Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries by Naomi Wolf

8/3/2019 Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries by Naomi Wolf

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iii. protest

how to drive a boycott

Yur grup demcracy cmmands can als drive

pwerul change by rganizing a boycott.

The American Revlutin began with a byctt.Ater the Stamp Act impsed extra taxes n gds in the

clniesinuriating clnists wh were arnted by tax-

atin withut representatinthe clnists reacted by re-

using t buy and cnsume tea, abric, and ther gds

imprted rm England.

Capitalism respnds quickly and inexrably t market

pressure. In America, the byctt is a legal and ptent

weapn t tweak the bttm line, where vested interests

and crpratins can eel the pressure. Byctts by rdi-

nary Americans, such as the campus-led push during the

1980s t divestwithdraw investments rmracist Suth

Arica, helped lead t the mre racially just demcratic

Suth Arica we are privileged t see tday. In 1998, U.S.citizens rganized mre than 750 ches natinwide t stp

serving swrdsh in their restaurants because cncerns

that the ppulatins the species were being seriusly de-

pleted by market demands. Tw years later, t prtect

swrdsh rm being shed ut, the U.S. gvernment

passed laws that prhibited shing in the areas where they

reprduced. Citizens, accrdingly, ended the ches by-ctt.

C-p America can teach yur cmmand grup hw

t byctt. This rganizatin (http://www.cpamerica


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naomi wolf

.rg/abut/) has a urld strategy: buy, invest, byctt, de-

mand change. Accrding t the leaders C-p America:

Any cncerned grup can call a byctt and any cn-

sumer is a ptential byctter. I yu buy things, yu have

the pwer nt t buy. I yur riends and neighbrs are

amng the target custmers r a specic prduct r in-

dustry, yu are in a very pwerul psitin indeed.

Investments yu have bught can als be used t

drive change. A majrity Americans wn stck, and yu

can use the stck yu wneven i it is nly a small

amuntt drive a sharehlder reslutin. A sharehlder

reslutin happens when sharehlders get tgether t de-

mand a curse crrectin by a crpratin by putting it

ut r a sharehlder vte. Sharehlder reslutins have

helped bring abut such immense changes as divestment

in apartheid-era Suth Arica; because such actins,cmpanies such as Nike have had t ace their explitive

use sweatshps and been rced by rdinary peple t

ensure that cnditins in Nikes actries are nt abusive.

Accrding t byctt mvement leader Tdd Putnam,

Byctts used t take between ve and ten years t get re-

sults, but nw they take abut tw. Thats because theyre

better rganized and get mre media attentin: crpra-tins recgnize the damage ptential much earlier.

additional resources

How to Drive a Boycott

C-p America: http://www.cpamerica

.rg/abutonline NewsHur website that lists all dis-

cussins and prtests natinwide that

emerged rm a byctt: http://www.pbs.rg/


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Give Me Liberty

newshur/bb/law/jan-june06/immigratin2_

05-01.html

Natinal Black Byctt Inrmatin Bureau

(NBBIB): http://www.nbbib.rg/

Byctts.rg: http://www.byctts.rg

once yu have run yur successul byctt and beaten

Gliath, yu will want t register yur success at http://

www.byctts.rg t inspire thers. Yur demcracy cm-mand grup must take t the streets.

G t the Ls Angeles chapter the Natinal Lawyers

Guilds website t cnsult the sectin entitled Yur Right

t Demnstrate and Prtest (http://nlg- la.rg/). Marjrie

Chn, wh runs the Natinal Lawyers Guild, ers the l-

lwing guidelines r hw yu can prtest. These apply t

Calirnia, but yur wn cmmunitys guidelines are alsavailable rm the Natinal Lawyers Guild.

how to take to the streets (mj c)

Marjorie Cohn is the president o the National Lawyers Guild, a

criminal deense attorney, and a proessor at Thomas Jeerson

School o Law. She publishes extensively in the academic and

popular press about criminal justice, U.S. oreign policy, and

human rights and provides commentary or local, regional, na-

tional, and international media. Her articles are archived at

http://www.marjoriecohn.com.

