we used to call this kind of strategy, "Mau Mauing the Flack Catchers." Google it.

The question in my mind -- and this question has been in my mind since I saw the first of such 9/11 confrontation videos back in May of 2006 -- is, IS IT STRATEGICALLY EFFECTIVE? The first ones I saw had certain Bay Area "advocates" in audiences with members of the 9/11 Commission. The "advocates" would at a certain point blow a whistle loudly to stop whatever was going on, stand up, yell something confrontational at the speaker and then, naturally, get escorted by security out of the hall all the while yelling stuff that made them look like total nut cases -- and all the while being filmed for broadcast on YouTube. At the time all this was met with wild applause from people around me but, to myself, I had to wonder. Clearly if someone wanted to make us LOOK LIKE the "nut cases" they were calling us -- here they had plenty of rude example to point to.

Personally, I don't care whether or not something is "confrontational" -- sometimes confrontation is what is needed. Sometimes it is THE ONLY thing that works or gets the attention you need. But, then again, sometimes it isn't what is needed. Sometimes what is needed is something more creative. I once suggested that if a group of advocates wanted to reach local media personalities or small, independent journalists -- what they needed to do was not scream at them in an US/THEM kind of way but invite them out for pizza. Or, better yet, have a pot luck -- with screenings and information. Put together a program, make them feel welcomed -- like a church social -- and then show them the evidence.

Shocking just to shock doesn't interest me. What interests me are STRATEGIES THAT WORK. However, if we're going to talk about "strategies" that work, we also have to ask the question WHAT IS THE INTENTION? What is it we are trying to achieve? If the intention is to get the people being confronted to ask questions, to become interested in this subject, get them sympathetic to our cause -- then yelling and screaming at them in public through bull-horns isn't going to do that. Guaranteed. What it does is it makes them DEFENSIVE. On the other hand, if the intention IS to embarrass them, make a public spectacle that people can giggle at on YouTube -- OR *if your intention is to make 9/11 advocacy look like a POTENTIALLY VIOLENT activity* -- that, too, is successfully achieved by this sort of confrontation.

It really all depends on what you want. I can tell you that back in the Sixties the establishment went so far out of their way to demonize the anti-war Left as DOMESTIC TERRORISTS that the FBI allowed the Weather Underground to remain "unaprehended" for YEARS. I guess they were more use to their social-perception control strategy running loose and blowing up unoccupied Federal buildings than they would have been behind bars. And I believe similar operatives created the SLA (the Symbionese Liberation Army that murdered Markus Foster, a black Oakland Schoolboard Superintendent as their first "act" of "radical" revolution and then, subsequently, kidnapped and held for ransom, Patricia Hearst for months) out of a Solidad mind-control experiment. I mean, FIELD MARSHAL SINQUE "THEY CALL ME SIN FOR SHORT"? Give me a break!! THESE sorts of "strategies," picked up by the corporate media and broadcast with THEIR SPIN on them to the rest of the US population had the cumulative effect of destroying the anti-war and social justice movement in this country and painting the Left into the "LOONY" corner from which they've yet to emerge, even today. THIS (by the by) is one of the reasons Left "gate keepers" are so suspicious of the whole 9/11 issue and how it is being handled.

My POV, of course, yours may vary.

Another news item from the upside-down world:
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/03/01/1337304-ship-built-with-wtc-ste...

Ship Built With WTC Steel Christened

The USS New York, an amphibious assault ship built with scrap steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center, was christened Saturday as a source of strength and inspiration for the nation.
Thousands of people, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, gathered near the hulking gray ship, trimmed in red, white and blue banners.
The bow stem, which contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site, bore a shield with two gray bars to symbolize the twin towers and a banner over that declaring "Never Forget," a slogan among New Yorkers.
"May God bless this ship and all who sail on her," Dotty England said before smashing a bottle of champagne against it, producing a loud thump to go with the spurting liquid and flying streamers.
Story after story of lives lost in, and touched by, the attacks peppered the ceremony, held under the blazing sun and broadcast on large screens. It all brought back painful memories for New York Police Lt. Matt Murphy. But the reason for his being here, though, was a source of pride, he said.
"I tell you, it's a fantastic day. Sometimes you think you're over something," he said, his eyes welling up as he looked off toward the ship, "and then you realize you're not completely."
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, husband to Dotty, told the crowd that ship names provide a legacy, and that for their crews they serve as a source of strength and inspiration.
When the attacks occurred, the ship was planned but had no name. Then-New York Gov. George Pataki asked the Navy to commemorate the disaster by reviving the name New York. That required an exception to Navy policy of assigning state names only to nuclear submarines.
The steel from the towers is now part of the ship that splices through the water, leading the way.
"It resurrects the ashes, so to speak, to do great things for our nation," said Bill Glenn, a spokesman for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, the ship builder.
Along with the steel from one of the worst terrorist attacks in the U.S., it also survived one of the nation's worst natural disasters: Hurricane Katrina.
The ship motivated many of the Avondale shipyard workers to return to the job, even though many lost their homes in the 2005 storm.
The billion-dollar, 25,000-ton vessel is 684 feet long, 105 feet wide. It is the fifth in a new class of warship, designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It can carry a crew of about 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.
USS New York's prospective commanding officer is Cmdr. F. Curtis Jones, a native New Yorker. It is to be commissioned, essentially added to the fleet, next year. It could be used as part of peaceful missions or as part of war, said Adm. Gary Roughead, the Navy's chief of operations.
That it could be used in war did not bother Lee Ielpi, president of the September 11th Families' Association, whose son, Jonathan, a firefighter, died in the attacks. The ship won't be used for war "unless you bother us," he said in an interview.
"We're sending a message that we're standing strong," he said, adding: "This ship, as it cuts through the water, is going to send a ripple. That ripple will say, 'We cherish our freedom.'"
Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., said Sept. 11 was a turning point in the nation, and will never be forgotten because remnants of the disaster are part of the ship.
"If the USS New York has to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, PCO Jones and his crew ... have my full support," he said to a standing ovation.

