Patriots, Press, Politicians, Personalities, and the Purse

“In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”— Mark Twain

There is a great deal for which to be thankful in America.  Each and every day individuals are fighting for civil liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom to record (everyone is the press), to petition government, and to keep and actually carry loaded firearms.  It is a very hard battle at times, with setbacks and losses for freedom in the form of legislation and bad court rulings that amount to legislation from the bench.  However, there still is much to be thankful for and much hope.  We give other countries hope as well for individual liberty and equality.

It is, of course, easy to see all of the problems we face.  Do not a lot of Americans care about their children and the future of the country?  Do they not want to solve as many issues as possible and do as much noble work in their lifetimes, so as to help future generations and ensure that not only has liberty been passed down, but it has been improved.  Leave it better than you got it.

Well, have we got some work to do. :)  As of this writing, there is about $100,000 of debt for each man, woman, and child in this country.  Elections are seeming shady and illegitimate, for all-of-a-sudden votes can't be counted the same night.  It must take weeks and weeks, and mail-in ballots and drop-boxes, and all sorts of unusual and often illegal methods have been employed and allowed to stand and be certified.  The president and his family are tied in with business dealings in China and Ukraine.  The mainstream corporate information channels of "news" and social media have all been united in pushing a narrative and silencing all other opinions.  Censorship is at an all-time high in America - even with the government actively aiding and instigating it!

It has been scandal after scandal of false and fake news and narratives such as "Russian collusion" and "insurrection" on January 6.  Multiple major manufacturers of vaccines all simultaneously figured out, "tested," and released vaccines that don't seem to work, but seem to be causing deaths and illness like crazy.  China is building up its military, Russia is already at war, and western countries are preoccupied with gender transitioning.  Despite the Supreme Court ruling that the right to keep and bear arms is real, individual, and fundamental, the would-be elite rulers (I wonder which ones of these visited Epstein's pedo island?) are actively trying to ban guns and leave us disarmed and improficient like the Ukrainians.

Feeling powerless?  Don't!  No doubt your would-be rulers - your oligarchs - want us to feel this way.  Let's talk solutions.  Small daily habits will turn this ship around.  I will list as many as I can think of off the top of my head!

Important: Re-read the quote at the top of this page, please.  Bear in mind that action that brings about change always includes some degree of risk.  No risk - no reward.  This old adage is dead on.  "If you want what you've never had, you must do what you've never done."  So, let's start small and build daily.  Even a small victory, the tiniest action, when followed by another, and another, and another, and slightly more, will keep growing and growing until it is habitual and incredibly powerful!

You will 100% encounter three types of people who will stand in your way, if you allow them.  The first are those who want control over you.  These are those who care about money and power over most everything else.  As long as they are "connected" and have influence, wealth, and power, they don't really think about or care for your well-being.  You are a means to an end for them.  They just want to be elevated above you. 

The second are those who wish to shirk responsibility.  They seek the reward that apathy and blaming provides - the ability to excuse themselves and say it's not their fault.  Some of these people may be your friends and family and genuinely care for you and worry for you.  Don't be fooled, these are part of the herd that will slowly walk to their own slaughter.  In the end, they will say it was too much, too hard, everything was stacked against them, they tried (they really didn't, though), etc.  Best to smile and walk around these people.  Some of them will come around eventually when they see your success and the success of others - when it doesn't cost as much and when "failure" doesn't seem on the line so much.  Don't ever become one of these, you must be a leader and be it now, or you are probably reading the wrong website.  The second type of people are a greater threat than the first.  Apathy and cowardice are powerful. 

The third type are "allies" who see activists as competition.  It will be difficult when people you think should be allies are actively thwarting your intentions.  I faced this working in gun rights in Illinois, when the established "activists" and lobbyists were threatened by someone rocking the boat.  They discouraged gun owners from legally carrying - of course with a well-sounding excuse "we don't want anyone to get in trouble."  In reality many of these people hadn't a single clue on how to actually effect change.  They were thought leaders in the cancel culture by banning people from forums, photoshopping people out of pictures, and badmouthing people behind their backs.  However, we did God's good work and helped bring about change.  Make no mistake, some of these people helped too and worked hard.  My recommendation is to walk around these people as much as possible, don't let them stop your forward momentum - don't give them your time to waste.  They will come on board eventually.

