Alinsky’s Rule #8

From Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals:”

Rule 8: Keep the pressure on. Use different tactics and actions and use all events of the period for your purpose. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this that will cause the opposition to react to your advantage.”

So let’s see, what all have we got here?  Janeane Garofalo insulting all those who participated in Teaparties (and those of us who supported them); DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano proclaiming that believers in protecting the unborn, limited government, and states’ rights are capable of perpetrating acts of “manmade disasters” upon their countrymen; Sean Penn’s glorious friendship with Hugo Chavez; NBC/MSNBC now being practically the “official” White House network; a new puppy in the White House; and, now, the release of some of our country’s top secrets concerning our fight against extremist Islam.

Some of these events are frivolous and meaningless, and some are more serious.  The release of the CIA memos is certainly serious, and most certainly has the capability of putting us all in more danger from terrorist attacks here at home.

But…..

Smoke and mirrors.

Distractions only, meant to keep us stirred up, confused, angry, frightened—and not focused on the bigger issues that Congress will slip past in the coming weeks.

As hard as it may be, we need to let most of these things pass on by without spending any time or energy on them.  Stay focused on the bigger picture, on the things that will be much harder to undo one of these days.  Universal health care is very critical, for once that is in place, I can’t imagine how we would reverse that course.

We must recognize what’s really important and focus our energies on those and try to laugh off the rest.  I’m not saying that all of the distractions will be frivolous, as evidenced by the release of the CIA memos, and that bears watching.  We must do all we can to fight on behalf of any former administration personnel who might be charged with a crime for protecting this country.

There are serious bills coming forth almost every day, and we need to stay on top of them and call our senators, representatives, and governors.  We can write letters to the editors of our local papers.

But stay focused on what’s really important.  What the actress Garofalo doesn’t understand is that most of us really don’t care what she thinks.  She is inconsequential.  Anything that she says means as much to me as anything I write about her means to her.  In other words, absolutely nothing.

So, learn to separate the wheat from the chaff, the manure from the truly poisonous.

And remember Alinsky’s Rule #8.

Rule 8: Keep the pressure on. Use different tactics and actions and use all events of the period for your purpose. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this that will cause the opposition to react to your advantage.”

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Tagged as: Janet Napolitano, Rules For Radicals, Saul Alinsky, Sean Penn, White House