Fellow Common Sense Citizens -

 The only people who know what the future holds are those who are making the future happen.

 At the end of next year's elections, a number of articles might be accurately written about your local grassroots insurgency.  Included below are two hypothetical articles.  As you read the following, consider which article you'd like to read on the morning after election day:

Incumbents Returned to Office Across the Board; Tea Parties a 'Paper Tiger'

 Anytown, USA -

 After a Summer of contentious town hall meetings and a rally of tens of thousands on the National Mall in Washington, organizers of 'Tea Parties' and other grassroots efforts warned incumbents of all stripes that they had 'awakened a sleeping giant' that would 'throw the bums out.'

 Judging from the election results yesterday, it appears that the 'giant' fell back asleep.  Incumbents were returned to office across the board.  Even Rep. Shady McSquish, who is presently under federal indictment for bribery, sailed to re-election without much difficulty.  'To be honest, we were starting to get a little bit concerned at the end of the Summer,' confided one staffer, 'but by November, it was clear that the Tea Party movement was all about rallies and protesting.  They had no precinct-level effort to speak of.  For all the noise they make, they're a paper tiger.  When the rubber meets the road, they're just not a real factor in elections.'

---

OR

Resurgent Grassroots Flex Their Political Muscles on Election Day

 Anytown, USA -

 After a Summer of contentious town hall meetings and a rally of tens of thousands on the National Mall in Washington, organizers of 'Tea Parties' and other grassroots efforts warned incumbents of all stripes that they had 'awakened a sleeping giant' that would 'throw the bums out.'

 The giant was apparently wide awake on election day, handing out pink slips to elected officials who were perceived as being 'out of touch' with their constituents.  Several long-time political veterans received their walking papers yesterday, some defeated by candidates who came seemingly out of nowhere.  'The critics were telling us the Tea Parties were just about protesting, and that they had no focus or strategy,' explained Prof. Ivory Tower of State University, 'But over the past few months, the grassroots have been training up, educating voters, walking the precincts and getting out the vote.  Elected officials who ignore these movements do so at their own peril.'

So...which one will it be?  Which story is in our future?

 The answer to that question is up to us.

 You can rest assured that, if we do not spend the next few months actively channeling our ENERGY and PASSION into STRUCTURE and STRATEGY, you can look forward to reading the first article next year.

 You can also rest assured that if we DO channel that energy effectively and do the hard work that needs to be done between now and the Spring primaries, we can look forward to reading something much more like the second article.

 If you don't have an interest in standing on the sidelines any longer, and you are prepared to step up and make things happen in your community, we invite you to join the Common Sense Citizens COORDINATORS group.

 The COORDINATORS are a team of Common Sense Citizens across the country who are ready to step up and take an active leadership role in their communities.

 If that describes you, JOIN HERE:

 http://Coordinators.CommonSenseCitizens.net/splash/

Mel Moss Common Sense Citizens Admin Arlington-Grand Prairie