Despite the media's bias, there are things you can do to influence the message that gets sent. We must understand the power and the reach of the mainstream media, and learn how to use it ... for it IS public opinion.

Well, this is it. Wish I was with you, but I support you, and thank you for your courage and determination. (And your action, on behalf of all those who cannot be there.)

I work (for now) in the mainstream media, and get frustrated every time I see a protest covered. Yes, the mainstream does take steps to ignore what is being said. These orders come straight from the top.

However, there are things you can do to counteract this:

Call the GM or News Director of local TV stations, and ask to be interviewed. If they accept, great. Now, show up with something to say, and the FACTS to back up those words.

If denied, thank them anyway, then call all your friends, and hold a NOISY rally in front of the station. Call the station's competitors, and when their cameras arrive (and they will) talk to them.

At the protest itself, SEEK OUT THE CAMERAS. Talk to the reporters. They are looking for the easy story. You must make your views easily-accessible to them. Befriend them. They're just people like you and I. Ask their opinions. I guarantee a lot of them have never even considered the bigger question. Find a way to get through.

Like most people, they want to do the least amount of work possible. Make things easy on them. Give them soundbites they can use, not just angry rants. Back up your words with FACTS, and examples, if possible. Dumb it down (as much as you can, without losing the message) for their audience. You must realize that the general public is not privy to a lot of the information we take for granted.

Insist that they get a wide-shot of the crowd. The camera lens can be very narrow. It's one thing to say "a hundred thousand people", and quite another to show it.

Besides easily-understood protest signs, CARRY FLAGS, not for the country that is, but for the country that should be, the one you were PROMISED. This is not the time to allow people to say that we are "unpatriotic".

If the cops rush you, cover up in the flag. What a different picture it would make, if the police had to beat and arrest people through the flag. You must learn to use the media. We are playing a game with rules the enemy has devised. We must find ways to bend these rules.

If the cops walk in formation, beating on their shields, know that this is a tactic of intimidation. Stand strong, together, and beat in unison with them. Demonstrate your resolve to all those cameras.

Sing & dance to the beating of the shields. Deflate the situation. Steal their power.

In retreat, never run away. This makes us look weak. Bite your tongue against the searing pain of the teargas, ignore the trembling of your hands, and walk calmly away. Don't give the cops the satisfaction.

****** We need A LINE OF DISCIPLINED ACTIVISTS, between the police and those who would resort to violence. A line that will not be moved. Tell the police that you will return the degree of respect given to you. Nothing more, nothing less. ******

"If it bleeds, it leads" is a very real concept. If violence erupts, that's where the cameras will focus. We need their focus to be on us and our message.

Be Ghandi for a day. Be proactive in preventing violence. Explain to those who want to fight, that their energy would be better put to use in some other capacity. Lord knows, I understand the anger and frustration they feel, but violence hurts our cause. The message gets lost.

Act as if your every action is watched, because it is. Make your core beliefs the impetus for your every word and deed.

We must not scare the People. This only hardens them against us. Violence is what the fat men in suits desire. Don't let them win.

TALK to the People, the bystanders, the gawkers. Ask them if they enjoy the world created by an unchallenged Elite. Ask them if this is the world they wish to leave for their children. Make it personal, because it is.

And remember, that you are the Majority, and you are right. There are millions upon millions who support you.

Truth is our ally. We cannot fail, unless we fail to act.

Take care out there.

To a better world?

P E A C E . . .