[The following document is the original unedited version as written by Roland Sykes] HEADS UP! INCOMING! YOU ARE IN A WAR ZONE by Roland Sykes 25 May 2001 How is it that you have been lulled into a false sense of security when you are really living in a War Zone. How did this happen? Have all your scouts been captured? Is your radar being jammed? Is it the fluoride in the water making us docile as Hitler believed? (All but one western town is drinking it theses days, you know.) Sometimes I wonder... (But then again, Mother always told me not to wonder too far cuz I would get lost.) Have we simply surrendered in the face of the full frontal assault of the disability industrial complex? It definitely does exist you know, they just do a good job of keeping it hid. Great camouflage. If you do not believe it read on. Sun Tzu provides this concerning the Art of War. "It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. " Consider these facts about our president. You can rest assured that he has studied the art of war. He is the son of a former president who was the former director of the CIA (Our Secret Police). Talk about forward recon and "Deep Cover". I've always believed that it's not who you know, but rather who you know and what you have on them that counts. The ability to make them helpless. To do your bidding. He lost the popular vote but won based on the old colonial holdover from our nation's pre-democracy past (the electoral college). As Sun Tzu would say "take advantage of the conditions that prevail in the field of battle". His 'victory' turned on disputed votes cast in the state governed by his brother and traffic stops by police in that state on election day were at an all time high. As Sun Tzu would say " if you cannot defeat the enemy then hinder his progress". Talk about states rights! Six million people voted in the disputed state and W's 'lead' was only 327 votes. His party opposed a more careful by-hand inspection and re-counting of the ballots. As Governor of Texas he had the worst record on disability issues and lead the nation in the number of children with disabilities incarcerated without cause (read institutionalized) and oh yes by the way he lead the nation in executions too. Catch 'em young and snuff 'em. Cheapest way. He has promised to appoint like-minded human rights violators to lifetime positions on the high court and other courts of our nation. (Could it get any worse?) Engage forward reconnaissance. Look again. This is where we are in America, today. Their were a few skirmishes but in the end they took the command post without firing a shot. As Sun Tzu would say, "Supreme Excellence". I point out the obvious above to provoke discussion and to provide perspective on our current situation. You see they have a rule at the Golf Club in Bombay India that states. "You MUST play the ball from where the monkey drops it." We must go on. We must focus on developing Democracy by continuing the movement for Freedom and human rights in America and around the world. We must move forward from where we are, not from where we wish we were or from where we would like to be, but from where we are today, in order to get to where we want to be tomorrow. Free to be ourselves without our lives being managed by anyone but us. Free from the prison camps of compulsory normalcy. Free to be who we are, Monsters, and proud of it. In order for this to happen you must first recognize that you are at war and are the target of enemy action. The bull's eye is on your back. You are not normal. Compulsory normalcy is required. Remember? Why ain't you marching like the rest of the troops? Remember that you are in a War Zone and that there are no non-combatants in a War Zone. Get normal or fight. Which side are YOU on? Heads up! Incoming!!! You never hear the one that gets you. Women, blacks, hispanics, people with disabilities and others covered by statutes that relied on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 felt safe, at least that is, until the Supreme's began lobbing heavy ordinance at them in the form of unfavorable decisions. The most recent salvo is Alexander v Sandoval. Who knew? The case focused on the discriminatory effects of English being the official language of the state of Alabama. It didn't even show up on the radar screen until it was all over. No chance to send reinforcements. In the end, it reversed 27 years of settled case law related to private rights of action to prevent discriminatory behavior prohibited by various civil rights statutes including the ADA. Recognize that you are at war and that the only one who can save you is you. Not the agencies, not the government, not the professionals. You. You are all you've got. The only thing you have to decide is will you do it or will you continue to surrender. Are you ready to fight? FORWARD RECONNAISSANCE It all begins with forward reconnaissance. There are two functions absolutely required of an Army for it to be effective. Reconnaissance and recruitment. All else, development of leadership, alliances with those of like mind, plans of attack and the gaining of ground will naturally occur. Without reconnaissance and the ability to effectively use it there is no path to victory because we cannot