Preface

There are of course, in our very diverse country, differences of opinion on many issues (taxes, education, healthcare) and on the best way to deal with each issue, (state, federal, private). To various degrees that has always been the case.  There have also always been radical, extremist groups pushing their agendas. But I believe the vast majority of our population are good, patriotic, hardworking, caring people who support our country and are willing to work with others for the good of all.  My democrat friends are good people, my independent friends are good people, my republican friends are good people. So why is there now such a great divide in our land?

It is my contention that, in large part the divide in this country, has been created and is sustained by a dominant partisan media (television, newspapers, and social media conglomerates) that have forsaken their duty to be the “free press” guardians of truth against power hungry, social engineering tyrants, and have become their pawns. Restricting, distorting and falsifying news and information to intentionally influence and manipulate a significant block of public opinion.  As mercenaries for big tech and big media billionaires and sycophants and mouthpieces for politicians, the mainstream media news anchors and most especially cable News Anchors over the last four years have, with impunity, fostered the proliferation of false accusations, rumors and innuendo and brazenly spewed hate, vitriol and the vilest statements against the President of the United States while totally disregarding or distorting landmark accomplishments.  These deceptions worked, most people believe what they are told over and over. A large part of the population’s distrust and fears were fed and they were essentially kept in the dark concerning any good news or accomplishments. The divide intensified, as half the country heard hate and loathing against the president and the other half watched economic successes and foreign policy successes being achieved by the administration. Further, the “success” half were made aware of the constant condemnation being delivered by the mainstream media.  No wonder there is a big divide.  Is my assessment correct?

I prepared the article below to document a case of this media collusion as evidence to support my case. The recent case I am reporting on is one of intentional, suppression, obfuscation, and blocking/censoring of news and information from a significant portion of the American people.  I wrote this to ensure that this instance of societal control and manipulation by the powerful is recorded and not lost in the rapid evolution of news, in which yesterday’s bombshell falls into the waste can of oblivion.  I am sending it to all on either side of the current divide, who will read it, not to foster a political cause per se, (as that die was already cast), but as an on-going wake up call to the existence of “manipulative informational control” occurring in our country that is reminiscent of the absence of freedom of the press / state run media which has been employed in dictatorships, communist countries and famously in Orwell’s’ 1984.    Please read this, do what you can to counter this attack on our freedoms and please pass the article on to others especially those who may not be aware of the Alliance of Bias.  

       Exposing and Overcoming the Alliance of Bias – 12/30/2020

         Freedom will be “a short-lived possession” unless the people are informed. – Thomas Jefferson                  

A Ministry of Propaganda, Orwellian Newspeak, State Run Media, Mind Control

                                    Surely not here in the United States of America,

                      We have freedom of speech and freedom of the press –

                               It is in our Constitution – Right there in the Bill of Rights!!

However, an “Alliance of Bias” exists between:

1. The Democrat Party leadership
2. Mainstream Media and Cable Channels
3. Big Tech (social media and internet giants)

This Alliance of Bias is making a mockery of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

The Alliance is intent on gaining the power to control and transform America. In so doing they are attacking our basic freedoms. These parties have been, are currently, and are poised to continue controlling the news and information flow to millions of Americans, to gain power and control the outcome of elections. Unless their nefarious actions are widely recognized, condemned and stopped America will remain under their control. 

Currently this “Alliance of Bias” is the dominant news and information influence for probably, on the order of 100 million or more Americans, who are (1) largely unwary followers of the Alliance messaging and (2) staunch defenders of one or more of the Alliance factions. These millions are unwittingly and unknowingly captured in their web of influence and are continually being propagandized in their network of deception, guile and pretense.

(1) Their trusting, incautious adherents are watching, reading, and passing on, only the news the Alliance of Bias wants these millions to see, hear and be conveyed in the way the Alliance desires,

(2) Their adherents are screened from and being denied knowledge of news the Alliance wants obscured, obfuscated, distorted or buried.

(3) These millions of Americans are unknowingly being blocked from and thus remain unaware of individual citizen posts and news from alternative sources that could reveal what the Alliance does not want known.

This Alliance of Bias exists and exerts control over the thoughts, minds and actions of millions of good, patriotic Americans. These are our friends, neighbors, and fellow church members. Many are life-long Democrats who as a matter of habit, family tradition, current or past employment representation, belief in a cause or principle that is (or always was) a mainstay of the Democrat Party and who commonly reject even considering alternative news sources because they have been told they are not trustworthy. Most of these adherents are largely or only peripherally aware they are not being fully and honestly informed and are thus being insulted and disrespected. The Alliance of Bias dare not trust them with the truth. Rather they subtly influence, manipulate and control millions of people. 