Can your right to speak out be restricted because what you want

to say could be considered controversial?

N. The First Amendment prhibits restrictins based n

the cntent speech. But yur lcal plice and gvern-


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naomi wolf

ment cials are allwed t place certain nn-discrimina-

try and narrwly drawn restrictins n when, where, and

hw yu can exercise yur First Amendment rights.

Is there a specic location in town where you are entitled to use

your First Amendment rights to speak and protest?

Generally, all types expressin are cnstitutinally pr-

tected in traditinal public rums such as public side-walks and parks. In ther wrds, yu are ree t say

anything yu want in public spaces. Usually, yu d nt

need a permit t picket r prtest n the sidewalk, in a

park, r in rnt a gvernment building s lng as yu

allw pedestrians t pass n the sidewalk and yu bey all

trac rules. Yu can march in public streets subject t

reasnable permit cnditins, which means that yu needa permit i yu want the street clsed t vehicular trac

r yur parade r prtest. That is, like the prKrean

reugee and pr-Tibet grups, yu will need t get a per-

mit rm the mayrs ce, and they cant unreasnably

deny it t yu. Yu can als use yur right t ree speech

in public lcatins such as the plazas in rnt gvern-

ment buildings which the gvernment has pened up t

similar speech activities.

Is there anything else you need to know to keep your

rally on track?

Generally ree speech activity, meaning yur rally, canttake place n smenes private prperty i the wner

that prperty des nt cnsent t it.

The Natinal Lawyers Guild ntes that sme kinds

events require permits: i yur march r parade is nt


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ging t stay n the sidewalk, r i yu plan t blck tra-

c r streets, r i yur city requires sund permits r a

rally that will need a sund ampliying device such as abullhrn r sund system. Many permit rdinances let -

cials cnstrain the rute a march r the level ampli-

catin yur sund equipment makes. Yu may need t

le r thse permits sme weeks r mnths in advance

yur rally. Hwever, the gd news is that the First

Amendment prhibits such advance-ntice requirementsrm being used t prevent spntaneus rallies r dem-

nstratins that are rapid respnses t unreseeable and

recent events, such as a plice shting r bmbing an-

ther cuntry.

Can you pass out leaets and other written material

on public sidewalks?

Yes. Yu can apprach pedestrians n public sidewalks and

give them leafets, newspapers, r petitins. Yu are als

ree t ask them r mney dnatins, but sme cities limit

ace-t-ace slicitatins r mney n the spt. Check yurlcal rdinances. Yu can set up tables t help yu d this

as lng as yu dnt blck peples way r blck building

entrances.

Can you be silenced if you provoke the crowd?Generally, n. Even the mst infammatry speaker cannt

be punished r merely inciting the audience. A speaker

can be arrested and cnvicted r incitement nly i he r

she specically advcates vilence r illegal actins and

nly i thse illegalities are imminently likely t ccur. Yu

culd run a rally with signs that say sANBERNARDINo sCHooLS


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naomi wolf

sUCK as lng as yu dnt tell yur listeners t attack the

schl bard members.

Do counterdemonstrators have free speech rights?

Yes. Althugh cunterdemnstratrs shuld nt be al-

lwed t physically disrupt the event they are prtesting,

they d have the right t be present and t vice their

views. I anther grup runs a cuntermarch with signssaying s AN BERNARDINo sCHooLS DoNT sUCK, they are per-

ectly ree t d s. The plice may keep tw antagnistic

grups separated but shuld allw them t be within the

general vicinity each ther.

Is heckling protected?

In general, heckling is prtected, unless hecklers are at-

tempting t physically disrupt an event, r unless they are

drwning ut the ther speakers.

What other types of free speech actions are constitutionallyprotected?

