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04 Aug. 03
A World Awry
When you think about federal politics, does it seem like we're in a position that is turned or twisted toward one side; askew? If so, that is the definition of "awry" at dictionary.com. It literally means: "Away from the correct course; amiss." When you read the papers these days, doesn't it seem as though we're in Wonderland, with Alice? One minute things are very large, the next they're very small. It's all one big deja vu.
Remember last century, 1999, when they were impeaching Bill Clinton? If you were on the planet that year, you remember that the big story that year was the approach of Y2K, the moment our computers would click forward in to 2000, a year starting with a 2. Computer programmers had to scramble in the last years leading to midnight 1999. The event could have proven cataclysmic and everyone knew it. It was like a test of your nerves. Did you stock any provisions away? Did you buy any survival gear? I admit, in preparation for the worst, I bought two extra gallons of water and stashed them behind a cabinet. My reasoning was, that if worse came to worse, at least I could have a glass of water. I was prepared.
But remember the other big ("he he") story that year? Yes, the impeachment of Clinton! The anti-sex people on the right had their premier - this is how they would run the world. They stitched a big scarlet "A" on Bill Clinton's lapel, and it took millions of dollars, and hours of wasted time to do it. Hoo-ha.
However, Alice, have you ever heard the saying that what you criticize, you draw to you. What you judge, you become?
In this house of mirrors, take a look back to 1999 and remember what it felt like to have to witness that monstrosity in the U.S. House of Representatives. I don't know about you, but I was personally more worried about how the president would help us avoid a collision course with Y2K. I didn't give a hoot about his sex life and could not figure out why they wasted the first half of 1999 on that, instead of putting their efforts toward preparing for Y2K. Luckily, things turned out fine. Imagine if Bush had been in charge. No, nevermind.
Looking back on 1999, does it bring back memories of feelings of frustration, resentment, need for revenge? No??? Great! You're very evolved. You've been able to resolve your "bad" feelings about 1999. If you still have some residual anger it's understandable - because look at the wonders the Republicans have done since 2000. In some ways you want to give them some space and hope their destructive tornadoes blows the other way. However, with their popularity plunging at the moment, this is when you really need to be aware that "enough is enough." That goes for their behavior, but mostly ours. The ball will be in our court so to speak.
One sign of maturity is to concentrate on what you're doing to make things better, instead of concentrate on a plan for taking revenge. The dark elements will tear themselves down without our help because what is unreal cannot continue to control us. Evil is ignorance and fear is not real. Only love is real and love will prevail now and always. Let them tear down the old order, but we must get busy preparing the future. We know what needs to be done, so we must start laying the tracks.
Besides, there's no satisfaction in revenge in this culture war. Revenge is a short term-pleasure with negative long-term consequences. Remember, this is the "Culture" War. It's our own culture at war with itself. It's a civil war against one's own fellow citizens, rather than against an aggressive enemy from outside. We're not fighting the Huns or the Vikings; our opponents are in our own families, work places, schools, neighborhoods, and may even be our children, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Not only that, but the so-called war is taking place on a battlefield somewhere near you - a living room, perhaps.
Last week I was working in the shop when two women came in and for some reason we started talking about Bush. We had an impromptu Bush-Bashing as they were buying their gifts. Then I noticed an elderly woman with her daughter in the back of the shop. Clearly they heard us talking, so when they came to the counter I said, "I hope our words about Bush didn't offend you." They laughed and said, "We're not Republicans!" so we all just forgot about it. But if she had been a Republican it could have been an awkward moment. That's what I mean - this is all around us wherever we go.
The Culture War has the potential to rip into our Alice in Wonderland reality like a buzz saw. Not only that, but suppose Bush is exposed for all his crimes and people decide they're angry and not going to take it anymore. What do we do then?
Please tell me that we're NOT going to form an angry mob and go after everyone we hate to satiate our need for revenge. It would be great if we were a 90% majority and we could just hoist the whole administration out of office tomorrow. However, most likely it's going to take another year at least to raise the consciousness, get the Dems to run a sensible ticket [like my favorite, Kerry-Dean], motivate people to vote, pray that they give us a fair election, and then try to undo what Bush & Co. have done to destroy reality.
