Havin' a Bad Day?

Hey! Wait a minute! These pomegranates aren't organic.

Damn! I'm out of fresh ground organic peanut butter too!


WFP: 100 Million People Worldwide Going Hungry
By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
28 December 2008


The United Nations World Food Program is appealing to governments to come up with the $5.2 billion it needs to feed 100 million hungry people next year.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports high food prices have pushed 40 million more people into hunger this year, bringing the total number of those going hungry to nearly one billion.

"A mere one percent of the money that has been spent for financial bailout packages in recent weeks would completely fund the World Food Program's 2009 budget. And, in addition, permit us to provide hot meals in school for 59 million children around the world, which is what we would aim for in our school feeding program," she said. "Our school feeding program now feeds about 19 million children around the world. But, it is about 59 million who need it."

The WFP spokeswoman says money also is needed to boost the agricultural production of small farmers who can no longer afford to buy seeds and fertilizers. She says the price of these commodities has more than doubled since 2006.

Jackson Browne and "The Rebel Jesus"

Beyond the rewards of humble discipline, can there be an honorable reason for me to write? So many before me and around me have said so much, so often, so well.

My words form but a thin and tepid broth when served alongside the rich, subtle flavors, the nourishing, steaming word stews of the masters - words that warm the blood and bones.

"The Rebel Jesus" was written by such a master - Jackson Browne. I find amid his warm and wintery word images, a clear, honest and gentle - yet razor edged - observation of our human-ness.

Recently, with pleasure, pride and a watchful eye, I witnessed my son, Mick, stand alone before the Sunday morning congregation of a local church and perform Browne's song "The Rebel Jesus". This rebel lad stood alone and sang out strong, clear, and without apology, the masterful words of the rebel Jackson Browne - in honor of one of the greatest rebels - the rebel Jesus.

Another master and rebel, Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the 1800's wrote sage and cautionary counsel to souls like Browne and Harris. From his essay "Illusions" Emerson warns:

"Society does not love it's unmaskers"

The risks inherent in "societal unmasking" - the risks of being isolated, marginalized, demonized - and the risk of retribution are all risks that each honorable rebel soul - known or unknown - past, present and future - must accept. Many have already paid dearly.

God bless the loving and compassionate-rebel souls of Jesus, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jackson Browne, Mick Harris and so many others.


THE REBEL JESUS .... by Jackson Browne

The streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around the hearths and tables
Giving thanks for all God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus

They call him by the "Prince of Peace"
And they call him by "The Saviour"
And they pray to him upon the sea
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.

Christmas Haiku

Jesus moves atoms
Jesus makes water sweet wine
Mary loves his ways

Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Meaning

Too hard to starboard, too hard to port;
certain destruction.

What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.

In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.

And I mean truly real-ized it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.

What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.

What would replace it? What would I discover?

When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.

Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.

If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.

If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...

Run away... Run away...

Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Meaning

Too hard to starboard, too hard to port;
certain destruction.

What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.

In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.

And I mean truly real-ize it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.

What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.

What would replace it? What would I discover?

When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.

Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.

If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.

If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...

Run away... Run away...

The Gift of Denial

What is denial?

denial

2 entries found.

1. denial
2. self–denial

Pronunciation:
\di-ˈnī(-ə)l, dē-\
Function:
noun


1: refusal to satisfy a request or desire
2 a (1): refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge)

2: assertion that an allegation is false
b: refusal to acknowledge a person or thing : disavowal

3: the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a lawsuit

4: self-denial

5: negation in logic

6: a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality
— in denial
refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant - a patient in denial about his health problems.

I wish to focus on definitions 2-a, 2-b, #5 and #6.

Admittedly, denial gets a bad rap in our society. Denial, or "being in denial" has in our culture, taken on a negative stigma.

When told, "You're in denial" the implications are:

You're dishonest with yourself and others.

You're a coward who can't face the truth.

You're potentially so ignorant that you can't recognize the truth.

You can't even face your own cowardly and ignorant capacity for denial.

You're the problem.

You're the reason for the problem.

You're at least part of the problem and not the solution.

Being in denial is sometimes considered an active or passive form of resistance toward those brave and honorable souls who "face the truth". Being in denial can be construed as passive aggressive behavior. People in denial can often be blamed for everything that's wrong with our lives, our society and our world. It's easy to imagine that we're all in denial, to some degree, about something.


There's more of course, but that's enough to get the idea.

Let's assume, for the moment, that all the criticisms of denial are valid.

Despite all that's "bad and wrong" about denial, would so many of us practice it so freely and diligently without a payoff? No.

In all fairness, let's not deny the considerable value of denial.

Let's reflect upon and acknowledge the genuine rewards of denial. Let's look at the obvious advantages of "refusing to admit or acknowledge the truth about an unpleasant problem or reality".


Denial allows us to avoid bad feelings.

By denying an unpleasant reality, problem, challenge, limitation or neglected moral obligation, we don't have to feel bad about it. Feeling bad is something we all understandably want to avoid.

Denial saves time. Much time and effort and upset goes into squarely facing what are (or might be) unpleasant realities.

Denial allows us to be happier. When we're not feeling bad about things, we're generally happier.

Denial enables us to be more "fun to be around". People in denial can be lots more fun than people who are burdened with the often disturbing (even depressing) weight of facing unpleasant realities.

Denial liberates us from so much extra worry. There are already enough things that we can't deny, presented in our faces, every day. To confront things that we can deny only adds to our worries.

Denial makes us healthier. Denial minimizes stress. Stress is known to weaken the immune system and subject us to increased dis-ease.

Denial may let us live longer. By being less stressed, less worried, our overall health is potentially increased and thus we may live longer.

Denial may make us less critical or judgmental toward others. If we are not conscious of flaws and/or shortcomings within ourselves, we may not see them in others. This would enable us to see others, as we see ourselves, as being A-OK.

These are a few examples of why denial is a good thing. I'm sure there are more.

We each live only so long. There's only so much that we can do. To take on the burden of feeling bad about the problems and challenges that face the world, (particularly if we believe that we can't do anything to correct it) only brings us down. What's the point in that?

If we don't know or acknowledge that something exists, if we deny it's existence, then for us, in fact, it does not exist. If I don't know of the existence of the snow leopard, then for me, there is no snow leopard. The same principle applies to all of reality. If I don't know it or can effectively disavow it, then for me it does not exist and I am not affected by it.

Is there anything wrong with focusing on the wonderful elements of reality as we perceive them? Is there really any reason to incorporate the unpleasant if we don't have to? Why not deal only with what's right in front of us? Why not simply find the good in everything and focus on that good? Why shouldn't we avoid thoughts and feelings, information and perspectives that make us unhappy?

Example: We find a good sale on T-Shirts. Wonderful, soft, white cotton T-Shirts at a great price. What could possibly be bad about that?