Control over Communication (selective dispensing of news, deceptive messaging, censoring, and blocking of information and opinion from conservatives) is not on the horizon  — It is here!  

If there was any question about this fact, just before the 2020 Presidential Election the Alliance of Bias, (Mainstream Media, the Democrat Party, Twitter, and Facebook), was clearly exposed by their suppression, obfuscation, and blocking, respectively, of the Hunter Biden laptop evidence that exposed Joe Biden’s lying about knowledge of and involvement in Hunter Biden’s China and Ukrainian business dealings.

These actions of news suppression, invoking of a false smokescreen, and social media account blocking were  not just acts of bias, they were contrived, intentional restrictions on the information, news and opinions that “their adherents” were “not allowed” to hear. Otherwise, their planned, and worked for election of Joe Biden would be adversely affected. The actions were intended to make people believe, think and, most importantly, vote as they were intending to, in the absence of this news, just as the Alliance wanted them to believe, think and vote.

It was an emergency! The 2020 election was on the line! The main stream news media (ABC, NBC, CBS), CNN, and MSNBC had to keep this critical news about Joe Biden knowing about Hunter Biden’s business dealings (which occurred in association with Joe’s China and Ukraine trips), off the air and out of the papers, and Facebook, and Twitter had to block sharing of this news.  This was such an emergency that the Alliance factions had to risk exposure of their information control and censoring.  Also, the Democrat Party leadership had to come up with a way to discredit, and obfuscate the story for those who might get wind of the evidence that Joe Biden knew of his son’s business dealings and was also to receive a payoff because of his “family name’s” positive impact on the business influence.  A three-pronged attack on the freedoms of the American people and on their right to know the truth of what was happening took place. Well, not all the American people, only the adherents under the Alliance of Bias’s “manipulative control”.  Only those that they had under their influence;

So, just what was this critical news and what was the response of the Alliance of Bias.  The important, breaking  news was published by the New York Post on October 14, 2020! It was that:

First:

• Hunter Biden’s* laptop was left at a repair shop in April 2019 in Delaware and then abandoned. The laptop was seized by the FBI in December 2019.
• E-mails on the laptop showed Joe Biden having been in meetings with Hunter’s business partners in his China deals and with his Ukraine Burisma Board associates.  Joe Biden had denied knowledge of Hunter’s business dealings or even of speaking to his son about them.
• That Joe Biden, aka “The Big Guy”, would receive 10% of a multi-million dollar deal with a Chinese Company (the funds to be held by Hunter).

Then came a Three-Pronged Attack on Our Freedoms

1. Twitter and Face Book shut down the New York Post’s accounts, preventing the story from being widely spread. And they shut down Kayleigh McEnany’s (Trump’s Press Secretary) account when she tried to share it on Twitter.
2. The main stream TV media and cable channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC) concealed the story from its viewers.  As did the New York Times and the Washington Post.
3. The Democrat Party put out a completely fabricated claim** that the Hunter Biden laptop and the discovery of e-mails verifying the Joe Biden had met with Hunter’s business contacts was Russian “disinformation”. 

• ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC) concealed the story from its viewers.  As did the New York Times and the Washington Post.

The next breaking news was a compelling Fox TV interview of Hunter Biden’s business partner, Tony Bobulinski on Tucker Carlson Tonight that further exposed and fully documented Joe Biden’s involvement:

The truth was reported to an audience of 9 million people on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” by the CEO of Hunter Biden’s business.  But once again, this important news was not covered by the Democrat “mainstream media” alliance and all those who are captive to the Democrat sources did not really hear anything but the Russian disinformation story.  Joe Biden was employing “fiction over truth” and the media colluded in the masquerade.  

