Posted by Jacob Roecker on March 2, 2010 under Updates | 
Hello everyone. I’m pleased to announce that 912Candidates.org has been absolutely overwhelmed with the number of candidates who are stepping forward on behalf of these principles and values. For months now our small team of volunteers has tried (and failed) to keep up with the work load. We are now pleased to announce our solution:
The Conversation is Moving.
Since launching in March of 2009 912Candidates.org staff have had to deal with a variety of distractions. One of the greatest distractions is that on the surface 912Candidates.org appears to be a national organization with funding and other resources similar to a third party. Despite many, many attempts to clarify, that surface impression seems to stick. It seems “old rule” politicos are having trouble realizing that there’s a new era being ushered in. Political science professors and strategists are having to rework their formulas for candidate success because all of the ones they’ve been working on for 40 years assume an apathetic and disengaged constituency. The constituency apathy has changed, and so has the entire dynamic of American Politics. The workload we’ve had is evidence of such a movement. Even our phrase we coined “political tsunami” has caught on, and is now being used by well established political figures.
At the core of what we do is encouraging a conversation about these principles and values between constituents and candidates. People (assuming we were a third party) were asking us to strictly vet our candidates. Repeated attempts have been made to explain…. It’s not our job. The only qualified people to vet a candidate is the constituency. We, as a group of volunteers, endorse any candidate willing to pledge their sacred honor to these principles and values.
The underlying facts that led to the creation of 912Candidates.org still remain. We need candidates who are principled and the constituency needs to have conversations with their candidates based upon principles. The structure of 912Candidates.org is currently limiting that conversation, and in this turbid political landscape, swift action is required. It is unwise and inappropriate to keep a candidate waiting 2-3 months for us to announce that they’re willing to stand on principles.
Starting immediately any candidate willing to announce themselves as a “9-12 Candidate” needs to these things:
1st Express your commitment to these principles and values by signing our morally binding contract. You’ll want to share this with your constituents by publishing it on your website.
2nd, You’ll want to let your constituents know how you understand each of these principles and values. Some of these terms are subjective, and you’ll want to clarify your commitment. Each 9-12 Candidate should take the time to define & describe each principle and value. This “9-12 Platform” needs to be the foundation for the conversation between the candidates and the constituents.
This conversation can take place in several forums. On our FB page, on the candidate’s website, and elsewhere. Our Contracting information has now been updated to reflect this change.
At the beginning or end of your post, you’ll want to encourage visitors to visit your website, and read additional material. This can be done by putting the URL’s you’d like them to visit at the bottom of your platform. It is recommended that you include links to your contract, and platform such as:
Read my 9-12 Platform here: http://mycampaignrocks.com/9-12platform.html
View my 9-12 Contract here: http://mycampaignrocks.com/9-12contract.pdf
Using this facebook interface does not limit you to posting your 9-12 platform elsewhere. In fact, campaigns should seriously consider using the 9-12 platform as a press release or advertisement in newspapers.
We are keenly aware that the conversation we’re trying to promote is between the constituency and the candidate. The features on social networking sites allow this conversation to continue without a well-organized staff to process endorsements. It will make the conversation less cumbersome, and the decentralized nature will greatly speed up the process.
912Candidates.org will from time to time produce articles illustrating different aspects of the campaign. After the NY-23rd special election we interviewed many of the volunteers who worked on the Hoffman campaign. Similar stories will be posted during the life cycle of this website. If any candidate would like to request being featured, they are welcome to send their request to editor@912candidates.org
Posted by Jacob Roecker on November 4, 2009 under Updates |
Since it’s the day after an election many people in the media will be focused on providing a narrative to the events that have unfolded. They will re-shape and re-frame people’s votes trying to search for deeper meaning. There’s plenty out there doing this, and they get paid a lot more than I do. What I do know is that there’s a story to be had from the volunteers from 9-12 Groups that assisted in NY 23rd congressional district, and the media will ignore their story.
We would like to interview volunteers in the 9-12 Community that contributed to a campaign anywhere this election cycle. Our editor, Nanette, will arrange for an interview. She can be contacted at (editor@912candidates.org).
We believe that the contribution of this community has been a significant factor in these current elections, and with more elections scheduled for next year, these experiences need to be captured, shared, and studied. I know of no media outlet that will cover this angle, and have been recruiting volunteers for the purpose of gathering and publishing this crucial story.
The first step is to realize that what you’ve done is significant. The second thing is to realize that there IS an audience who wants to learn from what you’ve done.