lead our troops to battle. Without recruitment there are no troops with which to mount an offensive. Total Surrender. We lose by default by not knowing where to attack or more importantly even that we should. Beware the enemy. He wants you to believe that you are winning when you really have already been defeated. Sun Tzu writes "Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."Make them helpless. Deceive them. Get them to do what you want and make them think they thought of it. Breaking your resistance is the true purpose of the bureaucracy, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Housing assistance, Vocational Rehabilitation. (Notice how none of them SOUND threatening.) To break your will. To give you just enough to keep you placated so you will not revolt but not enough to let you grow and prosper. (After all if you did you might want to be in control.) This is true of all government "policies" and "programs" that keep us down, lead us to failure and leave us feeling so hopeless that we give up wanting what the bureaucrats tell us we can not have. Soon it becomes the self fulfilling prophecy. They have succeeded in making us helpless. They have broken our resistance and they will get us to do what they want. Or will they? It is up to you. After all we are here to "form a more perfect union". It is what America is all about. Are you happy with the contract? ENEMY IDENTIFICATION Consider these two facts. 1. We all know that politicians lie when needed. 2. Sun Tzu in the Art of War reveals that "all warfare is based on deception" and that "all deception is warfare." Anyone who lies to you is the enemy. Politicians are those that are chosen to run our government structures including the bureaucrats they employ to do their bidding. Politics is known as the art of the possible. Remember that the word politic, polite and police all derive from the same Latin root word poli. Remember that when dealing with politicians if you are not polite they WILL call the police. (Their troops). When you can clearly see them you will recognize that you ARE at war. They have weapons that do not look like weapons but are just as deadly. Suits, brief cases, statutes, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, court decisions, court orders and lies form but a part of their arsenal. You are their target. After all you are the poorest of the poor and let's face it even with the best of training you cannot become normal. Get clear, deceiving you is an act of war. Recognize that you are at war with your government or at least with the politicians that want you to believe they have your best interests at heart while deceiving you through their actions and the actions of their minions. Check their camouflage. Beware, they are hiding behind promises, rhetoric, policies, programs and lies. Do not be fooled. They want you outa here. Defeated, dead, gone, buried. Cheapest way. Recognize it and become a "Soldier of Justice" in the growing Disability Army of Monsters (DAM) or accept Total Surrender. That is how they see us you know, We are DAM hard to please and we are not normal. Every time they encounter us they usually leave repeating the phrase, DAM! DAM! DAM! We are the curse of the dammed for most of them. We can ruin their whole day in a New York minute. It is especially traumatic for those that as Dan Wilkins says" just don't get it" in the first place. Recognize that the skills of the warrior are important skills for you to possess and ably call forth as the circumstances demand. For more info check out http://www.dimenet.com/drcfm (The Disability Revolution Commanders Field Manual). Recognize that the art of war is fast becoming a long lost art among the populace. Hence most see no need to study its purpose, means, methods and practice. However, lacking this knowledge they are helpless against the machinery of the disability industrial complex. Spin the media. Radar jamming in full effect. The enemy is hoping that due to faulty reconnaissance you will NOT believe that you are at war. Our new President, you know, W, is even lobbing heavy ordinance at us, in public, in full view, without regard to collateral damage. Don't tell me the battle has not been engaged. Spin the media. Radar jamming in full effect. Sure seems like it to me with his recent nomination of Jeffery Sutton to be a Federal Judge in my home district. Mr. Sutton, the former Solicitor for the State of Ohio went mercenary and hired himself out (at a much higher rate of pay I might add) to represent Ohio and other states against the ADA in the Garrett Supreme Court case. He won. I guess he figures if you can be victorious and capture the kings gold at the same time, fair deal. Remember the point about appointing like minded folks. It is true. W does. Think about it. Sometimes it makes me want to hurl when W tries to act like we are all as clueless as he is on the subject while he lies to us. Remember one of his most profound statements, "You can fool some of the people all of the time and those are the ones you have to concentrate on". Careful. Don't get captured. You are at the mercy of the county social worker, professionals and other "helpers" who run "programs". Evade them. Tell them as little of your plans