What, we can do in person meetings now?
We always could but were bullied into thinking otherwise, and they are needed now more than ever! It may be difficult to find a venue for your meeting, especially for larger numbers.
Michelle Mackey, a new Regional Captain for Convention of States California, has held her first in-person district meeting. And it was a big hit.
At the Old Spaghetti Factory in Riverside, four District Captains, two Volunteers, an Events Coordinator, and a Regional Captain (myself) held a "meet-and-greet," so that we could all introduce ourselves.
I asked everyone to explain what motivated them to get involved in COS, and most everyone was along the same lines. We do not like the direction the country is headed.
As a Vietnam veteran, District Captain Glenn Coplin stated that he had fought in a communist country and knows what it is like, and he sees that ours is headed in the same direction. District Captain Angel Chen came from China when she was 12 and also knows what it is like to live in communism.
Larry Westen, Glenn Coplin, and my dad, Steve Mackey (District Captain for HD 60) all hit it off wonderfully and talked about the military and Vietnam. Glenn, my dad, and Steve are Vietnam War veterans. Larry Westen was employed for the military in the Middle East in the 1980s.
We ate lunch talked and had a great time.
The Meat of the Meeting
After lunch I finished up by going over the expectations of a District Captain, (i.e. logging into the Follow Up Tool and keeping up with the phone calls of the YES volunteers and petition signers). I asked that if anyone needed help in learning the FUT, I brought my laptop to do some on the spot.
I stated to the team that I am a part of the team and will get my hands dirty along with all of them. I'm looking to them for ideas and suggestions on future events and areas we can set up a table to let the community know about COS.
The meeting lasted until 4:00 p.m. for a total of three hours. That is how much everyone enjoyed spending that time together.
During the meeting, Larry Westen and I discussed an idea we had been tossing around for a couple weeks. I told him that I spoke with the gentlemen that headed the Redlands Tea Party Patriots. He could only allow Convention of States two minutes to speak. Of course, we both knew that was nothing.
Meeting Leads to Big Things
So Larry, Glenn, and my dad (Steve) decided to go to the Mill Creek Cattle Company and speak with the leader there.
Katie Hopkins, Wow!
Steve Mackey with Katie Hopkins
Glenn Coplin with Katie Hopkins
A patriot by the name of Katie Hopkins from the UK was speaking there tonight (I had not heard of her), and the place was packed. My dad spoke with the leader of this event for just a few minutes but not much came from it.
However, he did speak to a few other patrons, and because of that we will be doing two events this weekend.
Dean Henderson, the COS California Comms Coordinator, put together this blog post of my experience holding my first meeting and was enthusiastic to learn that Katie Hopkins spoke that night!
"Upon learning about the event with Katie Hopkins, I was intrigued to learn more," he said. "So Michelle directed me to contact her father, Steve, who was actually the one that spoke with Ms. Hopkins."
Katie Hopkins is a breath of fresh air, because she tells it like is and has also been a guest on shows like Hannity, Candace Owens, and Infowars, to name a few.
Steve relaid to me that Ms. Hopkins is traveling the country right now speaking at different events. She is experiencing the brutal tyranny in the UK firsthand. She told Steve that her kids were mandated to be tested every day in order to attend school.
Steve also said that Ms. Hopkins had not even heard of Convention of States but liked what she heard. This tells me that even though we're making great progress, there's much more work to be done. Every one of us can make a huge difference with every little action we take to spread the word about COS.
Businesses are Pushing Back Against Tyranny
Another good thing to come of this is that Steve learned there are businesses banding together and referring patrons to each other on the principle of civil disobedience, refusing to enforce the ridiculous mask mandates.
Events Lead to More Events
This Saturday we will be going to Orange County for a gathering of 35 groups that get together to share their goals and exchange information.
The other event is Sunday. This is called the Liberty Lap where vehicles drive with only an American Flag to show love of God, country, and veterans. Although we will not be advertising for COS on the truck, we will take social media cards to hand out to anyone we speak to that are interested in helping a non-partisan organization, for liberty.
