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Yes! Go for it.

24 (75%)

No, leave TMM as it is

6 (18.8%)

No. I have a better idea (details below)

1 (3.1%)

So THAT's where the old coot went....

1 (3.1%)

Total Members Voted: 29

Voting closed: March 05, 2015, 06:56:24 am

[DiabloLoco]

I will answer with these questions-
Are we not here to learn from each other?
Are we not here to help each other along on the path to individual liberty and self-ownership?
Shouldn't we WANT to wake up others?
Wouldn't more people=more opinions? More opportunities to learn? More opportunities to share?

Will it be hard at times? Stressful? Yup! Will it be worth it? Double yup!

I'm all for adding to our membership. I don't think that we should rely on just Oath Keepers though. There has to be other avenues to explore. Other sources of people that have decided that they are ready to take the "red pill". Perhaps, we should discuss what and where these other avenues might be. I'm cool on Oath Keepers having a greater presence here, but not JUST Oath Keepers.

Maybe someone could contact Mac Salvo at SHTF Plan or Daisy Luther at the Organic Prepper or other similar websites, and ask them if TMM could become their go-to forum? Get them to give us referrals? Maybe get some free ad space? I'm just spitballing here, but I'm open to anything. Let's discuss it!

One last thing. I don't want to see TMM become a paid subscription forum. It should remain free. I know that I, and a lot of others would pony up a donation if asked. I also want to keep the current format. I like it.

 

[Elias Alias]

Elias is very brave to associate with these folks.  I don't care to, and I worry about the risks to those who have posted their frank thoughts in this space.

All valid concerns.  I do happen to think that anyone who wants to harm us is already aware of the things we have posted here, however. I'm under no illusion that anything I've written in the past 50 years is not known to my enemy...

Addressing Silver as quoted by ML -- Silver, most folks would not believe the heat some of us at Oath Keepers live with daily, 24/7. We are slapping the idiots running fedgov right in the face and we know from people inside federal agencies, offices, and departments that we're scrutinized, er, rather closely.  The PTB have a quite unsupportive attitude about us, to say the least.

I recall when I closed my store in Georgia and moved to Montana to learn how to write for the liberty movement. I was paranoid to the enth degree. After a couple of years in Montana, with no Feds knocking at my door, it dawned on me that the Feds are too damn busy to worry about a little guy running his mouth on the Internet, so I started relaxing a bit and then I came to my senses well enough to remember that my mental states, and how I apply them, determine my fate after all. Using what some commercialized people call "the power of attraction", I decided to ramp up my daily affirmations about who and what I am, who and what I want to be. I was already doing those affirmations and had seen how they work when I and my partner, who used to frequent these boards using the name LadyLearning, created a very fine retail jewelry business in Georgia, which we enjoyed for nine years until I got online and found out what the heck was going on with our country (that is why I closed the store and moved to Montana). We started that store with nothing but affirmations and her philosophy which ran something like this -- one doesn't need money to accomplish wnat one wants to do; one simply needs to keep one's goal in mind and each day *do something* to add toward the fulfillment of that goal. Time replaces money in such a way. She taught me that, and we built that business with nothing to start with, ending up with a wonderful store at Gainesville, Georgia and a good living (and too much work, ack!). We said our affirmations daily. We learned that "forgiveness" is one's key to escape the past, and we learned many other things which have placed my life in the circumstances I now enjoy. I wanted to learn to write for liberty, and here I am doing just that, and I draw a living for doing it. I am in a square log cabin on 160 acres of Northwest Montana, surrounded by woods, with electricity, cell phone connection, and Internet connection, and grocery money. I'm poor, but all my needs are met. It was not easy to arrive at this, and I did sacrifice a lot to move out here and I've had some really lean times, but suddenly I've got everything an old coot would want -- I'm watching the deer outside my window right now as I type; they're eating hay I put out for them. Here are, now that I think about it, a couple of videos taken from my place here in the north country woods --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHtux8P-lcw&list=UUnmikWKyF3i5GqmH7vnpZtA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aCI7mMw2_U&index=7&list=UUnmikWKyF3i5GqmH7vnpZtA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bkuIR7pdHA&list=UUnmikWKyF3i5GqmH7vnpZtA&index=8

I've got the perfect old guy's cabin in the woods, surrounded by Nature, an income which lets me stock groceries and keep gasoline in my car, lots of books to read, and plenty of work to keep me busy.

