THE WHISPERING CAMPAIGN - Stealth Activism To Wake Up The Nation

[jokerman93]

This is to kick the Whisper Campaign. I just printed up dozens of copies of the PNAC flyer.

This is a kick.

Original post here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=976762

[LunaC]

1. Thanks, Jokerman!

I've spend a lot of time trying to get folks interested and involved but have laid back lately out of frustration that many folks would rather bitch, moan and whine than actually DO something (I mean, how damn hard is it to drop a few copies around town once in awhile?)

I appreciate that you've taken it to heart and are picking up the slack for me!

:toast:

[jokerman93]

9. Thank YOU

:hi:

[shihtzu5]

2. If we all participated.....

Perhaps we could have an impact. I print up copies of this every week, and distribute them around town, as I go about my errands.

If every DU member printed and distributed 10 copies each week until the election, it may have an impact.

[jokerman93]

3. I Wholeheartedly Agree

I have a deep sense of the urgency of this year's campaign. And so I've made a pledge to myself and to what I believe in. My promise is that I'll not let up from doing all I can this year to educate others and help stimulate dissent and activism.

So much more depends on this than we ordinarily are willing to consider. I do hope everyone who cares and posts on this board can find some way to get off-line with their politics and create some real world change.

The Bush administration and the Rove propaganda machine are counting on Americans remaining complacent and ignorant. They expect us not to question their assault on America's spirit, liberty and wealth.

I'm not an infantilized cow and niether is anyone I know on this board. I'm grabbing the opportunity to contribute while there's time left.

There I said it!

Ha!

[tom_paine]

4. kick

[AlinPA]

5. We need a solution to media's fight against Dems. Thank you.

Broadcast media has been brutal to Dean. They are waiting for anything, no matter how small, to go after the other candidates. Bush gets a free ride. The media are working hard to smash Dems. Its tough folks, we have to use other means to get through to people. Door to door. One on one. My next concern is whether TV and radio stations will reject Dem ads, leaving Bush with all the air time. Why won't Fox outlets do it?

[jokerman93]

7. I also agree with this

fact is, if the technological infrastructure of our media has been commandeered by oligarchs and totalitarians, then we're going to have to go back to the 19th century and do it the old fashioned way.

We still have tremendous power on many fronts, but it will require allot of co-ordinated and individual effort -- face to face, hand shake to hand shake, smile to smile, door to door, soapbox to soapbox, street theater to street theater, flyer to flyer, eye-contact to eye-contact, person to person, human to human.

This how WE can control the discourse and frame the discussion.

Look at it this way. It's going to get allot more like the 19th century around here anyway if the people of this country do (through complacency and a sense of powerlessness) allow themselves to be utterly sold out by the PNAC cabal over the next several years.

Let's talk about this! Let's each do something.

Time is now.

NOW.

[Supply Side Jesus]

6. even better....

Make copies and insert them into newspapers that are sitting in vending machines. That can catch a person's eye.

[jokerman93]

8. Now we're talking. Yes!

I'm using that one. Thanks! Any other ideas?

[duhneece]

23. I LOVE your idea

I have been leaving copies of various articles here and there already, but this is a beautiful idea.

[calimary]

29. Good HEAVENS that's a great idea!!!

That is a FABULOUS IDEA!!!

I think I'll try it myself, tomorrow.

Shoot! There's another thread here by Old and In the Way, that's called - "What happened to the integrity of the Republican Party?"

It's a list of eleven one-liners that are, each of them, a scathing indictment of this Party of Pirates. Fits nicely on one page.

In fact, here it is:
---------------------------------------------------------------------



WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INTEGRITY OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY????

Stealing confidential information from their opposition.

Cooking polls on their website.

Gerrymandering districts to retain undeserved seats.

Outing CIA agents.

Stuffing the 9/11 investigation.

Takes a $300BB surplus and converting it into a $400BB deficit...and 3MM people lose their jobs because they can't pass a jobs bill.

Their moral compass has a $6MM/year gambling habit with a thing for dominatrix's.

Their media mouthpiece is a big buyer of street narcotics.

They install their own candidate by stopping a recount and disregard the votes of 500,000 Americans who voted for Al Gore.

Their pRresident lies about a casus belli and 500 Americans are killed, but they had no problem spending $70MM in taxpayer money on investigations and impeachment based on a personal sex lie.

