Title: Strategy Makes the Dream Work
Original CoS Document (slug): strategy-makes-the-dream-work-1
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Created: 2023-12-28 13:37:59
Updated: 2024-01-04 03:00:02
Published: 2023-12-28 01:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T21:28:47.613401568
From Left to right, Ernie Thackeray DC Tomah, Betty Stoltenberg, DC Team, Mike Romes, RC Green Bay, Vince Gorichan, RC Milwaukee, Mary Glaser, social media, Dean Jeffery DC Oshkosh, Larry Catellier, DC Platteville, with Liberty Bell, Katherine Skleba WI Event Coordinator, and not shown Art Binhack SD, attended the meeting. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dave Certa, WI Legislative Liaison & SIA and Kimberly Strohrigl WI Grassroots Coordinator for fast recoveries. They were under the weather that Saturday. Catherine Zemanek, Flyover Region Regional Director and Mark Meckler, President COS attended on a Zoom call to kick off the meeting.
John Maxwell author, speaker and pastor famously coined the phrase “Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork” and we in Wisconsin Convention of States adjusted the phrase recently at our State Strategy Meeting to “Strategy Makes the Dreamwork.”
Our Wisconsin State Strategy Meeting was held Saturday December 2, 2023, 10 am to 3 pm at the Portage County Library in downtown Stevens Point, WI. Stevens Point is close to the center of Wisconsin; it was chosen cto shorten travel. Some members of our team drive for up to 3 hours one way! It really shows our Wisconsin Team dedication.
Our inspiration was immediately elevated by Mark Meckler’s short talk about how we grassroots are making the dream work. Mark “Pledged his life, his fortune and his sacred honor” just like our Founders did during our nation’s inception. He inspired us and cautioned us that as we speak out and advocate for a return to self-governance the powers that be may well push back.
Mark explained how COS credibility comes from the grass roots and not necessarily from the leadership team. The COS grass roots are on the ground and doing the day-to-day interactions with the public and Legislators. One of the reasons the Heritage Foundation supports COS is that they have seen the presence of the COS grass roots across the Country.
Meckler spoke about how we need a “Spiritual Awakening” and the importance of honor and integrity. We seem to be losing respect for these qualities in our society. It was so important in the time of our Founders that Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had a duel over their honor.
Mark encouraged us to be bold and speak out over what is clearly right and wrong. This can be difficult in this divided and vindictive society we currently live in. It can result in a high price to pay but it must be done. Mark spoke of this difficulty in his own family with his aunt that basically disowned him over Mark’s political positions.
Another example Mark gave of paying a price for speaking out, was James O’Keefe (Journalist) and founder of Project Veritas. James, house was the subject of a pre-dawn FBI raid whereby the FBI removed both business and personal items from his home and still has not returned them.
Mark wants to continue cultivating a “standing together” attitude within COS and build community. He used the example of the signers of the Declaration of Independence who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to each other (not to the Country).
He made a point that one of the complaints he commonly hears is that the COS process is taking a long time; we just hit the 10-year anniversary. His reply is that it takes time to build a grass roots army and currently, COS has the largest grass roots army ever created. This is not a goal to reach, and then, it’s all over. Convention of States is an effort to gain self-governance and then protect it forever.
It was a good meeting, the Team got to know each other better, and shared their expertise in a collaborative way. The Wisconsin Team was very impressed with Mark Meckler, President Convention of States, for a very inspirational talk followed by a question and answers via Zoom. Betty Stoltenberg asked for an update on Kansas and Mark gave a detailed answer.
Catherine Zemanek, RD Flyover Region via Zoom, started a good conversation on 2024 Team & WI Region Goals focused on Recruiting, and Legislative Outreach.
Feedback from the Team on the new Wisconsin Home Page and Training Pages was positive. With multiple suggestions on improving our workflows. Also established a goal of 2 Face to Face Team Meetings for 2024 rotating in various locations around Wisconsin.
Big kudo’s go out to Vince Gorichan for managing the lunch process, Dean Jeffery for leading us in Prayer, and teaching us about Action Reports (including handouts) and Katherine Skleba for taking notes of the meeting.
Everyone was in good spirits, and we had fun! “Teamwork Does Make the Dreamwork!” we credit Pastor John Maxwell for that inspiration. Our COS Wisconsin Team adjustment “Strategy Makes the Dreamwork” is our innovation.
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