Our New Enabling Act

Well, no overtime...so where was I? Oh yeah, screaming about the loss of freedom in our great country. What we are witnessing today within our government resembles what others in Europe were witness to when the Enabling Act was introduced by Germany's parliament. Yeah, yeah, I know, I can hear everybody now thinking that comparisons of our political machine to fascism have been overstated and overplayed already. But officially, the Enabling Act was known as the "Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and Realm". What the act did was empower the executive branch of government through legislative means. The executive had the power to ignore the constitution, the courts and the legislature. The country's means of checking executive power were dismantled through the enactment of this legislation.

This new form of Enabling Act eerily resembles the earlier version and shouldn't be dismissed so readily by our citizens. And we should all be asking Is America on the verge of becoming '30s Germany? Are we dumbed down citizens not to worry about due process and rule of law anymore? Will we allow the president and the president alone to define the difference between a "combatant" and a "non-combatant"? Human Rights First has this to say about the proposed legislation:

If it is enacted into law, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 would have a far-reaching impact on the ability of the United States to secure cooperation with allies in combating terrorism, and would fundamentally alter the character of the American justice system. In the last few days of congressional negotiations, critical provisions of the legislation have changed. Cumulatively, the changes in the latest version of the bill have moved further away from a framework that aligns with American values and commitment to the rule of law.

Is it so difficult to see that we the people have a rogue president within the big house? The patriotic blindfold that hides justice has to be pulled down. We're heading for the cliff and if we can't pull the nationalistic blinders from our minds, we are likely to freefall into oblivian. I'm not talking conservatives, liberals, republicans, or democrats...I'm talking about people. People who can and must think for themselves and see the path we have been put upon.

Any idea of what America could look like if this legislation is placed into law? Want a glimpse of what our future may hold? How about this paragraph which was in the recently declassified report by the NIE?

"Anti-U.S. and anti-globalization sentiment is on the rise and fueling other radical ideologies. This could prompt some leftist, nationalist, or separatist groups to adopt terrorist methods to attack US interests. The radicalization process is occurring more quickly, more widely, and more anonymously in the Internet age, raising the likelihood of surprise attacks by unknown groups whose members and supporters may be difficult to pinpoint." It continues: "We judge that groups of all stripes will increasingly use the Internet to communicate, propagandize, recruit, train and obtain logistical and financial support."

With statements such as this linked to legislation which destroys habeas corpus and our bill of rights, we are left with one man deciding the definition of enemy combatants. What this means is basically anyone or any group could be targeted with no legal recourse whatsoever!

If all of this doesn't raise a flag of urgency to anyone, then I apologize. Just hit the snooze and catch a few more winks. No hurry I suppose, there's always tomorrow!

Assimilation Into Degradation

Well, once again the political machine has shown just how much it's about politics rather than the people! Our elected representatives have taken a wrong turn onto the road of degradation and the costs to run on this road are our constitutional freedoms and rights. We either assimilate into the Empire's path of degradation or face ostracization.

It doesn't take very long once on the road of degradation for the people to discover this route is similar to a turnpike. The toll for this turnpike of degradation is habeas corpus and an E-ZPass can be purchased for the cost of the Bill of Rights. What have we witnessed since Bush uttered this ultimatum?

"Over time it's going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity," he said. "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."

This was the turning point! This was when we allowed the Empire to steer us onto the road of degradation. In my opinion, the people have been forced to either assimilate or suffer the wrath of cultural and character assasination. This cultrual hegemony is killing the spirit of freedom itself. It is a cancer that devours all forms of dissent if allowed to grow. The degradation sneaks up ever so slowly while the people ignore the signs. We allow ourselves to be lulled by their songs into this new order. I can think of no better illustration of this than the infamous words of Sagacious Sachem:

I'm an Indian alright but here in The Nations they call us the civilized tribes. They call us civilized because we are easy to sneak up on. White men have been sneaking up on us for years. They sneaked up on us and they told us we wouldn't be happy. They told us we would be happy in The Nations. So they took away our tribal lands and sent us here. I had a fine woman and two sons but they all died on the Trail of Tears.

I wore a frock coat to Washington before The War. We wore them because we belonged to the five civilized tribes. We dressed ourselves up like Abraham Lincoln. We got to see the secretary of the interior. He said, "Boy, you boys sure look civilized." He congratulated us and he gave us medals for looking so civilized. We told him about how our tribal lands had been stolen and how our humans were dying.

When we finished he shook our hands and said "Endeavor to preservere!!" They stood us in a line... John Jumper, Chili McIntosh, Buffalo Hump, Jim Buckmark, and me, I am Lone Waite. The newspapers took our picture and said, "Indians vow to endeavor to preservere." We thought about this for a long time, "endeavor to preservere", and when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union.

