The Hotel: The Treasure Island Hotel has to be the best hotel experience I've ever had. It wasn't the size of the rooms that made it great, it was the people, from check-in, to food servers, to security, to the pit boss at the blackjack table, to the dealer, to the girl cleaning ashtrays on the casino floor, we were treated to smiles and kindness and courtesy.
The Freepers: The best of the best is the only way to describe them. Those that made the conference are dedicated in their beliefs and it shows. I had the privilege of dining last night with two freepers I've never met before, Maceman and Strela. Talk about interesting people! I also dined with Taxman, Dixie Sass, WIMom, Badjoe and One Particular Harbor (who got in trouble for talking during Rich Galen's speech, but don't worry, Mr. Galen very nicely put him in his place and left us laughing hysterically at the same time). My only regret is I wasn't able to spend even more time with freepers. Next year I will add a day onto the front and back of the conference for socializing and hope others will, too.
The conference:
Friday night reception: As you all know, Laura Ingraham spoke at the Friday night reception. She's beautiful in person! Pictures don't do her justice. She's also not on a star trip and very approachable. She was extremely polite to everyone. We already know how funny she is and she didn't let us down during her talk.
Saturday seminars:
The Leadership Institute: This was the meat of the conference and it was almost too intense. Matt Lewis of the Leadership Institute spoke and this young man is not only well trained, he's got a talent for what he does. A little meat for you--he recommends reading Carville and Begala's book, said he believes in reading the opposition and this book is very good for what it is and if you want to understand how Clinton did what he did. There was substance here, folks, and the work they do is not for the weak. I found myself taking notes furiously. The Leadership Institute will have one more person--me--the next time they put on a seminar in my area. Every single freeper, and every single person interested in furthering the conservative cause and every single person interested in bettering themselves needs to participate in the programs offered by the Leadership Institute. I know I will. Perhaps at a later date I, or someone else, will go into depth about what we were taught by the Leadership Institute on Saturday at the Friva conference.
Chuck Muth: What a dynamic man! I love this guy! He, too, was full of tips and tricks about activism. Just a little tidbit for you--he says the best way to influence Congress these days are telephone calls, they block email but do log telephone calls. On the local and state level, emails will work. He stuck around for much of the conference and also spoke again later in the day. He had a very interesting take on abortion and I found myself thinking, "Yes, that's what I think, too, but I've never been able to articulate it before!" This man is completely honest and outspoken. There is no spin. He says what he thinks and he's not afraid. Mr. Muth has a newsletter that I will be signing up for forthwith. If you EVER get a chance to hear this man speak, do yourself a favor and go. You will be inspired.
Rich Galen: Wonderful speaker, funny, interesting, smart, and real treat to hear. We as freepers need to hear what he has to say as often as possible.
Nancy Bocskar: Ms. Mocskar is an expert in fundraising, event planning and political training. This woman is not only a dynamic speaker, she is a pro and knows how the game is played. She told us how to keep fundraising costs down, how to go about fundraising and setting up a fundraising committee. Here's a tidbit for you--Personal solicitation is the best way to raise money for a political candidate, not direct mail. All politics is personal in fundraising. This is another speaker you should run, not walk, to hear if you ever get a chance.
There were many many handouts and several speakers were generous with their email addresses and invited us to email them if we need help or have questions.
Don't miss next year's Free Republic Network Conference. The entire conference was about $200 and the value was in the thousands, if it can even be measured monetarily.
The conference was more, much more, than I expected.
I've been to lots of conferences and this was the most well done, most interesting, program I have ever had the good fortune to attend.
Thank you Free Republic Network! I'll see you next year!
P.S. There are some who would like to see the Free Republic Network disbanded; there are some who would work behind the scenes to destroy its effectiveness; there are some who think that the Free Republic Network and the Free Republic Forum are not two fingers on the same hand.
For those who think that way, you are going to be disappointed. I was there this weekend and saw the Free Republic Network in action. It is powerful and it is growing. And everybody who participated is a Freeper. It will not be stopped.
We couldn't attend due to the fact that we have a baby at home and couldn't take him on such a trip. Still, I knew that y'all would be in good hands. :)
That, of course, is when two freepers meet at an event for the first time. It's a bit reminiscent of the mating dance of certain large birds. There's a simultaneous tilting of heads to read the other freeper's handle, then a step back to scan the internal database for if and when you might have conversed -- there are, after all, quite a few freepers.
But once in a while, more often than you'd think, you see the Click.
I know you.
I know what you care about. I know how you react under pressure, when you're tired, angry, grieving. I've felt your lacerating humor, respected your integrity, fed from your knowledge, weighed your ideas.
I know you far better than the guy in the next office I see every day.
I know who you are.
You were my friend before I ever saw your face.
Huge thanks are due to BobJ, Diotima, and all of the members of FRN who worked so hard preparing the meeting. These people gave a tremendous amount of time, talent, and treasure to make this a successful event. (In the future, ways must be found to spread out the work load. We don't need burn out.)
It was an honor to speak with Jeff Head about his activism and the struggle of the farmers in Klamath. He is an inspirational leader and I hope to hear big things from him in the future.
The Leadership Institute, which you've been reading about on this thread, will be holding a training session in Madison, WI, on August 31. I have requested info about this and will post it to the Wisconsin page when they reply.
Vegas is best described as "sensory overload" in the desert. It was a pleasure seeing verdant, productive Wisconsin farm land and lakes out of the jet window on the way home.
I had a fantastic time, even stuck in the corner as I was mostly... ;^) Bob J's speech was terrifically inspiring and motivating, pragmatic and fresh in its vision. And I thought that Chuck Muth was absolutely terrific.
