They think we are all "rednecks"

[ShallNotInfringe]

Think Muddy girl ties. . then again just a US flag on your Label will freak some of them out ...

How about a muddy girl jacket? I feel a shopping spree coming on

 

[Brooklyn]

How about a muddy girl jacket? I feel a shopping spree coming on

perfect -- might be to overkill on us guys -- but I think the tie ( i have done pink ties ) is a just right..

I would do a muddy girl T shirt -- as an accent under my 5-11 's

Wonder if I can find one to fit ??

 

[44man]

I'm not so sure we have our reps under control either. Middleton's voting record doesn't impress me very much

like i said, some of ours have to go also. mac was a fine man and a family friend for many many years but now placates to his waldorf constituents and when cornered he either lies or acts befuddled. he is one who has to go. he can no longer be trusted. i confronted him about his vote on cloture and he was upset that i listed to the vote on the net. he did not want anyone to know. he is not my rep but he is my fathers rep and my whole families rep. they will no longer vote for him and have told him so.

yall ride up and talk to him, he wont talk to me any more anyhow.

shine up for the trip so ya fit in now ya hear.

 

[gatopolis11]

like i said, some of ours have to go also. mac was a fine man and a family friend for many many years but now placates to his waldorf constituents and when cornered he either lies or acts befuddled. he is one who has to go. he can no longer be trusted. i confronted him about his vote on cloture and he was upset that i listed to the vote on the net. he did not want anyone to know. he is not my rep but he is my fathers rep and my whole families rep. they will no longer vote for him and have told him so.

yall ride up and talk to him, he wont talk to me any more anyhow.

shine up for the trip so ya fit in now ya hear.

I think you're right on the money with Mac

Now where is that damn shoe shine lol

 

[dist1646]

Imagine if EVERYONE showed up in bib overalls and carrying pitch forks. And acted respectful. There would be no mistaking the cause or the numbers.

FIFY!


Just kidding.

 

[Hopalong]

Ok, so remind us what the objective is for 2A Tuesday. Are we going for blending in? Are we going for showing our numbers?

This is a serious question.

Others have spoken to that. I was just pointing out that one persons' camo is another persons' work outfit.

 

[ShoreShooter]

My two cents. I don't know how much this adds, but here goes ....

1) Dress code: to anyone objecting to suggestions to dress in some manner the audience (legislators) deems "respectable", ask yourself this: if showing up in some goofy bow tie would get you more 2A rights, would you buy one and wear it? My bet is yes. Should dress and appearance matter? No. Does it matter to some narrow-minded people? Yes. It is precisely those narrow-minded legislators who you are trying to influence.

2) Dress code: clean and neat is the key. If you would wear it to church, to court, or similar event it should be fine.

3) One good message is the demographic of MD gun owners is the same as the demographic of MD as a whole. Yes, it includes the "rednecks" image of the OP. It also includes Brooks Brothers lawyers and bankers, suburban housewives, and every other walk of life. Your camo isn't an issue, so long as it isn't the only thing the legislators see. Suburban Mom's in the little black dress and pearls. In the last session the testimony from the college kid who said his few guns were worth more than his beat-up car was effective testimony and seemed well received. We are everyone. The camo problem is a problem only if there is so much of it that it drowns out others to dilute the message we are everyone. We are the folks next door, wherever next door IS, be it rural, urban, or suburban.

4) The attitude displayed needs to be clear-eyed determination. Persistence. Not anger. Not rowdy. Determined. We are not going away. We are not backing down. But at the same time respectful.

5) What does your audience respect, and fear? Campaign money in opposition to them. Votes against them. Organized resistance. People who in their own communities are in a position to influence other's votes, and willing to do that. Be one of those people, in a crowd of those people. [Note to leadership: attendees ARE those people, influential within their communities, and committed enough to show up. Respect for the attendees is mandatory. You are one of them, not above them. This hasn't been a problem, but in some movements it quickly becomes one.]

