Hang On For A Rough Ride!

Posted by Larry Miller on August 11, 2009 under How | Be the First to Comment

On August 6 goons from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) reportedly beat up Kenneth Gladney as he passed out Gadsden flags outside a St. Louis townhall forum held by Democrat Rep. Russ Carnahan. Gladney was simply exercising his First Amendment free speech rights, yet some hooligans decided to put an end to it. SEIU president, Andy Stern commented, “We prefer to use the power of persuasion, but if that doesn’t work, we use the persuasion of power.”

Purple shirted union thugs at townhall meetings cannot enhance the free speech we are all supposedly guaranteed by the First Amendment. They cannot be permitted to succeed! They show up, not with the idea of promoting their position, but of stifling opposition to it… for if the opposition were permitted to spread the truth, their power grab would be seen for what it is and its’ progress would be aborted faster than an unborn child entering a Planned Parenthood center.

The choice, then, is ours. Do we back off because of threats, or do we persist in spreading the word of freedom? The Teamsters, SEUI and other assorted union muscle have been given the word to show up and shout down, drown out, or otherwise render ineffective the taxpaying citizens who are objecting to government takeover of our healthcare. It’s in line with the Obama principle of bringing a gun to a knife fight.

However, it also follows Saul Alinsky’s Rule Nine: The threat is more terrifying than the thing itself. This was amply illustrated by Senator Ben Cardin’s townhall meeting in Towson, MD where reports say there were about 50 paid union members on hand to support socialized health care. They were no match for the hundreds of protesters determined to be heard and their intimidation tactics didn’t make a dent in the crowds enthusiasm.

The old adage, “There is safety in numbers” was proven true once again. It shows that if we move forward together, speaking out, raising our voices when necessary, we can still get the job done.

The threats of union thugs melt away when confronted by significant numbers of concerned citizens. Benjamin Franklin was right when he said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” By showing up consistently when these opportunities present themselves, we are not only enhancing the the prospects of the successful defense of our country, but we are also protecting our friends and neighbors who are standing with us.

Does this mean that none of these mouth breathing knuckle draggers will never get out of line and actually try to harm someone? No, there are no guarantees. In fact, there is no guarantee that one or more of them will not try to appear to be one of us and do something foolish to discredit the protest… but then, there are no guarantees we won’t get run over by a truck when we go out on the highway… but we do it anyway.

There are a few things we can do to make us safer. Be calm, but firm. Keep you cell phone handy to call for help if needed, Carry a camera, preferably video, but a digital still camera will do also. Record anything that does not look right… or even looks like it may go off base. If the images were recorded on a phone, send them off as soon as possible to protect yourself and your record should police confiscate you phone or it get damaged. Chances are that nothing of this kind will come about, but it does not hurt to be prepared. It is this preparation that will make us effective.

YouTube, Facebook and a host of other venues allow us to bypass the main stream media to get word out that people need to hear. I had a friend who’s favorite saying was “failing to plan is planning to fail”. Think, plan ahead for whatever may happen and keep raising your voices. Remember what Samuel Adams told us over two hundred years ago, “It does not take a majority to prevail … but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men.”

For an insight into the community organizer mindset, a summary of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals is available at http://tinyurl.com/pppgmc.