Our group - ICarry.org - trailblazed with open carry charity events in Illinois.  The charity aspect was incredibly powerful - we weren't protesting or aimlessly gathering.  We always were doing something to help people and the community, and doing it with guns on and in the name of the right to keep and bear arms.  This was started by our neighbors to the north - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.  We joined them in their events, and we started our own in Illinois and they joined us as well.  Open carry is a form of civil disobedience.  It is a direct reminder to politicians who is really in control, and that we still have our liberty teeth.  They hate open carry more than anything.

I highly recommend civil disobedience like this.  It gets people excited, puts liberty on the offensive, helps gain huge ground for freedom, and the charity aspect shows everyone that we are responsible and solve problems actively.  Tired of government "solving" problems - which really means growing in size and scope and creating many more?  We need to solve them ourselves.  In all of our events, we never had a single bad press story or interview.

Good politicians are extremely rare.  Few humans can gain power and not become corrupted by it.  Few can remain good apples among the putrid, festering rot of all the bunch.  Even well-meaning politicians get engrained into the system and start compromising like crazy, thinking they are "doing more good than harm."  In reality they are just floating along on the ship, failing to help steer it back onto course and make real changes.  Government is force - violence - a necessary evil that must be constrained to the absolute minimum.  Investigate/prosecute/punish/rehab criminals, be ready for defense, protect the environment, and settle disputes amongst states are truly the only things it should be doing.  The rest we should be doing ourselves, so as to leave violence and coercion out of the equation.

Are you listening to voices who report problems, give opinions, but don't provide any solutions?  There are many who make a living off reporting "news."  While true journalism is a beautiful and worthy endeavor, opinionated commentators without solutions are sometimes detrimental to society.  Do not forget they make money off the problems - more problems more money.  They are disincentivized to help provide solutions.  The same can be said of many non-profit organizations pushing for this and that.  The perpetuation of the problem keeps money going into their bank accounts.

Dealing with activism and money is a bit messy, and emotions and passions run high, as does skepticism.  When we ran ICarry.org, our goal was to "go out of business" by solving the problem.  Our goal was to be no longer needed in this line of work and to move onto other work.  Our goal was to inspire and empower, take risk and recapture lost territory.  We had a number of fundraisers for our organization, membership, and donations.  The money went to the website, promotional material, email system, and the court cases I wound up in.  We brought in tens of thousands in a couple years time, and spent all of that money on worthy projects which I believe were worth each penny.  We caught flak from "competing" organizations in Illinois which preferred no competition.  We preferred a new approach - as gun laws in Illinois had been bad for decades and decades and weren't changing quickly.

The power of the purse is like voting.  It is democratic in nature.  You choose who to do business with, who to support.  This is where we will take back this country.  I recommend using this directory, adding yourself to it, and making sure those on it truly are supporting freedom: https://publicsq.com/

We are in the age of micropayments, donations, and being able to support activists directly.  When we ran ICarry.org, it was before YouTube was super popular, before crowdfunding sites existed, before everyone was on Facebook, etc.  But now things are better.  Look around, do some shopping, support activists like yours truly.  Often this will be more effective than supporting many of the organizations that exist.  That is not to say all organizations are ineffective - as this is definitely not the case!  In my experience, organizations often become internally-focused on their own continuity.  They arrive at a place of fear and insecurity, and begin worrying more about themselves, their positions of prestige (even unpaid volunteers can seek fame/power), and their pocketbooks.  So be careful with organizations!

Now is the time to support activists and perhaps become one yourself.  There will be many negative voices criticizing patriots - remember the three types of people I mentioned: would-be rulers, the apathetic cowards, and antagonistic "allies."  Give credit where credit is due, realize there is room for multiple people to take multiple approaches.  Try not to criticize unless it is constructive, and perhaps not publicly if they are allies.  Acknowledge the good work people do.  Decide if there is room for some collaboration/synergy, and if not just move by and do you.

Without further adieu, here is a list of things we can all begin doing now to make change.  Remember that small, daily changes that are consistent and building and increasing is the goal.  Make these things habits, and keep building and increasing slowly or at the pace you can sustain continual growth.

