MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH
June 3, 2003
The Hybrid Series #3: The Mother of All Compilations
Hello everyone
Again this is most likely to be the only compilation for this week - albeit a very long one as you will see.
;-)
Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.EarthRainbowNetwork.com
Free subscription to such compilations through this website above or by sending a blank email to earthrainbownetwork-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
This compilation is archived at http://www.EarthRainbowNetwork.com/Archives2003/Hybrid3.htm
"Yes, I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can find his way by moonlight, and see the dawn before the rest of the world."
- Oscar Wilde
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought by the military- industrial-complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961
Read the complete 1961 Military-Industrial Complex Speech of Dwight D. Eisenhower at: http://www.rense.com/general37/mic.htm - Recommended by Palden Jenkins palden.jenkins@btopenworld.com>
"Knock Knock... Who's there? The tax collector! How much do you want? Enough to pay for my plainclothes killers to assassinate people I don't like and for my uniformed killers to take over countries I don't like. Any questions? No sir, I don't have a right to choose where my taxes are spent." (Sent on May 28 by Triaka SpiritNet@webtv.net>)
The realm of non-thinking
Can hardly be fathomed by cognition;
In the sphere of genuine suchness
There is neither "I" nor "other."
- Yunmen (864-949) - Taken from http://www.dailyzen.com/
"We are in massive denial and continue to bicker over the last shrinking numbers of survivors, employing satellites and sensors to catch the last fish left," said Myers. "We have to understand how close to extinction some of these populations really are. And we must act now, before they have reached the point of no return. I want there to be hammerhead sharks and bluefin tuna around when my five-year-old son grows up. If present fishing levels persist, these great fish will go the way of the dinosaurs."
- Taken from "Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says" below.
CONTENTS
1. BusHitler Revisited
2. Feedback about Ralph Nader
3. Dennis Kucinich: An Amazing Experience in Berkeley
4. Studs Terkel on Kucinich... "Kucinich is the One!"
5. My 3 days with Dennis Kucinich
6. The Bad Weather Over America
7. Eyewitness Account of Navy testing
8. Kill a Few Hundred Whales, Soldier? No Problem
9. Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says
10. Revealed: the cluster bombs that litter Iraq
11. John Fitzgerald Kennedy 86th Birthday
12. SLOPS Warning (Severe Loss of Perspective Syndrome)
13. Responding to ET Infiltration of Clandestine Organization, Embedded Military, etc.
14. Painful Blessings
ESPECIALLY RECOMMENDED
Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive (from 1995 to 2003!)
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Of key interest: See what the May 31 eclipse looked like when the new Moon slid across the Sun's fiery disk to create an annular solar eclipse at http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030530.html
ACTION SUGGESTED
TALKING BACK TO THE MEDIA
http://kucinich.us/responses_media.htm
Help Dennis Kucinich by responding to biased coverage or marginalization of the Kucinich campaign. Some of the latest news: The Kucinich campaign continues to roll, turning out crowds across the country larger than those of the other candidates -- and getting some
excellent press attention in state after state. Dennis had a hugely successful Northern California tour of 15 cities in 6 days -- and then, in the space of 48 hours this weekend, campaigned in New Hampshire (where he was introduced by Granny D), rural New York, Wisconsin (where one of the gatherings was attended by 1,000 activists) and Iowa (where Dennis got major, serious press attention for his pro-family farm policy that takes on agribusiness monopolies and unfair trade treaties.) In the last few days, Dennis has debated the issues in various national television appearances (e.g., his national health insurance plan on PBS's "NewsHour"; Bush's war drums over Iran on CNN).
LAST MINUTE ADDITION
Date: 02 Jun 2003
From: "B.Wise Productions" Bewise@SouledOut.org>
Subject: GOODWILL FESTIVAL GLOBAL MEDITATION - Saturday June 14, 2003
The Gemini Full Moon Festival ...
The Festival of Goodwill ~ The Festival of Humanity
The energies released at the Gemini full moon are forces of the Divine Will that affect the nations of the world. It brings an abundant tide of love for Humanity to use as goodwill in establishing rightful world conditions. The Festival of Goodwill is the third of the three major planetary festivals which occur in the spring and are celebrated around the world.
In preparation for the Festival of Goodwill, we invite you to consider and ponder upon various spiritual topics related to the energies of this significant full moon celebration. We encourage alignment with these evolutionary energies from the new moon of Gemini on May 30, until June 29, 2003 (the new moon of Cancer).
Click here for more information
http://souledout.org/goodwill/goodwillfestival03/goodwillfminvite.html
If you are unable to meditate at the exact time of the full moon, choose a time within 12 hours before or after the full moon to participate in this Global Meditation.
Blessings in your service ...
Feel free to send this email around to any and all you feel would be interested in participating!
We are All One with the Divine!
NOTE FROM JEAN: See in attachment the amazing picture they sent!
See also:
Police state for America
http://www.hermes-press.com/police_state.htm
(...) Never in U.S. history has there been such a monolithic surveillance mechanism with the terrible power to destroy American citizens' lives. "A VERY sobering web page" recommended by Ken NCEpanacea@aol.com>
Rense show on Oil Peak , author of book`The Party's Over' (Real Audio file)
http://rense1.soundwaves2000.com:8080/ramgen/sw_archives/rense/rense05-22-03.rm
Recommended by "Mark Graffis" mgraffis@vitelcom.net> as well as the following
Transcript of Noam Chomsky on Radio Netherlands
http://www.rnw.nl/amsterdamforum/html/030517ch_trans.html
Professor Chomsky, once described by the New York Times as arguably the most important intellectual alive, is an outspoken critic of US foreign policy. He says, following the war in Iraq, the US is seeking to dominate the world by force, a dimension in which it rules supreme. And he warns this policy will lead to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terror attacks based on a loathing of the US administration. He says the very survival of the species may be at stake.
Straw, Powell had serious doubts over their Iraqi weapons claims (May 31)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,967548,00.html
Secret transcript revealed - Jack Straw and his US counterpart, Colin Powell, privately expressed serious doubts about the quality of intelligence on Iraq's banned weapons programme at the very time they were publicly trumpeting it to get UN support for a war on Iraq, the Guardian has learned. CLIP - recommended by "Paul Prior" webmaster@globalcircle.net> who wrote "Smoking gun. This should get major media attention."
Check this prodigy child website - Recommended by Manuel chagasm@genevaonline.com>
http://www.gregoryrsmith.com/
Make sure to review http://www.gregoryrsmith.com/articles.html
and read this amazing story by CNN on him
CNN: 13-year-old prodigy to get college degree (April 21/03)
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/04/21/prodigy.graduates.ap/index.html
At Death's Door (May 28 - Warmly recommended by Suzy Ward)
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/nightline/World/iraq030528_casualties.html
American Woman Travels Door to Door to Count Iraqi Casualties - The Pentagon keeps a precise count of U.S. casualties in the war in Iraq. But the question of how many Iraqis lost their lives remains as mysterious as the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein or the location of all those weapons of mass destruction. Marla Ruzicka, 26, from the San Francisco Bay Area, has been in Baghdad since the day Saddam's statue fell in the city center. She has been doing a headcount of the Iraqi injured and the dead. She's found more than she expected. She has formed her own nonprofit organization, called the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, or CIVIC. She has organized 150 surveyors to fan out across Iraq. So far, they say they have documented 620 civilian deaths in Baghdad, 256 in Najaf, 425 in Karbala and as many as 1,100 in Nasiriyah. It is only a preliminary count. "Somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000 people died in this conflict," Ruzicka said. CLIP - Marla Ruzicka can be reached at marlainiraq@yahoo.co.in (She needs help!) . Her Website is: http://www.iraqvictimsfund.org
Hussein Bunker, Bombed at Outset of War, Never Existed (May 28)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/28/eveningnews/main555948.shtml
Amnesty International: "War On Terror" Has Made World Worse (May 28)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28545360.htm
Washington's "war on terror" has made the world more dangerous by curbing human rights, undermining international law and shielding governments from scrutiny, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. Releasing its annual report into global human rights abuses in 2002, the London-based watchdog made one of its fiercest attacks yet on the policies pursued by the United States and Britain in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The Beat Goes On (May 29)
http://www.counterpunch.org/leopold05292003.html
Despite Thin Intelligence Reports, the US Plans to Overthrow Iranian Regime - Here we go again. While postwar Iraq continues to crumble, the Bush administration is now setting its sights on a new target -- Iran -- in its so-called effort to reshape most of the Middle East and bring democracy to countries ruled by vicious dictators. But the Bush administration is again relying on flimsy evidence and thin intelligence information in claiming that the Iran poses an immediate threat to the United States. The U.S. still hasn't uncovered any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which was the prime reason for launching an attack against the country. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said in an interview reported by CNN Tuesday that it's possible the WMD in Iraq may have been destroyed prior to the war. So, right now, the Bush administration has a credibility problem similar to that of The New York Times, which is still reeling from a spectacular scandal that one of its reporters fabricated dozens of national stories.
'US Plan for Military Action Against Iran Complete' (May 30)
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/29/1054177670542.html
Washington has drawn up a plan for military action against Iran, which it accuses of supporting terrorism and having a secret nuclear weapons program, a Russian newspaper reported yesterday, citing diplomats.
