Liberty Chick

If you are a member of The 9.12 Project, or are coordinating a Tea Party or other event, or even if you’re just a liberty-minded citizen and  you’re looking for some informational or marketing resources, I created this page to provide some tools and resources that you might find useful. **I have no vested interest in any of the recommended sites or tools – I’m just listing them based on my own experience with or knowledge of them. As an independent source, I’ve no affiliation with them** It’s always recommended that you review any resources yourself and perform some of your own research too, then determine if the content reflects your views and the message YOU want to project. You can also visit The 9.12 Family & Friends page for a list of links to other various member websites to see what they’re up to.

Liberty Chick is also the NJ State representative for The 9.12 Project.  If you are in NJ and need to find your local group, visit my other website for The 9.12 Project NJ.

Table of Contents:

Health Care Resource Center

Videos
Original Graphics & Brochures
Tea Party/Small Government Talking Points
Tea Party Signs, Flyers & Other Marketing Collateral
E-Mail Marketing Tools
Press Release Distribution & List of Media Outlets
Website & Blog Programs
Search Engine Optimization & Submission
Royalty-Free Stock Photos & Images and Stock Music
Broadband Media
Social Networking & Bookmarking
Promotional Materials (T-shirts, etc.)

Videos

I’ve scoured YouTube to bring you the best of the videos out there for Tea Parties & 9.12 Project events/gatherings, and placed them on my channel, LibertyChickTV.  Great for use in promoting your event – include the link to your favorite in email you send out, or on flyers, etc. Or play your favorite videos on computer monitors, or on the big screen at your event.

My absolute favorite is the first one under Defending Liberty, titled “Why Tea Parties? The Trillion Dollar Question”.

Defending Liberty:
Videos great for defending Liberty, illustrating the threats today to our Constitution, and demonstrating examples of current policies that put our country on the path to Socialism.

Tea Parties:
Promotional videos for past and future Tea Party events, and live coverage of the Tea Parties already held from Feb to present.

912 Project:
If you’re a 912er, here are a few videos to help you promote our cause.

Original Graphics & Brochures

Liberty Chick Originals

I created these on my own volition, so please feel free to use as you wish.  Not necessary to note any credit for those that are my originals. Of course if you you wanted to, you can credit Liberty Chick (me), and just provide a link to this blog, libertychick.com

9.12 Project Brochure

Double-sided brochure, designed for standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper with vertical fold.  Prints best on brochure paper (semi-gloss) but works on any paper.  Formatted to print full-bleed; be sure to adjust your printer settings to accommodate the bleed (i.e. you may need to set all margins to 0″).  Download front and back images and print double-sided.

Download in .jpg format:
Inside Panel |  Back Panel

Download in .pdf format:
(NOTE:  quality may be slightly reduced due to compression)
Inside Panel |  Back Panel

July 4th Independence Day Tea Party Flyer

Click to view larger & download JPG

Download this flyer in an editable .PPT file

The 9.12 Project, Colonial Coin Logo (original graphic), .PNG file with transparent background. Shown here in full size.

The 9.12 Project, Colonial Coin Logo (original graphic), .JPG file with transparent background. Shown in thumbnail size.

"The 9.12 Project", alternate Header Image "Unite, Surround & Speak", 1020 x 300 pixels, .JPG file. Shown here as thumbnail.

For those having Tea Parties, I thought it might be cool to hang Broadsides on trees, as the “Sons of Liberty” did during the days and months surrounding the Boston Tea Party. For those not familiar, the SOL and their sympathizers would gather under the “Liberty Tree” to plan their activities in secret. They’d publish broadsides (announcements) in the paper, but would also hang them from the branches and along the trunk of the Liberty Tree, which became a symbol to the colonists. Imagine if we graced many trees with such broadsides today!!  So aside (in PDF) and below (in .jpg) is a version I created to mimic one of theirs, yet keep it to the current subject matter.

Download Broadside (PDF)  |  Download Broadside (JPG)  |  Download Liberty Tree Emblem Only (PNG)

Tea Party Broadside in .jpg format (full size is 8.5 x 11″”).  Or download PDF version above.

Liberty Tree Original Emblem in .png format, transparent background.

The 9.12 Project’s Originals
(Or should I say Ben Franklin’s originals?)

The 9.12 Project Logo / Hi-Res .jpg version / Click for full size

The 9.12 Project, Union Snake (no borders/title), transparent background. Click to enlarge & save.

