Those who profess to favor freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

FREDERICK DOUGLAS, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ABOLITIONIST

A true soldier does not argue, as he marches, how success is going to be ultimately achieved. But he is confident that if he only plays his humble part well, somehow or other the battle will be won. It is in that spirit that every one of us should act. It is not given to us to know the future. But it is given to everyone of us to know how to do our own part well.

MAHATMA GANDHI

The most important thing is for everyone to first make his or her personal commitment. Yes, on just a personal level, one's economic clout may appear insignificant, while the bother of finding non-MIC (Made in China) products and making notes of costs, etc., is undoubtedly irksome. Yet, it hardly needs to be said that only from individual commitments can the larger structure of the campaign take shape. This is a campaign where the most important component is the individual consumer, not the organization.

Also, for those activists already involved in campaigns to challenge the World Bank or international corporations doing business with China, it is vital that they make the individual commitment not to buy MIC goods. How can they accuse banks and corporations of doing business with China when they are in fact doing business with China everyday, by buying MIC products?

The first thing for you to do is to sign the pledge sheet attached to the pamphlet and send it back to the address at the back. If your family or friends want to join, please make copies of the pledge sheet or write to us for more copies of the pamphlet.

At the conclusion of every shopping expedition make a list of MIC items that you did not buy and list the amount on your NO MIC LIST, which is just a lined sheet of paper that you should stick on your refrigerator or bulletin board where you write down the amount you did not spend on MIC products, including the date of non-purchase'. Details of items are not necessary unless it is a special item, which you want to make note of. Mail us the list whenever the page fills up or email us your total.

Talk to the store clerk or manager. Since many stores now overwhelmingly carry MIC goods, you will certainly face problems in finding items like shoes or toys that are not Made in China. Don't hesitate to let the people in the store know that you do not want to buy MIC products and that you would appreciate it if they would stock items not Made in China. You could also consider registering a complaint. It is important to adopt a non-hostile tone, as we want the cooperation of the storeowner or staff. You could give a copy of this pamphlet to them. Bear in mind that although many stores carry MIC products near exclusively, constant complaints and requests for goods made in other countries will have an impact. We should remember that the storeowner, manager or members of the staff do not have any inherent loyalty to China.

Many brands, Nike for instance, manufacture in other countries besides China. Therefore, we could demand of the store that we wanted Nike "Indonesia" or "Bangladesh", but not Nike "China". It is important to demonstrate that we are not against any particular company, but merely it's doing business in China. We should also point out that countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh and Mexico are nations that have made a genuine commitment to democracy, and whatever their other failings, should be rewarded for that choice. China, which has openly declared its hostility to democracy, should not profit from our spending.

Check into our website www.rangzen.net and see your efforts displayed online. The website will carry a counter where the total amount of money we have managed to deprive China's dictators, will be constantly featured and updated. With the counter will also be a list of the latest twenty postings and names of submitters. The website will also feature a short history of economic boycotts, accounts of other such campaigns, photographs and cartoons related to the subject. We will also feature a letters section where individuals and groups can discuss their efforts or request advice or help. Please send accounts of your experiences, especially new ideas and tips you may have for making the campaign more successful.

The second level of the campaign is when you take the initiative to spread the campaign to others. You could form your own group or present the proposal to an existing club, citizen group, school, or church that you belong to. Such local groups could create a newsletter or just an occasional bulletin to inform people which stores or outlets stock non-MIC goods, or provide information on alternative brands. Such groups could also be a good forum to initiate complaints to companies like Sony, demanding that Sony products not be Made in China.

Please also consider spreading the DEA (Direct Economic Action) message to groups and individuals outside your normal sphere of social interaction. This campaign raises issues that touch on the most fundamental beliefs of people from the most diverse communal, ethnic, religious, political and economic backgrounds. We should not, I feel, even hesitate to carry the DEA message to the Chinese people in this country and elsewhere. Understandably, many Chinese will, initially, not feel too ready to agree with us but I am confident that with perseverance and reasoned persuasion the message of this booklet will eventually overcome misguided and misplaced notions of patriotism and "face".

