How Can The People Fight Back?? Seems Like Protest Doesn't Work These Days.

Yup, "Peaceful protest will get us NO WHERE"!! says Champagne in this Thread. I agree with him, after seeing countless videos on the G20 summit protesters getting backed down by the police, and government authorities. Its starting to get scary. I think the Tea bagger, and G20 protest is the beginning of what is to come by the American people.

People are fed up, and are coming out to let their voices be heard, and presence be felt. So I ask, what can The People do to combat the repression of their constitutional rights of freedom of speech, and freedom of peaceful assembly? With all this technology and methods that the police have for crowd control, how can The People stand their ground?

It seems like once the crowd grows in numbers, the police instantly prepare for there "Push and Stick" methods on the protesters, and people seem to be very scared and intimidated, and obey.

I never be so worried about any point in time during my life, then I am now in 2009. I'm more worried then after the attacks on 9/11. I feel like some big things and changes are gonna happen. Things seem to be speeding up very fast. As fast as the information is relayed to people around the world via the internet, is just as fast the hate and anger would build towards government corruption, and people would soon act fast and REVOLT!

Back to the question folks, how can the people protest and actually be affective?

[edit on 27-9-2009 by king Pop!p]

reply to post by king Pop!p


A very minority is protesting, and I think instead of protesting these individuals can do better. And that is educating people.

reply to post by king Pop!p


The people can boycott, and it is very effective when you start cutting off pursestrings. These days though people want to complain and then not follow through with action that is tangible. What do you think would happen if for example:

Everyone who disagrees with the price of beef refuses to purchase any until the price is 1 dollar less per pound?

Same scenario but with gasoline? Milk? Beer???? It would work like the hotel industry does, by that I mean an empty room doesn't make a dime, if it is sold for 50% less than best rate, that is still better than no money made at all. At times that resets the best rate available, until people start to be willing to pay more, then the price goes back up again.

France should be everyone's inspiration. Their demonstrations are massive and disrupts entire cities at times. And fellow Frenchmen do not think they are stupid for trying to make a difference (like is often the case in America where you see people get annoyed at protesters). They make a real difference. The power is in the peoples hands in that country.

There is a reason Americans are taught to dislike the French you know.... they dont want you to realize what kind of power you would have if you would only unite and support eachother.



[edit on 27-9-2009 by Copernicus]

What would we boycott that would be effective in getting the government to listen and make changes we want you ask?

Don't pay your taxes. Opt out from your employer, go totally tax exempt. Imagine if everyone stopped funding the federal tax program for one year, and kept the money themselves instead, what an eye popping experience that would be! They would have to ask why this is happening, and they would have to respond or the people could legally continue to opt out another year. Now that's leverage!

This thread is spot on. The theme here and on many more threads, is that our 'Democracy' does not cater for anyone who wants to change the whole system.

And as soon as I have made enough post... I will start a thread that offers a solution.

Originally posted by king Pop!p
I think the Tea bagger,

The tea party protests did get the voices of conservatives heard. Though your probably asking "why america didnt turn". Its simple, the protests at the tea parties were mainly in dislike of the current president. America doesnt turn due to the ideological differences of a fraction. It doesnt turn with a touch of a computer key or on forums as many had themselves to believe. People forget that the United states of today, and those born and raised here are much more diverse and hold more differences in where this country should go as opposed to decade or so ago. Infact, certain folks got much too confortable with their dominance for decades in dictating the path of this nation that they came to believe it was their "right", not a right shared with others. The election of Obama gave a rude wake up call to those who believed they had "this right" to themselves.

So, your asking "why the people dont fight back". My reply, "which people?" Why do they disagree? Do they represent the consensus of the nation or of a block? Who wants to fight the current administration? Im sure there are those among the "people" who dont feel the need to "fight" as much as those who do.

As for the G20 protests, its nothing new. If anything, the Pittsburg protests were less comparable to the protests held in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany to name afew in the years prior.

SG

[edit on 27-9-2009 by Southern Guardian]

Anyone advocating anything other than a peaceful, nonviolent movement needs to go back to sleep because they are part of the problem with their overly violent and barbaric rhetoric that merely justifies any form of crackdown.

If you want to fight back, simply refuse whatever people are trying to force upon you, and be prepared to go to jail.

If enough people did this, the would-be enforcers would give up.

reply to post by Copernicus

Well said copernicus, as you stated we are also taught to despise the french..
Heaven help if the British people get together and rise against the TPTB
like the miners or NHS workers, Just look at are poor post office workers
they get a head of their work for a reason to finish early,
Then look at the french they got their act together.....

reply to post by foxhoundone


It is said that everybody gets the government they deserve, but that statement is based on the assumption that people have time and interest to notice what the government does. It was probably very different back in 1776.