How did we sink so low in just 6 years? The lines between the democratic and republican parties are becoming harder to discern and the Military Commissions Act is another nail in our freedom coffin. The costs of this new order are way too high. As the Empire continues to drive us down this road we are witnessing first hand the death of the U.S. as we've known it! The death of democracy is imminent but we shouldn't be preparing for it's wake. We should instead be screaming at the top of our lungs at every availability! We should be walking down the street yelling to the neighborhood to wake up! We should be camped on the steps of our county courthouse handing out information to the public. We should be marching on the steps of our state capitals denouncing this turnpike of degradation.

Oh shit, it's time to go to work! I'll do those things tomorrow or maybe Saturday unless they offer me some weekend overtime today. I could use the OT with Christmas right around the corner! Besides the country won't self-destruct before next week anyhow! What's the hurry?

This Ones For You

I was asked by a very good friend, "Where do you find all those depressing articles?" To which I answered, "It's difficult to stay aloof and on your toes when trudging through the bile and muck of injustice!" Of course my friend asked this question because she was concerned about my well being. Being an activist herself for many years, she well knows how difficult and devastating the truth can be to an individual's spirit. You see, she has learned the valuable lesson of the power of community and the necessary support which the community makes available to it's members. This bile and muck can be very harmful to the human spirit and as anyone seeking the truth eventually discovers, trudging through this muck will produce within our heads what Joe Bageant, in his essay entitled Madmen and Sedatives, labels THE SCREAMING MAN!

I have to take a moment and apologize for my lack of writing skills and I very often laugh at myself for starting this blog and pretending to be an authority on anything! Actually I'm an authority on very little. I'm merely a grunt who has spent a lifetime selling his time and sacrificing time away from family and friends in order to get that "stuff" I thought was necessary. Granted, the majority of capital I've received for my time, has went towards keeping food on the table, a roof over the family's head, and clothes on our back. A humble existence for sure, but that's a good thing. There are millions of our people who haven't fared near as well. It's these people I care about. It's these people to whom I feel my spirit is attached and I can't help but feel an obligation to my relations. Because the bottom line is...we are all related and we are all fighting for survival. And if we can help each other, then all of us or at least our future generations might somehow be able to crawl from this muck into some clean air, free from the stench of injustice.

Now a little history is probably required in order to portray the hows and whys of this blog. Yeah, I know it gets very little attention and probably never will. But that was not my intentions in the first place and it will never be important. I suppose it was the SCREAMING MAN inside of me that initiated the whole thing. As I look back and try to analyze my reasons, I guess it was a selfish undertaking on my part. By placing on the web the thoughts and views which were screaming in my head, I found I began to think and breathe much better. As I placed these thoughts on the screen and made them available to whoever happened upon them, I felt a freedom of mind and a cleansing of my spirit. And the blog seemed to make room within my limited brain for other thoughts and reflections. I suppose that's what a diary or journal was meant to accomplish. Only with the web, these thoughts, experiences, and observations are no longer private but are shared with the world. And guess what I have discovered, the world is full of other human beings who also have that screaming woman/man within their heads!

My first involvement via the internet in the role of an activist was strictly as a member of a trade union. The main focus of my early activity was the anti-democratic structures that existed within organized labor and the stifling of dissent within the locals due to the concentrated power within the international umbrella organizations. The early union activists surmised that the decline of union membership within the workforce was possibly due in a large part to these undemocratic practices and the corporate/business union model that organized labor had transformed itself into over the last 50 years. There were a great many of us who believed organized labor was supposedly run by the membership! Now the fact we were wrong was a rather rude awakening to say the least. Our assumption couldn't have been farther from the truth. Our organizations had morphed into corporations with the identical top-down hierarchies and power structures. Member run organizations had disappeared, and for the most part, as we watched and even with our approval!

After years of fighting from within the labor organizations as per the by-laws, outside with the pseudo help of the Department of Labor, and even in the courts, the union density within the workforce continued to drop and along with the decline, organized labor continued to be awash with corruption. And it was about this time that I realized the possibility of reforming the business unions was highly improbable and it just occurred to me that our efforts would be better invested in a social awakening; an overhaul of the social structures which are instrumental in the creation of the fertile ground which sprouted the corruption within our unions as well as in our political and economical structures as well. If you want to rid yourself of some pesky poison oak, you have to attack the roots. Cutting off those semi-attractive leaves and berries won't do it. The poison is carried from the roots and can be found throughout the vine.

It was during these first years in the fight for union democracy that I met many others involved in these struggles as well. Disenchanted and disillusioned union members from all over the world began sharing their stories and experiences. This was my first experience of what I refer to as community. These communities were pooling some of the most honest, sincere, and dedicated people that I had ever met. This is where I found encouragement and support through interacting with people I had never met other than through their typed words on my screen. It was from these allies that I found the courage to write about what was on my mind and how I felt about particular issues.

