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Event Reminders:Ecovillages and Diversity in the 21st CenturyThursday, 02/06/2014 FREE FORUM: 7PM, Joan B. Kroc Institute, Peace & Justice Theatre -In a world of dwindling natural resources and mounting environmental crisis, who is devising ways of living that will work for the long haul? And how can we, as individuals, make a difference? -- To answer these fundamental questions, Professor Karen Litfin embarked upon a journey to many of the world’s ecovillages – intentional communities at the cutting-edge of sustainable living. From rural to urban, high tech to low tech, spiritual to secular, she discovered an under-the-radar global movement making positive and radical changes from the ground up. List of Democratic events in San Diego County To read the best progressive newsletter west of the Mississippi, click on Jellison's EZINE hereThis 'N ThatI'm not disturbing the peace. I'm disturbing the war.- Ammon Hennacy, US Labor leader There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. In separateness lies the world's great misery; in compassion lies the world's true strength. It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. There is nothing more agreeable in life than to make peace with the establishment and nothing more corrupting. The law, in its majestic equality, forbids both rich and poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. Warmaking doesn't stop warmaking. If it did, our problems would have stopped millennia ago. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world. A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own. Accurst be he that first invented war. Whenever you are in doubt or when the self becomes too much with you, try the following experiment: Recall the face of the poorest and most helpless person you have ever seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be for any use to him or to her . . . Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away. The dark night is over and dawn has begun. Rise, hope of the ages, arise like the sun! All speech, flow to music; all hearts, beat as one. If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record that we have ever known. Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence. The miracle of the wicked is reinforced by the weakness of the virtuous. The evils of government are directly proportional to the tolerance of the people. There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence. Nonviolence doesn't always work -- but violence never does. Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity. Let all bear in mind that a society is judged not so much by the standards attained by its more affluent and privileged members as by the quality of life which it is able to assure for its weakest members. Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought. People have power when other people think they have power. Peace is an environment where conflicts are resolved without violence, where people are free, not exploited, living so they can grow to their full potential. Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being. The master's tools will never destroy the master's house. Gandhi once declared that it was his wife who unwittingly taught him the effectiveness of nonviolence. Who better than women should know that battles can be won without resort to physical strength? Who better than we should know all the power that resides in noncooperation? If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. It is folly to punish your neighbor by fire when you live next door. If we just worry about the big picture, we are powerless. So my secret is to start right away doing whatever little work I can do. I try to give joy to one person in the morning, and remove the suffering of one person in the afternoon. If you and your friends do not despise the small work, a million people will remove a lot of suffering. That is the secret. Start right now. While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Hitler and Mussolini were only the primary spokesmen for the attitude of domination and craving for power that are in the heart of almost everyone. Until the source is cleared, there will always be confusion and hate, wars and class antagonisms. Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them. I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift. He who can control his rising anger as a coachman controls his carriage at full speed, this man I call a good driver; others merely hold the reins. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -- alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence. For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it. People who are willing to give up freedom for the sake of short term security, deserve neither freedom nor security. The destiny of humans cannot be separated from the destiny of earth. We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate --- thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising. Only the poor knew the meaning of life; the rich and the safe had to guess. If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who makes them; but kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship. When we treat man as he is, we make him worse than he is; when we treat him as if he already were what he potentially could be, we make him what he should be. If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. As long as ever you can. The pacifist's task today is to find a method of helping and healing which provides a revolutionary constructive substitute for war. They make a desert and call it peace. Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely an absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people. When the rich make war it's the poor that die. If you see good in people, you radiate a harmonious loving energy which uplifts those who are around you. If you can maintain this habit, this energy will turn into a steady flow of love. A spiritual person tries less to be godly than to be deeply human. Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is--whether its victim is human or animal--we cannot expect things to be much better in this world... We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing we set back the progress of humanity. Poetry is an act of peace. Peace goes into the making of a poet as flour goes into the making of bread. In order to find the edge, you must risk going over the edge. In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act. War stirs in men's hearts the mud of their worst instincts. It puts a premium on violence, nourishes hatred, and gives free rein to cupidity. It crushes the weak, exalts the unworthy, and bolsters tyranny .. .Time and time again it has destroyed all ordered living, devastated hope, and put the prophets to death. The question is not, do we go to church; the question is, have we been converted. The crux of Christianity is not whether or not we give donations to popular charities but whether or not we are really committed to the poor. The finger pulls the trigger, but the trigger may also be pulling the finger. Peace we want because there is another war to fight against poverty, disease and ignorance. To resort to power one need not be violent, and to speak to conscience one need not be meek. The most effective action both resorts to power and engages conscience. Nonviolent actions does not have to get others to be nice. It can in effect force them to consult their consciences. Nor does it have to petition those in power to do something about a situation. It can face the authorities with a new fact and say: Accept this new situation which we have created. Dust turned to hope. Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted Activism pays the rent on being alive and being here on the planet. In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. Smiling is very important. If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace. It is not by going out for a demonstration against nuclear missiles that we can bring about peace. It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing, and being peace that we can make peace. Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. We must have research for peace ... It would embrace the outstanding problems of morality. The time has come for man's intellect, his scientific method, to win over the immoral brutality and irrationality of war and militarism ... Now we are forced to eliminate from the world forever this vestige of prehistoric barbarism, this curse to the human race. A Rattlesnake, if Cornered will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is -- a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves. A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same. All of us occupied the same space, the men behind the desk no less than those about to be questioned. What distinguished each of us was only our inner attitude. Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God. By doing service, heart and mind are purified -- be convinced of this! To engage in service is a very powerful sadhana (spiritual discipline); do not become impatient. Rather serve your people with the utmost calm and have a kind word for everyone. The peace process we all aim for will not necessarily be a result of the mere signing of a treaty or agreement. It must become a matter of our everyday lives, so that peace settles and lasts and becomes supported by everybody. We therefore have to give peace all the required care and preserve it and promote it. Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds them. We live by the death of others. We are burial places! I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men. Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing that we know about living. The first casualty when war comes is truth. War is an invention of the human mind. The human mind can invent peace with justice. We do not inherit the earth from our fathers. We borrow it from our children. | Articles & News: K-XL Pipeline much more disasterous than reported Article By Robert Redford: "The more people learn about the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, the less they like it. Despite what we might be hearing in industry spin, the environmental report released by the State Department Friday confirms that tar sands crude means a dirtier, more dangerous future for our children all so that the oil industry can reach the higher prices of overseas markets. That's right, overseas markets, which is where the majority of this processed oil will end up. This dirty energy project is all risk and no reward for the American people." 89 Dems Voted to Cut $8.7 Billion from Food Stamps Greenwald: "Dianne Feinstein is Outright Lying"
Greenwald says: "Dianne Feinstein is outright lying when she says that she doesn't know of any instances of abuse at the National Security Agency. Leaving aside the fact that there have been several different reports by ABC News, by The New York Times, of the NSA abusing its eavesdropping powers over the last four years, there is a 2011 opinion, 80 pages long, from the FISA court, the secret court that oversees the NSA. And what it ruled, although the court—the opinion is top-secret and hasn't been publicly released. What it ruled is that the way in which the NSA is spying on American citizens is in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, as well as in excess of the limitations imposed by the statute, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. In other words, what the NSA is doing is both unconstitutional and illegal. [From DEMOCRACY NOW 3 Big events coming to San Diego in 2014 Legendary folk singer, activist Pete Seeger dies Issa, Hunter vote to prohibit funds for abortion
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is creating a new kind of progressive politics that will have a major impact on American politics for years to come. Warren gave an incredibly powerful and passionate speech, focused on the progressive movement and helping middle and low income Americans who are getting squeezed economically by the powers that be. She begins by talking about winning our battles together by building a movement, and she ends by showing her commitment to the issues and for struggling working families that gets the crowd on their feet in response. In her incredibly powerful closing, Elizabeth shows as much emotion as I have ever seen her show in a public speech, as she talks about how much it hurts her to think and talk about the people she has met who are being crushed by the economic forces they are facing. But, she says, it also "makes me madder than hell". And then she talks about how "our time has come" and "we have found our voice". It is powerful stuff. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks at a fundraiser for American Family Voices in New York City on Thurs., Jan. 23, 2014. Gay marriage in Virginia expected very soon U.S. Turning the Tools of War on Its own Citizens $12 M drone sacrifice-crashed off San Diego coast Greenwald smashes superficial talk show host
MSNBC host Mica takes bashing from super reporter Glenn Greenwald. She argues for the superiority of the law. Greenwald argues for the superiority of morality and the Constitution. -- One thing that gets lost in this type of argument is the morality of law. She's asking if the law is being broken. He is explaining, quite reasonably, that the issue is the law in question defies the Constitution of the U.S.A.. Not all moral things are legal. Not all legal things are moral. Extraordinary debate.[From the 'Morning Joe' show] Millionaire TV show host comtemptuous of the poor
What this Millionaire Thinks of Poverty Will Make Your Blood Boil. Abby Martin calls out TV show host Kevin O'Leary, for his callous celebration of the latest Oxfam statistics on the widening gap between the world's rich and poor. 'Lying' James Clapper Did More Damage Than Snowden
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's "lying" to Congress about the scope of government surveillance did more damage than fugitive contractor Edward Snowden's leaks, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Wednesday. "I find that really, that Clapper lying to Congress is probably more injurious to our intelligence capabilities than anything Snowden did because Clapper has damaged the credibility of the entire intelligence apparatus, and I'm not sure what to believe anymore when it comes to Congress," Paul said on CNN's "The Situation Room." In March, Clapper told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the NSA does not collect intelligence on Americans in bulk, at least "not wittingly." The intelligence director later apologized in writing and said that characterization was "clearly erroneous." Judge for yourself from this video: SOURCE: TalkingPoints Memo Why nobody believes Pres. Obama any more ...
