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Tyrants have been overthrown before and they will be overthrown again. History has put the responsibility of abolishing today’s tyranny in America on US. We cannot delegate this responsibility to our "representatives" or our "leaders". They won’t do the job.
But WE can, and ultimately we will. We cannot wait for our Gandhi or our next Martin Luther King to emerge. We must begin our efforts now.
We have lobbied Congress. We have marched in Washington, D.C. and other cities. We have tried to elect better leaders. Yet, even the Democratic victory in ’06 changed nothing. So, what can we do? What can YOU do?
A 3-Part Plan
There are 3 elements to this plan:
- Focus attention on the horrible, indefensible acts and policies of the government.
- Reward and publicly praise people who act in favor of our Constitution and our unalienable rights.
- Punish and publicly castigate people who’s acts defy our Constitution, our unalienable rights and common decency.
This diary will center on step 1.
Very simply, we need to take every action we can think of to keep the indefensible actions of the government in the spotlight. We need to do this consistently, repeatedly, vividly.
The Danger of Distraction
Most importantly, we need to avoid and ignore distractions. There is a dangerous myth from Al Gore’s 2000 campaign. That myth says that we must respond to mud each time it is slung from the other side.
But the mud is a provocation, and when we respond to it, we play into the enemy’s hands. People forget that our government tortures people. People forget that our soldiers are coming home in flag-draped coffins. And that others are coming home missing limbs.
And then everyone talks about flag pins. And Michael J. Fox’s allegedly faking his illness. And Pete Stark’s intemperate language.
We must ridicule these things and keep the attention focused on George W. Bush’s crimes against the Constitution and against "we the people". We need to keep the focus on OUR RIGHT to abolish any government that becomes destructive of our unalienable rights — a right described in our Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration tells us that we create a government for the specific purpose of securing our unalienable rights, and that "whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it..."
Right Action, Undiluted
We have done many things right. We have spoken out, we have protested. There have been some efforts at boycotts and talk of a general strike. But distractions have diluted our efforts.
We need keep doing many of the same things. But we must make our messages clearer, more direct and more vivid.
[ Important Note: My examples use a tough, confrontational tone. This is not necessary; the important thing is to move the focus from the trivial distractions back to the huge, horrible crimes. ]
SOME EXAMPLES
Q: "Don’t you think that Obama’s decision to not wear a flag pin is unpatriotic?"
A: "Only an idiot would be talking about flag pins, when the government is kidnapping people, sending them to secret prison and torturing them."
Q: "Shouldn’t the Democrats demand an apology from Pete Stark for his venal comments about the President?"
A: "How stupid are you? Is anything more trivial than that? Don’t you know that our Constitution is being destroyed? That our government spies on us at will, while coving up its own crimes under the guise of executive privilege?"
Q: "Aren’t the Democrats politicizing the important issue of healthcare by using a 12 year old as a spokesman."
A: "Do you have any human feeling whatsoever? We have millions of uninsured children in this country. And Congress, which receives free gold-plated government provided healthcare, refuses to help our suffering children.
Words are great, but words AND pictures can really make a point. Anything this government wants hidden, we must show as frequently as possible.
Q: "Of course, we can’t just leave Iraq immediately."
A: "We can’t? How many more Americans need to come home in boxes before we can? Do you want them to come home alive? Or in coffins like this?"
Q: "The dKos website has vile cartoons on it."
A: "You’re concerned about cartoons? You don’t know the meaning of the word "vile." Look at this. This is a government that tortures people. Now, that’s vile."
So, let’s do what we’ve been doing: talking, writing, demonstrating. Let’s do it better, with a formidable focus. Let’s never waver. Let’s avoid distraction and keep turning the subject back to what’s wrong and what needs to be fixed. Let’s save our Constitution and our country.
Next diary: Part II - Reward positive actions and the people who perform them.