The Fundamentals of Effective Pro-Life Planning
CHAPTER 3 — THE FUNDAMENTALS OF EFFECTIVE PRO-LIFE PLANNING
American Life League
To give life meaning one must have a purpose larger than self.
Historian Will Durant.
Introduction.
Planning, The Oldest Profession.
The art of planning is almost as ancient as mankind itself. The first human beings congregated in order to plan agricultural activities and hunting and gathering expeditions, and they eventually constructed rudimentary societies complete with laws, ordinances and customs.
Human beings have been planning ever since.
Although planning has been refined to a high art, the basics have always remained constant, regardless of the size of the task(s) to be accomplished or the environment in which the planners are working.
Constructing the Framework.
Every activity that people engage in from a quick grocery run to a complex merger of corporate giants or a major war requires some degree of planning.
Planning is absolutely essential to any type of effective action. The most valuable time spent on any mission, and the one area where a person's best efforts should be expended, will be on initial planning.
The effective planning and execution of a complex task takes place in three general phases;
(1) When planning a relatively complex task, the general context within which the organization's activities will take place must be defined by describing the part the 'players' have in the overall battle or endeavor. This will give them a sense of scale and proportion that will contribute greatly to the improved effectiveness of the group.
(2) After the context has been properly defined, and before any actual planning takes place, the planning framework must be constructed. This consists of defining the six critical elements of the proposed mission.
(3) Finally, detailed planning takes place within a framework of rules and guidelines that have been developed from long experience. These are designed to insure that the planners will realistically assess their resources and make the best use of them. This in turn will yield the greatest chances of success in accomplishing the mission(s). These guidelines are sometimes referred to by military strategists as 'the rules of war.'
This chapter covers these three steps in detail by describing the planning context, the basic aspects of any assignment that must be defined before effective planning can take place, and the principal rules of proper planning.
All of these steps are outlined in Figure 3-1.
FIGURE 3-1
OUTLINE OF THE PLANNING PROCESS
I. DEFINE THE PLANNING CONTEXT.
II. DEFINE THE SIX ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN.
A. The mission.
B. The focus.
C 1. The opposition.
• Pro-abortionists.
• Homosexuals.
• Communist/Socialist/Marxist groups.
• 'Peace, justice and freedom' groups.
• Population controllers.
• Environmentalist/animal rights groups.
• The police.
• Radical college groups.
• Hostile media.
• A biased judiciary.
• Anti-life legislatures.
• Indifferent pastors.
• The "arts" community.
• Anti-life foundations.
C 2. The opposition's strategies and tactics.
• Begging the questions.
• Gradualism.
• The privacy cloak.
• The victim status.
• Infiltration and subversion.
• History revisionism.
• Controlling the schools.
• Transference.
• Unilateral pluralism and censorship.
• Newspeak.
• Slogans.
• Propaganda.
• Illegal activities.
• Violence
D. Available resources.
(1) Inventory current resources.
(2) Acquire inventory shortages.
(3) Conserve resources during the mission.
E. The environment.
F. Pro-life strategy and tactics.
• Picketing.
• Sidewalk counseling.
• Leafletting.
• Sheltering homes.
• Crisis pregnancy centers.
• Rescue missions.
• Prayer.
• Recruiting.
• Debates and presentations.
• Research.
• Legislative and voter action.
• Education.
• Publicity.
• Individual recruiting.
• Church organizing.
• Legal offensives.
• Individual development.
III. PLAN WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF WAR.
(1) Achieve unification of purpose.
(2) Don't dilute your forces pick your battles.
(3) Don't overplan; strike quickly!
(4) Employ strengths against weaknesses.
(5) Maintain security.
(6) Gather intelligence.
(7) Communicate.
(8) Specialize.
(9) Be flexible.
(10) Be imaginative and daring.
THE FIRST STEP IN EFFECTIVE PLANNING:
DEFINE THE PLANNING CONTEXT.
Getting the 'Big Picture.'
Before efficient pro-life planning and action can take place, it is essential for each activist to get a firm grasp of his place and the place of the pro-life movement in general in the abortion battle.
Everyone should recognize that the pro-life movement, as large as it is, occupies only a tiny niche in the universal and eternal war between Good and Evil.
The pro-life movement in the United States consists of hundreds of thousands of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and non-theists who participate in more than a dozen different major baby-saving activities, including rescue missions, picketing, sidewalk counseling, lobbying, legislation, education, recruiting, research, and prayer, and work in crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, and shepherding homes.
However, the fight for preborn babies in the United States is only a small part of the worldwide battle against the forces of death. Although Americans kill 1.6 million babies through surgical abortion each year, these account for only three percent of the one million abortions per week being committed all over the world. Although there are pro-lifers opposing this slaughter in every nation, the movement in the United States is the best-organized and best-equipped to deal with the threat of abortion and its inevitable successor, euthanasia.
This worldwide pro-life movement, in turn, is a small part of the generic Christian mission to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). In addition to rescuing preborn babies and their mothers from abortion, Christians feed the hungry, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, clothe the naked, minister to the oppressed, fight injustice everywhere, and resist homosexual aggression, pornography, prostitution, euthanasia, and other evils. In other words, it is the Christian Church that picks up the pieces after Humanistic social experiments have failed.
But the Christian movement in its entirety, with all of its activities and millions of members, is only the visible part of the eternal Universe-wide struggle between Good and Evil. As human beings, we can only guess at the enormous dimensions of the titanic battle being waged between all of the angels of Heaven and all of the demons of Hell.
Why is a Sense of Proportion Important?
On Godly Motivation. Some people may think that it would be severely demotivating for a person to realize that the importance of his place in the battle between Good and Evil is analogous to a single grain of sand on a limitless beach. After all, we Americans have been conditioned to be winners. We have been taught that the heroes are the leaders and those who have the highest visibility. If a person's role in the overall war is so tiny, what difference will it make if he fights his best or simply sits on the sidelines and watches?
This is the peculiar view of those people who lack faith.
We must remember that if we do not work for good in this world, there is that much less good that will be spread around and we know that this world needs all of the good it can get!
We have not been instructed to dwell upon the importance or significance of our roles. It is our duty to obey our Lord's commands, not to analyze and criticize them. We will never really know the extent of the actual difference our labors have made until the Last Day, when we stand before the Throne of Heaven to be judged. If we labor faithfully in the field, not despairing but always carrying on in faith, we can be sure that our labors will bear abundant fruit, whether it be visible or not. We will not be judged based upon the number or magnitude of wins we have accumulated, but on whether or not we tried to the best of our abilities the abilities that God gave us in order to serve Him.
The Usefulness of the Context.
Once the general context of pro-life activism has been properly defined, activists will have a more realistic view of their role in the pro-life movement and will derive from this a sense of confidence and proportion. They will realize that, although their role is important, they are by no means unique or irreplaceable.
In a world that punishes failure severely in those who pursue personal perfection, it is very comforting to Christians to know that their Heavenly Father is forgiving and merciful to those who love Him. We have the latitude to fail again and again in our pursuit of God's will. After all, we're only human not exotic "New Age" gods and goddesses.
THE SECOND STEP IN EFFECTIVE PLANNING:
DEFINE THE SIX ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN.
Introduction.
Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem.
British novelist and playwright John Galsworthy.[1]
There is no point in a person being pro-life unless he gets out into the world and does something.
After pro-lifers have an accurate view of the context within which they will operate, they must put their beliefs into action and decide what they would like to accomplish.
Once a desired objective has been set, the activists must define the six specific elements of their plan. These elements are listed and explained in Figure 3-2. Figure 3-3 is a planning worksheet that may be duplicated and modified to suit the needs of the individual or group.
FIGURE 3-2
GENERAL PLANNING WORKSHEET:
THE SIX PARAMETERS THAT MUST BE DEFINED AND ACCOUNTED FORPRIOR TO BEGINNING A MISSION
[A medium text size on your computer's 'view' setting is recommended, otherwise, the table may be discombobulated.]
PARAMETER
DEFINITION and EXPLANATION
THE MISSION
(Chapter 1)
The specific objective(s) For Christians, the mission has four
you want to accomplish levels, the highest of which is to
'make disciples of all nations.'
THE FOCUS
The group that you want to Depending upon the scope of the
influence mission, the focus may range in size
from a single individual to an entire
country.
THE OPPOSITION
(Chapters 5 to 19)
Persons and organizations Direct opposition: Pro-abortion and
that will directly or homosexual groups, Neoliberal
indirectly try to stop you 'churches,' the mass media, and a
from accomplishing your hostile 'justice' system.
mission, and the Indirect opposition: An ignorant and
strategies and tactics recalcitrant public, pastors who
that they commonly employ. refuse to get involved, and friends
and others who think that your
slightest involvement in pro-life
activities somehow makes you
a 'fanatic.'
