On the creation of a manifesto

Before another manifesto is created and sprung on an unsuspecting public one should perform the new manifesto experiment. Had Ted Kaczynski performed this exercise before retiring to the North woods and compiling his lengthy diatribe, he could have been a free man, teaching mathematics and the sciences at one of our institutions of higher learning. Instead, he is a resident of an institution of another sort. The test is quite simple. Simply put, face into the wind (preferably of gale force or higher), piss into that wind and measure the degree to which your urine penetrates that force. More than half the piss passing through the wind barrier is a successful test.

The manifesto idea should meet the same sort of criteria as the test described above. The idea must be exercised to the fullest before the process gets underway.

There has been much debate here over the past several days about the mechanics of manifesto creation and the recording of such epistle. Whether or not it can be done in a blog environment; whether or not it requires someone to project manage its creation; who should participate and by inference, who should be excluded from  the undertaking; who does the manifesto represent; who is the audience; what is expected of the reader of the work; what are the creators and the group whose views the manifesto supposedly represents to do?

All these are key points to be considered. However, the main point to be considered is what is to be included in the document; what will be excluded? In determining content, the wishes of the community must be determined; consensus must be reached on the community views; actions required and actions to be taken. That consensus can only be reached by active dialogue between and among all the community’s members. Everyone must have his day in this court. Have we accomplished that goal? I would submit that we have not.

So how to proceed?

• Notify the pertinent world / people of the impending event. That seems to have been done by our benevolent site host. The manifesto creation has been advertised far and wide on other blogs.
• Conclude that the exercise will be a democratic one. The advertisement seems to suggest that this is so.
• Solicit ideas from the brightest of us and from the dumbest of us as well. Sort out and categorize the ideas in the public forum of this blog site. This should include definitions, policies, strategies, tactics, etc. that the manifesto will cover. The ideas should describe the group, the audience, the purpose, the actions to be taken, the expected results. The ideas should also contain the mechanism for keeping the manifesto alive, well and pertinent.
• Develop a method of ranking the categories and the elements of each category. Do the ranking. Based on the rankings, develop a cut level whereby some things are dropped from the manifesto.
• Draw inferences, conclusions, etc. from the ranked ideas. Once this point is reached, develop the vision statement, the strategy, the project plan, etc. as suggested in previous postings. The key point is to do a ton of collective thinking before the Manifesto title is placed at the top of a page.
• Ensure that the manifesto, when written, is concise with irrefutable logic behind each word. As I have stated in other essays and comments, it should be simple in language, short in length and demonstrate a depth of thought that is well beyond one person’s tirade. It must stand the test of time, the Constitution being a remarkable example of a lasting Manifesto. Since we are a part of this great country, the United States of America, the manifesto should be a roadmap to better make the Constitution the soul of our American democracy.

When we have reached this level of thinking, then we can begin the development process for a worthwhile manifesto for the progressive movement here in America.

It might be appropriate to hum a few bars of God Bless America at this time.