Our Purpose By Ryan Kelly If you have ever had the inclination to become a part of a grassroots organization, then you'll just stuck a vein of gold. I love the way the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines grassroots, Society at the local level as distinguished from the centers of political leadership, the very foundation, or source. Almost makes me want to stand up and place my hand over my heart. TEAM, in its start up stage, is certainly far from the center of political leadership, however it is most certainly the foundation and a source for the leadership. It’s our job to get the horse to water, theirs to get them to drink the water. The primary goal at TEAM is to increase informed liberals participation in political processes. People can be assured of one thing. This travesty of democracy that is taking place has performed the miraculous; it has united liberals. We are organizing to a degree that has never been seen previously. We will not stand for the ultra-right-wing, small-minded, anti-fact, anti-science, theocratic monarch where elections are irrelevant. Liberals give life and meaning to principles and institutions. For democracy to develop and endure, liberals need to exercise their rights and responsibilities. Without the active involvement of liberals in political life, government power can, and is, being abused and the basic rights and freedoms of democracy can go unrealized. Citizens need to want to exercise their rights, and they need the political space to do so without unreasonable resistance or harassment from authorities or others. Providing access to current issues, mobilizing voter registration, and petitioning for change are some approaches used by TEAM. However, even as democratic development proceeds and opportunities for citizen participation expand, liberals may still feel more and more disconnected because trends like globalization and economic restructuring can take decision making away from the hands of citizens. For these reasons, empowering citizens must mean more than encouraging participation or providing opportunities for participation. It also must mean helping liberals to work collectively, and to become leaders in their own right. People fail to participate in the political process for various reasons, with “not enough time” being the most commonly expressed reason. TEAM offers those with limited time a chance to become involved in the political process, projects that take as little as thirty minutes a week. We have harnessed the power of the Internet. So if you have a burning desire to change the world, to be able to say “I’ve done my part”, then please take a look at some of the suggested activities on the “What can I do?” web page. If you're ready to get started, Click Here The = Used before noun phrases to denote particular, specified persons. Equality = The state or quality of being equal. Alliance = A connection based on common interests. Mission = A body of persons sent to conduct negotiations or establish relations, and share knowledge. TEAM = A group organized to work together. TEAM has established some primary goals: To increase Voter Registration. To monitor and react to the conservative Christian Movement. To monitor and react to bias in News Reporting and Other Media. To Insure the Separation of Church and State. To Assist Other Groups and Individuals in Obtaining Equality. To Promote the Truth To Mobilize Individuals to Be Active Participants in The Protection of Rights.