Mission

To provide in one place many of the tools needed by patriots in Wisconsin to participate meaningfully in the political process.

True patriots believe in the values and promises expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Defending those values and promises requires patriots to participate in the political process by studying public policy issues, paying attention to how their elected officials vote, and participating in primary and general elections by supporting the right candidates or running for office themselves.

None of this is easy to do. It all takes time, research, and sometimes money to be an effective patriot. The Wisconsin Patriots Toolbox is designed to make all of this easier. Indeed, except for the investment of your time, this website makes being an effective patriot free. The resources you will find on this website can help you save time, find allies, vote for the right candidates, and avoid mistakes.

Programs

The Wisconsin Patriots Toolbox is almost entirely a web-based project. We do not host events, issue our own calls to action, raise money for or donate money to candidates or causes. Instead, we feature other people’s events, calls to actions, and other projects and campaigns so you can choose the activities you wish to support. Most of our efforts fall into seven categories or programs:

Most of our efforts fall into seven categories or programs:

Website Hosting

Many patriotic groups in Wisconsin operate just fine without websites, but they may be missing out on some advantages, such as online promotion and being able to archive publications, videos, and useful links. Since it is much easier to have a “page” on an existing website than it is to launch a free-standing website, we offered create pages on the Wisconsin Patriots Toolbox for any patriotic group that asked for one. To date, we’ve created four:

Wisconsin Conservative Coalition

The Wisconsin Conservative Coalition (WCC) is a nonprofit organization registered with the IRS under Section 501(c)(4). Its leadership consists of individuals nominated by its member organizations which currently are Fox Valley Initiative, Northeast Wisconsin (NEW) Patriots, and Wolf River Area Patriots. WCC hosts its own legislator town halls and produces scorecards for legislators in northeastern Wisconsin.

Fox Valley Initiative

Fox Valley Initiative is a group of conservatives in the Appleton Fox Valley area interested in local, state, and federal issues that impact our lives. We are a Political Action Committee promoting conservative values in the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin. We meet on the first Monday of each month at Freedom Project Academy, 750 North Hickory Farm Lane, Appleton, Wisconsin.

Northeast Wisconsin (N.E.W.) Patriots

N.E.W. Patriots is a group of patriotic citizens in Northeast Wisconsin committed to promoting the conservative values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We normally meet on the third Tuesday of the month at the Lawrence Town Hall, 2400 Shady Court, De Pere. Meetings are free and open to the public. 

Wolf River Area Patriots

We, the Wolf River Area Patriots, declare FREEDOM IS OUR RIGHT as stated in the Constitution of the United States. We will hold our government officials at all levels responsible for our continued freedoms. We usually meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Center Room of the Washington Center, 500 West Washington Street (corner of Washington and Dickinson Street) in New London, Wisconsin. 

Leadership

Wisconsin Patriots Toolbox was created in March 2022 as a retirement project by Joe and Diane Bast. Joe does most of the writing, Diane does most of the website design.

Joe was born and raised in Kimberly, Diane in Combined Locks. They got married in 1981 and moved to Chicago, where Joe was slow walking through the University of Chicago, and then for 34 years they worked together to build and then lead the Chicago-based Heartland Institute, a nonprofit libertarian-conservative think tank. Their bios can still be seen and read on The Heartland Institute’s website. 

When Joe and Diane retired together in 2018, they sold their condo in suburban Chicago and returned to the Fox Valley. (In truth, they had never left, but that’s a story for another time.) They now live in Appleton. 

In 2022, Joe and Diane decided to get involved “a little bit” in local politics, so they could cast informed votes in elections for school board, local assembly, and so on. They discovered scores of conservative and libertarian groups exist in Wisconsin — indeed, probably more than in most other states — but they were difficult to find, didn’t often promote each other’s events or calls to action, and didn’t do much to inform and educate activists who were looking to learn and not just act on someone else’s command.

So… Joe and Diane created a list of things they thought the movement needed, which became the list of “programs” presented above, and then built this website and populated it with their own research.

Support

This is an entirely pro bono (free) volunteer effort and we expect it to stay that way. If you think you can help by providing content for the site, please let us know and we’ll put you to work. 

It is possible we will start paying for online advertising to attract attention to the site, in which case we may ask for financial help from supporters. Since Google and Facebook actively censor conservative and libertarian voices, the only way to escape their blackout may be to advertise. 

Please note that Wisconsin Patriots Toolbox is not an organization, or a tax-exempt charity, or a project of any other organization. It’s just the two of us still trying to make a difference in the world.

Contact

Questions or suggestions? Please contact us by email at [email protected] or send a letter to:

Wisconsin Patriots Toolbox
P.O. Box 2594
Appleton, WI 54912-2594

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