'Enemy' Strategy and tactics:
Gradualism, transference, the victim
status, Newspeak, slogans, violence,
propaganda, and others.
RESOURCES
(Chapters 20 to 24)
Qualities, persons, and Above all, your Faith. Also
equipment that will intangible assets like intelligence,
assist you in accom- experience, skills, and knowledge.
plishing your mission. Finally, tangible assetslike money,
computers, printers, and copiers,
and direct and indirect help
ENVIRONMENT
The conditions under An atmosphere created by indifferent
which you must work society and uninvolved churches that
in order to accomplish takes as its highest goods tolerance,
your mission nonjudgmentalism, and the pursuit of
comfort and ease in order to maximize
'quality of life.'
STRATEGY AND TACTICS
(Chapters 25 to 28)
The methods you employ to Direct action: Rescue missions,
accomplish your mission sidewalk counseling, picketing, crisis
or prevent the 'enemy' pregnancy centers (CPCs), and others.
from accomplishing his Indirect action: Research,
mission recruiting, legal offensives, fund-
raising, debating, education,
and others.
Individual activities: Prayer,
personal development, and recruiting.
FIGURE 3-3
PLANNING WORKSHEET
PARAMETER DESCRIPTION OF PLAN
MISSION
Write a short statement
describing exactly what
you want to accomplish.
Then write a criterion
by which you will measure
your success.
FOCUS
Briefly describe exactly
who you want to influence,
and in what way.
OPPOSITION
List those specific
individuals and groups
that will try to stop you
from accomplishing your
mission, and briefly
describe the strategies
and tactics you believe
they will use and how
you intend to counter
them.
RESOURCES
Briefly describe those
persons and organizations
that will assist you in
accomplishing your mission
and then make a list of
the equipment and other
resources you will need
to accomplish your
mission.
ENVIRONMENT
Briefly describe any
difficult or unusual
conditions under which
you will work and how
you intend to account
for them.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
Briefly outline the
general plan you will
use to accomplish the
mission. Use a time
schedule.
The six specific planning elements are described in the following paragraphs.
A Word on the Terminology.
Many pro-lifers are rather uncomfortable with terms like 'principles of war,' 'mission,' and 'strategy and tactics.' Perhaps these people do not yet realize that they have already enlisted as soldiers in God's army, and that they are fighting in an actual war that literally dwarfs any of those that have ever been fought with trifling earthly weapons.
The use of 'warlike' terminology when describing or planning pro-life activities is entirely appropriate because these terms remind us that we are engaging in authentic battle and also because they are simply the most accurate and descriptive words available.
The First Planning Element: The Mission.
The mission statement is the most important part of any plan, and should be written before anything else is accomplished.
A mission statement consists of two parts: (1) a one- or two-sentence summary of an activity that will be done in order to accomplish or further a specific goal, and (2) a short summary of the criterion that will be used to decide whether or not the mission has been accomplished.
Several examples of pro-life mission statements are listed below.
• Mission: To organize a rescue outreach group, consisting of single people or older married people with no family obligations, that will travel around the country doing rescues in hostile towns like West Hartford, Connecticut and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Success will be measured by whether or not this group is able to support itself for twelve months, engage in numerous rescues when its members are not in jail, and motivate local rescuers to take action.
• Mission: To organize a committee whose purposes are to draft an initiative petition that requires statewide parental notification for abortion, gather signatures for the petition, and successfully run a public campaign endorsing it. Success will be measured by whether or not the measure gets on the ballot; by whether or not it passes and is enacted into law; and by the extent to which the state pro-life movement is mobilized and expanded by the entire process.
• Mission: To have six large churches each cover one weekday of picketing and sidewalk counseling at a local large-volume abortion chamber so that all of its business hours are covered. Success will be achieved if at least two sidewalk counselors are outside the mill during a minimum of 80 percent of its killing hours.
• Mission: To identify local attorneys who will defend rescuers in court either on a pro-bono basis or at greatly reduced fees. Success will be measured by whether or not this search produces a large enough group of committed attorneys possessing the will and resources to simultaneously defend the maximum number of rescuers expected to be in court at any one time.
• Mission: To raise funds to purchase a second-hand printing press that will be used to publish a pro-life newspaper. Success will be measured by whether or not enough money is raised to purchase a press that is capable of handling the maximum expected load of printing jobs.
• Mission: To improve communication and the working relationship between local crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) and sidewalk counselors. Success will be measured by whether or not at least one of the CPCs will be open on Saturday (when the local mills do a lot of abortions), and whether or not CPC workers and sidewalk counselors can work as a team by dispelling the stereotypes they may have about each other.
The Second Planning Element:
The Focus of the Mission.
Definition.
The focus (or 'target') of the mission is that person or group of people whose attitudes or actions will be influenced by the mission if it is successful.
The focus may vary with time, with location, and with the character of the mission as the situation evolves.
The following scenario is an example of how the focus of a mission can constantly shift as the situation evolves.
The Shifting Focus of a Mission.
This scenario describes the selection of a new clinic site in an urban neighborhood by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PP). This situation has been played out hundreds of times in our country, and PP is a master at concentrating its energies on the most vulnerable point in order to reap maximum benefits.
PP's trained functionaries begin their planning process by performing a benefit-cost analysis that will tell them whether or not it is financially and economically feasible to open an abortion mill or a referral clinic in an inner-city neighborhood.
If this analysis yields a positive result, the PP strategists then lay the groundwork for community organizing to resist anticipated pro-life counter efforts. This is done by gathering information on local pro-life groups and individuals to see if they are capable of mounting a sustained and effective counterattack, and by enlisting the aid of local pro-abortion and 'civil rights' groups.
The Local Infiltration.
Next, the PP minions meet with local media outlets and church alliances and attempt to convince them of two things: (1) that Planned Parenthood is a benevolent public-service agency that will be an asset to the neighborhood, and (2) that any opposition will be generated by 'right-wing wackos' who are a 'small but vocal minority.'
Naturally, all of this is done as secretly as possible in order to escape detection and organization by public or pro-life 'opposition.'
Our Turn: The First Steps.
Finally, however, it is inevitable that a local pro-life group will find out about the proposed PP clinic and will attempt to formulate and organize some kind of community resistance.
If pro-lifers hope to stop this clinic, they must shift the focus of their mission several times in a very short period.
They should begin by focusing their efforts on organizing resistance among the natural constituencies of the pro-life position: Individual members of 'solid' churches and conservative or Christian media (if any). The activists might be irritated to find out that they are blocked from airing their views in the media, thanks to the detailed preparatory work already done by Planned Parenthood. They might also find to their chagrin that the mainline Protestant and Catholic churches are utterly indifferent to their message and perceive them to be fanatics.
Organizing to Defend.
The anti-PP activists must therefore gather what aid they can from a few small and committed churches and then shift their focus to their fellow pro-life activists and quickly organize a group of about six to eight experienced veterans who are multi-talented.
This ad hoc group will begin by making its first focus those people who own the buildings or land at those sites that Planned Parenthood is considering for its clinic. The initial mission itself, of course, will be to engage in one-on-one discussion with the decision makers in an attempt to get them to rebuff PP's overtures.
This tactic will not work unless the entire racist and eugenicist history of PP is described to the decision makers in excruciating detail. This tactic usually works a lot better than focusing entirely on the abortion issue.
If the pro-lifers are ignored (once again due to PP's extensive groundwork), the next step is to expand the focus of the mission to the complete congregations of all of the smaller and more fired-up pro-life churches and get them organized against the clinic. These groups may wish to picket the businesses or even the homes and churches of the decision makers in an attempt to pressure them into backing away from PP.
Social Pressure Points.
More than any other group, pro-lifers must be completely self-sufficient because they usually cannot depend on any outside assistance. Since pro-life individuals and groups are usually short of resources, they must use these assets as efficiently as possible by focusing their efforts on the most accessible or vulnerable 'social pressure point.'
It does no good to expend effort upon a 'target' that is unaffected by pro-life activism. In the above scenario, any effort expended picketing the state headquarters of PP will probably be wasted. This is why it is so important for activists to research the situation thoroughly and make sure that their efforts are directed at the person or organization that will most likely respond to pressure.
The Third Planning Element:
The Opponent(s) of the Mission.
Introduction.
One of the most important aspects of planning a mission is taking into account those forces that will actively seek to prevent the pro-life organization from fulfilling its goal(s).
These individuals and organizations might include some or all of the following, depending upon the mission.
• Pro-abortion groups;
• clinic escorts;
• radical sodomite groups;
• the police department;
• anti-life foundations;
• the so-called 'arts community';
• radical groups at local colleges;
• a hostile print and electronic media;
• a biased judiciary;
• pro-abortion legislators; and
• indifferent or obstructionist pastors.