Next stop Tehran? (May 27)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,963994,00.html
With Iraq beaten, the US is now playing the same dangerous WMD game with Iran
WMD Just a Convenient Excuse for War, Admits Wolfowitz (May 30)
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=410730
The Bush administration focused on alleged weapons of mass destruction as the primary justification for toppling Saddam Hussein by force because it was politically convenient, a top-level official at the Pentagon has acknowledged. The extraordinary admission comes in an interview with Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Defence Secretary, in the July issue of the magazine Vanity Fair.
Unease Grows in Washington Over Fruitless Weapons Search (May 27)
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=18435
Time and Newsweek: Where are Iraq's WMDs? (June 1)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/060203A.shtml
Senate to Probe Iraq Weapons Intelligence (June 1)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/060203B.shtml
No Weapons in Iraq? We'll Find Them in Iran (June 1)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/060203C.shtml
The Lies That Led Us Into War (June 1)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/060203F.shtml
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF: "The American people were manipulated" (May 31)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/060103F.shtml
Bush Administration Examines Steps to a Revamped Arsenal
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/053003J.shtml
WASHINGTON, May 28 - Backed by Congressional sentiment favoring a new approach to nuclear weapons, the Bush administration is taking steps that could lead to revamping the nation's cold-war-era atomic arsenal to meet what officials describe as more imminent modern threats. The House and Senate last week approved a series of provisions sought by the White House and the Pentagon that could open the door to development of new nuclear weapons. Administration officials say the changes, which include relaxing a ban on research into smaller nuclear weapons, would not violate any existing arms treaties, though that is disputed by others. These initiatives have alarmed arms control advocates and Democrats in Congress who say that the administration is determined to create a new generation of nuclear weapons, potentially touching off an arms race as other nations try to match American capability. (...) "It is unrealistic to think we are going to go ahead and even test but not use these nuclear weapons, particularly with the expressions and statements that have been made by the administration," Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, said. Mr. Kennedy and his allies, who in a series of votes last week were unable to block the provisions that opened the door to new nuclear research, say the push for new nuclear capacity is reckless and ill-conceived, given the White House demand that other nations disavow nuclear force. In a floor speech, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, called the juxtaposition diabolical. As it adopted a larger defense measure last week, the House eased a 10-year-old ban on research into smaller nuclear weapons while the Senate lifted it entirely. Lawmakers also rejected proposals to block spending on turning existing nuclear warheads into weapons capable of piercing underground bunkers. (...) Democrats and arms control advocates say conventional weapons can be modified to destroy deeply buried targets as effectively as nuclear weapons. They say even low-yield nuclear weapons will release large amounts of radioactive debris. And they argue that any moves by the United States to develop new nuclear weapons will encourage similar behavior in other countries. "Arguments that low-yield weapons serve U.S. interests because they produce less collateral damage and are therefore more usable than high-yield weapons are shortsighted," a group of eight prominent nuclear scientists wrote in a letter sent to senators recently. Democrats said they would press their resistance when opportunities present themselves.
FCC Plan to Alter Media Rules Spurs Growing Debate (May 28)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46442-2003May27.html?nav=hptop_tb
Substantial grass-roots resistance to the Federal Communications Commission's plans to relax or eliminate several major media ownership rules has been building in recent weeks, turning a number-crunching bureaucratic process into a growing debate on free speech. On June 2, the five-member commission is scheduled to vote on changes that would allow broadcast networks to buy more television stations and would lift the 28-year-old ban preventing newspapers from buying television stations in the same city. Hundreds of thousands of e-mails and postcards are urging the FCC to put off a decision.
Governor Dean to FCC: Cease & Desist (May 27)
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer
Howard Dean today wrote to FCC Chairman Michael Powell, urging the FCC to avoid further deregulation of the American media.
FCC Shift May Choke Independent Voices
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/reuters20030525_83.html
White House Buries Report Describing $44 Trillion Deficit
http://truthout.org/docs_03/053003A.shtml
Editor's Note | Many financial experts have warned that the massive budget deficit described in the article below will bankrupt this country for the next 25 years. One must also ponder whether the drafting of this report was the main reason Paul O'Neill was removed as Treasury Secretary. - The Bush administration has shelved a report commissioned by the Treasury that shows the U.S. currently faces a future of chronic federal budget deficits totaling at least $44 trillion in current U.S. dollars. The study, the most comprehensive assessment of how the U.S. government is at risk of being overwhelmed by the “baby boom” generation’s future healthcare and retirement costs, was commissioned by then-Treasury secretary Paul O’Neill. (...) The study’s analysis of future deficits dwarfs previous estimates of the financial challenge facing Washington. It is roughly equivalent to 10 times the publicly held national debt, four years of U.S. economic output or more than 94 percent of all U.S. household assets. Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve chairman, last week bemoaned what he called Washington’s “deafening” silence about the future crunch.
Stating the Obvious (May 27)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/052803F.shtml
The lunatics are now in charge of the asylum." So wrote the normally staid Financial Times, traditionally the voice of solid British business opinion, when surveying last week's tax bill. Indeed, the legislation is doubly absurd: the gimmicks used to make an $800-billion-plus tax cut carry an official price tag of only $320 billion are a joke, yet the cost without the gimmicks is so large that the nation can't possibly afford it while keeping its other promises. But then maybe that's the point. The Financial Times suggests that "more extreme Republicans" actually want a fiscal train wreck: "Proposing to slash federal spending, particularly on social programs, is a tricky electoral proposition, but a fiscal crisis offers the tantalizing prospect of forcing such cuts through the back door." Good for The Financial Times. It seems that stating the obvious has now, finally, become respectable. It's no secret that right-wing ideologues want to abolish programs Americans take for granted. But not long ago, to suggest that the Bush administration's policies might actually be driven by those ideologues - that the administration was deliberately setting the country up for a fiscal crisis in which popular social programs could be sharply cut - was to be accused of spouting conspiracy theories. Yet by pushing through another huge tax cut in the face of record deficits, the administration clearly demonstrates either that it is completely feckless, or that it actually wants a fiscal crisis. (Or maybe both.) (...) How can this be happening? Most people, even most liberals, are complacent. They don't realize how dire the fiscal outlook really is, and they don't read what the ideologues write. They imagine that the Bush administration, like the Reagan administration, will modify our system only at the edges, that it won't destroy the social safety net built up over the past 70 years. But the people now running America aren't conservatives: they're radicals who want to do away with the social and economic system we have, and the fiscal crisis they are concocting may give them the excuse they need. The Financial Times, it seems, now understands what's going on, but when will the public wake up?
'War Vaccines Poisoned Us' (May 27)
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/5000823?source=Evening%20Standard
Four British soldiers who received jabs for the Iraq conflict are to sue the Ministry of Defence claiming they are suffering from a new form of Gulf War Syndrome. The revelation comes as a veterans' support group predicted today that thousands of UK servicemen will come forward with mystery illnesses linked to "vaccine overload".
World Bank chief issues opium alert (March 16)
http://www.observer.co.uk/global/story/0,10786,915223,00.html
Opium cultivation has reached record levels in Afghanistan, World Bank president James Wolfensohn warned yesterday. In an exclusive interview with The Observer, Wolfensohn revealed that drugs were now a bigger earner for the Afghan economy than overseas aid.
9/11 ten-page summary completely verified and improved
http://www.wanttoknow.info/911coverup10pg
Recommended by "Fred Burks" fredburks@earthlink.net> who wrote: "I have finally completed the detailed, laborious process of verifying every fact and statement on the ten-page summary of the 9/11 timeline. On the original timeline, we found occasional exaggeration and speculation which we have now completely eliminated. We have also chosen to use only statements taken from the very top media sources on both the two-page and ten-page summaries. If you want some uplifting material to balance the cover-ups, check out the inspiring short essays at http://www.gcforall.org/inspirations
1.
From: "LotusBlue" lilweed@esatclear.ie>
Subject: RE: Miscellaneous Subjects #185 (PART 1) : BusHitler
Date: 28 May 2003
Dear Jean, I ran the pic' you forwarded through the UFX paint program, setting 'twins, which mirrors superimposed, and guess what- a perfect match. You can see lots going on here if you look at it.. It's well scary!!
Cheers, Lotus
NOTE FROM JEAN: It is worth a look indeed - people interested may ask it from Lotus directly. Yet a word of caution on this whole comparison issue. Our brother George is NOT Hitler. Although his cunning and deceitful agenda and actions may mirror in part those of Hitler, I believe it is incumbent upon us when using this kind of comparative picture matching to warn against associating in our minds and hearts the emotional drama and heavily charged karmic imprint left by the mass tormentor and manipulator that Hitler was with what George W Bush is and may become, under the tutelage of hidden dark forces using his presidency through a number of adept pawns to create the kind of world situation and dark negative emotions (hate, fear, despair) that can best further their spiritual-awakening dampening agenda. It may be convenient to use such pictures as warnings and awareness raising tools but it entails a risk of inadvertently supporting - through hyping up the fear factor of some terrible menace hanging over our heads - the manipulative efforts of the forces opposing the Light - the so-called fallen angels of the Origin. There is indeed a threat right now to all that is Good and Benevolent on Earth - which is a reflection of a higher cosmic drama being played out throughout the universe as Matthew Ward (in heaven) pointed out recently. And one of the best ways to face this threat - for those with the proper spiritual training and enough soul-anchored equanimity to do so - is to look it straight into its face without flinching, without the slightest hint of inner emotional turmoil, to name it and describe it as it is (point blank) so as to dispel the power-over-souls it has through the enabling cover of unexpressed fears, and to TRANSCEND (seeing the core divine essence beyond the appearances), TRANSMUTE (inviting within our very divine essence, as One with All That Is, the lowest vibrations represented by what we named so as to transmute them into their highest expression of Love, Light and Oneness) and TRANSMIT (broadcasting to the entire noosphere the globally awakening sense of victory over Darkness as co-redeemers with the Universal One). Got it!