6) What do you want, and why are you there? What are you asking the legislature to do? Precisely. In 20 words or less. If you show up and you are the person the TV reporter puts the camera on and asks those simple questions, what do you plan to say? If you, and the group, do not have an answer to these questions the effectiveness of the event will be less, far less, than it could be.

7) If you are not there with a specific request for action on their part, then are you there to deliver a message? Exactly what is that message? "We are mad as hell, and are not going to take it anymore" isn't exactly a winning theme. Because, we've been mad as hell, we've been forced to take it, for a long time. Not only have there been no consequences to the anti's, their belief is it has won them votes. So being mad as hell isn't exactly something they have been too worried about. WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME? Oh, like this time we are REALLY mad? Yawn.

8) One crazy idea: put your legislative district in bold magic marker on an index card and pin it to your jacket in a visible way. ESPECIALLY if you live and vote in a Dem district. If we really are everyone, from every district, it is the Dems in the traditionally liberal districts who most need education that they are putting their own votes at risk. This can backfire if we don't have many participants from Dem districts.

9) Thinking ahead, way past this event, to the upcoming election, because you must keep the eyes on the prize, is what must be done to elect a better batch of legislators. The need to identify and support good opposition candidates is critical. Where those have been identified, some venue to give them some air time with the crowd and name exposure would be useful. The candidates need to come prepared with some simple and cheap flyer that has basic info on it where donations can be sent, and to whom the check should be written.

10) You don't have spare cash to donate? Your TIME is more valuable than your cash. Conservatives do a simply awful job of organizing the kind of ground game that gets liberals elected, time after time. The Rep party at every level is simply incompetent at this. But for candidates running against an incumbent, simple name recognition is incredibly important. Volunteering to stand on some busy corner at rush hour or on Saturdays during the 60 days before the election waving a readable sign can do wonders. Xerox flyers to post, and post them. Volunteer.

 

[Brooklyn]

My two cents. I don't know how much this adds, but here goes ....

1) Dress code: to anyone objecting to suggestions to dress in some manner the audience (legislators) deems "respectable", ask yourself this: if showing up in some goofy bow tie would get you more 2A rights, would you buy one and wear it? My bet is yes. Should dress and appearance matter? No. Does it matter to some narrow-minded people? Yes. It is precisely those narrow-minded legislators who you are trying to influence.

2) Dress code: clean and neat is the key. If you would wear it to church, to court, or similar event it should be fine.

3) One good message is the demographic of MD gun owners is the same as the demographic of MD as a whole. Yes, it includes the "rednecks" image of the OP. It also includes Brooks Brothers lawyers and bankers, suburban housewives, and every other walk of life. Your camo isn't an issue, so long as it isn't the only thing the legislators see. Suburban Mom's in the little black dress and pearls. In the last session the testimony from the college kid who said his few guns were worth more than his beat-up car was effective testimony and seemed well received. We are everyone. The camo problem is a problem only if there is so much of it that it drowns out others to dilute the message we are everyone. We are the folks next door, wherever next door IS, be it rural, urban, or suburban.

4) The attitude displayed needs to be clear-eyed determination. Persistence. Not anger. Not rowdy. Determined. We are not going away. We are not backing down. But at the same time respectful.

5) What does your audience respect, and fear? Campaign money in opposition to them. Votes against them. Organized resistance. People who in their own communities are in a position to influence other's votes, and willing to do that. Be one of those people, in a crowd of those people. [Note to leadership: attendees ARE those people, influential within their communities, and committed enough to show up. Respect for the attendees is mandatory. You are one of them, not above them. This hasn't been a problem, but in some movements it quickly becomes one.]

6) What do you want, and why are you there? What are you asking the legislature to do? Precisely. In 20 words or less. If you show up and you are the person the TV reporter puts the camera on and asks those simple questions, what do you plan to say? If you, and the group, do not have an answer to these questions the effectiveness of the event will be less, far less, than it could be.

