From: "WakeUpLaughing.com"
From: "WakeUpLaughing.com" <info@wakeuplaughing.com>
Date: March 19, 2005
Subject: Notes From the Trail: It's Bigger Than Politics
By Steve Bhaerman
From time to time over the past months, I've heard two typical objections to my writings venturing from the safe harbor of "personal, spiritual" to confronting more discomforting global issues:
1. That's too political.
2. We don't want to go there.
So here are my two answers:
1. What's happening is way bigger than politics.
2. We don't have to go there. "There" has already come here.
Who Are Our Servants Serving Us To, Anyway?
One of the most memorable Twilight Zone episodes of my childhood involved a seemingly benevolent contingent of visitors from outer space who say their mission is to "serve humankind." It isn't until the very last scene that our human hero discovers that their manual "To Serve Humankind" ... is a cookbook. And now -- perhaps too late, and perhaps not -- average Americans are awakening in the spirit of the song from that same era, "Stranded in the Jungle": "I smelled something cooking and I looked to see, that's when I realized they was a-cookin' me! Great googamooga, lemme outta here!"
Well, unlike the late 1950s, there doesn't seem to be any "outta here." In this shrinking world that could definitely use a good shrink, we all seem to be in here together. And we are facing a formidable foe -- a wolf in elephant's clothing. Disguised as "Republicans" (a disguise that a crusty old libertarian like the late Barry Goldwater could see through quicker than you could say, "Karl Rove-r, Karl Rove-r, make Kerry roll over"), this amoral band of neocon artists seeks to serve America up on a silver platter to the highest bidder. The fact that they're technically a minority looking out for an even smaller minority doesn't faze them. Forget "mandate." The only man this Administration has a date with is Prince Machiavelli.
From Founding Fathers to Big Brother
Meanwhile, the progressives bless 'em, remind me of the Nasrudin story in the Sufi tradition. One night, Nasrudin is on his hands and knees looking for something under the lights in a parking lot. A friend asks him what he's doing."I lost my keys," is the reply."Where did you lose them?" his friend asks."I lost them in the bushes over there," says Nasrudin."Then, why are you looking here?""Because there's more light over here, silly!"
Progressives -- if they want to be true to their name and help things move forward -- must step away from the familiar well-lit spaces of the usual progressive issues, and have the courage to shine a light down the dark hole. Up until now, progressives have insisted on going back to familiar hauts to confront a foe that has long since moved on to a bigger field. Emails from MoveOn, True Majority and others implore us to write our Congressperson to save the Alaska wilderness or social security, to protest against the Administration employing paid "impropagandists" disguised as objective reporters, or even to bring the troops home from Iraq. All of these "political" issues are symptoms of something far bigger than politics.The issue is this: Those of us willing to open our eyes, look down the hole, and see outside the box, realize that we have an illegitimate government that has violated our own law and international law, not to mention established religious law. Unless we confront the issue on that level -- moral legitimacy -- the dream of our Founding Fathers will be replaced by the nightmare of our Big Brother.
The persistent conventional wisdom in America says that each generation must take a stand to defend freedom. In the past, this has often looked like going to some foreign shore armed with weapons. At this particular "rendezvous with destiny," defending freedom means standing our ground here, armed only with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If we are willing to allow our soldiers to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of an illegitimate war perpetrated by an illegitimate regime, the least we can do is have the courage to speak directly. Maybe the rallying bumper sticker of our time should be, "Support Our Troops ... Defend Freedom At Home."
A Modest Proposal
So just how do we do that? Here is my modest proposal to get away from peripheral diversionary issues and force media -- and public -- attention on the illegitimacy issue:
1. Establish a committee of 100 (or more) prominent Americans from all fields of endeavor and across the political spectrum. This Committee of the Concerned could include peopl like Bill Moyers, Ralph Nader, John Dean, Ramsey Clark, Arianna Huffington, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., etc., etc., etc.
