http://912projectidaho.com/blog/ en info@912projectidaho.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-10T06:36:46+00:00 http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/the_census_is_getting_personal/ http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/the_census_is_getting_personal/#When:06:36:46Z Two sources have stepped forward to comment on the invasive 2010 Census questionnaire.  One video is offered by Jerry Day and an audio commentary by Ron Paul.  Please share these links with your friends! Two sources have stepped forward to comment on the invasive 2010 Census questionnaire.  One video is offered by Jerry Day and an audio commentary by Ron Paul.  Please share these links with your friends!  QUESTIONS THAT THE CENSUS BUREAU REFUSED OR FAILED TO ANSWER Many people have requested the list he covers in this video from Jerry Day’s Matrix News Network segment: “The Census Is Getting Personal”.  Jerry has offered the following video to help you understand what you must do and what you cannot not be required to do! Watch Jerry’s video here >>> Ron Paul has also offered some reassuring comments on the subject.  As we have come to expect from the “master of constitutional government” he makes a very good case for simply dismissing the invasive questions.  Listen to Ron Paul’s comments here >>> Please copy and paste this information and forward to everyone on your contact list to help them undertand their rights with regard to the census!! 2010-03-10T06:36:46+00:00 http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/a_heartfelt_thank_you_from_far_away/ http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/a_heartfelt_thank_you_from_far_away/#When:05:17:20Z We would like to share with our members the following letter that has just been received by The 9-12 Project’s Marine Committee:  The Marines of Easy Company 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines recently received your generously donated care packages We would like to share with our members the following letter that has just been received by The 9-12 Project’s Marine Committee: From: Capt. Gorman       Easy Company, 2nd BN 2nd Marines The Marines of Easy Company 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines recently received your generously donated care packages and would like to take the time to thank you for your time and efforts in supporting us while we are away from home. Every Marine and Sailor here misses their family and friends at home and it means a lot to know that we are not forgotten while we are away. Working diligently the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police, local village elders, and the Marines and Sailors of Easy Company has made real progress in our area of operations. We have had countless meetings with local leaders and government officials to improve the infrastructure and economy in the local area. Daily the Marines sacrifice personal time and belongings working to help local families to improve their standard of living. Community projects to improve education, sanitation, and farming are the mainstay of the efforts here for Easy Company. As you have undoubtedly seen on television and the internet the conflict with the Taliban continues; however the biggest weapon we have against the Taliban is the local populous who has grown tired of the Taliban stealing and threatening them and are working with us to drive them out of the area. The biggest reward for all of us here is seeing the success of Afghanistan’s children as they take advantage of all the hard work we are doing here and attend school for the first time, or as a family for the first time has enough money to buy farming equipment so they can better tend to their fields. With daily successes like these we are all motivated and dedicated to our mission here and will continue to help secure the future of Afghanistan by working to create a stable government, a thriving local economy, and a well established education system. Though we have made efforts to improve our living situation here, we still have a very austere lifestyle. The care packages you send help greatly in our efforts to stay clean, warm, and well fed. One of the best rewards for any Marine after a hard day of work is finding a care package from someone at home waiting for him when he returns. It means a lot for everyone here to get support from home and we are all grateful for all the hard work and thought you put into helping us while we are here. Thank you again for your generous support and from all the Marines and Sailors of 2/2. From all of us here with Easy Company we hope you have a safe and warm beginning to 2010. Semper Fidelis, Marines and Sailors of Easy Company, 2nd BN 2nd Marines   The following two photos show the unit receiving the care packages from this committee.     (Christmas mail call) See the yellow 9-12 Project bumper sticker just below that container with B015 on it? 2010-02-28T05:17:20+00:00 http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/and_the_winner_is/ http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/and_the_winner_is/#When:08:26:20Z Ron Paul wins CPAC straw poll - ends Romney’s CPAC domination.  Texas Congressman Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll on Saturday with 31 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney came in second with 22 percent and Sarah Palin finished third with a distant seven percent of the vote. The CPAC straw poll comes at the end of the three day conference. Ron Paul wins CPAC straw poll - ends Romney’s CPAC domination.  Texas Congressman Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll on Saturday with 31 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney came in second with 22 percent and Sarah Palin finished third with a distant seven percent of the vote. The CPAC straw poll comes at the end of the three day conference. ____________________________ By Jimmy Orr / February 20, 2010 ____________________________ And the winner of the 2010 CPAC straw poll is… Ron Paul? Yep. The libertarian-leading congressman from Texas bested all-comers today with an impressive victory at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC.  