Erin Has Been Busy Doing Important Stuff

Hi gang!

I realize I haven't posted here since last week, and so I just wanted to come up for air to tell you that yes, I'm okay. I've just been very busy with this whole Operation Blazing Sword thing and getting it turned into a 501c3 tax-deductible charity so that we can be proactive in doing good instead of just being a matchmaking service.

I have all sorts of dreams for what I accomplish with OBS:

1. Reaching out to ALL disenfranchised, like the disabled or the elderly;
2. Sponsoring firearms clinics where people are taught the basics of firearm operation or are helped to get their concealed carry permits;
3. Being able to refund the cost of ammo to OBS trainers (and those who elect not to petition for a refund could then hopefully write off the cost of that ammo on their taxes)
4. Being able to donate to gun-friendly and LGBTQ-friendly causes, like someone who has been arrested for having a spent brass casing in their car;
5. And of course being a highly public stick in the eye for everyone who assumes that gun owners hate gay people and that gay people hate gun owners. 

But right now, getting that dream in motion is proving quite consuming. In fact, I was feeling so stressed out about that (and other stuff) that I put Blue Collar Prepping on a one-week summer hiatus just so I could deal with things -- and that's why I haven't been posting here, either. 

I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted this week, but the reduced demand has been VERY good for me mental-health wise, and hopefully next week will be less stressful for me. 

So here are the next steps for Operation Blazing Sword:

1. Set up a mailbox at the local UPS Store. This is going to be a bit awkward, as it will take $115 that I don't currently have, and until we incorporate as a 501c3 we can't accept tax-deductible donations -- but we can't incorporate until we have a mailing address. 
2. Appoint a board of directors. So far it's me and our lawyer, and I'm told I need at least one more person. I think it would be hilarious to ask the International Lord of Hate Larry Correia to be on the board of a pro-gay group, but he might not want to for a variety of reasons. 
3. Decide upon a registered agent. For those who don't speak legalese:
   "For a variety of legal actions from lawsuits to tax liens, it’s important to be able to show a court proof that you provided your opponent with a copy of whatever you’re filing with the court, so the opponent has an opportunity to respond. This is called “service of process” and is similar to a game of tag. Because a corporation is not a human being you can “tag,” but merely a fictitious “corporate person,” it could be difficult to show a court that proof. Society gets around this by requiring corporations to formally designate someone who can always be “tagged” on their behalf. That person is the Agent for Service of Process, or Registered Agent." 
   
   I have two options here: the cheap one or the safe one. 
• Cheap Option: I'm my own Registered Agent. This costs me nothing. However, because OBS is going to become a legal entity, my real name and address will be on the document. You all know how much I value my privacy and that I don't want to involve my family in any crap that might be aimed at me but splash on them. 
• Safe Option: Hire someone to be my Registered Agent, which will cost about $275 for the first year and needs to be paid up-front. I'd like to go this route, but if I don't have $115 for a mailbox I definitely don't have twice as much for an RA. 
4. Once I get all this done, then and only then can I hand it off to lawyer to file for 501c3 status. 

So the good news is that I know what needs to happen next.  The bad news is that I don't know HOW to make it happen. 

Does anyone have any good ideas?