Adjusting Pro-Life Strategies and Tactics.
The strategies and tactics used by the pro-life organization in pursuit of its goal(s) will depend to a large degree upon the nature of its opposition.
Before planning effective offensive or defensive actions against possible opposition, the pro-life organization must naturally identify those anti-life groups that will try to impede the accomplishment of the mission(s) and must also determine who is supporting them.
National Pro-Abortion Groups.
If the pro-life mission is to be performed in a medium or large-sized city, the activists will probably be facing professional full-time pro-aborts whose salaries are paid in large part by federal and local tax dollars.
Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), the National Organization for Women (NOW), and many sodomite groups have national offices that can give their local people all the resources they think they need to fight pro-lifers. Members of these organizations who interact with the public commonly hold internal seminars on how to counteract and attack pro-lifers in the press and in other forums.
If a local group of pro-lifers go up against opponents like PP, NARAL, and NOW, who have national resources at their command, the activists must also take advantage of the national pro-life groups that have accumulated years of experience in fighting the anti-lifers. These groups include American Life League (ALL), Human Life International (HLI), the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), Joe Scheidler's Pro-Life Action League, and Stop Planned Parenthood (STOPP). Sometimes, if the situation is critical or important enough, these organizations may fly a consultant out to help organize pro-lifers against a pro-abortion offensive.
The addresses and telephone numbers of the above nationally-based pro- life groups (and dozens of others) are contained in Chapter 20.
If the opposition consists of nationally-based 'mainline' pro-abortion groups who attempt to project a facade of public respectability (i.e. the 'Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights), the pro-lifers will have to counter tactics like media saturation campaigns and the massive distribution of ready-made glossy propaganda pamphlets.
Radical Groups.
The national pro-abortion groups prefer to keep their hands clean and remain in the background as much as possible as far as local activism is concerned. However, in each city there are usually a number of small radical anti-life groups of every stripe that will resort to loud and sometimes illegal and violent activities to either support the efforts of the 'mainline' pro-abortion groups or to oppose and hinder the efforts of local pro-life groups.
These groups include the following.
• Homosexual groups like ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or,
as anti-'gay rights' activists refer to it, AIDS Contracted Through
Unspeakable Perversions) and RATS (Radical Activist Truth Squad);
• Local Communist/Socialist/Marxist groups like the Revolutionary
Communist Party of the USA (RCP), the Spartacist League, and Radical
Women;
• Local groups culled from colleges, such as Women's Forum and university
lesbian and homosexual groups; and
• Other 'peace, freedom and justice' groups, including radical
environmentalists like Earth First!, anti-war protestors such as the
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and
self-proclaimed anti-racism groups like the SHARPS (Skinheads Against
Racial Prejudice).
If the anti-life coalition is expected to consist primarily of these groups, pro-lifers should expect a low-budget display of dogged personal harassment, 'street theatre,' obscene posters and stickers plastered everywhere, and violence or vandalism directed at prominent pro-life activists.
Part of the pro-life response might be to expose these tactics by photographing and videotaping them and then publicly distributing several thousand copies of fliers featuring some of the particularly bizarre antics of members of the radical groups.
Anti-Life Strategies and Tactics.
After the pro-life group has identified the specific individuals and groups that will be opposing it, the next step is to find out what the strategies and tactics of the anti- lifers are and how to neutralize them.
Strategies are general principles of war, such as history revisionism, gradualism, and infiltration and subversion, which are used to achieve long-term objectives and ultimate victory.
Tactics are the day-to-day methods that a group or person uses to accomplish short-term or intermediate missions that support various long- erm strategies.
Depending upon their characteristics, various anti-life groups have different specific missions and therefore employ various strategies and tactics.
Whatever their configurations or missions, anti-life individuals and organizations primarily use seven strategies and seven tactics, which are listed below and described in detail in the indicated chapters.
ANTI-LIFE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
Anti-Life Strategies
• Begging the questions (Chapter 6).
• Gradualism (Chapter 7).
• The privacy cloak (Chapter 8).
• The victim status (Chapter 9).
• Infiltration and subversion (Chapter 10).
• History revisionism (Chapter 11).
• Controlling the schools (Chapter 12).
Anti-Life Tactics
• Transference (Chapter 13).
• Unilateral pluralism (Chapter 14).
• Newspeak (Chapter 15).
• Slogans (Chapter 16).
• Propaganda (Chapter 17).
• Illegal activities (Chapter 18).
• Violence (Chapter 19).
It is essential for pro-lifers to not only be able to immediately recognize these strategies and tactics but also to be able to anticipate them so that they can be countered or prepared for whenever they are used.
The above methods are used not only by pro-abortionists, but by all other Neoliberals as well, including pornographers, homosexuals, pedophiles, and euthanasiasts.
The Fourth Planning Element:
Available Resources.
Outline of the Assessment.
When pro-lifers undertake a difficult task, they must accurately assess their resources before taking any action.
This is done in three steps, as described in the following paragraphs. Although this procedure may seem superfluous or unnecessary, it is essential to the accomplishment of a mission because it highlights any shortages in assets ahead of time.
Step (1): Current Resource Inventory.
The first step in the process is to make an accurate inventory of available resources. These include human resources, which are the pro-life organization(s) that are willing to put in time on the project; financial resources that consist of money that is in hand or anticipated to be raised during the life of the project that may be allocated to its completion; physical assets such as computers, FAX machines, copiers and printers; and favors that may be called in from other groups or individuals.
Step (2): Acquire Inventory Shortages.
The second step in this process is to draw a 'time line' where resources that are needed to accomplish the mission are expended at certain approximate times. When all of the resources are added up at the bottom of the time line, the planners will have a good idea of how many human, financial, and physical resources are required to accomplish the proposed mission(s).
Then the pro-life planners must compare this list to the list of current committed resources drawn up in Step (1) above, in order to make a list of shortages. If the analysis concludes that the organization will be able to accomplish its proposed mission(s), then the planners may proceed with the planning process. If the analysis shows that the organization will not be able to accomplish its chosen mission(s), the planners must work on building the organization's capabilities and/or select a mission that the group can successfully complete.
One of the greatest weaknesses that local pro-life organizations have is their dogged insistence on undertaking missions without sufficient human and material resources. Many see this as a 'good thing' i.e., "stepping out in faith." But, more often than not, such lack of planning leads to defeat, disillusionment, and propaganda for the pro-abortionists. The Abortion Wars will not be won by such methods.
Step (3): Conserve Resources.
The final step of this process is to expend resources only at the rate specified in the time line drawn up in Step (2). Pro-lifers should think of this time line as the budget it really is and it is a budget not only for money, but for time and physical assets as well. The group that ignores its own resource limitations and 'spends' recklessly will run out of money, good will, and physical resources long before its mission is accomplished.
The Fifth Planning Element:
The Environment. A Critical Element.
An understanding of the environment in which one operates is critical to efficient work and affects every aspect of the mission.
'Environment' in the case of pro-life activism refers to the general local atmosphere of tolerance (or intolerance) towards the pro-life philosophy and the actions of pro-lifers. This atmosphere is gradually formed by the media and word of mouth over a period of many years, and it permeates the thinking of the general public, causing people to react instinctively in a certain manner when they hear about anything that relates to abortion.
Hostile and Friendly Environments.
In general, pro-lifers working in relatively unchurched areas are relentlessly assaulted by the press even when they are not involved in any activities. Any move, no matter how innocuous, provokes a loud and unified chorus of condemnation from city and state governments, the court system, the 'art community,' and even most churches. Abortionists and their toadies are an integral part of the social elite in these areas, and are lavishly praised as heroes and civil rights champions by the press. Any opposition to these 'heroes' is considered not only crass and uncalled for, but anti-social as well.
Much less frequently, the situation is reversed. Local abortionists are considered to be virtual untouchables, bloody, filthy scavengers of human flesh, who skulk around by night, and whose neighbors know nothing of their hideous trade. Pro-lifers are either tolerated or fully supported by many mainline churches, and they operate with the support of a press that is either friendly or neutral.
Tailoring Tactics to the Environment.
The methods used by pro-lifers to achieve their goals must depend heavily on the environment they are working in. As the environment grows progressively more hostile, pro-lifers must be more careful regarding security and must select their 'targets' with extreme care. If the situation is especially bad, they may have to expend the majority of their efforts simply identifying the few friends they have and painstakingly building a base from which to work.
If the environment is relatively friendly, pro-life activists can start at a higher level and use the resources of their natural constituency the churches and can expend their efforts in recruiting and organizing for large events designed to bring public pressure on abortionists and abortion clinics.
The Sixth Planning Element:
Pro-Life Strategy and Tactics.
Pro-lifers are involved in a vast range of activities that are designed to save preborn human lives.
