Posted on 11/04/2009 6:27:08 PM PST by EagleUSA
Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky Vintage; Reissue edition (October 23, 1989) Buy It
An inspiration to anyone contemplating action in their community! And to every organizer!
Saul Alinsky wrote the book on American radicalism - two books, in fact: a 1945 best-seller, "Reveille for Radicals" and "Rules for Radicals" in 1971. The "Reveille" title page quotes Thomas Paine... "Let them call me rebel and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul."
Saul Alinsky, who was a labor and civil-rights activist from the 1910's until he died in 1972, has written here a guidebook for those who are out to change things. He sets down what the goal is: a society where people are free to live, and also aren't starving in the streets. A society where there is legal and economic justice. Then he sets out to say how to get there.
Alinsky spends a lot of time critiquing the idea that "The end does not justify the means." What end? What means? He feels that there are circumstances where one can and should use means that in other circumstances would be unethical. I am not sure I agree, but Alinsky certainly speaks with the voice of experience.
Alinsky's goal seems to be to encourage positive social change by equipping activists with a realistic view of the world, a kind of preemptive disillusionment. If a person already knows what evil the world is capable of, then perhaps the surprise factor can be eliminated, making the person a more effective activist. Alinsky further seems to be encouraging the budding activist not to worry to much about getting his or her hands dirty. It's all a part of the job, he seems to say.
(Excerpt) Read more at nea.org ...
I suspect many conservatives have read it as well, both to understand the tactics of the enemy, and adapt them to other uses.
You can say that again.
Seriously, I suppose we should read this, although I don’t know if I will. I know I read the Communist Manifesto in high school because I thought I should know what the enemy was saying.
Oooops! The server must be slow tonight! Multiple posts. :-) Happens to me when I think I’ve posted and click again because it’s so darned slow.
We will only win when we use their tactics accompanied by something alien to any liberal (er progressive)......truth.
So, we tell the truth, but we back it up with the knowledge, ability, and willingness to play very very dirty when needed.
Let’s start on Frankfurter and the Pelosibitch.
I am reading it right now whenever I get a chance, and I am learning a lot about the liberal mindset.
Oooops! The server must be slow tonight! Multiple posts. :-) Happens to me when I think I’ve posted and click again because it’s so darned slow.
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Bummer — had a lock up on this end. And that is what happened. Sorry for the “stutter”.
No probs. I had a heck of a time getting on last night during the election results. Busy server is BUSY!!! LOL!
Like ‘The Prince’, fail to read it at one’s own peril.
I have a copy and have read it. If anyone wants me to mail it to them I am willing to do it for free. With the caviat that you must give it to a conservative after you are done.
I worked my way through it, and one thing is certain: reading it tells volumes about the people who profess to following it as a bible, especially the ones pushing this health care bill, cap and tax and the rest of it.
It explains a lot. And none of it is good.
I was going to dictate the entire thing and make an audiobook out of it to give to people such as myself who don’t want a single red cent to go to anyone associated with writing, printing or distributing that hideous work, but I couldn’t stomach hearing myself read it in a way that would make it easier on the ears to listen to (To put the inflection in the right places means you have to read it as if you believe it, and I gave up after one chapter.)
It is probably one of the most amoral, twisted works I have ever read. Given that Alinsky wrote a dedication to Lucifer, I shouldn’t be surprised. The dedication was taken out of later editions so as not to offend the clergy he was attempting to recruit, but the version I have still carries it.
From what I can see, reading this book enables one to understand what makes Obama (and his followers) tick.
The very FIRST paragraph exposes very clearly what they are all about: "What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. 'The Prince' was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. 'Rules for Radicals' is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away."
It is unrestricted class warfare, pure and simple. And it is the bible of Obama, Clinton, and many MANY others in this country.
You could tell that Alinsky loved that anecdote. Big surprise there.
That is just Scary!
The UNION “approved to” oversee our children and grandkids wants to replace education with INDOCTRINATION!
I’ll have to read that book.
I’ve been a Heinlein Libertarian for 4 decades...gently trying to adjust the opinions of my friends, and the friends of my children.
Now that the NEA is going beyond “gentle”, I must TOO.
After I read it, I thought another major difference in "The Alinsky Way" versus "The American Way" is this:
Alinsky believes in using our rules of morality and law against us. In his opinion, it is impossible for those who make law to actually abide by the rules and regulations we create. (in his mind, these are simply created by "The Haves" to keep the "Have-Nots" down. No Marxism there...)
According to "The Alinsky Way", it makes the assumption that because humans are fallible by nature, that it IS our nature to BE corrupt and our failure is what defines us and can be used against us.
The key difference is that "The American Way" knows that we are not perfect, and provides a legal and moral framework and structure for us to attempt to follow, knowing that society will be better if we attempt to follow it rather than surrendering to being corrupt.
It is why liberals seem to take such glee in pointing out hypocrisy, and why it only applies in their minds to conservatives. It is their crime of ALL crimes. It is this way in their minds because if you have no standards to be held to, you cannot be accused of hypocrisy if you deviate from those standards.
It is precisely why moral relativism seems to be a basic precept of liberalism.
stutter much?
“Vote early and often”was the way my Irish politico family put it.
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