Hoosier Activism

Becoming an angry citizen is a start, and inspiring an angry mob is a next step, but it takes more than awareness and numbers to become a movement.  Countless groups have risen up, only to be crushed by the superior designs or brute force of their opponents.  Countless groups have gathered, only to become stuck, descending into infighting and irrelevance.  Transcending the pitfalls and becoming a successful movement (rather than a "stuckment") is both a science and an art, one which is frequently propelled to success by chance and timing.

To defeat the enemy, one must first define him, then one must defy him, and finally one must destroy him.  While the federal government is the largest and most omnipresent threat, it's merely an institution which is controlled and manipulated by the enemy. One difference between a cat and a dog is that when you throw a stick in its direction, a cat will look at the stick, while the dog will look at you.  We must be more like the dog, looking past the effects, seeing through the symptoms, and finding the root causes.

This process can be intellectually exhausting, as each layer appears to conceal yet another layer beneath it - like a Russian doll.  Focus on the brick and mortar institutions which exist within and operate within Indiana for now.  These are merely tentacles of a much larger squid enveloping the entire world, but an exploration beyond this level threatens to spiral into a thesis more befitting a Dan Brown novel than this brief introduction to Hoosier sovereignty.

The academic, media, and financial institutions are the cornerstone institutions which serve as bases of power - power over our overclass, our underclass, and our political class.  Through our academic institutions, they control public thought, dictating the dichotomies and paradigms within which our people are to think.  Their admissions processes explicitly limit the number of traditional Americans which are allowed to participate, subject those who enter to years of indoctrination, then appoint the most gifted and the most compliant to occupy their tenured sinecures.

The media institutions perform essentially the same function, only toward a more general audience and with a more specific political impact.  Rather than relying on government largess, tuition, and secretive sponsors, the media relies on advertisers, subscribers, and secretive sponsors.  Rather than manipulating the thinking class, the media outlets spoon-feed the middle class.  Through this choke point, they can exert a tremendous influence on which issues receive attention and which issues disappear down the memory hole, which politicians are elected and which politicians are disgraced (or ignored).

The financial institutions are perhaps the most difficult to understand and the most influential.  Basically, our monetary system is founded on a process of institutionalized embezzlement.  Our stock markets are merely a storefront for a vast underworld of "derivatives" which we cannot regulate or participate in.  We can only suffer the seismic effects of the trillions of dollars in wealth which have been siphoned from the legitimate economy.  Our role as Hoosiers is to be squeezed between an inflating currency, an increasing tax burden, and dwindling options.

Sometimes, we have an opportunity to catch a rare glimpse into the underground economy, as was the case with Bernie Madoff when his Ponzi scheme unraveled in broad daylight.  Not only did it become apparent that the most powerful and influential men of Wall Street are irredeemable crooks, it became apparent that the beneficiaries of this zeitgeist are a swarm of tax exempt ethnic lobbying organizations and leftist political groups which are themselves machines behind what are perceived to be legitimate political organizations (of both the left and the right).

Taking on these wealthy and powerful institutions seems impossible.  They have salaried activists while we have amateur volunteers.  They have national media campaigns while we have self-printed flyers.  They hire lobbyists to wine and dine representatives while we can only write a letter or make a phone call.

The odds are stacked against us.  If we play by their rules and use their methods then we’ll continue to fail.  But we do have some advantages and there are some proven rules for effective cultural activism that we can follow to capitalize on those advantages.

Our first advantage is that we’re right.  The vision we’re attempting to sell isn’t as glossy, but it’s compatible with what people see in their daily lives.  People see that the Affirmative Action hire isn’t as good at his job as Joe used to be.  People see the faces on the crime stories in the local news.  People see that the immigrants are taking their jobs.

People see the double standards.  They see that they’re discouraged from acknowledging their heritage while others are encouraged to wear theirs on their sleeve.  People see that the representatives say one thing while campaigning then do another thing in office.

People see many of the dots, but are discouraged from connecting the dots by pervasive brainwashing and intimidation campaigns.   But intimidation campaigns don’t always stop people from connecting the dots; they just silence those who do.

Our message is also innately more appealing to people.  Americans generally prefer liberty over government control.  They generally prefer national sovereignty over globalism.  They generally prefer traditional American communities and schools over the hostile and chaotic multicultural bazaar.

To reach people with our message and start achieving victories at the local level to build on, we have to become “community organizers”.  We have to combine proven techniques and new ideas with real social activism.  “Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.”

Gordon Baum, the CEO of the Council of Conservative Citizens, has summarized an effective general strategy in his list of “Five Rules for Effective Cultural Activism”.  These rules are practical and proven guidelines for bypassing the media filter, championing winnable issues, and forcing politicians to support us on those issues.

Rule 1: All politics are local.