The First Amendment cvers all rms cmmunicatin

including music, theater, lm, and dance. The Cnstitu-

tin als prtects actins that symblically express a view-

pint.

Yu can, say, wear masks and cstumesyu can wearanything yu wantr hld a candlelight vigil. It may be

rude but the Cnstitutin des nt say yu have t be p-

lite. Yu can burn an American fag r the president in e-

gy. It is prtected by the First Amendment but culd be

prhibited by lcal laws that prevent burning bjects with-


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Give Me Liberty

ut certain prtectins against re. Again, this is ging t

be a lcal law, s check with yur lcal Guild lawyers. The

rules r prtesting n ederal prperty may be signi-cantly dierent rm yur lcal city and state laws, s be

sure t check.

staging a protest

Chse a signicant venue. Think abut a lcatin that

will be mst eective. It shuld be symblic, the way Bs-

tn Harbr was symblic the ght against taxed im-

prts.

Lk interesting. Almst every prtest I have attended

as an adult in the U.S. was uncverable visually because

there was nthing interesting happening r cameras t

capture. Peple were dressed in bring ways, hlding br-ing signs, and saying bring things. The great prtests had

clr, a mass unirmity, r a mass spectacle, and used

theater, music, and humr.

Yu want t have clr s that yu will be n the rnt

page yur newspaper r s that tage yur prtest

will make gd TV news clips. I yu are prtesting r the

Cnstitutin, r instance, have everyne dress in red,

white, and blue; that will guarantee a rnt- page image

rather than ne n a black- and-white inside page.

Use theater. Rn Paul supprters tend t have at least

ne attendee dressed as an eighteenth- century patrit, in

waistcat, wig, and breeches.

Bring music. Tdays prtest leaders tend t talk andtalk. Sing instead. The great prtest marches used the

singing the marchers t upliting eect and included

prtest sngs, lk sngs, natinal ballads, r spirituals.

Hld hands. Civil rights marchers ten held hands.


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naomi wolf

The Estnians actually entwined their hands, creating lines

peple that culd nt be brken. It is harder r agents

prvcateurs t claim that a crwd has instigated vilencei they are peaceully hlding hands.

additional resources

Staging a Protest

Prtest against war: http://pax.prtest.net/

Natinal Lawyers Guild: http://nlg-la.rg

Prtest.Net: http://prtest.net/

how to be safe as you protest

T prtect yursel at the prtest, yu can:

Wear a bulletpr vest, which will prtect

yu rm bdy blws and, t sme extent,

rm Tasers. These are available at sprting-

gds stres.

Wear a bike helmet r a hard hat t prtect

yur head rm blws and Taser shcks.

Wear wrk glves and strng hiking r wrk

bts r the same reasns.

Carry a camera t dcument any plice vi-

lence yu see at the event. Try t learn the

name the cer invlved and write it

dwn n a small pad yu can keep in yur

pcket. Als, write dwn a descriptin thevilence and get the names any witnesses

as sn as yu can.


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arrest

Mst plice cers are devut patrits and d nt wish t

beat r terrrize citizens r rce them int narrw nn-

spaces r prtest activity, but lcal regulatins have cm-

pelled them t d s. As a result, i yu break restrictive

permit requirements, which I argue yu must, they may

need t arrest yu.

Nw what? It is illegal r yu t d anything that can

be cnstrued as resisting arrest. I a plice cer takesyu ut the crwd and says Yu are under arrest, g

quietly. This is nt the mment t ght. Yu may be placed

in handcus in rnt yur bdy r cued with yur

hands behind yur back. Yu may be put in a plice car

the cer will prbably push yu in with a hand n the

tp yur head; this is t prtect yur skullr in a

paddy wagn with ther prtesters. Judges want the argument abut whether an arrest

was warranted t take place ater the altercatin, between

lawyers, and nt in the street, between plice and pr-

testers.

When the plice seize yu, Try t stay calm. I yu

struggle at all, even i yu lie n the street and reuse t

mve, it can be cnsidered resisting arrest.

