"Issues Brought to Stonespeak's Attention"
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2004 Election Issue SOCIAL SECURITY:
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators
and Congressmen &women do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they
do not collect from it. You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable
for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a
special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit
plan. In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it.
After all, it is a great plan. For all practical purposes their plan works like
this: When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except
it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments.
For example, former Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect
to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars),
with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives. This
is calculated on an average life span for each. Their cost for this excellent
plan is $00.00. Nada. Zilch. This little perk they voted for themselves is free
to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement
plan come directly from the General Funds-our tax dollars at work! From our
own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into-every payday
until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer) -we can expect to
get an average $1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would
have to collect our average of $1,000. Monthly benefits for 68 years and one
(1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. That
change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators
and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us
... then sit back and watch how fast they would fix it. If enough people receive
this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will
evolve. How many people can YOU send this to? --- Kathy McWhorter --- kmcw@earthlink.net
Peace Prevails on Earth NOW!!! ----James Twyman----
Beloved Friends,
An ultimatum of war has been passed. Saddam Hussein was informed that he has
forty-eight hours to leave Iraq to avoid a military conflict with the US and
its allies. If he does not, which is almost certain, we will likely be at war
within a few days. It appears to be a very dark time for the millions, perhaps
billions, of people around the world who have been praying for a peaceful solution.
And yet this is the most important time for us to keep our energy high and realize
how important our role is. This is not a time to be afraid, but to step forward
as Spiritual Peacemakers.
The Psychic Children have a few messages for all of us.
Over the next two days over five hundred people will join me and some of the
Psychic Children on the Big Island of Hawaii for the "Psychic Children
Speak
to the World" conference. They are here to deliver their messages of peace,
and to offer their wisdom on creating a world where war is a forgotten dream.
(Divine Providence has provided the perfect opportunity to be here this particular
week.) I spoke with several of them tonight, including Thomas and Koya, and
asked them if they would be willing to share part of their message
with our wider audience around the world to help us keep positive at this critical
time. Over one hundred thousand people will read these messages, and many more
if it is passed on. They remind us that this is not a political problem we are
facing, but one that is spiritual in nature. The peace we are seeking is within
us now, and if we can learn to see the truth that is all
around us, then it will prevail. Their main message is, it seems, that it has
already prevailed.
The first message comes from Thomas, the young boy I met two years ago in
Bulgaria when he was ten. We have had an amazing communication ever since, unlike
anything I had ever experienced before. His messages have always been so simple
and direct, and this one is no different. (Unfortunately, Thomas will not be
at the conference.)
Thomas, age 12
"Do not think that you have failed, no matter what happens. Failure is
impossible at this point, though it may be different than you expect. Think
of it like a game that children play. You have already won. That is the good
news. The ending is sure because the wheel of Peace is already in motion."
Koya, who is four years old from Japan, sent this reply:
"Sometimes it is hard to trust that everything is happening perfectly
to plan. Trust! Trust! Trust!"
Chandra, age 19, who was given the title "Grandmother Chandra" by
Native Elders, is one of the most unique presenters at this conference. Like
Koya, she is profoundly disabled, but communicates her messages in a way that
is hard to explain. I went to her room tonight to meet her and her mother after
they arrived at the resort, and was overwhelmed by her energy and wisdom. She
dictated a very long message which I will send out in another email in a day
or two. Here is a sample of her thoughts regarding the current situation between
the US and Iraq:
"We must learn to see the Universal picture, not limit it to 3-D. There
is an agreement that has been made between Iraq and the US, and it is being
fulfilled right now. It was written many many years ago. These countries are
only symbols of something much deeper which is being healed. Everything is adjusting
in other dimensions. Don't be fooled by what seems to be happening, but see
what is real. Then you'll be able to play your role."
Patrick, who is age 17 offered this wisdom:
"There will be times when you feel like you have failed.
There will be times when you will suffer.
There will be times when you will laugh with joy.
There will be times when you will cry with pain.
And there will be times when you will feel courageous.
Within each of these emotions there is a lesson to be learned. Seek that lesson
in order to achieve what you really want."
The Children seem to be in perfect agreement that everything is happening
exactly as it should, no matter how it appears. This is an extraordinary time,
and we are all vital parts of the Divine Unfolding. We are so honored to have
these amazing Children with us this week, and we will continue to share their
messages with you as we progress through the conference.
As most of you know, I have been to Iraq twice, beginning in March of 1998
at the request of Saddam Hussein. I performed the Peace Concert at the national
theater in Baghdad, and I learned some very valuable lessons from the people
I met. Most of all, I learned that they are just like you and I, that they
are longing for peace just as we are longing, and yet they do not enjoy the
freedom to pursue it. I suggest we all join in Spirit with the people of Iraq,
asking that the highest good be achieved at this difficult time. We
pray for their safety, and the safety of all soldiers. We ask that they be given
the chance to live without the threat of war. As the Children say, this requires
a spiritual solution, not political, and we are the ones who are asked to rise
to the occasion. Please join me in Praying Peace for the whole world, so that
we may learn the lessons we need to learn to avoid this in the
future.
Peace Prevails on Earth NOW!!!
James Twyman
************************************************************
Petition news. Those of you who signed the petition by sending in an email will
unfortunately have to do it again. The mail list server broke down after the
first day. However, we will not use that mail list server this time. Please,
if possible, sign up with our web form using the link at the top of our home
page at:
Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having
trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of donating
at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman.
It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on "donating
a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle). This doesn't cost you
a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits
to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.
Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know."The
Breast Cascer Site"
AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS TO TELL 10 TODAY
...Stepping Out of the War Mentality 10 Ways to Avoid War by
Dr. Deepak Chopra
Avoiding war can be at once the simplest and most difficult thing
to do. It is simple to see that war is always a failure, a perilous risk that
leads to immense misery. But it is difficult to get out of the war mentality
once the mind is infected by it. Even anti-war protests can
inflame the war mentality by inciting more stubbornness and resolve on the other
side. To be belligerent in the name of peace is a form of war. Therefore the
dilemma about over Iraq must be resolved in a way that is neither pro-war nor
anti-war. Is this viable?
Recently I was caught by surprise when a newspaper reporter in
Memphis said to me," You have stated that there is a creative solution
to every problem. What's the creative solution to prevent the bombing of Iraq?"
My answer caused a minor stir-both of outrage and support-because I suggested
that if Pope John Paul, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama,
Nobel Peace Laureates, and other luminaries went
to Baghdad, bombing would be impossible. My hope was that symbols of peace might
be a startling reminder, if they physically traveled to Iraq, that human beings
exist for a spiritual purpose higher than war, however justified that war seems.
I'd like to expand on that argument. The war mentality is blinded
by fear, which fuels aggression and violence to make the fear go away. That
is war in a nutshell. The other rationales are pointless, and when we obsess
over them, arguing whether the U.S. is acting as savior, aggressor, imperialist,
peacekeeper, world policeman, or cynical oil
power, the net effect is to forget that war is about fear and using violence
to "solve" it.
If you step out of the war mentality, there are not just a few
creative ways to avoid an invasion of Iraq. There are dozens. If every person
who doesn't want war sent in his or her suggestion about a better answer, tens
of thousands of replies would flood in. Of these I 'm sure that five or six
would be completely workable. Let me mention ten to
begin with:
1. Congratulate President Bush on already succeeding. The presence of U.S. troops
around Iraq has called Saddam's bluff. Disarmament has begun. If pressure is
kept on with U.S. military presence, in the region, without dropping bombs,
further progress will inevitably occur.
2. Assign prominent figures of peace to be present in Iraq constantly, along
with the U.N. inspectors. Have these revered figures address the Iraqi people
and the world every day on the value of peace.
3. Ask 100,000 well-wishers from around the globe to bring food and aid to Iraq's
children. These people would carry humane relief in person to Baghdad.
4. Start a global Peace Corps of volunteers who will go to Iraq with the express
purpose of fulfilling any humanitarian need asked for by that country.
5. Offer MTV, CNN, and Nickelodeon free to any Iraq household with a TV. Exposure
to the world will make them feel like part of the world.
6. Sponsor 25,000 student exchanges for Iraqi high schoolers so that they can
live for a year in Europe or the U.S.
7. Keep a tenfold number of U.N. weapons inspectors on the ground in Iraq and
have them report every two weeks.
8. Teach courses in all American schools on the pros and cons of globalization
and multiculturalism, as opposed to instilling the false belief that nationalism
is going to continue to work (war being a logical and horrendous extension of
nationalism).
9. With draw the resented presence of U.S. troops from those regions where seeing
an American army uniform inflames simmering hatred.
10. Open Disney World somewhere in the Middle East., a region where up to half
the population is under the age of 15. These children are in enormous peril,
not just from bombs but from cultural isolation. Let children breathe free air
at a place where fun and joy abide. What better way to reduce fear and anger?
At the same time, find a way to
expose American children to the children of the world.
Whatever you think of these particular suggestions, the most obvious thing is
how easily they arise once you stop being infected by the war mentality. Weapons
of mass destruction are disposed of when they are seen as irrelevant. That is
what happened with the former Soviet Union. The same can happen in the Middle
East once we put our hearts into it. The choice to change history or become
its next victim faces us right here, right now.
Peace Prevails on Earth NOW!
James Twyman
A few days ago I asked you to send an email to His Holiness Pope
John Paul II, asking him to personally intervene in the conflict with Iraq by
traveling to Baghdad, and to invite other religious and spiritual leaders to
join him. I believe that this would immediately halt plans by the US government
to begin bombing the Iraqi people, giving the UN inspectors and world politicians
more time to find a peaceful solution.
We are now going to take this a step further. I am asking for
at least a million people to add their names to a petition that I can present
to His Holiness as quickly as possible, imploring him to help save the lives
of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Iraq. We will also present the
same petition to His Holiness the Dalai Lama through an emissary, asking him
to join the Pope. (They have been partners in peace before, most notably at
the historic peace gathering that took place in Assisi in 1986.)
A MILLION NAMES FOR PEACE IN ONE WEEK!
We do not have much time, and so I am asking that you add your
name today, and pass this email to as many people as you can. I am personally
sending it to 100,000 people, so the goal is well within our reach. If the Pope
and the Dalai Lama hear the voices of so many dedicated Spiritual Peacemakers
calling for their presence, they may actually respond.
Simply go to http://www.emissaryoflight.com and click on the
link at the top of the page. You will then be asked to read the following statement,
and if you agree, add your name:
"We believe that a spiritual solution is required to peacefully
resolve the current political situation in Iraq, and we believe that the presence
in Iraq of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and
other spiritual leaders from around the world, would shift the current tide
toward lasting peace. We humbly ask you to please consider this heartfelt request
from a million Spiritual Peacemakers to take time from your schedule and travel
to Baghdad. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and the hope of world
peace, may lie in your hands."
There is no time to waste. The war could begin almost any day,
and so we hope to have all million names by March 18. Help us reach our goal
in one week!!!
In the event that the war breaks out before I am able to personally
deliver this petition, we have two contingency plans:
1. Each day we will forward the names that are posted on the
site to the Pope, the Dalai Lama, and GEORGE BUSH himself. We don't want these
men to become aware of this important campaign after it happens, but while it's
in full force. Imagine them getting 200,000 names a day, or more, on a file.
