As many of you will have heard by now, the Democrats have struck back against townhall protesters and grassroots activists who just want to be heard and ask their representatives reasonable questions. They are sending out thugs from the notorious SEIU to make sure that only their picked shills get into the townhall events and to intimidate protesters. The union thugs have already injured several activists, destroyed video equipment and in a bit of good news three of them were arrested for attacking a protester in St. Louis on Thursday. Their goal is to silence you and make sure that only one viewpoint on health care gets discussed.

There are several health care townhalls coming up this weekend, but the big ones are going to be the two appearances by Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, one in Chaseburg on Saturday morning and the other in La Crosse in the afternoon. Feingold has a high profile and is a major tax and spender and a big supporter of socialized medicine. He’s controversial enough to attract a big crowd and we expect a lot of RLC members and members of other liberty-oriented groups to show up at his events. I fully expect the SEIU to send thugs to every future townhall, but their presence will be especially strong at the Feingold events because of his high profile and the strong union presence in Wisconsin.

Hundreds of grassroots activists and hundreds of union thugs bent on keeping them from exercising their constitutional right to seek redress of their grievances is going to be a volatile situation. Whether you’re going to confront Senator Feingold on Saturday or attend one of the other townhalls around the country over the next month, you need to be prepared.

The SEIU thugs will be there looking to rough people up and throw their weight around. Many of them will be wearing their purple logo t-shirts, but some are likely to be posing as ordinary citizens. Their goals will be to deny you access and provoke incidents which their bosses can play up in the media to make us look like a violent mob.

Your goal should be to get into the townhall event, ask questions and ask the speaker the hard questions which we already know they aren’t prepared to answer. You want to get this on video and you don’t want to get kicked out or shouted down.

If you want to get into the hall and play a role you don’t want to be wearing buttons or carrying a poster. In particular, don’t bring anything associating Obama or the Democrats with nazis or nazi symbols. Nancy Pelosi and the left media like to seize on those images and then make the ridiculous claim that you’re a nazi. Bring compact digital video equipment you can fit in your pocket and can afford to lose or have broken, and keep it in your pocket until you need it. If you come in a group make sure several of you have video capability while others are prepped to ask questions. Be prepared to lie to the SEIU gatekeepers. Wear an Obama button. If they ask, tell them you’re a Democrat or a teacher at a local school and a union member. Go to your county Democratic Party website and look up the names of minor party officials like the Precinct Captain for your area. Drop that name and tell them he invited you.

One of the latest reports is that Democratic Party operatives are going through the crowds questioning people about their political views and why they are there. They are looking for ways to spot the “troublemakers” who they need to keep out of the event. A good response for them is “I’m just here to find out more about health care reform” or tell them that you want to know more about how the public option will help you get cheaper insurance. You don’t want to appear too knowledgeable. You want to make them think you are hopeful but confused and looking for information.

If you manage to get inside don’t start chanting or causing a disruption until it becomes clear that you and others who came with you aren’t going to get to speak or get anything useful on video. If they decide to eject you from the hall, turn on the drama and get it on video. Remember the “don’t tase me bro” guy. Speak out. Ask them why you’re being kicked out. Tell them you just want to be ask a question about healthcare. A specific complaint caught on video is much more effective than a protest chant. If you don’t get in at all or end up ejected, that’s the time to start chanting and raising a ruckus.

If you don’t get into the meeting or end up confronting the SEIU thugs at the door or outside of the hall, talk to them and get it on video. Ask them why they’re there and who they work for. Even ask them the questions you wanted to ask inside. Ask them if they’ve read the Constitution. Keep them off balance. Don’t let them provoke you and if they start calling you names or shoving you don’t respond with violence. Stay with your friends, stand up to them but don’t lash out. I’ve heard some activists boasting that they know martial arts or are going to be armed. That’s a terrible idea. Whoever has the superiority of numbers or force will look like the bully and if that’s us then they can use it to make us look bad. If there’s a riot it won’t matter who started it, the media will blame it on us.

Whatever happens, catch it on video. Right now they think they can get away with anything because the mainstream media isn’t reporting our side of the story. They’re telling the story the way the left wants it to be told. But if there’s enough video people will find it and no one will be able to suppress the truth. Be informed. Be outspoken. Get it on video.

Dave Nalle has worked as a magazine editor, a freelance writer, a capitol hill staffer, a game designer and taught college history for many years. He now designs fonts for a living and lives with his family in a small town just outside Austin where he is ex-president of the local Lions Club. He is on the board of the Republican Liberty Caucus and Politics Editor of Blogcritics Magazine. You can find his writings about fonts, art and graphic design at The Scriptorium. He also runs a conspiracy debunking site at IdiotWars.com.