When yu are arrested, stay silent, but d give yur

name and address. The plice have the right t pat yu

dwn t see i yu are carrying a weapn, but they may

nt search yu until they have rmally placed yu under

arrest. I yu think yu might be arrested, yu shuld,

curse, nt be carrying illegal drugs. Dnt carry sharp b-jects any kind, as these can be classied as weapns, and

dnt carry n yu names r phne numbers yur

riends. Hwever, keep yur lawyers number memrized.


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once yu have been put in a plice car r van, dnt

try t escape r try t persuade the plice t release yu.

When yu arrive at the plice statin, yu must ask t callyur lawyer. Yu cant cunt n smene else giving yu

cins r access t a ree phne; have a cell phne, calling

card, r pcket change n yu. Ask a riend t bring as

much mney as pssible dwn t the curthuse where

yu will be taken. I yu are nt tld which curthuse it

is, tell yur riend the name the precinct statin where

yu are being held. Yur riend shuld als call yur law-

yer r the deense cmmittee that is verseeing yur pr-

test and arrest. The lawyer will meet yu either at the

precinct statin r in curt, depending n hw serius the

charge is yu are acing.

Yu will nt be permitted t take ntes, s try t re-

member the name the cer wh arrested yu, the timeand place where the arrest tk place, and any pssible

witnesses that yur lawyer will want t speak t. I yu

cant nd r ard an attrney, a Legal Aid lawyer will be

prvided r yu r ree.

At the arraignment yu will hear the charges that will

be pressed against yu. Yu will be tld yur curt date

and what bail yu will need t pst. Yur riend shuld ar-

rive with a ew hundred dllars tward yur bail; i the

bail is higher, there are bail bndsmen clse t the curt-

huse wh will lend yu the balance r a ee i ther re-

spnsible peple csign the lan. once yu are bailed ut

yu shuld be in cntact with a private attrney r the

duratin yur case.Yu will be read yur Miranda rights. This means that

yu must be tld by the plice cer arresting yu that

yu have the right t remain silent and t cnsult with


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yur cunsel. I the plice questin yu withut having

read yu yur Miranda rights, it means that nthing yu

say can be used against yu at yur trial. There are smeexceptins t this, and it is als nt true that yur case will

be thrwn ut curt i the plice d nt read yu yur

Miranda rights.

The llwing is rm the audibk Criminal Law

Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System:

After Im arrested, is it ever a good idea to talk to the police?

Nt withut talking t a lawyer rst. Talking t the plice

is almst always hazardus t the health a deense case,

and deense attrneys almst universally advise their cli-

ents t remain silent until the attrney has assessed the

charges and cunseled the client abut case strategy (thatis, gured ut hw t deend the client and let the client

knw).

How do I assert my right to remain silent if I am being

questioned by the police?

Suspects d nt need t use any magic wrds t indicate

that they want t remain silent. Indeed, they dnt have t

use any wrds at all. Arrestees may invke their Miranda

rights by saying things like the llwing:

I want t talk t an attrney.

I reuse t speak with yu.

Please leave me alne.

I dnt have anything t say.

I claim my Miranda rights.


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naomi wolf

I yu make a statement vluntarily bere yu are

read yur Miranda rights, it can be admitted int evidence

at yur trial. Many peple wh are arrested ignre theMiranda warning and talk t cers when they shuldnt;

they eel psychlgically vulnerable, intimidated by jail

cnditins, and wish t please thse nw seemingly in

cntrl their lives. Be aware all these tactics, andjust

dont talk withut yur lawyer present.

When yu have been released n bail, yu may needt keep talking t the media. Yur arrest and the issues

yu have raised can becme a cause clbre in yur cm-

munity. I yur cncerns are meaningul t yur neigh-

brs, bth supprt and criticism may cme puring in.

