Alinsky's Rules For Radicals And How They Can Work For Us

This was originally posted at patriotgreg on July 23, 2009. I repost it here, fixing some typos and formatting errors:

These are the “Rules for Radicals” developed by Saul Alinsky with the purpose of establishing strategies to fight against the democratically elected governments and the free market corporations. These rules are very effective. But, ironically, the same rules can be used today by conservative patriots to fight against a socialist/communist government that is creeping into America. See how you can identify and use these rules for our cause:

• Rule 1: Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have. The Tea Parties have given a hint to the government of who we are, and what we stand for. But we know we have something that they don’t, we have something that they don’t think or believe we have, and that is: resolve. We cannot afford to lose this battle because if we do, two or more generations after us will suffer dire consequences. We have no excuse to be idle and do nothing or do not enough. Can you imagine your children and your children’s children staring at you and pointing a finger at you saying “you could have done something about it and you didn’t”. Do we have what it takes to fight for us, for our children, for our country, for our Constitution? We must show and display that we are fighting a battle we cannot afford to lose, or everything is lost. Here lies our strength and our motivation. Does the government know the power we have? I am not sure it does, otherwise, it would either listen to what we have to say or take drastic measures to counterbalance our numbers and powers. On the other hand, do we know what power the government has? We have seen so far mainly executive and legislative power. But is it this all the government rely upon to balance our position or do they have powers that we are still unaware of? Where do the military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies stand? These and other questions must be answered if we are to have a real and convincing idea who and what we stand against.
• Rule 2: Never go outside the expertise of your people. Fortunately, ours is not a small organization or group. There are millions of Americans willing to engage in this battle for the return or our nation on the path laid out by our Forefathers. There is plenty of talent and expertise, plenty of knowledge and information. If we sum it all up, we have a superior advantage upon our adversaries. And because of all this, we can concentrate our efforts on many fronts at once with the advantage on our side. But we must make sure that talent, expertise and experience is properly and effectively motivated to join our ranks and become actively involved.
• Rule 3: Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Our adversaries may be experts in their fields. But they are not experts in all fields. That is where we must concentrate our efforts: identify and exploit their weaknesses. And there are plenty of them. After all, they are humans too, and they can also feel insecure, anxious, uncertain, disoriented, confused. When we manage to bring them out in the field and play by our rules, we take them away from where they feel comfortable and secure, and disrupt their wicked works. It will not be easy to engage the adversaries while they dwell in their comfortable and secure zone. And bringing them out will take ingenuity and smart tactics. But we have the means and talent to do it, and do it effectively.
• Rule 4: Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. The Constitution must and should always be the rule by which we demand our adversaries abide by. There is no room for interpretations and diversion from the clear articles and amendments. We must know the rules, we must know the Constitution by heart, we must be relentless in bringing up the rules and make them live and act accordingly. Refusal to do so will place them in an uncomfortable situation that will make them weaker and weaker. If we manage to make them aware that the rules are there for them to follow and obey, they have one of two options: obey them or be removed. There are constitutional means by which we the people can hold our representatives and senators accountable for not honoring the oath of office they took when they were sworn in. And, based on the relentless and irresponsible manner in which our Constitution has been manipulated and distorted -- even ignored thus far -- we must take clear and concise action to stop them from doing more damage to our country than what they have already done. The law is on our side and we must find the proper way to enforce it.
• Rule 5: Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. Every person has his or her weaknesses. Whenever possible, bring them up in the open, expose them and make them feel embarrassed and guilty. They are hurting us at a personal level through all the policies and measures that takes away our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. So, we must take things personally, and return the favor personally. There is no defense against being publicly ridiculed and embarrassed. It causes the most balanced person to lose control and say or make things that will go against him. An angry person acts impulsively and makes mistakes that will hurt him, his position or his agenda. A fearful person acts irrationally and is easily pushed into a position of making concessions. Our adversary’s weakness is our strength.
• Rule 6: A good tactic is one your people enjoy. The Tea Parties have been to a certain point, very enjoyable. People of all races, creeds and ages have gathered together in a manner in which they enjoyed mutual company and enjoyed the goal of their actions. American people are very creative and can make any rally or demonstration an enjoyable and effective activity. And the memories will encourage them to come back for more. There is plenty of talent and expertise to bring into the movement new ways of doing things.
• Rule 7: A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. We must do whatever is in our power to keep the pressure on, and gain more and more momentum. And we must do it in a manner that will be enjoyable. Winning is fun! There are plenty of ideas and imagination to bring new and more exciting ways to motivate us to continue the fight and do it in a manner that will encourage us to go for more.
• Rule 8: Keep the pressure on. Never let up. The April 15 Tea Parties have already become part of American history. But we cannot leave it to the history alone. We must continue to mobilize and keep the pressure on. We have gained momentum and must keep it going forward. There are other national rallies in the works, one on the 4th of July, and another in September. But in the meantime, we must organize smaller, more localized rallies and demonstrations, with focused and concentrated messages and demands. City halls, sheriffs departments, police departments, boards of education, are all valid places where we must gather and make a stand. I have suggested that every weekend from now on should be used for constant and continuous gatherings and rallies. Many people who have no idea what is going on will approach, and if we have a clear message, they will join and become new allies.
• Rule 9: The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself. Our adversaries know what our goal is. But they cannot ascertain our resolve in going after it. They believe that they have the power and the means to demoralize us and disband any rally or demonstration. They may, here and there, but they cannot be everywhere at the same time. So, we have the advantage of being decentralized and widespread movement that can make it very difficult to control. One large gathering in one place can easily be disbanded. But hundreds or thousands of smaller activities are hard to impossible to subdue.
• Rule 10: "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." We must not fear repercussions. We must stand firm and not give up. Any attempts by the authorities to deprive us from our constitutional right to peacefully assemble, will gain sympathy to our cause and add numbers to our ranks. We must be consistent and firm, while peaceful and orderly. We must not fear infiltration from our adversaries to cause disorder and chaos, because if it happens, will bring more attention to our just cause. And that is something that our adversaries will try to avoid as much as possible.
• Rule 11: The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative. Contingency plans and alternative gatherings and rallies must be put in place. If one movement is disrupted or disbanded, we must have a predetermined alternative rallying point. We cannot lose momentum because we neglected to take into consideration the possibility of a failed or disbanded effort. All participants must be informed of alternative places of gathering and instructions must be followed. Churches or places of worship can become effective and active centers for organizing and directing the masses. Christians of all denominations must be encouraged to get involved and become active. After all, it this is also a battle for our freedom of worship, and if we fail, we all fail, including Christians. Church leaders must be willing to sacrifice their tax exempt status that keeps or prevents them from becoming politically active. If we are to accept the statistics, over 80% of the American population confesses to be Christian. That would project a number of approximately 240 million Americans. This is a force to really be reckoned with if we manage to convince them that America belongs to them too, and if we lose our battle, they will lose too by their inaction. Forget about organized religion in America which is an instrument in the hands of our adversaries. The Church as an organized body has prostituted itself with the government in exchange of money and tax exemptions. We must approach and get the local churches involved.¹
• Rule 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. Our efforts must be focused and concentrated on specific demands and protests. Our adversaries must know well what we stand for and what we demand. Posters and signs must be consistent with the purpose of the gathering. The size, colors and styles used can vary and bring variety, but the message must be clear and concise. Nothing can hurt us more than hundreds of signs and posters each saying or demanding something different. Organizers must produce fliers describing our situation and our struggle. These fliers then must be posted online and every person having a computer, a printer and an internet connection can then download the flier and make as many prints as they can afford. These fliers, in turn, must be distributed as widely as possible, everywhere. We have the potential of printing millions and millions of fliers and distribute them in our neighborhoods, on the street corners, in parks and other public places. We can flood the country with patriotic messages and calls to become active in saving our nation from the clutches of the globalist agenda which is aiming at imposing in America a system of government that is totally anti-American and anti constitutional.

