Brief introduction by Theodore G. Willikers

This modest and far from comprehensive guideline was written by Harold Hark shortly after the 2004 election, but never published. I have updated it where applicable.

It is not a guideline for terrorists, but for the dissenting citizens of the formerly democratic nation of Australia who now find themselves living in a police state.

As did many of us, Hark anticipated the havoc John Howard would wreak with control of both houses or Parliament. It remains to be seen how far Australia's own Supreme Chancellor Palpatine will go in using this "supreme" power, but his vengeful mean-spiritedness will in all likelihood see him moving zealously to bring Australia in line with--and perhaps even surpass--his chief benefactor, the greatest terrorist state of them all, the United States of America.

No one knows how they would act under torture, least of all me. But I would hope not to dishonour myself and the unfortunate species to which I belong. So, if the unthinkable becomes reality, then break a leg -- oops, heh-heh, sorry, they'll do that for you. I mean good luck. TGW

BEFORE THEY COME

• First of all and from this day forward, greet everyone you meet with a raised right arm and the words, "Heil Howard".

• If you are serious about standing up to Howard's Stalinist state, warn your family of the danger of your possible arrest and disappearance.

Under the Howard Government's terror legislation, family members in turn may be arrested and sentenced to lengthy jail terms for discussing your disappearance with each other at the breakfast table.

If you are disappeared, Howard expects your family members to cower in fear and say nothing -- just as he and his family would. But, while he can read the cowardly silent majority well, he has no idea what makes real people tick. Therefore, each member of your family should be prepared to immediately tell everyone they know, as well as informing every newspaper in their area. (The media may not be allowed to report such disappearances, but someone will keep a record.)

The flagrant breaching of these invidious laws will put considerable stress on ASIO's resources if they have to round up hundreds of people who are so obviously guilty of nothing. It will also be harder for John Howard to face his collaborators, the silent majority, when this law hits home and their younger relatives start to go missing.

In short, once the first person is suspected of having been disappeared, people should step forth in droves to cause themselves to be arrested.

• Make sure you have an email ready to send to everyone on a specially prepared mailing list. If you are certain of imminent arrest, leave your computer on all night with the email at the ready. When you are wakened from your slumber by the all-too-familiar sound of jackboots and door pounding that signals the arrival of the updated Gestapo so dear to Ruddock's and Howard's hearts, you will have precious little time to get out of bed, get to your computer, hit a wakeup key and press send.

• Have in mind a lawyer or solicitor to call if you are allowed the right of representation. (More below.)

• It is vitally important that you learn the basics of meditation. Zoning out in a positive way may save your sanity later on. (More below)

• If you are a smoker, be prepared to quit cold turkey. Be prepared to forsake any other addictions immediately.

WHEN THEY COME

• When you open the door (or it is opened for you) to the end of life as you have known it, do not use reasonable argument or attempt to appease your invaders by being civil. Instead, scream bloody murder and curse them with the most foul words you know. If you live in the suburbs, your neighbours are probably collaborators, so give them a few choice words too. If they're on your side, they'll understand.

• After Little Johnny's psychopaths have had a jolly good time beating the shit out of you in the police car or paddy wagon for your verbal abuse, refuse to say another word to your captors, barring shouted insults, until the day you walk free.

DURING AND AFTER YOUR ARREST

• Give no cooperation during the booking procedure. Don't even give them your name. They already know everything about you anyway. Remain limp-wristed for fingerprinting. Keep falling to the ground as if you had no bones. Make them hold you up for mug shots.

• During interrogations, regard your nemesis with contempt. The interrogator may appear to be sympathetic, but be assured he or she is not.

Memorise the colour of your interrogator's eyes and the contours and marks on his or her face for the purposes of identification should you survive and there are criminal proceedings when freedom is restored. When two interrogators are working you over, try to remember their names when they joke with each other about your pain.

Do not forget that this man or woman is nothing more than a hired thug. Many of these vermin were former targets of the government's law and order policies; now they are protected because of their recruitment as torturers under the government's anti-terror legislation.

Open your mouth only to insult them or spit blood in their faces or scream at the pain they are inflicting on you. Your refusal to talk will eventually drive them mad … at your painful expense. Always remember: you are the future of the human race, not them.

• You may be allowed to see someone in the legal profession. Do not accept a state-approved quisling. Unless you can see a barrister of your own choosing, tell the appointed stooge to get fucked.

• Having given up smoking the minute you heard their knock at your door, do not accept any offer of tobacco or other substance, except for food and water. They will be only too happy to use your habits and addictions to weaken your resolve.

• If your incarceration lasts longer than one week, consider refusing all food. Bear in mind, however, that you will probably be force fed in the manner of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. That is, a tube shoved up your nose and into your throat without sedative or anaesthetic.

• Solitary confinement will most likely be your accommodation, but if you are put with other prisoners being held on similar charges, do nothing to compromise their safety. Acknowledge them briefly with a nod but not your voice. Be civil and courteous, but do not attempt to befriend them or in any way get to know them. Any friendship will be used against you or the friend. Other prisoners may or may not be agents, but if you remain aloof, it won't matter. Remember, you are now alone in the world and your only defence is your refusal to cooperate.

• If you are put in a cell with John Howard supporters -- most probably Ruddock-approved rapists and murderers just itching to do a bleeding heart -- you are pretty well stuffed. You can fight back and become a corpse by morning, or you can submit. This is an extreme example of what Little Johnny means when he talks about choices.

• Still your mind, especially thoughts of loved ones. Thinking of your wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, and especially your children is what they are counting on to undermine your will. Concern for the safety of loved ones has forever broken the courage of people who could have otherwise brought down tyrannies almost overnight. You have no hope if you cannot empty your mind of emotional content.

• Once you have become adept at stilling your mind, protect this equanimity by visualising an image of something commonplace -- a brick, a slab of cement, or whatever you can count on to neutralise your emotions. Bring it to mind whenever you feel you are losing your grip and keep your mind riveted on it. If it in turn gives way to ecstatic visions, go with them, as long as they remain ethereal. You'll need all the "holidays" you can get.

• Learn some form of meditation before it ever comes to this. Breathing in through your nostrils and exhaling through your mouth is as simple as it gets and works wonders. To keep your mind from being distracted, count each exhalation from one to ten and then begin again. Always breathe naturally.

• The power of your interrogators is absolute; you have none. Therefore by giving them nothing but the screams you cannot prevent, there is no reason you cannot win, even if they kill you. Contrary to the path taken by conservatives and their silent majority, life was not meant to be lived as a coward.

• They will probably not kill you; that is not part of their brief … yet. But you will possibly be maimed for life or suffer internal injuries that could cause serious problems in the future.

• If you are not prepared to suffer injury or death, stop your present activities of dissent immediately. Or do not start them.

• Never forget that you have been arrested for having done nothing but speak out against the Howard Government's fascist treason against Australia. If you survive, you will be a hero in the truest sense of the word. If you don't, you will become a legend as well.