UPDATE: 1/12 - Bumping this to stay top-of-mind. Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far, and to those who are sending checks.
Be sure to go to NRA-type sites and other places to enlist their help. Also go to every Ron Paul fan-site you can find and ask them to send a notice to their mailing list.
~~
UPDATE: Donations - PayPal button in the right column is easiest.
If you want to use a check, make payable to: America527
Mail to:
America527
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Thanks for the support, folks. Defeating the Enemies of Liberty is entirely up to us.
~~
It appears the consensus wants to move forward on a radio ad buy.
Here are a few basics: We'll need a script of about 140 words. The key is to have a simple message, repeat that message several times in slightly different language, and have a contact blurb that is easy to remember.
I am going to suggest two aspects that I think will lead to success: Firstly, I think our message should center around the Constitution and Constitutional ideals, rather than trying to introduce people to the III. The last thing people want is another group claiming a percentage - 1%, 99%, et cetera. If we push the concept that many of our problems will be solved if we simply abide the Constitution, as ratified, I think we'll resonate with listeners. A radio ad is not the time or place to educate anyone - it is an opportunity to get someone's attention and drive them to more information.
Secondly: Where do we send radio listeners? I suggest that for radio ads we use America527.org. It is easy to remember, it strikes a patriotic chord, and like our message, it does not ask the listener to accept a new concept. Additionally, think of the mental gymnastics involved as a radio announcer tries to get "IIIPercent.com" to stick. People won't remember iiipercent.com - they'll type "3percent.com" and other variations, and who knows where they will land.
So: I suggest we keep our message focused on the Constitution and we drive traffic to America527. Just like IIIPercent.com (which we brand on our printed handouts) we can list all of our blogs at America527.org so that when people hear the ad on the radio and land on the page, they can find WRSA, AP, and the rest of us.
Remember, these are only suggestions. I base them on my experience in marketing, but that doesn't mean I am right or my approach is best. Please weigh-in with your thoughts.
Please use this thread to post your thoughts about the script, too. You don't have to come up with a full script if you don't want to, but throw in some bullet points that you think are important.
Also: Male voice or female voice? Sound effects? (I think a rattlesnake rattle at the right moment will convey Gadsden). Any other thoughts you have, this is the thread.
And while we are here: If this is going to happen, we need $12k. That will buy 10 political spots. We may as well start passing the hat now, folks. As usual, anyone who contributes at least $10 will get a patch.
If everyone who visits this blog every day puts $50 in the hat, we'll get it done quickly. That's just about the cost of a box of good .308 rounds. Of course, not everyone will do that, so if you can help make up for a few folks who can't contribute, please do so. Every $10 or $20 helps.
Let's get started!
Kerodin
III
Enemies of Liberty are ruthless. To own your Liberty, you'd better come harder than your enemies..
Where do we send the donations? I'm in.
ReplyDeleteSuggestion for outreach: Hit up the folks at alt-market.com (Brandon Smith); Jack Spirko at www.thesurvivalpodcast.com; maybe even James Rawles at SurvivalBlog.com. Spread the message far and wide and (hopefully) the financial goal will be reached quickly.
I'll take a stab at a script (never written one before) -- who knows?
Thanks for your work.
I think the script has already been written in the form of the III to Liberty book. The consistent message is there and only needs editing to shorten it down for an ad. Keep it simple - state the grievances our allies-to-be already see and understand and make them aware of the rally point (here or wherever is the goal) and what'll happen there.
ReplyDeleteThen prep for OPFOR blowback.
My $$$ contribution to follow...
Anon: Thanks for that. I think you are right - keep it simple, constitutional, and brief.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to see what form the blowback will take...
K
Some ideas:
ReplyDelete-A deep, serious male voice. Ominous music in the background. Thunder, wind, rattlesnake rattle (great idea), maybe unintelligible/violent mob noise sound effects...shouting, breaking glass...but no gunfire sounds.
-List a few of the most recent Constitutional "usurpations"...and their possible results... so that the audience can relate immediately.
-Indicate to the audience that a return to Constitutional ideals will solve most, if not all, of this country's problems.
-Play the future angle. What will we leave for our children...our posterity? Maybe a woman's voice for this part...