I think we have some work to do convincing those volunteers that we do care about what they’ve done and we do want to learn. If you’re one of the people that contributed contact editor@912candidates.org. If you’re one of the people interested in reading about these patriot volunteers, please comment below. Some interviews have already taken place. They are quite revealing, and for many who have just begun to be involved in politics, what we’re finding out will be of great importance.
Thank you all for your time.
Jacob Roecker
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Jacob Roecker is the founder of 912Candidates.org, father of four, an Eagle Scout, and a 2-time veteran of the Iraq War, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal. Jacob is a graduate of Utah State University where he earned a degree in Speech Communication. While a student, Jacob committed himself to benefiting his college community and for his efforts received the University’s Robins Award for “Man of the Year.”
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Posted by Jacob Roecker on October 28, 2009 under Updates |
Due to a severe backlog with processing candidate contracts we’re looking for a Contracting Manager.
They will oversee the contracting process for every candidate in every state. The manager will be empowered to recruit a small staff to ensure smooth and quick processing time for our candidates. The manager and staff will work with existing state coordinators. As usual this is a volunteer position.
Minor image editing skills required.
Must know how to fill out a spreadsheet.
Must be excited–or at least curious.
If interested (or if you know someone who might be) comment on this post or send an email to jacob@912candidates.org
Posted by Jacob Roecker on October 17, 2009 under Updates |
912Candidates.org is recruiting authors for the website. The intent is to have a series of authors conduct interviews and write articles about our candidates and what they’re doing. There is a LOT of good ideas being employed by our current candidates, and these good ideas need to get out.
The campaign staff of each candidate is responsible for getting the message out to the constituents, but these ideas and actions ought to be viewed by a larger audience. They also ought to be shared between campaigns. To help this happen 912Candidates.org will publish articles written about candidates, informing our audience about what they’re doing. Campaigns can then use the site as a tool to research good ideas for their success.
The 9/12 Community is already discussing candidates. We have a role to play beyond finding those willing to pledge their sacred honor. We need to provide the venue for the conversation. This is why for several weeks our website was quiet while we focused on organizing a staff to create a 9/12 Convention.
The 9/12 Community is vast and can’t be encapsulated by any title. We are bound by principle, not policies. Our policy for what is a 9/12 candidate is well respected by 9/12ers. We need to help them learn about what our candidates are doing so the next round of patriots can learn from these candidates and be successful in every race across the nation. There’s a lot of local school boards across this country, and the more 9/12ers elected to those positions the greater chance we have of not just making an immediate difference, but a lasting one.
If you blog, write, edit, or have the desire to learn how to compose articles you’re welcome to contribute to 912Candidates.org. A “regular staff” will be chosen based upon their submissions, to include an “Editor in Chief” who will be responsible for reviewing and overseeing this part of the effort on the website.
Contributions should be sent to jacob@ 912Candidates.org. A basic guideline for writing articles can be found using google or here: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Write-a-Newspaper-Article-Quickly-and-Easily!&id=555083
Thank you all.
-Jacob Roecker
Founder 912Candidates.org
Posted by Jacob Roecker on October 9, 2009 under Updates |
There are hundreds of 9/12 groups across this great country. Many are local, some are state/regional level and a few are national level organizations. 912Candidates.org seeks to provide a contracting process that can be respected by each of these groups. We have raised our standards and clarified our contracting process. You can see a link in the upper right hand corner to “contracting.” These endorsements are from 912Candidates.org and they do NOT limit any existing 9/12 group from operating according to their by-laws, and their conscience.
I hope this clarifies some of the questions people have been posing via email.
It’s no excuse, but I’ve found myself with less free time and have been putting more effort into spending time with our (now) 4 children. I have felt a great deal of weight on my conscience to process the 17 contracts I have pending. I will try to find more efficient ways to use my time, and continue to provide this service to the 9/12 community.
Thank you for your patience.
Jacob F. Roecker
Founder, 912Candidates.org
Posted by Jacob Roecker on September 12, 2009 under Updates |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12 September 2009
Jacob Roecker
912Candidates.org
165 NE Coyote Drive
Fletcher, OK 73541
jacob@912candidates.org
580-695-4769
CANDIDATES’ CONVENTION PREPARATION
912Candidates.org announces convention location
FLETCHER, Okla. — 912Candidates.org has chosen Oklahoma City to host the first 9/12 Candidates Convention in late February 2010. Since March 23, 912Candidates.org has been operating as a Kitchen Table Organization (KTO) of volunteers scattered across several states dedicated to finding those who support the principles and values of the 9/12 Movement.