1. Use and encourage others to use https://www.GiveTaxFree.org - the only charity crowdfunding that allows donations to individuals that are completely tax-deductible.  The recipient receives tax-free money, and the giver gets to write it off on their own taxes.  Starve the beast - these hundreds of thousands of new IRS agents (including some armed) are not here to help us.  The IRS should be disbanded, but in the mean time each penny we can keep from them the better off everyone is!
2. Use sites like https://www.publicsq.com which will help liberty and freedom-loving people and their businesses.  We must support one another, and starve the big multinational anti-American corporations as much as possible.
3. Use cash and barter.  Use bitcoin (although this can be more easily tracked).  Don't report, don't pay any taxes you can avoid.  Starve the beast as #1 states.  Don't feed the hand that bites you.  You are not a slave - your labor is not taxable.  The unapportioned tax on your very life is unconstitutional - it is a big scam and fraud on the American people.  Avoid it as much as possible or completely find a way to not participate in legalized mass slavery.
4. Buy guns, ammo, and practice with them.  Become proficient, your life and liberty may one day rely upon these skills.  Ammo makes for great barter and savings as well.
5. Learn useful skills that you can trade with your local community.  Gardening, farming, building, fixing, welding, medicine, etc.
6. Record the police and other government workers while on duty.  Hold them accountable for lording over those they are supposed to serve, shirking their duties and the privilege of serving the people.  Post the videos online and expose government for what it really is - 98% waste and detriment to society.  Let's shrink this thing back down, get it back into its limited scope and power, and enjoy freedom again!
7. Use VPNs - my favorite is https://www.mullvad.net - no name, email or any personal info is required.  You can even pay with Bitcoin for increased anonymity.  They also have the best speeds and features of all of the VPNs I've tested.  All these links, by the way, are me sharing sites with you.  I do not receive anything from any of these sites for doing so.
8. Start learning and advancing web3 technology - a peer-to-peer, open-source, distributed Internet that will take the power away from the big corporations and put it back into the hands of the people.  A decentralized web is also democracy in action, as you can choose what to support and what to help share with others.  It is censorship resistant or even censorship-proof in most cases.  Free speech will live here on the new Internet.  https://www.ipfs.io - https://d.tube
9. Bravely share your passions and information with others.  Plant as many seeds of freedom as you can - some will sprout and grow - sometimes where you may least expect it!  Share documentary movies.
10. Get involved in local volunteering and charity to help solve community problems.  Problems that can be solved by us remove the excuse would-be rulers always give to try to take more money, freedom, and choice from the people.  The problems are still real - so let's get busy and solve them ourselves.  Help the homeless, unemployed, drug-addicted, etc.  Work with good charities that track and really help people 1-on-1 to see what they need and help those who can get back on their feet.  Charities should encourage the people receiving help to also be GIVING help to others - like Patch Adams (great movie, by the way!) https://www.patchadams.org/
11. Like #6 - hold public servants/officials accountable.  Hold them accountable for their lies and disservice and corruption.  Get the bad cops, the bad bureaucrats, and the bad politicians out of there!
12. Unplug from mainstream media.  Even some of the more freedom-minded channels need a lot of work.  They need to be part of the solution - it is required at this point.  Unless your news is dispassionately factual in the true fashion of real journalism, just shut it off.  If you think there is hope for your favorite personality, then talk to them and encourage them to get on board with the solutions.  Why are they not listing solutions here like I am?
13. Get active locally, meet like-minded people face-to-face.  Arrange meetings at restaurants and get to know people.  Make some plans to DO something.  Don't just talk - if you want to just talk hire a therapist.  Get together and get work done.  A small victory is better than nothing, keep building and keep working.
14. Do your best to live and pursue a balanced life.  Family, volunteerism, honest work, active citizenship, play, exercise, vacation, nature (not in any particular order) are among the facets of life that must be balanced.  Be the best you - work on yourself and allow yourself to be an example and inspiration for others.  They can do the same.  This can then happen on a national scope - and America can be an example to other countries.
15. Teach the young ones important lessons of morals and virtue - honesty/truth at all times, personal responsibility, helping others, loving one another, and being steadfast for freedom and equality for all.

Do you have something to add or want to share your experience?  Please do in the comments!  Thank you for reading and for supporting my work.