We will also post the name count we have collected and sent each day at www.emissaryoflight.com
so you can check in and monitor our progress.
2. We will immediately forward all million names (via Internet)
to an emissary in Rome who will copy and deliver the document to the Pope. We
will do the same for the Dalai Lama.
Please hold the success of peace and this mission of peace in
your hearts. But most of all, please add your name today, and pass this email
to everyone you know.
Peace Prevails on Earth NOW!
James Twyman
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A Soldier's Viewpoint on Surviving Nuclear, Chemical and Biological
(NBC) Attacks
From: SFC Red Thomas (Ret)
Armor Master Gunner
Mesa, AZ
Unlimited reproduction and distribution is authorized. Just give
me credit for my work, and, keep in context.
Since the media has decided to scare everyone with predictions
of chemical, biological, or nuclear warfare on our turf I decided to write a
paper and keep things in their proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons,
munitions, and training expert.
Lesson number one: In the mid 1990s there were a series of nerve
gas attacks on crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect conditions for
an attack less than 10% of the people there were injured (the injured were better
in a few hours) and only one percent of the injured died.
60 Minutes once had a fellow telling us that one drop of nerve
gas could kill a thousand people, well he didn't tell you the thousand dead
people per drop was theoretical.
Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was to keep
the recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill Sergeant too).
Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read in a novel
about this stuff, it was all a lie (read this sentence again out loud!). These
weapons are about terror, if you remain calm, you will probably not die. This
is far less scary than the media and their "Experts" make it sound.
Chemical Weapons
Chemical weapons are categorized as nerve, blood, blister, and
Incapacitating agents. Contrary to the hype of reporters and politicians they
are not weapons of mass destruction they are "area denial" and terror
weapons that don't destroy anything. When you leave the area you almost always
leave the risk. That's the difference; you can leave the area and the risk but
soldiers may have to stay put and sit through it and that's why they need all
that spiffy gear.
These are not gasses, they are vapors and/or air borne particles.
The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity to kill/injure, and that
defines when/how it's used. Every day we have a morning and evening inversion
where "stuff" suspended in the air gets pushed down. This inversion
is why allergies (pollen) and air pollution are worst at these times of the
day.
So, a chemical attack will have it's best effect an hour of so
either side of sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors and airborne particles they
are heavier than air so they will seek low places like ditches, basements and
underground garages. This stuff won't work when it's freezing, it doesn't last
when it's hot, and wind spreads it too thin too fast. They've got to get this
stuff on you, or, get you to inhale it for it to work. They also have to get
the concentration of chemicals high enough to kill or wound you. Too little
and it's nothing, too much and it's wasted.
What I hope you've gathered by this point is that a chemical
weapons attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard to do with military
grade agents and equipment so you can imagine how hard it will be for terrorists.
The more you know about this stuff the more you realize how hard it is to use.
We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have these in
your house, plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve agent. All nerve agents
work the same way; they are cholinesterase inhibitors that mess up the signals
your nervous system uses to make your body function. It can harm you if you
get it on your skin but it works best if they can get you to inhale it. If you
don't die in the first minute and you can leave the area you're probably gonna
live. The military's antidote for all nerve agents is atropine and pralidoxime
chloride. Neither one of these does anything to cure the nerve agent, they send
your body into overdrive to keep you alive for five minutes, after that the
agent is used up. Your best protection is fresh air and staying calm.
Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent poisoning:
Sudden headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at
will have pinpointed pupils), runny nose, excessive saliva or drooling, difficulty
breathing, tightness in chest, nausea, stomach cramps, twitching of exposed
skin where a liquid just got on you.
If you are in public and you start experiencing these symptoms,
first ask yourself, did anything out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop,
did someone spray something on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too?
Is there an odor of new mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or camphor where
it shouldn't be? If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you breathe
faster and inhale more air/poison) leave the area and head up wind, or, outside.
Fresh air is the best "right now antidote"; If you
have a blob of liquid that looks like molasses or Kayro syrup on you, blot it
or scrape it off and away from yourself with anything disposable. This stuff
works based on your body weight, what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't
hurt you unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the residue
off the ground for a while. Remember they have to do all the work, they have
to get the concentration up and keep it up for several minutes while all you
have to do is quit getting it on you/quit breathing it by putting space between
you and the attack.
Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's
ability to provide oxygen to your tissue. The scenario for attack would be the
same as nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone splashing/spraying something
and folks around there getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells are bitter
almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The symptoms are blue lips, blue under
the fingernails rapid breathing.
The military's antidote is amyl nitride and just like nerve agent
antidote it just keeps your body working for five minutes till the toxins are
used up. Fresh air is the your best individual chance.
Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that nobody wants
to even handle it let alone use it. It's almost impossible to handle safely
and may have delayed effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is also limited
to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If you do get large, painful blisters
for no apparent reason, don't pop them; if you must, don't let the liquid from
the blister get on any other area, the stuff just keeps on spreading. It's just
as likely to harm the user as the target. Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air
are this stuff's enemy.
Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial
chemical spills), they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you, to
heard you like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the area and
go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get the stuff to
you, and on you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver on any given
day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds get better if you leave
the area. Soap, water, time, and fresh air really deal this stuff a knock-out-punch.
Don't let fear of an isolated attack rule your life. The odds are really on
your side.
Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass destruction on earth. The
effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see a
bright flash of light like the sun, where the sun isn't, fall to the ground!
The heat will be over a second. Then there will be two blast waves, one out
going, and one on it's way back. Don't stand up to see what happened after the
first wave; anything that's going to happen will have happened in two full minutes.