Attendees of CPAC, or as Chris Matthews once called it a “Star Trek convention,” cast their ballots on the third and final day of the conference and Paul was the clear winner with 31 percent of the vote. Romney/Spock 2012 Mitt Romney was unable to keep a “Vulcan grip” on his three-year reign as CPAC’s top vote getter netting 22 percent of the ballots for a solid second place finish. Perhaps rap-loving Republicans were sending a message to Romney that they disapproved of his problem solving skills on that airplane the other night.  Then again, as Talking Points Memo blogger Evan McMorris-Santoro points outs, there are no rap-loving Republicans. Palin wins the bronze Sarah Palin, who enjoys a new kinship with Joy Behar, grabbed the CPAC bronze medal with seven percent. Was Palin crushed by the third place finish? She seemed more concerned with another race.  “Family is getting ready for Todd’s IronDog race tomorrow,” Palin tweeted. “I’m watching @GlennBeck on TV now giving #CPAC speech, while racers are in garage.” Quickly discounted Despite Paul’s significant victory, boos rang out from the convention hall when the poll results were announced. And many in the blogosphere quickly discounted the results.  “We can thank Ron Paul for showing just how worthless straw polls are,” wrote RedState blogger Erick Erickson.  “There’s never been a poll Ron Paul couldn’t win, unless you count a presidential primary race,” adds the guys over at Little Green Footballs. Not so fast Hang on, writes the National Review’s Robert Costa. Paul knew what he was doing.  There may have been some boos, but Paul was by far one of the more popular speakers at CPAC this year,” Costa writes.  “While Paul mingled with his acolytes, the big guns — Pawlenty, Romney — were often shrouded by aides or mingling backstage,” he adds. “Believe me: CPAC folks noticed. And now, thanks to the straw poll, for a moment, Paul’s opening line from his address is true: His ‘revolution is alive and well,’ at least this weekend.” Disclaimer: This doesn’t count In case you thought that today’s event meant that Paul had actually won the presidency, FOX News offered this helpful reminder: “The straw poll is not binding.”  And Ben Smith over at Politico notes that the attendees of the conference don’t really sync up with the rest of the country.  “Not only did Obama’s approval rating stand at 2%, but Congressional Republicans stand at a full 62% approval rating,” he writes.  That makes you wonder how those two percent got in there. World record By the way, the nearly 2,400 people who voted represents an all-time high for the conference. Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio said the number is about 40% higher than last year. Here’s the final tally… Ron Paul 31% Mitt Romney 22% Sarah Palin 7% Tim Pawlenty 6% Mike Pence 5% Newt Gingrich 4% Mike Huckabee 4% Mitch Daniels 2% John Thune 2% Rick Santorum 2% Haley Barbour 1% ———————                               Dr. Ron Paul Watch Ron Paul’s CPAC Speech   >>>Here 2010-02-21T08:26:20+00:00 http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/9-12_marines_project_update/ http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/9-12_marines_project_update/#When:04:53:10Z As a community project, The 9-12 Project of Idaho has adopted a whole battalion of Marines (1,000 of ‘em) who deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan around Halloween last year.  These Marines live in an area with no mess halls, no showers, no latrines, no px, no laundry facilities, no beds.  They just recently got roofs over most of their heads.  The rest sleep in “fighting holes” (on the ground in the cold).  Most of their meals As a community project, The 9-12 Project of Idaho has adopted a whole battalion of Marines (1,000 of ‘em) who deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan around Halloween last year.  These Marines live in an area with no mess halls, no showers, no latrines, no px, no laundry facilities, no beds.  They just recently got roofs over most of their heads.  The rest sleep in “fighting holes” (on the ground in the cold).  Most of their meals consist of MREs (meals ready to eat) out of plastic pouches.  The following photos were taken at our most recent meeting on February 8, 2010.                             Gail,  Shanna,  Vicki,  Susan,  and Sandra   (Pat is taking the picture) You will notice that we put a 912ProjectIdaho.com  sticker on the end of every box and in the first two batches that we sent, we put information about 912 and a flyer with information about the Gadsden flag.   We even have a picture of mail call from Afghanistan with the 912 sticker showing!  Once a month, because 912 is (largely) about education, we send 100 batches of history stories taken mostly from the classes we held back in November.  The stories are delivered to the five (5) 1stSgts, who in turn distribute them among their Marines, who (we are told) are really enjoying the them.  Marines LOVE history!                     Gail,  Shanna,  Vicki,  Susan,  and Pat   (Sandra is taking this picture) We average 25 boxes per meeting, twice a month!  So far, our group has sent 211 boxes in support of these boys and the Afghan children in their areas of operation.  At $12.55 per box, though, postage is very expensive and we could use all the help we can get!  If you’d like to get involved by rolling up your sleeves or by making a contribution, please contact me directly at:  PO Box 45304, Boise 83711, phone 376-3143. Your fellow 9-12er, Susan Frickey 2010-02-13T04:53:10+00:00 http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/our_newly_updated_website/ http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/our_newly_updated_website/#When:00:04:00Z Well, as you can see… it’s finally here!  Phase two has come together very nicely to add some great features that will now allow us to begin the migration away from the old Meetup site.  We are quite pleased with this beautiful update, accomplished through the very capable talent of Serve Interactive.  They have done a wonderful job of putting our ideas together in one place, and while we have more Well, as you can see… it’s finally here!  