Today more than a million citizens who identify themselves as “9/12ers” gathered from all 50 states to a rally in Washington D.C.. In the coming months these citizens will look to find representatives in government who reflect the principles and values of their constituents. The Nine Principles and Twelve values of the 9/12 Movement are:
Principles: 1. America is good. 2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. 3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday. 4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. 5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. 6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results. 7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable. 8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion. 9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me. Values: 1. Honesty 2. Reverence 3. Hope 4. Thrift 5. Humility 6. Charity 7. Sincerity 8. Moderation 9. Hard Work 10. Courage 11. Personal Responsibility 12. Gratitude
Each 9/12 Candidate is required to pledge their sacred honor in representing their constituents and upholding these principles and values. More than 45 9/12 Candidates have stepped forward from 22 states running for local, state, and federal offices. The current collection of candidates includes Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. The attendance of these candidates at a political event will display to the American people the willingness of a new generation of representation to unify around basic principles and values.
The convention’s subject matter will be targeted to meet the needs of the various participating campaigns with events open to the public in the evening.
Members of the press will be welcome to cover the event and have access to the candidates in attendance.
912Candidates.org is now recruiting individuals willing to participate in organizing the convention. Applications should include a brief introduction, available time to work on the convention, and be emailed to info@912Candidates.org. There are no paid positions. The convention will be organized entirely by volunteers the head of which will be known as a “Quorum of Nine.”
The United States of America is a Republic founded on principles and values. Without these values our Republic will not survive. This convention will help return these values back to our government. In 1776 among a population of 2 million, 56 citizens pledged their sacred honor and stood up against the most powerful nation on earth to declare their independence. Among our current population good men and women are stepping forward, pledging their sacred honor, and committing to the principles and values that will restore this nation for posterity.
We should expect the people who represent us to represent the values that are important to us.
- Dr. Rand Paul
Posted by Jacob Roecker on August 5, 2009 under Updates |
Hello everyone! I’m pleased to announce some rather good news. It seems that American Citizens are restoring ourselves to our rightful place in our government: We’re the ones in charge! Now, we continue to search for people who represent the values and principles we teach our children.
In our hopes to find 9/12 candidates, our hopes have not been spent in vain. Since the last update we’ve announced Richard Flannigan and Howard Houchen in Oklahoma. Richard Pait published his 9/12 Platform in Florida. Also in that state, Paul McKain has stepped forward as a 9/12 Candidate.
Yesterday, I got a phone call. A 9/12 er in Arizona has created an online radio and television network for the 9/12 movement. Details will be posted later this week. I know it’s a mean teaser, but we’ve got to do some behind the scenes work before we’re ready to let this audience know it exists.
Across the country it seems that Americans are realizing the power they have. This site has actually gotten some negative publicity because of what we believe in. I personally consider it a compliment. It means we’re worth they’re time. It seems there’s more going on out there that isn’t as positive. Our truck driver friend Arthur Wayland tells more on his blog. It seems that even police officers sometimes have problems with truck drivers displaying what they believe in, and passing out constitutions. Yeah, this isn’t going to be the last time this happens.
Keep up the good work on your end. Demand 9/12 Candidates and when you find someone, send them to the “Material” link at the top, where they’ll find the contract and instructions. We’ll take care of the rest from there. As always, shoot us an email if you’ve got any questions. (info -at- 912candidates.org
Posted by Jacob Roecker on July 31, 2009 under Updates |
A need has developed to provide the following guidelines regarding comments on this website. The “Comment Guidelines” page. If you made a comment that has be removed, please restructure and resubmit it according to these guidelines. The guidelines are published here for your convenience.
912Candidates.org welcomes user comments, but would like to provide the following guidelines:
Comments on posts about specific candidates (their announcements or their 9/12 Platform) need to be made within the framework of the 9 principles and 12 values. Here are some examples:
Positive:
- I appreciate someone running for office who believes in upholding these principles and values. Your experience at your religious organization show that you understand the value of charity. I see a key part of this value relying on the person’s choice to donate their goods, services, or time. Your example seems to ring true and I thank you for your support. Good luck!
Negative:
- I’m not entirely sure if this person is going to be a good representation of a 9/12 Candidate. There are some spurious posts online regarding their character, and I’m unsure of their validity. Still, because I teach my children thrift these posts regarding the spending in the candidate’s campaign record have me concerned. They can be found here (http://somevultureurl.com).