I mention that by way of addressing the mental states I mentioned above. I could have moved to Montana and kept my paranoia, or I could have decided to go beyond my fear and actually try to just live freedom. It occurred to me that each of us has one life to give, and one life to live. I decided I'd rather live freedom than die trying to save it. To live freedom, I had to ditch my fear of "getting caught" by the fedgov. I made that decision because I affirmed what I wanted to be, and life took care of the details for me. I do not take credit for ending up in this wonderful cabin. Life provided that for me once I adjusted my mental states to a level of consciousness which would let it happen -- in other words, once I put my ego-self aside and "let life happen" instead of trying to "make it happen".  I am happy in my old age, and I live without the customary fear so many in the liberty movement have. My friends are all people who are doing things -- it's so cool to talk for an hour on the phone with Edwin Vieira or James Jaeger or Sheriff Mack or Stewart Rhodes or Larry Pratt or any number of others I work with. Once I decided to live for freedom instead of being willing to give my life for freedom, freedom found me and took care of the details.

Why I shared the above with readers here has to do with that same intuition which caused me to name the original group from which this forum has evolved The Mental Militia. It's a mental thing, and it works for me. Maybe it will not work for others, but it's what worked in my life. And now I'm seeing that the message you appreciate in that old mission statement you just quoted comes back to me in the nicest way as I simply try to extend love to my fellow man, especially the ones who are the most in need of it. All cruelty, insensitivity, abusiveness, and other traits of ego consciousness (fear's thought system) is nothing more than a call for love.

I've got a avoirdupois scale, a troy scale, and a carat scale here at my cabin to remind me of my days as a jeweler. Try as I may, I can't get what I just shared in this post to register on either of those scales. The mind will not be weighed in the Newtonian universe, apparently. Invisible and insensible, the mind is the great creator of the material manifestations we call in consensus "reality". The Mental Militia could be a wonderful gift to a lost world, especially if we took the fear out of the works and let this place live for freedom. That is my vision, which I truly cannot defend and which I certainly do not expect anyone else to embrace (though some here do know very well what I've just said and know it in their own lives). Consciousness works. Personal responsibility springs from determining the content of one's mind, because what is permitted to occupy one's mind determines what shall manifest in one's life. That kind of personal responsibility requjires mental vigilance over the incessant chatter of the conscious mind, and only can be achieved by one who attempts it day after day, year after year, as practice being aware makes one more naturally aware in time. I just boot the fear thoughts out of my mind, so such thoughts are not available for my ego to project into my outward reality. I do what I want to do, am where I want to be, and have the spiritual support of wonderful friends who establish for themselves reputations for having done something to help the cause of liberty while opposing the coming tyranny.  The only thing I could want more than that is a danged maid, secretary, and cook, right?

I gotta go for the moment. Thank you for your post Silver. I'll offer you back a good dose of your own peace Silver, and peace to all reading here.

Salute!
Elias

[nurseflo]

Silver:  you are quoting that sage of the North, the Canadian answer to Tim the Tool Man Taylor, nemesis of Bob Villa,  Mister Red Green.  Big fan here.

Tmm has evolved a great distance from where it was a few years ago.  So many of the old posters who made the site so valuable have left and been replaced with others who seem more interested in arguing. 
If the goal is to spread liberty, I think we need to expand the membership. 

[Adventurer, Explorer, Inquiring Mind.]

Commend Pruned.

[Silver]

Nurseflo,

You nailed it, nice to find a fellow fan.

I agree that we need to expand the membership.  The question is how, and who.  I'm not one to suffer fools gladly, and I won't associate with criminals at all.

Peace,

Silver

[nurseflo]

We used to have a pretty good group around here.  How did the forum attract those folks?

[bennie]

Well I'm confused (no, say it ain't so joe). I voted to not change the forum and found myself agreeing with almost everything Silver said. I thought he must have voted not to change the forum as well.

Now after further comments from Silver, and by Destin, I seem to have missed the contents of whatever I was thinking. 

I don't want to be surrounded by cops, firemen, and soldiers, and other assorted so-called heros. That much I know.

[jamie]

I doubt if that will happen, the last such were driven off. Of course it is different now then the days of  the claire files or early tmm so I am not sure. A lot of the old posters are gone. And I am not talking about the ones who left when the general took over.

I have no problem with Elias making money.  Even if he is a former evil person now accepted by silver.

