Organize for Freedom

. ORGANIZE!!

.Educate, Agitate, Organize for Freedom in our lifetime..........

Actions Rallies Picketing Street Theater Tools Flyers Media Petitions Organizing Goals Meetings Activities Ownership Leadership	*Classic Organizing Techniques* The primary goal of ALL action is to "organize". Yeah, we know, "organizing Libertarians is like herding cats". The Liberty Activists believe that we freedom lovers simply must overcome our natural distaste for "group action" and understand that in order to succeed in bringing about a free society, individuals must learn to work together. To paraphrase the old saying "we must work together or we'll all hang separately". If you have properly structured your action, you have "educated" people about what is going on, "agitated" them to do something about it. Now, it's up to you to "organize". Otherwise, you have basically wasted your time and efforts....even if you have a "victory", without an organization to sustain it, it will be shortlived. NOTE: The *Liberty Activists* take no responsibility for the success or failure of any particular tactic or advice contained in these pages.These organizing tips and strategies are based on classic organizing procedure, not confined to any particular issue or locale. The same tactics have been used (mostly by the left) for many years. As with any strategies, if used properly, you may expect great success. If used improperly, you may harm more than help the situation. The LOCAL ISSUES page refers to issues useful to freedom lovers.

Actions
Rallies
Picketing
Street Theater

Organizing Goals
Meetings
Activities
Ownership
Leadership

Classic Organizing Techniques The primary goal of ALL action is to "organize".

Yeah, we know, "organizing Libertarians is like herding cats". The Liberty Activists believe that we freedom lovers simply must overcome our natural distaste for "group action" and understand that in order to succeed in bringing about a free society, individuals must learn to work together. To paraphrase the old saying "we must work together or we'll all hang separately".

If you have properly structured your action, you have "educated" people about what is going on, "agitated" them to do something about it. Now, it's up to you to "organize". Otherwise, you have basically wasted your time and efforts....even if you have a "victory", without an organization to sustain it, it will be shortlived.

NOTE: The Liberty Activists take no responsibility for the success or failure of any particular tactic or advice contained in these pages.These organizing tips and strategies are based on classic organizing procedure, not confined to any particular issue or locale. The same tactics have been used (mostly by the left) for many years. As with any strategies, if used properly, you may expect great success. If used improperly, you may harm more than help the situation. The LOCAL ISSUES page refers to issues useful to freedom lovers.

Educate: let people know what is going on (what the gov't is doing or planning to do), using flyers as described in the ACTION page, picking local issues as described in the ISSUES page.

Be absolutely scrupulous about facts. (what the gov't did) (Example: On August 23, City Council passed 2nd reading of an ordinance that, if enacted, will ...)
Quote the law or proposed law, document it, and then translate it: (Example: "Section 9-1-50: blah blah governmentese"; which means "blah blah plain English".) Don't exaggerate.
Tell people what the result of the ordinance is, but don't exaggerate unduly. It's a fine line. You want to sound knowledgeable, not hysterical. You want people to depend on you to let them know what's "really going on". The gov't is going to say you are a "hysterical extremist" anyhow; don't give them ammunition.
If you are going to say "the gov't lied" (which is a very powerful weapon, document exactly how they lied. (Example: Council said at the June 12 meeting that the state is forcing them to pass zoning ..but State Law XYZ only says "Counties may pass zoning".)

Quote the government officials exactly, and document it. (Example: Coucilman Fascist Dog called the residents of Hogwallow Gap "trailer trash" [Hogwallow Gap Times, June 11,1997])

Agitate: let people know why the gov't proposal is "bad", takes away their freedom, etc. using methods described in the ACTION page to "stir people up", culminating, perhaps, in a protest or rally. Let people know WHAT they can do about the proposed injustice.

Let people know exactly what you want them to do. Don't tell people to "call their councilman". (The minute the gov't senses opposition, they'll be out beating the bushes trying to "talk to" the ringleaders and calm them down...don't you be a part of "delivering" the opposition to the gov't!)
A favorite gov't ploy is to "require" people to call in advance to "register" to speak at the public meeting. Hogwash. Do not fall into the trap.

Organize...at the gov't meeting itself, enter as a group, leave as a group, carry signs, wear buttons etc, as explained in the ACTION page. If you've been successful, it will be perfectly obvious to any observer (including the gov't) that the group is following your lead.

Stay with your group.
The gov't will try to pull you aside and "talk" to you, to "separate you" from your group.
(If it doesn't work with you, they'll try to "separate" others in your group. TELL your supporters this, in fact, TELL them in the rally before the meeting, and, tell them again AFTER the meeting.)
See AFTER EFFECTS on the ACTION page for more details)

GOAL ONE MEETING

GOAL TWO ACTIVITIES

GOAL THREE OWNERSHIP

GOAL FOUR LEADERS

FIRST GOAL: Get your supporters together again, in your "ballpark" , to begin forming an organized group.