 *It was known and had been confirmed that Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, had traveled with Joe to China and while there received a $1.5 Billion deal secured by the Bank of China in his equity firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC. (from Peter Schweizer’s book, Secret Empires and confirmed by the New York Times article in May 2019)

**Just in case any of their adherents heard of this the news (or it was brought up in the upcoming debate), the Democrat Party / Biden Campaign had to find a way to discredit the report. So, Adam Schiff (Democrat congressman) put out a statement that the Hunter Biden story was “Russian Disinformation”. This was picked up and repeated “as fact” over and over by the Main Stream Media, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times and the Washington Post – no matter that it was a totally made up, false claim, that all of these “journalists” accepted it without question and despite the claim being discredited by the Director of Intelligence.  To further the false deception about the whole Hunter Biden Story being Russian disinformation, someone in the Alliance of Bias “quickly” arranged for the “Deep State” in the form of “50 former intelligence officials”, to put out a supportive “cover” statement that said in effect– “although we have no evidence, we are suspicious that it could be Russian disinformation”. This whole obfuscation of the true story then became “the story” to be presented by the mainstream media to their adherents. The whole episode reveals how wide spread and “effective” the Alliance of Bias is in keeping the truth away from their followers.  A poll taken at the time showed that 51% of Americans believed that the Hunter Biden e-mail/laptop story and associated discrediting of Joe Biden was Russian Disinformation – and Russia had absolutely nothing to do with it!!! That claim was totally made, and quickly, as a ruse by the Democrat Congressional leadership to distract their voters from the truth. The ridiculous and contemptable statement quickly ginned up by the “50 former intelligence officials, including James Clapper and John Brennen, to provide Joe Biden with misdirection and cover and to give the Alliance of Bias a “fake news” talking point to spread to their unwitting supporters. This was a prime example of the power and influence of the alleged “Deep State”, and the alleged Fake News which clearly shows that neither are alleged, but active, powerful, and influential.     Joe Biden had not and still has not, (as of December 30, 2020), denied any of this Hunter Biden laptop e-mail information (as the evidence is rock solid so he cannot). But Joe Biden, making a mockery of the truth, did use the 50 Former Intelligence Official’s unsupportable, fluff statement as his response to the issue, in the presidential debate with Donald Trump, in a disgraceful but successful gambit to discredit the truth. That way he could discredit the story, without actually lying about it, in the debate and without denying it himself.  

So, was this “thought control” effort by the Alliance of Bias or “informal ministry of propaganda” – successful? Absolutely!!   The point was to keep this very damaging news of the Biden family cashing in on Joe Biden’s Vice Presidency from influencing Biden voters. Delay, confuse, lie, hide the information – keep the voters under their influence in the dark – this was/is the goal of the media / big tech / alliance with the Democrat Party.  

As noted, a poll showed that 51% of Americans believed that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation. Thus, this incredible revelation concerning Joe Biden being aware of and being linked to Hunter Biden’s cashing in on his father’s Vice Presidency did not seem to be impactful on the election as primarily only the Trump voters at the rallies and those who watched Fox News and listened to conservative talk radio really knew about it.  Just imagine what the media coverage would have been if, instead of Hunter Biden’s laptop, it had been Eric Trumps and the “big guy” to receive the payout had been Donald Trump. There would have been non-stop news coverage and impeachment would have been immediately started. But no, the Alliance of Bias, the Mainstream Media Television Stations, CNN and MSNBC did not cover it except to say the story was Russian disinformation. 

They got away with it!    The election took place and millions remained uninformed.

Surveys of Biden voters a month after the election, in 6 of the swing states showed that 45% of the people who had voted for Biden, had not heard of the Hunter Biden laptop incident and 14% of these Biden voters said that they would have voted for Trump instead, if they had heard that news. That would have easily changed the election results.  The Alliance of Bias control, over what information their adherents heard — worked!! – the mis-information worked!! – the Alliance of Bias took the risk of being blatant exposed (which they were), but the gambit worked and these contemptable communication control actions by the Alliance of Bias changed the course of our country.

A free press is intended to hold the powerful accountable. Now, powerful billionaires control the “press” (TV, major newspapers and social media). The freedom to be guarded by a free press suffers.  We must regain journalistic integrity!  Freedom will be “a short-lived possession” unless the people are informed. -Thomas Jefferson

This incident was only one example of a great many over the last 4 years of (1) positive news and information related to Donald Trump that was not reported or distorted by the mainstream media, (2) of information and personal communication that has been blocked or censored by big tech and (3) of Democrat leadership and the mainstream media coordinating a manufactured narrative to discredit Donald Trump.  

This is not sour grapes or some conspiracy theory—This collusion in influencing / controlling a major portion of the American population has been happening in general for years, but has been on overdrive during the Trump presidency and last month it was clearly exposed!

So: Attention America!! 

