“Holy Smokes We’ve Been Delphi’d Phase 1 of Our Plan to Protect Our Freedom Karen Bracken americadontforget.com

QUESTION Would you buy a car without driving it or knowing how much it will cost? Would you buy a house without seeing it, knowing how it was built, how much it cost, can you afford it, will it be the right house for my family? When you buy groceries, shoes, clothes, appliances you ask questions don’t you? If your sales person refused to answer your questions about that house or car would you still buy it? Would you express your displeasure?

Can This Plan Be Stopped? There are three opportunities during this process to stop the assault on your freedoms. During the visioning/consensus sessions (easiest) During the draft plan presentation/vote (still hope) After the final plan has been approved (most difficult – it is time to vote them all out of office and put conservatives in office)

What is the Delphi Technique?  The Rand Corporation in the early 1960’s developed the Delphi technique for the purpose of maneuvering segments of the public into accepting predetermined government policies. In the 1970’s and ‘80’s, it was used to convince land owners of the merits of accepting general land use planning maps. It is now being employed by the city and local groups working with the city in order to engineer “citizen consent.”  In order for Delphi to work, it is critical that the targeted group (you) be kept away from the knowledgeable people who could lead them away from the Delphier’s predetermined outcome.  The goal of the Delphi Technique is to lead a targeted group of people to a predetermined outcome, while giving the illusion of taking public input and under the pretext of being accountable to the public

How Do I Know If I am Being Delphi’d? If you are invited to a visioning/consensus session - You WILL be Delphi’d If you walk into a room and you are handed a comment card - You ARE being Delphi’d If you are asked to draw a table number or told where to sit- You ARE being Delphi’d If the room is filled with employees of companies that have a vested interest in the outcome – YouWILL be Delphi’d If you arrive at a meeting and no one is there - You WERE Delphi’d If you have been given crayons and paper to play games – You WILL being Delhpi’d If audience participation is suppressed - you are asked to write down your questions for later, Q&A at end of session when many people and the press have left - You ARE being Delphi’d If you get a survey at home or if you are asked to fill out a survey during a meeting - You ARE being Delphi’d If your community is involved in a growth plan - YOU ARE BEING DELPHI’D If you are asked to prioritize or vote on questions that were created before you arrived – You ARE being Delphi’d If music is playing while you vote – You ARE being Delphi’d

What is the Real Goal? Get us out of our cars Control and reduce our use of water, food, land, fossil fuels (control of every human activity) Create bike paths, move people from the rural land to the Urban Growth Boundary, limit mobility Stop urban sprawl while increasing vertical sprawl Replace individual freedom and liberty with collectivism (Social Justice), communitarianism Unelected bureaucrats to make all local decisions Whenever they ask you a question remember the goal before you answer.

Words Have Meaning Consensus - Phony agreement to predetermined outcome-They decided what you really need and have made the decision for you. Affordable Housing - Subsidized housing Equity - redistribution of wealth from one group of people to another (from those that work to those that don’t) Precautionary Principle - No scientific data or proof is needed to create laws, rules, restrictions, regulations. If it “might” cause harm then it must be abolished. Visioning - process to attain consensus without opposition Social Justice - Opposite of equal justice under the law-Wealth redistribution Incentivize - Coerced participation Read between the lines When you hear any word you don’t understand ask for clarification As soon as they know we are catching on they will change the words and the meanings – APA just did this.

Why Do We Need a Planned Strategy? Would you go to war without a strategic, well thought out, rehearsed plan of attack? Would you go to war with no guns or ammo? We ARE fighting for our very lives. We must treat them like the enemy and we MUST defeat them. We have only 3 opportunities – Visioning, Draft of Plan, After Plan is Adopted The sooner we shut down the process and get our opinions in the plan the easier.