It will be great to end this nightmare, but what about the sixteen months between now and then? Things could really go to hell in a hand basket if half the country's in mob consciousness, trying to screw the president. ("Well, they did it to "our" president!") The situations in Afghanista, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinians are already deteriorating, and could get much worse if all attention is focused on a self-centered need for revenge. We must stay focused on what's important. Besides, if our sole aim in life is to castigate Bush and his compatriots, then hen we've become the aggressor :-( We will have managed to duplicate exactly what they did. True Bush's alleged crimes are much worse than Clinton's, but that only means we have the potential to behave worse than they did in 1999. Let us hold onto our dignity, friends. We will have proven nothing (except that we're as mean as them) and the world will be dangling by a thread the whole time.
What to do instead. Well, throw out some ideas. I get great email from people, so what do you think we should do? Sorry if I'm rambling a bit. It makes me think of the lyrics of that Donovan song . . . i'm a committed Donovan fan so naturally his songs get stuck in my head once in a while. Here's the one that I believe speaks directly to our dilemma in 2000 - 2003:
Better get into what you gotta get into
and you better get into it now don't hesitate
for the United Nations ain't really united
and the organizations ain't really organized.
Riki Tiki Tavi Mongoose at your door no more, no more . . .
Won't be comin' around for to kill'a your snakes no more my love . . .
Everybody who saw the Jungle Book knows Riki Tiki Tavi's a mongoose who kills snakes.
When I was a young man I thought there were organizations for to kill'a my snakes for me,
I was told: i.e. the church, i.e. the government, i.e. school.
But as I got a little bit older, I learned to kill the snakes myself.
Well the people walking around'a they don't know what they're doing.
They been lost so long they don't know what they're looking for.
Well I know what I'm a'looking for, but I just can't find it.
Guess I'm gonna have to look inside myself some more.
The Riki Tiki Tavi Mongoose at your door no more
Riki Tiki Tavi Mongoose at your door no more, no more . . .
Won't be comin' around for to kill'a your snakes no more my love . . .
- D.P. Leitch, recorded October 14, 1969, Morgan Studios, London
We'd be crazy to sit around waiting for the government to fix things. We must go out and make this a safer world through creating alliances, resist the urge to escalate the Culture War in our own circles, stand up for truth, be an individual, contribute to organizations that help preserve the environment and human rights. Become an activist - write letters, join demonstrations. But do it in a peaceful state of mind. Roll up your sleeves people, we have hit bottom and the time has come to prepare for a good future. It would be great if the church, the governments, and the schools would help, but whether they do or not, you can get started without them. Click here to go to the Activist's Workshop; click here to read our Peace Plan to End the War on Terror.
02 Aug. 03
Petition Drive to Remove Tom DeLay
If you are a registered voter in the United States, you can sign this petition to help oust Tom DeLay, who is not only one of Bush's henchmen, but was also one of the big proponents of the war on drugs and impeachment of former President Bill Clinton. Sign the petition by clicking here: http://www.petitiononline.com/tdl0000/petition.html. You do NOT have to be a Texas resident to sign. Pass the URL along to your friends. Jackson Thoreau, the author of the petition, will personally deliver it to DeLay, as well as to political activists in DeLay's district who can start the process of removing him.
27 July 03
Junk in the Closet - Now Coming Out
Senator and presidential candidate Bob Graham told "Fox News Sunday" today: "High officials in this government, who I assume were not just rogue officials acting on their own, made substantial contributions to the support and well-being of two of these terrorists and facilitated their ability to plan, practice and then execute the tragedy of Sept. 11."
Graham was commenting on the redacted material of the congressional 9-11 report released last week.