Talking Points for General Events or Tea Parties

First and most importantly, before I list links to the Tea Party signs and marketing pieces, etc., be sure to come to your event prepared with knowledge. Really understand what you’re saying out there – don’t just say it.  Many will challenge you to present your reasoning for protesting. And many will try to make it a Left vs. Right debate instead of sincerely listening to your case or point of view. Yelling and screaming or merely repeating predictable phrases will not open up the debate for others to respect your viewpoint.  America needs educated voices out there, so I always encourage people to do their homework.  Use these materials to see how others have stated things; recognize the key points that strike a chord with you.  But find YOUR voice.  And then, speak from your heart, say what YOU believe. Not what anyone else thinks you should believe.

In addition, my personal opinion is that it’s best to rely on the strength of your facts and information.  Make it about the policies and your viewpoints, not about “Obama”.  There’s an entire Congress, an organized citizen group of activists, scores of labor unions and an elitist group of extremely wealthy philanthropist progressives (funny, since they’re all so anti-capitalist yet this club are the wealthiest in the world) who are all driving this “change” together – all are in favor of changing our constitution and our fundamental governing system, which is precisely what this nation’s founders warned against. This did not begin with Obama and it won’t end with him.  This is a permanent battle.  So, while you might hear a rant or two that’s directed at the president himself, I always remind myself that it’s the policies I oppose.  I’d recommend you do the same, especially when conducting yourself at an event.  Keep it about the policies and viewpoints, keep the focus on the facts, not on the people. And be respectful. You’ll be more successful that way. More importantly, you’ll respect yourself and others will respect you more, too.  But that’s just my opinion…YOU do what YOU want… 

In fact, if you haven’t already downloaded the Talking Points Flyers from Obama’s / the DNC’s “Organizing from America” website, I have some of them for your reference. Download a handful here, or email me for the complete set of 23 PDFs in one .ZIP file (you’ll need to extract them with a program like WinZip). I was going to create opposing flyers to each of these for your own reference, but then I felt it would be better for you to form your own opinions.  Once you see these and understand how they’re positioning their points, it will help you organize your own thoughts. You don’t need me to tell you what to say!  (Personally, I see no substance in any one of these – no backup, no data, no details. Just bullets that sound nice. I think facts and definitive plans would say a lot more to the well-informed American citizens who have taken to reading every bill nowadays!).
Barack Obama on the Middle Class (PDF)

Barack Obama on the Economy (PDF)

Barack Obama on Health Care (PDF)

Barack Obama on Foreign Policy (PDF)

That said, these are a few good starters that may inspire you:

• COMMON SENSE; Revisited (no it’s not a Glenn Beck piece )
  Common Sense; Revisited is a modern-day tribute to Thomas Paine’s original, re-written for today’s times and today’s issues. Addresses the increase in government intervention and puts it into perspective with the Constitution.
  • Also visit their “Educational Tools” page for other great handouts to download
    

    Click to Download the Pamphlet in PDF

• Health Care Flyer, courtesy of Smart Girl Politics
  

  Click to open & save PDF

• THE LANGUAGE OF HEALTHCARE 2009:
  THE 10 RULES FOR STOPPING THE “WASHINGTON TAKEOVER”
  OF HEALTHCARE, by Dr. Frank Luntz
  
  

  Click to open & save PDF

  Frank Luntz’s recommendation to the GOP on how to frame the debate over health care.
  While some in all industries who favor a national health care system have taken issue with some of the points in this document, the reader can’t lose sight of its purpose: to take very valid arguments and reframe those into words that will resonate with the American public for and against the policies. Health Care reform is an extremely complex topic, and people often are unaware of the real details that make up the cost, efficiency, accessibility, etc. Dr. Luntz simply takes the complexities and changes the rhetoric to make it more digestible by most.  I still found this to be an excellent 28-pg resource filled with a variety of facts, figures, polls & accompanied by bullet-points perfect for handouts.

• A Concise set of Tax & Spending talking points from the Heritage Foundation (posted also at http://lornakismet.wordpress.com)
  Download Handout: http://flutemandy.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/teapartytalkingpoints-online.pdf
  
• You can use this chart to demonstrate the irresponsible spending on behalf of this administration. Shows the US Government Deficit from all history to present (1780 – 2019 projected). It will shock you – it shocked me, even more than Bush’s spending did…
• Data Points & Quotes to Counter Big Government / Support the Case for Smaller Government, 2-pager.
  I collected these from a wide variety of different sources, just because I found them interesting and very helpful in supporting my own views.  Perhaps you’ll find some of them helpful as well.
  