HAVE A MEETING: If you have been able to plan well enough in advance of your first action to have located a meeting place, have a flyer ready the night of the first action and GIVE IT to people as they leave, thanking them for their participation and telling them there'll be a meeting to discuss what to do next at (a public place, not a gov't building; Tech Schools, VFW, restaurant with a back room, if nowhere else in your own back yard) on (a day not more than 1 week away) at (7 PM is usually best meeting time). If you can't get the flyer out the night of the action, have it out within the next few days. GOAL: Have a meeting within 10 days.

GET PEOPLE'S NAMES: At the least, try to get people's names who came to the rally. And contact them the day after the rally (try to beat the gov't, who will also be calling them) to tell them how great they did coming to the rally, and, invite them to your meeting.

For people to feel a part of a group, they need to at least be invited to participate in "strategy" sessions. Most will not come. But they will have been asked.

FIND THE SPIES: If you have been successful at all, the gov't will place one or more "spies" in your group. You must figure out who they are, and, be sure not to give them any sensitive information or important tasks. You can, however, make good use of them be using them to "feed" info to the gov't (that YOU want the gov't to have.)

GOALS

SECOND GOAL: Give your group something to do.

In order for people to feel they are part of the group, they have to be given "something to do"

Petitions: probably the easiest to arrange and best "group activity".

The most effective petition (for organizing purposes) is a single sheet, with no more than 15 blanks for signers on one side, a brief "fact sheet" on half the other side, and a mailer on the other. These can be distributed just like flyers, folks can collect signatures & mail them back to you. (See PETITIONS page).
The value of petitions is three fold: it gets you names of supporters, it gives your group something useful to do, and if enough are collected, they make an impressive "end" to your presentation to the gov't at the final meeting (when they take their final vote).

Handing out Flyers: Folks usually like to distribute your flyers throughout their neighborhood, or, on a predetermined "route" (that you have checked out first). Make sure they have plenty of copies, and, be sure to call them back within 2 days to see how they're doing (see if they need more, encourage them, find out what people said to them, etc.)

Phone Calls: Give phone lists only to trusted members of your group. And, never do "phone trees". All that has to happen is one person doesn't make their calls & the whole tree collapses. Give people 10 names max to call.

Fact Finding: Research projects (such as finding out what land and real estate interests the members of the gov't own); checking the legal notices in the newspaper, copying the minutes of council meetings, checking the newspaper archives to document "quotes"... all can be done by members of your group. (Don't be surprised though if no one volunteers to do these tasks. Be prepared to do them yourself.)

Brochure Design: The most effective "organizing" brochures and Action Alerts are not "slick" or expensive looking. In fact, those are 2 things you want to strenuously avoid. If you have any budding "pamphleteers" in your group, make sure they read the FLYERS page.

GOALS

THIRD GOAL: Give your supporters an "ownership interest" in the group

Ask for money (to print more flyers, petitions, etc).

Pass the hat. (After you've done a rally or two and established your group, you can even pass the hat in the parking lot after the gov't meeting. This drives the gov't nuts.)
When people give money to a "cause", even if it's only a dollar, they are more likely to stick with and feel part of the group. This is called an "ownership interest", in organizing terminology.
You can also ask for donations when you put out your flyers in stores, doorknock, etc...at present, only actual campaigns for electing individual to office are governed by so called "ethics laws" with reporting requirements; political education on issues are not included in "reporting requirements" (You may want to check your own state law, however, since there have been several laws introduced in several states which would expand reporting requirements to "issues" as well as candidates.) GOALS

FOURTH GOAL: Identify and develop "leaders" in your group

Organizing is not a "one man band". Your goal is not just to "build yourself up", but to find others and build them up too...as members of YOUR group.

This is, unfortunately, the downfall of many potentially successful organizing activities...the "leader" begin to feel that "he" is the group. Your group will figure this out before you do...and act predictably... drop out of the group. As long as you tell your group what you're doing, and why, and ask for input, your group will follow you. The most interesting part of group dynamics is how quickly a group can "desert" a leader they perceive as no longer being "one of them." (WARNING: never meet with the gov't officials one on one, always take at least one (preferably two or three) "lieutenants", and always IMMEDIATELY report what happened to your group... put out a flyer if you have to.)

Look for the following qualities (in this order):

dependability,
willingness to follow "orders" (those who can't follow orders can't give them either),
willingness to do any task assigned, no matter how "demeaning" or "dirty" (noone will follow a leader who won't get his hands dirty);
ability to keep cool under pressure
ability to not get a "big head"
ability to express himself simply, understandably, and concisely
ability to "think on his feet"
ability to plan, strategize, and act
desire to help others develop as leaders
lack of desire to "hog the limelight"

Obviously, most people won't have all these qualities, at least to begin with. Part of your "job", as a leader, is to help people develop the qualities they lack. Take your time; develop your leaders one step at a time, you'll be glad you did.

GOALS

COMING SOON: ORGANIZING 102 (Including: What can go wrong & what to do when it does)