Phase two has come together very nicely to add some great features that will now allow us to begin the migration away from the old Meetup site.  We are quite pleased with this beautiful update, accomplished through the very capable talent of Swerve Interactive.  They have done a wonderful job of putting our ideas together in one place, and while we have more expansions planned for the future, this phase should last us a good long while!  Thanks Stuart!  You will see a link to their site at the bottom right of each page.  (We highly recommend them!) OVERVIEW OF CHANGES….. It was important to us to include a FORUM where members could continue to discuss issues important to them.  While we cannot hope to salvage the many discussions contained within our Meetup site, we believe you will find this forum to be very user friendly.  So, we encourage you to begin using it right away.  We’ve added some general sections that will prompt users to consider first “the scope” of their topic, prior to focusing on the issue itself.  You will notice there are fixed general sections that provide for a scope of… this group as well as national, state, and local areas.  (Local is intended to include all municipalities.)  Thereafter, you will see that several standard themes have been pre-set.  You are free to add individual topics within any of these presets.  We are open to suggestions for additional presets, as these are only a best guess as a start.  Our goal is to make searching for general topics as easy as possible by limiting the number of sections you must browse, and understand it will evolve over time. Another important enhancement for users is your ability to communicate directly with a particular committee (or leader) by using the COMMITTEE LINKS provided above the organizational graphic on the “About Us” page of this site.  You will see the unique email address that is associated with each group that can be copied for use with any email service if you do not wish to use the Outlook default.  Please allow a reasonable period of time for a response (24 to 48 hours). Our EVENT CALENDAR has been improved to allow users to choose a preferred format for viewing.  On the “Events” page you will notice the first line shows both options that will allow you to toggle between them.  In most cases, our events will offer a location address.  So, if desired you may switch to the “Calendar” view at any time and locate the same event to see a map link to the location. There are several advantages from an administrative perspective that are not readily apparent to users.  One of the prime examples of this is the ONLINE REGISTRATION form that is now available.  You will notice a link at the top right of each page that says “Register” or “Login”.  This “seemingly unimpressive” little link will go a LONG way toward improving our email service to members by allowing the users to type their information directly, instead of us struggling to read some of the hurried writing that sometimes appeared on sign-up sheets.  If you are among the several (or many) who never received a follow up email from us after signing up, this is likely the reason why.  Please register now as previous contact information will not be transferred! EMAIL services will also be vastly improved from this site by allowing you to sign up for a particular group (or committee) in addition to receiving general membership mails.  All email generated through this site will include an option to be removed from the mailing list.  Please send an email to the committee (as mentioned above) if you’d like to be added to their specific mail list.  All new members will be added to the general mailing list by default, but can elect to be removed at any time.  Your MEMBER PROFILE offers many optional settings for various features, so be sure to review them during the registration process. Once again, welcome to our newly updated site!  Please check out our schedule of events.  We hope to see everyone at our member meeting scheduled for February 25th, where we plan to present an overview demonstration of the new site features. Yours in service, The Steering Committee 2010-02-08T00:04:00+00:00 http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/september_12_2009_--_freedom_rally_photos/ http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/september_12_2009_--_freedom_rally_photos/#When:05:48:43Z The Boise “9/12 Freedom Rally and March” was jointly sponsored by The 9-12 Project of Idaho and Tea Party Boise.  A few thousand folks showed up at The Depot in Boise to make their signs, show off their special event shirts, and strap on flags for an inspirational march to the State Capital downtown.  The long string of patriots marched down the hill from the depot along Capital Boulevard.  They were joined The Boise “9/12 Freedom Rally and March” was jointly sponsored by The 9-12 Project of Idaho and Tea Party Boise.  A few thousand folks showed up at The Depot in Boise to make their signs, show off their special event shirts, and strap on flags for an inspirational march to the State Capital downtown.  The long string of patriots marched down the hill from the depot then along Capital Boulevard.  They were joined near Boise State University by a legion of motorcycle patriots (also with shirts and flags) who escorted them on down the road to Capital Park where the celebration began.  Thanks to all who volunteered to make this event a huge success!  It was inspiring to see so many dedicated patriots gather together to share their love of life, liberty, and this wonderful country of ours!  May we always remain vigilant in safeguarding these precious gifts! See the full slide show >>here>>  2010-02-06T05:48:43+00:00 http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/rules_for_radicals/ http://912projectidaho.com/index.php/blog/rules_for_radicals/#When:06:03:56Z RULES FOR RADICALS “Community Organizing” was pioneered in Chicago’s old stockyards neighborhood by the soberly realistic, unabashedly radical Saul Alinsky. Alinsky wrote in the first chapter, opening paragraph of the book Rules for Radicals,  “What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away.” RULES FOR RADICALS “Community Organizing” was pioneered in Chicago’s old stockyards neighborhood by the soberly realistic, unabashedly radical Saul Alinsky. Alinsky wrote in the first chapter, opening paragraph of the book Rules for Radicals,  “What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away.” Two noted politicians of the 21st century have embraced Alinsky’s “Rules” and built a political career using them.   