25 July 03
The Great MoveOn Interview
Our friends at MoveOn.org are working hard to construct a positive future. Recently they held the "Great MoveOn Interview," asking members to interview each other and then register the results. Eli Pariser has started the process of studying the 100,000 pages of comments. Here are his preliminary findings (sent out by email today to respondents):
"When we asked participants to talk about the values that the Bush Administration lacks, integrity, honesty, respect, compassion, and fairness were at the top of the list. Interviewees were furious at the duplicity and secrecy of the Bush Administration; so many of them mentioned lies that one could pick out the word scores of times on a single page.
"It's no coincidence that these attributes occur together. The President's ideology is predicated on the idea that society is essentially a group of selfish individuals scrambling for power. Respect, compassion and fairness, in this view, are attributes of the weak: in order to "win," individuals must seize every competitive advantage. And truthfulness is less important than the appearance of credibility. Communications are just a means to an end.
"What's the alternative? We asked folks what American values they resonated most strongly with. "Compassion, equality, fairness and respect," they responded. These also begin to shape a positive world view, a view based on the idea that collaboration and community build stronger societies -- that if we strengthen the bonds between each other, if we trust, respect, and empathize with each other, we will be more creative, more resilient, more fair, and ultimately more collectively powerful."
25 July 03
Greg Palast Explains 9-11 SNAFUs
Journalist Greg Palast was on the radio today talking about his book, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy. He said that our federal government has long had a policy of not calling Saudi Arabia to task on terrorism because it would endanger delicate oil negotiations. Palast said that Clinton had a "go slow" policy toward investigating Saudi Arabia; the Bush Administration adopted a "no go" policy. That's why nobody was tracking al Qaeda - they weren't supposed to!!! Visit Palast's web site and check out his other writings: GregPalast.com.
11 July 03
The World Might be Getting Better
Here at Pray for Peace we're always searching for evidence that the world is getting better - then this appeared in our inbox today:
Hi Nori!
My name is Charly Mueller from CANNABOARD - Skateboards in Germany.
I saw a lot of interesting information about hemp on your website. Please let me tell you something about CANNABOARD:
After working with fiber-reinforced materials for nearly twenty years, we started to produce skateboards completely made of hemp a few months ago. It`s really the first overall hemp and nearly unbreakable skateboard in the whole world! We also make guitars out of hempfiber. You can find them in the next weeks on our website http://www.millerguitars.com. More informarion about the skateboards you`ll find at http://www.cannaboard.de.
I just wanted you to know this!
Take care
Charly Mueller from good old Bavaria
02 July 03
Thoughts for Patriotism Month, July 2003
As we approach the Fourth of July, the main celebration in this month dedicated to the archetype of Patriotism, we remember that our country won its independence 227 years ago. Our rights as Americans include freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, separation of church and state, and all the other rights granted us in the constitution and Bill of Rights.
However, as we celebrate, Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the DNC (Democratic National Committee), reminds us that we're going through dark times. McAuliffe said what we all know deep down inside:
"George W. Bush is using the patriotism of the American people to cloak his right-wing agenda, an agenda that hurts average Americans. They wrap themselves in the flag, dismissing the criticism of their worst policies as unpatriotic. According to Bush and the GOP, you aren't a patriot if you: (1) Think eroding our civil liberties is a cause for concern. (2) Don't support massive tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of working families. (3) Believe the American people deserve to know whether President Bush misled them about Iraq's threat to our nation [Editor's note: and the truth behind 9-11]. (4) Care about protecting our environment."
McAuliffe cited these quotes from the Administration:
"There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that. There never is." White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer, 9/26/2001
"To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies." Attorney General John Ashcroft, 12/6/2001
"[Democrats] need to be very cautious not to seek political advantage by making incendiary suggestions." Vice President Dick Cheney, 5/17/2002
"Those comments may not undermine the President as he leads us into war, and they may not give comfort to our adversaries, but they come mighty close." Dennis Hastert, 3/18/02
"This destructive rhetoric does nothing more than demoralize our troops and second-guess our commander in chief." Tom Delay, 3/20/03
So the conclusion is? Show your true patriotism! Get active, support a candidate in the next election who will speak out for liberty and the environment, support that candidate's campaign, then get out and vote. Link here for the activist's workshop: http://surrealist.org/prayforpeace/workshop.html
25 June 03
Bush Failure
Yesterday the League of Conservation Voters gave the prez an "F" for his environmental practices. The grade was for the first two years of Bush's four year term. The League said, "The Bush administration has attacked, weakened or undermined laws providing clean air, clean water, and toxic waste cleanups. Primary beneficiaries of these actions have been timber, mining, oil and gas, and real estate development companies."