These activities are generally divided into two categories: direct action, which actually costs the abortionists money by saving preborn lives, and support activities, which indirectly make the job of the abortionists more difficult.
It is very important to keep in mind the fact that direct action will never stop abortion completely; it is the support activities that will eventually spell an end to child-killing in this country.
The strategies and tactics employed by any pro-life group will depend to a large extent on the characteristics of the 'target' and the specific talents of involved pro-life individuals.
A list of the most popular pro-life strategies and tactics is shown below.
PRO-LIFE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
DIRECT ACTION
These activities directly impact the abortion business by saving lives and costing the abortionists money. They are described in detail in the chapters shown.
• Picketing (Chapter 26)
• Sidewalk counseling (Chapter 26)
• Leafletting
• Crisis pregnancy centers (Chapter 47 of Volume II)
• Rescue missions (Chapter 81 of Volume II)
• Sheltering homes
SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
These activities assist in saving lives by converting the public, by making the jobs of direct-action activists easier and more efficient, and by making the jobs of the abortionists and their supporters more difficult or distasteful.
• Prayer
• Recruiting
• Debates and presentations (Chapter 29)
• Research (Appendix B in Volume III)
• Legislative and voter action
• Education
• Publicity
• Individual recruiting
• Church organizing
• Legal offensives
• Developing leadership qualities (Chapter 28)
THE THIRD STEP IN EFFECTIVE PLANNING:
PLAN WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF WAR.
Introduction.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping that it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill.[1]
Evolving Principles.
If planning is the oldest profession, it probably preceded the second oldest profession war by about the amount of time it took to gather up a handful of rocks.
It is depressing indeed that man's greatest ingenuity and endurance is displayed in warfare against other people and against his own fertility.
After the first few disorganized brawls, 'soldiers' began to learn from their victories and their defeats, and began to compile a number of essential rules for warfare.
These rules have evolved with advancing technology in the fields of transportation, communication and weaponry, but the basics remain the same whether the fight involves words and media or nuclear weapons.
The principles of war go by different names and include various elements, depending upon the author and his country of origin. However, the most important principles are standard and have been outlined and explained in hundreds of books, including Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Mao's "Little Red Book," and in the works of major Western strategists. The rules of war apply regardless of the philosophy of those using them, and it is necessary for all pro-lifers to learn from the enemy.
Rules for Any Task.
Most of the principles of war apply to the planning of any mission, no matter how restricted in scope. And their usefulness is certainly not limited to actual armed combat.
After World War II, the Japanese industrial sector adopted the principles outlined in Sun Tzu's The Art of War. These principles are taught in every Japanese school of higher management, and are employed in international strategy as well.
One needs only compare the Japanese and American economies to see how well Sun Tzu's principles work in today's world.
This success is due to the fact that these principles of war are truly universal. They may be tailored or adapted to fit a particular situation, but the basics always remain the same. Even those that appear only to apply to armed conflict (such as security and intelligence) are relevant to the abortion battle.
The principles of war for pro-life activism are listed below.
THE PRINCIPLES OF WAR
#1. Achieve unification of purpose.
#2. Don't dilute your forces pick your battles.
#3. Don't overplan; strike quickly!
#4. Employ strengths against weaknesses.
#5. Maintain security.
#6. Gather intelligence.
#7. Communicate.
#8. Specialize.
#9. Be flexible.
#10. Be imaginative and daring.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #1:
Achieve Unification of Purpose.
When the generals are weak and lack authority, instructions are not clear, officers and soldiers lack consistency, and they form battle lines every which way, this is a riot.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.[2]
General Principles.
The great Chinese strategist Sun Tzu and all of his contemporaries considered defeating an enemy without resorting to armed conflict to be the highest form of warfare.
Although it may not be apparent because such activities are necessarily shrouded in secrecy, modern generals consider the sowing of discord and mistrust among their enemies to be one of the prime objectives of warfare. An enemy that consists of factions that do not trust each other and work together only grudgingly is an enemy that is seriously or even fatally weakened before it ever steps onto the field of warfare.
Pro-Life Sniping.
Unfortunately, the pro-life movement has never seemed to be able to put forth its strongest possible effort in defending the unborn because there is an unconscionable amount of squabbling among both national and local pro-life organizations in the United States.
This, of course, is precisely what the enemy wants. One of Satan's greatest talents is to sow discord everywhere. The pro-life movement has only a limited amount of time, money and energy to spend in this battle, and it is simply idiotic to squander these precious resources by sniping at each other.
On Grunts and REMFs.
War has been described as long periods of utter boredom periodically interrupted by moments of sheer terror.
During the many periods of boredom, it is a common pastime for the frontline soldiers, sailors and pilots in the armor, infantry, attack boat, and fighter branches to look down their noses at those people who serve in the rear echelons. The combat troops consider those who man the supply, support, maintenance and operations units to be something less than real soldiers, and label them limp-wristed paper-pushers and even worse.
The support troops in turn hold the "grunts" in contempt, viewing them as dirty, smelly misfits and brutes who just barely qualify as human beings.
Some analogy to this situation can be found in the American pro-life movement. A few rescuers and picketers not only rail against do-nothing 'Christians,' but snipe at crisis pregnancy center workers, legislators, researchers, and educators as well. And some of the latter consider rescuers to be not much better than anarchistic fanatics, ready to commit any crime in their blind rush to save babies.
The Essential Lesson.
On Demotivation.
Nothing is more corrosive to the morale and effectiveness of a unit or of a movement than internal bickering and gossiping. As always, criticism from the outside can be withstood more effectively than criticism and discord that eats away from within.
When a Catholic Archbishop publicly condemns rescuers or picketers, it can fatally damage the motivation of the local front-line troops. When a group of evangelical pastors calls a press conference and publicly labels rescuing 'unbiblical' without first consulting the rescuers for their views, it causes great psychological hardship not only for the rescuers, but for all of the pro-life activists in the city.
When 'mainstream' crisis pregnancy center (CPC) leaders take the side of pro-abort Congressmen and criticize what they call 'unethical practices' by the Pearson Center CPCs, it not only damages the image of the entire pro-life movement, but also hands a powerful psychological weapon to pro-aborts who will eventually use it to attack all CPCs including those that betrayed their fellows. Churchill's quote involving appeasers and crocodiles is particularly appropriate in describing this situation, because the pro-abortion crocodile's hunger is never satisfied.
When clergymen and lukewarm pro-lifers automatically lump clinic bombers, rescuers and picketers together and treat them all as criminals, it severely damages the morale and effectiveness of those pro-life activists who work entirely within the law and entirely within the bounds of the Constitutional rights given to every American.
No Public Condemnation.
It is certainly permissible for pro-life activists to disagree with the tactics and strategies of other pro-life activists and organizations. It is also fine for activists to discuss among themselves the perceived shortcomings of other individuals or groups.
But it is anathema for a pro-lifer to run to the press or to state publicly his opposition to or disapproval of any tactic employed by any other pro-lifer(s), with the possible exception of clinic bombings. Every pro-lifer should know that the media is heavily pro-abortion and will seize upon any appearance of division in the pro-life movement (however insignificant), and use it to drive a wedge between pro-life groups and the public.
This is a preemptive permutation of the very effective strategy of infiltration and subversion, discussed in Chapter 10. When the press perceives divisiveness among pro-lifers, it works hard to present the image of a split, confused and ineffective movement so that potential pro-life activists will think twice about becoming involved, and so that the general public will be given a picture of a movement that does not really believe its own rhetoric.
Paralyzing the Catholic Church.
This effective media tactic worked very well to help immobilize the Catholic Church in its battle against abortion (1) by making a series of highly-biased "polls" that purported to "show" that most Catholics supported abortion in most cases, and (2) by heavily publicizing the statements and actions of 'dissenting' Catholic priests, nuns, and lay people who favor abortion and artificial contraception in direct opposition to the teachings of the Church. These quislings include
'Catholics' for a Free Choice, Fathers Charlie Curran and Dan McGuire, the National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN), and well-known lay people, including Geraldine Ferraro, Frances Kissling, Mario Cuomo, Mary Ann Sorrentino, and Senator Edward Kennedy.
These tactics have presented to the general public an image of a deeply divided and 'pluralistic' Church whose members cannot make up their minds about whether or not abortion is evil. The average member of the public believes that the Catholic Church is the single most powerful enemy of abortion. When he also perceives that this entity really doesn't believe that abortion is all that bad, he cannot help but conclude that maybe abortion is a dead issue after all.
Conclusion.
It is absolutely essential that the members of the pro-life movement present a monolithic 'no exceptions' face to the uninvolved public. Individual activists may disagree with the tactics and methods used by others, but they absolutely must not air their dirty laundry in public.