  Click to open & save PDF

• What Are We Willing to Cut? a simple 10 point proposal from an average American
  http://flutemandy.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/what-will-we-cut.pdf
• Top 10 Ways the Obama Budget Wastes Taxpayer Money, from FreedomWorks.org
  http://www.freedomworks.org/publications/top-10-ways-the-obama-budget-wastes-taxpayer-money
  Also from FreedomWorks, including PDF print versions:
  • Top 10 Ways the Obama Budget Displaces Private Entrepreneurship
  • Top 10 Reasons to Oppose the Omnibus Bill
  • Top 10 Reasons to Oppose the Stimulus
  • View All Top 10 Lists

• Talking Points and Theme from the Nationwide Chicago Tea Party, Feb. 2009
  http://www.tcotreport.com/Talking_Points.htm
• The Stimulus Plan: A Detailed List of Spending, chart
  http://www.propublica.org/special/the-stimulus-plan-a-detailed-list-of-spending
• A great, solid set of responses to THE question “What’s So Bad About Big Government Anyway?”
  http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/whats-so-bad-about-big-government-anyway/
• Read my Post that outlines a list of Obama’s hidden tax increases by way of instituting new tax credit ineligibility for the other 95% of us. If your annual income is $75,000 or more, you lose a lot of your prior tax credits. That’s how they get around being honest about the “tax cuts for 95% of American families”.
  http://flutemandy.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/75k-the-new-wealthy-what-if-you-make-75k-a-year-youre-ineligible-for-educational-loans-new-tax-credits/
• DEFEND YOUR GRASS-ROOTS! Know your critics and learn more about the people most vocal in trying to discredit your views. Read articles like:
  “The many roles of David Axelrod”, Politico
  “The Secret Side of David Axelrod”, BusinessWeek
  And then there’s my own commentary on this man’s role in the White House, “Obama’s Astroturf”.  But keep in mind, it’s commentary…my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.

Tea Party Signs, Flyers & Other Marketing Collateral

July 4th Independence Day Tea Party Flyer

Download this flyer in an editable .PPT file

Original Tea Party Liberty Tree Broadside flyer, Sons of Liberty style:
http://flutemandy.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/teapartybroadsideflyer.pdf

Tax Day Tea Party Planning Guide,
http://taxdayteaparty.com/guide
from former Tax Day Tea Party site (now Tea Party Patriots and the American Liberty Alliance)

Original Tea Party Sign Designs
Created by an average liberty-minded citizen
Downloadable PDF of Signs for Tea Parties, available at both of these links:
http://www.marshbaby.com/teaparty

http://www.freesignartwork.com

Printable Resources from ResistNet
http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/printable-resistnet-resources

Another Tax Day Tea Party page of Downloads & Gear
http://taxdayteaparty.wordpress.com/downloads/

“A Declaration by the Attendees of the Washington, D.C. Tea Party, in protest assembled…”
http://sites.google.com/site/justinlanewright/

“Petition for Redress of Grievances…Where in the Constitution do you find authorization for each and all of the following?…”

http://www.912petitions.com/

NOTE: this is NOT an official 9.12 Project website

We the People Constitutional Congress pamphlet, “It’s time to restore constitutional order and liberty…”
http://www.wethepeoplefoundation.org/UPDATE/misc2009/CC2009-TriFold-A.pdf

Additional Signs & Tea Party / Small Government gear at Conservatarian Journal

http://www.conservatarianjournal.com

This patriot’s just an average liberty-minded citizen like most of us.

E-Mail Marketing Tools

One of the best tools I’ve used is ConstantContact.  It’s free to send to lists of 100 emails at a time using the Free 60-day trial, but for larger lists the cost is really quite minimal. You can sign up online and get started right away and it’s very simple to use.  I use it myself for email marketing campaigns, event announcements, and online polls/surveys. It has a library of graphics templates you can select and then add your text & other media to it. Also has an email list upload tool that allows you to import addresses, and it will automatically track what you send and show you what was opened, undeliverable, etc. Also includes the Opt-in/Opt-out in every message so recipients can remove themselves from lists, as is required by law.

Press Release Distribution

Especially for those of you conducting Tea Parties or other events, distributing a press release can get you lots of media traction. There are a few free and low-cost pay-per-release sites that enable you to submit a PR and the service then does all the distributing for you. The paid services will get you more publicity of course, but the free services are OK if you don’t want to spend the $$:

PR Urgent (free + charge)
The Open Press (free)
PR Web and PR WebDirect (charge, middle/high-end)
PR Newswire (charge, middle-end)
PR Leap (charge, low-end)

Of course, you can also contact the media manually. Most newspapers especially, have an online submission form that enables you to submit your event announcement online, free of charge. To get you started, here is a directory of newspaper publications, television, and radio stations – listed by regions – to which you can submit your event information:

• Newspapers by State
• Television Stations by State
• Radio Stations by State

Website & Blog Programs

I use WordPress for this blog, which is simple to use and pretty convenient, and FREE. A premium version is also available, which allows for more customization.