These examples have three parts and all comments on these posts need to be framed in this format:
- Use “I” language. You can only speak for yourself, express your concerns. They are valid and we do want to hear them.
- State which values or principles has you most concerned or most pleased. Phrase all of your comments in the form of a principle or value.
- Please post links to any material you may find supporting your claims of support or negative comments. These can be reviewed by others and comments made in response to your regarding their validity. Please add your own comments regarding the validity of the site being referenced. Typically speaking a site that produces nothing but negative content regarding a candidate is obviously biased, and the validity of such a site should be questioned. Really, who has time to be that negative?
Comments will NOT be published unless they conform to these guidelines. Free speech refers to items in the public domain. This site, is controlled by private citizens who reserve the right to control its content. We have provided the following guidelines to ensure that comments we may morally disagree with have a voice.
Some previously published comments do not conform to these guidelines, and remain at the discretion of site editors.
Thank you for your compliance.
Posted by Jacob Roecker on July 27, 2009 under Updates |
Hello everyone. I’m pleased to announce that you will be seeing less and less candidate’s announcements on this main site. Instead, our Gold-List is up and running, and our candidate’s announcements will be maintained on the state websites. We’ve done this because each candidate needs to be vetted by their constituents, and part of that vetting process is their 9/12 platform. By having only one announcement per candidate, the comment feature can easily be used to help constitutents makes informed decisions.
We’ve just announced three 9/12 Candidates, with more coming this week. The three latest announcements come from several different states:
We’re very grateful that these, and other candidates are stepping forward to the task, and look forward to hearing more about them in the future. If you want to stay abreast of every post on this website, our twitter feed is a great way to do jus that.
This week, we NEED your help. Glenn Beck’s producers at FoxNews are interested in having some of our 9/12 Candidates on the show, but they’re unsure of whether or not America sees them as part of the solution. Three of our candidates are pushing full-throttle to write, email, and call the Glenn Beck program. They need your help.
One campaign recently sent out an email that listed the addresses, and explained the importance of having principled government officials representing us. I won’t pretend to be so eloquent, so I’ll let you read the message here:
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A critical moment has come in the ongoing campaign to save the Republic and restore our Constitution. Efforts to this end, by all the 912 Liberty Candidates, have attracted the attention of the Glenn Beck television program. However, we need to show Mr. Beck and his staff that our mission to retake the Congress from the bailout voters is newsworthy and that the Candidates at the tip of Liberty’s Spear are credible contenders who can lead this fight for our freedom. Now is the time, this is the hour, when you must stand up and be heard! Contact the Glenn Beck program and politely encourage them to host Rand Paul, Adam Kokesh and RJ Harris on an upcoming program. Once you have done this, please repost this call to action everywhere you can. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell all of your family that the time has finally come to WAKE UP AND FIGHT FOR LIBERTY!
Email glennbeck@foxnews.com me@glennbeck.com wesurroundthem@foxnews.com http://www.myspace.com/foxglennbeck comments@foxnews.com Producers: Stu: stu@glennbeck.com Joe: joe@glennbeck.com Phone: (212) 301-3000 Fax: (212) 301-4229 Address: 1211 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10036
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Please, Monday thru Friday this week, write, call and spread the word. The meetup.com groups that were started back in March when we first realized we were “9/12ers” are great email lists to use. Don’t overburden your welcome, but don’t be shy about standing up for what you believe in either.
We have to practice discussing things that are important to us in the political arena. For too long conservatives have been quiet. Many of us are new to this sort of activism. This is as good opportunity to practice being involved, and getting your neighbors involved as well. If we don’t practice now our inadequacies will be apparent when we are trying to encourage our neighbors to vote. NOW is the time to develop these skills, and this is a prime opportunity.
Good Luck Everyone!
Count your blessings (there’s a lot of them) and press forward!
-Jacob Roecker
Citizen, Patriot, Veteran
Founder: 912Candidates.org
As always, you’re welcome to forward, copy, or republish parts, or the whole of this message. We ask as a courtesy that you will mention its source (http://912candidates.org) in your correspondence.
Posted by Jacob Roecker on July 10, 2009 under Updates |
We’ve made some large strides recently, but this past week things have been rather quiet. That generally means that there’s work being done behind the scenes and it’ll come forward in time. In fact, there’s been a considerable amount of discussion behind the scenes with a very prominent campaign out of New Mexico. I’m not at liberty to say more than that, but with a bit of research I’m sure you can find out who we’ve been working with.