How They Play the Game? They use the Delphi Technique at all meetings and it comes in many shapes and forms. (phone surveys, mail surveys, theater style, tables, separate rooms, charrettes) The outcome is always pre-determined. The questions they ask are vague and lead you to the pre-determined answer. They ask negative questions at times. IE: Is there anyone that does not want clean water, open space, clean air etc? They NEVER supply solutions If this is a meeting to get citizen input why are the priorities already decided? Why can’t we create our own list?? You will notice they never list “Protect Property Rights” as a priority They are well trained MASTERS. These are not nice people. They know what they are doing. They are studying the people in the room. Who are the meak, who are the strong. Shills, stakeholders, limited audience Athens, Ringgold They DO NOT want to hear any opposition When they know there is opposition they change their tactics They will avoid your questions, ask you to write them down, hold for later, give you a post card etc. You will never see those cards or get answers!!

How We Play the Game! Beating them at this point in the process is the easiest. They are under strict time constraints. If you can interrupt that process you have a chance to stop the plan right here. This is where we get back our voice. JUST SAY NO! It’s OK. QUESTION, QUESTION and QUESTION some more. Do not stop even when they yell at you. If you are not given the chance to speak STAND UP! Know the end game in order to circumvent the pre-determined outcome. We will plan and train We must recruit (we need a team of 25+ to attend each meeting) We must support each other

Our Plan – How We Prepare The regional leader schedules first face to face strategy meeting (regional leader will continue to meet with county leaders but once teams are built county leaders will meet conduct their own meetings with members) Assign someone to take minutes of meetings/gate keeper Develop and document your plan Discuss strategic actions that might be required (flyers, neighborhood blitzes, street corner rallies, letters to the editor, newspaper ads etc. Know and research the players – Mayor, Commission, Planners, Consultants etc. Know the dates and locations of visioning sessions - Register with americadontforget.com Develop recruiting plan Create a member communication plan Schedule next meet Organize your team (give members roles)

The Team If this is a regional battle – 1 leader/co-leader for the region (recruit leader for each county – coordinate activities) 1 leader/co-leader for each county. Each county leader recruits 3-5 members, each new member recruits 3-5 members until you have the desired number of members. Identify SPEAKERS and SUPPORTERS Identify 4 points of the diamond for theater style visioning sessions Create a communication plan (contact numbers – create group) County groups will go to their own county visioning sessions Regional leader will advise county leaders of planner/county commission meetings and members from any county will attend. We must support each other at these meetings

Our Plan – How We Prepare Role play – Facilitator/Audience member Utilize FOIA – do some research on consultants (Clarion) I have a lot of info on them already. Support other county leaders - know who they are Be prepared to attend City Council/Planning – Zoning Board and County Commission meetings EVERY month. Research – read about Delphi and watch the many videos available. Create a list of questions Create and agree upon flyers, signs etc. Find a volunteer to video each session – if it ain’t recorded it didn’t happen!!

Our Plan - Prior to the Session Schedule a strategy meeting Be sure to register for the session (what type of citizen are you) I use a fake name. If session is full go anyway (these are public meetings) Determine a meet up spot prior to the meeting Have a list of questions (it is best to have questions prepared), bring a note pad and pen Be sure to have all handouts, video equipment ready Be sure everyone knows their role. Maybe have a phone call the night before the session. Be sure to have documentation to back up statements with you. IE: Definition of Sustainable Development, J Gary Lawrence complete statement about hiding LA21, Joan Veon interview How ICLEI Was Created, Federal Register where it is stated HUD grants used to implement A21 etc. It is better to be prepared than to have nothing to back up what you might be forced to say.

Our Plan - On Arrival Do not attend the session with Tea Party shirts, pins or anything that will associate you with a group. Act like you do not know each other (keep track of your partner) Do not sign the log book. If you must, use a fake name, no address Do not put your real name on name tag (do not wear tag) Do not allow them to assign you a seat When you enter you might find people already sitting at tables. Scope the seating set up and seat yourself accordingly Speakers spread out (1 per table) Supporters - find your speaker partner Then fill in – Appear larger than you are Once seated be sure to get to know the people at your table If theater seating - 4 point people sit and others fill in the diamond Distribute your flyers PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT IS TAKING PLACE

How THEY Try To Circumvent Our Opposition? Time Out - Vote from group to move on Index cards (to discourage questions) Hold questions or ask that you write them down No time for questions Move tables around - who you thought was a citizen turns out to be a facilitator at another table Split up groups into separate rooms Shills, stakeholders, employees, paid lobbyists All answers lead to their pre-determined outcome - try to stop them from completing surveys Assigned seats/limited occupancy Color coding Play music while questions are being answered to keep people from discussing the questions Change the words, change the tactics Change date, time or location at the last minute