I remember hearing people say there couldn't be solid relationships built or cultivated solely on a virtual landscape without the usual face-to-face interaction. And I continue to hear learned people say the same thing. Not to take anything away from personal contact and it's benefits, but I have found they were mistaken in their assumption and some of the best relationships I've known in my "real" life have sprouted and grown through my "virtual" life even though I've never seen their face or heard the sound of their voice! This fact was rather astounding to me (as it still is), and I remember thinking how important this is to our future as human beings in this time of transition into what has been deemed, the information age. This virtual bridge and connection is powerful and the fact that I can actually feel the unmistakable emotions within the typed words of somebody is absolutely remarkable in my opinion. It still amazes me how we adapt and learn to relay our feelings and impressions through these damn screens!

I have learned so much from so many over the last ten years it's unbelievable. Not the institutionalized education with the sheepskin, that the professional hangs on their office wall or the educated jobless toss somewhere in the attic for their grandkids to happen upon some day. But I've received an education by the people. Through their willingness to share their victories, defeats, view points, and ideas, I am a much better human being. The lessons learned this way are not soon forgotten and in my humble opinion, not a better educational system exists!

So this is why this blog exists. This is why I pretend to be a writer. It's for all the people who have shared with me over the years. It's for my children and my grandchildren. It's for the people who are transforming from consumers into creators. And it's for my friend who told me, "All you have to do is surround yourself with uplifting positive reinforcement - of which there's an abundance." And she is right...there are millions of us!

Who Dares Debate the Empire?

"I don't hate America. In fact, think it's one of the best countries anyone ever stole."- Mickey Z -

The Empire began here. Over five hundred years of expansionism later and the Empire is currently here. Who dares to debate the Empire? Anybody into masochism or maybe just feeling a little suicidal lately? Occasionally we will see some of our citizens who have the conviction to question the Empire!

The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines the word terrorism as: "The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." The FBI's definition of terrorism begs the question, "Is the U.S. itself guilty of supporting or actually carrying out state sponsored terrorism?" Perhaps Orwell had a moment of clarity whe he wrote, "And in the general hardening of outlook that set in . . . practices which had been long abandoned - imprisonment without trial, the use of war prisoners as slaves, public executions, torture to extract confessions . . . and the deportation of whole populations - not only became common again, but were tolerated and even defended by people who considered themselves enlightened and progressive."

Maybe it's time we make a committment such as activist William Blum, who declared, "I'm committed to fighting U.S. foreign policy, the greatest threat to peace and happiness in the world, and being in the United States is the best place for carrying out the battle. This is the belly of the beast, and I try to be an ulcer inside of it."

It was John Lennon who said, that our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I believe this has been true since our country was first stolen. As long as we allow the fear of recrimination to dictate our thoughts and actions, we will continue to allow the status quo to control the terms of the debate. Who dares to question the Empire?

Noblesse Oblige and The Shift

It's all about perception! There are times we are taught to see from a different perspective and then there are times when a change in perception comes over us as a clarity of mind or as in a vision!

As our world advances and struggles to adapt to a more informed society, changes within our current systems are innevitable. As the political/corporate partisanship is increasingly placed within the spotlight, and the populous of our planet demands more accountability, our current systems will become strained and forced to change from their conspiratorial acts and seek more sustainable alternatives.

The current pyramidal structures are quickly losing their viability and sustainability within the next wave of our earth's social evolution. As we continue this journey into what Toffler calls the Third Wave, we will notice increasing pressures placed on our current social models and the r-evolution will see the transformation of the current pyramidal systems into ones that are more sustainable.

There has been discussions on the definition of leadership and even whether leaderless organizations are possible. This new paradigm shift which is fueled by the exponential rise of information is relentless and all encompassing. The most important aspect of these changes, at least in my opinion, is the participatory opportunities of the common people of our planet in the construction and directives of our future. We the people, are being transformed from consumers into creators. Never in history have the masses had such an opportunity in being the masters of their own destiny.

As human beings we have an obligation to ourselves and the people of our earth to fight for an equitable civilization. We have an obligation to our extended earth family and it's our responsibility to see that the world's corporatists no longer have fertile soil for their inequitable and unsustainable hierarchies. In my personal opinion, business and corporate interests have a noblesse oblige or a social responsibility to the people of our planet just as we ourselves have a responsibility to our fellow human beings. Our future will see increased corporate accountability as the workplace democratizes and the current structures transform into more horizontally structured systems.

As information is exchanged and the myths and realities are exposed, we will begin to experience the power shifting from vertical to horizontal. As this social shift takes place, we will see the master/slave relationships attached to the industrial age fall away and the rise of 'contributorship' will take it's place. The power of communication coupled with the creativeness of the people gives us the opportunities needed to adapt, adjust, and transform our world into a more egalitarian place for our earth's inhabitants. If we can imagine it; we can create it!