To learn more about the League and read a story about the report card, click here: lvc.org
18 June 03
Register Now:
Move.On Primary in Five Days
Click here to learn about the Move.On primary. The same people who joined in the demonstrations earlier this year will now cast their ballots to determine who Move.On will support through PACs and grassroots effort. To vote in the Move.On election, you have to register. Read all the fine print and sign up to vote now: http://www.moveon.org/pac/cands/.
17 June 03
Would Somebody Like to Comment on This?
I found this in my email box and wondered if you could tell me what the heck is going on in this country?
"Woolsey, one of the most high-profile hawks in the war against Iraq and a key member of the Pentagon's Defence Policy Board, is a director of the Washington-based private equity firm Paladin Capital. The company was set up three months after the terrorist attacks on New York and sees the events and aftermath of September 11 as a business opportunity which 'offer[s] substantial promise for homeland security investment'."
17 June 03
Sustainable Energy is the Answer
Soon we must stop using so much oil, coal, and nuclear energy. These fuels have non-sustainable environmental consequences such as releasing dangerous chemicals that contribute to global warming and pollution. Oil, coal, and nuclear energy all have dirty political implications as well, especially nuclear power. We all know, only too well that radioactive material is an instrument of terror. Even the thought of it is terrifying, especially for those of us who used to "duck and cover" as children. Even speaking of using nuclear weapons is a means of terror.
To achieve a state of sustainable green energy now, join forces with the Apollo Alliance to promote alternative energy sources and create a better future.
Here is an excerpt from the ApollAlliance.org website launching the Apollo Project at the Take Back America conference June 5, 2003 (comments by Bracken Hendricks):
"When we do take back America - and the longer I spend in this room, the more certain I am that we will - when we do take back America we are going to rebuild America. We are going to rebuild it to free ourselves from a crippling dependency on imported oil, we are going to rebuild it to reduce our impacts on the environment, and we are going to rebuild it to drive new investment into the productive manufacturing base of our economy, capturing the growth industries of the future for American workers today. We are going to bring jobs and hope and growth back to our communities. We are going to build our future . . ."
See http://www.apolloalliance.org/media_center/Brackenremarks.cfm to read the whole article. Click here to read Apollo's Ten-Point Plan for Good Jobs and Energy Independence.
17 June 03
Subject: Answers Now on Distortion of Evidence
The following letter is from Move On -
Dear friend,
The President took the nation to war based on his assertion that Iraq posed an imminent threat to our country. Now the evidence that backed that assertion is falling apart.
If the Bush administration distorted intelligence or knowingly used false data to support the call to war, it would be an unprecedented deception. Even if weapons are now found, I will be difficult to justify pre-war language that indicated that the exact location of the weapons was known and that they were ready to deploy at a moment's notice. With a crisis of credibility brewing abroad and the integrity of our President and our foreign policy on the line, we need answers now.
Please join me in asking Congress to establish an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the distortion of evidence now, at:
http://www.moveon.org/distortion/
A President may make no more important decision than whether or not to take a country to war. If Bush and his officials deceived the American public to create support for the Iraq war, they need to be held accountable.
Thanks.
08 June 03
America Non-Imperialist Surrealist Proclamation
We, the American Non-Imperial Surrealists, proclaim our disdain for American's history of imperialism. We call for the removal of George W. Bush, the last of the imperialist American presidents, and the beginning of the American non-imperial period.
