Working together to build a better Internet force

In the past few weeks I've seen a proliferation of networks, movement and groups forming on the Internet. Grassfire, WAM08, Modern Conservatives, Liberty Coalition of America, my very own Read My Lipstick Network and our new United Conservatives of America just to name a very few of the ones I've heard about. Team Sarah has also been a huge force in this election giving us all a place to gather and talk, encourage and get our marching orders!

Somehow we have to find a way to work as a cohesive force rather than a thousand splintered groups. We need an umbrella organization that joins all the groups together so we CAN have an impact. Divided we fall, united we WIN.

I've been emailing back and forth with a number of groups because I came up with the idea of United Conservatives of America (UCOA) to act as the umbrella organization to list all the networks, movements and resistance. However, it turns out everyone wants their group to be top of the so-called heap, so UCOA would just be another splinter. [Note: the networks I mentioned in the first paragraph are not in that category, we're all working together nicely and they're great folks! I encourage you to get involved / join all of them.]

The groups / sites / movements are willing to list mine if I'll list theirs (which of course I will). I've replied that I'll be happy to do so and that I don't really care who's "in charge" of the main site, it can be their site, but we need to have some central way of communicating and walking together albeit in loose lock-step. Problem is, there are so many that want to be the main site that no one is going to end up being a main clearing station for groups. Everyone is building their own little kingdom. Can't say I blame them, we're all fired up and want to DO something right now!

We're independent. That's one of the things that makes conservatives so special. We aren't drones and we're willing to roll up our sleeves and work... independently .

I believe our independence works against us to some degree. We get bogged down with an issue that in the scheme of things doesn't mean much. We lose the big picture while fighting over the little things. Most of us are intelligent, strong, individuals which makes it even harder to play together for any length of time.

We have to find a way to check our egos and learn to work together without giving up our own values.

The election was a prime example of how our egos and independence hurt our common cause. Remember when some of "OUR" guys started attacking Sarah Palin? Questioning McCain's choice? Did they really think that was going to get John McCain elected? Ego. They wanted to be right, to sell a column, or get on a talk show (or be able to claim they were the 'first' to discover the problem). They weren't looking at the big picture. Much as I decry the mainstream media and the libs, they put their little differences aside for the most part and painted a unified picture. We were divided and we lost. (Yes, I know that's not the only reason ;-)

Somehow if we are going to survive as conservatives, if we are going to reverse this trend, we have to find a common goal that unites us. We have to be willing to work toward a larger goal together. We need what the libs say they have (and don't), a 'big tent" approach.

Some of you are working on manifestos, common causes, banding together and getting others to join your groups. Some have started networks, petitions, plans of action, movements, etc.

Let's figure out a way to pull all of everyone's efforts together. I don't care who gets the credit and whose organization is the biggest, I want to take back our country and make it the strong, principled, free country it should be and has been. Our values and principles are being eroded as I type. Our inability to play together is going to be our downfall.

Janet
www.readmylipsticknetwork.com
readmylipstick [at] live [dot] com