---
From: "Birgitta Storjohann" b.storjohann@sympatico.ca>
Subject: RE: Miscellaneous Subjects #185: BusHitler
Date: 29 May 2003
Dear Jean,
Thank you for this remarkable compilation. How much more is needed for humanity to say ENOUGH. How much more? We surely are soon reaching the end of this road. We surely must soon be taking off, for brighter enlightened skies. The economic, strategic and financial analysis seems unquestionable and the downfall should occur soon.
With many thanks for all those who courageously contribute to keep us informed.
In the light and with love
Birgitta
2.
From: " John Owen" jowen@igc.org>
Subject: Re: The Writing on the Wall Series #24: Warning! Core Breach Is Imminent!
Date: 29 May 2003
I think Ralph Nader said the difference between the Republicans and Democrats is that the world's life support systems may last 10-20 years longer under the Democrats. When I hear a Democratic candidate talk about the need to stop fossil fuel burning, nuclear, pesticides, herbicides, and genetic manipulations, then he'll be worth supporting, Not until then. The major political parties represent consensus viewpoints. When the people change their views, the politicians will too. Also, the environment is a global crisis. The United States could start by ratifying the Kyoto treaty.
John Owen
NOTE: This comment was in response to the article "No Difference between Republicans and Democrats?" by Jackie Alan Giuliano, posted at http://ens-news.com/ens/may2003/2003-05-09g.asp
3.
Date: 30 May 2003
From: Mona LaVine monajl@earthlink.net>
Subject: FWD Dennis Kucinich: An Amazing Experience in Berkeley
PLEASE CONSIDER SHARING IT WITH OTHERS.
Dear Friends,
It's 5:30 AM and I had to get out of bed to share with you something very important that happened last night in Berkeley. I, along with 800 others, listened with rapt attention to Congressman Dennis Kucinich who is a Candidate for U.S. President talk about 'Repairing the American Dream'. Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein, and Jean Shinoda Bolen introduced him to an audience that included Ram Dass, Daniel Ellsberg, Stan Grof and many other of our respected elders.
It's the first time I can remember hearing someone in government speak passionately, straight from his heart communicating truth, wisely and compassionately. Although he is a little known candidate at this time, Kucinich is someone who is saying what so many of us are starving to hear. Those of us old enough to remember what it was like to be proud to be an American had a taste of that possibility once again. When America, the Beautiful was sung so beautifully it took on a poignant dimension with everyone close to tears for the despair and helplessness that so long has covered up our long-lost joy and gratitude for being part of this country. All the ideals that we had growing up of America being the land of equal opportunity invited by Miss Liberty to give me your tired, your poor, were stirred up in some faraway place in the heart that understood how one could be patriotic.
Dennis spoke about creating a Department of Peace, of re-joining the world community as an important but caring member of a global family. He eloquently spoke of our need to understand the truth of our inter-connectedness and inter-dependence with all peoples and life on the planet. He said that instead of creating more fear in the world it is our responsibility to address the suffering we've created through a policy based on greed and domination. He talked about using much of the $400 billion we now spend on weapons and defense for education, universal health care, a clean environment and addressing the many inequities our present system thrives on. He said that he knows there are many millions in our country who say with bewilderment, "I can't believe the direction this country is going in"
Dennis' words were like an oasis in a vast desert. They were not contrived. He used no notes. He is bright and articulate. He responded to questions from the audience spontaneously with the ring of truth that everyone listening knew was coming from a place of deep caring. He encouraged everyone to join him in repairing the American dream, in feeling inspired once again at what this country can be. I'm writing to you to let you know there is someone in our government who is not just another politician. His voice needs to be heard and I urge you to listen. His website http://www.kucinich.us/ will give you a sense of who he is and where he stands on all the issues.
Dennis decided to become a candidate after a speech he gave was put on the Internet. He received 20,000 emails urging him to consider running for president. Although he doesn't have a big campaign chest he holds a vision of hope and inspiration that millions are longing to hear. In this new electronic world there is a potential for swift communication on a grass roots level that never existed before. As a legitimate candidate of the Democratic Party, he has to be taken seriously. When his voice gets more exposure, it will strike a chord in many hearts who will finally hear someone who makes sense. Anything is possible once people start hearing the truth passionately, eloquently and straight from the heart. If he doesn't ultimately become the final candidate, his contribution to conversation of where America is going will still be vital and his influence real.
I'm attaching an email from MoveOn which many of you probably recently received wanting to know which candidates members are interested in. Please consider responding to this straw poll to let them know that Dennis Kucinich is someone whose voice you want broadcasted clearly to everyone who cares about this country. Tapes of the evening (which included introductions by Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein and Jean Shinoda Bolen) were distributed at the event through Conference Recording Service http://www.conferencerecording.com
It feels energizing and exciting to be able to get involved with something positive in this time of frustration and fear. I invite you to experience this energy of focused, committed action in working for a candidate you can enthusiastically support, Dennis Kucinich.
With warm regards,
James Baraz
---
From: Wes Boyd, MoveOn PAC
To: James Baraz baraz@pacbell.net>
Sent: May 29, 2003
Subject: MoveOn Presidential Straw Poll
Dear MoveOn member,
Over the next few weeks, we'll be bringing together MoveOn members, political leaders, and policy folks to develop a big-thinking, forward-looking platform for MoveOn's work. The final document will contain ideas and messages that resonate broadly and move people to action. Especially after the 2002 election, we want to ensure that Democrats and leading progressives are never again indicted for "having no message." It'll also be deeply pragmatic -- an agenda that we can and will accomplish in the coming years.
You'll hear more about that soon, but before we start, we need some input from you. We'd like to involve some of the Democratic candidates in this process, and we want to know which candidates MoveOn members favor. You can cast your vote at:
http://moveon.org/pac/poll?id=1407-615861-1W0uXjmal16m40BNOI4DUw
We'll ask MoveOn members' favorite few candidates to get involved in the agenda-building process. That will introduce us to the candidates, and demonstrate to the candidates the creativity, intelligence, and power of the broad MoveOn membership.
It may feel early to be talking about the 2004 presidential campaign. In fact, the election cycle is already in full swing: President Bush has quietly laid his plans and assembled his generals. Insiders report that he plans on raising over $250 million in the coming year and a half. On the Democratic side, candidates have been struggling to get their message out for several months.
Unfortunately, ordinary voters have no role at this stage of the process. Instead, the pundits, pollsters and elite donors have all the power. Their cynical judgments, discredited polls and $2000 checks are determining the short list of "electable" candidates from which we will have to choose in our state Democratic primaries.
With our agenda in hand, we can play an unprecedented role in the presidential campaign. But first we need to develop a common agenda. Today's straw poll is the first step. Please take a minute to vote at:
http://moveon.org/pac/poll?id=1407-615861-1W0uXjmal16m40BNOI4DUw
Sincerely,
--Wes Boyd,
MoveOn PAC
May 29th, 2003
---
Paid for by MOVEON.ORG PAC, P.O. Box 9218, Berkeley, CA 94709.
Website: http://www.moveonpac.org
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.
NOTE FROM JEAN: Make sure to read what they say at http://www.moveonpac.org
4.
From: Ed Elkin EdElkin@aol.com>
Date: 28 May 2003
Subject: Studs Terkel on Kucinich... "Kucinich is the One!"
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ... PLEASE SHARE WIDELY.
ALOHA FROM MAUI
Ed Jor-El Elkin, PO Box 811, Hana, HI 96713
Phones: Home: 808-248-7548 Cell: 808-298-5071
Website: http://globalvisions.org/cl/elkin
MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH AND IN SPACE
Subj: Terkel on Kucinich...
Date: 5/28/2003
From: Terry Spragg tgspragg@tfb.com>
John. I hope I can email all of Studs Terkel's article about the persuasive power of Dennis Kucinich.. I think maybe the media might have this right.. They call the 9 Democrats the nine dwarfs. Listen to some of them.. They will not fire up the crowd.. Kucinicnh will be the sleeper. I know they will slander him with half a billion dollars. nothing can overcome door to door for conveying hosesty.. Kucinich has already proven that with their slander over Cleveland's MUNY episode. He now is known for his ability to stand against the tide. Studs Terkel is right,the eight dwarfs.. He is the ONLY ONE WHO CAN WIN. Should Terkel's article not trasfer completely go to THE Nation and Nation Archives and the Terkel article on Kucinich is April 18, 2002. Please don't miss it. Thanks Terry Spragg. Called "Kucinich is the One," by Studs Terkel. available on line.
Terry Spragg
From: http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20020506&s=terkel
The Nation - May 6, 2002 issue
Kucinich Is the One
Posted April 18, 2002
by Studs Terkel
This conversation appears in American Dreams Lost and Found (New Press) http://www.amazon.com./exec/obidos/ISBN=1565845455/thenation
When I finished reading John Nichols's exhilarating communiqué from California ("Kucinich Rocks the Boat," March 25), the bells began to ring. In his speech to the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action, criticizing Bush's conduct of the war on terrorism, Dennis Kucinich set the crowd on its ear--one standing ovation after another. Sure, they were all liberals, but what counted was the response on the Internet. The Cleveland Congressman's e-mail box was stuffed to overflowing with 20,000-plus enthusiastic letters. Among them was the call: Kucinich for President. That's when--bingo!--I remembered my first encounter with him. It was twenty-four years ago.