This demotivates activists, causes the public to become even more distanced from the reality of the genocide committed against the unborn, and, most importantly, significantly delays major pro-life victories in the streets and in the legislatures.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #2:
Don't Dilute Your Forces — Pick Your Battles.
If you put on the clothes of the Seamless Garment, the pro-life movement is finished!
Franky Shaeffer.[3]
The "Seamless Garment."
Not Really Pro-Life ... One of the pet theories of latter-day Neoliberals is the insidious "seamless garment."
Although the "seamless garment" theory has been in existence since social activism was founded, it was first applied to pro-lifers in 1976 by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin in Dallas. He did not provide useful details on his permutation of the theory until a 1984 St. Louis talk entitled "A Consistent Ethic of Life: Continuing the Dialogue," where he stated that, although abortion and nuclear war cannot be "collapsed into one problem," they must nevertheless "be confronted as pieces of a larger pattern."
Pro-abortion and other Neoliberal groups, of course, couldn't be happier with Cardinal Bernardin's "seamless garment," because with it, they could cloak themselves with a shroud of legitimacy and righteousness.
Anti-life groups like 'Catholics' for a Free Choice see the "seamless garment" as a Hell-sent, handy way of putting abortion at the bottom of everyone's priority list, and even hopefully of burying the thorny and messy issue altogether. After all, if everyone relegates abortion to the back burner, nobody will attempt to violate the privacy of the baby-killers.
This is not the original intent of the Cardinal's concept, of course. But how many times have veteran pro-life activists heard that
"You're not really pro-life unless you ..."
• oppose capital punishment;
• work to stop nuclear war and nuclear power;
• work to stop hunger;
• work to stop racism, sexism and homophobia;
• work to increase human dignity;
• work to increase access to contraception;
• help save the whales;
• adopt several Ethiopian children;
• and do a thousand other things,
• ANYTHING besides opposing abortion!
The essence of this idea is that pro-lifers are inconsistent and that they are not really "pro-life" unless they also actively work against all of the above 'evils' as well.
In other words, the Neoliberals would have us believe that people are somehow less credible if they choose to work on only one of the life issues.
This is another Neoliberal falsehood. Even if it were physically possible for pro-lifers to work on all of these other issues, the anti-lifers would still never be satisfied. After all, the only issue that really matters to a "seamless garment" anti-lifer is abortion. This is shown by the total Neoliberal rejection of such groups as SisterLife and Feminists for Life of America (FFLA), who embrace the Neoliberal position on many issues but differ with them on abortion.
Typical of "seamless garment" aficionados is renegade former 'Catholic" priest Daniel McGuire, who claimed that "Honest debate is the only way to get this abortion bone out of the Catholic throat so that we can get on to more important pro-life issues [like hunger, health care, overpopulation, and "militarism"].[4]
A 'Seamless Shroud.'
This is absolute nonsense, of course. There is nothing at all wrong with being 'single-issue.' But the Neoliberals know that if they can get pro-life activists to dilute their efforts among an array of different efforts they will inevitably burn out and drop out. If enough pro-lifers put on the "seamless garment," it will become a shroud for the entire pro-life movement.
As usual, Pope John Paul II cut to the heart of the matter when he said on February 12, 1986 that; "An extreme sensitivity akin to a holy reaction is felt when attempts on life are made in the form of famine, war, and terrorism; yet, one cannot find this feeling of sensitivity when faced with abortion, which takes the lives of innumerable innocent beings."
More information on the "seamless garment" theory may be found in Chapter 84 of Volume II.
Assessments for Individuals and Groups.
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
The "seamless garment" fallacy is just as poisonous for individuals and organizations as it is for the entire pro-life movement. Instead of worrying about consistency, the secret to effective action is to know the strengths and weaknesses of an organization and to select a mission that does not exceed its capabilities.
The experienced pro-life leader, like the wise field commander, will conduct a thorough three-step assessment of his organization(s) and those of his enemies in order to decide whether or not to initiate planning for a mission, as described previously in the discussion on the fourth planning element, "available resources."
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #3:
Strike Quickly Don't Overplan.
When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt your edge. When your forces are dulled, your edge is blunted, your strength is exhausted, and your supplies are gone, then others will take advantage of your debility and rise up.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.[2]
On Getting Tied Up.
Whenever one person is found adequate to the discharge of a duty, it is worse executed by two persons and scarcely done at all if three or more are employed therein.
President George Washington.[1]
A moderate amount of planning is a good thing, but an excessive amount of planning will eventually cause people to become obsessive about detail and ineffective when they finally do take action.
Some people get so tied up in making lists and checking details that they are already tired of their project before they even get started on it. This is due to a compulsive nature, an obsessive fear of failure, or a straightforward dread of beginning the actual task itself. Additionally, when they finally do take action and then run into a contingency that they had not planned for (an absolute inevitability), they tend to become confused and indecisive and miss good opportunities for action.
Degrees of Planning Effort.
A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.
British scientist Sir Barnett Cocks.[1]
The amount of planning that is appropriate for a task depends primarily upon four factors;
(1) the knowledge and experience of the planner(s);
(2) the complexity of the task to be performed;
(3) the probability and consequences of failure or success; and
(4) the time remaining before the task must be started.
Uncomplicated tasks being performed by a person who has done identical or similar tasks many times in the past may require little or no planning. But more complex missions that carry substantial consequences and must be performed immediately require quick and competent planning.
If time is extremely short, the members of a group should not be afraid of making a cursory plan and then modifying it 'on the fly,' while they are carrying out their mission.
The three most important things to remember when planning are these;
(1) The most valuable time spent in planning and executing a mission is at the very beginning.
(2) It is essential to plan with as much speed as possible without compromising quality, because it is imperative to take concrete action as soon as possible in order to catch your opponents before they are ready. As Sun Tzu advises, "The superior militarist strikes while the plans of others are being laid."[2]
(3) If you fail in your mission despite putting forth your best effort and planning to the best of your abilities, do not blame yourself. Remember, we are called to give it our best shot not to win every battle. We must occasionally lose, and to expect anything else is not only unrealistic but unhealthy.
Don't KISS it Off.
As in all things, the axiom KISS ("Keep It Simple, Stupid") is paramount when planning. The probability of a plan becoming fouled up is roughly proportional to the square of the number of details it possesses. In other words, a plan that is twice as complicated has about four times as much chance of failing in some vital area as a simpler plan.
So keep the plan simple. Simpler plans are easier to adapt in the face of changing conditions than those that are needlessly complicated, and simpler plans allow the 'players' the latitude they require to make their own decisions.
After Planning, Strike Quickly!
Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything.
American economist John Kenneth Galbraith.[1]
The purpose of planning quickly and efficiently is to concoct a course of action that can be used against an enemy before he can properly prepare a defense.
Remember that an enemy follows the same procedures that you do. First he researches, then he plans, and finally, he executes his plans in the form of a mission or missions. If your opponent is executing an offensive plan (say the establishment of a Planned Parenthood clinic in a minority neighborhood), the sooner you can get as many troops as you can in action, the less chance there is of the PP clinic actually being established. If your opponent is executing a defensive plan (such as raising funds to oppose a pro-life initiative referendum), the sooner you can get unfavorable information on the pro-abort organizations out to influential people and the general public, the less money they will raise.
Being able to plan quickly in order to react to rapidly-changing circumstances is perhaps the most valued quality of a good leader in any field. This ability is not inborn: Any pro-lifer can cultivate it with enough experience and practice.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #4:
Employ Your Strengths Against Their Weaknesses.
Avoiding confrontation with orderly ranks and not attacking great formations is mastering adaptation.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.[2]
Introduction.
Attacking an enemy's weak points with vigor and with superior forces may seem so basic a rule of war that it should go unstated.
But pro-lifers in general do not seem to have a proper grasp of this critical principle of war. They often squander their woefully scarce resources by attacking the strongest point of the enemy's armor.
This can only lead to ignominious defeat but even worse, pro-lifers have lost many preborn lives that could have been saved if they had employed their resources against the enemy in such a way that it would be impossible or very difficult to defend against them. In addition, many pro-life activists are able to endure an inevitable defeat brought about by being overpowered by brute force despite their best efforts. But most people simply cannot tolerate losing a battle that they should have won because of their leader's sloppy planning practices and ignorance of the principles of war.
The Efficient Use of Resources:
A Theoretical Case Study.
Introduction.
One of the signs of a great general is that he can use the enemy's greatest strength(s) against him. If rescuers and other pro-life activists could learn to do this, they would save many more babies in the long run at a greatly reduced physical and psychological expense to themselves.
Rescue missions consist of blockading the doors of an abortion mill in order to physically prevent abortions from taking place. Rescues are an illegal but entirely justified tactic that (in the form of the sit-in, which has a different mission) has a long and honorable history in the annals of the peculiarly American pursuit known as 'civil disobedience.'