Perhaps thers are rganizing a cuntermvement. They

may even start saying and writing negative things abutyu and yur grup. This is all great, it is air game, and it

is hw demcracy is suppsed t wrk.

the permit system [h b]

Heidi Boghosian is the executive director o the National Lawyers

Guild. She is cohost o the weekly civil liberties radio show Law

and Disrder on Pacifca-WBAI in New York and several na-

tional afliates. She has published articles and law reviews on the

topics o policing, protest, dissent, and capital punishment. Her

book reviews have appeared in The Federal Lawyer and the

New Yrk Law Jurnal. She received her law degree rom Tem-ple Law School, where she was editor in chie o the Temple P-

litical & Civil Rights Law Review. She has a masters degree in

mass communication rom Boston University College o Commu-

nication, and an undergraduate degree rom Brown University.

She is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut.


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Give Me Liberty

What is a reasonable permit system that supports free speech?

A reasnable permit system must be cntent-neutral andbased n time, place, and manner actrs such as trac-

cntrl cnsideratins (i.e., n demnstratins in rnt

the public schl rm 3 t 4 p.m., Mnday thrugh Fri-

day, when schl lets ut, r saety reasns). There shuld

be written rdinances r regulatins by which the lcal p-

lice departments issue permits and they shuld cntain

specic and narrwly dened standards. They shuld als

cntain a clearly explained prcess by which permits are

granted. Permitting schemes shuld be narrwly tailred

t meet the gvernments interest in keeping the streets

pen r mvement and leaving alternatives r expres-

sin. They shuld prvide guidelines limiting plice dis-

cretin in granting r denying permits within specic timeperids and cntain a mechanism r appeal denied

permits. Unwritten plicies directing cials t deny per-

mits based n applicants dress, r example, are nt cn-

stitutinal.

Is it a million lawsuits or can we vote to abolish permits?

In mst cities and twns we cannt vte t ablish permits.

We need lawsuits because we need legal remedies t hld

public cials and plice accuntable r vilating ur

cnstitutinal prtectins. Lawsuits are generally the best

rum r expsing unair permitting schemes t the judi-

cial system and the public at large. And when such permitschemes are unair, a judgment by the curt is the best way

t rerm uncnstitutinal permitting plicies and t

bradcast, thrugh the media, that such rerms will take

place.


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naomi wolf

What can wedo as citizens to roll back this proliferation of

permit barriers?Cncerned citizens can ght the prlieratin barriers

t btaining permits by llwing their lcal applicatin

guidelines and applying early. Dnt take n r an answer

i permits are nt granted and yu suspect it is because

the message that will be cnveyed at the rally r demn-

stratin, r because the rganizatin r peple apply-

ing. Demand a written reasn why the permit was denied.

Then take yur stry t the lcal press; shw hw nn-

plitical grups are granted permits r the same lcatin,

such as crpratins r plice athletic leagues. Seek legal

assistance rm prgressive attrneys like the Natinal

Lawyers Guild [r, Zach Heiden adds, yur lcal r na-

tinal ACLU] t challenge permit denials in curt. In therwrds, raise yur vice in the streets, in the press, and in

the curts. Sme grups may decide t g ahead with their

event withut a permit and risk arrest in rder t prpel

their message int the public eye. [Lawyers cant ask citi-

zens t break the law but ther citizens can. Knwing what

I knw nw abut eective prtest, I say we have t be

ready t mass even withut permits and be ready t be ar-

rested.]

What is your wish list for what a mass citizens movement

could do?

Unair laws cntinue t exist because the citizenry desntchallenge them, even i the injustice is rm the lcal twn

hall r plice statin. In the case parade and prtest

permits, a mass mvement needs t start with ging

thrugh the prper applicatin prcess and pinting ut


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Give Me Liberty

its deects. I a twn hall cntinually denies permits t cer-

tain grups, but gives them t thers, get tgether and

ght. Share each stry widely with riends, clleagues, andstrangers. D nt be araid t challenge thse in charge

permits. G t the lcal bdy in charge making deci-

sins and start a petitin r a letter-writing campaign t

draw attentin t fawed plicies. Grassrts mdes

cmmunicatin wrk especially well n the lcal level

wrd muth, lcal fyering in stres and public places.Identiy the injustice and give it a human acethe

lcal amilies killed sldiers are denied a permit t pr-

test the war. Find supprt rm ther like-minded grup

r individuals and expse hw their vices were stifed.