Well, if you don't deny that cotton is one of the most herbicide, pesticide and chemical dependent crops on the planet - that might bother you.

If you don't deny that most of the people making the T-Shirts are paid sub-poverty wages in appalling sweatshops, near slavery, abusive conditions - that might bother you.

If you don't deny that cotton crops are largely owned by giant Agri-Corps that are destroying the planet with pollutants, poisoning air and rivers and seas, driving small farm families off their land and into the very sweatshops that make the T-Shirts - that might bother you.

If you don't deny that by supporting the Agri-corps you're enabling them to give more money to politicians who will do their bidding at the expense of the people they've been elected to represent - that might bother you.

If you don't deny that you're perpetuating the "dollars for policies" practices of corporations and politicians, and that those practices and policies reach across the entire spectrum of government and have adverse effects upon everyone on the planet - that might bother you.

And so it goes. And so it goes.

So not being in denial ruins the wonderful feeling of slipping into a brand new 100% cotton T-Shirt. Why would we do that to ourselves when we can't stop the Agri-corps, or the politicians?

Or, can we? Suppose we were to boycott all the things in the consumer food chain that are created and marketed in bad ways, by greedy people?

We have the power of the vote. We have the power of choice. We can choose to refuse participation in consumption that harms people and planets.

Well, let's deny that for a moment. We can just say: Sure What are we gonna do? Live in the mud? Unless we earned enough money in the very same system of corruption we're objecting to, to buy our land outright, we're either going to be trespassing or renting from someone else who supports the "evil" system.If we do own our patch of mud outright, we still must pay property taxes to the evil system or they'll take away our patch of mud.

Be naked? I guess we could lash fallen leaves or grass fibers into clothing. Good enough perhaps for summer. What of winter? Back to buying clothes, or wearing the skins of other mammals who've been murdered and stripped of their own skins.

Eat grubs and grass? Try it for a week, I dare you. Walk everywhere and carry everything on your back? Try it for a week. I dare you.

Should we refuse our children any and all amenities like clothes, food, transportation, books, medicine, education and entertainment?

Well then am I a hypocrite! Oh my god! If I'm a hypocrite about this stuff, what else am I a hypocrite about? Jesus Christ! I'm a hypocrite!

Damn! Let's deny all that and just wear the T-Shirt and shut up! It's an unjust world. It's not fair. That's just the way it is. Be grateful for what you have. Be thankful that you and your children aren't working in one of those sweatshops for 10 cents a day.

But why me? Why am I one of the lucky ones? Who knows? Maybe it's "God's Will". Stop worrying about it. Enjoy your life. Once you open the mind to all the elements, once you stop being in denial, everything sucks!

All of the stress in the scenarios above comes from not being able to deny or disavow one's role or responsibility in something as simple as a T-Shirt.

Damn, it feels soooo good to forget about it all. It feels soooo good, to deny it and just enjoy this new T-Shirt. How can feeling soooo good, be a bad thing?

Embrace denial. Denial is the key to happiness. If you try to hold all the truths in one moment, if you try to account for everything that comes together to create reality, if you try to be responsible and accountable and honest about it all, you may well lose your sanity. What good will you be to yourself, your family or society then, huh?

Denial is your friend. Denial keeps people from imploding. Denial will help you get up in the morning and feel like every thing's going to be OK. Denial will help you believe that life has purpose and meaning. Denial numbs the pain of consciousness. Sometimes a good stiff double shot of denial is just what the doctor ordered.

Denial keeps us sane.

I just might arrange a "denial party" for all my friends. We'll get together and see how great if feels to simply deny anything and everything that might keep us from feeling good and having fun. Wow... We'll have a great time. I think we could all use a party like that.

And for now, I'm just gonna slide into this freakin' T-Shirt and forget about it.

Yeah! I like that a lot!

More "UNEXPECTED" Figures

Again, we're met with more UNEXPECTED news.

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON December 11, 2008 (AP)

The Associated Press

New Unemployment Claims Surge Unexpectedly

New unemployment claims rise more than expected as layoffs continue amid recession

New claims for jobless benefits rose more than expected last week, exceeding even gloomy expectations for an economy stuck in a recession that seems to be deepening.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial applications for jobless benefits in the week ending Dec. 6 rose to a seasonally adjusted 573,000 from an upwardly revised figure of 515,000 in the previous week. That was far more than the 525,000 claims Wall Street economists expected.

How bout'
" Man unexpectedly loses his head while looking down the barrel of a rapidly firing cannon."

Or,
" Woman experiences unexpected financial setback after waving a handful of 100 dollar bills in the face of armed crack addict in dark inner-city alley at midnight".

New York Times
By LOUIS UCHITELLE, EDMUND L. ANDREWS and STEPHEN LABATON

Published: December 5, 2008

This article was reported by Louis Uchitelle, Edmund L. Andrews and Stephen Labaton and written by Mr. Uchitelle.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial applications for jobless benefits in the week ending Dec. 6 rose to a seasonally adjusted 573,000 from an upwardly revised figure of 515,000 in the previous week. That was far more than the 525,000 claims Wall Street economists expected.

More significantly, the unemployment rate does not include those too discouraged to look for work any longer or those working fewer hours than they would like. Add those people to the roster of the unemployed, and the rate hit a record 12.5 percent in November, up 1.5 percentage points since September. Gee, who would have expected any of that?


Would it be too boring to write or read:

"Actual unemployment figures reached the expected 12.5% in November and analysts expect the economy to worsen rapidly, expect it to be completely trashed by the time Obama takes office and hold the expectation that the economy (as we know it today) will be effectively "beyond salvage" by June 2009."

The Good Shepherd and The Wolves

I find that the Obama Cabinet selections help me improve my rationalization skills.

My best efforts yield only:

1) They knew how to break it, they know how to fix it?
2) Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
3) Wolves readily protect sheep from other wolves?
4) Dog shit in a designer can is yummy and nutritious?

It's not much to go on.

I'm concerned about the "hopenosis" effect. I'm concerned about rationalizing the complacency and apathy that enabled the madness of the previous administration. I think it's easy to fall back, relax and assume that President Obama is gonna make everything OK.

Trusting "them" to run the show has resulted in the engagement of the most catastrophic foreign and domestic policies in American history and "they", key players in the creation of the madness, are being reappointed/repositioned with the ability to implement another slaughter of the flock. President elect Obama is surrounding himself with wolves, while declaring his intent to be a good shepherd.

I hear in his speeches that he intends to solve our problems, to bring new values to America and then the world. That's genuinely reassuring. Yes, I want to believe.

Yet, when was the last time you heard a president say anything else?
I'm holding on to my hope, but I am not going to succumb to hopenosis.