At the arrival gate of the Chicago-to-Cleveland flight, a skinny kid who appeared no more than 19 or 20 reached out for my torn duffel bag. I thought he was one of those Horatio Alger heroes, whose opening line is usually "Smash your baggage, mister?" This one said, "Did you have a good flight, Studs?" I'll be damned, he was the person I had come to visit, Dennis Kucinich, the Boy Mayor of Cleveland.
He was 32 then, though he could pass as anybody's office boy. As he carried my bag through the corridors of the airport, passers-by called out, "Hello, Mr. Mayor." I was slightly discombobulated, turning around several times to make sure whom they were addressing. The following are passages from our conversation in 1978.
At his one-family bungalow, his wife makes coffee. A player piano is about the only piece of furniture that might distinguish the house from any other simply furnished home in this working-class neighborhood. "Some of my neighbors are within ten years of retirement." A photograph of Thomas Jefferson, in the shadows, hangs on the wall.
When I was young, I never dreamed of living in a house like this. We were always renters. A number of times we moved; it was because we were kicked out. It wasn't for failure to pay rent. It was because our family was big. I remember sometimes, in order to get a place, one of the kids had to be hid in the closet. We always lived above some railroad tracks.
I'm the oldest of seven. There were a lot of tough times. My father came from a family of thirteen children, my mother from a family of a dozen. Our story is an ethnic Gone With the Wind. (Laughs)
I spent all my time as a youngster coming to understand the experience of the ghetto. It was growing up tough and growing up absurd. I spent a lot of time out on the streets. That's where I got my education. I made friends with all kinds of people, black and white.
My dad's been a truck driver ever since he got out of the service as a Marine. He's gung-ho. His dream was to have all his boys in the Marines. My brother Frank served four years, two and a half in Vietnam. My brother Gary served five years, most of it in Hawaii. My father never questioned authority. His authority was the guy who ran the trucking company.
I've always been taught to respect authority, although I was more independent than the other kids my age. I was constantly getting into squabbles with teachers. I was the first person in my family, on both sides, who ever graduated from college. I love literature. My mother taught me to read when I was 3.
In the late sixties, I didn't go right from high school to college. I worked for two and a half years. When I was 17, I moved on my own and rented an apartment above the steel mills. In the same neighborhood where The Deer Hunter was filmed. The frame house I lived in overlooked the steel mills.
When I was in grade school, I would scrub floors and help with janitorial duties to pay my tuition. When I got into high school, I worked as a caddy at the country club, from 1959 to '64. I was carrying two bags. They called it workin' doubles. Going forty-five holes a day, six days a week.
I believe in the work ethic. There's a tremendous dignity in work, and it doesn't matter what it is. What some consider menial, I found to be just a chance to make a living. I always tried to do the best I could at that time. Work hard, get ahead, that was my American dream.
CLIP - read his whole (long) life stroy from http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20020506&s=terkel
Related articles
Dennis Kucinich - Kucinich's Antiwar Bid by John Nichols
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030310&s=nichols
The Soul of the Worker - Dennis J. Kucinich
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020902&s=kucinich20020828
Regressive Progressive? Katha Pollitt
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020527&s=pollitt
Kucinich Rocks the Boat by John Nichols
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020325&s=nichols
5.
From: "Yumi Kikuchi" yumik@awa.or.jp>
Subject: My 3 days with Dennis Kucinich
Date: 29 May 2003
Dear friends,
On May 27, I took a flight UA838 to San Francisco from Narita International Airport to meet with Herman Gyr and Suzanne Keehn who are in the Dennis Kucinich for President Campaign. When I arrived, wondering how to find each other, there they are with the Poster of Kucinich with my name Yumi Kikuchi. I noticed our name are similar: Kucinich and Kikuchi! So, we met for the first time after so many e-mail communications.
From there we drove to Stockton where he was going to meet Latino leaders at Latino Mental Health Center. We waited for Dennis Kucinich outside of the building and there he came. When he found me he knew who I was and that I came all the way from Japan to meet him. Herman told him about my campaign for Dennis Kucinich from Japan.
I flew to see if he is real. I know many people are good at saying or writing wonderful things, especially the politicians, but sometimes they don't quite act on what they say. So, I had to see if he is real and he really means what he says with my eyes and with all my senses.
At Latino Mental Health Center, we met a women who was alcoholic at the age of 13 and has had misfortune since, going through 37 different treatments, but finally became clean after she met Latino Mental Health Center and its support. Dennis spoke of his own brother who is schizophrenic and he sees the importance of community support and including everyone to the society, not excluding anyone. He advocate universal health care and free education from pre-school to college if one wishes. He knows the America has resources to do so only if there is a will. Dennis can lead the US away from the war and terror and redirect her to peace, sustainability, freedom and prosperity for all, not only for the privileged.
After we left Latino Mental Health Center, I spoke with him as we drove together from Stockton to Fresno. I showed him the photos by Takashi Morizumi of Iraqi babies and children suffering from leukemia, cancer and deformity from exposure to Depleted Uranium. When he saw the deformed baby, he felt it so deeply and asked me what he could do. I said this has to be known to all Americans and seen by all Americans, but we had difficult time finding place to exhibit. He promised me he will help finding a place of photo exhibition in Washington D.C. and I promised him I could bring Takashi Morizumi if that happens. I'll fly again, too.
Then we talked about Japanese government following the US government and heading the dangerous direction. I gave a book of Japanese Peace Constitution and he read article 9, which forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. I told him our constitution is dying because of the Emergency Law which is just about to pass. He asked me again what he could do and promised me to write a letter to Prime Minister Koizumi to deeply reconsider the direction he is taking.
We had so much to talk and he said, "Tell me about yourself". So, I finally told him I am a mother of 4, wanting a peaceful and sustainable planet for all the children. I started Global Peace Campaign right after 9-11 and have been raising money to place peace ads for the US major papers such as NY Times, LA Times and Washington Post. And I finally said, "To achieve my goal, the most important work I should do right now is to help you to become the US President."
I saw him with various people and how good and compassionate he is with anyone, especially the less fortunate. He speaks the truth from the heart and inspires everyone. He is the America I used to know and he is going to make our common dream come true if enough of us support him, instead of giving up or being cynical. I am aware that many people are skeptical of his candidacy, but once you meet and hear him personally, you feel his vision and integrity in the heart and body. He is real. He means what he says and he has been a politician for a long time enough to know how to make it happen politically. He is honest, intelligent, compassionate, balanced, understand both domestic and international issues and knows what to do about them.
He is unique because he understands what is the real cause of the all the problems including terrorism and he says it and he acts on it. I told him how courageous he is to speak out the truth in congress and public,but he told me it is not courage, but it is who he is and there is no other way. Look up http://www.kucinich.us/ and get involved. It is a joy to make our common dream come true. Let's work together to make this planet filled with love and peace, not fear and war.
Love and peace,
Yumi Kikuchi
Founder, Global Peace Campaign
http://www.peace2001.org
*Click English flag to read in English (or it is in Japanese)
6.
From: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/147/oped/The_bad_weather_over_America+.shtml
The Bad Weather Over America
by James Carroll
Boston Globe - May 27, 2003
WHEN WILL the bad weather end? Why the distance between what is and what ought to be? Where are Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction? If he was such a threat, why did his army perform so poorly? Does it matter where he is? If the war in Iraq was not about oil, why does the United States insist on its indefinite control? If the war was, instead, about democracy, why are the Iraqi people, including Saddam's proven enemies, excluded from authority? Is Iraq to be like Afghanistan, where war lords rule and heroin thrives? Are there more suicide-bombers now than ever? Has the American war on terrorism advanced safety? How did relations between the United States and its European allies become so fragile? Will history recognize the 21st century Anglo-American combine as a mere continuation of the 19th century British Empire? What do good intentions count for if they cut a wake of wreckage? And is the bad weather the result of an atmospheric low that will not lift without the answers?
Why are taxes being cut when teachers and librarians are being laid off? What happened to campaign finance reform? Why is the United States more divided by race than ever? When did its citizens ever decide to forgo privacy? How can low-income wage-earners support their families? How much longer will the middle class be able to afford health insurance? Why are Americans eating so much bad food? Does prime time television hold a mirror up to the nation? Who teaches children to bring guns to school? What happens to teenagers who fulfill every graduation requirement except the test they can't pass? How many more will fail that test because their teachers were laid off?
Such impossible questions go a long way toward explaining the American mood. We cannot answer them, so we do not ask them, and the emotional weather is lousy. Thus, the patently false ebullience of George W. Bush -- the doubtless man -- is the perfect emblem of a nation so adrift that it dares not look twice at its real condition. Whatever the technical reasons for it, the economy that refuses to recover matches perfectly a broad psychological stagnation that precludes self-knowledge. Why are Americans incapable of looking directly at what we are doing and what we are becoming?