These will be low yield devices and will not level whole cities. If you live
through the heat, blast, and initial burst of radiation, you'll probably live
for a very, very long time. Radiation will not create fifty foot tall women,
or giant ants and grass hoppers the size of tanks. These will be at the most
1 kiloton bombs; that's the equivalent of 1,000 tons of TNT.
Here's the real deal, flying debris and radiation will kill a lot of exposed
(not all!) people within a half mile of the blast. Under perfect conditions
this is about a half mile circle of death and destruction, but, when it's done
it's done. EMP stands for Electro Magnetic Pulse and it will fry every electronic
device for a good distance, it's impossible to say what and how far but probably
not over a couple of miles from ground zero is a good guess. Cars, cell phones,
computers, ATMs, you name it, all will be out of order.
There are lots of kinds of radiation, you only need to worry about three,
the others you have lived with for years. You need to worry about "Ionizing
radiation"; these are little sub atomic particles that go whizzing along
at the speed of light. They hit individual cells in your body, kill the nucleus
and keep on going. That's how you get radiation poisoning, you have so many
dead cells in your body that the decaying cells poison you.
It's the same as people getting radiation treatments for cancer, only a bigger
area gets radiated. The good news is you don't have to just sit there and take
it, and there's lots you can do rather than panic. First; your skin will stop
alpha particles, a page of a news paper or your clothing will stop beta particles,
you just gotta try and avoid inhaling dust that's contaminated with atoms that
are emitting these things and you'll be generally safe from them.
Gamma rays are particles that travel like rays (quantum physics makes my brain
hurt) and they create the same damage as alpha and beta particles only they
keep going and kill lots of cells as they go all the way through your body.
It takes a lot to stop these things, lots of dense material, on the other hand
it takes a lot of this to kill you.
Your defense is as always to not panic. Basic hygiene and normal preparation
are your friends. All canned or frozen food is safe to eat. The radiation poisoning
will not effect plants so fruits and vegetables are OK if there's no dust on
em (rinse em off if there is). If you don't have running water and you need
to collect rain water or use water from wherever, just let it sit for thirty
minutes and skim off the water gently from the top. The dust with the bad stuff
in it will settle and the remaining water can be used for the toilet which will
still work if you have a bucket of water to pour in the
tank.
Biological Weapons
Finally there's biological warfare. There's not much to cover
here. Basic personal hygiene and sanitation will take you further than a million
doctors. Wash your hands often, don't share drinks, food, sloppy kisses, etc.,
.... with strangers. Keep your garbage can with a tight lid on it, don't have
standing water (like old buckets, ditches, or kiddie pools) laying around to
allow mosquitoes breeding room. This stuff is carried by vectors, that is bugs,
rodents, and contaminated material. If biological warfare is so easy as the
TV makes it sound, why has Saddam Hussein spent twenty years, millions, and
millions of dollars trying to get it right? If you're clean of person and home
you eat well and are active you're gonna live.
Overall preparation for any terrorist attack is the same as you'd
take for a big storm. If you want a gas mask, fine, go get one. I know this
stuff and I'm not getting one and I told my Mom not to bother with one either
(how's that for confidence). We have a week's worth of cash, several days worth
of canned goods and plenty of soap and water. We don't leave stuff out to attract
bugs or rodents so we don't have them.
These people can't conceive a nation this big with this much
resources. These weapons are made to cause panic, terror, and to demoralize.
If we don't run around like sheep they won't use this stuff after they find
out it's no fun. The government is going nuts over this stuff because they have
to protect every inch of America. You've only gotta protect yourself, and by
doing that, you help the country.
Finally, there are millions of caveats to everything I wrote
here and you can think up specific scenarios where my advice isn't the best.
This letter is supposed to help the greatest number of people under the greatest
number of situations. If you don't like my work, don't nit pick, just sit down
and explain chemical, nuclear, and biological warfare in a document around three
pages long yourself. This is how we the people of the United States can rob
these people of their most desired goal, your terror.
Greetings,
In case you're feeling things largely going in the wrong direction these days
and worse, that your voice means little, this picture/sound presentation by
the Green Party may give you a different and powerful perspective.
There are two other thoughts I'd like to pass along: 1. Starting with Thom Hartmann,
author of "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" and "The Prophet's Way", several
guests on Living Successfully have strongly suggested turning off the television.
Not in protest, but rather as self-protection from the continual assault it
represents. 2. The fear being perpetuated by "our" media does have harmful,
physical effects. Frank DeMarco of Hampton Roads Publishing, author of "Muddy
Tracks" and several time guest on my show, just forwarded this information from
Christiane Northrup, M.D.: "As a physician, I know full well that emotions such
as fear and anger impede the healing process and, if held long enough, actually
lock us into a vicious cycle that produces more pain, more fear, and more anxiety.
This can wreak havoc on our minds, bodies, and spirits." Holding a positive
vision of what you want in life and the kind of world you / we choose will clearly
go a lot farther toward creating it than a roll of duct tape and sheet of plastic.
I'm sure. Blessings! Bob Keeton www.livingsuccessfully.com
Swami's 2003 State of the Universe Address
by Swami Beyondananda
Hello everybody -- it is great to be here ... and you know what? We really have
no choice. Because no matter where we are, we are always here. And it is always
now. In fact, there's even a book called The Power of Now. I haven't had time
to read it yet, but I hope to get to it in a later now.
Meanwhile, back in this now, the issue facing the United States, and indeed
the world is, will George Bush give in to his Big Iraq Attack and order up a
war? Latest reports say that a war to force a regime change in Iraq will cost
$200 billion. It is puzzling to me why some of those fiscal fitness fanatics
in the Republican Party haven't tried to find a cheaper way to do it. Maybe
if they offered the Iraqis half -- $100 billion -- they could do it themselves.
