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Sat Jan 8 21:33:42 UTC 2022

Samizdat Solution?

Samizdat is a Russian word meaning 'self-publishing'.  It was used in the socialist Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the documents from reader to reader. This was necessary because most typewriters and printing devices were restricted by the state, requiring official registration and permission to access.  Thus, dissidents resorted to other methods to communicate with others of their persuasion. 

While the publication and dissemination of information is not (yet) restricted by the state, it has become increasingly difficult in recent for information to flow freely due to the near complete control of all media (television, print, internet) by the state/media cabal. 

There are many dissident outlets free - for the time being - of government control, but they are under constant attack from the regime and the fact they are many in number and almost all have very small audiences makes it difficult to convey a strong coherent message to the entire population. 

In the early days samizdat publishers often relied on typewriters and carbon paper to produce copies, and even those could be tracked by the government.  Publishing printed matter is not (yet) so difficult and in the digital age there is less concern about subversive material being distributed on paper. 

Yet a paper campaign can be effective as a way around both the censoring and disinformation of the state-run media and the fragmented nature of the opposition.  Such a network is described in 'MacArthur's Freehold':
"The Freehold network had a print distribution system that covered nearly the entire country, in cities and towns of all sizes and in the countryside.  A large well-funded freehold would have a print shop capable of producing thousands of copies of a flier or pamphlet on short notice and quickly distributing it around the area.  Smaller ones would have just a copy machine or two and make a few hundred or so, whatever the local audience was.  When a message was approved by the Council it was transmitted to the entire League in a matter of minutes and the printing and distribution was underway within twenty-four hours."

The thing about paper is that it gets passed around, left for others to find, and conveyed in other ways to people who weren't looking for it.  What's seen on a computer screen soon disappears is inevitably soon replaced by something else.  A message on paper remains a constant reminder. 

An army of thousands can be recruited and deployed at a miniscule cost compared to the billions spent on political advertising and the digital and TV messages are ephemeral.  The paper is dirt cheap by comparison and remains until the physical object is destroyed. 

With a core leadership of just a few people who already agree on the message and enough money the country can be saturated in a short time.  And while the battleground states are the most important it should be possible to cover the hopeless blue states as well.  One never knows, and without trying one certainly will never know. 

This can be accomplished with cells of volunteers in every state, sufficient to achieve sufficient coverage considering the population and geography.  For example, California, with its population and size, would need a large number of workers while a smaller state, with a smaller population (e.g. Arkansas) would need fewer. 

As a message is approved for distribution it can be transmitted instantly to the distribution points, where as many copies as needed can be printed and distributed.  With sufficient personnel millions of copies can be distributed simultaneously.  Further exposure will be achieved as they are reported in the news and shared by the recipients (who would be encouraged in the message to copy and share).  A million copies is about one per hundred people, ten million is one per ten people.  As about 20% are under voting age that ratio is even higher relative to the number of voters. 

Besides the additional exposure through sharing by recipients, the messages have persistence.  The printed copies do not disappear when the television is turned off or the reader moves on to another website.  The longer they exist, the more people are exposed, and each time they are read, even by the same person, the message is reinforced. 

An advisable first message would be distributed prior to the 2024 elections.  A simple one or two page flyer succinctly delineating the reasons every eligible voter should not only vote, but vote for Republican candidates only, could have a significant influence on the results. 

Whether or not this could be done in time to affect the next election is questionable, but is not a reason not to try.  If only the most critical states can be reached by then it would be helpful. 

In the future, some subjects that might be addressed could be countering the disinformation about the 'pandemic', climate change, and other leftist campaigns.  In the event of a dangerously corrupt and inept administration such as the current one, issues of great importance could be exposed in this way. 

The organizational costs would not be great, and a few participants of some means would suffice.  Much of the production cost (printing and distribution) would be paid by the volunteers (and a means could be found to distribute funds to those of lesser means). 

During WWII dissidents in Germany paid a high price for doing this on a very small scale.  Before we get to that point and while we still have the ability to do it, would some wealthy do-gooder who gives millions to political parties and their PACs consider using just one or two of them to a project that just might work? 








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