cb_mirror_public:october_november_newsletter_sis_pages_26478
Title: October-November Newsletter
Original CoS Document (slug): october-november
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Created: 2024-10-04 10:01:33
Updated: 2024-10-04 10:03:58
Published: 2024-10-04 03:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T20:38:24.298523901
A Return To Courtesy
| View this email in your browser |  | ====== Passed State #6 ====== | ====== 70,926 INDIANA STRONG! ====== | COS Indiana Vision: To build a strong, engaged army of self-governing activists. | STATE NEWS | COS INDIANA EVENTS CALENDAR |  | Click on the Event Calendar to go directly to Teamup for more details. Events & Festivals | Visit Indiana – A great resource to schedule and host a COS booth! |  |  REMEMBER TO VOTE & BE THANKFUL HAPPY THANKSGIVING! |  | MARENGO MIKE |  | Marengo Mike is created by COS Indiana State Comms Director Ken Kashuba | COMING EVENTS | COS IN ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING All Active Volunteers are Welcome to Attend Maple Grove Church of God 2729 E. 38th Street, Anderson Indiana OCTOBER 5, 2024 from 9 AM-3 PM Eastern Time (Coffee will be on at 8:30 AM) We will be setting goals for 2025. We need everyone's input and involvement! DOOR PRIZES! SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER – MARK MECKLER! (Via Zoom) RSVP to State Events Coordinator, Stacey Garrett, via slack. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COS INDIANA LIVE BROADCASTS With Host Dale Parrish and Co-Host Ken Kashuba   Dale's broadcast is live-streamed on Facebook and Youtube Every Monday at 7:00 PM Eastern Time TUNE IN FOR ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS! (4th Mondays – Special Topics) October 28th and November 25th, 2024  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS HERE! Be sure to post dates/times/details of your event on the Teamup Calendar, and after the event please share your pictures in the Events channel on Slack and include some details about your event and the great volunteers who helped make it a success. You all just might be featured in the next newsletter! |
| PAST EVENT HIGHLIGHTS |
 Indiana Commissioners Marty Wood and Dr. Dan Stock hard at work at the 2024 Grassroots Article V Experience! |
 Crown Point Gun Show – 76 petitions signed thanks to Mike, Nancy, Tom, Dan, Jane, and Mary! |
 Daryl Bierma at the Valparaiso Indiana Popcorn Festival Shows what one dedicated volunteer can do! |
 Patriots working the cool weather at the Fall Festival in Roanoke, IN |
| THE DIRECTOR'S CUT |
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| COS Indiana State Director Dale Tipton's solo event: “Trolling for patriots at the Chesterton European Market” |
| DALE TIPTON – COS Indiana State Director The State Director's Summary Report: This is the summary report for COS Indiana for the month of September 2024. Action Reports Action reports totaled 181 (-39). Our past high was recorded in March 2023 (309). Vickie Moring's Region 5 continued to lead the way statistically. Individual volunteer standouts across the state include David Nally, Gary Speelman, Stacey Garrett, Diane Jones, and Robert Aronson. ––We currently list 67,035 petition signers (+87). We have 70,926 total supporters. Active district captains’ number 19. Active region captains’ number 7. Monthly COS financial donors totaled 100. The previous high was 117 in October 2023. We need more monthly donors in Indiana. ––Our annual state strategy meeting is October 5th in Anderson, IN. It will run from 9AM to 3PM. Please RSVP by direct Slack message to Stacey Garrett. ––Marty Wood and Dan Stock attended the Article V Experience in Comfort, TX this month where they served as commissioners representing Indiana. They will be featured in a future meeting. ––Social media efforts are built around Dale Parrish and Ken Kashuba's production of Convention of States Indiana Live, with the short videos then being produced by Charlie Myers and distributed on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Hits on these platforms combined totaled: 113,195 (-27,564). The previous record was set in July 2024 with 156,946 views. Followers/subscribers: 12,353. (+103) |
| IDEALS OF SELF-GOVERNANCE |
A RETURN TO COURTESY  This podcast is a call to action for people of faith to engage in political discourse and civic engagement. (Click on the image above to listen). It emphasizes the importance of sharing their biblical worldview and values with their neighbors, particularly during election season. The source urges readers to pray for a spiritual awakening in the nation, believing that God's guidance is crucial for its well-being. It encourages readers to engage in respectful dialogue and act with love and tolerance, believing that their actions can influence the cultural landscape for the better. The source also stresses the importance of electing competent and virtuous leaders and upholding biblical principles in all aspects of life, advocating for a return to God's values. |
| “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” – Winston Churchill |
| PATRIOT VOLUNTEERS |
 | Make The Sacrifice – The Battlecry Mark Meckler at the ARTICLE V EXPERIENCE |
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| “SHARE THE PETITION” MONTHLY CHALLENGE These are critical times! 2024 has already been a historic year! Forward this newsletter to your family and friends! Explain why this project is so important! THE CHALLENGE: Share the COS Project with at least one person each month! Get them to sign the petition. It's the least you can do!  2024 GOAL: 80,000 SUPPORTERS! www.conventionofstates.com When you sign the petition, go to the volunteer page to see available service options! |
| ONE NATION UNDER GOD |
| Aspirational Goal: To bring a Political and Spiritual Awakening to America. |