Then we'd still have $100 billion left to spend on regime change in this country.
Because -- and I have to be blunt here -- the folks we have in charge are fossils
fueled by fossil fuels. And in the reptilian brain, problems aren't solved,
they're attacked. Like the War on Poverty. Remember that? I'm happy to report
that it's finally over. The poor people have all surrendered. And take the War
on Drugs -- please! How many billions have they spent? My solution is cheaper
and more effective ... improve reality! Now we have the War on Terrorism. We're
going to terrorize those terrorists into giving up terrorism if it's the last
thing we do! And it just might be. The good news is -- and I have it on the
Highest Authority -- there will indeed be peace on Earth. Whether we humans
are around to enjoy it, that is up to us.
No wonder there is so much fear, uncertainty and confusion on the planet. I'll
tell you how bad it's gotten. You've heard of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle?
Well, they're
not even sure about THAT anymore. And so, more and more people are turning to
the mystics for answers.
I have often said there are two kinds of mystics, the optimystics and the pessimystics.
Now pessimystics seem to be more in touch with "reality," but optimystics
are happier and live longer for some reason. The pessimystics have been crying,
"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" The optimystics say, "No.
It just looks that way because we are ascending."
Now, for those people who read the news -- not to mention those unfortunate
enough to BE in the news -- last year was not an easy year to keep an optimystic
attitude with so much pessimystic evidence. Call me a hopeless "hopium"
addict, but I choose to accentuate the positive. For example, you can say we
human beings have moved further down the path of self-destruction. Or you could
say the Earth is ridding itself of a virulent parasite.
You can despair over continuing war, disease and starvation, or you can go,
"Hey, population control the good, old fashioned way -- without birth control
or abortion." Who
says "compassionate conservative" is an oxymoron? You can worry about
the government taking liberties with our liberties or you can say, "Life
has become simpler! They've boiled the Bill of Rights down to just one: You
have the right to remain silent."
So I am not going to dwell on the negative. As my guru Harry Cohen Baba used
to say, "Life is like photography ... we use the negative to develop."
So let us look at the bright side.
Like technological advances, for example. Forty years ago President John F.
Kennedy promised to have a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Well, we
have far exceeded that.
Thanks to the so-called Patriot Act, George Bush can have a man on Uranus by
the end of the week!
George Bush was responsible for a great spiritual advance last year, as well.
He upgraded the Golden Rule for the new millennium. It's now the Gold Rule:
"Doodoo unto others before they can doodoo unto you." And -- say what
you will -- President Bush has made great strides on behalf of minority representation.
Never before have we had a President who was looking out for a smaller minority.
Now this is the State of the Universe Address, and seen from that higher perspective,
things look great! I am happy to report that the Universe continued to expand
in 2002, and in fact, they actually had to let the Photon Belt out a another
notch.
An expanding Universe means more jobs too, so we can expect a steady influx
of aliens looking for work. Yep, the Universe just keeps purring in perfection,
ever-changing as usual. The planets continue to harmoniously spin in their orbits,
and except for the occasional case of asteroids, they just calmly go about their
business.
Meanwhile, back here on earth, things are a bit more problematical. We still
haven't fully recovered from that vicious dogma attack of 911. But as an optimystic,
I believe you can indeed teach an old dogma new tricks, simply by changing the
emPHAsis to another sylLABle.
Instead of focusing only on emergency measures, why not take emerge 'n SEE measures?
When we emerge from our fearful hiding places and see from the cosmic comic
perspective, we realize that beneath all the stress and distress and sadness
in life there is a deep well of joy. Each time we let laughter bubble up from
the well, we experience deep wellness. Levity helps us overcome gravity, especially
when we shine the light of laughter on those poorly-lit corridors of power.
Do you know what the leading cause of terrorism is? It's seriousness. I'm serious.
Think about it. Those people have no sense of humor. Otherwise how could they
believe they will get to heaven by putting other people through hell? Here is
my vision: A suicide bomber arrives at the Gates of Heaven, and God clops him
over the head and says, "SCHMUCK! What'd you do that for? 72 virgins? YOU
get one 72-year-old virgin, and his name starts with Ayatollah!" But if
Americans are willing to revive the Iraqi Horror > Picture Show just to feed
our out-of-control oil habit, how are we that different? How many innocents
will be put through hell, just to preserve our little corner of relative heaven?
There is no real peace without harmony and balance, only the vicious cycle of
injustice. Peons get tired of getting peed on, right? You get pissed on, and
pretty soon you're gonna get pissed off. This causes the hot spots to flare,
and pretty soon you have an uprising, which usually results in a downfall. All
these uprisings and downfalls can be wearing on the body politic.
Fortunately, we do have a choice. One of my favorite stories recently is about
a Native American grandfather talking to his young grandson. He tells the boy
he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the
wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred.
"Which wolf will win, grandfather?" asks the young boy. "Whichever
one I feed," is the reply. Every day -- every moment -- we have the choice
to feed the wolf of love or the wolf of fear. It is interesting that we are
called humanKIND. What better time than now to find out, can mankind treat man
kindly?
I have a dream ... I call it tell-a-vision. I say, if you're dissatisfied with
the current programming, you can turn off your TV and tell a vision instead.
Here is my vision: Remember the Manhattan Project during World War II? It took
less than four years for a group of scientists to develop the first weapon of
mass destruction. My vision is, we can do even better for an even worthier goal.