2. Have the Committee issue a statement that they have "deep concerns" about current Administration policies that violate the Constitution, established common law, international law and the "moral law" set forth by our religious traditions. Since our elected representatives seem -- on the whole -- unwilling to truly represent us by taking on these issues, the Committee has taken on this task in the tradition of our Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence.
3. Announce that the Committee will be conducting its own "people's investigation" into a number of issues which our government and elected officials have largely avoided. These include:
* The Elections of 2000 and 2004. Evidence of fraud clouds the results of the last two Presidential elections. These charges need to be aired, illuminatedand addressed.
* The War in Iraq. The lead up to the war in Iraq was based on spun intelligence and outright lies. If the war in Iraq was a direct outgrowth of 9/11, why was it being planned from the moment George Bush set foot in the White House?
* The 9/11 Attacks. A rigorous re-investigation of the 9/11 attacks. The so-called 9/11 Independent Commission consisted of insiders who refused to consider evidence that our government had prior knowledge of the attacks. In addition, there has been no follow up investigation of the anthrax attacks on the President's opponents nor has there been an explanation of who benefited from the sale of American and United Airline stocks right before 9/11.
* The So-Called Patriot Act. A careful examination of provisions in the so-called Patriot Act that violate habeas corpus and our Constitution. How was it that this piece of legislation, 1,000 pages long, sprung like magic in a few shrt weeks? How was it that our elected representatives voted for it without reading it?
* Inappropriate Use of Secrecy. The inappropriate use of secrecy to protect special relationships and special interests to the detriment of the American people. Consider, for example, the refusal on the part of Vice President Cheney to release transcripts of the infamous meeting with energy company officials. What is he afraid of us finding out? That the oil fields of Iraq were divvied up two years before we went to war there?
* Officially Sanctioned Murder and Torture. The current Attorney General actually advised the President to not concern himself with international law when it comes to torture. The torture and murders that occurred both at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo have destroyed any moral authority we may have had in the Middle East and the world. Even if Americans seem oblivious to this fact, the rest of the world gets it.
* The Valerie Plame Case. In a spiteful act of retribution against her husband, CIA-operative Valerie Plame was "outed" by the Administration, thus losing a valuable asset in our search for nuclear weaponry in terrorist hands. No one in the Administration has been held accountable for this act of treason.
* Suppression of Science. The subversion of scientific knowledge -- like the reality of global warming -- in favor of propaganda and dogma. Scientists who don't toe the Administration's ideological mark have been fired and denied promotion and resources. In times of crisis when we need the best scientific information we can get, this is foolish -- and even treasonous -- behavior.
* News Replaced by Propaganda. The manipulation of "news" that is more reminiscent of Stalin's Russia then Jefferson's America. Paid propagandists have worn the disguise of reporters, and real journalists have been killed -- accidentally or on purpose -- fr not "imbedding down" with our military.
* A President Who Acts Like a Dictator. An Administration that barely eked out a majority has acted like a de facto dictatorship. In addition to pursuing a war based on false premises, they have insisted on appointing judges and other officials way out of the mainstream of what most Americans believe. Most recently, they have moved to change the Senate rules that have stood for two hundred and fifteen years so that they can pursue this agenda without the impediment of the minority party being able to block the most egregious of these appointments.
* Government Of, By, and For Multinational Corporations. They have consistently and persistently placed the rights of a small minority of multinational corporations over the rights of the American people. From crooked operations like Enron and Halliburton, to the credit card companies, drug companies, mega-agriculture companies which seek to own and monopolize all means of growing food, this Administration has sought to legalize the rape of the planet and the American people.
4. Immediately establish an alternative "moral authority" -- in the form of spiritual and religious leaders -- to develop a "truth and reconciliation" program to help the body politic cleanse toxic behavior. In the spirit of what was done in South Africa, establish a protocol for encouraging those involved with perpetrations against the American people to come forward and testify with immunity, and then be able to reintegrate back into society.