-Play on the audience's sense of pride and honor. Will they/we roll over and take the abuse, or will they/we do something about it.
Let's face it. We're looking for a good piece of propaganda here.
I think we must play on not only logic...but also emotion.
Just some thoughts...
Take from them what you will.
I'm not easily offended.
Here is a possibility. It's probably too long and not repetitive enough, but here goes:
ReplyDelete"My Fellow Americans,
We stand at a cross-roads. Our economy is in a shambles. We are in debt - as a nation and as individuals - but the numbers are too big to comprehend, much less address. Our infrastructure is falling apart, but government cannot fix it without either massive new debt or massive taxation. Our politics as usual no longer addresses the real needs of our people, nor even the real functions of our government, which has likewise grown beyond comprehension, reaching into every aspect of our lives and demonizing those who dissent. Many of us sense that a time of great trial is upon us, requiring solutions that can't be found in the halls of power. The solution that we require, the choice that we should make, is not new. It is as old the Republic itself. That solution is the Constitution. We must accept the limits it places on what we can ask or require of our government. We must choose, once again, to be a nation of Laws and Liberty, before we cease as a nation to exist altogether."
Take it apart, re-arrange it, leave most of it on the cutting-room floor, whatever.
OK, I got something I've been working on (I'll cross-post to WRSA for more input from others):
ReplyDeleteA federal government that borrows 40 cents of every dollar it spends.
Washington DC: awash in corruption, insider-trading, bribes, and treason.
Democrats, Republicans, lobbyists and bureaucrats: all united in the cause of looting the nation’s wealth, limited neither by Law nor God.
We were warned by the Founding Fathers that “every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers…alone.”
The Constitution has been betrayed: the federal government is a giant that rules every aspect of our lives with an iron fist and that sees no limits to its ambitions. What few freedoms we have left are in the cross-hairs of petty tyrants in Washington who have nothing but contempt for us and the Constitution that binds this Nation.
We will accept no more promises, no more betrayals, no more lies. It is time for the federal government to be restrained and pushed back to the limited functions and powers authorized by the Constitution. Whatever the cost, whatever the pain we must endure, it must be done. In the words of John F. Kennedy: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
We can no longer afford to deny the Truth or avoid our sacred responsibility as citizens. Join us: visit www.america527.com to learn more.
"Once upon a time in America........"
ReplyDeleteHere you go:
ReplyDeleteThe biggest killer of the 20th century was not cancer, disease, or war, tyranny by government was.
Citizens of the world are under clear and declared threat by governments across the globe: new powers to detain without trial citizens of the US under the NDAA, ongoing warrantless searches and unlawful surveillance under the PATRIOT act, increased military tactics against civilians, prevention and assault of citizens to peacefully assemble and protest.
These assaults cannot stand in a free society. We seek through peaceful means to reverse these incursions. But that is not enough. We citizens must make it apparent and unflinchingly clear that tyranny against the people and minorities of any type is an unwinnable, impossible and perilous course.
The Latin adage holds ever true for us, the people: "If you wish for peace, prepare for war." (Si vis pacem, para bellum).
Thomas Jefferson said: The Constitution of the United States asserts that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property and freedom of the press.
Patrick Henry said:
Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.
Churchill said:
To say that subjects in general are not proper judges of when their governors oppress them and play the tyrant, and when they defend their rights, administer justice impartially, and promote the public welfare, is a great a treason as man ever uttered... The people know for what end they set up and maintain their governors.
Add to my previous post the following:
ReplyDeleteadditional incursions:
financial warfare, rampant economic fraud, theft, and cronyism.
The french have a witicism: "This animal is very wicked; when attacked, it defends itself." (cet animal est tres mechant; quand on l'attaque, il se defend).
The people will be free, by any means necessary.
The choice is yours.
I'd also recommend, that this commercial be made into a youtube video. It's cheap, almost free in fact, and has a greater chance of reaching more people and going viral. If you want to get the word out to the American people, and people of the world, that's the best way to go. I would suggest something like this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.waitingforthestorm.com/an-open-message-to-police-military
Also, producing it in concert with a radio ad will amplify the effect by at least an order of magnitude.
