Here's my advice to the rainbow family people of influence. I don't want to say "leaders", because as a herd of cats, they have no leaders, and they're not kidding when they say that.
- You should print up T-shirts that say "I tried to stop the Rainbow Gathering and all I got was this worthless T-shirt." Offer them to any USFS personnel within reach. For extra bonus points, print "USFS" in block letters on the back. Of course, if you get accused of bribing them, point out that the shirt is worthless, and since you're giving them to every USFS personnel who shows up, they are technically not an economic good since they aren't scarce. Print that on the shirt itself, in fine print, of course.
- Offer to share food with them. Sharing food is a very primal act of bonding. If they want to have a chat with you, eat while you're talking to them, and keep offering them food.
- If they target your medical staff again, make sure that the press knows that your infrastructure is being targetted. Speculate that the USFS is doing this to cause a disaster which breaks down the Gathering from within, and point out that innocents will suffer.
- "Elect" a new Leader of the Rainbow Gathering, who sets up their own authoritative-seeming web page with contact information, etc., and have them be 1) not at the gathering, and 2) completely out of reach during the gathering. If people come looking for a leader, say exactly what you say now. "We have no leaders". When asked where he is, you say "I haven't seen him."
- Oh, hell, for that matter, he doesn't even need to exist.
- Stop saying that you have no leaders. The harder you press that claim, the more they'll think you have secret leaders. Instead, explicitly say that you have Tail Followers. They don't lead anybody; they just follow the decisions made by the group. They're scribes, not chieftans. No member of the Rainbow Family will move when they say "Jump!"