It's not fun, but I think we have to amplify, not ease our attention. If this change in America is to come about, it seems increasingly apparent that we the people are going to have to demand the real change; to vote with our voices, our feet, our checkbooks and our civil disobedience. But can the sheep herd the wolves?

It seems that the work has just begun.

I believe this is a tipping point that will likely influence the entire remainder of the human experience.

I just deleted a page of my understandably discountable views, to share instead some information/perspective from a person that most of us know and respect. I think it's worth a read or a listen.

Amy Goodman in print or audio podcast:

http://ia310842.us.archive.org/3/items/amy-goodman-column20081203/PODCAST_20081203_1-2.mp3

Chevron in the White House

Posted on Dec 2, 2008

By Amy Goodman

President-elect Barack Obama introduced his principal national-security Cabinet selections to the world Monday and left no doubt that he intends to start his administration on a war footing. Perhaps the least well known among them is retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama’s pick for national security adviser. The position is crucial—think of the power that Henry Kissinger wielded in Richard Nixon’s White House. A look into who James Jones is sheds a little light on the Obama campaign’s promise of “Change We Can Believe In.”

Jones is the former supreme allied commander of NATO. He is president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century nergy. The institute has been criticized by environmental groups for, among other things, calling for the immediate expansion of domestic oil and gas production and issuing reports that challenged the use of the Clean Air Act to combat global warming.

Recently retired from the military, Jones has parlayed his 40-year military career into several corporate directorships. Among them is Cross Match Technologies, which makes biometric identification equipment. More germane to Jones’ forthcoming role in Obama’s inner circle, though, might be Jones’ seat as a director of Boeing, a weapons manufacturer, and as a director of Chevron, an oil giant.

Chevron has already sent one of its directors to the White House: Condoleezza Rice. As a member of that California-based oil giant’s board, she actually had a Chevron oil tanker named after her, the Condoleezza Rice. The tanker’s name was changed, after some embarrassment, when Rice joined the Bush administration as national security adviser. So now Chevron has a new person at the highest level of the executive branch. With Robert Gates also keeping his job as secretary of defense, maybe Obama should change his slogan to “Continuity We Can Believe In.”

But what of a Chevron director high up in the West Wing? Obama’s attacks on John McCain during the campaign included a daily refrain about the massive profits of ExxonMobil, as if that was the only oil company out there. Chevron, too, has posted mammoth profits. Chevron was also a defendant in a federal court case in San Francisco related to the murder, 10 years ago, of two unarmed, peaceful activists in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. On May 28, 1998, three Chevron helicopters ferried Nigerian military and police to the remote section of the Delta known as Ilajeland, where protesters had occupied a Chevron offshore drilling platform to protest Chevron’s role in the destruction of the local environment. The troops opened fired on the protesters. Two were killed, others were injured. (Rice was in charge of the Chevron board’s public policy committee when it fought off shareholder resolutions demanding that Chevron improve its human rights and environmental record in Nigeria.)

One of those shot was Larry Bowoto, who, along with the family members of those killed, filed suit in California against Chevron for its role in the attack. Just after Jones was named Obama’s national security adviser Monday, a jury acquitted Chevron. Bowoto told me: “I was disappointed in the judgment by the jury. I believe personally the struggle continues. I believe the attorney representing us will not stay put. He will take the initiative in going to the court of appeals.” I met Bowoto in 1998, just months after he was shot. He showed me his bullet wounds when I interviewed him in the Niger Delta. I also met Omoyele Sowore, who has since come to the U.S. and started the news Web site SaharaReporters.com.

Sowore has followed the case closely. Though disappointed, he said: “We have achieved one major victory: Chevron’s underbelly was exposed in this town. ... Also there is Nigeria: Protesters won’t give up. ... This will not discourage anybody who wants to make sure Chevron gives up violence as a way of doing business. American citizens are increasingly protective of their economy. ... Chevron played into fears of ... the jurors, saying these are people [the Nigerian protesters] who made oil prices go through the roof. This was a pyrrhic victory for Chevron. If I was in their shoes, I wouldn’t be popping champagne.”

Nigerians know well the power of the military-industrial complex in their own country. While Obama was swept into office promising change, his choice of Marine Gen. James Jones as national security adviser probably has U.S. corporate titans breathing easy, leaving the poor of the Niger Delta with the acrid air and oil-slicked water that lie behind Chevron’s profits.

Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.

Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 700 stations in North America. She has been awarded the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, dubbed the “Alternative Nobel” prize, and will receive the award in the Swedish Parliament in December.

© 2008 Amy Goodman

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Everyone has a different view of the United Nations, yet here is something I think we can all agree with...


Sixty years ago, the memories of human madness fresh in their cells, a group of humans of good will made a valiant effort to re-direct our species...

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

	(other language versions | Human Rights Day 10 December | 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
	Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.

(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.

(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.

(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.

(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.

(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.

(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.

(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Meaning

Too hard to starboard, too hard to port;
certain destruction.

What if I awakened one day and realized that "I" have no meaning.

In fact, the only meaning in anything.... is the meaning that I and/or others create and agree upon. There is no inherent meaning -
only applied meaning.

And I mean truly real-ize it. Not just a concept - made real.
Integrated on a cellular level.

What if I really got it, that what drives me, when closely examined,
is ultimately ego-related, ego-serving. What would I use for motivation
without "ego" fulfillment, our most powerful generator of illusion,
meaning and purpose.

What would replace it? What would I discover?

When meaning, purpose, ego, legacy, immortality, are stripped away -
the hidden is revealed.

Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge.

If you've already leapt into the unexplored void,
you did so knowing that there's no turning back.

If you haven't chosen to leap yet - Don't.
If you have the capacity to avoid that leap - avoid it...

Run away... Run away...

On Humility

Humility.

1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.

Our culture doesn't encourage humility. Most cultures don't.

Our culture doesn't reward meekness. Our culture rewards arrogance, force, dominance, power, control, ego; Our culture encourages and rewards pride.

We collectively perceive humility as weakness, while we perceive arrogance and pride as being the qualities of the strong, the powerful, the deserving.

The bible comments of these qualities.

Psalms 25:9
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

Psalms 37:11
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Psalms 10:2
The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor.

Psalms 73:6
Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment.

Proverbs 13:10
By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.

When I see so many "power of pride" bumper stickers I wonder.

Is it a sign of weakness to be humble.... to be meek?

To swim against the cultural current calls for great strength.

Meekness is not weakness.

Denial Denying Facts On "Black Friday"

Less and less am I able to deny how uncomfortable I feel when denied my "inherent right to denial". Very aggravating. Some interesting and annoying denial denying facts, "borrowed" directly from the Chris Martenson website.......