 POWER IN PRAYER Tim Heidenreich – COS Indiana Prayer Contact Scripture says that our prayers (those of believers in Christ) are powerful. 13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:13-16) Let us pray for the United States, for Israel, and for His will to be done in all our lives. Here is a Scripture that seems fitting to our situation and our national struggle. Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. At times, our greatest foes are alarming circumstances. They threaten our peace and even our faith, but the apostle Peter told us God cares for us, therefore we should cast all our anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7). The apostle Paul offered the same prescription for personal peace. He wrote in Philippians 4:6–7 to be anxious about nothing, but to make our requests known to God in prayer. As a result, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (BibleRef.com) If you are overwhelmed by the news stories you see, as I am, try to remember these verses and know that God has a plan for us. He raises up good kings and bad kings so that His perfect plan will be fulfilled. Will you please consider these requests in your prayers? 1. For God to open more eyes to the truth. We live in a culture that has “exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (Romans 1:25), rejecting God’s design for our world and His authority in our lives. At times, our fallen world and sin-stained culture can feel very dark and discouraging. But the God we serve is greater than the darkness. He is able to illuminate the darkest of hearts with the truth of the Gospel. Let’s pray that many more would come to know the Lord and live for Him. 2. For truth to prevail in our nation. Our nation has experienced times of strong convictions of truth and times of falling away. Though it seems far from the Lord today, God can intervene as He has before. Pray that people from all walks of life would be sensitive to the Gospel and respond in faith. Pray for a cultural shift to recognize and treasure God’s truths, leading to flourishing families, communities, and nations. Let us also thank God for the freedoms we enjoy and remember those who have defended them. 3. For those who are standing for truth. Many courageous people around the country and the world have chosen to stand up for our God-given rights, often at great personal risk or loss. Please remember in your prayers: * Parents standing against efforts to undermine their God-given role in their children’s lives. * Businesses and organizations threatened for expressing what they believe. * People of faith facing persecution for their beliefs. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer. We know the Lord hears us and will answer according to His perfect will. Please feel free to email Tim with your prayer requests… PRAYER REQUESTS Spiritual battles cannot be fought without prayer… |
 | Wonderful, Merciful Savior – Selah | ||
| OPINION / EDITORIALS |
| Opinions expressed in the following articles are solely the expressed views of the authors. |
 PRIMARY MATTERS Running for Congress in Our Crazy Political World By Patrick Malayter | September 2024 I became involved with the Convention of States (“COS”) during my recent campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. A few COS members met me at events and noted my platform tied in nicely with that of the organization. Although I failed in my bid for office, the experience itself was amazing! So, I thought I would share with you what it's like to run for Congress in our crazy political world. Deciding to Run Many people naturally ask what caused me to get into the race. In my congressional district, Indiana’s Fifth, our representative Victoria Spartz originally announced her retirement, making the position an “open seat.” So, what got me in? Perhaps like you, I'd been troubled by the quality of our nation’s leaders and their failure to address the country’s real problems. But what nudged me forward into seeking election were: 1. A podcaster who repeatedly noted the problem with the Republican Party were good people failing to step up and run for office, 2. The campaign planks of other candidates that initially jumped into the race (which I perceived as being weak), and 3. A trip abroad that my son and I went on. Involving #3 above, my son and I bicycled across parts of Europe in September 2023. We observed that all the bigger cities we visited were clean and safe . . . the way things were in the USA not too long ago. In short, it was another reminder of how our leaders have failed us and that change was needed. Choosing Campaign Planks For me, picking the issues to run on was time consuming. I spent roughly 15-20 hours per week for much of October 2023 thinking through my planks. Ultimately, I picked four overall areas where the country could improve drastically by making changes to the system. These included: 1. Enacting congressional term limits – I envisioned an 8-year limit on total House/Senate service – with a 10-year ban on subsequent lobbying. 2. Legal reform to improve public safety and media integrity (e.g., removing the “malice requirement” for public figures to sue media outlets for defamation). 3. Higher education loan restructuring (e.g., ending the Obama-era guaranteed student loan program). 