However, most rescues are generally carried out in a very inefficient manner that actually costs many more preborn lives than it saves.
As an illustration of the fourth principle of war, let us assume a standard scenario as follows;
• a medium-sized city,
• with one high-volume abortion mill that kills 3,000 babies per year and
several smaller abortuaries, hospitals, and doctor's offices killing about
3,000 more, and
• fifty committed pro-lifers capable of doing an average of one rescue per
month.
The Standard Rescue Strategy.
If an average pro-life rescue leader is given the above conditions, he will probably plan to blockade the doors at the high-volume abortuary about once a month on a Saturday. This results in arrests after an average of about three hours, and perhaps an average of two babies per rescue are saved in the long run. The abortuary staff tolerate the rescues, because they are no more than a minor annoyance. The mill is closed for a grand total of three out of its 240 monthly hours of business, and it loses less than one percent of its baby-killing business due to the rescuers.
In turn, the cream of the local pro-life community is carted off to be prosecuted by the full force of the 'justice' system, and the abortuary staff just forgets about them and lets the State batter them. In return for its relatively minor inconvenience, abortuary personnel can generate a mass of effective propaganda by working with its media friends, and in turn get lots of clinic volunteers and sympathy, as well as watching the pro-life community test its endurance against the enraged 'justice' system.
An Innovative Rescue Strategy.
Let us assume that, instead of planting themselves in front of the abortuary doors once a month en masse, our fifty rescuers decide to take the time and trouble to plan a series of small rescues and other actions in detail. They research the abortuary schedule, find out when the 'doctors' and staff arrive and where they live, and arrange their strategy accordingly.
They might come up with a weekly plan of action that includes;
• Half a dozen 'truth team' missions at random intervals. This is where relatively unknown pro-lifers enter the clinic in pairs, distribute literature, leave when ordered to do so, and then vanish from the area. If enough different pairs do this, clinic personnel will eventually be unable to remember all of the faces of the truth team members and will become paranoid about virtually every couple that enters the abortuary.
• Three or four Krypto or other types of rescues that are done at random times by three or four people and that result in arrests.
• One large picket done during the week. Participants could carry Krypto locks in plain sight just to encourage the clinic staff to call the police when no rescue is planned.
• On Saturday, the clinic's big killing day, the place is swarming with police, security personnel, and escorts but not a single pro-lifer appears, not even to picket or sidewalk counsel! The trick here is to do exactly the opposite of what clinic personnel expect. When they are strong, bide your time. When they are weak, make your move aggressively! This kind of 'mind game' is known in some circles as psychological operations, or "PSYOPS."
• Numerous small actions at the primary abortionist's home. It is much easier to target two or three 'doctors' than it is to try to reach 3,000 women, and an important psychological prop is taken away from the pro-abortion propaganda machine as well. After all, it is easy to make 'poor pregnant women of color' look like victims it is another thing entirely to make a fat cat driving a Mercedes out of the best neighborhood look like an object of pity.
An average week might feature ten to fifteen separate 'inside-the-mill' actions, resulting in eight to ten arrests. All groups of arrestees demand a full and separate jury trial, because the circumstances surrounding each set of arrests were different enough that justice would not be served if all were tried together. Some defendants retain lawyers, others represent themselves, and yet others plead indigence (in forma pauperis) and request court-appointed public defenders.
The Probable Results of a 'Clinic Siege.'
The planning basis behind all of these small rescues and 'clinic incursions' is simple. One large rescue per month shuts down a major clinic for perhaps three hours out of 240. The rescuers are dragged off, the women who have been waiting at some other location run in for their abortions, and the clinic staff forgets about the rescuers and lets the massive weight of the court system come down on them.
But the same fifty people, if they plan properly, will in just one month turn the abortion mill into a virtual armed camp. The staff will never know when pro-lifers will strike again. They will have to institute cumbersome and bothersome security procedures to check everyone who enters the mill. This will inevitably 'turn off' customers. And the media pro-abortion as always will play into the hands of pro-lifers by loudly and repeatedly condemning their actions to the point where many women will reconsider abortion just because they have the impression that all of the local abortuaries are under constant siege.
The police will soon become sick and tired of being called to the abortion mill 15 times every week and will begin to see the abortuary as the source of all of their troubles, not the pro-lifers.
And the judges in the court system will very quickly become tired of having every third or fourth case on their docket be an abortion-related one. Even if a judge efficiently strikes every possible defense motion, he or she will still have to deal with a barrage of motions and all of the aggravation that goes with a protracted jury selection procedure.
And you can bet that many more than two babies per month will be saved at this abortuary!
Conclusion.
In conclusion, the benefits of the once-a-month rescue might be two babies saved per month. But the benefits of some detailed planning might be twenty or fifty or even a hundred babies saved every month; abortionists and clinic staff quitting because they don't want to work in a fortress; and, eventually, maybe even the closing of the clinic!
Of course, this is just one example of efficient planning. Depending upon the abilities and psychological makeup of a group of local pro-life activists, they may be able to shut down a clinic without ever laying eyes on it just by starting a campaign that encourages women to sue local abortion mills for injuries they have suffered. The pro-lifers could arrange to contact attorneys, could spread the word about their abortion injury project, and could assist in legal and medical research.
In fact, the very knowledge that such a program is being implemented is terrifying to any abortionist.
Try to imagine the pressure that would be exerted upon an abortuary and all of its personnel if they constantly had to worry about simultaneously defending against a half-dozen lawsuits while every abortion they performed represented the potential for yet another!
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #5:
Maintain Security.
The form and procedure used by the military should not be divulged beforehand.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.[2]
The 'Three Rules of War.'
Veteran military intelligence sergeants believe that there are really only three basic rules of war: Security, security, and security.
About fifteen percent of our entire military budget is spent in acquiring and analyzing information and preventing actual and potential hostile powers from doing the same.
Pro-lifers might not represent a bloc of nuclear powers, but keeping their plans concealed from the media and from the pro-aborts is essential. If the enemy knows what a group is going to do before it goes into action, he will have the time he needs to configure an effective defense.
How to Maintain Security.
Security is essential to most offensively-oriented pro-life activities, whether these are rescues or an amendment to a bill that will be introduced on a state senate floor at the last minute.
Whatever the plan, it is important to keep the opposition in the dark for as long as possible. This can be accomplished by allowing only a handful of people in on the longest phase of any operation: The initial planning stage. Some will argue that a wide range of viewpoints is necessary for a large operation, but this is usually not the case. The framework of a large series of rescues or an innovative lawsuit or an imaginative maneuver on a statehouse floor can be constructed competently by four to six people who are experienced in the appropriate field(s).
When the time for the actual operation approaches, it will be necessary to expand the sphere of those people 'in the know.' Once again, it is important to let as few people in on the plans as late as possible unless you want to risk having the opposition tumble to your strategy too soon.
In general, the 'proportional rule of squares' applies to planning security just as it does to planning simplicity. This means that the probability of the enemy finding out about confidential plans is directly proportional to the square of the number of people who know about them. In other words, if you double the number of people who know what you are up to, the chances of the opposition finding out as well jumps by a factor of four.
Personal Security.
Security should be practiced on a personal basis as well. Although picketing and sidewalk counseling are completely legal (despite the best efforts of 'freedom-loving' pro-aborts), most abortion mills are notoriously lawsuit-happy and will litigate at the drop of a picket sign. Even if there is no foundation to their allegations, defending against a lawsuit is horrendously expensive in terms of money, time, and psychological energy that could be much better spent saving babies.
Each pro-life activist should strive for as great a degree of anonymity as possible. This is tactically prudent because, if the enemy does not know who you are or where you come from, he cannot effectively defend against your plans or identify you in order to attack you legally or physically.
Rescuers, picketers, and sidewalk counselors should meet at some staging point and drive to an abortuary in a known pro-lifer's car for direct action. A pro-lifer who receives a lot of mail should consider renting a post office box. And anyone who is considering infiltrating a pro-abortion organization should have one contact point only in the pro-life movement.
Eternal Rewards.
Anonymity has its eternal rewards as well as its tactical advantages. As Thomas Browne once said, "Obscurity means to be found in the register of God, not in the record of man."[5] The rewards bestowed upon us in this world are fleeting and can only hinder our chances of receiving a Heavenly reward on the Last Day. If we offer up our prayers and our labors in secrecy, our Heavenly Father will see our activities but our enemies won't, which is one of the keys to continued effectiveness.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #6:
Gather Intelligence.
Those who do not know the plans of competitors cannot prepare alliances. Those who do not know the lay of the land cannot maneuver their forces ... The military of an effective rulership must know all these things.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.[2]
Overview.
The flip side of security, of course, is intelligence the gathering of information about the enemy.