Whereas America has behaved irresponsibly in foreign affairs throughout her history;
Whereas Presidents going back to James Knox Polk, Teddy Roosevelt, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, and right up the line, participated in wars of expansion and exploitation;
Whereas the American media and public school systems have neglected unsavory aspects of American history and thereby raised generation after generation of naive American citizens who later had to learn the truth about their country's bloody history the hard way;
Whereas facing the truth is better than secrets and cover-up;
The American Non-Imperial Surrealists hereby call for truth and integrity in all foreign affairs. We call upon America to become a team player and help, rather than exploit, foreign nations.
From this day forward, we call on all Americans to witness the terrors perpetrated by their own nation.
We call for a renewal of American honesty, integrity, generosity, leadership, ambition, service, and prosperity.
We call upon the media and all elected officials to demand honesty and good citizenship from America in all foreign affairs.
25 May 03
Oy! America, on Memorial Day Weekend
Who would have ever thought that we would have to pray for America like this, that it should be this bad? Gevalt. To our friends in other countries: Some of us dislike the new world order as much as you do. The danger is that what's happened here, where we never thought it could happen, could also happen to you! America is one of the oldest democracies, supposedly a role model to the world. Well, anytime you put something up on a pedestal it opens the door for abuse. So guess what? Among other things, America has bombed twenty-six countries since 1945. They're just pondering who's next.
So why should you pray for us? Admittedly, we have let our leaders get out of control. Pray that the people get a handle on this. If we succeed, the world will be better for you too. Pray that there are enough honest people in charge who want to clean up the system.
Big corporations, such as those that make electronic voting equipment, either buy out politicians or get themselves elected into office. One of the first things we need to do is secure our right to vote. One U.S. Representative has introduced legislation to make sure that all votes will leave a paper record. Please write to your elected officials and pray about this issue. Without our right to vote, this country is sunk for sure. Hello Dr. Strangelove!
Ref. on electronic voting machines: http://www.thehill.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx
Ref. on new legislation: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/052503F.shtml
23 May 03
Bill Moyers Memorial Day Commentary
Tonight on NOW Bill Moyers offered his words on freedom and democracy. To read the whole editorial, click here: http://www.pbs.org/now/commentary/moyers22.html. Here's an excerpt:
Every Memorial Day I think about what these men did and what we owe them. They didn't go through hell so Kenny Boy Lay could betray his investors and workers at Enron, or for a political system built on legal bribery. It wasn't for corporate tax havens in Bermuda, or an economic system driven by the law of the jungle, or so a handful of media buccaneers could turn the public airwaves into private sewers.
Sure, to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, freedom makes it possible for people to be crooks, but so does communism, and fascism, and monarchy. Democracy is about doing better. It's about fairness, justice, human rights, and yes, it's about equality, too; look it up.
I was never called on to do what soldiers do; I'll never know if I might have had their courage. But a journalist can help keep the record straight, on their behalf. They thought democracy was worth fighting for, even dying for. The least we can do is to help make democracy worthy of them.
Addendum: U.S. Representative Rush Holt (NJ) has introduced legislation that would require all voting machines to keep a paper record, thus insuring our right to have our votes counted. Write to Holt to thank him, then write to your own representative to as him or her to support the legislation. Also write to your U.S. Senators to introduce similar legislation in the Senate. To find your elected officials, visit the Pray for Peace Workshop (click here) to Require All Voting Machines To Produce A Voter-Verified Paper Trail To read more about the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 click here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/052503F.shtml
21 May 03
My Country Right or Wrong
In the Los Angeles Times May 11 letters to the editor, one reader points out that the full quotation is as follows: "My country, right or wrong. Support it when it is right, dissent when it is wrong." I became curious, so I looked it up on the Internet and found the following attributed to Carl Schurz (1829-1906): "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right!" (ref: http://sewaneetoday.sewanee.edu/alumnimagazine/articleoutput/8917.html) Now that you know more about the whole quote, do you agree that it's a moronic twisting of reality to use it to admonish people who dissent? (By the way, the article at Sewanee.edu is excellent.)
Here's a similar quote by Mark Twain: "Loyalty to my country; always. Loyalty to my government; only when it deserves it." (Ed's note: Shurz was a contemporary of Mark Twain, so it's unclear who said it first.)
