Arm yourselves, but not with guns, knives, or other weapons.

IMHO one of the major weapons on the side of protestors and those challenging the PTB is information. The most powerful form of information can be in pictures. Don't just take one camera or other recording device. They are cheap enough now to have at least one more. Upload any and everything that is captured immediately because what you have in your hand is of no value if it is taken from you.

I saw where the Oathkeepers were helping the protest. Be aware that you are on the same path with people who don't necessarily share your view of the future. When the time comes, they will leave you lying beside the road in a heartbeat. Be wary of them and do not trust them. In addition, I am sure you are aware that there are narcs reporting to the PTB from all angles. If someone approaches you with even a hint of a plan to use violence and destruction, leave them immediately. Don't get into any hypothetical discussions about what you would do if it was the very last option. Pass their pic around to others. This type of approach is a favorite one of the PTB.

Use Twitter! It isn't a frivolous little service. During the Green Revolution in Iran, it carried vital messages to the outside world. While that movement failed now, it exposed a lot about Iran. It was also another large tone in the base being built toward freedom. Bringing about change can be very frustrating. It never happens fast enough, and many never live to see the ultimate fruits of their sacrifices. They had the unshakeable faith that as they fell by the way for various reasons, someone was coming behind them to carry their message on. The advantage of Twitter is people can find out in real time what is happening. When you have to move fast for whatever reason, 140 characters can convey a great deal. Compose your columns and manifestos when there is more time.

Let people know where you are at constant intervals. The PTB know where you are, but it's vital that others on the inside and outside know your location. As it is, if you are arrested gawd knows where you will end up. People are being taken to jails that are on the outer edges if not the hinterlands. Get a message out about where you are by hook or crook.

Am I paranoid? You better believe it. One person's protestor can change to another person's terrorist in a nanosecond. That's why a constant flow of information has to be sent out, and those in other areas have to disseminate it. The PTB are doing their best to negatively spin the image of the protest. If the MSM is too controlled to broadcast it, maybe Al Jazeera will live stream it and send out reports. Richard Engel would do well to become an independent and cover the different world in his own backyard.

Picking up the fallen banners or taking them from those who cannot continue is the most important move we will ever make for future generations. While politicians natter about saving the kids from high deficits or terrorists, it is the ideas and ideals that are kept alive and built on that really matter. They form
the basis of how we approach our challenges and deal with issues. That is the prize that should never leave your soul.

During the upheaval in Iran, I followed someone on Twitter with the handle @PersianKiwi. It was riveting, and ultimately heartbreaking when the messages stopped. I can only imagine the fate that awaited. It was a show of unimaginable courage and defiance in the face of true evil. I believe that that action was a version of the impulses that the Founding Fathers expressed. They pledged their lives and all they had to found this nation.

In light of all they were ready to sacrifice, a protest is the least that can be done to keep their faith.

on my FB page. Thank you for the words of wisdom, Agg :hug: .

Edited to add that I made clear I was citing you.

If it helps one person, it was worth posting.

:kick:

My daughter gave me a copy of American Labor Songs of the Nineteenth Century by Philip S. Foner. The book begins by presenting political songs written in the mid 1700's. The enemies of the people were called "haughty knaves" back then, the same avaricious personality types as the PTB today.

Americans have a very long history of protesting; it is our birthright.

"wouldn't it be great to have a modern choral sing these songs?" I can't sing worth a spit, but maybe have someone who can sing them. It worked fantastically on Songs of the Civil Rights Movement (or whatever it was called). Very stirring songs.

published by the University of Illinois Press, 1975

ISBN 0-252-00187-7

There are a lot of great songs, but most would need to be "lyrically updated" for our times.

Many were written to be sung to the melodies of other popular and folk tunes.


Reading the lyrics makes one realize that this struggle is eternal and universal.

First, information is important, but HOW that information gets to people is MORE important. Twiter is a good service, but useless to get people who are NOT on Twiter (And the same with Facebook and other similar programs). You need to get information to people who DO not have access to Twiter, Facebooks etc. Web page is better, it is something you can have people go to to see your message WITHOUT having to be a Twiter or Facebook member. In many ways, SPAM may be better than Twiter and Facebook, for at least with SPAM, you get your message to people who otherwise will NOT be in contact with you.