In 2006, over 12.6 million households were "food insecure" - 10.9% of all US households. Just last week, the USDA released the summation figures for calendar 2007. In 2007, the figure is 11.1%. Given what has transpired to US/ us in 2008, one might only imagine how the numbers will skyrocket this current year. The term "food insecure" was a new one for me. It means "experiencing difficulty in providing the necessary level of sustenance for a household." This is but a lame attempt to spin that well over 35 MILLION people, including over 12 MILLION children, are going to bed hungry. They are worried about where the next day's meals will come from. Such is unconscionable in this land of abundance. Yet... it is the reality even during this week of the normal Thanksgiving feasting!

Holiday Shopping with Deflated Stocks

Still feeling shocked by how much your portfolio has fallen in value in the past couple of months? With the holidays upon us, here is a look at the purchasing power those shares still have. After all, a share of Berkshire Hathaway can still buy you a Porsche 911.

This weekend, I was looking through the circulars in my Sunday paper and found some good uses for those "worthless" shares. First, let's consider Thanksgiving dinner. You can buy a nice 10 lb. Butterball Turkey for just one share of Microsoft. One share of AIG can add some nice frozen vegetables and a share of General Motors is worth 5 lbs of yams. Note: All share prices are as of Friday's close.

Does Anybody Else Think Getting America Shopping Again is Crazy Talk?

I was listening to Robert Reich, once the left end of the spectrum in the Clinton cabinet, talking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer a few days ago, and Reich, who has in the past sometimes made sense, was talking about how Americans' incomes had fallen over the last eight years of the Bush/Cheney administration and that it was necessary to get their incomes back on an upward trend, so that they could "start shopping again."

Now I understand Reich was trying to make the case that the bailout so far has been focused on the banks and the insurance industry, and that none of this will help unless ordinary people start getting some relief, but still, there's something completely twisted and out of whack when the best we can come up with is that we need to get Americans back into the malls.

UNEXPECTEDLY?

Jobless claims jump unexpectedly to 16-year high
Thursday November 20, 9:03 am ET
By Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer


Unexpectedly?
Unexpected by whom?

And why would we expect reporting on any person or entity that wouldn't, or couldn't have expected that report? Perhaps to highlight the unexpectedly great capacity for denial or unexpected levels of incompetence by those who are expected to expect what's clearly expected by anyone who's expected to be paying attention to what we should expect?

I expect that my unexpectedly naive expectations have made me so mad I could just expectorate.

I grow so weary of the daily spin.

It's the "Cause" Stupid

Same as it ever was.

Andrew Jacksons' Address to the 2nd Bank of The US - 1832

Gentlemen, I have had men watching you for a long time and I am convinced that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country. When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it to the bank. You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand families. That may be true, gentlemen, but that is your sin! Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would be my sin! You are a den of vipers and thieves . . . I intend to rout you out, and by the Eternal God I will rout you out!

In our time, we are again addressing the symptoms.
The cause remains unchanged.

Same as it ever was.

Society does not love it's unmaskers.

"Society does not love it's unmaskers."
From Ralph Waldo Emersons' essay on "Illusions".


I think that consciousness is a variable frequency receiver. And, perhaps when tuned to different frequencies, it provides us with views of realities as they exist beyond the illusions and influences that form what we call reality. Are there many frequencies affording views of many realities? It's likely.

Once in awhile, I consciously or unconsciously turn off all noise and input. For a microflash, an instant, I see things that are very different, completely counter to my "normal" construct. It happens so fast, and for so short a moment that I can't quite lock onto the images, but do retain a feeling of it. In this process, I'm not "looking for something". It only happens when I let go of everything I think and believe, without exception or expectation. I let go of my default "frequency" and spin the dial.

I haven't yet given in to repeated and prolonged frequency tuning. Why not? For one thing, it's disorienting. But moreover, I fear that once the veil is fully parted, I'll never be the same. I'll no longer be able to function in our particular perception pool. I fear that I'll be significantly changed. that like Jerzy Kosinski's "The Painted Bird" I'll be unwelcome - isolated, shunned by friends, family and peers - thrust, alone, into a profoundly disconcerting process of coming to terms with what I've seen - and additionally denied the reassurance of sharing the information with like-minded people. I guess it's about being ex-communicated, exiled, banned, banished from the tribe.

The "masters" have names for this. I suspect that those who've had the full experience, share with us the abridged version. I think there are a few reasons for that.

Words can't convey the experience.
Most of us won't (or can't) integrate the information.
Fear of being thought mad.

Those reasons I can imagine.

Perhaps they're "masters" because they're a lot stronger and more courageous than I am. Perhaps they can handle it better. Perhaps they, somehow aren't as disoriented by what they see. It's possible that I just can't take it. Perhaps I don't have the mental, spiritual or psychological tools. I don't know. I think that while new and profound to me, it's likely that many people (including many people I know) have the same or similar experiences.

I suppose this expression might alienate some of my friends. I hope not. I don't think I'm crazy. I think I'm sane. I think we all are. I think we all know, or at least suspect that what I'm talking about is true. Without guidance or external support, we doubt our own intuitive wisdom. Loneliness, alone-ness, and isolation from the herd is discomforting.

I'm reminded sometimes of the movie "The Truman Show". If you haven't seen it.... it's a hoot! If you have, you know what I'm talking about. I also watch "The Matrix" every three or four months.... To me, it's a reminder that our "reality" is pretty carefully constructed to maintain the images, thoughts and feelings that keep us in line as productive units of energy.

I don't believe we're all at risk of detection by an actual "Agent Smith", but that we do carry a personal "Agent Smith" around in our heads who's responsible for seeing to it that neither we, nor others detect or disrupt the matrix, the illusion. We shun, avoid, ridicule, invalidate or eliminate anyone who might cause disruption to the illusion. It's our collective illusion. It's the illusion we're all comfortable with. Unconsciously and unrelentingly, we reinforce it for ourselves and others. Red Pill. Blue Pill.

Often I feel like I'm walking around in a state of conscious, ambulatory suspended animation, as though everything is moving very slowly. Sometimes it seems the world around me is melting. Not actually melting , (though it actually is) I'm referring to the dissipation of attachment of meaning to any feeling, thought, word, event or object. At other times, in that state of consciousness, what I see and hear are pinholes in the membrane of illusion, from which a great flood of luminous information expands omni-directionally.

I often exist in a state of consciousness wherein, nothing is "only" as it seems. A thought, a word, an image, an object is not only what it seems, but also, is an energy link that opens to reveal all the truths about the event in unlimited time and space, and in relationship to all other aspects of reality.

I sit in awestruck silence listening to people talk. I hear someone make a statement or ask a question and the waves begin to roll. Where does this question begin and end? My mind travels back through the myriad factors of influence in the human experience that have formed and affected the question. How far back in human history is the birthplace of this question? What permutations of time and events have modified the question? What is the root question, the underlying, the subtext, the unasked question within? How do I find a starting point for response? In trying to answer a question with as much truth as will serve the one who asks - it's important to find a starting point that has at least one anchor in the familiar, that people recognize and relate to.