Information that can be gathered about anti-life groups includes 'volatile' data (which will only be useful for a short period of time) and 'durable' data (which can be stored and used at a later date).
Pro-lifers have an easier task than pro-aborts when gathering damaging information for several reasons. To begin with, anti-lifers of all stripes are extraordinarily vain. They love attention, and when such attention is not forthcoming from the public, they lavish praise upon one another for every trifling achievement. Their publications and newsletters provide a gold mine of insight and hard data.
Secondly, pro-aborts and other anti-lifers lean heavily on propaganda campaigns, and thereby generate an extraordinarily large amount of revealing paperwork.
Additionally, anti-lifers are amoral and tend to become entangled in all sorts of disagreeable activities, which provides juicy material for publication and litigation.
Finally, anti-lifers tend to stick with whatever strategies and tactics work on a national scale; if a particular course of action bears fruit in Detroit, pro-aborts all over the nation will be apprised of the details of the success and will try the same methods under similar circumstances to achieve similar goals.
How to Gather Information.
Sources of Data.
Every pro-life group, regardless of its size and mission, should have at least one person specialize in intelligence gathering. This person must be organized and must be able to collate and store information so that it can be easily reached when it is needed. All local pro-lifers should know this person's name and give him any interesting information that they run across. In return, they can call on him for information when they need it.
Useful sources of data include the following;
• Pro-abort newsletters and other publications. Each pro-life group should have at least two people subscribe to each local and national pro-abortion or sodomite publication of interest.
• Court records. Every month, a designated pro-lifer should make a visit to city and county court facilities and run a check on all prominent pro-abort and sodomite activists in the area. This task is not as difficult or time-consuming as it sounds. Useful data will include any offenses committed by anti-lifers, including botched abortions.
• Local bookstores and colleges where anti-lifers hang out. If the anti-lifers are going to do anything in your town, it will be posted on the bulletin boards at these establishments well ahead of time.
• Infiltration. Unknown pro-lifers should infiltrate local anti-life groups by attending their meetings and even joining up. There is no better source of information than a 'mole.'
• Friendly media and law enforcement people. A media person who is friendly to the pro-life cause can generally produce a lot of information that is valuable, even if it is volatile. A pro-life policeman can run license plate checks and let local groups know if the police chief is considering any Draconian measures against them.
Valuable Information.
Every particle of information on possible anti-life individuals and organizations should be gathered and kept, even if there is no apparent immediate use for it. Every pro-lifer who has been involved in a lawsuit with homosexuals or pro-aborts (either as a defendant or a plaintiff) knows that even seemingly trivial bits of data can become pivotal during the discovery and trial phases of litigation. Additionally, such information may be useful in debates, news conferences, and information campaigns.
Such information might include the following;
• Keep a separate file on each of the prominent anti-life activists in your area. This file might include personal data, arrest records, articles published by and about the person, and photographs. When the anti-lifer moves out of the area, forward his or her file to pro-lifers in the 'receiving' town.
• Keep a separate file on each of the anti-life organizations in your area. This file would include information on individual members, crimes committed by members of the groups, copies of their newsletters, tax records (if they are tax-exempt), data on litigation the group has been involved in, and info on their general strategies and tactics. If the group is an affiliate of a national organization, the national newsletter can be a source of revealing information.
• Keep information on local officials who are heavily biased against pro-lifers. This data will be indispensable for use in future election campaigns and litigation and it should be gathered on every pro-abort official, from individual patrolmen and school board members to the mayor and members of his staff.
Advanced Techniques.
Introduction.
If a pro-life group really must get information on a pro-abort or a sodomite, they might hire a Christian private investigator. These people do not lead lives of glamour as depicted on television. The best PIs are methodical masters of detail and spend tens of thousands of dollars on complicated surveillance equipment.
It might be possible for a pro-life group to do its own information gathering to a certain degree if one of these Christian PIs can be persuaded to give a class in basic techniques. If surveillance is out of the question, it might be useful to give the 'target' the mere impression that he or she is being followed or observed, since sodomites and pro-aborts are notoriously obsessive about their privacy.
Publications on Surveillance.
Although there are several arcane sources of classified intelligence-gathering data, the most comprehensive publication on surveillance techniques generally available to the public is Lee Lapin's two-volume set on How to Get Anything on Anybody. Both volumes may be ordered from Paladin Press, Post Office Box 1307, Boulder, Colorado 80306, telephone: (303) 443-7250.
The first volume is and deals primarily with expensive surveillance equipment, but large portions explain intelligence-gathering techniques that can be used by anyone. Topics covered include electronic surveillance, bugs, recorders, eavesdropping from a distance, passive collection, countermeasures, scanning, hardwiring, shadowing, optics, reading unopened mail, lock picking, getting unlisted phone numbers, skip tracing, and equipment suppliers and sources.
The second volume elaborates on the above topics. It also includes information on computer cracking, information tracking, tailing, 'spy shops,' and detective databases.
Investigative reporters have their own society, culture, and language. The best techniques available to the general public are included in the book The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques (Second Edition). This book, edited by John Ullmann and Jan Colbert and published in 1991 by St. Martins Press through the Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. (IRE), gives the pro-lifer all of the information he needs to know in order to follow just about any 'paper trail' imaginable.
And one magazine that deals with intelligence gathering is Full Disclosure. It deals with all of the above topics and 12 monthly issues can be ordered from Full Disclosure, Post Office Box 903-FD23, Libertyville, Illinois 60048.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #7:
Communicate.
When you're outta commo, you're outta beer.
Special Forces slogan in Vietnam.
Critical Mission Element: Communication.
Communication is defined as the continuing active exchange of critical information during the planning and execution stages of a mission. In the absence of effective communication, no mission of any complexity can be successful unless every likely contingency has been covered beforehand (which is impossible), or unless the participants are very lucky indeed.
Although communication is often held to an absolute minimum during sensitive military missions in order for the team to escape detection, pro-lifers should not be constrained in this way. Each activist and each group should continually 'exercise' their channels of communication, even when no mission is being planned or executed, because the efficient exchange of data and ideas is an art that must be learned.
The execution of a mission can be crippled by absent or inefficient communication for a variety of reasons;
• conflicts between personalities and organizations;
• lack of knowledge and/or experience in communicating in a clear and
concise manner;
• lack of open communications channels due to proper contacts not being
made beforehand; and
• inadequacy of the capacity of communication channels due to overtaxing by
large 'bursts' of information at critical times.
Not-So-Great Communicators.
Skill is fine, genius is splendid, but the right contacts are more valuable than either.
Sir Archibald McIndoe.[1]
Pro-lifers can be extremely bad communicators for a variety of reasons, including those listed above. A thousand ambitious schemes have come apart at the seams because someone in a vital 'action' position did not know that something critical was happening and therefore could not react to events in a timely manner.
Once a pro-life plan is formulated, the resulting mission could theoretically be conducted entirely without communication if everyone knew their part perfectly, if there were no adjustments in the plan, and if the opposition were nice enough to cooperate and do precisely what was expected of them at precisely the time they were expected to do it.
In the real world, of course, such scenarios do not exist. It is a good thing to keep in mind Murphy's Basic Law #1: "What can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time."
The only antidote to Murphy is good communication. A pro-life group can practice this vital skill by doing the following;
• Before planning begins, open lines of communication to those people and groups that will probably play an important part in the mission. This will serve as an 'alert' to the person or group that something that concerns them may happen in the future. It is surprising how much more cooperative people can be if they are warned beforehand that a plan is afoot. Additionally, it is rewarding and invigorating for a person to believe that his input is valued. Opening lines of communication can be as simple as a short phone call or the construction and activation of a "phone tree."
• Keep everyone on the team informed if they have a 'need to know.' If they do not need to know, don't tell them (remember security).
• Keep records of what happens during each mission, keeping in mind that, if you become involved in litigation, such materials may be subject to discovery proceedings. This material will help your group and others to learn from your experiences.
• Use the above records to perform an analysis of the mission in order to find weaknesses that can be corrected for future actions.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #8:
Specialize.
A skillful military operation should be like a swift snake that counters with its tail when someone strikes at its head, counters with its head when someone strikes at its tail, and counters with both head and tail when someone strikes at its middle.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.[2]
The pro-life movement is similar to a human body. It must include all kinds of activists, from rescuers and picketers to researchers and attorneys. Just as the human body has specialized cells that group together for various functions, so must the pro-life movement attack the abortion problem on all fronts.
The pro-abortionists would like nothing better than to suffocate the pro-life movement in the "Seamless Garment." This 'garment,' as defined by anti-lifers, holds that a person cannot really call himself "pro-life" unless he is against capital punishment, racism, homophobia, sexism, hunger, war, nuclear weapons and nuclear power, apartheid, and the exploitation of our natural environment, among many other things.
Nuts.