Abroad, the United States wages war on such vaporous pretexts that when they dissipate in the first breeze of mourners wailing, Americans take no notice. A strong tradition of multilateral internationalism is overthrown without political controversy or even debate. An old liberal dream of world federalism, nations united as democratic partners in global governance, is replaced by a program of American unipolarity, world government administered by fiat from Washington. And who in Washington questions this?
At home, an anxious sadness underlies the civic life. Careers feel terribly uncertain. Leisure is a forgotten luxury, which is not all bad because blank spaces in the datebook spark insecurities most of all. Intimate relationships are burdened by what is not discussed, and the confessional to which many people might once have carried such secrets is now dangerous. The Catholic crisis, cutting an entire community loose from moorings of authority and meaning, directly affects only a part of the national population, yet it, too, seems very American. The sadness is as religious as it is political.
In America each boon seems now to carry a curse. Is our freedom secured? Yes, by a government that can eavesdrop on every conversation. Are we well fed? Yes, to the point of obesity. Is our medical care superb? To the point of bankruptcy. Are we the most heavily armed people in history? Frighteningly so. Does the unprecedented success of the national project over the last generation bode well for the next generation? Obviously not. Can we dare to ask why?
An answer is apparent this very day in Iraq. The distance between what is and what ought to be is so vast there that only an act of communal self-blinding can keep Americans ignorant of it. The dark national mood has many causes, but one cries out to be reckoned with immediately. The Iraqi war was a pack of lies, and Washington's war on terrorism is a cynical manipulation of fears for the sake of power. So far, the citizens of the United States have willfully participated in this Bush-led charade. We have done so out of the very insecurity they tell us not to feel, as if the charade, however much it wrecks the world, will protect us. But our underlying sadness indicates what we need to know.
America was not meant to be like this. We are no longer ourselves. The bad weather will not end until we face this cold truth and change it.
James Carroll's column appears regularly in the Globe.
7.
From: Anni von Maltzan MerFaeriel@aol.com>
Date: 29 May 2003
Subject: Fwd: Eyewitness Account of Navy testing
Go to -- http://www.orcanetwork.org/news/shoup.html for David Bain's complete report. Below is a shorter recap.
This incident was witnessed by many, and videotaped by Ken Balcomb of the Centre for Whale Research, among others. Aggression against, and contempt for the well-being of the cetacean-folk is a forewarned indicator of devolving human spiritual atrophy. Anni
A comment from Balcomb (at the url above, with photo of bleeding porpoise) --
"The US Navy (http://www.orcanetwork.org/news/news.html) is seeking exemption from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act in Congress this week, in part because they know they are the most egregious of marine mammal harassers and killers worldwide. Since March 2000, when they chased 17 whales ashore in the Bahamas, the Navy has known that their sonar kills and injures whales at distances well beyond the visual horizon, yet they continue to "exercise" in inappropriate and confined waters killing these innocent animals.
In just this one day that we recently videotaped, the Navy's lethal sonar adversely impacted every marine mammal within twenty miles of the ship. No wonder marine mammals are stranding and their populations are declining. This is a literal "no-brainer" for the Navy and the whales. "
---
From: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/122534_joel19.html
May 19, 2003
In the Northwest: Sonar tests' effects on wildlife should set off alarms
By JOEL CONNELLY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST
Lovers of Washington's inland waters, including this part-time Whidbey resident, enjoy a living tip sheet in http://www.orcanetwork.org, a Web site filled with recent sightings and locations of killer whales, gray whales and other great marine mammals.
Last week, however, the customary lighthearted dispatches yielded to a gripping account of the extreme distress of marine creatures during a Navy sonar test earlier this month.
The episode, on May 5, raises major new questions about whether Congress should roll over for a Pentagon campaign designed to exempt the military from complying with landmark federal environmental laws.
Without these laws, the natural systems and marine life of our Puget Sound-Strait of Georgia region would possess no defense against the Department of Defense.
Orcanetwork's dispatch came from David Bain, a University of Washington faculty member. With students, he witnessed what happened when the Everett-based guided missile destroyer Shoup conducted a midfrequency sonar training exercise off San Juan Island.
"The passage of naval vessel 86 (Shoup) was observed by me and the marine mammal class at Friday Harbor Laboratories," Bain wrote. "Collectively, we observed effects on three species." These were:
Porpoises: Bain and students watched Dall's porpoises in a bay north of Lime Kiln Lighthouse, an island landmark. "After the (Navy) ship passed, they were observed traveling away from the ship at high speeds," Bain wrote. "This is similar to the behavior of Dall's porpoises in the presence of other loud sounds, such as air-gun blasts."
Since the sonar tests, bodies of seven porpoises have been found -- three beached in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Haro Strait, and three more in the San Juan Islands.
A number of porpoise deaths have occurred in recent months, Bain noted, some predating the Shoup's passage through Haro Strait.
"Midfrequency sonars were heard in April as well, although they seemed to be coming from Juan de Fuca Strait or points south," he wrote. "Thus, these earlier strandings were potentially related to sonar activity."
Minke whales: During the test, a minke whale was spotted porpoising (coming out of the water) as it swam north of the Shoup. Other sightings of similar behavior were recorded at two other locations off San Juan Island.
"It has been about 20 years since I've seen a minke porpoising," wrote Bain.
He speculates that all sightings were of one whale, racing to get away from the naval vessel and its sonar tests.
Killer whales: As he and students watched the widely known J pod of orcas, wrote Bain, "Killer whales were observed behaving normally until the sonar became audible in the air."
At that point, however, the J pod moved inshore and grouped tightly. "As we moved inshore with them, the naval vessel disappeared over the horizon, although the sonar was still audible," wrote Bain. The J pod then moved quietly northward, staying near shore and later bunching up again.
Given the recent sharp decline in our resident killer-whale populations, did it make sense for the Shoup to be causing apparent distress?
Did the Navy bother to think about this, or to consult beforehand with biologists expert in marine mammal life of the northern Sound?
We are a military-intensive region. The shores of Puget Sound likely would sink were another Navy base, shipyard or testing facility located in our waters.
Aside from pacifists protesting the Trident base -- most memorably Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen paddling a kayak -- local officials and politicians have embraced bases and jobs.
Once upon a time, too, there were security grounds for so doing. The buildup of the Soviet Pacific fleet was endlessly cited by the late Sen. Henry Jackson. An Everett Navy base, Scoop argued, would be a day's sailing time closer to the Soviet Far East than berthings in California.
As Bain notes, however -- with cool understatement -- "the threats arrayed against the United States at this time are minor compared to what we faced when the environmental laws proposed to be overturned were first passed."
As well, it should be recalled that Jackson -- the Pentagon's most devoted friend -- was the chief architect of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act.
Washington's congressional delegation ought to take heed of the distress caused by the Shoup's recent sonar tests.
In recent years, lawmakers have constructively pushed the Navy. Environmentally sensitive construction of the Trident base was one result. Another was forcing the Navy to abandon an untested, risky plan to deposit toxic dredge spoils beneath a berm in Everett's Port Gardner Bay.
What is to be done? First, there should be no exemption from federal environmental laws. If the military ignores regulations, citizens should have recourse in the courts.
Second, the Navy must be made to consult with civilian agencies in case of sensitive or potentially harmful activities. A firm suggestion on this front might come from Rep. Norm Dicks, senior Democrat on the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee.
Third, as noted by Bain, the Department of Defense is reviewing proposals on what it can do to prevent such conflicts as those caused by the Shoup's sonar tests.
"The Navy (should) proceed with caution until such programs are completed and the Navy can accurately predict where it can operate dangerous equipment without causing undue environmental damage," Bain wrote.
Amen. Marine mammals are a big part of what makes the waters of Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia worth defending.
P-I columnist Joel Connelly can be reached at 206-448-8160
8.
From: "Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D." jackie@deepteaching.com>
Subject: Kill a Few Hundred Whales, Soldier? No Problem
Date: 29 May 2003
Hello,
Most Americans assume that wildlife and the environment are protected by laws designed to, at least, protect those species and habitats that are the most threatened and endangered. Even marine mammals are afforded protection to prevent them from being harassed. Sandra Bohn of British Columbia found this out first hand this week when she was arrested and fined $72 for petting a three year old male orca known as Luna, who was separated from his family group and now lives in waters on the remote west side of Canada's Vancouver Island.
Do you feel comforted hearing this? Does it seem like this must mean that our Earth's wildlife are being well taken care of by the authorities? Well, if Congress and the President have their way, private citizens will be the only ones from whom wildlife will be protected.
The United States military, an organization that may be impacting more of the Earth than any other, will soon be exempt from major provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Versions of legislation have cleared both the U.S. House and Senate and if passed, thousands of animals on both land and sea will die each month.
Learn more about this travesty in this week's Healing Our World commentary, "Kill a Few Hundred Whales, Soldier? No Problem," just posted at: http://ens-news.com/ens/may2003/2003-05-23g.asp
Endless evidence exists suggesting that if the military is not governed by the rules and regulations that apply to everyone else, unprecedented destruction of our natural resources will result. Contact your representatives today and remind them of why you put them in office. Ask them how they can justify authorizing the destruction of our own nation so that we may go to war with others?
Take care and I wish you peace.
Jackie
Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
Columnist, Environment News Service
Author of "Healing Our World" commentaries on the Environment News Service (http://www.ens-news.com)
Check out Jackie's website with an archive of his over 200 commentaries at http://www.healingourworld.com
Jackie's new book, "Healing Our World, A Journey from the Darkness into the Light," is available from XLIBRIS at: http://www.xlibris.com/HealingOurWorld.html
Jackie's new book of photographs, "Of This Earth, Reflections on Connections," is now available! Get a preview at http://www.ofthisearth.org
9.