Their VP, as CEO of Halliburton, trades with Iraq in 1998....against a US embargo.



How can any American who believes the principles on which this country was founded on can accept this institutional corruption of the Republican Party is beyond my ken.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, this was posted by Old and In the Way. It's his/her words, NOT MINE. I'm just passing them along. Make copies of these to stuff the newspapers. I'm doin' it!

[calimary]

30. As long as you bring it up, how 'bout sliding a few of these into

magazines at the news stand?

THAT would be MOST excellent!

[calimary]

31. I found that thread: GREAT manifesto to print out from Old and In the Way

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=326916#327010

[jokerman93]

10. Kick

:kick:

[Supply Side Jesus]

11. use a "captive" audience

post them on bathroom stall doors, give them something to read while they're occupied ;)

[are_we_united_yet]

12. hmmmmmmmm

[LunaC]

13. Some great new ideas

for distribution! Thanks!

Now where's the REST of DU and why aren't more folks participating?

[jokerman93]

14. Just keep kicking

People will gather and join in over time.

Meaningful consistant action repeated over time gets the message across. I believe that!

[jokerman93]

15. Maybe it's time for a website

Maybe it's time for a DU satellite webpage from which people can download PDF master copies of activist flyers. It wouldn't be hard to just have a page with links people can go to and choose the Whisper issues they want to promote.

I'm a technical writer and have access to all the software I need to produce attractive brochure masters. Anyone care to collaborate with me to come up with a boilerplate flyer design onto which we can print any number of Whisper campaigns for easy download?

If so, please contact me by any of the different methods listed next to my username.

Now is the time.

[LunaC]

16. Got another one to add to the collection

CHENEY ENERGY TASK FORCE - A "Whispering Campaign" Refresher Course
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1005193

I like the idea of a web page where DUers can select the issue of their choice for distribution. A piece on the coming Draft would be a good one to distribute near high schools. If we can't get the teens personally involved in politics, maybe they'll take the info home to pique their parents' interest. Let's face it, there are SOOOO many topics to write about....

Well Jokerman, you've renewed my faith and I'm going to kick this sucker once a week from now on! (Unless you beat me to it....:pals:)

BTW - forgot exactly who (sorry) but another DUer referred to this as "Dropaganda". It has a nice ring to it, doncha' think?

[jokerman93]

17. So many topics

And so many informed DUers who write very well. As soon as I put up the web page (it will be expedient and crude at first), we can put out a call for people to write copy on various topics.

How about if you start building a list of topics and their target audiences. Maybe get input from DUers. The more topics the better. We can refine it as we go.

As soon as we come up with a simple one page folded flyer format, we can post the style requirements for the copy that people will write.

This can get plenty of people involved. What do you think?

[Supply Side Jesus]

19. a website would be great.

we could collaborate on some fliers, put them on adobe and remind people regularly on DU of this resource.

[LunaC]

20. Topics

off the top of my head......

• The Patriot Act and what it means to our legal/civil liberties



• The EPA lies about safety of 911 site and NYC



• Troops: Morale, deaths, the underreported wounded, hidden return of bodies (media coverage denied), Smirk hasn't attended ONE funeral!)



• No Child Left Behind - includes provisions for divulging personal info for military recruitment purposes, underfunded but highly touted as an "achievement", Smirk's failed education record as TX Governor



• U.S. use of WMD's - the effects of depleted uranium, cancer rates/deaths in Iraq circa GWI, effects on future generations



• Who owns the media - THERE IS NO LIBERAL BIAS!!



• BBV



• Wilson/Plame affair - revenge is the name of the game for "Compassionate Conservatives"

That's pretty good for starts.

The bottom of each flyer should have a big, bold question - "What do you know about (insert another flyer topic here)?" and the URL to the topics page to fully educate the Average 'Merican and hopefully continue to recruit new stealth activists.

This can be exciting! Imagine thousands of DUers engaging in Dropaganda! It warms my heart!

[LunaC]

21. Is it too early

for a "Call for Writers"? I have a post written up but didn't want to jump the gun.

[jokerman93]

28. LunaC -- This is your baby

Go for it! I'll (hopefully) have a basic page up on the web by Monday and we can start posting things there for everyone as soon as we have a flyer format.

