FRiva Las Vegas, Event Preparation and Reception

FreeRepublic Network Board | 08/16/2002 | DoughtyOne

[The Shrew]

Chuck Muth from the American Conservative Union just finished the second session!

He was great!

Regards,

TS

[Luis Gonzalez]

Music/Lyrics: Doc Pomus - Mort Shuman

Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire
Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn,
So get those stakes up higher
There's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there
And they're all livin' devil may care
And I'm just the devil with love to spare
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas

How I wish that there were more
Than the twenty-four hours in the day
'Cause even if there were forty more
I wouldn't sleep a minute away
Oh, there's black jack and poker and the roulette wheel
A fortune won and lost on ev'ry deal
All you need's a strong heart and a nerve of steel
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas with you neon flashin'
And your one armbandits crashin'
All those hopes down the drain
Viva Las Vegas turnin' day into nighttime
Turnin' night into daytime
If you see it once
You'll never be the same again

I'm gonna keep on the run
I'm gonna have me some fun
If it costs me my very last dime
If I wind up broke up well
I'll always remember that I had a swingin' time
I'm gonna give it ev'rything I've got
Lady luck please let the dice stay hot
Let me shout a seven with ev'ry shot
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas,
Viva, Viva Las Vegas

[Luis Gonzalez]

Man!

I wish I was there!

FRIVA LAS VEGAS!!!!

FRIVA LAS VEGAS!!!!

[The Shrew]

Man!

I wish I was there!

FRIVA LAS VEGAS!!!!

We wish you were here too Luis! We listened to your show the other night! Check out the Radio FR thread and give us some bumps tonight!

Regards,

TS

[Luis Gonzalez]

"We listened to your show the other night!"

Did you?!?!?!?!?!?!

I had "Viva Las Vegas" cued up to play as a show closer, and to say hello to you all, but in the heat of the moment, I forgot to play it!

I'll BUMP the thread tonight.

[SC Swamp Fox]

Yeah, that's OPH. Last time I talked to him, he was still playing on the casino's money. He may be able to cover his own bail.

[SC Swamp Fox]

I would have loved to hear Laura speak, she is great!

But you can. Radio Free Republic will be webcasting her speech tonight.

[SC Swamp Fox]

The weather is here, I wish you were fine.

SCSF

[Catspaw]

Yeah, that's OPH. Last time I talked to him, he was still playing on the casino's money. He may be able to cover his own bail.

Good for him :-)) And he already knows the Miranda warning, so he's also ahead in that respect.

[Exit148]

What a day! My husband, (not an official Freeper) had planned to stay only for the first segment--"The Real Nature of Politics and Politicians", and then and go play fun and games in the Casino. Wellllll---that Politics/Politicians lecture was so good, he decided to listen to the next one, and ended up staying for the whole thing!!

The whole program moved right along. Matt Lewis, who spoke for the Leadership Institute, is a young guy in his 20's. I didn't really know what to expect from him, but after about 5 minutes, I forgot all about his age, and was caught up in everything he had to say. He fielded all questions with ease, and I came away not only smarter, but also impressed.

There was one section (networking) in which we were to have a two-way, two-minute conversation with a Freeper that we didn't know ------then give a brief one-breath description of that person. Fun!!! I learned so much about some of the Freepers in that segment that I wouldn't have otherwise.

A worthwhile day!

[Libertina]

BTTT Great job on the pictures D1! Thanks for posting them for everyone. :)

[Michael2001]

Thanks for posting. Hope y'all had a blast

[Michael2001]

Perfect response by Laura. How did Andrea Mitchell respond?

[Michael2001]

Oops typo! Screw=shrew Seriously, it was a typo, not anything Freudian.

You know I'd like to believe you, but the C and the H aren't that close on the keyboard :)

[Valin]

Sunday morning bump

[PGalt]

Thanks for the report & pictures.

[onedoug]

'Gee, Laura's pretty. She's almost as pretty as Miss McGilligutty.'

[American Preservative]

Since the conference ends today....maybe you can make FRelvis say, "Thank you. Thank you very much." : )

[Auntie Mame]

I've been thinking about posting an actual thread about my experience at the conference. I'm not sure I can do it justice.

Let me give my perceptions:

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!

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks Luis. I wish you were too.