Though it might not seem so by this writing, more and more, it seems there's less and less to say. The less I have to say, the more I can be in silent awe of someone.

Am I losing it? Depends I suppose, upon who you ask.

Sometimes in moments that aren't "special" in any way, I have what is (for me) a pretty special experience. Sitting on a park bench, I lean over and pick up a leaf, a coin, an insect. As I'm looking at it, my consciousness will shift, without prompting, to a view of the object, and me holding it, on planet earth, in this solar system, in the Milky Way Galaxy, from somewhere beyond the outer edge of the galaxy. I become aware of seeing from somewhere, in some time, a mass of billions of suns, billions of solar systems and galaxies spread across billions of light years. What we call "our" solar system, nor even "our" galaxy can be recognized individually.


Following that view, my awareness slides into a view of the event from within the atomic structure of the object, the hand that holds it, the body the hand is attached to, all the earth and beyond.

It seems that more and more, events or experiences are processed from a super macro then a super micro view, in no particular order. One view is followed by another. Following these perspective or awareness shifts, I most often discover myself in a state of awe, motionless, after doing something so simple as looking at an object. An object, an event, a person, at once utterly without meaning, and profoundly meaningful. Unique, but not separate- Comprised of elements from perhaps billions of light years away in time and space. The same elements that comprise me - and you.

I'm dumbfounded by the incomprehensible simplicity and complexity of an object, a being, a planet, a galaxy, a universe. I say "a" universe, not "the" universe. The idea that there's only one universe called "the" universe, is I think, a perceptual limitation.

This process creates lasting effects. One effect: The shifting of awareness seems to occur more frequently and fluidly as time goes by. Another effect: I seem to retain more consistently, a default view of reality that's centered in that overwhelming awe. It seems to generate an expansive patience. Not to say it's made me an expansively patient person. But more and more, I recognize how particularly odd impatience is when viewed in the greater context.

Perhaps I attach meaning to it, thus I write about it. Perhaps my intent is merely to report the experience. For what purpose this report? I may have an answer or two - I may not. While I'm motivated to share this, there is also a big dose of "So What?" to the whole thing.

I do question and enjoy this process. I don't believe that my mini-perspective threatens in any way, the dominance or longevity of the illusion we live in. I doubt that the keepers of the illusion are scanning the blogosphere for key words that alert them to people thinking in "unapproved" ways. The idea that anyone would notice is more likely born of indulgent self-aggrandizement. I think the "Agent Smith" factor is generated by my own fear of expanding awareness. Could we, do we, generate a collective "Agent Smith" ? It's likely.


And St. Francis, naked, ran from the courtroom screaming, "It's all Bullshit!"
And you know the rest of that story.

Causes and Symptoms

The causes of our current troubles are as old as our species. Only the particular symptoms are new.

The great teachers have advised us.
We see expressed upon our macro-canvas of the world, precisely the colors and brushstrokes that are upon our micro-canvases within.

As within, so without. The problem is us.

We continue, generation after generation, wave after wave, like cultural adolescents - thinking we know better - thinking we can disregard the laws of nature without paying the price. The universe doesn't work that way. As arrogant adolescents always and inevitably do, we have fallen flat on our faces in the mud. Now, it's time for this particular wave of adolescent humanity to get up out of the mud and ask,
"Duh, how did that happen?" Some will learn. Some will not.

Same as it ever was........ Same as it ever was.......

Symptoms change. Root causes do not.

We've never had to deal with man-made climate disruption before.
New symptom? Yes. New cause? No.

Here are a few perspectives from The Tao Te Ching, the words of one of the great masters, Lao Tzu, written approximately 500 years before the birth of Jesus.
The masters, including Lao Tzu, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha and others, have long ago given us the guidance we need.
We've had the answers for thousands of years.
We just don't seem to have the humility to accept it.


A sampling from the Tao Te Ching:

The master concerns himself with the depths
and not the surface
with the fruit and not the flower

When rich speculators prosper
while farmers lose their land;
when government officials spend money on weapons
instead of cures;
when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn -
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is not in keeping with the Tao.

Governing a large country
is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it with too much poking.

When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be defensive.

A great nation is like a great man;
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the shadow that he himself casts.

If a nation is centered in the Tao,
if it nourishes it's own people
and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others
it will be a light to all nations in the world.


The Tao Te Ching is a body of concise perspectives on understanding, nourishing and governing in all matters from the self, to the family, to the community and the world.

More on Local Currencies

There is a long and interesting history of local currencies. I don't know much about what it takes to make it work. There are and have been successful systems. It's legal. . It might be something important to evaluate. Let me know what you think!

These two sites offer much insight.

http://www.berkshares.org/index.htm
Currency system presently functioning in Massachusetts.


http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/local_currencies.html
Site dedicated to ideas and systems inspired by E.F. Schumacher, author of
"Small is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered"

"Local Currency " Success Story

Here's an interesting story that might have meaning for us.
I think it's definitely something worth having some dialogue about. Worth considering......

Excellent article.....

http://alt-money.tribe.net/thread/70e5eb29-853d-44ca-9faa-b789d1757037


Followed by a short biography.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxdPIOUTd2k

Cautiously Ecstatic

Well, how bout' that?

In an e-mail this morning, a friend described feeling "Cautiously Ecstatic".

I think that's perfect phrasing.

Another friend e-mailed sharing his sense of enthusiasm.

Another friend called and commented on a "mysterious feeling". "Is this what hope feels like?" she asked. Her question carried with it the kind of awe you'd expect from someone who'd ventured into the last remaining acre of wilderness and asked, "Is this really what the world used to be like?". This morning, I too delight in that nearly forgotten feeling of hope...

Two more friends called with buoyant delight at the election results. I haven't heard this much upbeat feedback in a long, long time.

Last night, my son and I watched and listened together as the election results and speeches of concession and acceptance unfolded. He said "I'm getting shivers". He was so excited, so profoundly affected by Obama's win. He knows implicitly and explicitly that he has witnessed an historic shift in America, in the world.

Can words even express the depth of my gratitude, that we could experience together, first hand, this momentous event. Having spent half his life under the rule of the monstrous war criminals that stole our country, our freedom, our dignity, my son now has the chance to experience what America is supposed to be. He has hope for what can be. To see hope in his eyes, to hear hope in his voice is so very deeply gratifying.

He asked me last night why I didn't seem to be excited and I had to explain. Yes, I'm grateful that it seems Obama has won. However, we've still got roughly 3 months before he's inaugurated and that much can still happen, blah blah blah......... assuming all goes well, the real challenges have only begun, blah blah blah..... ongoing malevolence is still developing in putrid, toxic bogs on the NeoContinent - you know, the location of Sarah Palin's mysterious "real america", blah blah blah....... But I restrained myself before going on and on . I know, you know, we all know how that dialogue goes.