We must get across to the Chinese that our campaign is not "China bashing". China bashing, or rather "Chinese bashing" is what the Communist Party leadership in Beijing did when it ordered T-69 tanks to roll over the bodies of thousands of peaceful Chinese demonstrators. "China bashing" is what State Security personnel are doing right now beating and torturing peaceful worshippers, democracy activists, and women who want to protect their unborn babies. What our campaign is doing is "China Aiding". This is, first and foremost, refusing to participate in the enrichment of Communist party leaders and cadres (who directly or through a variety of proxies) own over 95% of China's economy, and the ruthless and unashamed exploitation of Chinese prisoners, workers and farmers. "China Aiding" is furthermore showing genuine concern for the fate of wretched Chinese prisoners suffering in forced labor camps, and expressing solidarity with Chinese workers and farmers struggling for their rights against a brutal and inhuman dictatorship.

There is an argument that most MIC products in the USA are bought by working-class people or minorities like Blacks and Hispanics, who will not respond to arguments of human rights violations or Tibetan independence. But that is elitist talk. Of course, it is only sensible to introduce the campaign to such people (or anyone else for that matter) on a note that is familiar or important to that person or group. For instance with blacks it may be a good idea to discuss Archbishop Desmond Tutu's or Nelson Mandela's views on economic boycotts. With Hispanics and Latinos we could, perhaps, start the discussion with accounts of the persecution of Catholics in China and the plight of Chinese bishops in forced labor camps. Of course, it can be further argued that this section of society suffers most from inroads of Chinese goods into America, when industry declines in this country and decent-paying manufacturing jobs grow less every day.

There is a charming photograph from Gandhi's visit to England in 1931. Wrapped in a woolen shawl and looking happy but somewhat bashful, he is surrounded by a tough but very friendly contingent of female mill-workers in Lancashire who are giving him a rousing welcome. These were people driven to unemployment by Gandhi's boycott of English textiles. Yet, they are cheering Gandhi and raising their fists in the air in solidarity with him. Whenever I hear from privileged people that the working class will not respond to overtures about human rights and freedom, but only their self-interests, I wish I could shove this photograph against their faces.

With all this in mind, the organizers of this campaign have considered that May 1st or Labor Day would make an appropriate "Say No to Made in China" Day. DEA groups could join Labor Day parades with appropriate placards and banners and distribute literature to marchers and participants. One could, on this occasion not only show solidarity with American workers, but also express support for working people in Tibet and China who are being exploited and oppressed.

The few weeks leading up to Christmas would also be a good period for promoting the DEA campaign. For instance, most toys sold in this country are Made in China. Groups could picket such stores as Toys'R Us, and distribute leaflets asking people if they would buy Christmas gifts for their children that were made in forced labor camps or by the Chinese military/industrial complex. One could even use street theatre for the occasion. Maybe this little skit: The MIC that Stole Christmas. The story of how the North Pole was "liberated " by the People's Liberation Army, which turned Santa's workshop into a people's commune; and how Santa and the Elves are now undergoing "Reform Through Labor." The concluding lines of the narrator: "No children, Santa is not dead, he is merely doing time in the frozen wastes of Manchuria for counter-revolutionary' activities. That is also why, children, all your toys now have this label on them: Made in China."

Christmas would be a good time to bring to public notice the persecution of Christians in China and the plight of jailed bishops and priests. It would also not be inappropriate to highlight the plight of the world's youngest political prisoner, the little Panchen Lama, and the hundreds of starving, frostbitten Tibetan children fleeing across the high Himalayas to freedom every year.

A crucial phase in the campaign would be student involvement. One of the features of the anti-apartheid campaign in the West was the tremendous student involvement that invested it with an energy and dynamism of its own. We must remember that international sanctions against South Africa were fought tooth and nail by Western governments and businesses (using the exact same arguments as in the case of Tibet and China), and only after a long campaign by students and activists did governments finally impose sanctions on South Africa. The involvement of students also gave the movement its cachet, which then translated into the involvement of celebrities, stars and the public at large.

Universities, in a sense, have set the intellectual and political trends in certain periods of recent history. If the DEA campaign takes off on campuses, we could be sure of awakening general public interest throughout the world, as students did in the sixties and seventies.

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