Suggestion:
Start a thread for topic recommendations. Explain what we've decided to do here. Ask people to supply links to to critical related sites as well. Cross post to lounge and activism.

Request:
could you write a paragraph or so explaining what the idea of a Whispering Campaign is? I'll put it on the website. is there a history to the idea? How it's been used in the past? links? That would be great!

[LunaC]

32. Naw, it's a group project now

And hopefully it will develop a life of it's own. Since you were kind enough to offer a website, I didn't want to inundate you (assuming there's a favorable response.)

Yes, the "Call for Writers" will include the same explanatory blurb as in the original post to refamiliarize folks with what it's all about with a link back to this thread. I'll ask those who have written great pieces for DU to submit their work, for others to develop the topic ideas already listed and/or recommend additional topics. Our brains are definitely operating in sync!

As for the "history", it was just a personal quest. I had bits and pieces of the puzzle but had to lay it out in chronological order for the full picture to emerge. When it did, I was blown away! You don't keep informatioon of that weight, magnitude and intensity to yourself so I started making copies for friends who passed it on to others, who passed it on to others, who passed it on to others......the circle needed to be widened and the concept of "Dropaganda" was born. (I regret that I don't recall the DU poster who coined that terminology.)

And so it goes.....

[Supply Side Jesus]

18. Veteran benefits cuts

make up some flyers and distribute them at lodges, such as Eagles, Elks, Rotary, ect.. Monster truck rallies would also be a good place, hell even wal-mart. I've been writing "Bush cut VA benefits" on the walls in front of urinals. another captive audience.

[cryofan]

24. Man, it is good to hear that other people are doing this, too

I have some signs I have made that I plan to put by the roadside (it's not against the law!).

The vet benefits stuff is golden!
I plan to focus on taxing the rich--progressive taxation

[Sterling]

22. pssst Osama is a Bush

pass it on.

[jokerman93]

25. Kick

:kick:

[eridani]

26. Don't just whisper--mail!

You get all kinds of business reply envelopes. People at the other end could use short educationals on PNAC, Black Box Voting, the Shrubbie Saudi connection, etc.

Though if an envelope also has money in it and my name, I put Kucinich literature in it. Actually got a note back from one recipient thanking me.

[jokerman93]

27. Bingo!

With the added bonus of being deliciously subversive and untraceable as well!

[LunaC]

33. I love it!

What a great way to get "revenge" on all those pesky envelopes! It's deliciously wicked and certainly a method I'll be adding to my arsenal. Thanks!

[Lone_Wolf]

34. On the same note... Maybe we can do our own push polls?

For example calling up a few people and say that you are conducting a poll. For those who don't know, push polls are polls designed to make a person think more negatively about a person or issue.

The possibilities are endless... For examples, you could ask questions like:

"Would you vote for President Bush if he did not report for duty with the Texas Air Force National Guard?"

"Would you vote for President Bush if his father used his political connections to get him out of the Vietnam War and into the Texas Air Force National Guard?"

"Would you vote for President Bush if you knew that his family and friends were personally profitting off of the Iraq War?"

[Generic Other]

35. I have been doing this for three years now

It's the way the original patriots communicated in the Revolution.

The Committees of Correspondance. I am honored to number myself among this group.

[jokerman93]

36. Committees of Correspondence?

That sounds interesting GO. Do you have any links? Could you write a paragraph or two about these committees? I'm curious if they might be a good model to draw from.

[loudnclear]

37. A Friend of mine started this in 2000: "Rapid Responders"

Tried to get folks on another Dem board to join in across the nation, neighbohood by neighborhood. Place flyers with talking points and sources and Web links in shopping malls (especially Wal-Marts), bars, and major sports events. A very weak response left us all drained and unfulfilled. I'll pull out some of our old flyers and share them if you want them. Back then, it was mostly about the events surrounding the stolen election and turning back Clinton's initiatives, and pointing out the lies of the Bush administration coming into office (charges about trashing the WH, stealing from the WH, Hillary's shopping spree, Airforce one and all the charges that were proven to be lies.) But it didn't matter much, the sheeple seemed to want to believe Rush and the rest of the RWing pundits.

[loudnclear]

38. Why not call it a "Screaming Campaign?"

What this administration has done to this country make you want to scream!! Howard is not alone!

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