November 9, 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Those 20 years have seen formal communism decline dramatically around the world.  Today only the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Cuba remain self-described communist regimes.  However, a government doesn’t need to call itself “communist” to have strong communist, socialist, or statist leanings. 

Charges that the federal government is inching ever closer to communism are far from new – this 1955 academic editorial contends that arresting all card-carrying members of the communist party would have little effect on our march toward communism:  Our own politicians will get us there quite handily on their own.

In fact, the American government began to nail into place each of the ten planks of communism long before the Berlin Wall fell.  Can you suggest a policy of our government which fits with each plank?  Check out these sites here, here, here, and here for modern assessments on which you might base your own list of comparisons.

On November 9, CampusReform.org and Young Americans for Liberty cosponsored a national day of activism to protest this country’s socialistic tendencies and rebuilding of the Berlin Wall…on our own soil.  Although that day is past, you can hold this protest at any time. Take action to educate your campus and raise awareness about America’s drift toward communism! 

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

1. Build your own wall.  The highlight of your protest will be a mock Berlin Wall designed to demonstrate the United States’ alignment with the ten planks of communism.  First, visit the links above or search for other such comparisons to develop your own list of American acceptance of communism.  Build a “Berlin Wall” on campus of cardboard boxes, plywood, drywall, or whatever other material you find appropriate.  Make sure the side of the wall you will display is plain; cover it with white packing paper if need be.  Divide the wall into ten sections and label each with one plank of communism.  In smaller letters, reference your list and write your explanation of how that aspect of communism has come to America.  Allow ample space below this title for passersby to write their additions to your explanations.

2. Reserve space on campus for the event. Contact the Student Activities Office and attempt to reserve the most high-traffic area available.  Document this entire interaction in case your request is unreasonably denied.  If you believe your request is refused unfairly, ask for a written refusal.

3. Invite allied organizations.  Ask other conservative and libertarian organizations on campus or in the outside community to contribute to the purchase of supplies or help run your table.  This is a great way to strengthen cooperation between different groups and to increase attendance and volunteers in the form of members of the other groups.

4. Hold a planning meeting.  Before the event, hold a planning meeting to make signs, design handouts, go over talking points, make the wall itself, make a schedule for manning your table, decide on any additional activism ideas (see below) which you want to implement, and prepare your publicity plans.  Designate one or more media spokespersons and make sure they are prepared to provide any members of the media with coherent, intelligent statements mentioning 1) The details of the event, 2) The reason for the event, 3) The philosophy behind the event, and 4) The campus group, CampusReform.org, and Young Americans for Liberty.

5. Advertise!  Success depends on how well you publicize your event, so you should advertise early and often.  This doesn’t necessarily mean paid advertising; “earned media” may work even better for you.  Click here to learn several important publicity measures to use before, during, and after the event.  Scroll to the bottom of this page for several sample flyers, handouts, and signs which you can download and easily edit to contain your group’s information.  Also download the sample/instructional press release available at the bottom of this page to use in your press campaign.

8. Prepare for opposition. Keep a video camera available at all times, and record any aggression – both verbal and physical.  If some behaves belligerently, ask why he or she objects to your exercise of your right to free speech. For more information on how to deal with opposition on campus, reference "Fight Back."

9. Contact all group members to remind them about the event.  This should be done the night before the event to ensure maximum attendance.

10. Fight America’s slide toward communism!  Set up your Berlin Wall early on the day of your event or the night before if your location and/or the weather permit.  Make sure your group members are present when scheduled.  Engage passersby and explain to them the reason for your project and the United States’ alignment with the ten planks of communism.  Ask them to write on your Berlin Wall any policies they can think of which limit individual freedom.  Distribute informational flyers (at the bottom of this page are several sample flyers, handouts, and signs which you can download and easily edit to contain your group’s information), draw people’s attention to any other ideas you are doing that day (see below), and ask interested students to sign up for your group.  Maintain enthusiasm throughout the day.

11. Advertise! (again)  The fact that your event is over does not mean that your public relations work is done.  Earned media can be extremely useful to you.  Click here to learn several important follow-up publicity measures to do after the event is finished.

EXTRA IDEAS

These additional activism ideas can be used to increase the impact of your protest of communism.  Complete as many of these ideas as you can – or think of some original possibilities – to add to your effect.

• Interview the man on the street.  To bolster your November 9th event, plan ahead to conduct “man on the street” interviews about a week beforehand.  This should give you ample time to edit the video footage you collect.
  
  Procure a video camera or flipcam (you may be able to borrow one from your college library, student activities office, or student government) and find out what students and faculty members on your campus know about communism and the Berlin wall.  You might consider describing – but not naming – American laws and asking interviewees if the policies in question are from our country or communist Russia.  It’s possible that many respondents will mistake American policies for communist ones.
  
  Other questions to consider might be:  “Can you define communism?” “Can you define capitalism?” or “What is the difference between communism and capitalism?”  Film the results and have the film looping at your display table when you put up your Berlin Wall.
• Host a Communism vs. Capitalism Lunch.  Invite students to two-course lunch.  For the first course, communism, serve only one type of bland food, like instant mashed potatoes.  Have members of your group act as communist officials, dictating to students where they may sit, whom they may speak to, how much they can eat, etc.
  
  Make this a dramatic street theatre project – be creative with the ridiculous demands for control and uniformity made by the “communist officials.”  Once this course of the meal is finished, take participants to the second course:  capitalism.  Offer them a buffet of food featuring a number of different options and allow them to choose what they want.
  
  Hand out informational flyers on the differences between communism and capitalism as students leave.  Tweak this idea as necessary to make it work for your campus.
• Talk in class on November 9th.  Find a way to introduce a discussion of communism and capitalism into your relevant classes.  This would be most appropriate in political science, philosophy, economics, business, and sociology courses, but it might be applicable in other cases.
  
  Be polite and do not obstruct the professor’s lesson plans, but if possible use class time to generate open discussion of these two systems of economics.  Prepare your talking points in advance – perhaps incorporate the ten planks of communism and the list your group composes to demonstrate the United States’ drift toward communism.
  
  Ask all the members of your club to talk in class about communism on the same day to raise awareness and generate interest in your mock Berlin Wall, table, and any other projects you decide to do.