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Prologue

Seldom will you find more satisfaction than to fight the establishment and win. Just winning is an ego boosting experi-

ence. The bigger your opponent, the bigger is the boost to your ego. Few battles are fought to boost the ego. Most battles occur after someone’s ox is gored.

It starts with comments like, “They can’t do that.” or “Did you hear what is going up in the next block?” or the ever popular, “They want a tax for what?” Like being downwind from a pig farm, at first you only get a whiff of something amiss. The full impact of what is about to happen hits home before you decide something must be done. Now you are finally ready for some serious Rabble Rousing.

Enter a phenomenon called “Normalcy Bias.” It simply says people see the future

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based on the past. Nowhere is there a better example of Normalcy Bias than in Ger-many in the 1930s. As Adolph Hitler rose to power he began certain policies that gave some idea of what was coming. The warn-ing signs were there for Jews to see. More than 400,000 Jews left Germany while thousands more stayed. Those who stayed certainly included those who were captive to their economic circumstances and family situations. However, many who could have left stayed thinking, “Hitler isn’t that bad.” or “The government wouldn’t do that to us.” They had never experienced anything except routine day-to-day problems as they went about their daily lives. Their Nor-malcy Bias told them everything would be okay and that tomorrow would be just like yesterday. They felt they would overcome the problems as they had been doing for years. When Jews were being loaded into box cars bound for concentration camps, it was too late. They never understood how ruthless a government can be and, some-times, nor do we.

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Normalcy Bias is an unseen ally of the establishment. It is one of the biggest obsta-cles you will have to overcome. Recognize it and deal with it. It exists in all humans. Overcome it if you are to succeed.

The Joy of Rabble Rousing provides solid advice and practical examples. The novice rabble rouser will find all the tools needed to be successful. This book lays out a step-by-step plan for assembling a team. It details obstacles that must be overcome in an issue fight. The reader will learn what to look for when selecting team members. It explains where to start and provides details of actual fights in a narrative form that makes easy reading. It shows inexperienced local citi-zens how to win with limited funds while relying only upon themselves. It avoids the use of attorneys except in special situations.

If you plan to engage your local govern-ment, or one of its agencies, over some issue, this guide is a good starting point. It provides citizens with enough information to make them a formidable foe. With the examples cited in this book, novice rabble

rousers should become a thorn in their opponent’s side. This book deals only with local issue fights.