As to Iran and Twiter (And Egypt with Facebook), used extensively by the people who had access to computers and to both programs, but little used by the key population in the revolution, the poor (Who in Eygpt are making less then a Dollar a day, Iran such poor are doing better, but most are more worried about how to pay for their next meal, not how to buy a computer). In Egypt the key was the Moslem Brotherhood, who used Facebook to get their message to their members, who then spread it to the poor (The poor have a high regard for the Moslem Brotherhood do to their social programs to help the poor, and thus the Moselm Brotherhood were viewed with trust by these elements of society).

In Iran, the opposition was lead by elements of the same religious leadership of the present Government. The dispute was less over the control of the Government by the Shia religious leadership, then over which part of that Shia Leadership should be running the Government. The urban collage age students supported the reform branch of the Shia Religious leadership, while the rural poor, the largest element in Iranian society, supported the present leadership. Again Twiter was used by the reform elements to get their supporters out, but the present leadership countered that by using its control of the Mosques to get their supporters out. In the final phase of the fight, the support of the rural poor gave the edge to the present ruling group.

Notice the key difference was how each side was able to get its message to the people as a whole. In both cases, Twiter and Facebook were effective to get the message to people who then used talking (and the Pulpit) to get that same message to the people as a whole.

Do NOT misread what happened in both, while Twiter and Facebook were important, neither provided the edge needed to get the people as whole onto the street to oppose the Government. In both cases the pulpit was the key, Twiter and Facebook permitted quicker access of the pulpit to critical events, and thus permitted the pulpits to its the people listening to it to hit the streets.

Now, in the US, the Pulpit is NOT as powerful as it is in the Middle East. We have huge segments of the population who do NOT listen to the pulpit. Thus other ways to get the message to the people must be used. Twiter and Facebook can be ways to get the message to such message senders, but the key is such message senders. Liberal Churches (Including Liberal Catholic Priests and Liberal Pastors of other denominations) can be part of sending such messages, but most churches are concern about their tax status and thus will NOT use their pulpits for political purposes (Through, members of such churches can be used to get the message out). The equivalent of the pulpits in Egypt and Iran are as follows (And I am referring to ways to get a message to the people NOT anything about religion in and by itself):

1. Union Halls, Unions tend to be economical liberal while Social Conservatives, but a good place to get any liberal message to union members, for most unions will send any message to their members EXCEPT anti-union messages.

2, Ecology groups, tend to be more for the Environment then for social agenda (will compromise for economic liberal good, but still get messages out except things they view as anti-environmental.

3. Democratic Party members, unlike GOP Members, more willing to get messages out to their fellow Democrats, except for things clearly pro-GOP.

4. NAACP and other liberal and progressive groups, will forward almost every message to its members except messages that are clearly against whatever reform they are for.

5. Liberal Baptist Churches. They are 1/2 as many Baptists in the US as there are Catholics, but twice as many Baptist churches. Most tend to be very tight community based churches. The African American Baptist Churches tend to be very progressive (Through White Baptist churches tend to be very Conservative). Very good place to send your message AND maybe get results.

6. Other progressive organizations and progressive members of otherwise conservative organisations. For Example, studies have constantly shown most Catholic Priests tend to be Progressive on Social and Economic issues, even while their Bishops are almost as equally Conservatives on those same issues. Send them a message so they can send it to people their know both in their organization and among the people as a whole.

The key is getting one's message to the people, Prior to about 1850 (and the invention of the pulp newspaper) this function, even in the US, was done by the Church for the simple reason the pulpit was the cheapest and quickest way to get such messages to the people. With Pulp newspapers starting about 1850, newspapers for the first time was able to compete with the pulpit and as people moved away from their churches (Mostly do to having to move to find work) newspapers took the place of the Pulpit when it came to news. By 1900, the pulpit, as far as the Europe and the USA was concerned, was no longer the way to get news to the people, newspaper and broadsheets were the way to get a message to the people as a whole. Pamphlets and broadsheets were more and more minor as the price of Newspapers dropped during the 20th Century (Through still used as late as the 1970s). The net put the final nail in the concept of Pamphlets, as while as driving Newspaper into the ground. The Net has replaced both, and it is the net where you MUST get your message on ALONG with getting the message to get the people as a whole to go to your web site.

The key is to get one's message to the people as a whole, Twiter and Facebooks can be used to get one's message to people who can then use it to get to the people as a whole (Via web sites and E-mails to other people). If you failed to get your message to the people as a whole, you have failed, thus getting your message to the people as a whole is more important then anything else. Twiter and Facebooks may be means to do so, but your MUST expand beyond them or your message will never be heard by the people as a whole, and it is getting your message to the people as a whole that is the key to any success.