We could call it the Manhelpin Project, and its purpose would be to develop
the first weapon of mass construction instead. Think about it. What if we used
that $200 billion set to detonate in Iraq, and put it toward becoming the worldwide
leader in renewable, clean, sustainable energy sources? Now there's some real
power. Create something so plentiful you don't have to pay an army to protect
your share. A healthy income, a healthy outcome ... what could possibly make
more sense? Boy, talk about feeding two birds with one scone! The choice is
up to us. If we want an alternative, we must feed the "alter native"
economy ... anything that alters us natives for the better. The world we live
in is a byproduct of the products we buy, is it not? What if we only choose
to buy products with healthy byproducts? Think about this: There are at least
45 million Americans who consciously want to feed the wolf of peace. If each
of us switched just $100 into the alter native economy, that would be $4.5 billion!
Last year, we launched a blisskrieg and declared "all out peace."
I'm happy to report it is already working. More people are letting their inner
peace out, and these outbreaks of peace are actually causing esteem to rise!
And we all know that rising esteem is good for the atmosphere. As esteem rises,
more people on the planet will be able to be all that they can be -- without
joining the army. And when more of us put our energy into love and laughter
instead of criticizing and condemning, we will have Uncritical Mass ... and
we will bring about Nonjudgment Day, and along with it, Disarmaggedon. Now you
might be wondering, what will Nonjudgment Day look like? Let me tell another
vision.
I have been to the heights of levity, and I have seen people all over the world
dancing together in the universal dance of fool realization ... The Hokey Pokey.
I want you to hold this vision with me: all of the world leaders at the United
Nations beginning their sessions with the Hokey Pokey. What if Ariel Sharon
and Yasser Arafat put their whole selves in in? That would be commitment. And
then pulled their whole selves out. That is detachment. Then they turn themselves
around, which is transformation. And that, my friends, is what it is all about!
So, how can you help raise the laugh force on the planet enough to bring about
Nonjudgment Day? First, you can take a vow of levity, and laugh more. And we
even have a Laughmore Society to help you do just that. Next, you can support
everyone's right to laugh by joining the Right To Laugh Party ... "One
big party, everyone is invited. All for fun, and fun for all." Commit random
acts of comedy. Practice Fun Shui and leave the world a funnier place. Anything
to elicit a moment of of fool-realization with a spark of laughter. Because
only when we lovingly laugh at our foolishness, can we seriously change things
for the better . May you wake up laughing and leave laughter in your wake ...
and may the Farce be with you!
The Great Experiment III was an example of what can happen when we focus our
prayers on creating a New World, and yet, we sense that it was only the
beginning. We KNOW that we are having a profound impact, and we now have scientific
evidence to support our conviction. Now it is time to take the next step, and
you are once again invited to join us.
The "Art of Spiritual Peacemaking" is a continuation of the Spoonbenders
Course. Here is the story of how this course is being written and shared.
My recent trip to Israel changed my life. The sixty-five Beloveds who joined
me had the chance to absorb the energy radiating from that sacred ground, and
it prepared us for the vigil in ways we could never understand intellectually.
We visited the site many believe Jesus was crucified and was resurrected on,
the hill upon which he delivered the Sermon on the Mount, the shores of the
Sea of Galilee where he spent time with his friends, the River Jordan where
he was baptized, and finally the Garden of Gethsemane where he
was arrested and betrayed. We also visited many holy Muslim and Jewish sites,
and felt first hand the holiness that runs through this Holy Land. It charged
our souls, and when time came for the vigil we were ready to anchor the Light
of millions of other peacemakers.
Several of us stayed for two extra days after the rest of the group left to
sink further into the experience. Among this group was a good friend named Jon
Marc Hammer, the author of several books including "The Jeshua Letters."
We went back to the Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were found, and to the
Dead Sea itself. It was on this day that I had a profound experience, and I
will describe it now.
There is a hot mineral spring at the Dead Sea and I was relaxing there alone,
thinking about how I would present the next course, "The Art of Spiritual
Peacemaking." I knew that this would be the most important course yet,
a
continuation and amplification of everything we experienced in the Spoonbenders
class. But I still did not know what I would write or how it would be presented.
It was while I was in the mineral spring that everything fell into place.
I will describe my experience as clearly and succinctly as I can. The first
thing that happened was that I felt all the Psychic Children I have been working
with over the last few months come to me as one mind with a simple
phrase that kept running through me mind. "Now we can begin." I knew
what they meant. They were the ones who inspired most of the material I presented
in the Spoonbenders Course, but it was just the warm up act. They said that
our hearts needed to open to the "Flow of Miracles" before the real
work could begin. Now that over 100,000 people have opened their hearts to that
information, the next step can be taken.
Then I had an image of a group of children leading me toward a man sitting
against a tree. As I approached I could feel waves of love flow from this man,
and I wanted only to be near him. Then I saw his face. It was Jeshua (this is
Jesus' name in Aramaic), the real living man who experienced himself as One
with the Beloved. (I'll add that I did not experience him as "Jesus,"
the icon religion has set apart from humanity, making him unapproachable and
his experience of love unattainable. This was a real man I saw sitting in
front of me.) He is not a Christian, or a Jew, or a Muslim, or identified by
any other religion. Jeshua is "All in All" and transcends all separating
definitions. Therefore, he is the perfect guide, for he is brother to all, walking
before us and clearing the path to holiness.
Then I heard him say these words, echoing a phrase from the Bible: "To
them I spoke in parables and stories, for they were not ready to fully understand,
but now I will reveal the secrets of Heaven and Earth. These secrets will lead
you into the experience of peace you seek, for yourself and the whole world."
Then I saw the whole course laid before me. Here is a brief description:
"The Art of Spiritual Peacemaking" will begin March 3rd, or 03/03/03.
It will consist of 33 lessons that will be e-mailed over a course of 99 days
(one every three days). Each lesson will be exactly 999 words in length, and
will contain a sacred code that even I will not comprehend with my mind. Jeshua
was very specific about this and said that he would handle all the details.