4. Closing abusive tax loopholes that drain billions of dollars from the treasury. This process was great in determining what principles my campaign stood for – however in retrospect I just don’t believe many voters base their voting decisions on a congressional candidate’s platform. Early Learnings and Challenges Starting up a congressional campaign is a lot like starting up a small business. There are basic matters like obtaining a tax ID, website and bank account for the campaign. One surprise was discovering my go-to banks (where I had meaningful deposits) refused to open-up a campaign checking account! I spent over a week – and met with several financial institutions to ultimately find one willing to serve my campaign. There were also various state and federal election filings and requirements to satisfy. I found that personnel at the Federal Election Commission to be outstanding with their guidance on getting my campaign started and election compliance rules. Indiana has distinct requirements for candidates to get their name on the primary ballot. In the run-up to the May 2024 primary, it was shocking to observe several fellow candidates getting disqualified because they simply failed to read/understand the Indiana ballot measures – including one U.S. Senate candidate that spent over $3 million on his primary run but was later declared ineligible! The “Stink” Starts Locally Nationally, there is plenty of controversy on how the political parties “pick” or prevent a particular candidate from being its nominee. For example, tons of evidence showed how the Democrat party thwarted RFK, Jr.’s primary efforts in many states. I believe this candidate suppression – or what I call “the stink” begins at the local level. Specifically, I was naïve thinking that the role of county Republican party leadership was to bring-forth and present candidates to the constituents . . . so that truly informed choices are made by voters. In my opinion, party leaders oftentimes pick their “preferred candidate” for the electorate. For example, one Republican County chairman refused to meet with me months before the election saying he was “Supporting Mr. X for Congress . . . and he’d rather not waste his time – or mine meeting.” In an adjacent county, several staffers of a different congressional candidate were simultaneously imbedded within the county party making it challenging to connect with GOP insiders. These “access matters” were problematic for several fellow candidates too. The Roles of Incumbency and Money Winning a congressional primary is largely an exercise in generating name recognition among voters. Obviously, being an incumbent helps a lot with name recognition – and consequently winning reelection. In the 2024 congressional primaries only a few incumbents have lost—Bob Good from Virginia and two Democrat “squad members.” In my primary, Congresswoman Spartz’s decision to reenter the race in February 2024 after originally deciding to vacate her seat was no-doubt controversial . . . but nevertheless gave her public familiarity and a leg up with a large group of voters. Campaign spending likewise builds name recognition (via advertising, signs, etc). In my race businessman Chuck Goodrich spent over $5.2 million to generate voter awareness (much of it his own money)—but was the runner-up to Congresswoman Spartz (i.e., spending roughly $194/vote received). Ms. Spartz doled out a bit under $3 million to keep her seat (about $94/vote obtained). Increasingly Congress is becoming a sport for rich folks in my view. Debates and the Media My experiences on the debate stage and with select media outlets were positive. The League of Women Voters, COS, two churches and a few local republican groups sponsored debates or candidate forums for the public to assess candidates. For the first debate I prepared to answer a variety of questions ranging from abortion to Ukraine war funding. Taking time to think through how you feel about such subjects, and how to explain your positions succinctly takes time. The format of most debates/forums consist of a two-minute introduction by each candidate followed by roughly an hour of questions by the event’s moderator. Normally, candidates would be allowed 60-90 seconds to respond to the inquiries. Consequently, it’s tough to get into nuances of your solutions and distinguish yourself from other candidates. After the Q/A, we’d be allowed a minute to wrap up and explain why we’d be the best choice for voters. I’d say the debates were cordial among the candidates. Being willing to get up in front of an audience and expose your perspectives takes bravery – and I respect anyone that does so. Television stations FOX59 and CBS4 and radio group Woofboom Media each did an exceptional job with live debate coverage. Indianapolis-based WISH-TV’s political show Inside Indiana Politics also featured each candidate on their weekly shows. Likewise, FOX-Digital and community newspaper group You Are Current provided meaningful exposure to the candidates. Nonetheless, most other radio stations, podcasters, print/digital media outlets and TV stations within the congressional district refused to cover the candidates due to concerns about possible adverse public reaction and/or providing fair coverage. And a few would only agree to an interview/coverage if your campaign would spend advertising dollars at their shop. Industry and Other Special Interest Groups During my campaign I reached out to various industry and trade associations to better understand the federal issues and concerns their membership had. I had an amazing meeting with the Indiana Farm Bureau where executives described how inflation in agricultural inputs (e.g., chemicals, fuel and fertilizer) were squeezing farmer profits. Likewise, they highlighted how new employment regulations were hurting worker productivity in the field. Finally, with ag land costs rising, the Bureau noted the expiring Trump estate tax laws needed to be extended to help family-owned farms keep their land generationally. I also had great conversations with two legal organizations: the Indiana Bar and Indiana Trial Lawyer Associations. Although most of their concerns involved state law and regulatory matters, it provided insights into how average citizens grapple with legal matters within the congressional district. I worked hard to have dialogues with many other professional/trade groups and industry representatives to no avail. Near the last month or so pre-election, dozens of