Obama: 'Nobody Is Listening to Your Phone Calls'. June 7, 2013. Either Mr. Obama is terribly deluded, or terribly dumb, but we all know the spooks are listening to our phone calls -- reading our email -- and manipulating the markets and stealing our money. (very short video) Volkswagen way to better labor-mgmt relations Cartoons of the Week Obama, the negotiatorTEA Party LooniesUnions & the Middle ClassObama plays poker with GOP Tar sands mining pollution far worse than reported Sen. Warren sponsors Equal Employment Act
Senator Warren's interview on MSNBC's "All in with Chris Hayes" about the Equal Employment for All Act. The legislation would prohibit employers from requiring potential employees to disclose their credit history as part of the job application process. It was previously thought that credit history may provide insight into an individual's character, but research has shown that an individual's credit rating has little to no correlation with his or her ability to be successful in the workplace. -- "A bad credit rating is far more often the result of unexpected medical costs, unemployment, economic downturns, or other bad breaks than it is a reflection on an individual's character or abilities," Senator Warren said. SHOCKING: Fullerton police murderers acquitted
Last week, a jury acquitted two Fullerton police officers accused in the beating and death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man with schizophrenia. That the the jury reached a "not guilty" verdict despite viewing video, audio, and images of the incident shocked many observers and sparked protests in the streets of Fullerton. WARNING: The level of police violence in this video is shocking. Thomas' death is a case study of how ubiquitous phones with cameras and the Internet are transferring power from the government, police, and the media to the masses. Images and word of the beating spread not because of official communications but by viral cell phone video of the incident and a horrific hospital photo taken by his father of Thomas in a coma. Why nobody believes Pres. Obama any more ...
Obama: 'Nobody Is Listening to Your Phone Calls'. June 7, 2013. Either Mr. Obama is terribly deluded, or terribly dumb, but we all know the spooks are listening to our phone calls -- reading our email -- and manipulating the markets and stealing our money. (very short video) Manning Video:American troops slaughter civilians
Video depicts a US Apache attack helicopter killing 12 civilians and wounding two children on the ground in Baghdad in 2007. The helicopter then fired on and killed the people trying to rescue the wounded. Finally, a US tank drove over one of the bodies, cutting the man in half. These acts constitute three separate war crimes. All with calloused video-game contempt for human life. - Manning fulfilled his legal duty to report war crimes. He complied with his legal duty to obey lawful orders but also his legal duty to disobey unlawful orders. -- The Army covered up the evidence and declared the war crime "justified". Now they say that exposing the massacre is criminal. INFO CLICK HERE: 'Lying' James Clapper Did More Damage Than Snowden
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's "lying" to Congress about the scope of government surveillance did more damage than fugitive contractor Edward Snowden's leaks, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Wednesday. "I find that really, that Clapper lying to Congress is probably more injurious to our intelligence capabilities than anything Snowden did because Clapper has damaged the credibility of the entire intelligence apparatus, and I'm not sure what to believe anymore when it comes to Congress," Paul said on CNN's "The Situation Room." In March, Clapper told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the NSA does not collect intelligence on Americans in bulk, at least "not wittingly." The intelligence director later apologized in writing and said that characterization was "clearly erroneous." Judge for yourself from this video: SOURCE: TalkingPoints Memo UC Davis Protestors Pepper Sprayed (raw footage)
You must not ever forget this incident at U.C. Davis: Police pepper spraying and arresting students at UC Davis. The militarization of our local police, the War on our Youth, the fascist oppression of peaceful assembly, protest and free speech in America. During peacefully Occupy Movement,(Nov. 2011) police came in to tear down tents and proceeded to arrest students who stood in their way. Once students peacefully demanded the release of the arrested, a police officer unnecessarily pepper sprays the students to open a path for the rest of the officers. -- The officer who sprayed the students was UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike. -- Notice all the other police just standing around watching, as if nothing abnormal or outrageous is happening. This is a day that will forever live in ignominy in America. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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