Every activist has a limited amount of 'psychic energy' he can expend upon high-intensity activities. He cannot become involved in every 'issue of the moment.' He has a choice: He can do one thing very well, two things passably, or three things ineptly.
The 'Seamless Garment' theory does not hold water at the 'movement' level, either. Some people think that you can't really be a good pro-lifer unless you are involved in everything from rescue missions to CPC work.
This is also unmitigated bilge.
Anyone who has any experience at all in any activist movement knows full well that, in order to be effective, a person must concentrate his or her energies on becoming an expert in just a few facets of the movement.
Every pro-life activist must specialize to a certain extent in order to remain effective, because there are just so many activities to choose from. Most importantly, each new activist must examine all of the possible areas that he might become involved in, and select the one or two that best fit his skills and temperament.
There is nothing wrong with switching to another area in order to avoid burnout. If a rescuer or picketer is tired of the abuse he catches on the street, he may shift to CPC or legislative work without qualms. After all, experienced pro-life activists are few and far between, and their presence is a source of experience and wisdom for other activists in other fields.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #9:
Be Flexible.
Military formation is like water the form of water is to avoid the high and go to the low, the form of a military force is to avoid the full and attack the empty; the flow of water is determined by the earth, the victory of a military force is determined by the opposition.
So a military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: the ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.[2]
One of the hardest things for people to do is to change their plans once they are formulated or placed into action. Once a person has put a certain amount of effort into a project, he is strongly tempted to forge ahead, and would rather ram his project through as it is rather than expend an equal amount of effort changing it. This is because the project has become 'his baby,' and, for some people, to change an original plan is tantamount to a tacit admission of failure or error.
Psychological implications aside, flexibility in action is absolutely essential, regardless of whether a person or organization is on the defense or offense. If a pro-life group is defending against a pro-abortion offensive, it must be able to change its plans in order to counterstrike at the most vulnerable points of the enemy. If the pro-life organization has planned an offensive action, flexibility is even more critical, because as the battle is joined, more information about the pro-abortion enemy becomes available, and plans must be adjusted accordingly.
Flexibility is essential for two reasons. The first is that the pro-life group's assessment of the situation might not have been accurate, and adjustments to the plan are required at the beginning of the mission. The second reason is that the opposition will shift its tactics to deal with the pro-life 'threat,' and nobody really knows what form the anti-life response will be.
The ability to 'change horses in midstream' is valuable primarily because it keeps the opposition guessing and off-balance. Pro-lifers might even consider 'feinting;' that is, appearing to plan for one course of action but, when the time comes, actually executing another that the anti-life opposition is not prepared for.
PRINCIPLE OF WAR #10:
Be Imaginative and Daring.
Find out what the abortionists hate and then do only that!
Joe Scheidler.
250 Million Walter Mittys.
Modern Americans crave excitement. In this pagan nation, God has been banished from the hearts of most people, and the vacuum that remains must somehow be filled with a replacement. So many people replace God with action and stimulation in the form of sex, violence, chemically-induced excitement, or a combination of all three.
For this reason, most Americans respect people whose lives are different and exciting. Our heroes are football and baseball stars, movie actors, and astronauts. We take notice of what is different and shun that which is 'ordinary.' There is no television program that follows the "Lifestyles of the Middle-Class and Obscure," and ratings would dive instantly if shows depicted normal, happy people identical to those watching the television.
There is a little bit of Walter Mitty in each of us. We like to imagine that we are like our heroes, who do everything with panache. If two equally competent people complete an identical difficult task, public favor will go to the person who performed his mission with imagination and daring.
Pro-Lifers, Take Note!
God gave us imaginations for a reason, and we must use them when planning. We must accomplish our missions, whatever they are, with wit and humor and verve.
Imaginative plans, when executed with vigor, have several advantages over plans that lack 'spark;'
• Imaginative plans usually result in actions that catch the opposition unawares. Pro-aborts and homosexuals firmly believe that pro-lifers are uninspired, plodding dolts whose only desire is to oppress. We must take advantage of this stereotype and use it to surprise our opponents.
• Imaginative plans, if executed with vigor, tend to generate more publicity and win over the public. If fifty pro-lifers conduct an 'ordinary' picket of a visiting pro-abortion politician, a few people might notice. But if the same fifty activists dress in colorful costumes, hold vivid banners and balloons, pass out graphic literature, and have musical instruments leading songs, everyone, including the media, will notice.
• If pro-aborts complain to the police or to the media about an imaginative plan, they will look like crybabies and snivelers. Everyone respects a group that carries out its missions with daring and boldness. If a pro-life group establishes a tradition of such colorful actions, and if it is sued by pro-abortionists, jury members might be less liable to take a dim view of the pro-lifer's actions if they can identify with them.
• Imaginative plans will raise pro-life morale and make recruiting easier. Let's face it if pro-lifers can have a little fun tweaking the pro-abort's noses, it will make life easier for everyone involved (except the pro-aborts), and will lift a little of the psychological load that many activists seem to carry around their necks like an albatross.
Read Imaginative Books.
One of the best ways to get ideas on how to execute missions with imagination is to read books written by people with imagination.
Although some authors advocate stepping way beyond the limits of the law, pro-lifers can still use their books to work out some intermediate point between 'dull and drab' events and those that are anarchistic.
The standard in the field is Joe Scheidler's 99 Ways to Stop Abortion, published by Crossways Books. Scheidler's book covers virtually every aspect of street activism and has been used to plan colorful events for years.
Some other books are written imaginatively, but pro-lifers would not want to use the tactics that they describe. However, they are still good for generating ideas for completely legal events. These include bootleg copies of the MGT (Mad Gluer of Texas) manual entitled "99 Covert Ways to Stop Abortion" (allegedly by Faye Wattleton and Margaret Sanger), and George Hayduke's two books on Dirty Tricks.
Remember that the most effective tactics to use against a Neoliberal enemy are those tactics he uses himself against his enemies. This is because most Neoliberals recognize that their stereotypes of Christians are different from the reality, but do not recognize that Christian activists are not just like them. Therefore, they tend to use tactics that they would hate to have used against them.
So pro-life activists should acquire and use tactical books and manuals that are written by the Neoliberal opposition. These include Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching, by David Foreman, founder of Earth First!, and The Overhauling of Straight America, a homosexual strategy text by Marshall K. Kirk and Erastes Pill. Although these books were written by activists in other fields, they are still very useful indeed for culling ideas for imaginative action.
One word of caution: Forget the Anarchist's Cookbook. Many people keep copies of this manual as conversation pieces, but many of the methods specified in it are meant to kill and maim people, and can have no possible use for pro-lifers. Additionally, many of the instructions in the book are written out of order or so fundamentally incorrect that following them will virtually guarantee the death or disfigurement of the tinkerer.
A Final Consideration.
In the heat of battle, it occasionally seems that there are two general schools of thought among pro-lifers regarding the value of the lives of currently-living and future preborn babies.
The first group of pro-lifers know that babies are dying right now in abortuaries all over the nation. These people generally engage in direct action to save these babies rescue missions, picketing, sidewalk counseling and crisis pregnancy center work. Sometimes they cannot understand why all pro-lifers are not involved in purely direct action. In essence, they are placing a higher value on the lives of currently-living preborn babies than they do on future preborn babies, because they often become tied up in court and expend vast quantities of money and energy in defending themselves instead of the babies.
The second group tends to believe that the abortion struggle will ultimately be won by laying the groundwork for a pro-life America through education. The adherents to this school of thought sometimes think that direct action actually hurts the pro-life movement and costs the lives of more babies in the long run. These people are engaging in activities that will ensure that more future preborn babies survive.
But God is the creator of all of these babies, both currently-living and those who will be conceived in the future. God is eternal; for Him, time has no real meaning. For Him, the very last preborn baby conceived in the history of the human race no matter how many thousands of years in the future is just as valuable as the very first babies conceived in Eve's womb.
In other words, all preborn babies, regardless of gender, color, physical or mental condition, or time of conception, have equal value in the eyes of God.
And anything we can do to save them is valuable.
References: The Basics of Effective Planning.
[1] Quotes are from Jonathon Greene. The Cynic's Lexicon. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1984, 220 pages.
[2] Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Translated by Thomas Cleary. Shambhala Books, London, 1991.
[3] Franky Shaeffer, quoted in Life & Family News, July 1984, page 5.
[4] Pro-abortion 'Catholic' priest Daniel McGuire. "The Catholic Legacy and Abortion: A Debate." Commonweal, November 20, 1987, page 657.
[5] Thomas Browne, quoted in Eugene E. Russell. Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotable Definitions (2nd Edition). New York: Prentice-Hall, 1988. 674 pages.
© American Life League BBS — 1-703-659-7111
This is a chapter of the Pro-Life Activist's Encyclopedia, published by American Life League