as you can. You are at the mercy of Friendly Fire. Be careful of the alliances you make. Always watch your back, or have a trusted soldier do it for you. Remember, social movements of the past have provided dominion for the elite to control the masses. Don't let it happen again. Remember that we are the outcasts and not even progressive enough for the progressives. After all we're not normal and never will be. Recruit, these are your ONLY choices. Be normal or fight. Remember, there are no non-combatants in a war zone. You are on one side or the other. There is no middle ground (DMZ) in spite of how much you wish it so. You either suck it up, put on the armor and enlist, or surrender. What will it be, recruit? LAYING OF PLANS When it comes to future engagements with the enemy we must do four things. INFORM, RECRUIT, MOBILIZE and ATTACK. INFORM In order to be informed and to inform others we must have good reconnaissance. Check out http://www.dimenet.com/hotnews and http://www.dimenet.com/actions for the latest breaking news on all battle fronts. Our radar screen. Study the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu and take it's lessons to heart http://www.dimenet.com/drcfm . Study the Movement Action Plan (MAP) http://www.dimenet.com/map and utilize it's methods to advance all fronts. Remember that even a Commander is lost without a map. Remember what Sun Tzu teaches us. "Strength of defense will not insure victory. Only strength of offense will insure victory." If you hunker down in your fox hole long enough they will eventually overrun your position. Even for the best of defenses, without a good offence, defeat is inevitable. It is just a matter of time and attrition. Careful study of the "Art of War" and the MAP mentioned above will provide you with useful information. It will help you to realize the amount of reconnaissance still needed to even begin to get a clear view of the conflict and how future battles might unfold. Yes, I said battles. Their will be many, on many fronts, before victory is achieved. Only then will compulsory normalcy be defeated. You must study the enemy. Where are the enemy encampments? What are the strength of their troops? In what manner have they been trained to fight? What are their tactics? How much ordinance do they have available? Are they likely to expend it? If so where are they most likely to land it. (A little tip here. Avoid where the ordinance is likely to land if at all possible.) How long are their supply lines? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How can their weaknesses be exploited to your advantage? Knowing these things will allow you to assess your enemy, and yourself, greatly increasing your chances for victory in the coming battles. Sun Tzu teaches the importance of knowing yourself and your enemy. "Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. " RECRUIT Recruit, recognize that you are not alone. Spread the word that we are at war. Seek alliances with those who understand the gravity of the situation and wish to be victorious. Go on recruit scouting missions to places where non- normals might be found. (Nursing homes and other institutions are a good place to find raw recruits, if you can get them out, otherwise avoid them or only engage in covert missions, otherwise they will most likely fall prey to enemy action while waiting for the rescue team). Engage them. Educate them. Recruit them. Pointing out that you have faulty reconnaissance is an act of recruitment. To get you to examine again and see clearly where your values and the values of other folks with disabilities are not in accord with the results of the actions of government. It is an attempt to get you connected and involved in improving opportunities for freedom liberty and justice for all. This is after all a democracy. In order for it to function, citizen involvement is required. Don't look for recruits in full battle gear. What army ever recruited a fully trained and fighting ready soldier? Answer, none. All recruits start as raw recruits. They must be trained how to fight. Your job is to recruit them, teach them the truth (that we are at war and can be victorious with their help) and train them in the methods and tactics that have proven over time to result in victory. We need not reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of old dead folks who have recorded the lessons they learned for the benefit of future soldiers. Study them. Share the knowledge with others of like mind. Heck, share the knowledge with those who are not of like mind. People change. You find allies in the strangest of places. Look for Battle scars, they are the mark of a soldier. Recruiting is a process of each one teach one. Recruiting begins with teaching folks about matters related to disability. Beginning with folks with disabilities. This brings to mind a favorite saying of mine which I hope you will remember. "We are all ignorant, only on different subjects. The only problem is some of us choose to remain that way." Don't let it happen. Spread the word. Educate. Recruit. Enlist troops for the battles that lie ahead. Remember, in this Disability Army of Monsters we have a rule. We leave no soldier behind. None. It is our secret weapon. The