The right to hear the truth, to hear the objective facts concerning every issue of importance to their lives, their health, their welfare and, most importantly, to their contribution to the future of their nation has been gradually, steadily and intentionally usurped and taken from a substantial portion of the American Public.  Why? To give Democrat leadership power and control of the government, which unfortunately, and dangerously now includes a strong leftist contingent.  What is the Justification for these surreptitious, devious, unconstitutional actions?  The justification is that the desired end (to fundamentally transform America), justifies the means (universities fostering anti-Americanism and socialism, teaching our youth to hate American ideals and past leaders, lying, cheating, hiding the truth, false accustions) – and that Desired End is — Big Government run by either very Progressive Democrats or worse yet socialist or Marxist Leftists. These leaders, want to fundamentally change America, politically and economically, because they believe they know what is best for us – the American People. Keeping information from many in order to put themselves in power is, they believe, really in our best interest –you their adherents don’t need to know everything. Just trust them! 

                                                  WHAT CAN BE DONE NOW?

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities – brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” John W. Gardner

Like the proverbial “frog in a pot of tepid water that is gradually heated, hotter and hotter, and the frog doesn’t jump out” we, the country, let this communication control cabal, the Alliance of Bias, develop gradually, unabated and essentially unchallenged for years. Oscillating between “essentially a state run media” during the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama presidencies and Designated Detractors during the George W. Bush presidency, the Alliance of Bias, (especially the Media Component) then over the last 4 years became a blatantly partisan mouthpiece for the Democrat leadership and disgusting, reprehensible, disrespectful, assailants against President Trump. The challenge now is how to overcome this Orwellian prophesied menace.  That charge is on the backs of those of us who recognize and have caught on to the perverse schemes of the Alliance of Bias. This alliance, and their disrespect for the truth was, strikingly displayed in the Hunter Biden laptop cover-up, the absence of covering President Trumps 3 Noble Peace Prize nominations, any recognition for the elimination of the ISIS Caliphate, (recall the ever present atrocities being committed by ISIS during 2016 just before Trump took over), and so much more.  All who care about our freedoms – Independents, Libertarians, Republicans, Democrats (who have suspected for some time that something untoward is going on), all of us must scratch and claw our way, by every means of communication at our disposal, through the web of deceit insulating our fellow Americans, in order to give them a chance to hear and see the true, full picture and then decide as they choose. If after getting all the information people chose to support socialist polices – fine – it is a free country. But now content in the Alliance of Bias bubble and saddled with the picture painted expressly for them adherents to the mainstream media will ride along as the Alliance of Bias praises all that will be done by the incoming Administration and hides any ills.   To effect a change in the course of events, we must launch a grass roots effort that will:

1.  Strive to help make the large portion of the American population, over whom the Alliance of Bias, has a dominant influence, aware of the nefarious intent of the network of bias in so that they will seek and receive additional /alternate sources of information, and then decide via a paradigm shift what is correct on their own. This will not be easy, it must be done with care and without a “holier than thou attitude”. There should be no condemnation or criticism of the people themselves.
2. Support local, regional and national independent newspaper, radio and television outlets that fully and honestly report the news and information.
3. Pass on information (in a clear, factual unbiased, non-condemning way) in our local communities and to all whom we know, that is otherwise hidden, disregarded, or distorted by the mainstream media.  This can be done through writing letters to the editor of local papers, posting information on social media and through personal communication to friends, neighbors, acquaintances.

One way to get communication going on sensitive issues like this one is to bring up the subject through asking questions.  Trey Goudy has written a book on this : Doesn’t Hurt to Ask: Using the Power of Questions to Communicate, Connect, and Persuade and my son-in-law uses question asking very effectively to open up debate on any number of issues.

The challenge is all the more urgent, difficult and critical because this already entrenched Alliance of Bias, has now enhanced its capability to maintain control of communication by gaining the U.S. Presidency. But each of us who knows and sees the obvious, troubling state of affairs, (in government, in schools in general and universities in particular, and in big tech / social media censoring), needs to act. 

Frankly as I set about to answer “What can be done now?–  to take on the Alliance of Bias  – I was at a loss. I know that something must be done, but I really did not know what I could advise that would be meaningful.  My attempt is written above, and for its closing I wanted to use a statement from an editorial I carried around for years, encouraging action when the nation was suffering some of its darkest days: The statement was : “We each must do what we can to save the nation”. – I could not, at first, recall who wrote the article and made that statement, just the words. But, in a real blow against Alzheimer’s, I recalled the name of the author of the article, it was John W. Gardner (American – Educator, 1912 –  2002 ).  Check out Gardner’s quotes – they are marvelous.    Then, I googled the above statement and it led me to an article from which I have reproduced some excerpts below, that provide some of the kind of advice / suggestions for action I was hoping to provide.  The ideas do not directly action to address the problem of the Alliance of Bias, rather just about taking action in general – but they hopefully can generate some possible approaches in overcoming the Alliance of Bias peril.