Poverty Incubates Terrorism

The disease, simply, is poverty, and war, and unending violence, and the absence of education or opportunity. It is in the desperate, scrabbling hopelessness of poverty and despair that terrorism is birthed.

It is the absence of options beyond a promised reward in the hereafter that builds the lines of volunteers seeking martyrdom, for if there is no hope in this life, why not seek the next life by stepping through the crucible of a death-dealing suicide explosion?

The "War on Terror" will not be won by armies, will not be won through violence. The end of terrorism will come when we, as a global community, choose to eradicate the crushing poverty and despair that dominates so much of this world, that drives the economies of the elite nations by way of access to cheap labor pools that have no rights.

"What kind of peace do I mean," said Kennedy, "and what kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana, enforced on the world by American weapons of war. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children."

"Not merely peace for Americans," he said, "but peace for all men and women. Not merely peace in our time, but peace in all time. For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's futures. And we are all mortal."

We can do this, we can do all of this, if we choose to. We have the resources, and no person living on this Earth should question the will of this nation once it is aroused to accomplish a goal. It can be done, but until our leaders see this truth and bend our efforts toward that goal, we will be trapped in an endless spiraling catastrophe of blood and revenge and hatred and desperation. If we continue to attack the symptoms while ignoring the disease, we will chisel our own doom onto the tablets of history.
- William Pitt/TO -

If our political machine would have put as much effort into the "War on Poverty" and expanded on the idea in order to reach the global populations, the "War on Terrorism" would be non-existant! Rather than treating the symptoms of helplessness, we should be treating the disease! It never ceases to amaze me how all these people who constitute our political elite, who have supposedly aquired the best institutionalized education that money can buy, are content to support their ideologies steeped in corporatism instead of helping build a needed egalitarian civilization! What sort of self-centered morons have we helped create, and how the hell can we continue to support their callous attitudes and their socially crippling actions/inactions?

Poverty is a crime to humanity and terrorism is spawned through the extreme hopelessness which grows in societies which have run out of alternatives to their suffering. It's very apparent through history that societies when faced with this hopelessness, have turned towards extremism out of desperation. This isn't rocket science, and if us grunts who sell our labor can see this, just why is it that our highly educated law makers can not? Is it possibly a self-induced blindness towards their fellow earth inhabitants? From my point of view, it is nothing more than an elitist social disease. It's not the common people who we see exhibit this social inadequacy, but rather it's the so-called social upper crust who continually build walls around themselves and erect scaffolding within the social structures in order to support their ideologies and selfish desires. And it's not a disease that is exclusively associated with our conservatives. This social disease is indiscriminate and it has been spread by the leftist demagogues as well!

During WWII, the world had freedom fighters who fought Nazism through the murdering and bombing of civilian as well as military populations. Why did these fighters choose to disregard innocent human life? Because of the oppression forced on them by the Nazi occupation and the hopelessness forced on them by this occupation. The terrorist acts by these freedom fighters have been viewed in a positive light throughout our history. The Nazis fought this form of terrorism through conventional militaristic retaliation but their strategy failed because they failed to recognize the cause of this terrorism was extreme hopelessness. Does this story begin to have a familiar sound? Have our intelligent leaders failed to learn from history? Do they even want to learn? We should be concentrating on and putting all our efforts into a "War on Hopelessness". We should be treating the actual disease, not one of it's symptoms!

These failed attempts by the world's social elite throughout our world can be seen in the Iraq conflict. And we can see the same irresponsible disregard for wisdom in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the recent Lebanon/Israeli War as well. The wisdom of the people and their cry for peace must be spread and shared with the populations of our earth, less these ignorant power plays continue to kill our people!

In his article entitled An Alternative to Extremist Ideology and Terrorism, Stuart Hart relates the thirst for growth and profit to the exacerbation of poverty and enviromental deterioration.

Most people are not born to be suicide bombers or militia members. It takes a lifetime of neglect, despair, dashed hopes, thwarted opportunities, or worse--intimidation, exploitation and humiliation--to drive most people to such extremes. Only by reversing the conditions that breed such behavior--poverty, inequity, hopelessness, loss of dignity--will we deal with the root cause of the problem. Yet while thousands of lives were lost or altered forever by the events of 9-11, and hundreds of known terrorist leaders have since been killed or captured, these underlying conditions remain largely unchanged--or have perhaps even worsened. Terrorism, in short, is a symptom; the underlying problem is unsustainable development.