And YES, I told him, this is a critical first step and we shared our wonder in that fact alone.

Then to my surprise, and despite all my concerns,


THIS MORNING - I awoke with just a little bit of ease seeping into my nervous system.

THIS MORNING - The light seems just a little gentler, a little brighter, a little warmer.

THIS MORNING - The cool autumn air smells just a little fresher, a little crisper, a little cleaner.

As my son and I readied for the day - for the first time in a long time -

THIS MORNING - I was able to share, Honest, Genuine, Heartfelt Optimism.

Damn it felt good to be able to do that - with him and for him. In recent years, opportunities for thinking people to share genuine optimism have been so rare. It was sweet revenge to reclaim that joy. The Beltway Beasts have stripped optimism, along with so many other joys, from so many people, for so long. Perhaps it's short-lived, but for today, I got that little bit of joy back. They can't take that away from me.

CAUTIOUS

I feel hope and simultaneously recognize my reluctance to use the names of people I reference in this writing. How bout' that? Conscious, patriotic, decent Americans have to be careful not to inadvertently expose friends and loved ones to the American Secret Police? The "ASP". I do still fear that viper. I do still recognize that we are under authoritarian rule. I do still acknowledge the vicious oppression that subjects us, worldwide, to the worst of humanity...... Cautiously Ecstatic... emphasis on "Cautiously"

ECSTATIC

Perhaps the 8 year nightmare really is over and we're waking up to a world that's going to be a better place for all human beings to live - a world where the values of compassion and decency dominate the human landscape. Perhaps in enough bedrooms, and kitchens, and cafes, people are going through their morning routines, with a very important shift of spirit. Perhaps the dignity of all people can be restored. Perhaps the feeling of hope is seeping, with all it's healing properties, into all of us.... Cautiously Ecstatic... emphasis on "Ecstatic"

The election of Barack Obama reflects a commitment by the American people. It sends a message to the world. The American People are not the demons who have represented us for the past 8 years. We have elected to the office of President, a man of moral vision, a man of insight, a man of courage, compassion and coincidentally, of color. A man who speaks for us. We've now offered to the world a representative example of who we really are. The unsuppressed voices of "we the people" as individuals and as a nation have finally been heard. I am so grateful to everyone who helped make this happen.

Hope and Fear.... I guess it's all in a days work......

TODAY I INTEND TO BASK IN THE WARM, REGENERATIVE ENERGY OF HOPE

And they can't take that away from me..........


For a simple, concise and entertaining report on how New Mexico voted, go to

newearthtimes.blogspot.com

p.s. The beer offer still stands.

Worst Case Scenario

I feel very vulnerable in posting this. However, I'm going out on a limb here and sharing my "worst-case-scenario" on the election.

First..... I suspect that Obama has easily enough supporters to win the election.

I can unfortunately imagine that regardless of who is touted by the media as the winner........

1) There will be enormous voting problems i.e. long lines, staff shortages, shortages of voting machines, voting machine failures, inadequate back up systems, shortages of back-up machines, shortages of back-up provisional and paper ballots, inaccurate voter registration records, lists, and conflicts, vote flipping on computerized machines, voter dissuasion via misinformation and intimidation, possible polling place violence, a hodgepodge of poorly coordinated extensions of voting hours, inaccurate and mismanaged reporting of precinct and state results etc.

2) Tuesday evening or Wednesday ...... There will be a declaration of a winner and the complaints of voter fraud and the challenging of the results will render the declaration invalid.
Or, regardless of who appears to win, so many voters and precincts will lodge complaints and contest the counts, fairness and equality of access, that there will be no declaration at all, of a clear winner.

3) This situation will continue for days, weeks or longer, denying us a new president.

4) During this period of extreme election chaos and complete media preoccupation, the current administration will create or activate a "shock" situation i.e. war or hyper-accelerated conflict with Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan or even within Iraq. There are of course other places and other types of "shock" events that might occur, even on our own soil.

5) In the midst of the "shock", the transition to a new presidency will be suspended, martial law will be declared, the active combat units (currently stationed on American soil) who's mission has been described as "to help with civil unrest" will be deployed on the streets of America.

The rest ......... well......... there it is. That is my most disturbing view of how bad it could get.

As so often, I pray I'm wrong. If I am wrong, and here's the good part......... Not only will hope prevail, but in addition, I will buy a beer for anyone who has read this, posted a comment, and can say..."Aha! You're a pessimistic alarmist. I told you it couldn't happen here!"

I'm very, very much looking forward to those "YOU OWE ME A BEER" phone calls. I feel reassured enough by my own secret hope that I'm gonna say "PLEASE DON'T FORWARD THIS TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS!" That's more beer than I can afford.

So here's the qualifier: Only people who have read and left a comment on this post before noon on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 will be eligible for the free beer. So, there's my implicit, passive, preemptive recanting of my "Worst Case Scenario",
an expression of my refusal to believe that it could happen here and my idealistic commitment to hope. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.

Peace............

Some Haiku

smells move memories
pure snow breathes timeless earth scent
crunch crunch I arrive

fire wind sears us all
cold night memory wraps me
ancient thoughts save us

Jesus moves atoms
Jesus makes water sweet wine
Mary loves his ways

hot hunger to know
cool wind silently being
being not knowing

eyes open in darkness
anticipate morning sun
hot day comes too fast

lovers speak aloud
critical words once hidden
scars of betrayal

I feel the changing
I feel the darkness coming
I am darkening

once rolling green fields
memory smells green wetness
turn left at Starbucks

a dog eat dog world
both dogs live in all of us
eater and eaten

razor edge of truth
face of illusion sliced open
burning tears burning

life purpose fulfilled
leaves fall peacefully to earth
may I end as well

ashes to ashes
dust to dust to dust to dust
no joy in Mudville

in the soul river
go in face down do not breathe
you choose again live or die

truth serves only self
if not taught through the senses
smell taste hear see touch

distraction soothing
reality frightening
cowards need love too

perfect skin mouth eyes
in the morning they take me
they take my body

my last look at you
soul eyes hold the memory
I am no longer

red in tooth and claw
Darwin told us the rude truth
war blood proves him right

the man imploded
total spirit death implosion
ok so now what

much harder to do
move from the future to now
but all joy is now

exit from matter
from movement into stillness
soul eyes watch the change

old friends my blessings
so few remain as matter
the rest have changed form

boy dreams so freely
the mans dream cries for freedom
grieves a boys lost dreams

stillborn yet living
child of wars indignity
soul dead killing still

eyes open or closed
look deep into nothingness
into the pure void

and then the truth comes
in a blinding flash of light
the partys over

awaken today
asleep to timeless wisdom
read between the lines

the secret words found
secret words hide in plain sight
the secret remains

the old ways are dead
we are killing our mother
what must I do now

Society does not love it's unmaskers.

