Jennifer Klyse:
A site on Homeland Security that offers 'cookie cutter' tools to oppose the creation of a police state within the U.S.".
Interesting posters, but they're lost on most people. First off, most people won't read that much text. Those posters have far too much verbiage. Second, they're not targetted to the masses. They're more likely to hit a nerve with libertarians and Constitutionalists; it would be much more effective to target the mainstream. And, to pick on one specific poster: drop the Swastika. There's no faster way to turn people off to whatever you're saying than to introduce yourself with a Swastika. I don't care if it's in a circle-slash, it doesn't matter. To be honest, most of these posters are a little over the top. People write you off as kooky if you're too over the top.
There is a bigger picture here, though. You can't oppose a police state with a few posters. They've got a bigger propaganda machine. When Donald Rumsfeld calls a press conference, the news media trip over each other to provide live coverage. When some unknown pro-liberty group calls a press conference, the news media doesn't even bother to yawn much less show up.
The public isn't necessarily on your side, either. Sure, they like the idea of liberty. But liberty is a lot of work, and it is even scary sometimes. After all, if you're free to walk around unmolested then everybody else is too. Even the bad guys. At the end of the day, you're facing a massive FUD campaign from a very savvy operator.
I think "cookie cutter" tools to oppose the creation of a police state have to be ratcheted up to the next level.
- VOTE!
- Convince your locality to officially oppose bad laws like the PATRIOT Act. I'm sure there are people in Oakland, Flagstaff, Santa Cruz, Sebastopol, Berkeley, Denver and other cities who would be happy to discuss their tactics.
- Band together with a few thousand like minded individuals to lobby against bad laws like the PATRIOT Act.
- Run for office.
- Publicize your Homeland Security nightmares.
- If you don't have any personal Homeland Security nightmares, tell your neighbors about the ones you've heard.
- Fight FUD with FUD. Scare your neighbors into opposition to Homeland Security. It's for their own good.
- Passive resistance against a creeping threat like this is ineffective. Resistance must be active and vocal.