Our world leaders have been and are currently failing civililzation. The 20th century has been called the "Century of Genocide" and according to political scientist R. J. Rummel, more than 170 million people have been murdered through democide between 1900 and 1999. That's over four times the number of people killed in all the wars of the 20th century! Just how long will the people of our world allow these wars on humanity to continue. When will "we" say Enough!? When will "we" realize the power of change is in "our" hands? How much longer will the people allow these errant leaders to sponsor these atrocities against humanity as part of their opportunistic acts to bolster their power and their personal status?

According to Vincent Ferraro in the commentary on Global Poverty as a Threat To the Interests of States, he states that poor states are threatening to rich states because the weaknesses of these poor states could be globalized and therefore destabilize the entire international system enviromentally, economically, and politically. Poverty is the disease upon which the entire world should be waging war. If the "civilized" leaders of our world would wage a real "War on Poverty" instead of humanity, the future of the common people of our world might just become a little brighter and our children and their children may actually realize what it's like to have opportunity and maybe, just maybe, they will finally have a reason to smile!

Change...Look Through the Window

Revolution can no longer be taken to mean just the destruction of all that is old and conservative, because capital has accomplished this itself. Rather, it will appear as a return to something (a revolution in the mathematical sense of the term), a return to community, though not in any form which has existed previously.
- Jacques Camatte -

Change...it's what we desire; it's what we envision; it's what we dream of; it's what is necessary for the future of the people. Yet, it is so very difficult even though the real people far out number those few who insist on keeping us docile and domesticated! The domestication of the people is so thorough and ingrained within our lives; seeing it for what it really is will be almost impossible...almost!

Each of us occasionally gains a glimpse of the true nature of what is deemed as civilzation by the corporatist. These moments of clarity and recognition of truth begin slowly but repeat themselves more frequently once the window is opened. Once opened, we can't help but venture to the opening and look again...and again...and again! Eventually we can't resist crawling through that window and experiencing the real world. Our senses peak as we learn to maneuver in this new community. We begin to unlearn what we have been taught by the domineering power associates, but even though we can see the absudity of the system, we keep returning to our existing lives within this corporate created bubble. It's simply our domestication supported by fear that keeps us coming back!

However, we will eventually grow to love the freedom of this new world so much, we will refuse to come back to our dependence and our awakening will begin to outweigh our domestication. We will begin to understand the power of change is in our very hands! Our independence lies within our human communities. These new communities are not a part of that other life. They can't be described within the structure of our domesticated world. they can only be discussed, described, and envisioned when we are on the outside of that window. As long as we keep attempting to gain momentum in "their" world, we are doomed. We must do it from "our" world!

Men and women will come to realize that they themselves are the determining elements, and that they do not have to abdicate their power to the machine, and alienate their being in the false belief that this will lead to happiness.

The moment this point is reached, it's all over, and going back will be impossible. The entire representation of capital All collapse like a house of cards. People whose minds are free from capital will be able to find themselves and their fellow creatures as well. From this time onwards, the creation of a human community can no longer be halted.

Imagine taking an active part in the r-evolution of the human community! The awakening begins simply enough. Each of us realizes there is something ...something which is not right with our world. This questioning of our existing uncivilization has always been with us, even if it was only in the back of our minds. So we begin searching for answers of why 95% of our earth's people should have to suffer such injustices and inequalities. It doesn't take long to realize the suffering is bestowed on us by our uncivilized masters. Being dependents of the elite, we have not had to do much thinking or become actively involved in the planning of our future. It's been done for us through the domestication and dumbing down of the people via the mass media and it's mass marketing techniques.

But we have allowed these social designers free reign for far too long and the systems they have been promoting are no longer sustainable. The designs are flawed and the people and our planet can no longer afford to accept the doctrines of the power mongers. Through the building of the human community, the people will bring about the desired changes. As we move away from being consumers and begin to develop ourselves as creators, we are in fact leading the way to r-evolution.

Mass markets and mass media are nearing death and community media has been born, and although it's in the infant stages, it's growth will far surpass anything we've witnessed in our lives or in recorded history. The human community will allow each individual to express their perspective through interaction. Community allows the people to connect through the sharing of our stories and these truths will be the sustenance which will allow the community to grow and actually thrive.

For you who have just recently found the window...welcome! For you who keep climbing in and out of the window...come on back! For those of you who have ventured through the window and actually tarried a while on the outside...c'mon let's get to work, we've only just begun the foundation!

The Iron Theater

I invite you to sit on the bench behind Joe's house and listen to what he has to say. It's 11:00 pm, the town has quieted, and it's possible you may just find some relief from the stupidity within the Iron Theater.

Nobody talks about it out loud, but a few million Americans are seriously doubting their sanity these days. Or having their sanity doubted. Or both. They seldom speak their minds because what is going on in there is a vision of society that conjures grave doubt, if not outright horror. It is the kind of stuff that will get your ass kicked off the island in a heartbeat. Nobody wants to hear it.