special interest organizations from pro-life, pro-choice, gun rights, etc. groups request you to respond to detailed “position surveys” – and depending on your answers, endorse or discourage their members to vote for you. In my case I chose not to complete most of these questionnaires due to time constraints as well as doubting “their group’s favor” would impact vote totals much. Meeting Regular Citizens Along the Way My favorite part of running for Congress was meeting with and learning from ordinary people in the six-county area. Several days each week I’d travel to cities within the district, meeting with business owners, professionals, workers and other citizens going about their day. It wasn’t particularly efficient – but there is probably no better way to discern what concerns and problems voters are dealing with in their lives. I’d tell my wife those encounters with typical Hoosiers “cleansed my soul.” The key issue folks talked about was how inflation was crushing them. One pizza restaurant owner in a small town described how his main ingredient, mozzarella cheese increased in price from $30,000 to $80,000/year . . . and he couldn’t pass that cost bump onto customers. Dozens of people described how shopping for groceries every week was a new stressor. Many smaller businesses were frighted by how much wage pressures were crushing their profits. Another man told me he’d been prescribed a drug that had an $800 monthly out-of-pocket outlay . . . and that there was no way he could pay for it. The other hot button matter arising during my interactions involved the open southern border. Most folks complained about how unfair it was for these illegal immigrants to be getting federal government handouts while so many U.S. citizens are struggling with their bills. Others told stories about how illegal drugs flowing in from Mexico were destroying their community – with several individuals commenting about fentanyl ODs being a common occurrence in their locale. Besides the above-noted worries, other voter concerns involved topics like the Ukraine war funding, our unsustainable federal budget deficits/debt and public safety. Existing members of Congress would benefit from the type of encounters I had with real life constituents during my campaign. Election Day For me election day was a blur. I got to my precinct as the polls opened at 6:00 a.m. The drill was to greet voters, hand them my “campaign issues card” and say, “My name is Patrick Malayter – I live in the neighborhood and I’m running to term limit Congress . . . because nothing changes if nothing changes.” Most voters were polite, although some were annoyed by my personal attention. I met several noteworthy people and was left with a few inspiring memories. For example, as the day began, a reporter for The Epoch Times stopped by and we spoke for 20 minutes or so on term limits and education reform. Later, a man introduced himself as a high school classmate of mine from Gary, IN – and found out we’ve lived in the same neighborhood, blocks apart for the past two decades. I was truly pleased seeing several parents who brought their young adult children to the polls and schooled them in the voting process. I was also impressed by quite a few senior citizens that made sure their vote was counted even though walking was tough for them. I met many great election volunteers that supported voters in casting their ballots too. No doubt there are a lot of moving parts to carrying out a primary. Turnout at my precinct ended up at roughly 15% of registered voters. Many of my fellow congressional candidates reported similar numbers at their polls. Overall, election day was exhausting but a memorable day in a positive way. Looking Back As noted above, running for Congress was an amazing experience. Will I ever do it again? Heck no! Did I make a difference? Absolutely. I was able to change Congresswoman Spartz’s position on Ukraine war funding . . . she ended up voting against a $160 billion war aid package (she previously announced support for) that I was critical of in various debates. I also persuaded many individuals that had never voted in an Indiana primary election to cast their first ballots. With the level of gerrymandering that has taken place in recent decades - the dominate political party’s candidate in a congressional district almost always wins that district’s general election. So, voting in your state’s primary election is a critical step to getting fresh faces and ideas in our government. The primary matters! Patrick Malayter Lyon is a concerned activist, congressional candidate, and content writer for Convention of States – COS Indiana – the Finish Line. Patrick is a CPA and retired top accounting firm tax partner. He is a father of five and is married to his high school girlfriend. Patrick has authored a book on persuasion and growth titled 50 Shades of Sales. |
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| DONATE / SUPPORT COS |
| ===== Donate Here Convention of States Project www.conventionofstates.org ===== WASHINGTON IS BROKEN We have a solution as big as the problem! Join us now in this extraordinary movement by making your pledge. Your support will fuel the passion and drive of these grassroots activists and ensure they have the tools and resources they need to advance the cause of liberty. PATRIOT CLUB |
| COS TRAINING |
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| We've got a country to save! Training matters! Let's make sure we are well-trained! **Convention of States University** |
| DALE TIPTON COS Indiana State Director   Ken Kashuba – COS Indiana Communications Director Susan Lyon – Editor COS Indiana Newsletter Content Writers: Please submit your articles for review to the <Editor> by the 28th each month. |
cb_mirror_public/october_november_newsletter_sis_pages_26478.txt · Last modified: 2025/04/14 20:38 by 127.0.0.1