solidarity of our fighting forces. It is also our greatest weakness, if not implemented. MOBILIZE When contemplating the mobilization of troops to action you must have a plan. Sun Tzu teaches: "The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose. " As you can see Sun Tzu's teaches that your plan is critical to your victory. When planning seek to put yourself beyond defeat and then wait for the enemy to provide you with the opportunity to defeat him. When he does provide the opportunity, and he will, be like the ocean rushing from the topmost heights of heaven. Have no compassion for the enemy. Do not flinch. Crush him. Remember all is fair in love and war. He would crush you. Remember, all warfare is based on deception. Watch for spies. Do not reveal your plan to the enemy in advance. As the circumstances are favorable vary your plans accordingly. ATTACK Gather your troops and engage the enemy on the battleground. Seek out the enemy's weak points and exploit them to your advantage in furthering public understanding. Expose the lies. Expose the inconsistencies between publicly stated policies and the secret operative policies in practice daily. ORDINANCE The Movement Action Plan (MAP) is a guide I find useful in gaining perspective on the disability rights movement. Get it. Use it. Remember that social movements are collective actions in which the populace is alerted, educated, and mobilized, over years and decades, to challenge the powerholders and the whole society to redress social problems or grievances and restore critical social values. By involving the populace directly in the political process, social movements foster the concept of government of, by, and for the people. The power of movements is directly proportional to the forcefulness with which the grassroots exert their discontent and demand change. Hear that. Our progress is directly related to how well we organize and forcefully, non-violently, demand change. The central issue of social movements, is the struggle between the movement and the powerholders to win the hearts (sympathies), minds (public opinion), and active support of the great majority of the populace, which ultimately holds the power to either preserve the status quo or create change. Centralized powerholders now make decisions in the interests of a small minority, while simultaneously undermining the common good and aggravating critical social problems. Why else would Ohio's legislature be debating paying nursing homes for 12,000 empty beds while waiting lists exist for community services? People are powerful. Power ultimately resides with the populace. History is full of examples of an inspired citizenry involved in social movements that achieve social and political changes--even topple tyrannical governments. Powerholders know this. They know that their power depends on the support or acquiescence of the mass population. Remember, this is your opportunity to be the commander. Be an army of one until you can join with like minded individuals at the crossroads on the high ground to achieve victory. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS The professionals will tell you to be reasonable. Being reasonable is a point of view that depends on your perspective. What you believe you have to lose or gain, the accuracy of your forward reconnaissance, your ability to integrate and use it in keeping or gaining ground toward victory. If they have tricked you into believing you are winning while you have already been defeated then they lied to you and deceived you. RULE 1 You ARE in Control No one can do anything to you unless you let them. When you figure out that you are letting them do it to you you won't go along with it any longer. Sure you might say but that isn't true. And sometimes it is not. But if they got the drop on ya why did you let them? You see in most instances we participate in everything that occurs to us. We choose where to be, how to react to others and what to believe. If they are doing something that is inappropriate for the circumstances and you are not doing anything to stop them then you are letting them. RULE 2 The John Wayne Rule Don't try to "John Wayne" them. Never take them on by yourself. John could get away with it. After all it was the movies. If you go alone, they will beat you bloody about the head and shoulders. Trust me. I have been consequenced enough for my actions while "John Wayne" ..ing them to speak from experience. Always recruit an army of like-minded individuals to go with you to help take the ground that you need to eradicate the injustice. RULE 3 The Be NICE Rule It isn't necessary to be nice when they have their thumb two joints up in your eye socket. When they are deceiving you, they are robbing you of essential information needed to reach your goal. The reason that they are deceiving you is that they do not wish to fight. They know if they did and the public ever knew the truth they would lose. Trust me. They know this. So should you. Be warned, revealing that your radar has located the target WILL get you consequenced. Be ready! Attack by surprise. You might say how could we be at war? Where are the casualties? My answer. All over the place. I know the Truth. I can see them. Truth is