SIMPLE SABOTAGE
A 21ST CENTURY CITIZEN PRIMER
SIMPLE SABOTAGE: A 21ST CENTURY PRIMER
WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US
Like many, I long to return to precedented times. I also share the dismay of those who see our elected representatives, including Democrats, failing to meet the moment with more than social media posts bemoaning the breaking of norms. And so we must now accept that no one is coming to save us, and we are called to be the change we want to see in the world. There is some comfort as well as utility in knowing how those before us fought against tyranny both on the battlefield and at home.
A Simple Sabotage Field Manual, developed by the OSS, the precursor the today’s CIA, was published during World WAR II to provide encouragement of and instructions for ordinary citizens to commit acts of sabotage against Allied enemies. The manual’s central message was that “Acts of simple sabotage, multiplied by thousands of citizen-saboteurs, can be an effective weapon against the enemy.” This is no less true today. Lest anyone doubt that we are indeed at war with an occupying force, consider this boast from President Musk identifying government officials as “the opposing team,” as justification for his hostile takeover of the Federal Office of Personnel Management.
While much of the manual can be applied to our present war against the fascist billionaires now in charge of the United States, some specific directions are outdated. For example, we no longer make carbon copies, file typed or printed copies of documents, or complete physical forms. We DO, however, schedule Zoom meetings, send emails, and complete or sign electronic documents. There are also many rules and procedures that, if disrupted, slow the wheels of government. These kinds of activities present ample opportunity for simple sabotage, as detailed below.
DO NOT COMPLY
While Democrats in both the House and Senate are in the minority (the OPPOSITION party), they are not without tools to oppose the ruling party’s totalitarian agenda—far from it. The Senate, for example, has many rules that can be employed to delay, defend, and deny passage of dangerous bills. To delay voting on a bill, any Senator can object to waiving a variety of procedures that are normally taken for granted. One of the most powerful is the hard quorum call. All Senate motions, including votes, presume a quorum of 51 Senators (a simple majority) to be present, though that is rarely the case. Such a quorum is assumed by unanimous consent, but if even a single Senator does NOT consent, then the Majority leader must call roll to determine if an actual majority is present. If not, the only options are to adjourn/recess or establish a quorum by forcing absent members to appear in the Senate chamber, by arrest if necessary. Should Democrats insist on a hard quorum call for every motion, much Senate business would be delayed, sometimes significantly. Such calls would also force Republicans to stay in the Senate chamber for prolonged periods, disrupting their other business.
State and local governments can also delay or even deny implementation of tyrannical policies by refusing to comply. Last month, in response to aggressive ICE round ups of immigrants in Chicago, the mayor launched a “Know Your Rights” campaign to help those targeted. The program includes ads shown on over 400 screens across the Chicago Transit system. The ads sport a QR code that sends riders to the city’s “Know Your Rights” website where they can find resources such as information on how to prepare for an ICE raid and how to react if agents show up at your home or workplace. A similar response is happening in Seattle, where ICE agents were denied entry to buses.
Civil servants and other government employees can also be effective citizen saboteurs. The simplest method involves reverse thinking. Rather than employing systems and strategies that maximize efficiency, they can seize every opportunity to do their jobs as poorly as possible. This could look like referring all matters to committees instead of signing off on agenda items, dragging out meetings by bringing up issues already decided for more discussion, pretending not to understand directives, completing forms incorrectly, “confusing” names when sending emails—the list is almost endless. Have some fun with it! 😊
SECRET AGENT MAN (AND WOMAN)
Nor is the fun limited to only government employees; private sector folks are joining in. No doubt in his efforts to put more masculine energy into tech, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently ordered the removal of tampons, liners, and period pads from men’s bathrooms company wide. Within days those products mysteriously reappeared “through the quiet defiance of workers who brought in their own supplies.”(Mashable) Even those not employed by government agencies OR private companies are finding ways to gum up the works. For example, when copies of an internal memo were obtained that encouraged civil servants to turn in their coworkers for failing to comply with a discriminatory order, some citizen saboteurs shared the info online and many others took up the call to overwhelm the system with fake data.
Citizen saboteurs can and should also take positive action to oppose unjust policies. In the current political climate, such policies abound in immigration. Anyone can visit the Immigrants’ Legal Resource Center (ILRC) website to download free printable Red Cards in multiple languages to share with their community to make sure immigrants know their rights. Cards can be given to local libraries, schools, visitor centers, hospitals, and other public places for immigrants to access safely.
Others might follow the lead of tech savvy people and groups backing up government websites that are being destroyed. Entire databases of vital information regarding public health, climate science, reproductive rights, and many other domains are disappearing daily. (WIRED) Not only were these data sets paid for with public dollars, they are essential for disease prevention, mitigation of serious environmental damage, and protection of vulnerable people.
Since the goal of simple sabotage is to disable and dismantle illegal governments, the more citizen saboteurs we can recruit, the more effective the effort will be. As the manual dryly notes, when trying to convince citizens to commit sabotage, “Abstract verbalizations about personal liberty, freedom of the press, and so on, will not be convincing in most parts of the world. In many areas they will not even be comprehensible.” (SIMPLE SABOTAGE) The latest U.S. election confirms this. Appeals to tangible improvements will be much more successful. For example, explaining how an act of sabotage can help get rid of laws that discriminate against them, improve their access to public goods such as health care and affordable housing, and/or reduce their cost of food and utilities can motivate potential saboteurs to act.
We must MAKE IT SO.