Thanks Joe!

Five Years in the Awakening

Five years ago we were attacked.

Since that time, the Earth has flown nearly 3 billion miles around the sun, and a new world order has been brought about. The United States that the world loved and mourned for and looked up to has become the United States that lies, that tortures, that holds secret trials, that spies on its own citizens, that doesn't show much sense in international politics but is all too willing to kill on a mass scale, all in the name of freedom and fighting "terrorism."

How far we've come. - MediaGirl -

For what it's worth, in my humble opinion at least, the tragedy five years ago has helped in bringing about the great awakening of the people. Tragedies have a way of doing that you know! Through the horrors, suffering, and grief which are attached to disasters, people move one step closer in the growth of a world community built upon truth rather than deceipt. Is the terrorstorm we have been thrown into over the last five years necessary for the people's enlightenment, the spreading of truth, and the growth of our communities? I believe it was unfortunately necessary for our growth as human beings. Or perhaps I'm socially and intellectually imbalanced and merely dreaming of some parallel world?

The secret societies speech by JFK back in April of 1961, should have been an eye opening, social awakening moment in our history. But the people chose to ride the consumerism wave and advance their accumulation of "stuff" rather than spreading free thought, building character, and advancing equality, justice and humanity!

Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed-and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian law-maker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment--the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution--not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants"--but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion.

There are always numerous messages given to the inhabitants of our planet, but few are recognized or acted upon. It's this ability to read the warnings and recognize the truth that I call the awakening of the people. The old phrase used to describe this awakening has been deemed enlightenment. Good word, but a little worn, overused, and misunderstood! In my opinion, it's time for new terminology for a new community. Our ability to discern these truths and assimilate these moments of clarity into the growth of community is our saving quality. We are quickly transforming into a society in which we all have the responsibility of leadership. With the awakening of the people, comes the death of hierarchal imprisonment. Of course this means we are responsible for each other...imagine that!

There's a big difference between being "THE" leader and "A" leader. A group can be made up entirely of leaders. It just depends of the time of day and the job that needs doin' to figure out who's leadin' at any given time. Sometimes there're a bunch of people leadin at the same time in the same direction, sometimes there's just one and sometimes there's a bit-o-anarchy, during which everybody's leadin' him or herself for the common good.

People, please stop, what's that sound, everybody look what's going down! We are becoming "We" instead of "Me" and as we traverse this valley of mirrors, we are finding ourselves. And as we begin to really see ourselves, we begin the process of transformation as self-examination reveals that we are all leaders of the people's future! We've had five years of death, destruction, and tragedy. Please, let's not let these deaths over the last five years be for nothing. Let us be able to see this message and take the responsibility to change our world into what it can be; into what "We" can be! It's our watch people! Let's get it right!

Rejuvination before Annihilation

“And it was a like a rising up. There were no leaders, for example. When we look back, in history, we try to pinpoint who was leading this, and who was leading that. There were no leaders. This was a spontaneous arising of an American spirit set, within enough people—not a majority, not an awful lot—but enough to change the course of history, in the same way that the Revolution had a few hundred years earlier. This just arose spontaneously all over the country—and in other parts of the world, by the way.

Because we had reached a peak. We had reached a moment in history where our traditional thoughts and traditional adherences—to custom and to authority—had brought us to the brink of a global disaster, the likes of which the world had never even thought about.

And enough people said, ‘No, we’re not doin’ this anymore. We’re not just goin’ thoughtlessly anymore. We gotta think for ourselves. You can’t trust the authority."
- Arlo Guthrie -

What was true in the 60's remains true today..."We should again be saying, "No, we're not doin' this anymore. We're not just goin' thoughtlessly anymore. We gotta think for oursleves. You can't trust the authority." The time for blindlessly trusting and following the design of a corporatist mindset is behind us and remaining in lockstep with their ideals is absolutely destroying the people. Yeah...okay, it's really good for a few of us, but what about the other 95% of the people? What about the people who are sliding down the hill or have already reached the bottom? Our social capital has deteriorated at the hands of the corporatists as they have spun their web of greed. As a result, our economic inequality has never been so apparent!

And the condensation of wealth, along with the social alienation of the people, continues to widen the chasm between the elite and the rest of us. Perhaps when the truth can no longer be ignored, and the lines sharpen, the people will finally recognize the madness, and decide civilization has to change!

As Tolstoy so eloquently puts it, I sit on a man's back, choking him, and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by any means possible, except getting off his back." Each one of us, in varying degrees, can be held responsible for allowing this inequality to happen! And every single one of us carry the responsibility of correcting the social injustices we witness daily! The people must find a way to reverse this commodification, and tear down the walls of which they themselves have helped build! We have been duped for so long, and our awakening is so slow, that I'm concerned the people will have to endure great suffering at the hands of the corporatists before we determine it's in our best interest to make a stand and fight for change! We need a rejuvination of the spirit of the 60's before we're faced with annihilation by indifference!

