Once again, the Texas legislature failed to get our marijuana bills out of committee. No big surprise, since we failed to change any of our reps minds. What did we do wrong? What did we not do? We must do things differently. We've got 2 years to enlist more soldiers in our fight, and to educate more Texas conservatives. Let's keep what's working and add to it! One thing we all seem to agree on- our message has to spread. We've got to stop just preaching to the choir, a tall order in any organization. So, how can we do it? There are so many ways... Tweet on Twitter. -spread the word of medical study results, pending legislation, unfair prosecution and anything else you want to. It's fast and easy and it has kept me extremely educated and updated since I began using it a couple of months ago. Join your local TV stations' public forum and post educational messages on an ongoing basis. - you can reach soooo many people there...the kind that don't come here. Go to them. We must. Keep on writing those Letters to the Editor! - write two per month, if you can. submit them to various newspapers. Write effective letters to your congressional representatives. - too many people tell me they already wrote to their rep and it didn't do any good. Write again! This time, include a brightly colored flyer and an information page, in addition to your letter. Tell your congressman you will be writing back until you receive a suitable response from him or her. VOLUNTEER! - pick one or two things and do them on a regular basis. If you can volunteer with one of the big organizations, you can accomplish more, but there is room for everyone to volunteer as their interests lead them to. Going along with the above, set up a table or booth at your local flea market or craft fair. - Our side is being presented to rotary clubs, churches, and other organizations, but we're still not converting people at any noticeable rate. The best way to stuff people with knowledge is to get them to visit their first pro-legalization website. They'll take it from there. Hold a fundraiser and donate some money to your favorite big-name pro-legalization organization. - Organizations accomplish something different from what individuals accomplish. Look at the great extent to which drunk driving laws have gone. MADD is an amazingly large organization. And, who doesn't think the pure size of the AARP or the NRA has earned their bills special favor in both state and federal laws? But, running an organization costs a lot of money. Staples, postage, printing supplies, web space, a URL, a post office box, specialized accounting programs, and enough people to get everything done. A paid staff of ANY size is huge blessing. So many of us can't just afford to devote significant time to a 'hobby' or 'passion'. We must work for a living. We have family obligations and must take time away from the computer to unwind. If volunteering was a paying job, though, wouldn't that be GREAT!?! And, indeed, many of the big organizations do have paid staff. That's great. But, the expenses go on. It costs money to book a location to hold a fundraiser. Yes, it takes money to make money, even in the nonprofit industry. - Suggested fundraisers you can do: Make a [legal] craft and sell it on e-bay, like home-made jewelry, or woodwork/design. Talk your local 'smoke shop' into donating an item for an online auction. Look online for other fundraising ideas. - Use the Internet to spread the word and educate everyone. Go out in public and spread the word. Influence your legislators. Vote! - Attend pro-legalization events. I have personally attended two this year and we were not hassled by the cops at all, in either county. The crowd was peaceful and people of all ages mentioned not wanting to get photographed because of reprecussions in the workplace. No one caused any trouble and both events were really fun. So, those of you who don't attend these events because you're afraid you'll be recognized, don't worry. It's not that easy to be recognized on the Internet. Nobody tags anyone in these pictures. And, the faces really can't be made out. I can honestly say I've found no negative consequences of attending these rallies. In fact, I feel that if I were to be targeted by the DEA, it would be through this computer, rather than by being spotted on a website somewhere excercising my constitutional rights. As long as I can pass any drug test, I can do as I darn well please!
If you live in Texas and you are interested in volunteering with an organization, send me a PM. Several of us are active with more than one organization, members of more than one organization. No matter where you live in Texas, I will try to hook you up with other activists in your area. I'm also building a My Space page to announce marijuana-related events throughout the U.S. at http://www.myspace.com/marijuanaevents
