The Texas Rangers are the second oldest state law enforcement agency in the United States.  They initially functioned as a paramilitary force during the time that the Republic of Texas was an independent country.  Today the Rangers function as the Texas State Bureau of Investigation.  Over time, they have investigated and captured criminals spanning from murderers (John Wesley Hardin), to bank robbers (Bonnie & Clyde), to  corrupt politicians.   As part of their long and colorful history, the Rangers have developed quite a reputation.  That reputation was earned by the Rangers time after time taking on some of the most evil people in society with a relatively small number of men. As an example, there were only 144 Rangers in 2009.

One enduring story about the Rangers from 1896  includes  the original occurrence of the well-known saying: “One Riot, One Ranger”.   In response to the illegal fight that was scheduled to break out in Dallas, the Rangers sent one man, Captain Bill McDonald to prevent the riot.  Although many in the public were concerned that the Rangers only sent one man to address the fight, Captain McDonald was accustomed to being outnumbered.   To jump to the end of the story, of course McDonald was successful in achieving his mission and preventing the fight.  However it is Captain McDonald’s response to the Mayor of Dallas that echoes through Ranger history.  When the Mayor questioned McDonald regarding why he didn’t have more Rangers with him, the Captain replied (paraphrased), “One Riot, One Ranger”.

Sometimes, the right person in the right place at the right time makes all the difference.  Today America’s Patriots face a similar challenge in being outnumbered by those who are plotting to do evil in our society.   Most conservative Tea Party activists are volunteers who are not paid for their political efforts.  However the Democratic activists who are bent on limiting personal liberties, increasing the intrusiveness of government regulations and redistributing wealth are largely paid for their efforts.  Many activists on the Left are paid as part of their regular jobs either through unions (like SEIU) or activist groups like ACORN or those funded by the Open Society Institute (George Soros).  However in our counterattack  to reinstall fiscal responsibility, restrict government activities to those provided in the Constitution, or return to free market solutions, a small number of people make the difference in swinging the outcome from the extreme Left towards more traditional values.

Only 2 percent of the voting public does anything beyond simply voting in each election cycle.  So only 2 percent of the voters are the real political activists – do the block walking, attend town halls or rallies, make phone calls for candidates or even make any attempt to influence their fellow voters.  We have been conditioned to believe that elections are determined by 51 percent of the vote.  However most elections are decided well before election day.  It is the actions of the active 2 percent that actually decide elections.  They are the influencers  whose actions change the hearts and minds of the voting public.

It only takes one person to identify voter fraud in their  precinct.   It only takes one person to organize a group of block walkers to inform their neighbors about the real issues in an election.  And in some elections, it takes only a miniscule  number of votes to alter the outcome.   As examples, the 1974 Senate election in New Hampshire was decided by 2 votes, the 2008 Alaska House of Representatives District 7 election was decided by 1 vote, and infamously the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota was decided by 312 votes (with comedian Al Franken’s win including mysterious votes that “appeared” in someone’s car trunk with all those votes in Franken’s favor).

Each of those elections could have been changed by the efforts of one additional volunteer going door to door, making Get Out The Vote calls, or even personally contacting their friends to make sure they understood the position of the respective candidates.   On a larger scale, imagine the impact of several volunteers working together to research the candidates and issues in a race, writing a newsletter or position paper on the election, and then distributing that information to likely “aligned” voters throughout their precinct.

Never have any doubt.  You make a difference.  You are the Left’s worst nightmare.  The Democrats are depending upon the grass-roots conservatives  dropping out of the political scene and returning to their day-to-day lives.   However in the meantime, the Left isn’t going to stop their incremental march to control your life with regulations,  to take your assets so they can give them to those who they feel better deserve them, and to decide how, where and when you can receive your healthcare.   The Left is still planning their overthrow.   Surprise them!  Break up their riot.   Sometimes it only takes one good conservative to put a kink in their plans.   It all depends upon you.   As Captain Bill McDonald said 115 years ago, “One Riot, One Ranger.”