Revenge can be sweet but take some advice from a veteran of the bully wars, it can backfire bitterly on you too. Remember that revenge is a dish better served cold. Look over some of these options, think up a few of your own and then: Pick Your Poison!

1. Kill or Maim the bullies-All victims fantasize about distroying the monsters who have devastated them. If you were serious about "becoming violent" you would not be searching the web for support, information, and legal advice. So move on.

2. Sabotage Company Property-This may inconvenience or even infuriate the bully or his/her backers for a short time. Eventually they will pass the cost on to consumers or taxpayers, that's you. They might even like the new stuff better and be happy about it all.

3. Dirty Trick the bully- Be careful here who actually ends up suffering, the bully or some innocent party. If he's having an affair and you call his wife, she's suffering and he didn't care about her anyway. The same is true if you call the dog catcher on her family pet. She might care less, but the animal suffers. You might want to send the bully pornographic magazine subscriptions, or come up with ways to wreck the bully's credit. Just, don't stick the pizza delivery boy or neighborhood grocer, that's too tacky . Now if the bully drives drunk or buys his pharmaceuticals on the street corner, you might want to tell a friendly policeman or call the drug hot line. In that case you'd be doing us all a favor. There are lots and lots of sights on the net for tips on getting even using dirty tricks. Explore and decide.

4. Sue the bully-Here you may have a better idea, remembering that companies and public agencies have big insurance policies and private individuals do not. They also have a legal staff, free at their disposal, something you do not have and will definetly need if you intend to sue. Say what you will about lawyers, the Salem Witch Hunts ended when the accused sued their accusors in the courts. Some financial awards sound ludicrous to us, but I don't ever want to loose my fundamental right to sue. Can you imagine what bullies could do if they knew they could Never be held accountable!

Read over some of the legal information linked here and/or research cases similar to yours. Compile your documentation and summerize your situation in a page or two Then Definetly Go Attorney Shopping! Stick to attorneys who will work on contingency only. If you don't find an attorney to take your case, know this: It Doesn't Mean You Have Not Been Wronged; it means there is little or no legislation or case law in the US to protect workers from bullies.

Don't worry that taking another job will ruin your chances in a future lawsuit, it will actually help. Whether you have to quit or are fired, it may still be "constructive dismissal". There will be plenty of areas for damages including: pay differences if you must take a lower paying job; job hunting and relocation costs, and personal injury.

5. Make the bully Pay Somehow-If you can't get a lawyer to sue the bullies, stop there. Don't spend another cent, except for some paper and stamps. Work from home on getting revenge, while you pull your shattered self together enough to find a decent job. Every employeer is vulnerable in some aspect of their operations. There may be violations of OSHA standards, fraud and waste of public funds, human rights violations, violations of company policy/contracts, or mismangement issues that effect stock holders profits. Write a few good letters, with legitimate concerns, to people in power outside the company, and copy everybody else. Even a letter to the editor would help make your point. Present yourself as the good guy and request that they investigate these issues rather than just believing you. If enough people know about problems, the people you wrote to will investigate. Remember in which direction excrement flows! Best of all, you will be protecting and defending others.

6. Don't forget that misuse of sick or personal leave is a felony in most states. If you can prove the bully wasn't where he/she was supposed to be during working hours, it could come in handy.

7. While these things are working out for you, or if they haven't, consider some of these tactics:

a.) Tell the world your side of the story and let them decide not to support the bully backers and to boycott their products or services. This works best with a local employer or business.

b.) If your're dealing with a corporate giant or big public agency, do the same thing, only on the web. A side effect of this may be that competent replacement workers choose not to work for them, thus depriving bullies of victims.

c.) Become an activist. If this doesn't sound like you, start simple by doing something like joining a support group on the web.

d.) Look for public enemies of the bully backers, like environmental groups or business or political rivals. Support, volunteer, and become active with these groups. Better still apply for a job with them and if it looks good on your resume, tell them why. At least you won't have to worry about bad references from your former employeer.

e.) Prepare to be black-balled in your line of work. It's great legal fodder if you can prove it. Bad references can keep you out of work for a long time. The true bully is looking forward to doing this to you, it's often one of his/her favorite threats. Remember,"You'll never work in this town again!" or "I'll see to it that your license/certification is pulled!"? Deprive the bully of this sport! Work around the "list immediate supervisor" section of your next job application by using a friendly department head, former boss or co-worker; be creative without lying if possible. When you get the new job, keep it quiet until you develop a strong, positive work record there. Bullies often contact new employers just to "enlighten" them as to your lousy work habits, poor performance or demented nature.

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