Looks like we have our steel evidence back.
As Bugs Bunny might say, “Eeehhh (chomp, chomp) Ironic, ain’t it?”

We Are Change people at these confrontation events! Too often there are only a small handful of people, who are also too loud, and that makes us look fringe. If we can muster up at least 10-15 people, or MORE, all with signs, info, etc, it will have the effect of making us look more mainstream and therefore we would not have to be as loud or aggressive because our numbers would speak for itself. So what does this mean? We need to wake more people up and do more organizing BEFORE attending a confrontational event. I've seen many groups with fairly large numbers out in the streets. Now bring these people into the Clinton events and all the other speaking events. Then let the signs, info, AND hard (but polite and non-aggressive) questions do the talking. Now get to it!

It would be great if all 9/11 patriots performed perfectly and managed to get the message through and at the same time win over the hearts and minds of fellow Americans without the reputation of being abrasive. I also think that bringing up Iraq and the 938 lies the Bush Administration committed, and the free pass Congress has granted, is a great topic for these stump events. But I have been physically attacked by both Hillary supporters and Obama supporters for bringing up the war, not 9/11. In Times Square I was nearly arrested after being attacked by Hillary supporters until the cops finally realized my attack was caught on video and I was actually the victim. So I have to disagree with the notion that 9/11 Truth activists need to switch topics while confronting the politicians to safer topics. I think any protest which is a threat to the establishment will be handled the same. I would recommend switching slogans from "Inside Job" to "'Demand' or Support a New 9/11 Investigation."

There are some good points in this article, and I know there are other points of view.

Let's make a lot of friends. They can agree or disagree to look at the 9/11 evidence. People of decency admire those who graciously take a stand for truth and justice. They may not agree with our position of 9/11 Truth, but they can agree with a genuine concern that emanates in a warm promotion of 911 TRUTH. Let's make friends with people when we reach out.

I have to look at "WHAT AM I DOING PERSONALLY IN ORDER TO PROMOTE 911 TRUTH".

Currently, I personally have given out more than 4,000 DVD/ flyer-info card packets...and the number continues to rise weekly. Joe has done well over 13,000 DVDs handed out.

I talk to people about 9/11 almost daily, trying to introduce the subject in a graceful manner.

I post signs all over the place (telephone poles, stop lights, newspaper bins). "Google 911 TRUTH" "Investigate the 9/11 Coverup" "Proven: Explosives used on 911" [I copy signs on 81/2 X 11 paper at Kinkos.]

I do mailouts to city, county, state, and Federal officials and agencies. (DVD/flyer-info card)

....................my point...if each of us continues to disseminate information, especially on a one-to-one basis...and if we encourage other truthers to do the same... we will lick this 9/11 lie. But it does take getting out there to the public first-hand. One does not need to have to be within a group of people to do this. One can do it on their own...just put that flyer and DVD on a car windshield or in a newspaper bin or give it to the clerk at the store.

I make a lot of friends this way. I have many new friends who are skeptical as hell, but they admire the strength that it takes to deliver the message. I just left a Professor of Chemistry who is a skeptic, but he was joking with me on a close, personal level as a friend now because I promote 911 truth so tenaciously.

Let's make a lot of friends. They can agree or disagree to look at the evidence. People of decency admire those who graciously take a stand for truth and justice. They may not agree with our position of 9/11 Truth, but they can agree with a genuine concern that emanates in a warm promotion of 911 TRUTH.

...so, I am gonna keep doing what I can do. That is my hat.

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If one does not thoroughly LOOK, the TRUTH is not visible.

Ghandi used to take beatings in the street so he got up in people's faces to the point where his oppressors deemed his behaviour to be a little bit too "uncivil", and they in turn dished out a bit of their own "civility" on him. Pussyfooting about and "playing nice" with these scumbags when they lord themselves about in public is the most ineffective approach period, THEY WANT US TO BE BE POLITE WITH THEM! We Are Change has done a tremendous job, individuals not seeing the good they've done by inspiring people to form groups all over the world is just a real shame to me. What We Are Change/TruthAction have done is incredible, so telling people to "cool their jets" is in effect in my opinion to inadvertently try to kill the movement. Civil Disobedience and Non-violent resistance can be manifested in an infinite number of creative and passionate ways, raising one’s voice bravely in public constitutes and is the definition of Civil Disobedience and Non-Violence. I remember thinking that the LA WeAreChange guys went over the top when they confronted Bill Maher and that they did damage to 9/11 Truth in the eyes of the public. But I was wrong about that, it was fantastic in retrospect because it was a perfect example of peaceful noncompliance and a solidly effective demonstration which raised the issue brilliantly. We Are Change/TruthAction get my support ALL THE WAY and I hope nobody cowtows to conformist bullshit like this purely because others are far too pessimistic to see the good proactive actions like getting up in Clinton’s face and letting him know not everyone in the doe eyed crowed that he's staring is still stuck in the Matrix.

Violent agent provocateured action on the other hand is entirely different and it is THAT which we should all be considered and be vigilant about, not peaceful demonstrations and the LEGAL exercising of Free Speech in face of public criminals!