I don't know if we can stop the train wreck in time or if we the people will awaken in time, but one thing I truly believe, the time will come when the people will have no choice whatsoever, and the decision to build or participate in knowledge based communities will no longer be a matter of personal choice,... but rather... one of necessity!

The Wicked Witch of the East

Whoa! The pre-election political spin is beginning to resemble one of those historical Kansas' twisters. Auntie Em...Auntie Em...We've fed the hogs, but no matter how much they eat, they won't be satisfied!

Just because you own half the town doesn't mean that you have the power to run the rest of us. For twenty-three years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now... well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it! - Auntie Em -

I feel as if I'm living in a cheap remake of the classical Wizard of Oz! Only the wicked witch of the east is the incarnate witch of the once powerful witch of the west. We first heard from the cowardly lion telling us the war in Iraq isn't just a "military conflict"! Hell No! This endeavor in the Middle East is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century! It's a fight against totalitarianism!

On one side are those who believe in the values of freedom and moderation, the right of all people to speak and worship and live in liberty. And on the other side are those driven by the values of tyranny and extremism, the right of a self-appointed few to impose their fanatical views on all the rest.

Uhh...can somebody tell me if the lion is speaking of the eastern totalitarians or the western totalitarians? The lines seem to be blurred and I'm having difficulty distinguishing between the two. But the lion has his supporters as he seeks the courage he needs to pull off this spin. If he could get a fraction of the courage shown by our ordinary working woman or man, he could possibly escape from this twister of deception!

Then came the straw man telling us how the war on terror is so similar to the war on fascism during the time when the world was witness to the Nazi regime. His speech likens anti-war advocates to those who supported Nazis through appeasment.

"Men who despise freedom will attack freedom in any part of the world, and so responsible nations have a duty to stay on the offensive, together, to remove this threat," said Rumsfeld. "This is not an enemy that can be ignored."

Oh how true! We can no longer ignore the people's enemy and the threat against our freedom has never been so apparent as it is right now! Please! Sombody donate a brain to this fellow!

And this week the tin woman is telling us the critics of the war are the moral equivalent of those who would have tolerated slavery in 19th century America. Please! Move her to the top of the list for a heart transplant will you?! No doubt our tin woman pays homage to the holders of the oil can!

I'm sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the Civil War to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold...

And what of Dorothy you ask? Why "we the people" are Dorothy! And our traveling companions are part of a bad dream. I can only hope we wake up before it's too late and realize there is no Emerald City. There is no Wizard who will save us! We hold the key to the way back to Kansas in our own hands! As Glinda said back in that other time, "You don't need to be helped any longer. You've always had the power to go back to Kansas."

The Insurrection of Subjugated Knowledge

As the title suggests, there is a revolution taking place against the control of knowledge. Vandana Shiva was the activist who made famous the call for an insurrection of subjugated knowledge. Shiva believes this revolution against the knowledge barons is well under way and that millions of concerned people continue to seek alternative news and information over traditional mainstream sources.

The reduction of the knowledge of our complex world into the hands of information controlled empires has placed the people under the control of these profiteers and has diluted our knowledge of the real world. Only by breaking away from these controllers of knowledge can we ever hope to change this world which is driven by the corporate interests of a few. These elite are intent on maintaining their empire, no matter the costs. Millions of people are manipulated and sacrificed so this empire can continue to maintain it's hold on societies.

There is absolutely nothing economical, just, or sustainable about this empire which tells the people what to think, what to say, and what to do! The manufacturing of untruths and the sculpting of stories based on part-truths has been an effective tool in the hands of the empire's elitists. We have willingly marched to the beat of their war drums and we've eagerly stepped up to the counter and bought their marketing of consumerism over sustainability. Yep, that's right, it's the good 'ol American Dream utilized as a social control, and it's worked very well! But the control is unraveling as the knowledge well is opened to the people and they begin to quench their thirst for truth.

According to Lewis Mumford, "the endless stream of consumer goods produced by technological society is a ‘magnificent bribe’ which masks our understanding of the real human impact of technological change."


This revolution against the control of knowledge is phenomenally creating a growth in world citizenship. This growth seems to ironically be a mixture of internationalism and anti-internationalism. Through the sharing of knowledge, this growth of world citizenship contains an appreciation for the multitudes of cultures in our world and the importance of peace. These revolutionaries are expressing the need and the importance of world citizenship and community in the fight for global justice and a sustainable civilization.