5. At the same time, establish what could be called The Canary Project to protect truth-tellers and whistle-blowers. The Canary Project would archive -- on line and in the real world -- videotaped testimony of those who had knowledge of or involvement in these perpetrations. People who have suffered threats or intimidation could wear bags over their heads if need be, and their voices could be analyzed by experts for signs of lying or exaggeration.
6. Membership organizations like Common Cause, MoveOn, True Majority, etc., etc. would be encouraged to enroll their constituencies in supporting this investigation by financial contributions, demonstrations at local city halls, repeated calls to the media, and Congressional letter-writing campaigns. Imagine if ten million or more people shifted their focus from their pet issue for a short time, and rallied their energy around the legitimacy issue itself. Instead of playing the Administration's game -- reacting to each outrage as it arises -- make them play our game, by going straight to the heart of their story and their legitimacy.
7. Make the announcement of the Committee and the investigation on July 4th of this year, and use the prominence of the signers to gain media coverage. In fact, a contingent of well-known people could converge onWashington, D.C. and present their concerns both to Congress and to the White House, asking for meetings. With a few million citizens "pressing the press", and with celebrities willing to take a stand, the issue will get coverage.
8. Decide on a priority of issues, conduct the investigation, and broadcast it on C-Span in its entirety. While of course this investigation has no specific legal authority, it will have moral authority in the court of public opinion. Once Americans are exposed to the evidence of lying, fraud and malfeasance, the public will no longer be able to plead ignorance. Even if we the people are unable to make a "citizen's arrest" and the regime stays in power, it will lose authority and legitimacy.
9. Announce a Re-Constitutional Convention (to reconstitute the de-constituted Constitution) for July, 2006, where Americans from all across the country can have input in answering the question: What could we be dong if we weren't spending lives and resources to protect the few? What could we be doing if we created a Manhattan Project for safe, renewable energy? How could we better spend a part of the $400 billion we spend yearly on weaponry to really create peace and security in the world?
Time for the Body Politic to Trade in the Old Dodge for an Evolvo
To update the Rolling Stones, I say the time is ripe for nonviolent evolution. Say what you will about the Founding Fathers, that they were elitists, that they were slave owners, etc., etc. -- that's all beside the point. With the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, they reached outside of political convention and took a great evolutionary leap to the notion that we the people are sovereign citizens, not subjects. Those of us who find ourselves American citizens today -- for better or worse -- have inherited this legacy. Over the past two hundred or so year, many times we have failed to live up to our founding principles -- just as Christianity has often been a sad parody of the teachings of Christ.
But now, with information at our fingertips accessible at nano-speed and with the core teachings of so many spiritual paths liberated from secrecy, we must take up the weapons of spiritual Truth and ask ourselves, "What is the human potential?" Are we merely here to "survive," to be manipulated by fear into swallowing the blue pill of ignorant consumerhood? Or are we here to evolve in consciousness and use our precious resources and human intelligence -- intelligently?
As I said at the outset, the issues we face are far bigger than "politics," particularly the politics of left vs. right. It's time for those awakening to the clear and present danger -- and the awesome opportunity to make an evolutionary leap – to abandon the left-right battlefield and come front-and-center. As Buckminster Fuller said in BR>his book of the same name, the choice we humans face at the dawn of this new millennium is "utopia or oblivion." Sure, utopia is a challenging idea to wrap your mind around. But it beats the heaven out of the alternative.
