GraniteGrok

Erick's speech at RightOnline:

And we have the ability to collect everyone's email address and when action must be
taken, send an email asking people to take action. I have a list of 8,000 names I can
email and ask people to take action. These are the 8,000 people who wanted to get
involved and signed up to get action alerts from RedState.

Believe it or not, the response rate is better from those 8,000 people than from the other
email list I have of a few hundred thousand people. Those 8,000 can tie up a
switchboard on Capitol Hill, they can write letters to the editor in their local paper, and
they can come back to RedState and share their news about what happened.

You can easily be a part of that list. Or you can choose another list. You can choose to
be a part of the RedState Community. Or you can choose to be a part of another online
community. Or you can choose to do nothing at all.

But let me tell you, while you decide to do nothing, the other side is marching from
Mordor to change your way of life. They have chosen to do something and the change
they want to bring is not change any free person should want.

In two years, the 50 legislatures of the several states will redraw the lines for the U.S.
House for the next decade. If you sit on the sidelines, the odds go up that those lines
are going to be drawn in someone else's favor. With the Supreme Court in the balance,
this year is an important election at the national level. But your local races this year can
potential decide state legislative races in two years. And those state legislative races in
two years will decide Congress for ten years.

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. What's 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 don't have to be the commander. You don't 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.

People remember Paul Revere. Few people remember Dr. Samuel Prescott. At 1 a.m.
on April 19, 1775, Revere ran into Prescott, who was on his way home from a party.
Prescott was willing to help. Without Prescottʼs knowledge of the farms surrounding
them, Revere's task would have been all the more difficult that night. And when Revere
rode out into the countryside, Prescott stayed behind on the farms and in his town
rallying people, getting his brother to go to the next town to rally people. They were not
Paul Revere, but they joined him and added to his voice.

You do not have to be Paul Revere starting your own ride out into the night. You can be
Samuel Prescott. Just join us at RedState or elsewhere with knowledge of your
community and your issues and spread the word. Recruit your family and friends. Sign
up for our email alerts. Be willing to take action when the email comes. But more
importantly, start sharing, start collaborating, start communicating. Itʼs too important for
us to do nothing and too necessary to doubt and retreat.

We've beaten them before. We can do it again. And this time, we can do it online,
where they think they are strongest.