Everyone will be invited, and hundreds of thousands if not millions will respond.
One aspect of this that I was personally surprised about involved the Emissary
of Light twelve spoke wheel I encountered in the mountains of Bosnia in 1995.
I have recreated the wheel at dozens of workshops and gatherings over the last
few years, but when people asked me to speak about its meaning, I said I didn't
know. The Emissaries never told me, yet I knew its esoteric value was profound.
Jeshua indicated that the secrets he would reveal were all found in the wheel
and that it was now time for them to be shared. I am
overjoyed by this revelation.
How to sign up for the new course:
In one or two days you will be able to go to www.emissaryoflight.com and add
your email address to a special list. YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE THE 33 LESSONS
UNLESS YOU ADD YOUR ADDRESS. No donation is required at this point. Then on
March 3rd, you will start receiving the lessons every three days. It's that
simple. (We've learned a few things since January.)
The course will be offered on a flexible donation basis, whatever you choose
to offer. Once again, the important thing is that as many people as possible
have the chance to access this information.
And once again, all donations from this course will support "Ashland,"
the new feature film about the Psychic Children. Thank you for making this film
possible.
In Peace,
James Twyman
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Today is February 17th. Yesterday I attended the peace rally at the
Civic Center in San Francisco, along with about 250,000 other people, as
diverse a group of human beings as could be found anywhere in the world.
I wish you could have been there.
You were a central topic of conversation. Your picture was on wide
display, though not always in the most flattering of ways. Had you been
there, you would have heard many people denounce you for your foreign
policy (and for your domestic policies as well). I do not denounce you.
You would have heard many people express their anger and outrage towards
you and your administration. I am neither angry nor outraged.
You would have heard people criticize and condemn you for your
implacable desire for war with Iraq. I do not criticize or condemn you.
Had you been there, you might have felt that many people hated you. But
I do not hate you-even though you stand alone, belligerent and defiant,
against the United Nations, against the will and good judgment of the
people of the United States, against the will and good judgment of the
people of all nations in the world, against prudence, against reason,
against the united voices of religious leaders who are the emissaries of
wisdom, against every sacred impulse to preserve life...even though you
stand alone against all of this I do not hate you.
I love you and I thank you, for you have shown me who is truly
responsible and culpable for the current state of affairs. It is not
you. Though it would be easy to make a case against you for bullying the
world toward World War III, for threatening all prospects of a peaceful
and prosperous future for our nation and for all nations, I will not do
so.
You are not to blame. I am. This is what you have shown me, and for this
I love you and thank you. You have awakened me to my own responsibility
for these gathering storm clouds of misery and calamity.
You have taught me that when I should have been awake, I was asleep.
When I should have been involved, I was apathetic. When I should have
been paying attention, I was distracted. When I should have been
concerned, I was disinterested. When I should have spoken up, I was
silent. When I should have been active, I was passive. When I should
have stood tall in the name of peace, I crouched meekly. This is what
you have taught me.
You have also reminded me of the central teaching of spiritual
traditions and paths from around the world and throughout the history of
wisdom and truth: We are all One being, connected and interdependent,
sharing the same soul of light and love. From this view, which I have
confirmed through personal experience, you are my own self. How can I
blame you? When I look at you, I see myself.
It is not a self I want to see. When I see myself in you, I become
ashamed, for I see how easily I forgot everything I learned in 30 years
of spiritual study and practice. When I see myself in you, I remember
what it was like to have lost my living connection to love. And I am
reminded of how without love there is no empathy; and without empathy,
there is no feeling; and without feeling, a person can send 800 cruise
missiles into the cribs and carriages of young children whose names and
faces do not exist except as pinpoints on a map, without feeling, a
person can launch a horror the likes of which have never been seen on
this Earth, a person can brush away all good and wise counsel with the
brutal hand of military might married to arrogance and ignorance, one
can justify unleashing a firestorm of death on a country, half of whose
population is under 15 years of age. Though your motives are clear and
indisputable-revenge, imperialism, and profit-these are not the true
cause of your intended actions. The true cause is that I have forgotten
to live what I know; I have forgotten to love the world in real and
telling ways. And now I live as you. And though I speak to you, I am
speaking to myself.
You have helped me remember that I am to live what I know, that I am to
love the world in real and telling ways. You have helped me awaken from
my apathy with a ferocious passion for life. You have touched something
deep within me, you have aroused something that is almost fearsome to
behold-it is the power of love, too long forgotten and betrayed. And I
pray that never again will I forget or betray love.
And with this awakened and aroused passionate power of love I intend to
stop you. So, I want you to know that I am coming for you, coming for
that part of my own self still steeped in forgetfulness and ignorance. I
am coming for you, but not with anger or hate or blame. I am coming for
you with love. I am going to bring you back into my greater Self, the
one that could never, ever-not in a billion years-think up the things
you have thought up. I am coming for you.
One more thing. Do not underestimate the power of love. Do not add this
mistake to the long and growing list of mistakes you have already made.
Do not think love is weak, or passive, or fearful. Love created the
universe. Love is louder and more explosive than missiles, more powerful
than fear, more conquering than hate. Love cannot be stopped, but you
can be. And you will be, because I am coming to stop you with love.
If you have gotten this already, ignore it, if not please take the time to
follow through!
Peace Now!
And take back your Power!
Love, Li Lan
************************************************
President Bush has announced his plan to select Dr. W. David Hager to head up
the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory
Committee. The committee has not met for more than two years, during which time
its charter has lapsed. As a result, the Bush Administration has the opportunity
to fill all eleven positions with new members.