-----Steve Bhaerman aka Swami Beyondananda is a nationally-known humorist and political uncommontator, who is the author of "{Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction."© Copyright, 2005 by Steve Bhaerman. All rights reserved.
http://www.wakeuplaughing.com/
To subscribe to Notes From the Trail, click below, and scroll to bottom of shopping cart. https://secure01.epiphanet.com/~wakeupl/epistore/-----
To read Swami's 2005 State of the Universe Address, go to: http://www.wkeuplaughing.com/news.html*****
Date: March 19, 2005
Subject: Notes From the Trail: It's Bigger Than Politics
By Steve Bhaerman
From time to time over the past months, I've heard two typical objections to my writings venturing from the safe harbor of "personal, spiritual" to confronting more discomforting global issues:
1. That's too political.
2. We don't want to go there.
So here are my two answers:
1. What's happening is way bigger than politics.
2. We don't have to go there. "There" has already come here.
Who Are Our Servants Serving Us To, Anyway?
One of the most memorable Twilight Zone episodes of my childhood involved a seemingly benevolent contingent of visitors from outer space who say their mission is to "serve humankind." It isn't until the very last scene that our human hero discovers that their manual "To Serve Humankind" ... is a cookbook. And now -- perhaps too late, and perhaps not -- average Americans are awakening in the spirit of the song from that same era, "Stranded in the Jungle": "I smelled something cooking and I looked to see, that's when I realized they was a-cookin' me! Great googamooga, lemme outta here!"
Well, unlike the late 1950s, there doesn't seem to be any "outta here." In this shrinking world that could definitely use a good shrink, we all seem to be in here together. And we are facing a formidable foe -- a wolf in elephant's clothing. Disguised as "Republicans" (a disguise that a crusty old libertarian like the late Barry Goldwater could see through quicker than you could say, "Karl Rove-r, Karl Rove-r, make Kerry roll over"), this amoral band of neocon artists seeks to serve America up on a silver platter to the highest bidder. The fact that they're technically a minority looking out for an even smaller minority doesn't faze them. Forget "mandate." The only man this Administration has a date with is Prince Machiavelli.
From Founding Fathers to Big Brother
Meanwhile, the progressives bless 'em, remind me of the Nasrudin story in the Sufi tradition. One night, Nasrudin is on his hands and knees looking for something under the lights in a parking lot. A friend asks him what he's doing."I lost my keys," is the reply."Where did you lose them?" his friend asks."I lost them in the bushes over there," says Nasrudin."Then, why are you looking here?""Because there's more light over here, silly!"
Progressives -- if they want to be true to their name and help things move forward -- must step away from the familiar well-lit spaces of the usual progressive issues, and have the courage to shine a light down the dark hole. Up until now, progressives have insisted on going back to familiar hauts to confront a foe that has long since moved on to a bigger field. Emails from MoveOn, True Majority and others implore us to write our Congressperson to save the Alaska wilderness or social security, to protest against the Administration employing paid "impropagandists" disguised as objective reporters, or even to bring the troops home from Iraq. All of these "political" issues are symptoms of something far bigger than politics.The issue is this: Those of us willing to open our eyes, look down the hole, and see outside the box, realize that we have an illegitimate government that has violated our own law and international law, not to mention established religious law. Unless we confront the issue on that level -- moral legitimacy -- the dream of our Founding Fathers will be replaced by the nightmare of our Big Brother.
The persistent conventional wisdom in America says that each generation must take a stand to defend freedom. In the past, this has often looked like going to some foreign shore armed with weapons. At this particular "rendezvous with destiny," defending freedom means standing our ground here, armed only with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If we are willing to allow our soldiers to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of an illegitimate war perpetrated by an illegitimate regime, the least we can do is have the courage to speak directly. Maybe the rallying bumper sticker of our time should be, "Support Our Troops ... Defend Freedom At Home."
A Modest Proposal
So just how do we do that? Here is my modest proposal to get away from peripheral diversionary issues and force media -- and public -- attention on the illegitimacy issue:
1. Establish a committee of 100 (or more) prominent Americans from all fields of endeavor and across the political spectrum. This Committee of the Concerned could include peopl like Bill Moyers, Ralph Nader, John Dean, Ramsey Clark, Arianna Huffington, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., etc., etc., etc.
