is just there for support and numbers. If the congressmen directs questions to anyone else then obviously they should answer, so they too need to be prepared.

So, let us now discuss effective writing and speaking when trying to sway someone's opinion. (If you are writing a letter/email write legibly).

1.Keep it concise (Get to the point Quickly)
2.Stick to ONE issue
3.Do NOT RAMBLE
4.Follow your bullet points and do not stray.
5.Remain calm, clear, and audible
6.Reiterate your point and close
7.Thank them for their time
8.NEVER be rude.

You may need to follow up with more letters or phone calls. When making the phone calls I find it helpful to have either index cards or notes handy with my bullet points. Often times the congressmen are not available to speak right away or you are on hold for some time. You may forget what you wanted to say or get distracted. This is a good idea when calling into radio talk shows and media networks as well. Writing letters to the editor is another great way to get your message out and inform others of your ideas. Utilize your media resources to your advantage. Again, be polite and kind as we need to build friendships and connections, not build the walls higher. It is a good idea to pool together who your media resources are and find a way to get to know them. Have the list of names, phone numbers, addresses and e-mail address available and share that list with your fellow patriots.

The next step of action is involving others. Find local groups that are in line with what you believe and what you want from the government. Get connected with these groups and participate. Offer your talents and resources. Utilizing the internet and social networks is a terrific way to get messages and ideas out in such a short period of time. Rallies are great, but remember, we need to see positive action. The rallies are a great way to draw in new comers or people who have not yet begun to actually get involved. It is imperative that you obtain contact information at your rallies from all the guests. You should have some petitions available for gaining more signatures. Provide the guests with resources and ways to get active. In addition to the rallies some other very effective strategies are group appointments with elected officials or the media, sit-ins, peaceful protests outside of the pertinent offices, gathering of signatures on petitions and then delivering those petitions in person, marches, group action teams, etc. The sit-ins are useful at crucial and urgent times when there are bills being voted and you have exhausted all other options and the officials don't seem to be listening. If you have enough people to make an impact, you can peacefully gather outside of their office and bring your signs of protest. I suggest you bring your laptops and cell phones as well, make use of your time and call the elected officials, jamming their phone lines in addition to flooding their e-mail in box. Have a banner that clearly states what your group is doing and what you want. That way if passers by want to join in, the more effective you will be. Have handouts and flyers on hand to pass out. You should also call as many media resources at least two weeks, if possible, before your sit in, or activity.

Another item of importance is recording what takes place at your activities. It is a good idea to have several different people video taping, taking pictures, and possibly recording audio. The reason for this is to protect yourselves from possible legal actions that are not warranted, and for future planning purposes. Just like with football games, a good coach will watch the game tape afterward and learn from mistakes and see areas in need of improvement, in addition to siting what worked well and was most effective. Remember that “we the people” have the power and we are the ones who elected the officials to represent “us”.

Resources:
Americans For Prosperity
ONE
Nolan Chart
About.com: US Government
Writing Congress Congress