From: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0515_030515_fishdecline.html
Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says
by National Geographic News
May 24 '03 (Modified on May 30 '03)
This is no fish story!
Only 10 percent of all large fish—both open ocean species including tuna, swordfish, marlin and the large groundfish such as cod, halibut, skates and flounder—are left in the sea, according to research published in today's issue of the scientific journal Nature.
"From giant blue marlin to mighty bluefin tuna, and from tropical groupers to Antarctic cod, industrial fishing has scoured the global ocean. There is no blue frontier left," said lead author Ransom Myers, a fisheries biologist based at Dalhousie University in Canada. "Since 1950, with the onset of industrialized fisheries, we have rapidly reduced the resource base to less than 10 percent—not just in some areas, not just for some stocks, but for entire communities of these large fish species from the tropics to the poles."
"The impact we have had on ocean ecosystems has been vastly underestimated," said co-author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University and the University of Kiel in Germany. "These are the megafauna, the big predators of the sea, and the species we most value. Their depletion not only threatens the future of these fish and the fishers that depend on them, it could also bring about a complete re-organization of ocean ecosystems, with unknown global consequences."
The researchers collected data representing all major fisheries in the world, calculating population size and composition of large predatory fish communities from four continental shelves and nine oceanic systems, from the beginning of exploitation to the present. For shelf ecosystems they used data from standardized research trawl surveys to track the decline in the populations of large fishes.
To measure the decline in open ocean ecosystems, the researchers gained access to Japanese longlining data. Pelagic longlines are the most widespread fishing gear, and the Japanese fleet the most widespread longline operation, covering all oceans except the circumpolar seas. Longlines catch a wide range of species in a consistent way over vast areas. "Whereas longlines used to catch ten fish per a hundred hooks, now they are lucky to catch one," said Myers.
"The longlining data tell a story we have not heard before. It is coherent and consistent throughout, and it comes from a single source," said Daniel Pauly, a fisheries scientist from the University of British Columbia. It shows how Japanese longlining has expanded globally. It is like a hole burning through paper. As the hole expands, the edge is where the fisheries concentrate until there is nowhere left to go. Because longlining technology has improved, the authors estimates are conservative. If the catch rate has dropped by a factor of ten and the technology has improved, the declines are even greater than they are saying."
Marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle said the latest research proved what she had known and been warning about for many years. "I don't blame the fishermen for this," she said. "We, the consumers, have done this because we have a taste for fish and 'delicacies' such as shark-fin soup. Our demand for seafood appears to be insatiable."
Even as fish stocks dwindled, Earle said, it remained commercially viable for fishermen to go after what was left because certain markets were willing to pay enormous prices for some kinds of fish. "I have heard that the record for a bluefin tuna, a 440-pound (200-kilogram) specimen, sold for $180,000. So this kind of exploitation is not for the starving millions, but driven by high-end appetites. I've always believed that even when there is only one bluefin tuna left in the sea someone will pay a million dollars to be able to eat it."
Another cause of over-exploitation, Earle said, was billions of dollars governments spent subsidizing their fishing industries, trying to protect jobs and a way of life of communities. "But what is not realized is that when the fish have gone, the way of life will come to an end anyway. What's happening is not sustainable," she said.
Earle, who has written several books about ocean conservation and was once named a Time magazine "Hero for the Planet," said very people understood the extent and implications of the over-exploitation of the ocean, or just how much life had disappeared from the sea in 50 years. "Most people also don't know how bad it is for us to be eating so much fish, not only because of the destruction of an ecosystem vital to survival but also because the big predatory fish are full of the toxins and other pollutants that we cast into the oceans. It's not as healthy to eat fish as most people believe."
Fisheries Managers Are Skeptical
Myers and Worm sent their findings to many of the top fisheries scientists in the world for review. "We found there was acceptance of the overall pattern of rapid depletion of communities, but there was more controversy when it came to the current status of individual species, particularly with respect to tuna," said Myers. "Understandably, some fisheries managers find it very hard to accept."
"This is because we have forgotten what we used to have," said Jeremy Jackson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "We had oceans full of heroic fish—literally sea monsters. People used to harpoon three-meter long swordfish in rowboats. Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was for real."
Myers and Worm said that the tendency in fisheries biology to use only the most recent data increased the problem of shifting baselines. These great fish are not only declining in numbers, but with intense fishing pressure they can never attain the sizes they once did. "Where detailed data are available we see that the average size of these top predators is only one-fifth to one-half of what is used to be. The few blue marlin today reach one-fifth of the weight they once had. In many cases, the fish caught today are under such intense fishing pressure, they never even have the chance to reproduce," said Myers.
In the 1980s Myers was a fisheries biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Newfoundland. "No one understood how fast the decline happened at the end—it was only a couple of years," says Myers. "The quotas had been too high. They refused to slow down because they had seen lots of little fish coming in—a good year class. The little fish were caught and discarded and there was no future."
Fisheries' Stability Compromised Worldwide
Myers said the most recent findings raise critical questions at a much larger scale. "This isn't about just about one species," he said. "The sustainability of fisheries is being severely compromised worldwide."
At the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development last year, 192 Nations called on the global community to restore world fisheries stocks to levels that can provide maximum sustainable yield by 2015. The authors of this comprehensive new study say their results provide the "missing baseline" needed to restore fisheries and marine ecosystems to healthy levels.
Without this baseline information, most scientists and managers are hardly aware of the profound magnitude of change that took place at the beginning of almost every major fishery, they say. As a result, managers today are working hard to stabilize the last 10 percent—often unaware that the virgin biomass of their fishery was once ten times greater.
But there is some good news too: "In most regions we saw increases in faster-growing species which seemed to fill in for overfished stocks. This points to the recovery potential for the community at large," Worm said. "But unfortunately we often switch fishing pressure to species that are doing well, and drive them down in turn. This sabotages recovery."
The solution to this global problem is simple, said the scientists, yet it is extremely hard to do in practice. Recovery requires overall reduction of fishing mortality (the percentage of fish killed each year). This includes reducing quotas, reducing overall effort, cutting subsidies, reducing bycatch, and creating networks of marine reserves.
"A minimum reduction of 50 percent of fishing mortality may be necessary to avoid further declines of particularly sensitive species," Myers said. "If stocks were restored to higher abundance, we could get just as much fish out of the ocean by putting in only one-third to one-tenth of the effort. It would be difficult for fishermen initially—but they will see the gains in the long run."
"We are in massive denial and continue to bicker over the last shrinking numbers of survivors, employing satellites and sensors to catch the last fish left," said Myers. "We have to understand how close to extinction some of these populations really are. And we must act now, before they have reached the point of no return. I want there to be hammerhead sharks and bluefin tuna around when my five-year-old son grows up. If present fishing levels persist, these great fish will go the way of the dinosaurs."
Sylvia Earle said the new research may have come just in time to awaken people to the seriousness of the situation. "We will never get back to what we had in the oceans 50 years ago, but we still have a small window of opportunity to save the last few big fish before they are exterminated," she said.
---
See also:
Big Fish Being Wiped Out, Study Warns (May 26)
http://www.indymedia.org/
Industrial fishing fleets have scoured the world's oceans for the past five decades. A bombshell report released earlier this month by the journal Nature suggests results are worse than anyone expected: big fish populations have plummeted across-the-board by at least 90% since 1950. From the tropics to the poles, cod, halibut, flounder, blue marlins, sailfish, swordfish, dolphins and sharks are being wiped out. "We have forgotten what we used to have," says Jeremy Jackson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "We had oceans full of heroic fish--literally sea monsters. People used to harpoon three-meter long swordfish in rowboats. Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was for real." Industrial fishing is now carried out with hi-tech military devices (http://www.nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=61329). Albatrosses and giant leatherback turtles are counted as "collateral damage". So too traditional fishing cultures in places like India and Papua New Guinea. As fish populations decline, the free market perversely rewards those who track down the last of the ocean's dwindling catch. Organizations like the WTO make it difficult for non-economic considerations (http://www.awionline.org/pubs/Quarterly/summer2001/wtoturtles.htm) to take precedence. Instead of emphasizing sustainable fishing practices, government and industry are pushing forward with genetic engineering and capital intensive aquaculture.
More Info at http://www.habitatmedia.org/issues.html
Greenpeace Oceans Campaign
http://archive.greenpeace.org/~oceans/
More Activist Links
http://www.habitatmedia.org/links.html
Seafood Choices
http://www.seafoodchoices.com
10.
From: http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,968181,00.html
Revealed: the cluster bombs that litter Iraq
Click here to view the map: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Observer/documents/2003/05/31/landmines2.pdf
Kamal Ahmed, political editor Sunday June 1, 2003 The Observer
The shocking extent of unexploded cluster bombs dropped by American and British planes, which litter Iraq eight weeks after the conflict, is revealed in detail for the first time today.
The first map based on military intelligence to show the exact location of unexploded anti-personnel mines, cluster bombs and anti-tank mines, obtained by The Observer, shows the vast area of the country which is at danger from live munitions.
Experts in clearing conflict zones of unexploded bombs say that millions of Iraqi adults and children are at risk, along with humanitarian aid workers, United Nations personnel, civilian staff and military officials.