The FReepers that attended shared several traits, but most importantly were their commitment to persevere and the nobility of their causes.
God bless 'em all. And you as well.
xo
The Treasure Island is a fine hotel. Not the best I've ever stayed at, but CERTAINLY not the worst.
You are correct in saying that the service people from the maids up through the pit bosses and security teams all were polite, courteous, and friendly. The hotel itself is very nice.
The food was very good, especially the awards dinner, and was brought promptly, while it was hot, and was prepared to appeal to the eye as well as the palate.
The registration, an event unto itself, was very well done and Laura Ingrahm deserves more than a radio show.
She is concise, well spoken, humorous, but drives her point home with all the artistry of an epee master.
I met some FReepers at the registration that I had been looking forward to meeting for some time now. In my business travels I had already met several FReepers, Gabz, Cool Breeze, dubyaismypresident to name a few, and now can add several more to that list. I've got to say, "FReepers ROCK!.
The conference on Saturday was fast paced, informative, and I will have to digest the information for at least a week before I can coherently comment on the information given. This is a compliment because normally I am a quick study on, almost, any given subject.
There were some things that can be put to immediate use but other things I will have to cogitate on. (You like that big word?) ;^)
All the speakers were good. They seemed to know what they were talking about and could put the thoughts into words so that everyone could understand what the ideas were.
The awards dinner was well handled. The food, as I said before, was delicious, especially the deserts!
The keynote speaker certainly DID know how to hush OPH, at least for a while ;^) and I enjoyed the question and answer period at the end.
I didn't get a chance to attend the follow up on Sunday due to prior commitments. (All right, I had told my wife that Sunday was HER day and that we would do whatever she wanted.)
I'll plan better next time in order to make all the events.
All in all FRIVA LAS VEGAS had everything that was advertised. I got to meet and greet FReepers that I had corresponded with, I had much much information on grass roots activism put out in an organized form for my perusal, (another big word ;^) ) and I had a GREAT time doing it.
.
On a side note - Many thanks to Slip18 and her better half Cyber Liberty. Thanks, Slip for making my wife feel comfortable, even among so many FReepers. She really enjoyed chatting with you.
I would like to thank everyone involved in the FRiva production. The conference committee of Sauropod, RedWing9, The Shrew, DoughtyOne, Libertina and Bob J worked very hard for the conference.
And there would be no conference at all with out the hard work of Bob J.
His Royal Podness did a great job setting up the Activism Panel; The Shrew arranged the speakers and was always there when I needed him (Actually before I knew I would need him he was magically there!); D1 handled the registration, made the name tags and was the video master; RedWing9 was an intimidating head of security yet cuddly at the same time; and Libertina helped me set up the menu (YUM!) and was sorely missed at the event.
Auntie Mame, BADJOE, Exit 148, and others were unbelievable at handling the check in registration process, Interesting Times the BOD's singer and pianist provided the entertainement, and so many other people were constantly offering their help.
***PROPS TO STRELA! Who donated the door prizes***
Of course, RADIOFR's very own Anna Z hosted the radio broadcast of the banquet as only she can do, which was the icing on the cake.
I was so pleased to meet so many freepers at this event. The speakers were great and the Leadership Institute seminars were very informative. My favorite part of the conference was the meeting we all had together on Sunday, discussing the future of FRN. Although I am still recovering from exhaustion (and some bad luck at the tables, LOL) I feel a great sense of hope for the future of FRN activism and faith in the wonderful people who were so supportive at the meeting. It was very encouraging to see your enthusiasm and listen to your thoughts and ideas. We are moving full speed ahead and I am glad to have you all on board.
It was a pleasure and an honor to meet all of you, and I will see you at the next "big event!"
In the words of "Roberta" an important character in a great movie I just saw, its time for me to "Relax, Enjoy" before getting back to work.
First, thank you to everyone who organized and planned the FRiva event. You all put in a lot of time and effort to make this event the huge success it was and did a fantastic job. Congratulations to all of you. The speakers, the classes, the social events and the hotel accommodations were fantastic.
The key to winning our conservative agenda is to be better organized, and the Leadership Institute gave us additional tools to help us achieve these goals. The Leadership Institute had hundreds of great ideas that we can use at the local level to advance conservatism.
I was excited to learn the Leadership Institute will be in Madison, Wisconsin August 31. Faraday is getting additional information, and as soon as he has it, we will let others know the details.
It was a great event, and if you missed it, please consider the next event. I know it will be even greater than this last event, if that is possible.
Although I'm not part of Jeb Bush's re-election campaign, friends of mine know I have bumper stickers, etc. They're starting to ask me for campaign items. Once our friends and neighbors know that we are grass roots campaigners, it's very unifying. There's so much buzz for Jeb Bush here in Florida. Florida freepers could not all attend Friva but man, are they busy in the trenches.
I confess I was late to Matt's first lecture about "time". LOL How embarrassing was that but some freepers came a long way.
I talked to Laura Ingraham before the buffet about Florida's elections. Of course we're concerned down here because 2000 seems like yesterday. LI was very approachable and wore casual clothes. Gee, even pundits are goin' casual. That's the grass roots thing to do IMO.
Finally, I've saved every scrap of paper and all the notes that I took. I had a really great time and I agree that the Treasure Island Resort was a fabulous choice. The Friday buffet was delicious! I had to go to Reno on Saturday but I came back Sunday and that's when the Pirate Chapter was born. People were still there Sunday evening! Maybe next year I can stay in Vegas for the whole time. floriduh voter