2. Have the Committee issue a statement that they have "deep concerns" about current Administration policies that violate the Constitution, established common law, international law and the "moral law" set forth by our religious traditions. Since our elected representatives seem -- on the whole -- unwilling to truly represent us by taking on these issues, the Committee has taken on this task in the tradition of our Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence.
3. Announce that the Committee will be conducting its own "people's investigation" into a number of issues which our government and elected officials have largely avoided. These include:
* The Elections of 2000 and 2004. Evidence of fraud clouds the results of the last two Presidential elections. These charges need to be aired, illuminatedand addressed.
* The War in Iraq. The lead up to the war in Iraq was based on spun intelligence and outright lies. If the war in Iraq was a direct outgrowth of 9/11, why was it being planned from the moment George Bush set foot in the White House?
* The 9/11 Attacks. A rigorous re-investigation of the 9/11 attacks. The so-called 9/11 Independent Commission consisted of insiders who refused to consider evidence that our government had prior knowledge of the attacks. In addition, there has been no follow up investigation of the anthrax attacks on the President's opponents nor has there been an explanation of who benefited from the sale of American and United Airline stocks right before 9/11.
* The So-Called Patriot Act. A careful examination of provisions in the so-called Patriot Act that violate habeas corpus and our Constitution. How was it that this piece of legislation, 1,000 pages long, sprung like magic in a few shrt weeks? How was it that our elected representatives voted for it without reading it?
* Inappropriate Use of Secrecy. The inappropriate use of secrecy to protect special relationships and special interests to the detriment of the American people. Consider, for example, the refusal on the part of Vice President Cheney to release transcripts of the infamous meeting with energy company officials. What is he afraid of us finding out? That the oil fields of Iraq were divvied up two years before we went to war there?
* Officially Sanctioned Murder and Torture. The current Attorney General actually advised the President to not concern himself with international law when it comes to torture. The torture and murders that occurred both at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo have destroyed any moral authority we may have had in the Middle East and the world. Even if Americans seem oblivious to this fact, the rest of the world gets it.
* The Valerie Plame Case. In a spiteful act of retribution against her husband, CIA-operative Valerie Plame was "outed" by the Administration, thus losing a valuable asset in our search for nuclear weaponry in terrorist hands. No one in the Administration has been held accountable for this act of treason.
* Suppression of Science. The subversion of scientific knowledge -- like the reality of global warming -- in favor of propaganda and dogma. Scientists who don't toe the Administration's ideological mark have been fired and denied promotion and resources. In times of crisis when we need the best scientific information we can get, this is foolish -- and even treasonous -- behavior.
* News Replaced by Propaganda. The manipulation of "news" that is more reminiscent of Stalin's Russia then Jefferson's America. Paid propagandists have worn the disguise of reporters, and real journalists have been killed -- accidentally or on purpose -- fr not "imbedding down" with our military.
* A President Who Acts Like a Dictator. An Administration that barely eked out a majority has acted like a de facto dictatorship. In addition to pursuing a war based on false premises, they have insisted on appointing judges and other officials way out of the mainstream of what most Americans believe. Most recently, they have moved to change the Senate rules that have stood for two hundred and fifteen years so that they can pursue this agenda without the impediment of the minority party being able to block the most egregious of these appointments.
* Government Of, By, and For Multinational Corporations. They have consistently and persistently placed the rights of a small minority of multinational corporations over the rights of the American people. From crooked operations like Enron and Halliburton, to the credit card companies, drug companies, mega-agriculture companies which seek to own and monopolize all means of growing food, this Administration has sought to legalize the rape of the planet and the American people.
4. Immediately establish an alternative "moral authority" -- in the form of spiritual and religious leaders -- to develop a "truth and reconciliation" program to help the body politic cleanse toxic behavior. In the spirit of what was done in South Africa, establish a protocol for encouraging those involved with perpetrations against the American people to come forward and testify with immunity, and then be able to reintegrate back into society.