Anyone have graphic / video edit skills, or know someone who does? Might try to do it in partnership with www.waitingforthestorm.com
just a suggestion...
just a suggestion, this guy sounds way powerful & motivational on radio. Utube sound quality doesn't do justice though:
ReplyDeleteRandall Yearout on The Creed_0001.wmv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3qbWw0WTJQ
and
Randall Yearout on Natural Law_0001.wmv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6zeO8v7H18&feature=related
Radio ads--or any kind of "education" is a waste of time and money. Money spent on real activism is the only way to go.
ReplyDeleteAnon 09:16 - What do you suggest?
ReplyDeleteK
I don't necessarily agree. I agree with a poster above that the place to start is a you tube video, however you must really think thoughtfully about what you're trying to accomplish. The last thing you want to do right now is poke the "bear" especially in it's cave, DC. There's no strategic or tactical advantage in doing so.
ReplyDeleteI see several primary and sub-objectives that should really be of foremost of importance:
Primary - 1) make armed violent tyranny against the American people extremely unattractive ground to those that would go there. Make that terrain perilous and out of the question.
Sub-objective -1) Accelerate American citizens to continue/begin arming up / training as a deterrent. Emphasis non-violence, and that the group is self-organizing like the occupy movement (headless).
Primary - 2) Assist in the work of other movements to begin building relationships and a coalition with local law enforcement, city, county, state governments, i.e. Nullificaton and constitutional law.
Primary - 3) Build a PR campaign to emphasize that this group is based on ideals of constitutional government and human liberty. Emphasize that the critical goal is in the prevention of persecution of any minority group in America. (This is important because every time in history governments single out a minority to target. It's also important, because the first thing a big gov propaganda machine is going to do is to try to paint the movement as racist, skinhead, whatever - by making the protection of minorities a primary charter, you take that away from them.)
I'll try to think of more, but this is where you should start. Don't just jump into provoking the beast, especially when it may be counterproductive to your goals. The next task for this group to do should be to establish some high level objectives, then videos - youtube, literature, etc.
Anon 08:28 - Our objective is clear: We want to reach out and find people who already think as do we and help them to find our blogs online. Such people listen to conservative talk radio, visit gun shops, visit gun shows, attend Tea Party events, and so forth. We have printed material to cover face-to-face encounters, and we are going to radio to reach a wider audience.
ReplyDeletePer your last graf: We have high-level objectives, and they are simple and well-documented: Restoration of the Constitution as ratified, in the spirit of the DoI and BoR.
I am curious - what aspect of this campaign appears to be poking the bear to you?
Kerodin
III
Kerodin, I think running a radio campaign anywhere near DC just encourages unwanted attention. The DC gov/ legislative / contractor mentality is a totally different planet than the rest of the country. Unfortunately, even a nonviolent statement that says the people will defend themselves against a tyrannical government if a Stalin is elected can easily be stretched and taken the wrong way in that little fantasy land of DC. Better to not go anywhere near that. Right now, there's not much attention paid to this movement by the busybodies, better to keep it that way as long as is reasonably advantageous.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think your ideas about putting literature in gun shops, and friendly areas is a great idea. You could even build on that by doing targeted radio ads to various geo's. The CIA used to have great skill at breaking things around the world (which isn't the goal here, but lessons can be learned from their strategy). One of the things they used to do is to find friendly groups and areas, then give them a little shove. You amplify your effectiveness, especially in building a movement of ideas by finding a community that's already leaning that direction (gun shops, or the state of Texas), then giving a little push. You also get the benefit of network effect because these people are more connectively concentrated which helps to saturate the idea in that population; pass 10% and you're viral. This is discussed pretty well in the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell. I'd say it's mandatory reading for everyone in this community: http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624
Another benefit this group has is that you can choose the ground that you operate in, the tyrant cannot. This is an enormous advantage. By making good choices of placement of message, it will go farther.
Another thing of constructive criticism I wanted to point out, you can take it or leave it:
Your post "This is where we need to go" had a picture of bumper stickers on a truck, and one of your notes in the following text was "Annoy your local lefties". Though I do not disagree with you, I also don't think it's helpful. I think the goal of any liberty movement must be to build a coalition. There's alot of Obama supporters are starting to question their decision, but there's a matter of pride. They may be moving towards the cause of liberty, but negative statements and communist Obama stickers end up having the opposite effect, further entrenching (on the wrong side) those that may be on the fence.
