In Reply to: Seeking Volunteers for the California Lobster Advisory Committee posted by Kristine Barsky on May 02, 2012 at 09:28:11:

Awareness is the first step in the Resistance: The oceans, from restricted use, to no use.
Fish and Game State authoritarians in the process of consolidating your output into a more, exploitable channel. In the meeting Delphi technique is used to channel a group of people to accept a point of view that is imposed on them while convincing them that it was their idea. Trained facilitators present a range of choices to a group but have tailored them to a direct outcome. This is most often done in public meetings, called visioning meetings. The meetings are advertised as an opportunity for you to give your input to an exciting new plan for the redesign of your dive area for the future. The organizers want to give the appearance that they have listened to community opinion and incorporated it into their plan. The key thing to know about this is that of course you have no input. Only comments and observations that support the pre-approved plan will be supported. All others will be written on a big pad of paper and discarded later. The illusion of public buy-in is all that is needed. On those few occasions when the majority of the attendees object to the planned outcome the facilitator will close the meeting and reschedule it for another time and place. A large percentage of the group has already been briefed on the project and instructed to manage their table, shills. When the meeting is going smoothly you will never notice the obvious, that you haven’t been given any real choices and that all for the printed material shows the project as it will be when finalized regardless of anything you might say. Social pressure to make you conform, creating a climate of isolation in the meeting for those who do not agree. Check the web for more info on: Agenda 21/Sustainable Development.