By Peter Slevin   Washington Post Staff Writer   Sunday, March 25, 2007 __________________________   Alinsky thought highly of 21-year-old Hillary Rodham (later Hillary Rodham Clinton), a student government president who grew up in the Chicago suburbs. She was in the midst of a year-long analysis of Alinsky’s aggressive mobilizing tactics, and he was searching for “competent political literates” to move to Chicago to build grass-roots organizations.   Seventeen years later, another young honor student was offered a job as an organizer in Chicago. By then, Alinsky had died, but a group of his disciples hired Barack Obama, a 23-year-old Columbia University graduate, to organize black residents on the South Side, while learning and applying Alinsky’s philosophy of street-level democracy. The recruiter called the $13,000-a-year job “very romantic, until you do it.”   Both Obama and Clinton admired Alinsky’s appeal for small-d democracy but came to believe that social progress is best achieved by working within the political system, and on a national scale.   Both went to law school, turned to a mix of courthouse and community remedies, and eventually moved into electoral politics.   Associates describe the candidates as combining streaks of idealism with a realistic appreciation of the politically possible, a mix the goal-oriented Alinsky would have recognized in himself. Like Alinsky, they fashioned political strategies defined more by coalitions and compromise than by the flashy but often hollow rhetorical pyrotechnics that Clinton, in her Wellesley honors thesis, called “the luxury of symbolic suicide.” I am including an article written by Craig Miyamoto which addresses the Rules for Radicals.  Read it and learn them well so that you can instantly recognize them as they are being used against the American People in the transformation of our country. By Craig Miyamoto, APR, Fellow PRSA   (This is an expanded version of the 2000 Third Quarter issue of Public Relations Strategies, a quarterly publication of Miyamoto Strategic Counsel)   To paraphrase some sage advice, “keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.” If your business or organization ever becomes a target of radical activists, it will be extremely helpful to know what strategies of attack will used against you. Short of having spies infiltrate their organization – a practice that is sure to be found out and exposed to your discredit – it would help to study their methods.   Known as the “father of modern American radicalism,” Saul D. Alinsky (1909-1972) developed strategies and tactics that take the enormous, unfocused emotional energy of grassroots groups and transform it into effective anti-government and anti-corporate activism. Activist organizations teach his ideas widely taught today as a set of model behaviors, and they use these principles to create an emotional commitment to victory – no matter what.   Grassroots pressure on large organizations is reality, and there is every indication that it will grow. Because the conflicts manifest in high-profile public debate and often-panicked decision-making, studying Alinsky’s rules will help organizations develop counteractive strategies that can level the playing field.   Governments and corporations have inherent weaknesses. And, time and again, they repeat mistakes that other large organizations have made, even repeating their OWN mistakes. Alinsky’s out-of-print book – “Rules for Radicals” – illustrates why opposition groups take on large organizations with utter glee, and why these governments and corporations fail to win.   Large organizations have learned to stonewall and not empower activists. In other words, they try to ignore radical activists and are never as committed to victory as their opposition is committed to defeating them. Result? They are unprepared for the hailstorm of brutal tactics that severely damage their reputation and send them running with their tails between their legs. Some of these rules are ruthless, but they work. Here are the rules to be aware of:   RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.” Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. “Have-Nots” must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)   RULE 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people.” It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don’t address the “real” issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)   RULE 3: “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.” Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)   RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity’s very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)   RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)   RULE 6: “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” They’ll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They’re doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid “un-fun” activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)   RULE 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.” Don’t become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)   RULE 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.” Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)   RULE 9: “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.” Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists’ minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)   RULE 10: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.” Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management’s wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)   RULE 11: “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.” Never let the enemy score points because you’re caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)   RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.) 2010-02-04T06:03:56+00:00