This position does not require Congressional approval. The FDA's Reproductive
Health Drugs Advisory Committee makes crucial decisions on matters relating
to drugs used in the practice of obstetrics, gynecology and related specialties,
including hormone therapy, contraception, treatment for infertility, and medical
alternatives to surgical procedures for sterilization and pregnancy termination.
Dr. Hager's views of reproductive health care are far outside the mainstream
of setback for reproductive technology. Dr. Hager is a practicing OB/GYN who
describes himself as "pro-life" and refuses to prescribe contraceptives
to unmarried women.
Hager is the author of "As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then
and Now." The book blends biblical accounts of Christ healing women with
case studies from Hager's practice.
In the book Dr. Hager wrote with his wife, entitled "Stress and the Woman's
Body," he suggests that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome should
seek help from reading the bible and praying. As an editor and contributing
author of "The Reproduction Revolution: A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality,
Reproductive Technologies and the Family," Dr. Hager appears to have endorsed
the medically inaccurate assertion that the common birth control pill is an
abortifacient. Hagar's mission is religiously motivated. He has an ardent interest
in revoking approval for mifepristone (formerly known as RU-486) as a safe and
early form of medical abortion. Hagar recently assisted the Christian Medical
Association in a "citizen's petition"
that calls upon the FDA to revoke its approval of mifepristone in the name of
women's health.
Hager's desire to overturn mifepristone's approval on religious grounds rather
than scientific merit would halt the development of mifepristone as a treatment
for numerous medical conditions disproportionately affecting women, including
breast cancer, uterine cancer, uterine fibroid tumors, psychotic depression,
bipolar depression and Cushing's syndrome.
Women rely on the FDA to ensure their access to safe and effective drugs for
reproductive health care including products that prevent pregnancy. For some
women, such as those with certain types of diabetes and those undergoing treatment
for cancer, pregnancy can be a life-threatening condition.
We are concerned that Dr. Hager's strong religious beliefs may color his assessment
of technologies that are necessary to protect women's lives or to preserve and
promote women's health. Hager's track record of using religious beliefs to guide
his medical decision-making makes him a dangerous and inappropriate candidate
to serve as chair of this committee.
Critical drug public policy and research must not be held hostage by antiabortion
politics. Members of this important panel should be appointed on the basis of
science and medicine, rather than politics and religion. American women deserve
no less.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. SEND THIS TO EVERY PERSON WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT WOMEN'S RIGHTS.
2. OPPOSE THE PLACEMENT OF THIS MAN BY CONTACTING THE WHITE HOUSE AND TELL THEM
HE IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE ON ANY LEVEL.
Please email President Bush at president@whitehouse.gov or call the White House
at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1414 and say something like, "I oppose the
appointment of Dr. Hager to the FDA Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee.
Mixing religion and medicine is unacceptable. Using the FDA to promote a political
agenda is inappropriate and seriously threatens all women's health."
As we continue our Iraq campaign, we're also working to track the
most pressing domestic challenges from the Bush administration. While
Iraq is taking all the media focus, the right wing is using this
diversion to cover attacks on almost every front.
Tomorrow -- Thursday, March 6th -- our ability to withstand this
onslaught may come down to one crucial Senate vote. This vote
-- on the Miguel Estrada judicial nomination -- is widely seen as
a key moment defining whether the Democratic opposition can turn
back the worst of the right-wing initiatives.
The Senate will be voting on the filibuster* on the nomination of
Miguel Estrada to the D.C. appeals court. We need to support this
filibuster and the courageous Senators who are stepping forward
at this key moment. Please call your Senators *immediately* to make
your voice heard.
We've arranged a TOLL-FREE number for you to use. Please call it
twice to speak with both your Senators:
1-888-508-2974
If that number is busy, please call your Senators directly.
Make sure the staffers know you're a constituent. Then urge your
Senators to:
"Please SUPPORT the filibuster to stop Miguel Estrada.
Please vote AGAINST cloture."
Please let us know you're making these important calls, at:
http://www.moveon.org/callmade2.html
Miguel Estrada is a stealth right-wing extremist who has never served
as a judge before, yet has been nominated by the White House to a seat
on America's second-highest court. He stonewalled the Senate during
his confirmation hearings last year, refusing to answer basic questions
about his legal & judicial philosophy. Estrada is widely thought to be
President Bush's top choice for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. His
silence on his views on the law is a direct challenge to all of us.
Calling Estrada's behavior "a new height of arrogance," Senators Tom
Daschle (D-SD) and Harry Reid (D-NV) have finally gotten their fellow
Democrats to take a unified stand on principle, and are rightly
refusing to allow Estrada's confirmation.
They have launched a filibuster -- a tactic of last resort that is a
minority party's only recourse to ensure that a narrow majority party
does not gain absolute power. It's a bold move. If the filibuster
holds, as it has for 3 weeks now, it will send a clear signal that the
right wing can not ram its radically unfair agenda through Congress.
If it fails, that will send the opposite, frightening message.
In effect, the Estrada filibuster is now our main line of defense
safeguarding the democracy we believe in and the society we want our
children to inherit. Republicans have just called for a "cloture"
vote
-- an attempt to break the filibuster -- to take place this Thursday.
MoveOn members have played a huge part in making this filibuster
possible. For weeks, key Senators have been citing our thousands of
phone calls as a major force keeping the Democrats together. Even
today, they're talking about what a difference we're making.
Unity among Senators to maintain this filibuster is crucial. Please
call your Senators right now.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
--The MoveOn Team
Carrie, Eli, Joan, Peter, Wes, and Zack
March 5, 2003
P.S.:
A recent New York Times story on the filibuster is at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/12/politics/12ESTR.html
For more information on Estrada, there's a good fact sheet at:
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=7795
* For more information on filibusters, see our bulletin at:
http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin/bulletin11.html
________________