With each victrysmall r largea peples mvement is

brn.

Are permit barriers part of a backlash against citizen speech?

It may appear that there is a backlash simply because mre

grups and individuals are mved t take t the streets t

bradcast their discntent with gvernmental plicies, andthe gvernment is ghting back with mre sphisticated

strategies than decades ag. Making the prcess btain-

ing permits mre dicult is ne thse strategies de-

signed t discurage public dissent. Anther is treating

prtesters as criminals. The plice have upped their arse-

nal weapnry used t accmpany large mass demnstra-tins, and the mass media is cmplicit in depicting

prtesters as disrupters r deviants. It prtrays prtesters

as vilent and shws striking images weapn-bearing

plice cers in rit gear well in advance given events.

[Marjrie Chn adds: The Natinal Lawyers Guild

has mnitred gvernmental intererence with First


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naomi wolf

Amendment activities in the street r ver ur decades.

They have dcumented an rchestrated pattern by which

lcal gvernments arund the cuntry engage in tactics

that make it daunting r dicult t engage in plitical

speech. Such tactics include impsing exrbitant permit

ees r asking r depsits in the amunt a citys esti-

mated cst plice prtectin and cleanup. or lcal au-

thrities may cause undue delays in the granting permits

s that rganizers cannt make plans and publicize theevents. Municipalities may deny permits altgether, r pass

rdinances placing unreasnable r undue restrictins n

marches and public demnstratins.

The requirement that liability insurance be taken ut

by demnstratrs bere a permit is granted is anther

way that authrities make it cstly r dicult t secure

permits r cnstitutinally prtected events. oten spn-

sring grups cannt ard the thusands dllars such

insurance csts.

When challenged in curt, many these tactics are

und t be uncnstitutinal and an unlawul intererence

with ree speech. Such unlawul practices are dangerus t

a demcracy because they may intimidate r discurageAmericans rm taking t the streets t vice their view-

pints. The unirmity such strategies arund the cun-

try, and the relentless applicatin tactics suggest a highly

rganized threat t civil liberties.]

how to speak in any public context

Practice at hme. Stand straight and tall. When yu stand

up straight, it pens ut yur thrat and rib cage and ex-

pands yur lungs, allwing yur true vice t emerge rm

deep in yur chest. Place a hand n yur diaphragm. This


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is an area abut three inches belw yur heart, right be-

tween where yur ribs start t bend away rm the breast-

bne. Yu want this area t vibrate when yu speak. Feel

hw, when yu drp yur vice s that it emerges rm

yur diaphragm rather than higher in yur chest r

thrat, yu can prject naturally much arther.

Keep yur speech simple. And speak rm the heart.

The biggest mistakes speakers make include cuching

their remarks in generalizatins, using jargn, getting tcmplicated, and ging n t lng.

Yu want yur speech t be as shrt as pssible. Giving

a specic example is always better than a generalizatin,

and a human stry is always better than an abstractin.

Rather than annuncing Particulates in the air have a

negative eect n ur childrens respiratry systems, tellyur audience abut a single child yu knw Alex,

wh is seven and is in rst grade, and wh really wants t

be well enugh t play stball this spring with his riends,

but wh was hspitalized twice this winter r breathing

prblems. Yu can mve rm a human stry t a general

pintAsthma in ur cmmunity is up twenty percent

and we nw knw whybut r heavens sake, dnt ne-glect the individual stry.

