Entry 71. Getting there

Although a few people seemed to agree with me about the value of noncooperation versus violent revolution, and I was being heard by influential people, it wasn’t a popular opinion when there was an occupying force from Earth walking the streets. But when Badiah Sinclair began to act like Silas Fredersen, there were no calls for civil war. Perhaps some grumbling, and there definitely were more people who came to hear me speak.

Also giving me some assurance was the fact that of the two childhood friends, I was still the only one who had ever stared down the barrel of an assassin’s gun. Ironic, that – but men and women of peace do make the violent anxious.

Badiah Sinclair had been probably the most popular political figure Sirius 4 would ever see, and that made the disappointment that much greater when he began to run the government – and attempted to run our lives – just like pretty much everyone who had come before him. But few people wanted to do violence to him or to any of our neighbors who served on the security force. Again: The nature of Sirians is to leave our neighbors alone as long as our neighbors leave us free to live our own lives.

That’s why noncooperation could work on Sirius 4. I dare say it would work on any world where that core value is instilled, but our world was especially ripe for the effort.

Therefore it wasn’t long before the questions at my lectures became more specific and less about the general theory of passive resistance.

For instance: “What would a Jim Simmons do, if an armed force was sent to make sure his building was torn down?”

That was always a tough question.

“Find a way to stay alive,” I would reply. Simmons’ death played out exactly as successful passive resistance could, except perhaps that he displayed a rifle and the intention to use it. Because he was willing to die for the principle of using his own property as he saw fit, the government acted in an obviously foolish way, and the result was public outrage loud enough that the Earthian rulers withdrew, albeit temporarily. The idea was to do anything to block the tyrant’s progress, short of killing or maiming him.

There was one assuring thing – zoning administrators under Badi Sinclair weren’t going to bring in army units to back themselves up. A Jim Simmons could probably win his point by blocking the progress of any heavy equipment sent to raze his building, if it got to that.

The more everyday applications of noncooperation were a little less onerous. If the government bans the sale of alcohol, buy and sell alcohol anyway. If it taxes something for the sake of taxing it, don’t pay the tax. If called to jury duty against someone charged with a crime that shouldn’t be a crime, don’t show up. If the government bans the use of native salt, march to the sea and gather salt. Anything to throw a monkey wrench into the operation of an overreaching government.

Heads would always begin to nod in understanding and agreement.