Gee, if only I and a few others could be so blessed by the mighty and saintly silver.

[bennie]

  Oh Jamie...I swallowed my gum, started choking and laughing at the same time, and almost woke up my old lady!!

Shhh ... be cool bennie. Settle down, boy.

[DiabloLoco]

Well...As I suggested, there is no reason why Oath Keepers should be the ONLY source of new members. Let's start a dialogue on what these other sources might be.

[MamaLiberty]

Well...As I suggested, there is no reason why Oath Keepers should be the ONLY source of new members. Let's start a dialogue on what these other sources might be.

Of course! Any ideas? I confess I can't think of anything right now.

[DiabloLoco]

Well...As I suggested, there is no reason why Oath Keepers should be the ONLY source of new members. Let's start a dialogue on what these other sources might be.

Of course! Any ideas? I confess I can't think of anything right now.

In an earlier post, I suggested that someone could contact people such as Mac Salvo at SHTF Plan or Daisy Luther at the Organic Prepper or other similar websites, and ask them if TMM could become their go-to forum? Get them to give us referrals? Maybe get some free ad space? I could contact them myself, but it wouldn't carry as much weight coming from me. I'm a nobody. Mama, you could initiate a new recruitment effort at Price of Liberty. There ARE avenues that we can explore. If we invite them in to look around, tell them about TMM's mission, establish ourselves as allies, and maybe list some of the accomplishments of the forum, it should not be too hard to get some very influential people on board.

[socalserf]

The forum is Elias' property.
What he does with it is his business.
Nice that he asks our opinion though.

[MamaLiberty]

I could contact them myself, but it wouldn't carry as much weight coming from me. I'm a nobody.

I'm not sure any of us has any more standing than you do... I'm a nobody too. I can put up something at PoL, and we might manage to recruit all three of my faithful readers. LOL All of my regular co-bloggers are already members at TMM, but none of them have been moved to actually participate. Maybe that's what we need to address first? And, let's face it, most people are very busy just trying to make a living and survive. We have to present something that they see as worth their time and effort for any of them to participate. How do we accomplish that?

I'd love TMM to be open to everyone who wants to discuss freedom, of course, but I don't think "influential people" are the answer to that. They are all VERY busy already, I'm sure. Seems to me that the millions of "little people" are a much more likely source for new and active members. 

And I think we can ALL do something about recruiting them. We don't have to limit our recruiting to on line venues either. There are areas at TMM that address a great many of the interests and concerns of almost everyone living around each of us.  Do you belong to a ham radio club, gun club, prepper's group, quilting group, homeschool... the possibilities are endless.

Why not print out a flyer with information about TMM and hand it out at the next meeting or gathering? I'm thinking there are people in every walk of life - not necessarily a LOT of them, but some - who might be interesed, but might never see an "ad" for TMM, or not even take the time to look at it. But you, handing out the flyer, available to talk to them and share your experience, would present a much better potential for recruitment.

And by "you," I mean everyone, not just DL. I'm going to work on a flyer... back later.

[DiabloLoco]

I could contact them myself, but it wouldn't carry as much weight coming from me. I'm a nobody.

I'm not sure any of us has any more standing than you do... I'm a nobody too.

Trust me, you and others here have more established respect and influence in this realm than I do. I'm just a lowly construction worker.

All of my regular co-bloggers are already members at TMM, but none of them have been moved to actually participate. Maybe that's what we need to address first? And, let's face it, most people are very busy just trying to make a living and survive. We have to present something that they see as worth their time and effort for any of them to participate. How do we accomplish that?

You have a point there. Active participation is more important than lots of new members. Although....the lookieloos are still able to learn without participating. If we can get people to really THINK about things, instead of letting everybody else do the thinking FOR them, we are still implementing the mission, with or without their active participation.

I'd love TMM to be open to everyone who wants to discuss freedom, of course, but I don't think "influential people" are the answer to that. They are all VERY busy already, I'm sure. Seems to me that the millions of "little people" are a much more likely source for new and active members.

I think that you may have misunderstood me. I was suggesting that we contact the more influential people and ask them to refer the "little people" to use this forum. Create their own category such as we did for SurvivalBlog, Price of Liberty, and Oath Keepers. While they are checking out their newly minted category, it's inevitable that they will peruse the other areas of the forum.

And by "you," I mean everyone, not just DL. I'm going to work on a flyer... back later.

Cool! I hope that you can maybe scan it and share it here.