We have been pushed by our government beyond the point of no return, because we have nothing to return to other than total domination by a socialist/communist/fascist system of government that will affect several generations of Americans. This system has failed in every place or instance where it was instituted, and will fail again. But we can stop it now before it grabs all of our freedoms, or let the burden to our children and children’s children. History will judge America not for what her enemies did to her, but for what We the People failed to do when America called us into action. America belongs to Americans, and as long as there is even one man left standing to fight, America will survive. This great country was given to us by God Himself, and only God will take it away from us. Not men.

If Alinsky's rules are the new rules of the game, then we had better use them to play as effectively as the illiberal control freaks who wish to dominate us.

By contrast, here are Saul Alinsky's original rules. And here is the dedication from Alinsky's book, Rules for Radicals:

Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history... the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.

Ponder that for a second: he dedicated his book to Lucifer, A.K.A. Satan, A.K.A., the devil. Did I mention that Saul Alinsky is evil?

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¹I think Patriot Greg missed the point of this rule, The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative. It really means, "You can't just complain; you must provide a solution." Our solution is: "Most of today's problems would be much less severe if our leaders would follow The Constitution. The Constitution is still the official specification for the United States; the binding contract between We the People and our government. Any regime that disregards or distorts it is untrustworthy and dangerous. Follow The Constitution that you took an oath to uphold and defend."