7) If you are not there with a specific request for action on their part, then are you there to deliver a message? Exactly what is that message? "We are mad as hell, and are not going to take it anymore" isn't exactly a winning theme. Because, we've been mad as hell, we've been forced to take it, for a long time. Not only have there been no consequences to the anti's, their belief is it has won them votes. So being mad as hell isn't exactly something they have been too worried about. WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME? Oh, like this time we are REALLY mad? Yawn.

8) One crazy idea: put your legislative district in bold magic marker on an index card and pin it to your jacket in a visible way. ESPECIALLY if you live and vote in a Dem district. If we really are everyone, from every district, it is the Dems in the traditionally liberal districts who most need education that they are putting their own votes at risk. This can backfire if we don't have many participants from Dem districts.

9) Thinking ahead, way past this event, to the upcoming election, because you must keep the eyes on the prize, is what must be done to elect a better batch of legislators. The need to identify and support good opposition candidates is critical. Where those have been identified, some venue to give them some air time with the crowd and name exposure would be useful. The candidates need to come prepared with some simple and cheap flyer that has basic info on it where donations can be sent, and to whom the check should be written.

10) You don't have spare cash to donate? Your TIME is more valuable than your cash. Conservatives do a simply awful job of organizing the kind of ground game that gets liberals elected, time after time. The Rep party at every level is simply incompetent at this. But for candidates running against an incumbent, simple name recognition is incredibly important. Volunteering to stand on some busy corner at rush hour or on Saturdays during the 60 days before the election waving a readable sign can do wonders. Xerox flyers to post, and post them. Volunteer.

And bonus for the late hour ---

 

[Hopalong]

8) One crazy idea: put your legislative district in bold magic marker on an index card and pin it to your jacket in a visible way. ESPECIALLY if you live and vote in a Dem district. If we really are everyone, from every district, it is the Dems in the traditionally liberal districts who most need education that they are putting their own votes at risk. This can backfire if we don't have many participants from Dem districts.

I really, really, really like this idea. Not only will it let legislators know who's there, it could help us get a feel for areas where we need to try to get more active. Brilliant.

Mind if I quote you on that?

 

[pbharvey]

I really, really, really like this idea. Not only will it let legislators know who's there, it could help us get a feel for areas where we need to try to get more active. Brilliant.

Me too.

It will look like the Hunger Games with all the districts represented

 

[dist1646]

Eleven pages on what to wear. Come on everyone, just show up and bring your honesty and integrity with you. It will scare the bejeebers out of them!

 

[iH8DemLibz]

The District Labels is a great idea. Though I would add the name of the Senator or Rep. as well. Nothing like seeing your name in lights.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Me too.

It will look like the Hunger Games with all the districts represented

Agree!

 

[DarrellA]

**** it, let's go bowling.

F'ing A, Donny!

 

[ShoreShooter]

I really, really, really like this idea. Not only will it let legislators know who's there, it could help us get a feel for areas where we need to try to get more active. Brilliant.

Mind if I quote you on that?

Go for it.

I'm just throwing out ideas for the good of the cause. Use them, or ignore them as the group sees fit.

 

[Vile Shadow]

I'm not so sure we have our reps under control either. Middleton's voting record doesn't impress me very much

He was one of the traitors that gave us O'Malley's turd sandwich.

 

[Brooklyn]

I really, really, really like this idea. Not only will it let legislators know who's there, it could help us get a feel for areas where we need to try to get more active. Brilliant.

Mind if I quote you on that?

the downside is that the reps that do not see their districts will be emboldened even more ..

may not matter.. but it might ??

 

[ShafTed]

8) One crazy idea: put your legislative district in bold magic marker on an index card and pin it to your jacket in a visible way. ESPECIALLY if you live and vote in a Dem district. If we really are everyone, from every district, it is the Dems in the traditionally liberal districts who most need education that they are putting their own votes at risk. This can backfire if we don't have many participants from Dem districts.

Every time I testified last session I took my (newly minted, DINO) voter registration card and wore it in one of those clip-on ID badge plastic sleeves. I kept telling them it was my credential for their performance review in 2014. Bigger letters on a 3x5 card sounds like a fine idea!