Our Plan - During the Session Be flexible and prepared to change plans on a dime DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO BREAK UP THE GROUP – if they break us up they will break us down. Ask for an introduction of participants to expose and document the fact that many in the room are not everyday citizens THE GOLDEN RULE - Stand up and demand the people you have identified be excluded (out of co., advisory meeting participants, stakeholders) SPEAKER=Stands up and states our question SUPPORTER=Clap (a lot), supporting statements Do not ask questions or make comments in silence at your table. Ask questions, challenge, ask for explanations Be sure to distribute your flyers, use your signs GET an answer, they will answer questions with long evasive monologues causing you to forget the question - repeatedly circle them back to your question – “That is not what I asked…..let me repeat my question…. FIND YOUR VOICE - This is not the time to be good little obedient soldiers Be polite at ALL times. Making you look like the “bad guy” is part of the plan. Be sure someone is assigned to record the entire session Take any handouts they give out with you at the end of the session

Our Plan - During the Session Be observant – take notes – count how many people are in the room If you are sitting at tables be sure there is at least 1 person at each table if your forces are limited Write down how many people are at your table and how many appear to be stakeholders vs everyday citizens. Try to stay focused on the details of the process. Do not start talking about Agenda 21 or the UN.

Answering Surveys/Prioritizing Written, computerized, on-line, mail, phone BUSINESS AS USUAL, KEEP MY NEIGHBORHOOD AS IT IS Know the end game - answer questions to circumvent the end game (Open Space - LOW, Easier Access to jobs - LOW, Large home with large yard - HIGH) How come protecting private property rights are not on the list? How come no indication that policy will always be decided by elected officials? How is Amoratization of Non- Conforming Uses going to be handled? Protecting private property must be on the list. If not, shut the meeting down until it is. THIS PROVISION MUST BE IN EVERY PLAN!! Rate which is most important (Leave as is, large homes big back yard) Answer questions in the opposite of what they want. Lets discuss this strategy. Know the language.

Greenville, SC/Cookeville, TN Conducted 9 meetings with 350 participants. Included facilitators, stakeholders and a very small amount of citizens. This represented.0008% of the population. March 25, 2008 meeting – 50 participants The results reported by the facilitators were amazing. Cookeville, TN sent out 400 surveys and received 154 responses. This equated to 00612% of the population. No meetings were held.

Greenville, SC Results Participant Results Protection of natural resources (25 votes) Proposed animal shelter (24 votes) Need for better land use controls (21) Protect private property rights (20) Road improvement for most of the rural areas (12) Too much government (9) Facilitator results entered into the final report from this meeting Clean Air/Water (4.77) Preserving rural areas, farmland and open space (4.75) Maintain natural beauty (4.75) Historic preservation (4.26) Limiting development of flood prone areas (4.13) Community appearance/design (4.09) PRIVATE PROPERTY AND TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT NEVER MADE THE FACILITATORS REPORT!

Our Goals Prepare, train, understand the mission Ensure we have enough friendly’s to stop the enemy Be sure to record the entire session – 1 person assigned to this task and this task alone Understand the enemy and THEIR GOALS Be flexible We must control the conversation Know who is in the room – Identify the enemy Stay focused Be assertive and persistent Question EVERYTHING Challenge them Do not be silenced DO NOT ALLOW THE SESSION TO BE COMPLETED

Our Plan - After the Session Meet back at original meeting place for a debrief - What happened what went wrong. What worked. Everyone that attended will be requested to write a few paragraphs about their experience and what went on at their table (how many at each table, who was they, where were they from, what did they say). This feedback information will be very useful later on to defend yourself when they try to impose zoning regulations and say this is what the community wanted. We can use these situations as learning tools. Prepare for the next session

A Glimpse At The Real World You Tube videos One Bay Area website Survey Results from other areas Google Delphi Technique, You Tube Beverly Eakman, One Bay Area, Bay Area, Heather Gass, Rosa Koire All can be found on: americadontforget.com

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