"Society does not love it's unmaskers."
From Ralph Waldo Emersons' essay on "Illusions".


I think that consciousness is a variable frequency receiver. And, perhaps when tuned to different frequencies, it provides us with views of realities as they exist beyond the illusions and influences that form what we call reality. Are there many frequencies affording views of many realities? It's likely.

Once in awhile, I consciously or unconsciously turn off all noise and input. For a microflash, an instant, I see things that are very different, completely counter to my "normal" construct. It happens so fast, and for so short a moment that I can't quite lock onto the images, but do retain a feeling of it. In this process, I'm not "looking for something". It only happens when I let go of everything I think and believe, without exception or expectation. I let go of my default "frequency" and spin the dial.

I haven't yet given in to repeated and prolonged frequency tuning. Why not? For one thing, it's disorienting. But moreover, I fear that once the veil is fully parted, I'll never be the same. I'll no longer be able to function in our particular perception pool. I fear that I'll be significantly changed. that like Jerzy Kosinski's "The Painted Bird" I'll be unwelcome - isolated, shunned by friends, family and peers - thrust, alone, into a profoundly disconcerting process of coming to terms with what I've seen - and additionally denied the reassurance of sharing the information with like-minded people. I guess it's about being ex-communicated, exiled, banned, banished from the tribe.

All the "religions" and the "masters" have names for this. I suspect that those who've had the full experience, share with us the abridged version. I think there are a few reasons for that. Words can't convey the experience. Most of us won't (or can't) integrate the information. Fear of being thought mad. Those reasons I can imagine.

Perhaps they're "masters" because they're a lot stronger and more courageous than I am. Perhaps they can handle it better. Perhaps they, somehow aren't as disoriented by what they see. It's possible that I just can't take it, that I don't have the mental, spiritual or psychological tools. I don't know. I think that while new and profound to me, it's likely that many people (including many people I know) have the same or similar experiences.

I suppose this expression might alienate some of my friends. I hope not. I don't think I'm crazy. I think I'm sane. I think we all are. I think we all know, or at least suspect that what I'm talking about is true. Without guidance or external support, we doubt our own intuitive wisdom. I think most of us avoid loneliness/aloneness and isolation from the herd, at virtually any cost.

I'm reminded sometimes of the movie "The Truman Show". If you haven't seen it.... it's a hoot! If you have, you know what I'm talking about. I also watch "The Matrix" every three or four months.... To me, it's a reminder that our "reality" is pretty carefully constructed to maintain the images, thoughts and feelings that keep us in line as productive units of energy.

I don't believe we're all at risk of detection by an actual "Agent Smith", but that we do carry a personal "Agent Smith" around in our heads who's responsible for seeing to it that neither we, nor others detect or disrupt the matrix, the illusion. We shun, avoid, ridicule, invalidate or eliminate anyone who might cause disruption to the illusion. It's our collective illusion. It's the illusion we're all comfortable with. Unconsciously and unrelentingly, we reinforce it for ourselves and others.

Often I feel like I'm walking around in a state of conscious, ambulatory suspended animation, as though everything is moving very slowly. Sometimes it seems the world around me is melting. Not actually melting , (though it actually is) I'm referring to the dissipation of attachment of meaning to any feeling, thought, word, event or object. At other times, in that state of consciousness, what I see and hear are pinholes in the membrane of illusion, from which a great flood of luminous information expands omni-directionally.

I often exist in a state of consciousness wherein, nothing is "only" as it seems. A thought, a word, an image, an object is not only what it seems, but also, is an energy link that opens to reveal all the truths about the event in unlimited time and space, and in relationship to all other aspects of reality.

I find myself sitting in awestruck silence listening to people talk. I hear someone make a statement or ask a question and the waves begin to roll. Where does this question begin and end? My mind travels back through the myriad factors of influence in the human experience that have formed and affected the question. How far back in human history is the birthplace of this question? What permutations of time and events have modified the question? What is the root question, the underlying, the subtext, the unasked question within? How do I find a starting point for response? In trying to answer a question with as much truth as will serve the one who asks, it's important to find a starting point that has at least one anchor in the familiar, that people recognize and relate to.

Though it might not seem so by this writing, more and more, it seems there's less and less to say.

Am I losing it? Depends I suppose, upon who you ask.

Sometimes in moments that aren't "special" in any way, I have what is (for me) a pretty special experience. Sitting on a park bench, I lean over and pick up a leaf, a coin, an insect. As I'm looking at it, my consciousness will shift, without prompting, to a view of the object, and me holding it, on planet earth, in this solar system, in the Milky Way Galaxy, from somewhere beyond the outer edge of the galaxy. I become aware of seeing from somewhere, in some time, a mass of billions of suns, billions of solar systems and galaxies spread across billions of light years. What we call "our" solar system, nor even "our" galaxy can be recognized individually.


Following that view, my awareness slides into a view of the event from within the atomic structure of the object, the hand that holds it, the body the hand is attached to, all the earth and beyond.

It seems that more and more, events or experiences are processed from a super macro then a super micro view, in no particular order. One view is followed by another. Following these perspective or awareness shifts, I most often discover myself in a state of awe, motionless, after doing something so simple as looking at an object. An object, an event, a person, at once utterly without meaning, and profoundly meaningful. Unique, but not separate- Comprised of elements from perhaps billions of light years away in time and space. The same elements that comprise me - and you.

I'm dumbfounded by the incomprehensible simplicity and complexity of an object, a being, a planet, a galaxy, a universe. I say "a" universe, not "the" universe. The idea that there's only one universe called "the" universe, is I think, a perceptual limitation.

This process creates lasting effects. One effect: The shifting of awareness seems to occur more frequently and fluidly as time goes by. Another effect: I seem to retain more consistently, a default view of reality that's centered in that overwhelming awe. It seems to generate
an expansive patience. Not to say it's made me an expansively patient person. But more and more, I recognize how particularly odd impatience is when viewed in the greater context.

Perhaps I attach meaning to it, thus I write about it. Perhaps my intent is merely to report the experience. For what purpose this report? I may have an answer or two - I may not. While I'm motivated to share this, there is also a big dose of "So What?" to the whole thing.

I do question and enjoy this process. I don't believe that my mini-perspective threatens in any way, the dominance or longevity of the illusion we live in. I doubt that the keepers of the illusion are scanning the blogosphere for key words that alert them to people thinking in "unapproved" ways. The idea that anyone would notice is more likely born of indulgent self-aggrandizement. I think the "Agent Smith" factor is generated by my own fear of expanding awareness. Could we, do we, generate a collective "Agent Smith" ? It's likely.