5. At the same time, establish what could be called The Canary Project to protect truth-tellers and whistle-blowers. The Canary Project would archive -- on line and in the real world -- videotaped testimony of those who had knowledge of or involvement in these perpetrations. People who have suffered threats or intimidation could wear bags over their heads if need be, and their voices could be analyzed by experts for signs of lying or exaggeration.
6. Membership organizations like Common Cause, MoveOn, True Majority, etc., etc. would be encouraged to enroll their constituencies in supporting this investigation by financial contributions, demonstrations at local city halls, repeated calls to the media, and Congressional letter-writing campaigns. Imagine if ten million or more people shifted their focus from their pet issue for a short time, and rallied their energy around the legitimacy issue itself. Instead of playing the Administration's game -- reacting to each outrage as it arises -- make them play our game, by going straight to the heart of their story and their legitimacy.
7. Make the announcement of the Committee and the investigation on July 4th of this year, and use the prominence of the signers to gain media coverage. In fact, a contingent of well-known people could converge onWashington, D.C. and present their concerns both to Congress and to the White House, asking for meetings. With a few million citizens "pressing the press", and with celebrities willing to take a stand, the issue will get coverage.
8. Decide on a priority of issues, conduct the investigation, and broadcast it on C-Span in its entirety. While of course this investigation has no specific legal authority, it will have moral authority in the court of public opinion. Once Americans are exposed to the evidence of lying, fraud and malfeasance, the public will no longer be able to plead ignorance. Even if we the people are unable to make a "citizen's arrest" and the regime stays in power, it will lose authority and legitimacy.
9. Announce a Re-Constitutional Convention (to reconstitute the de-constituted Constitution) for July, 2006, where Americans from all across the country can have input in answering the question: What could we be dong if we weren't spending lives and resources to protect the few? What could we be doing if we created a Manhattan Project for safe, renewable energy? How could we better spend a part of the $400 billion we spend yearly on weaponry to really create peace and security in the world?
Time for the Body Politic to Trade in the Old Dodge for an Evolvo
To update the Rolling Stones, I say the time is ripe for nonviolent evolution. Say what you will about the Founding Fathers, that they were elitists, that they were slave owners, etc., etc. -- that's all beside the point. With the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, they reached outside of political convention and took a great evolutionary leap to the notion that we the people are sovereign citizens, not subjects. Those of us who find ourselves American citizens today -- for better or worse -- have inherited this legacy. Over the past two hundred or so year, many times we have failed to live up to our founding principles -- just as Christianity has often been a sad parody of the teachings of Christ.
But now, with information at our fingertips accessible at nano-speed and with the core teachings of so many spiritual paths liberated from secrecy, we must take up the weapons of spiritual Truth and ask ourselves, "What is the human potential?" Are we merely here to "survive," to be manipulated by fear into swallowing the blue pill of ignorant consumerhood? Or are we here to evolve in consciousness and use our precious resources and human intelligence -- intelligently?
As I said at the outset, the issues we face are far bigger than "politics," particularly the politics of left vs. right. It's time for those awakening to the clear and present danger -- and the awesome opportunity to make an evolutionary leap – to abandon the left-right battlefield and come front-and-center. As Buckminster Fuller said in BR>his book of the same name, the choice we humans face at the dawn of this new millennium is "utopia or oblivion." Sure, utopia is a challenging idea to wrap your mind around. But it beats the heaven out of the alternative.
-----Steve Bhaerman aka Swami Beyondananda is a nationally-known humorist and political uncommontator, who is the author of "{Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction."© Copyright, 2005 by Steve Bhaerman. All rights reserved.
http://www.wakeuplaughing.com/
To subscribe to Notes From the Trail, click below, and scroll to bottom of shopping cart. https://secure01.epiphanet.com/~wakeupl/epistore/-----
To read Swami's 2005 State of the Universe Address, go to: http://www.wkeuplaughing.com/news.html*****
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