I yu are a nurse, dnt use medical jargn

Children are cmpelled t raise the level preventive

treatment t manage their reactivity t particulates. In-

stead say, our kids have t take sterids t keep them

rm getting sick just rm breathing the air. I yu are anactivist, dnt use activist jargnBy being inclusive and

practive as a diverse cmmunity cnsisting varius in-

terest grups in calitin, we can prevail. Say, We can

win this ght tgether. I yu are a businesspersn, dnt

use business jargnand s n.


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Use Angl-Saxn rather than Latinate wrds wherever

pssible. Angl-Saxn wrds tend t be punchier, shrter,

mre cllquial, and mre vivid: push, win, run,ght, hpe. Latinate wrds are ancier, mre abstract,

and mre intellectual: prblematize, advcate, cn-

ceptualize. Gvernment websites are death t llw be-

cause they tend t be written in Latinate language: select

rather than chse; assist rather than help.

Chse in advance the three things yu want t say.

These three things shuld be phrased in sound bites. A

sund bite is ideally memrable, qutable, and punchy.

Yu will give these in yur speech. But as yur mvement

gathers mmentum, yu may be called upn by lcal and

natinal media t be a spkespersn. Yu can cntract

yur three sund bites r a three-minute TV interview r

expand them with details and examples r a twenty-minute public-aairs radi interview, but yur jb is t

knw them and get them acrss each time. Message disci-

pline means sticking t yur message n matter the venue

and sending it ut resh each time as i r the rst time, s

that yu are sure, n matter what yur interviewer thrws

at yu, yu have gtten it acrss.

As is true yur p-ed, yu want t pen a speechwith a hk, smething that grabs the audiences atten-

tin. This can be a relevant jke, sme startling inrma-

tin, an accunt a recent news event, r, ne my

avrites, a cntrarian statement. The hk lets yur lis-

tener knw that he r she needs t pay attentin.

Then yu make yur rst assertin; expand it by ex-

plaining it urther r giving examples. Then cnclude

it. Let yur audience hear the punctuatin. Pause when

there is a cmma. Let yur vice get strnger when there

is a perid. Pause lnger between paragraphs. It makes


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Give Me Liberty

audiences uneasy i yu rush r speak in run-n sentences,

because its hard t llw them. Pwerul speakers have

a strng internal lgic in their speeches and always let

the listener knw where they are. Again, as in an p-ed

piece, use transitins t link thughts lgically. Transitins

can include such phrases as Nt nly that . . . r Even

mre seriusly . . . r I that desnt make yu mad

enugh . . .

Transitins can be as basic as I am ging t tell yuthree things that need t change i ur kids are ging t

breathe easier. The rst thing is . . . The secnd thing . . .

and s n. Yur transitins are like the string n which

yu assemble the beads yur argument, r the stairs by

which the listener ascends the dierent stries yur ar-

gument. Then yu er yur listeners actin stepswhat

the audience must d t take actin. And, nally, yu give

them yur cnclusin. Here is where yu can use varius

rhetrical devices that always wrk. Yu can use a tech-

nique rm Greek rhetric called anapraxis, which means

repeating the pening phrases as yu build up the excite-

ment: Will we let ur air get dirtier and dirtier? Will we

sit by as ur kids get sicker and sicker? or will we d sme-thing abut it?

Yu can use call and respnse technique:

Are yu with me?

Yes!

Are we ging t clse this plant dwn?

Yes!

End with yur strngest sentence. By strengthening

yur vice t its ullest at the very end yur speech, yur

audience understands that this is the climax yur re-

marks. It will trigger their applause. In classical rhetric,

this is called the crescend.


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But i this technique is nt natural t yu and yu

are a mre quiet persnality, dnt pretend t be sme-

thing yure nt. Yu can als use a mre meditativecnclusinasking the audience, r instance, t imagine

a cmmunity in which the air is always clean and a child

never misses a day play because asthma. Yu can cn-

clude with a quieter hpe r wish. This is als eective and

it is called a diminuend.

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Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries by Naomi Wolf

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