our politicians operate a system that systematically incarcerates and exterminates our citizens with disabilities without due process and without cause in violation of the constitution and their civil rights granted therein. In Ohio the state spent roughly three Billion dollars on this system last year. Yes, you read it right, that's Billion with a capitol B. As you read this, folks are dying in nursing homes and other institutions from preventable causes. Every hour of every day we take casualties. We have government at all levels operating a "program" where doctors sign the orders to lock you away for no good reason other than the fact that you happen to have a disability. It is not called "Extermination" or the "Kiss o' death," cuz those would be hard to hide or keep you from seeing clearly. It is called admission, like they are letting you have something. Either your doctor or the doctor of the institution will sign the orders to commit you. Essentially saying that the treatment he prescribes is the best thing for you. Trust me the paperwork will be on file that supposedly legitimizes this transaction. It has to be or they will not get paid. The reality is the physician that signs the orders to commit folks to nursing homes know the gruesome facts. That the average life expectancy in such places is relatively short. That all are subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. And that most succumb to what are actually preventable causes. You see deception is at work. The public believes that nursing homes are where old folks go. Well I am here to tell you that it isn't so. The only folks you will find in nursing homes are folks with disabilities who's community support system broke down. Folks that could no longer make it to the doctor, to the grocery, to clean house or do some other needed function. If admission to a nursing home is based on age, then at what age are you required to go? If anyone figures it out let me know, I want to disappear before then so they can't grab me and take me away. (where is that bus) On second thought, try this. Try getting in to a nursing home if you are not RBU (real buggered up), i.e., disabled in some way. You will see. You will not get in. I have to admit it is not common knowledge. I guess that is because folks just don't try it much so they might not know. You know kinda like W's dad not knowing that grocery stores had scanners these days, or something like that. Knowing these facts, what do we do? RULE 4 Speak your truth quietly and clearly and eventually your word will be law in the land. Speak truth to power. It will take a while, but it does work. In 1978 I was asked to testify before the Select Sub-Committee on Education of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Paul Simon had just been named Chairman of the Sub-Committee and wanted to have his first set of hearings on the Rehabilitation Act in his home district in southern Illinois which he viewed as friendly territory. I was a graduate student at Southern Illinois University and was selected by the faculty to testify. They thought I was a safe witness and that I would behave as expected. Little did they know. I was on the schedule to testify right after the President of Southern Illinois University. For those of you who might not remember this was back in the early days of implementation of section 504 of the rehabilitation act barring discrimination because of disability in programs which received federal financial assistance. After protests and demonstrations by people with disabilities across the U.S. in 1977 regulations were finally released requiring all recipients of federal funds to make their programs accessible. Tensions were still high and bigots had not yet headed for cover. The president had concluded his remarks by saying that he did not agree with the 504 regulations and asked the committee instead to develop a few model campuses and send all students with disabilities to them rather than make all campuses of all universities accessible to all people with disabilities. He felt that asking for all campuses of all universities to become accessible was out of the question and would be far too costly. Chairman Simon made the mistake of asking me what I thought of the president's comments about the 504 regulations and making all campuses accessible. I told them the truth. I told them in no uncertain terms that the President was a bigot. I told them that anything less than making them all accessible was totally unacceptable from a moral standpoint. I told them that unless the vocational rehabilitation systems within the states could show beyond a reasonable doubt using empirical evidence that their involvement had some positive effect on customers of their services that they should be abolished in favor of a system where the customer was empowered and truly in control of the services they would need to become independent and employed. I told them that I saw no need for them to continue to allow states to keep over half the funds spent on vocational rehabilitation with nothing tangible in return to show for it. I told them that I thought they should fund a nationwide network of self help centers to assist people with disabilities to live independently