"Minuteman Report" Public Opinion Survey Whose Side Are You On? This survey and the opinions implied herein are solely the responsibility of David C. Treibs and in no way reflect the opinions of the Harper Herald, staff, advertisers, etc. Why not print out a bunch of copies and hand it out to your local law enforcement, with an address to which they can send it? Let me know what happens. You can have them mailed to me if you like: David C. Treibs; Battle Flags, Etc.; 1141 Metzger Road; Fredericksburg, TX 78624.. Situation: In 1850 the Fugitive Slave Law states that you must return escaped slaves to their owners. You will be penalized severely if you don't comply, and you will be rewarded if you turn them in. 1. You find a escaped slave hiding in your barn. Will you: (A) Help the slave hide and escape; (B) turn him over to the owner. You would, after all, be obeying the law; (C) Do nothing and hope you don't have to make a decision. No Answer 2. You are a member of law enforcement. Someone tells you an escaped slave is in their barn, and they don't know what to do. Will you: (A) Help the slave hide and escape; (B) turn them over to their owner. You will, after all, be upholding the law, which is what you are supposed to do. (C) Do nothing and hope you don't have to make a decision. No Answer Situation: You are a black person in Alabama in 196X. Martin Luther King, Jr. has just given a rousing speech against discrimination and in favor of peaceful civil disobedience to bring change. He invites you to march for civil rights, but you don't have the proper permits, and your march would be illegal. 3. Will you: (A) Bravely risk the dangers and join in the march; (B) Denounce the marchers as lawbreakers, and sit in the back of the bus as you go home from the speech. You are, after all, obeying the law; (C) Do nothing, and hope someone else solves the problem. No Answer Situation: You live in Germany is the early 1940s. Jews are being rounded up and exterminated. It is against the law to hide or help Jews, punishable by death and/or imprisonment in a death camp. 4. Jews come to you to hide them and possibly help them escape. Will you: (A) Hide them, and perhaps help them escape; (B) Turn them over to the Nazis. You would, after all, be obeying the law; (C) Do nothing and hope you don't have to make a decision. No Answer 5. You are a member of the local police or the SS. Someone turns some Jews over to you. Will you: (A) Take them somewhere safe and hide them; (B) Take them to SS headquarters; (C) Do nothing and hope you don't have to make a decision. No Answer Situation: You are a Nazi soldier on a detail near a death camp. Your orders today are to machine gun Jews and others who are to be exterminated. 6. Will you: (A) Refuse, and perhaps escape, or even machine gun those who oversee the extermination program; (B) Machine gun the Jews. After all, you are just following orders, and obeying the law; (C) Chase after imaginary enemy soldiers; or find some other excuse to avoid making a stand. No Answer Situation: You are a pastor in Germany in the early 1940s. Pro-Nazi pastors have been taking over the Reichschurch (state church). If you speak up against the Nazis, and if you bring up the "Jewish question," you may lose your position, and your pastorship, and you might even end up in a labor camp. 7. Will you: (A) Speak out against the Nazis, and bring up the "Jewish question," and perhaps take even more extreme measures; (B) Keep your opinions to yourself, and give sermons on submission to authority, and respect for "the leader;" (C) Lead your congregation to sing a little louder to drown the cries of those on the trains destined for the gas chambers. No Answer 8. You are a member of law enforcement. You have been ordered to arrest a pastor who has spread subversive propaganda against the Nazis. You know that all he has done is preach the truth. Will you: (A) Do something besides arrest him; (B) Arrest the pastor. After all, you would simply be following your orders, and you would be upholding the law, which is your duty; (C) Pass along your responsibility to someone else so you don't have to take a stand. No Answer Situation: You live near Boston in April 1775. Paul Revere rides past your place late at night. His message is that government troops are marching to seize illegal weapons held by the militia at Lexington and Concord. The troops have orders to seize heavy artillery, military assault rifles, and large stores of ammunition. The signing of the Declaration of Independence is not for another year in July 1776. 9. Will you: (A) Take up arms against your own government that is carrying out a lawful order? The penalty for this is death. (B) Obey the law by refusing to participate, and maybe even warn the troops; (C) Do nothing and hope you don't have to choose sides. No Answer 10. You are the Sheriff in Lexington. The commander of the troops gives you an order from General Gage to assist the troops in confiscating the arms, and in capturing militia members engaged in subversive, anti-government activities. Will you: (A) Side with the militia and defend the arms cache; (B) Comply with the orders and help the government troops. After all, you would simply be obeying your orders, and upholding the law; (C) Do nothing, and hope someone else solves the problem without you having to risk your fortune or your reputation. No Answer Situation: In 1835 you are Texan. Santa Anna has been sending troops into Texas to suppress any opposition to his many "reforms." One of his reforms includes confiscating weapons. You hear that troops are encamped against the town of Gonzales to confiscate their cannon. 11. Will you: (A) Join the other Texans rallying in Gonzales to fight the troops; (B) Refuse to help the Texans, and maybe even warn the Mexican commander. You would, after all, be upholding a lawful order; (C) Stay home and hope the situation resolves itself without your involvement. No Answer Situation: In 1835 you are a Captain in the Mexican army. You've been given orders to march on the town of Gonzales and take their cannon by any means necessary. After being refused for several days at the Guadalupe River, you decide to cross and use force. Texan militia meet you and request a parley. The Texan commander reminds you that Santa Anna is using you to consolidate his power grab, and to overturn the Mexican Constitution of 1824. You know he is correct. 12. Will you: (A) Join the Texans to stop Santa Anna; (B) Ignore what the Texan said, and demand the cannon. After all, you are just following orders, and upholding the law; (C) Sit around and have peace talks and negotiations until somebody else resolves the situation. No Answer Situation: You live in a city where little, unborn children are killed every day. A group of polite, non-violent people surround one of the child killing facilities and sit in front of the doors so no one can come in, and so no children die. 13. Will you: (A) Join them in whatever capacity you are able, to keep children from dying; (B) Counterprotest and denounce the peaceful pro-lifers as lawbreakers and terrorists; (C) stay home and watch TV. No Answer 14. You are a law enforcement officer. You've been called to the baby killing facility to remove those who are blocking the doors. The officer in charge orders you to remove the door blockers. Will you: (A) Refuse, stating respectfully that you will not be party to killing children, and perhaps even have a seat in front of one of the doors; (B) Remove those blocking the doors. After all, you are only following orders, and upholding the law; (C) Excuse yourself so you don't have to choose sides. No Answer Your name (it won't be published) Your email address (just so we don't have any duplicates. It will be deleted when the survey is completed, and you will not receive any emails from anyone including me) Any comments you'd like to add (some might be included in the results): (50 lines max) (optional question) Your occupation This poll was inspired by a sergeant in the Klamath Falls Police Department who made a statement regarding enforcement of the Endangered Species Act. In disregard to the total unconstitutionality of the ESA, and no matter how much it has destroyed the community he is sworn to protect, he stated that he will enforce the law. I hope he changes his mind.