New Mexico is just one front in finding 9/12 Candidates our state coordinators are making progress across the country. California had two back-to-back announcements near the holiday weekend, Pennsylvania is well organized and working with 9/12 organizations across their state, and Texas is working with a few candidates in the Lone Star State. This may have you thinking that everything is going well, and that YOU aren’t needed. That’s far from true. In fact, we’re more than a bit behind on the number of people we need to make 9/12 Candidates a household name.
Let’s take a look at what we’re doing. We’re trying to find candidates who represent the values we pass on to our children and the legacy our parents have passed on to us. History books are rarely written about families. They tend to be written about governments, and this government will write the history books for the coming generations (the books our kids and grandkids will learn from). We’ve learned about “the greatest generation,” soldiers in the Civil War, and our founding fathers. The legacy of those generations was a strong influence on my upbringing, and I imagine it was a strong influence on yours as well.
This generation will have a legacy, and you do have some say about how that is written. Great things start small. In the “small” stage it’s best to determine the merits of the cause, the course ahead, and the end-state.
Values don’t expire, so I don’t think this organization has an end-state.
The course ahead involves political activity. The politically active groups for the past 60+ years have been left-ward leaning. If we’re not active, ‘they’ will be. Cap and trade had 300 pages added at the last minute. Those 300 pages included $1,000,000,000,000 worth of “bribes” from the negotiations that went on behind the scenes to get signatures. (no one’s been asking yet who’s going to pay for this added cost). They also included carefully worded phrases that will make the bill difficult (if not impossible) to fight in court.
We’ve been in the small stage for months now. I think these principles and values are worth having. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here.
Now is a good time to decide how you want your generation to be remembered. Treat this like the next American Revolution. I’m not asking you to leave your family or take up arms against your countrymen, but go out boldly and articulate yourself. Visit a neighbor. Talk about the issues. Tell them what we’re doing.
I know politics is an “unpopular” subject–Where did you hear that from? Have you noticed that the bills going through congress are thousands of pages long? One reason for it is that it keeps the public from being informed. They don’t want us to know what they’re doing in OUR government. Then, when you ask them to explain their vote they start by saying, “well, it’s complicated…” Have you ever bothered to ask WHY it’s so complicated? Have you ever bothered to wonder why a bill needs thousands of pages? Why do YOU need to be regulated by thousands of pages? You live according to principles. Someone doesn’t tell you how to help your neighbor; you go to your neighbor and ask if you can help. The people in power (not all of them, but most) think they’re better than you. They think they’re of the elite class that knows more. They think you’re stupid. They make it hard for you to learn about your government by making it complicated, then they tell you “you’re not smart enough to understand.”
Well, why did it need to be complicated? What isn’t complicated about our government is down-played. How many of the “elitist mentality” pass out pocket constitutions? The constitution isn’t hard to understand, and the Declaration of Independence says that my rights come from God, not from the Government. That’s a real easy concept. They are intentionally down-playing the simplicity of our system, complicating it, so they can come back and tell you a lie to make you “feel” like they’re taking care of you. “Oh, you wouldn’t understand….”
If we let this persist our nation will be lost. Maybe we should tell people that if they insist on telling others that it’s unpopular to talk about your government, that they’re a part of the problem. David McCullough wrote in his book on John Adams how the taverns of the day were full of people discussing their government. Look what happened! When you had an informed public (nearly ¼ of them had Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”) you created the greatest republic on the earth. By NOT talking about this we draw further and further away from being educated enough to DO something, and now is the time for doing.
I’m not going down without fighting, and I hope you wont either. Commit to promoting what we’re doing. Invite your friends to this facebook group. Talk about what you believe in! Why should you be shy about it? The atheists have it so they’re beliefs are taught in our schools. Why are your beliefs of less value then theirs? Free speech isn’t our first amendment for progressives. It’s for everyone. Commit this week to doing more than you did last week.
I’d like my generation to be remembered as the “New Patriot Generation,” but it isn’t going to happen unless YOU do something. Re-think the system that tells you that you’re not good enough, or your too small, or you’ll never make a difference. Who told you those things? Our constitution begins with “We the people…” and that means that “We the people” are the solution. Isn’t it time we stepped up and reminded them?
Demand 9/12 Candidates! Do you deserve less? Do your neighbors? Unless you tell them to stand with you, they wont know where to stand. This week, get your neighbors involved—even the ones online.
Jacob Roecker
Citizen, Patriot, Veteran
http://912candidates.org
