Political protest? Start thinking ‘eight moves ahead’!

by guest author Jonathan L. Donihue

O.K. folks, let’s get serious now. So far all the “fighting” that’s been done has been on the level of protests. For all intents and purposes, this is about as effective as throwing a tantrum.

There are many other ways to apply pressure. Here are a few.

1) If half the people in the country announced that they were going to delete their Twitter accounts if Twitter doesn’t ban the President from its platform, it would be forced to do so or its stock would plummet. Without Twitter, the President would have to deal with the news media in order to communicate with the people.

2) Stop worrying about forcing the government to do things. The White House Website is now, and has always been, the acting president’s website. The current administration is not going to post anything about your ideas so work with respected organizations that will. University science departments, museums, private investors (Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey.....).

3) Find legitimate speakers (not just ranting protesters) and ask them to do public education projects to teach people about the environment, human rights, climate change, political science. Get a permit and make these things happen in the street. Make them open to all so that in the next election people are voting from an informed place rather than a place of ignorance.

4) Stop Driving!! - I guarantee if all the people who claim to be against these environmental and social atrocities were to sell their cars and start walking, biking, and taking public transportation, the economy would fight for us. Lawmakers would have to build more bike lanes, trains, and bus routes. But we, the people, need to get off our asses and CREATE THE DEMAND for these things. We live in a capitalist society. Use that to your advantage.

5) If you decide to fight, you must decide to win! That means you will use any means necessary to achieve your goal. They’re not going to fight fair so you shouldn’t either.

There is a battle coming like no one in our generation has seen. Think like a chess player and start thinking eight moves ahead.

That being said, I’m reminded of a saying, “If you pick up a gun, you shouldn’t just ask yourself what you plan to kill; you should also ask what you’re allowing to live.”