Other blog services, out of hundreds,  are Blogger (also covers Blogspot), b2 Evolution, and TypePad.

For a full website, complete with a super, super easy word-processor-like administration tool to maintain it, Web.com is a great service. Lots of design template choices, super low pricing packages (includes hosting), and lots of optional add-ons like E-Commerce, Blog, and special marketing enhancements. I use it for my mom’s website since she needed an easy web editor, if you want to see an example: www.nagygallery.com.

If you need a more robust, politically-focused website package for a higher cost, you can check out these services from Maelstrom Solutions:

Patriot
“The ultimate tool for online donations, volunteer management, and event planning.  This incredible system is now available for organizations that need to do online fund-raising, such as non-profits, political campaigns, and educational foundations.  Prices start at for $40 a month.”

Ideal Campaign
Creates professional campaign websites for political parties & elections at all levels of government.  They work closely with your campaign to build a site that is creative, affordable, & professional.  They can also provide everything from online donations, volunteer management, email, reporting (these are in the “Patriot” add-on), & unlimited free support. Complete political website package (with the add-on) is priced at a flat fee of $2,500.

Search Engine Optimization & Submission

If you have a blog or site and want to get traffic to it, use a search engine submission tool to get it optimized properly and submitted to all the major search engines. Here are some free or low-cost sites:

SubmitExpress
Free Web Submission
iNeedHits
Add Me

Be sure to optimize your site properly yourself first. Always add ALT tags to every image, structure the pages sensibly (4 or 5 key buckets, with sub-pages beneath those – too many buckets will decrease your search rankings ), include a site map if applicable, use inline content links, use META tags. Here are some more detailed pointers from reliable sources of my own:  http://digitalgrit.com/resources.asp

Royalty-Free Stock Photos & Images and Stock Music

If you need some stock graphics, I find iStockPhoto to be the best bargain. Don’t let the name mislead you – it has digital/illustrations too.  Lots of choices, current designs that are trendy, good search mechanism, and easy pay-as-you pricing available.  An average image will cost between $2 and $10, but you can buy credits and also get volume discounts. No worrying about copyrights.

If you need stock music, for use in a video for example, I find decent music at low prices at Premium Beat. There are many others, but I find the pricing a bit higher on most others.

Broadband Media

Everyone of course knows of YouTube and how powerful a marketing tool it can be. I encourage everyone to utilize some of the videos and photos on the “LibertyChickTV page”. It contains many terrific promotional videos that were very successful in promoting the Tea Parties in April, as well as many videos that promote the protection of the Constitution and a return to small government in general.

If you need to make your own video and you have little background on it, the easiest tool that most everyone has is Windows Movie Maker. It’s free and comes on nearly all non-Mac computers these days. If you can’t find it, you can download it from C-Net.

Social Networking & Bookmarking

Of course, one of the most powerful and popular methods of getting viral marketing exposure is through the social networks. It’s one of the quickest ways to build traffic. The easiest thing to do it set up one site, then use the Widget that most provide to integrate the major social networks. If they don’ t have a widget, then simply cross-link your site to the other networks.  Here are the majors:

Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
Ning
Flickr
Photobucket
Digg
del.icio.us

Or you can look at a pretty comprehensive list posted on Wikipedia.

Promotional Materials

I cannot say enough about VistaPrint. I’ve used them time and time again for marketing brochures, business cards, flyers/handouts, invitations, etc. Design it online with their templates or upload your own, place your order, they print it and ship it.  Cheap, Super-Fast, and still high quality.

Zazzle
Search for 912 or tea party and see if the design you want already exists.  OR
Set up your own group’s store, upload your designs and start selling today.

CafePress
CustomInk
United T-Shirts

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Comments Policy: While I fully support the 1st Amendment to Freedom of Speech, I will only allow constructive comments on this blog. All feedback is encouraged, whether in agreement or in disagreement with any of the viewpoints expressed on this site. I will not; however, approve for posting any comment that consists only of an insult(s), is harassing in any manner, or contains language that is threatening in nature. Readers of this blog may feel free to express their opinions, positive or negative, in an environment absent of unnecessary and unproductive insults.