Thanks for reading my write up to document, expose, confront, and lessen the impact and control of the Alliance of Bias. As a first step of action please pass this article on to as many people as you can, especially to those who may not have known about the blatant coverup of Hunter Biden’s laptop discovery – that exposed Hunter’s business deals and his father’s awareness of them. These deals stemmed out of his trips with then Vice President Joe Biden to China and the Ukraine.   And paradoxically clearly exposed the three pronged attack on freedoms by the Alliance of Bias.

Yours Truly,  Larry Von Thun

Excerpts from: Citizen’s Toolbox: What You Can Do to Save America (2020) – By John Whitehead

Where do we fit in? Do we have any say in what happens in our nation? Can we write our own ending? Or are we nothing more than actors in a play whose ending has already been determined? I, for one, believe that as long as there is a spark of freedom left, there is hope.

There is no better time to act than the present. Fear, apathy and escapism will not carry the day. It is within our power to make a difference and seek corrective measures. Yet it is not merely that we should make a difference. Rather, we are compelled—required, if you will—to attempt in a nonviolent way to make a difference. We must be willing, if need be, to stand and fight.

What Can You Do?
 While there is no “how to” book for taking a stand against the loss of our freedoms and effectively resisting authoritarianism, there are certain things that are common to every successful struggle.

1. Get educated. Before you can stand and fight, you must understand what you’re fighting for and what you will be going up against. Without knowledge, very little can be accomplished. Thus, you must know your rights. Take time to read the Constitution, something very few Americans have ever done. Study and understand history because the tales of those who seek power and those who resist them, as you will see, is an age-old one. The Declaration of Independence is a testament to this struggle and the revolutionary spirit that overcame tyranny. Understand the vital issues of the day so that you can be cognizant of the threats to freedom. Stay informed about current events and legislation by way of television, the Internet and a variety of newspapers.

2. Get involved. One of the most important contributions an individual citizen can make is to become actively involved in local community affairs, politics and legal battles. As the adage goes, “Think globally, act locally.” America was meant to be primarily a system of local governments, which is a far cry from the colossal federal bureaucracy we have today. Yet if our freedoms are to be restored, understanding what is transpiring practically in your own backyard—in one’s home, neighborhood, school district, town council—and taking action at that local level must be the starting point.

Call, write letters, sign petitions, visit their offices—do whatever it takes to get their attention and remind them that they are your representative and, thus, accountable to you. In all my years of working with various members of Congress, it has never ceased to amaze me how little input these men and women receive from the average citizen before casting their vote on legislation that will inevitably impact their constituents. One of the most powerful tools available to the individual, and individuals organized as a group, is the ballot box. If your representatives do not heed your advice on the central issues, then work to unseat them. This may involve running your own candidate. In this way, the ordinary citizen can affect the political process. Do not, however, make the mistake of thinking that politics is the only avenue for enacting change. Sometimes, you will need to take direct action rather than waiting on the bureaucrats to make a move.

3. Get organized. In going up against a more powerful adversary, it is critical that you understand your strengths and weaknesses and tap into your resources. Remember the analogy of the elephant and the ant: you can overcome the behemoth with enough cunning, skill and organization. Play to your strengths and assets. Conduct strategy sessions to develop both the methods and ways to attack the elephant. Prioritize your issues and battles. Don’t limit yourself to protests and paper petitions. Think outside the box. Time is short, and resources are limited, so use your resources in the way they count the most.

4. Be creative. Be bold and imaginative, for this is guerilla warfare—not to be fought with tanks and guns but through creative methods of dissent and resistance. Creatively responding to circumstances will often be one of your few resources if you are to be an effective agent of change. Every creative effort, no matter how small, is significant. As Jason Salzman points out in his book Making the News, “you need to nurture a war-room attitude, infused with creativity.” Salzman asks,

Would you dress in a pink ostrich costume and tell politicians to get their heads out of the sand? You might be hesitant to do such things, but others, as you will see, were not. They succeeded in getting their point across when more traditional methods might have been less effective. This is what it means to think outside of the box. Even with limited resources, such creative acts will not only get people’s attention, they will also attract the media’s attention and help you get your message to a larger audience. “The most imaginative and theatrical people are going to win,” remarked Colin Covert, a feature reporter at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. “Don’t expect good intentions to get you space. The fact that you’re trying to fight cancer is great, but it’s not news. If you do something interesting, we’ll write about it.”

