Old Timers will remember the media induced fear after passage of the original law in 1995. Until 30.06, any sign was sufficient.thetexan wrote:Charles L. Cotton wrote:This is pure speculation on my part, but experienced activists know that the only thing worse than not starting a grassroots campaign is starting one and having only a minuscule response. I'm reminded of the old Lone Star CDL group that called for an open-carry demonstration at the Capitol. Three people showed up and they couldn't find each other.thetexan wrote:But, I've got to wonder. . . . Why hasn't something like this already been done, or has it?
Chas.
I agree with that. When I was in broadcasting, it was imperative to have a successful turn out. If we couldn't guarantee that we wouldn't do it. Because, as you say, there is nothing worse than demonstrating a flop to the outside world. Just look at the democrat presidential candidate the other day (I can't even remember his name, he is such a nobody) who had a BIG campaign meeting for a city and only one guy turned out! AND HE WAS UNDECIDED AND THIS WAS ON THE NEWS!!!!!
That had to hurt.
tex
In the late '90s, many campaigns were waged against companies who posted against concealed carry, involving letter writing and phone calls. Many battles were won, as businesses you would never think of now, initially posted.
Back then, the central site was Packing.Org, which is not always recalled fondly, but it was what we had and in coordinating these campaigns worked well. I doubt Charles would want this site to become that.
Someone more familiar with social media would have to study whether it could be an effective venue. My impression is that liberals could far outnumber Conservatives on social media and generate results not in our favor, reinforcing the business' position.
For this reason, I believe individual letters and phone calls still represent the best option. The potential risk, as it was 20 years ago, is less than tactful, sometimes inflammatory, responses. Hostility does not work in our favor.
So, yes, it has been done before, often successfully, and it could work again. I'm undecided whether it might be wise to let the 'dust settle' a little before such actions begin.
To be most effective, letters and calls need to be directed to the same person, or at least the same location. Contacting individual locations would probably be fruitless, so everything should go to corporate. What is needed and might not be welcome here, is the posting of the corporate address and contact info for the responses. Further, someone has to do that research and post it.
A gathering site with sufficient exposure where this information could be posted is a necessity.