Its revelation raises fresh questions for Tony Blair and George Bush, who insisted that post-conflict Iraq would be a safer place than it was under Saddam Hussein.
It also reignites the controversy over the use of cluster bombs by the coalition forces. The map reveals that hundreds, or possibly thousands, of the bombs - which produce hundreds of 'bomblets' scattered out over a large area - failed to detonate.
Anti-landmine campaigners are insisting that American and British troops make clearing the 'lethal legacy' an urgent priority.
'This shows an appalling level of contamination,' said Richard Lloyd, director of Landmine Action, who is travelling to Iraq this weekend to assess the extent of the danger. 'It also confirms that American and British forces attacked built up areas in cities with cluster bombs.
'The coalition forces have a responsibility to protect those Iraqi civilians who now live with this lethal legacy all around them.
'It has to be highly questionable whether the use of such weapons in built-up areas is legal under international law.'
The map, dated 13 May, was produced by the Humanitarian Operations Centre based in Kuwait, which is staffed by military personnel from the US, Britain and Kuwait and is based on the latest intelligence assessment of the danger of unexploded bombs.
It was given to selected Non-Governmental Organisations tasked with providing humanitarian aid to the country. The map depicts a mass of green circles, diamonds and rectangles, each showing an individual site of what is described as an 'explosive location'.
Although it is impossible to judge precisely the number of unexploded bombs, landmine experts say that up to 10,000 separate cluster bombs and bomblets could be lying in cities, farmland and on the main road arteries across the country.
'We will see the desperate affects of this conflict, just as we have seen in Kosovo and Afghanistan, for years to come,' said Sarah Green of Amnesty International, which has campaigned for a ban on the use of cluster bombs.
Each green circle, rectangle or diamond is an example of an unexploded anti-personnel mine, anti-tank mine, a mixture of both or what is described on the map as a 'SubMunition', otherwise known as a cluster bomb. Yellow rectangles are described as 'unknown' unexploded munitions.
The greatest concentration is seen in the centre of the map, around Baghdad and on the main road routes between the capital and the British-controlled regions of Basra and Umm Qasr in the south-east. There are further concentrations around the southern Iraq town of Nasariyah and the mountains to the north and east of the Kurdish city of Kirkuk.
Although some of the munitions are from the 1991 Gulf war and will have originally been fired by Iraqi forces, experts in the field believe that most have been left since the recent conflict. Officials also say that cluster bombs were only used by coalition forces. 'SubMunition' diamonds make up the bulk of the unexploded locations around Baghdad, Nasariyah and north of Basra.
Aid agencies say that hundreds of civilians have already been maimed after tampering with unexploded cluster bombs. The victims are often young children scavenging for the valuable metal that encases the explosives.
Last week Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces Minister, admitted that cluster bombs were used in built-up areas in 'specific circumstances where there is a threat to our troops'.
Defence officials said that British and American troops were engaged in clearing as much of the land in Iraq as possible.
'We have a lot of Army people there helping make the country safe,' said one government official.
'We will be sending more people to continue the work. We are well aware of the seriousness of the issue.'
11.
From: "LOVEARTH.net" mark@lovearth.net>
Subject: John Fitzgerald Kennedy 86th Birthday
Date: 29 May 2003
Today is the 86th Birthday of the 35th President of the United States
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
View The Complete Abraham Zapruder Film,
[frame 313 was fired from the sewer storm drain]
Listen To Speeches, Read Great Articles And Much More At:
http://JohnFitzgeraldKennedy.net
"A Great Book On The Four Major Assassinations Of The 1960's"
Mark R. Elsis
The Assassinations: Probe Magazine On JFK, MLK, RFK, And Malcolm X by James DiEugenio (Editor), Lisa Pease (Editor) [Lisa will be a guest on the Meria Heller Show - http://Meria.net - Thursday June 5, 2003 -- the 35th anniversary of the assassination of Senator Robert Francis Kennedy], Judge Joe Brown (Introduction)
If you want to read the most current knowledge about the truth of the political assassinations of the 1960's this is the book to read. The Assassinations is a collection of the best articles to appear in a little known publication called Probe magazine from 1994 to 2000. These articles were written by serious citizen researchers who invested the time and money doing the work our major news media failed to do--that is to sift through the many new declassified documents about the assassinations that have become available during the past decade. With an introduction by Judge Joe Brown of TV fame the book is filled with in depth articles that you won't read anywhere else.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0922915822/qid%3D1051075734/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-3202797-6261401
"JFK Stand Down"
Army Aid to Help Protect President Kennedy Was Refused
Trained U.S. Army Intelligence Units were told their assisstance was not needed in Dallas during the JFK visit. William McKinney, a former member of the crack 112th Military Intelligence Group at 4th Army Headquarters, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, has revealed that both Col. Maximillian Reich and his deputy, Lt. Col. Joel Cabaza, protested violently when they were told to "Stand Down" rather than to report with their units for duty in augmentation of the Secret Service in Dallas. McKinney said, "All the Secret Service had to do was nod and these units [which had been trained at the Army's top Intelligence school at Camp Holabird, Maryland] would have performed their normal function of Protection for the President in Dallas."
The 315th, the Texas unit which would have been involved if its support had not been turned down, had records in its files, according to McKinney, on Lee Harvey Oswald. The 315th had a Dallas office and its records were up to date.
McKinney added that, "Highly specialized classes were given at Camp Holabird on the subject of Protection. This included training designed to prepare this army unit to assist the Secret Service. If our support had not been refused, we would have been in Dallas."
L. Fletcher Prouty
A Stand Down on November 22, 1963
A Stand Down on September 11, 2001
Exposing NORAD's Wag The 911 Window Dressing Tale
http://StandDown.net
With Love
We Will Win
Mark R. Elsis
http://Lovearth.net
12.
Forwarded by "Katharina Bless" silverdove@loxinfo.co.th>
SLOPS Warning (Severe Loss of Perspective Syndrome)
The World Health Organisation today issued a new warning against non-essential travel to the entire Western hemisphere following renewed concerns about the spread of Severe Loss of Perspective Syndrome (SLOPS).
Officials are warning travellers not to visit the UK, the US, almost all of Western Europe, and Canada, following further outbreaks of the disease, which has led to mass panic among the media, thousands of ecstatic children being kept out of school by their credulous and moronic parents, and increased profits for DIY stores as the idiot public rush to bulk-buy face masks and boiler suits.
A WHO spokesman said, "You'd be much better off going to somewhere like Thailand or China, because all you've got to worry about there is SARS, and let's face it, you're about as likely to die from that as you are to get kicked to death by a gang of zombie nuns."
The SARS virus has now claimed a staggering 500 lives in only six months, which makes it considerably more deadly than, say, malaria, which only kills around 3000 people every single day. Malaria, however, mainly effects only darkies what speak foreign, whereas SARS has made at least one English person feel a bit iffy for a couple of days, and is therefore considered much more serious.
The spread of SLOPS has now reached pandemic proportions, with many high-level politicians seemingly affected by the disease. The rapid spread of SLOPS has been linked to the end of the war in Iraq and the need for Western leaders to give the public something to worry about. Otherwise, they might start asking uncomfortable questions about domestic issues, and that simply would not do.
13.
From: http://www.exopolitics.org/Study-Paper-4.htm
RESPONDING TO EXTRATERRESTRIAL INFILTRATION OF CLANDESTINE ORGANIZATION EMBEDDED IN MILITARY, INTELLIGENCE & GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS - Research Study # 4 - Published May 30, 2003, by Michael E. Salla (Recommended by Tom arimo@shaw.ca>)
This study paper analyses the extent to which clandestine organizations embedded in the military and intelligence branches of government have been infiltrated by different ET factions, and the threat this poses to the sovereignty of humanity. The study begins by describing the dynamics of the interactions between clandestine organizations and various ET races. Emphasis will be on describing the different intervention philosophies and activities of ET races, and in identifying how this impacts on the decision making and organizational structure of clandestine organizations embedded within military and intelligence departments of the US and other national governments. The evidence used in framing the analysis provided in this paper is primarily drawn from the testimonies of participants in clandestine government organizations which serve as the strongest evidentiary source for analysis of the ET presence. These individuals participated in ‘black projects’ which have the highest security classifications in the US and other countries, and carry severe penalties for divulging to the general public. The fact that many of these witnesses have been able to make these testimonies public in various lectures, videos, websites or books, suggest that an ‘acclimation program’ is occurring whereby the general public is being prepared for the more disturbing aspects of the ET presence. The recommendations made at the conclusion of this paper are designed to assist in developing an adequate response to the infiltration of clandestine organizations by various ET factions.
CLIP
Conclusion: Responding to ET Infiltration in Clandestine Organizations
The compartmentalized nature of clandestine organizations with their specialized functions concerning technology exchange, intelligence gathering, and development of advanced weaponry, makes them vulnerable to infiltration by ET races that do not serve the highest interest of global humanity as an evolving species. The danger of such infiltration is that policy making at the national and global level concerning the ET presence is skewed to serve the interest of a particular faction of ETs termed the ‘good shepherd’, whose agenda is to utilize humanity and the biosphere (Earth) as a resource base that serves the agendas of the different ET sub-groups in the ‘good shepherd’ category.