5. Use the media. Effective use of the media is essential. Attracting media coverage not only enhances and magnifies your efforts, it is also a valuable education tool. It publicizes your message to a much wider audience. It is through the media—television, newspapers, Internet sites, bloggers and so on—that people find out about your growing resistance movement. Media coverage also alerts the people to many issues they may not otherwise know about. As Salzman notes, “Successful media campaigns are, above all else, entertaining. That doesn’t necessarily mean amusing. In fact, some successful media campaigns are disgusting. But whether amusing or disgusting—they are engaging, and that is the key synonym for entertainment in the news business.”

6. Start brushfires for freedom. Take heart that you are not alone. You come from a long, historic line of individuals who have put their beliefs and lives on the line to keep freedom alive. What’s more, recognize that you don’t have to go it alone. Engage those around you in discussions about issues of importance. Challenge them to be part of a national dialogue. As I have often said, one person at a city planning meeting with a protest sign is an irritant. Three individuals at the same meeting with the same sign are a movement. You will find that those in power fear and respect numbers. This is not to say that lone crusaders are not important. There are times when you will find yourself totally alone in the stand you take. However, an army of ants creates the impression that not only are you not alone, but that something bigger is involved. There is power in numbers. Politicians understand this. So get out there and start drumming up support for your cause.

7. Take action. Be prepared to mobilize at a moment’s notice. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re located or what resources are at your disposal. What matters is that you recognize the problems and care enough to do something about them. Whether you’re 8, 28 or 88 years old, you have something unique to contribute. Radford Lyons certainly did his part to raise awareness about contaminated well water in Pike County, Kentucky. Appearing at a public hearing where a debate was underway over extending water lines out to homes in an area of contaminated wells, the 8-year-old pressed the point home when he offered hearing officials free lemonade made from the contaminated well water. By the end of the hearing, one official had promised to have the lines constructed. As young Radford proved, you don’t have to be a hero. You just have to show up and be ready to take action.

8. Be forward-looking. Beware of being so “in the moment” that you neglect to think of the bigger picture. Develop a vision for the future. Is what you’re hoping to achieve enduring? Have you developed a plan to continue to educate others about the problems you’re hoping to tackle and ensure that others will continue in your stead? Take the time to impart the value of freedom to younger generations, for they will be at the vanguard of these battles someday.

9. Develop fortitude. What is it that led to the successful protest movements of the past headed by people such as Martin Luther King? Resolve. King refused to be put off. And when the time came, he was willing to take to the streets for what he believed and even go to jail if necessary. King risked having an arrest record by committing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. That’s how much Martin Luther King cared about his fellow human beings. He was willing to sacrifice himself. But first, he had to develop the intestinal fortitude to give him the strength to stand and fight. If you decide that you don’t have the requisite fortitude, find someone who does and back them. A caveat is appropriate here. Before resorting to nonviolent civil disobedience, all reasonable alternatives should be exhausted. If there is an opportunity to alter the course of events through normal channels (for example, negotiation, legal action or legislation), they should be attempted.

10. Be selfless and sacrificial. Freedom is not free—there is always a price to be paid and a sacrifice to be made. If any movement is to be truly successful, it must be manned by individuals who seek a greater good and do not waver from their purposes. It will take boldness, courage and great sacrifice. Rarely will fame, power and riches be found at the end of this particular road. Those who travel it inevitably find the way marked by hardship, persecution and strife. Yet there is no easy way. As the abolitionist Frederick Douglass remarked in an 1857 speech:

The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

11. Remain optimistic and keep hope alive.  Although our rights are increasingly coming under attack, we still have certain freedoms. We can still fight back. We have the right to dissent, to protest and even to vigorously criticize or oppose the government and its laws. The Constitution guarantees us these rights. In a country such as the United States, a citizen armed with a knowledge of the Bill of Rights and the fortitude to stand and fight can be that single ant that overcomes the elephant. But it will mean speaking out when others are silent.

It won’t be easy, but take heart. And don’t give up. Practice persistence, along with perseverance, and the possibilities are endless. You can be the voice of reason. Use your voice to encourage others. Much can be accomplished by merely speaking out. Oftentimes, all it takes is one lone voice to get things started. So if you really care and you’re serious and want to help change things for the better, dust off your First Amendment tools and take a stand—even if it means being ostracized by those who would otherwise support you.