If we are allowed access to information and are allowed to share it with all who seek the truth; a wonderful thing happens! Information brings with it the knowledge we need. Once we have access to this knowledge, and we have the freedom to utilize this knowledge, we are capable of visioning and actually actively designing a more sustainable egalitarian society. But...on the other hand...if we as a people are not allowed access to information and only hear and see what the mass media shares, we will be kept ignorant and easily controlled.

We are currently witnessing a great example of control. If we can be kept fearful of something or someone, we can be pushed into positions of war. Once pushed into a war based on this fear, we face a terror of unbridled proportion. This terror of which I speak is the loss of our freedoms. In my humble opinion, the hope of our planet and it's people lies in the availability and accessibility of information. But more importantly, our future depends on our willingness to openly share this information with each other.

If we allow fear to control our lives, there will be no freedom! Fear stiffles dissent and without dissent, there is no hope for a better place. Breaking the shackles which have restrained us for so long is difficult for sure. But it is necessary! Social controllers do not like dissent and they will attempt to define and describe it by using misinformation and instilling fear within the people. In the words of Edward. R. Murrow

"If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought."

Our stories, the people's stories, are what is shaping our new world. There is power in the sharing of our personal stories. I am certainly not a writer but merely a pecker of keys. I know absolutely nothing of the structure and composition of what is recognized as good writing skills. But yet I still keep pecking on these keys. It's hard to explain exactly why I increasingly spend larger blocks of time on this machine. I've thought on it many times and I still find it difficult to answer the why of it! I guess it's mainly because I feel a responsibility to myself and others; and possibly because I see the importance of sharing experiences, thoughts, and ideas. I never knew there were so many people who have shared so many of the same experiences as myself until this Internet window to the world was opened. Once I was able to stick my head into this window, it was as if there was this entirely new dimension. I could smell new smells; I could see new sights; I could hear new voices; and most importantly, I could feel and share these new senses with so many others who were finding themselves within this same new and uncharted world!

This new world has the promise of building a society, which according to David Korten, isn't dominated by hierarchies dominated by chauvinisms of race, gender, religion, nationality, language, or class. I constantly find people and entire communities who realize the possibilities this new world offers and of the responsibilities required of themselves. We are explorers in this world and our journeys through the window allows us to find other individuals and entire communities of people who also see the truth about the injustices and inequalities within our societies. These communities are many and they vary considerably, but they are all a part of a much larger community. These communities are all connected to, and inseparable from, what is being called Earth Community. We are all involved in one way or another in the transition from corporate dominance towards a civilization based on the creativeness of human beings rather than the dominance of them. A civil and sustainable world designed by the people who see the destructiveness of greed, violence, and lust for power!

Empire organizes by domination at all levels, from relations among nations to relations among family members. Empire brings fortune to the few, condemns the majority to misery and servitude, suppresses the creative potential of all, and appropriates much of the wealth of human societies to maintain the institutions of domination.

Earth Community, by contrast, organizes by partnership, unleashes the human potential for creative co-operation, and shares resources and surpluses for the good of all.

I often recall my time spent in the late 60's and the changes I was going through as I was exposed to another opportunity to view our world through an alternative window. Dissent and activism were very much accepted. Social norms were questioned and torn apart. People were fighting for truth, justice, and equality. I truly believed in the possibilities back then and there were great strides made in correcting many injustices. But the momentum seemed to wane and I was left feeling betrayed, forgotten, and disillusioned. Where had the people I knew gone? What had happened to the revolutionaries who had forseen a better world? Perhaps part of the reason the momentum cooled was because of the drug culture woven into the activists lives at the time or maybe activism subsided because the Empire allowed the people just enough change and freedom to quell the rising tide of revolution? The people were allowed just enough freedom to lull them into complacency in my opinion.

But the tide once again is rising as the people continue to take a beating from the corporatist slave masters. We are quickly being pushed up against the wall with no way out but straight forward against the injustice and inequality this Empire forces upon us. Each of us makes a difference! This is so important! One by one, we individually begin on the path of reform, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or relearning. One by one, at our individual pace, we reach our point of "enough is enough", and our journey...our exploration in this new world begins. Every contribution by the people is instrumental! We are finding each other and building communities of power. Every part is equal to the whole!

A blogger friend of mine, who I have never met in person but communicate with regularly, once wrote me and said, "My readers, these people, are my true friends, even if I have never met them in person. Sites have enjoined people whose perceptions and truthful insights and rightful outrage would otherwise have languished in bleak isolation, including mine."

This enjoinment of people, and the sharing of which he speaks is our true power. This is what our communities are being built upon! Each of our perceptions and insights (our stories) are so important to our future and the future of the people.

Exploration of this new world has begun and we have sent the scouts ahead. What lies over the next ridge is unknown but as we continue to build our communal strength on this journey, we stand a much better chance of successfully confronting whatever lies over that next hill. It's our watch people!