Life experience is a funny thing, A girl, who just watched her mom, terminal with cancer, go through chemo just wanting a little pot to keep her stomach calm, but was caught in the middle of an Obama DEA raid of a dispensary might be alienated. Then throw on the NDAA, and you have a fertile candidate to hear and understand the truth about liberty, and a possible agent of the resistance. However, seeing some bumper sticker that confirms her bias doesn't help the fight.
I would just suggest, to try to make every effort to avoid excluding, or precluding anyone. You never know who's going to come to your side. The goal should be to attract people and build a coalition for freedom and liberty. Everyone comes to that destination on their own path. Negative messages are just counterproductive.
The bumper stickers are on my truck.
DeleteSorry, I don't do political correctness. It doesn't work and it's just another form of retreat.
Anon: I'll leave the winning of hearts & minds to folks who think it can be done and who choose to expend their energies in that direction. Personally, I can't see wasting my time to compete with public school & college indoctrination combined with the Government's ability to coerce behavior by handing out my tax dollars to recruit the FSA, in an attempt to convince the one or two people who have become disaffected by the President.
ReplyDeleteYour last sentence intrigues me - what is negative about the message we are putting forth?
K
Kerodin, Nothing about the liberty movement is negative. However, there are sideshow comments that happen that, while sometimes correct, sometimes not, cause people who may have residual support for a person or group, to automatically reject the larger argument.
ReplyDeleteExample 1) I'll use the Obama hammer and sickle Soviet star sticker first: The sticker makes a fallacious argument. It makes the point that Obama is a Bolshevik socialist. He is in-fact a crony capitalist trending towards fascist, while at the same time he has created a facade of European-ish socialism.
Calling him a socialist, isn't correct, and is a mild personal attack (but that's what he wants you to think too). Sticking to the issues, calling out the facts and allowing the general unwashed public to reach their own conclusions is much more powerful. Hence, it's better for the movement to avoid those messages in the same space you are advocating in a positive way for liberty, or another issue. You've anchored your argument to the previous message, which may be popular with like minded individuals, but those people already agree with you anyway.
Example 2) A: "The NRA is a bunch of sell outs, thieves and political panderers." and B: "The GOA is the most no compromise group for gun rights."
While the first statement is mostly true, anyone who has a NRA sticker on their car has automatically been psychologically put on the defensive by hearing that sentence and will resist your second statement. They are more likely to take an opposing argument against the GOA in a discussion now, They may have agreed with you in principle had you not negatively attacked the NRA first, then they would have reached statement A on their own which is much more powerful. Making it their idea is a critical lesson of sales and psychology.
Does that make sense?
Anon: OK, I get your general points, but I don't think they apply to what we are doing. Firstly, you must understand just how few people would even understand the distinction between a Bolshevik Socialist and your ceature (A crony-capitalist trending fascist behind a facade of Euro-Socialist).
ReplyDeleteNor would it matter. We are dealing, vastly, with a country with the attention span of a Tweet, to whom deep political thought consists of broad-brush strokes leading to two categories - either Good or Bad. (Bad, incidently, is anyone who disagrees with the position of the speaker)
So any symbolism that stains the Enemies of Liberty with the connotation of "Bad" works for our purposes.
But our radio message will be generally as you recommend: Issue-based on Founding principles. It will not pit NRA versus GOA or any other blue on blue action. The only folks who will not be welcome are those who wish to deny genuine Liberty to their neighbors. Granted, that is a BIG group.
K
Male voice would be more appropriate. As far as tone of the message, we should not mince words. Make the statement and be firm and demand what is already ours by birth. If we can't even be stern on the message we sure won't be able to muster anything else.
ReplyDeleteSorry to throw a wrench into the gears but you won't get 3 ads out before the FCC will shut down the station. Even if there willing to put there license in jepardy.
ReplyDeleteDennis - just what kind of ad do you think we intend to run?
ReplyDeleteK
The Truth
Delete