in their communities. Twenty-three years later those three truths spoken to power have come to pass in one form or another. Section 504 did eventually apply to all recipients of federal financial assistance. Centers for independent living were funded though far short of what was needed to create a nationwide network. And people with disabilities will soon be offered a "Ticket to Work" supposedly allowing them to bypass VR and be in control of their employment preparation and job seeking activities. In more recent history, I am the Elected Chairman of the Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council. Many in the disability community in Ohio understood that the state had declared war on us quite some time ago. This fact became clearer once advocates clearly communicated that they expected to have a Statewide Independent Living Council with the powers and duties as authorized by Federal Law. Over the period of the last seven years we have seen the State in the form of various politicians, bureaucrats and others tell us what we could not have. We have seen them co-opt many in the disability community into believing the myth that the Statewide Independent Living Council was like all other Governor's appointed bodies. The Rehabilitation Act that requires States to have Statewide Independent Living Councils states in part at Section 701 that: `The purpose of this chapter is to promote a philosophy of independent living, including a philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and system advocacy, in order to maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities, and the integration and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American society," The Rehabilitation Act also spells out the composition of the council, that it is to be free to carry out it's duties as it sees fit free from political influence from all other government structures. That's right free from political influence from all other government structures. The above purposes of the Rehabilitation Act could not possibly be implemented while we allow our government to incarcerate and exterminate our citizens with disabilities without due process and without cause. Could they? I and other disability rights advocates in Ohio read it to mean that the Statewide Independent Living Council had to take actions to stop or change the systems that have been constructed that are currently failing miserably. When we clearly communicated these views, the bureaucrats began to fire their ammo. It started with representatives of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission and the Governor's office telling us that the SILC could not be a freestanding entity but rather had to be part of the Rehabilitation Services Commission. We pointed out that the Federal Law says otherwise. Their response, we do not care. We will do whatever we want to do regardless of what the Federal Law says. Our response was to go to the legislature and have them place language in the budget bill that allowed us to hire and supervise staff exempt from state hiring and personnel policies. They fired back. The Governors most recent salvos were the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission cutting the SILC and CIL's budgets to the tune of $330,000 and the Governor appointing the chairman of the council (who's primary function was to sabotage the council's effectiveness) in spite of the fact that the Federal Law says the chairman is to be selected by the council itself. So much for states rights and overreaching ones authority. Seems our Governor does not care what the law says. It's like the old west where those with the most firepower rule. RULE 5 Be willing to do whatever it takes. Become a "Soldier for Justice." Become part of the disability rights movement. Become informed and Speak truth to power. March for Freedom, every day. Do something to move closer to the goal, every day. Always keep fighting and Never Surrender. Remember ACTION is the key. Don't just think about it. Do it. Remember that we are safer when we fight in public. They will not take you out in a public place. They hate collateral damage, especially when it is in full view. That's why W's recent actions are so shocking! We're in deep doo doo crew. VICTORY He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. See you on the battlefield! Commander Sykes, Logistics and Communications for the Disability Revolution, Team Tools our Specialty! http://www.virtualcil.org "History is not something that is a fact and it exists in the past. History is still unfolding right now in the present but who gets to tell the story and who is silenced, who's experience gets recorded and who's story is erased, who's reality is affirmed and who's is denied. That is a matter of the politics of memory." Patricia Deacon - Psychologist and psychiatric survivor specializing in the politics of memory. -- Roland W. Sykes, Chairman Editorial Committee DIMENET (Disabled Individuals Movement for Equality Network) 2559 Harshman Road Riverside, OH 45424 (937) 237-8501 Voice/TDD http://www.dimenet.com/hotnews/ "A Leader is best/When people barely know he exists/...when his work is done, his aim fulfilled/they will say:/We did it ourselves." (Lao-Tzu)