Today we are hamsters running in the money wheel, constantly busy with work, friends, family, children, training etc. Its not surprising that people cant keep an eye on the government anymore.

Personally I dont agree with the "quiet demonstrations" philosophy. Its very wrong that we as people should feel threatened by our own government for speaking out about what we feel is wrong with our country. Thats just crazy. They should get kicked out just for thinking of shutting up critical voices. Its the foundation of any democracy that everybody can speak out and get noticed when doing so.



[edit on 27-9-2009 by Copernicus]

How do you mount a successful protest? Forget the protests. Hit the government where it hurts: the tax coffers.

Organize a national strike. If people stop working and the tax dollars stop flowing, the government WILL listen.

reply to post by TheOneElectric


I couldn't agree more. Violent and/or disruptive tactics by protesters will merely lead to their marginalization as crazies and kooks. Its a self-defeating tactic, not to mention one that can land you in prison.

Has protest ever worked? Seriously?

As some posters have mentioned, you have to hit them in the wallet to get them to care.

And one lone person holding out against the government will do nothing except get them tossed in jail.

A large group of people may get some results - if you count on the idea that there are a lot fence sitters out there waiting for someone else to get the ball rolling.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to $$$$, in particular your hard earned slave wages. They don't care how much noise the slaves make, as long as you keep playing their game - and by their rules too.

Most people will never boycott taxes because then they open themselves to fines, jail time, loss of jobs and benefits, etc. Boycotting taxes completely would hurt both parties, and people just are not down for screwing the government at the cost of their own living conditions and circumstances.

Going cash-only or barter-only would be about 10x more effective and much less painful for the average citizen. Trading or dealing directly with private individuals cuts out the tax monster completely, especially if you do what most sensible people do and not declare funds gained via side work. A little networking can go a long way to building the connections necessary to move more towards barter.

That said there are only two real ways to influence a government these days, especially one such as the US Federal Government: money or violence. They don't want to die and they love filling their pockets with fists full of our cash, so we can either lean on them via the threat of physical violence or we can ply them with cash (or conversely starve them of their green lifeblood). Look no further than the evening news to see the proof, which gets more headlines: a bunch of kids and old folks standing around chanting and waving signs or a roving mass of destruction causing havoc across a city?

reply to post by Helig


You are most likely right about boycotting our taxes, but a girl can dream....

reply to post by king Pop!p


There IS a way of protesting successfully, trouble is , is that you need a majority or at the very least a HUGE number of people who feel the sme way as you.
And that HUGE number need to be sure of their actions and need to ensure that those actions are carried out no matter what the outcome.
For example

you have a small number of people like in Philly, who go agansit a smaller but more technologically advanced group in this case Police with sound weapons.
Now if you had a much larger group of protesters who wanted to effect REAL change they should have stood they're ground. no matter what the personal costs. There's no way a small number or police with sound weapon could move 2-3 thousand protesters standing their ground. if they had tried to drive over the protesters then that makes it an act of treason from the Government by ordering police or troops to damage peaceful protesters, the fallout would have been catastrophic for the Goverment and the police in general.
Now if you had a few HUNDRED THOUSAND marching to town halls then it makes more of a statement that throwing a few bottles. A MILLION march to the whitehouse is fine, providing it IS a million not a few thousand.
GEt as many people who feel the same as you, wake up as many as you can THEN march . theres no way a sizable police or troop force can stand against the massed peoples who are annoyed at the Governments lack of action or treasonous actions.
And if they had a crowd willing to die or be hurt for their beliefs then should the Government attack peaceful protesters than that makes them the bad guys and that way you get more people signing up for the cause before youve even started properly.

I scroll through these posts and I do not see a single mention of armed violence.

I won't say anything incriminating...but...Could someone remind us all how the first Revolution was won?

Was it because of the boycotts? Or was it because of the Minutemen, the Militia fighting (note that's a step up from protesting, since that's what the thread was asking) whenever the Brits came around, pushing an agenda?

We should do the same, I know I fully plan to.

i have not seen any protests. I have seen some little protests, i guess...but nothing that would induce any change.

People show up for one day, raise a stink (often drinking beer while doing it, judging by some videos i have seen over the years), and then leave at the end of the day. The tea parties are a good example. You call that a protest? The man in Tiananmen Square would be offended at such a thought.

We are not yet willing to die for it. I hope it doesn't get to that. It has to be worth giving up your job over, and protesting for a week straight. It has to be worth missing American Idol, or missing the neighbors BBQ.

For the meantime, just go back in and watch the big screen tv with high definition cable, America. Nothing to see here.

[edit on 5-10-2009 by bigfatfurrytexan]

mmm... I'm sure I saw something that rang a bell in another post.

It was someting about 'A heartbroken father shows us how to protest' I think it was father of Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley, murdered for MONEY.