So the anti-tobacco, pro-smoking ban, smoking-is-the-root-of-all-evil movement has just rolled into your town. They have their nanny skirts on, their "it's for the children" and "it's for the workers" signs and they're singing songs about that insidious entity nicknamed "big tobacco." They're well funded, corporate backed and will stop at nothing to get their way. Worse yet, they have brought in a freight train loaded with evidence and facts designed to confuse and confound the public.

You're doomed, right?

Not if we can help it!

You have come to the right place and reached the home of the BtBWI Rapid Response Unit. We are here to help you make it through this without losing your mind or your rights. We are set up to quickly mobilize at the first sign of trouble and provide direct support to defensive opposition efforts.

Why 48 hours? Because when the smoke-free folks move in, time is important. Upon initial contact, we will have an initial analysis ready to go in no more than 48 hours.

BtBWI Rapid Response Unit

Here's what you need to do AS SOON AS POSSIBLE once you find yourself or your area under siege:

1. Contact us and let us know what's going on. We have resources and contacts that need to know these things.

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2. Find out who you're up against. Is it Smoke Free WI? A local group? County group? Once you know who's who in the smoke-free movement in your area, you have the information you need to work with your local city council members.

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3. Find out who's on your side. Smoke Free WI and the tobacco free groups work by finding "friends" in city councils who are willing to throw their city under the bus for personal gain. Using open records requests is a good way to find out who's doing what. We can help with that as we have the forms and statutes all ready to go.

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4. Mobilize the troops. We can help with this too, but two of your biggest friends are the local businesses and the Veterans organizations. Make sure they know what's going on. The enemy relies heavily on stealth. The more that they can do behind the scenes and without the local population knowing, the more power they gain. Apathy is our worst enemy here.

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5. Be in the know. Make sure that nothing happens below the radar. Make sure that council meetings, hearings, discussions etc aren't going on without equal representation from your opposition forces. These folks like to play games by sliding things in last-minute and with little or no warning so that only their side packs a meeting or hearing. Don't stand for this!

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6. Arm yourself with knowledge. If you know what you're talking about, you've already won. Remember that these people work on scripted talking points. Force them into a real debate and make them publicly defend their position in a legitimate manner before acknowledging their plan. We have more information and data available than any other group I know of, so don't hesitate to pick our brains for fighting points. Remember, just because they "say so" doesn't mean it's right.

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7. Formalize your efforts. Once you're ready to go, organize your efforts and make things formal. Hitting the streets without any real organization will almost guarantee failure. Create a mission statement and resolution that everybody agrees to and build a compelling case to support it. To help get things moving, you can make use of this worksheet and for inspiration here is a look at a successful campaign waged by one Wisconsin city.

To start you off, here are a few documents to help get you pointed in the right direction:

• Are you being manipulated?
• Here is a look at the tactics they are using
• Rights Primer
• Quick Facts
• Myths and Facts
• Mission Tips
• Basic Health Debunking
• Advanced Health Debunking
• Class A Carcinogens and the EPA report
• Great and simple overview from the author of "Dissecting antismoker's brains"
• Anti's, what to expect
• How to Fight
• See what happens behind the scenes in the city council