(LFC Comments:  This is the third of Mr. Edstrom’s three essays on politics.)

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What is the Answer?

Written by Warren Edstrom of Knox County

We have allowed ourselves to be lulled into complacency while influential people have
taken more and more power away from the citizens. We have allowed it by not staying
informed and by not being diligent to see the obvious corruption around us. Now this spontaneous uprising has started. The people are waking up to what is happening. We have met in malls and in town squares to register our displeasure at what is happening to our country. We are mad and we want to change things, but how do we accomplish this, how do we get the attention of those in Washington to affect change for the good.

Nothing will happen, nothing will change, and nothing will get better, until you do
something. The worst decision you can make is to think that you can do so little, that
you do nothing at all.

They are not listening to us; we have tried and they have ignored us.  They have made
fun of us; they have shown disrespect and disdain for our concerns, for our country and
its people. We have to take power back from those who bribe, deceive, and cheat to
get and hold on to power. They depend on our complacency to allow them to accomplish their goals.

We have formed many small protest organizations to register our disagreement to what
is going on. We have received attention and been in the news, but this will change nothing. Until we can alter the outcomes of elections, we will have no influence.
To accomplish this we need to have a large grass roots organization that can affect
elections. Our present situation of small unorganized groups cannot accomplish what
needs to be done. The need is for a single, cohesive well organized body that can guide
resources, collect donations, manage volunteers and assist candidates in running a
successful campaign. When needed, we should identify and support our own people
who wish to be true public servants.

In the interest of efficiency of resources, commonality of purpose and the pursuit of a
return to constitutional government,  it is imperative we join our resources into one
statewide/nationwide organization. One way to accomplish this is to organize our
individual counties. This is the largest “local” political unit and affords complete
manageability from a local level.

We have heard that we should support the district model, but this only has limited
capacity for success. The state is made up of state house districts, state senate districts
and federal house districts. Which one are you going to organize around? Are you going
to organize one and ignore the rest? After the 2010 census your organization can be
gerrymandered out of existence.

In order to support local, county and statewide candidates we should focus on county
organizations. At the county level, we then drill down to the precinct level and appoint
precinct captains who in turn organize volunteers to carry out the work of the group.
All the people in Washington were elected in our states. We are the problem. We must
be willing to work, to give of our time, talents and resources to turn this country back to
its roots. If we take care of the county, it will take care of the state.  If we take care of the
State it will change Washington.

Let me address the issue of disagreements within this movement. We have tea parties;
tea party patriots, even tea party Republicans,  912 groups, as well as a host of other
patriot organizations.  Like the original founding fathers we need to put our petty
differences aside in order to accomplish consensus on the way forward. We need to let
go of our organizational jealousies and differences, so we can join as one, to
accomplish the task at hand.

As long as we accuse some other group as not having “The Answer that’s best” we will fracture and become ineffective. Stick to the facts.

There are many tactics that can work to bring about a change in the direction of our
country. They are not all wrong or right. Some will work better than others. Some, we
will not know about until we try them and find out if they succeed. As long as there is no
direct conflict, they should all be given equal consideration. Do not air your differences
in the courts or the media. This will only serve to damage the whole movement and in
the long run we all lose. Our enemies would love to see us splinter. Some political
organizations will try and recruit you into their structure for their own gain.

Beware of the individual or group that seeks to divide to further their own agenda or
their pursuit of power or money. If you think you have a better idea, put it out in the
public square and see if it has traction,.  If it does not, let it go, but do not attack those who disagree with you. The enemies of freedom are who we are fighting, not each other.

Rejection of an idea is not rejection of the person that brought it. That cliche “United we stand, divided we fall” is true even today. Sometimes when we start a business or organization,  we get attached to it like it was our own child, after all we birthed the idea and nourished the plan. One of the things that have got us where we are today is party loyalty. When the loyalty to your party or group is stronger than your loyalty to the Constitution, and the people of America, you are heading down the wrong road. If we put our self-interest to our group ahead of our goals we will accomplish nothing and our opponents will pick us off one by one.

Now, there is an easier way to win.

I have seen much nail biting about a third party. We cannot have a third party because
we will split the vote and the Democrat will win – refer back to my earlier statements on
this. Another reason is that a third party is just another corrupt organization to have to
deal with. Let me say that we are a supporter of the two party system, we wish we had
one. Unfortunately, we see very little difference between the two we have now.

The corruption in the parties is promoted by the way that they are organized. Here are  some solutions an independent movement can implement to keep the corruption out.

1. Money going to the group should be earmarked to a certain political candidate by the
giver. That way the “party” does not control who gets funded and who doesn’t. Funds to
the general fund of the group should be stipulated as such.

2. Some full-time employees will be needed to sustain the organization such as I.T.
people, accountants, a legal person expert in the arena of political issues including
finance. They should be funded from the general fund.

3. County, state and national leaders cannot hold elected public office, either at the
present time or in the past. If they declare their candidacy they will resign or be
removed. This will help in keeping people from using their positions of leadership as
springboards to public office.

4. We need to build the structure so that the power flows from the bottom up, not from
the top down.

5. Each county shall have a 5-member board consisting of at least one member from
each patriot group in that county.

6. The state shall be comprised of 5 regions. Each region shall have 2 representatives
elected from the included counties in that region.

7. There shall be a state board comprised of the 10 regional leaders, with one at large
position elected from the regions on a rotating basis. This will prevent ties when voting.

8. The county and regional boards shall vet candidates for public office to determine
who will be supported in the primary and general election.

9. Resources shall be identified and distributed by the regional and county boards.

10. Where applicable, the state board will vet state-wide candidates and provide the
resources to support them.

11. The financial structure of the county, regional and state boards are as follows:
a. State board shall have a 501 ( C )( 3 ) for educational purposes, a PAC for
support of candidates and issues.

b. The county shall have a 501 ( C ) ( 3 ) for education, non partisan voter guides,
and the staging of candidate nights.

c. The counties shall be LLCs with a non-profit tax status.

If we can target the independent voter and show them they have a place to go, to have
a voice in the political process, different from the existing political parties I believe they
will start to join us as well as causing people in the two political to abandon them and
join our movement.

This could be used to build a tea party movement made up of independent voters. You
see most independent voters are only independent of the existing political parties. We
do not believe they will not join any movement. We need polling data to determine this.
*****

Note: It is now May 2020, ten years after this document was written and the reasons for
is creation still exists. Tea party candidates have been elected, just to be redistricted out
of office by the Republican Party. The GOP has co-opted many tea party groups and
used them as pawns to get establishment candidates elected.

The effect has been the gradual wearing down and demoralization of the movement as Republicans have controlled the 3 branches of federal government, and nothing has changed.

The establishment still controls the party and they still decide who we get to vote for.
We are no better off than we were in 2010. Donald Trump has been in office for 3/12
years, but is being fought tooth and nail by both parties. His reelection is in doubt. Even
if he is reelected what will happen in 2024 when he leaves office. The deep state will
rise up and retake control of the government. Without a party based on truth and justice,
this is exactly what will happen.

When are we going to wake up and form a new political Party?

*****

(LFC Comments:  We have said that the current Republican Party will not help us save the Republic.  The leadership is weak and ineffective, seemingly unwilling to push back against the party of death – Democrats. 

We envision  the Democrat Socialists/Communists breaking off and forming  a new party.  The “liberal” Democrats and the “Rino” Republicans would coalesce into a new party believing in a big central government regulation our lives, and the patriots that believe in a limited Constitutional government forming a third party.   Trump may be the only one that can spearhead forming a new party.)

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