While our opponents work down from the top, we must work up from the bottom.  We have to begin at the kitchen table, working our way through the neighborhood and up to the community.  We can have the biggest effect by aggressively campaigning at the local and state level on issues that actually effect people in their daily lives.

We have to market ourselves as what we are – the only folks who are actually working to protect our jobs, our schools, and our neighborhoods.  The best way to do this is to actually be working to protect those things at the local level.

Principles and national politics are important, but what people actually care about in their daily lives are the issues that directly impact them.  These are often the issues that we can directly impact.  Frequently, these are local issues, issues too “small” for our opponents to be bothered with.

The benefits of beginning with the community are greater than merely increasing our opportunity for success.  We also differentiate ourselves from other groups that preach a lot of big ideas and sip a lot of coffee but don’t actually hit the pavement and make a stand.  When Hoosiers are ready to fight for national change, they’ll trust the folks who’ve been in their homes and at their city council meetings fighting for change – not armchair ideologues.

Rule 2: Let your politicians know you can help them or hurt them.

The path of least resistance for the typical politician is to parrot the “populist” script when on the trail, and then obey the lobbyists and party hacks when on the committee.  While it would be dandy if politicians held themselves accountable, that responsibility rests on us.

Politicians, especially at the local level, can be influenced by the voters – but only if the voters prove themselves organized, persistent, and prepared to hold them accountable.  When they work for us, we work for them.  When they work against us, we work against them.

A well-orchestrated local campaign to raise awareness of a politician selling out his constituents can have a great long-term effect.  The politician loses support, support that he can recapture by reprioritizing.  Other politicians take note.

Rule 3: Choose your issues carefully.

We have fewer resources than our opponents.  If we don’t choose our battles wisely, we’ll continue to be steamrolled.  We need to focus on the issues that folks talk about at the dinner table and care about in their daily lives.  By doing this, we establish ourselves as the organization fighting for them and mobilize them to join that fight.

The winnable issues are out there.  They’re frequently the ones that politicians attempt to pass without the public learning about them.   The media’s not going to alert the people to what the lobbyists and politicians are up to.  That’s our job.  Our job is to keep track of the issues and focus our finite time and resources on the winnable ones.

There’s the obvious benefit to winning a battle in the fight for traditional conservative values.  Winning also increases morale, attracts talented people, and attracts the support of people who want to invest in an organization with a proven record of success.  While we can’t win every issue, we can improve our odds of success by strategically focusing our resources.

Rule 4: You need to control the controlled media and bypass them completely whenever you can.

Most of the mainstream media operates through national and regional outlets.  At the community level, we can lead and direct the public debate in a way that’s far more difficult when we’re on the enemy’s turf (national politics).

But to lead and direct the public debate, we have to have the right tools, we have to know how to use those tools, and we have to use those tools in a consistent and coordinated way.  We have to have templates for flyers, know how to use radio, know how to use the local paper, and know how to use alternative media.

Issues-based campaigns are fought and won in a manner similar to how elections are fought and won.  The marketing has to reach as many people as possible from several media.  Yard signs need to be put up, websites offering full details on the issue have to be created, phone banks have to be staffed, and hands have to be shaken.

Rallies or protests may be appropriate.  These can often empower us to “make our own news” by attracting the attention of the local media.  While local newspapers and radio stations are often sympathetic, we can’t expect them to cover our press releases, protests, or letters to the editor.  Tape and photograph the event.  Don’t rely on the media to cover the event fairly, if it even covers it at all.

Rule 5: Get the best people you can to support you.

Successful movements are driven by a core of dedicated leaders.  These respected, self-disciplined, motivated, and intelligent individuals are the vanguard of political activism.  While it’s obviously important to prod and persuade the apolitical masses, these masses require natural leaders if they are to accomplish anything.

When you have the best people, the rest of the people are more inclined to associate themselves with your movement.  It’s simple human nature to be attracted to winners.  They also self-motivate, unlike the apolitical masses, which require regular reminding that they’re fighting an uphill battle to preserve their way of life.

Network with folks who are already politically active.  Even people who are apparently politically incompatible can often find common ground if they scratch beneath the surface.  A fervent Democrat might be so because he sees the Democratic Party as the party of the working man.  Many liberals are against the war, or at least they were until Obama became the designated warmonger.

It’s important to understand the difference between politics and principles.  Political activities are merely means to the end of supporting our principles.  Collaborate with parties and movements when they share a common goal, but only toward that goal.  None of the major political parties precisely aligns with our goals and we can’t afford to be taken for granted as a voting bloc.

Our mission is bigger than bigger than petty partisan politics.  It’s bigger than “liberals and conservatives”.  We are in this current system and will deal with it, but we’re not “of” this system.  The fate of our traditional American way of life may depend on the focus and courage of a handful of dedicated patriots.