I do acknowledge that I really resist the idea of spending my last days in a "safe" environment. You know, the kind of safety that comes from being lobotomized, drugged, catheterized and tube fed on a restraint table, in a room where they never turn the lights off. I also resist the idea of being "disappeared" by those charged with the task of keeping us all safe from ideas and or processes that might melt down the illusion. Remember, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you. But other than that........ hey....... what have I got to lose?

And St. Francis ran from the courtroom, naked, screaming, "It's all Bullshit!"
And you know the rest of that story.

New Thoughts on Old People

I've noticed, over the past year or so a curious shift in my perception.

Used to be, when I'd see an old person, and by old I mean pretty old, you know, 80 or more, and particularly if they didn't seem to be doing so well, close to passing on, I'd feel sad for them. I'd wonder at all the experience and wisdom that would go with them, and that loss would make me feel sad for us and them. Sad for us because we need the benefit of that experience and wisdom, and sad for them because I suspect that as you get closer to your departure date, you must want to share and leave behind all you can. I imagine that doing so is probably the best way to believe that what you did here with your years, had some important value - made a difference.

I'd think of all the fun important stuff they'd no longer experience with us. I'd feel sorry that they'd miss births, and birthday parties and kids growing and achieving. I'd think of good food and fishing and love and conversations and laughter and travel and friendships and books and the smell of firewood burning in the winter and the crisp bite of clean, cold morning air and the satisfaction of scratching an itch and good wine and fresh, ripe, juicy peaches - and sooooo much more.

Of late though I've noticed myself thinking, "Damn they're lucky. They're gonna get out while the gettin' is good. They're gonna get out before it all comes apart". I feel glad for them. I feel glad that they worked hard, lived long, made their contributions and could hopefully feel content. I feel grateful that they won't have to experience the feelings of futility that would come from having to stay and watch a couple of generations of unprincipled thieves, power mongering lunatics and self-indulgent brats turn all their hard work and sacrifice to rubble. So clear and sincere is this new perception that it's sometimes accompanied by a twinge of jealousy or envy.

For me, that's a new and somewhat sad set of feelings.

I see the old ones, and myself, as blessed to have lived during one of the most exceptional times in human history. The past 50 or so years in America have been years of the most outstanding wealth, security, and opportunity ever seen on planet Earth. Granted, it's not been perfect and not everyone has had the same experience, but for a larger population than ever before, it's been incredible. This window of time in America has been an anomaly though, relative to the previous short experience of human life. Even the most sincere deniers are coming to realize that this short, illusion based reality is not sustainable. The house of cards is about to cave in upon itself.

Pending challenges for those who've taken physical, emotional and spiritual refuge in this house are many. Food, water, shelter, clothing, medicine, transportation, affordable energy and virtually every other commodity that we've come to see as certain entitlements, simply are not. We may come to see the ones who've died of late as having had perfect timing. We may be grateful that loved ones who had long and wonderful lives, did not live to witness what's coming.

The crew we sail into this storm with are a couple of generations of young people who don't know how to do anything. There are of course exceptions, but largely they can't build anything - they can't fix anything - they can't grow, preserve or cook anything. They can't delay gratification, sacrifice anything or put the needs of anyone else ahead of their own. They can't use critical thinking skills to evaluate the varied dynamics of decisions today or chart the potential outcomes of their choices. They are largely unable or unwilling to do hard work (or even to work hard). Granted, there are many who can and do exercise some of the above skills to some extent. And some who are clearly outstanding exceptions on many issues. But overall, we have encouraged a multi-generational malaise of entitlement, laziness, indulgence and expectation, unlike anything before in human history. And most of us are guilty to some degree of all the same failures. We have effectively disabled both ourselves and our youth.

We have failed to exercise and teach by demonstration, common sense, conservation, reverence for the wisdom of the elders, and humility. Nor have we demonstrated the necessary skills required for cooperation, community building and rational conflict resolution. These skills have been allowed to atrophy and drift out of our daily lives.

I don't blame the young. I don't blame the media, the government, the bankers or the myriad other ignorant entities. I blame us. I blame me. No one held a gun to my head and forced me to participate in the madness that's brought us to this point. I blame myself as part of the "us". The Tao Te Ching says "When we blame others, there is no end to the blame". When I take responsibility for what I have done and not done, the buck stops here. No, I am not alone in this burden. Yes it's a "we". But, I am my very own special part of the "we". I carry my own burden of responsibility. Yes, it's my fault.

We let it happen to us and to them. We tend to isolate the "old ones" in containerized communities and deprive ourselves and our spawn of their wisdom. Man is such a slow learner that depriving ourselves and our youth of the experience and wisdom of the old will prove to be especially painful. Perhaps even as painful as the rejection, marginalization and devaluation of people who become old. Perhaps their sin is that they require more attention in their last days, than our insatiable selfishness can spare .

We have overwhelmingly succumbed to the narcotic siren song of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The assurance of eternal ease, ever increasing convenience and prosperity, just in time inventory, subsidized food and energy and god help us...... credit - were all false assurances - illusions we chose to believe.

The bible has some good advice and good admonitions on the credit subject.

Borrowing (if you will) from Proverbs 22:7 :

"The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender"

Good counsel. I believe that Good Will Shakespeare said "neither a borrower nor a lender be". Now we know why.

Debt, credit, arrogance and disregard for others and our planet, along with the attending, inherent moral and physical decay (as we all know) may have contributed more than any other elements, to our pending implosion. Enough on that topic. We all know it. I think we always knew. Perhaps we hoped we could change the rules of the universe, if we just denied it long and sincerely enough.

The proverbial shit is about to hit the proverbial fan. The self-regenerating and socially encouraged addiction to distraction and denial will be one of the most painful detoxes we'll experience.
That rehab process will be but a fraction of what we're gonna have to confront.

Sorry folks, I know it's not fun to think about. I'm in the process of kicking my own denial habit. I don't think I'm a harbinger of doom. I don't think I'm saying anything that isn't being witnessed and felt by most of us. I guess if I thought there was still time for warm, fuzzy distractions............ I could watch tv.

So yes, I see old people who seem ready to go, and sense that their timely departure will in fact, be a gift of grace. God bless em'. Thanks for all you gave us. Thanks for all you tried to teach us. Sorry we ruined it. Now we'll do our best to clean up our mess. Perhaps now we will have the humility to honor the wisdom of the elders. Perhaps now we'll honor our obligation to those who follow us. Perhaps there's hope for our redemption.

There are pockets of hope, consciousness and opportunity growing and expanding in our communities. Many people will not give up on the commitment to make the best of this situation. We must all actively contribute to the "solution" processes.

Peace Ya'll