Those ET groups who can play a more supportive role in the development of global humanity (‘protective parent’ and ‘wise mentor’ ET factions) are marginalized in the policy making process due to the manner in which clandestine organizations are dominated by interests dedicated to technology acquisition and intelligence gathering. The danger of maintaining such a focus on technology acquisition and intelligence gathering is that it will play into the hands of ‘good shepherd’ ETs intent on ‘harvesting’ humanity as a resource while marginalizing those ET groups that can offer better assistance to global humanity in its evolution as a distinct species. The following policy making recommendations are therefore encouraged.
Full disclosure of the ET presence to allow public awareness of the different ET factions and the extent to which these have influenced clandestine organizations. Oversight of all clandestine organizations and operations concerning ETs by specially convened congressional/legislative bodies designed to provide information on the scope and implications of these technologies and activities. Full and ‘open’ diplomatic relations with ET representatives ensuring peaceful relations and interactions between global humanity and ET races. Elimination of clandestine weapons programs infiltrated by ‘good shepherd’ ETs whose intent is to destabilize national governments and encourage military responses to the ET presence. Transparency in all global policy making in organizations such as the Bilderberg group that attempts to coordinate global policy on the ET presence. Monitoring of ‘brain enhancement’ technologies in terms of the extent to which compromise the independence of individuals assuming important leadership positions in dealing with the ET presence.
ET infiltration of clandestine organizations needs to be recognized as a phenomenon that requires immediate response by policy makers and by global humanity more generally. Such infiltration makes it difficult if not impossible to effectively coordinate national and/or global policy making on the ET presence regardless of the competency of those playing a coordinating role for all clandestine organizations dealing with the ET presence. Hesitation in developing an adequate response to such infiltration threatens the short term sovereignty of global humanity and indeed the long term presence of humanity as a resident species on this planet. Truth, transparency and close oversight of all activities concerning ETs is the best policy course for policy makers and global humanity in the challenges that lie ahead in integrating the technologies, knowledge and possibilities posed by the ET presence.
CLIP
---
See also:
Cosmic Deception: The Hoaxed Alien Invasion Scenario - By Steven M. Greer
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/cosmicdeception04apr03.shtml
Editor's Note: The fake alien invasion operation has been mentioned by numerous NWO writers over the years. I first read of it in Bill Cooper's book, Behold a Pale Horse. Don Croft mentioned in a few of his Adventures Episodes (http://educate-yourself.org/dc/adcepisodeindex.shtml) that the not-so-secret inner government had obtained large spacecraft from the B-Sirians for the purpose of staging the phony alien invasion scene. Red Elk (http://www.spectrumnews10.com/html/Red-Elk.html) cautioned against the idea of allowing yourself to be beamed up into alien spacecraft when things get rough. I'm afraid that a lot of people will think that this is the Rapture. In fact, the incessant preaching about the coming Rapture may have been a set up to prepare them for this. I don't know for certain, but according to Red Elk, it's not going to be exactly heaven where those people wind up. Bear in mind the larger game: the inner govt. had made a secret deal with negative alien groups in 1947 which was formalized in a written treaty in 1954 under Eisenhower. The agenda has grown more negative and destructive as the years rolled on. The Illuminate wants to reduce the world's population down to 400-500 million. The negative aliens, on the other hand, want to take over this planet completely and use it as a stargate jump off point into other dimensions to extend their empire (Anna Hayes - http://educate-yourself.org/ah/). The bad guys plan on getting rid of large numbers of people through their contrived wars, through bioplagues, through vaccine induced illness, through chemtrail poisoning, through concentration camps, through technology-induced earth changes, and through negative alien assistance. That's what the bad guys want, but it might not work out that way-in the end. Although, there will be many unpleasantries, the NWO game plan will eventually collapse amid great chaos and upheaval caused by war here on American soil (against Russia and China), earth changes, and other unexpected events. These type of articles, while likely true, are also presented in such a way as to keep you FEARFUL. As we have recently seen with the Iraq invasion, the PROPAGANDA about US military prowess and might had not taken into account the WILL to resist an army of imperialist invaders by ordinary Iraqi citizens (called "paramilitary personnel" in the US corporate press). The good people of this earth are now getting more assistance than ever to overcome the Dark forces of tyranny and enslavement. We now have "tools" available to us to neutralize and render ineffective the genocide agenda. To learn more, read the Adventures of Don & Carol Croft at http://educate-yourself.org/dc/adcepisodeindex.shtml . It seems that planet Earth will experience a gradual vibrational 'uplift' between now and the year 2017. The parasites are hoping to abort that and keep their slaves dumb and indentured, but we're moving up whether they like it or not. See the latest from Montalk on this theme as well - (http://educate-yourself.org/cn/montalkoniraqkickoff05apr03.shtml). Ken Adachi - CLIP
(Recommended by Bill Derau tanchu@olypen.com> who wrote: "This scenario seems far out, but yet the happenings and situations around us make it feasible. What is your take on this subject?" NOTE from Jean: You may send your comments directly to him with Cc to me.)
14.
Forwarded by "Joy Rae Freeman" joy-2u@mindspring.com> on May 27
PAINFUL BLESSINGS
by Rob Brezsny
This is a perfect moment.
It's a perfect moment for many reasons,
but especially because you and I
are waking up
from our sleepwalking thumbsucking dumbclucking collusion
with the masters of illusion and destruction.
Thanks to them, from whom the painful blessings flow,
We are waking up.
Thanks to them, from whom the awful teachings ooze,
We are waking up.
Their wars and tortures,
their devils and borders,
extinctions of species
and brand new diseases,
their spying and lying
in the name of the father,
sterilizing seeds and
trademarking water,
stealing our dreams and
changing our names,
their brilliant commercials,
their endless rehearsals
for the end of the world.
Thanks to them, from whom the painful blessings flow,
We are waking up.
Thanks to them, from whom the awful teachings ooze,
We are waking up
Their painful blessings
are cracking open holes
in the sour and puckered
mass hallucination
mistakenly called reality.
News of the soul's true home
is pouring in,
infiltrating our increasingly lucid
waking dreams.
Wild ripe juicy eternity
is flooding in.
Our allies
from the other side of the veil
are swarming in.
We're waking up.
And as Heaven and Earth come together,
as the dreamtime and daytime merge,
as paradise and the underworld overlap,
we register the shockingly exhilarating fact
that we are in charge
-- you and I are in charge --
of making a brand new world.
Not in some distant time or faraway place,
but right here and right now.
As we stand on this brink,
as we dance on this verge,
we can't let the ruling fools of the dying world
sustain their curses.
We have to rise up and fight their insane logic;
defy and resist and prevent their tragic magic;
unleash our sacred rage and let them feel it.
But overthrowing the living dead is not enough.
Protesting the well-dressed monsters is not enough.
We can't afford to be consumed with anger --
can't be obsessed and possessed with complaint.
Our sweet animal bodies
need to feel rowdy blessings.
Our amazing imaginations
need to thrive on missions
that incite our delight.
We need truths in their wild state,
insurrectionary beauty
that excites our curiosity,
outrageous goodness
that drives us to perform
heroic acts of lusty compassion,
ingenious love
that endlessly transforms us,
tricky freedom
that is never permanent
but must be reinvented and reclaimed every day,
and a totally-serious-yet-always-laughing justice
that schemes and dreams
about how to diminish the suffering
and increase the joy
of every sentient being.
So I'm radically curious, my fellow creators;
I'm seriously delirious:
Since we are in charge
of making a brand New World,
where do we begin?
What truths in their wild state
are we planning to plant
at the heart of our creation?
What stories will be our reminders?
What questions will be our fuel?
Here's one for you:
In the New World
you will know through and through
that life is crazily in love with you --
life is wildly and innocently in love with you.
In the New World,
you will know beyond a doubt
that thousands of secret helpers are
angling to turn you into
the gorgeous curiosity you were born to be.
But then here's the loaded question.
The love that life eternally floods you with
has not exactly been unrequited,
but there's room for you to be more demonstrative.
If life is wildly and innocently in love with you,
are you prepared to start loving life back
the way it loves you?
In the New World, you will.
In the New World,
you will reject paranoia with all of your smart heart.
Instead, you will embrace Pronoia,
Which is the opposite of paranoia.
Pronoia is the sneaking suspicion
that the whole living world
is conspiring to shower you with rowdy blessings.
Pronoia is the dawning perception
that life is a conspiracy
to liberate you from ignorance,
and fill you with love,
and make you brilliantly soulful.
My fellow creators,
I want you to know
that I am allergic to dogma.
I don't trust any idea
that requires me to believe in it absolutely.
There are very few things
about which I am totally certain.
But I am absolutely certain
that Pronoia describes the way the world actually is.
Pronoia is wetter than water,
truer than the facts,
and stronger than death.
It smells like cedar smoke in spring rain,
and if you close your eyes right now,
you can feel it shimmering
in your soft warm animal body
like the aurora borealis.
The sweet stuff that quenches all of your longing
is not far away in some other time and place.
It's right here and right now.
Earth is crammed with heaven.
SUBSCRIPTION TO THE EARTH RAINBOW NETWORK E-LIST
If you would like to subscribe to the Earth Rainbow Network automated listserver and regularly receive similar compilations covering a broad range of subjects, including each new Meditation Focus issued every two week, simply send a blank email at earthrainbownetwork-subscribe@lists.riseup.net from the email account to which you want to receive the material compiled and networked by the Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator. Subscription is FREE!
BACK TO THE FIRST HOME PAGE OF THIS SITE