“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world." - Margaret Mead
"I believe it to be perfectly possible for an individual to adopt the way of life of the future...
No one need wait for anyone else to adopt a humane and enlightened course of action." - M.K. Gandhi
A corporation in the United States is a group enterprise given the legal status of a “person” with “rights” but it is in fact devoid of any human qualities such as ethics, humility, mercy, duty or loyalty that would constrain those rights. If you or I cheat someone, then we have to wrestle with our conscience. A corporation has no conscience. A corporation can feel no sympathy. A corporation cannot laugh or cry. The whole point of our legal and justice systems is to remove or try to remove from society people who lack basic human values yet we allow corporations, which are not human and have no human values, to freely operate in our society with full rights. Not only do these amoral corporations operate freely in our society, but they actually walk the halls of power and have undue influence over legislation, enforcement of laws and the election of public officials.
Both political parties have been corrupted by corporate influence. Bill Clinton was as beholden to corporate power as is George Bush. The key to controlling corporate power is to recognize the differences between “rights” and “privileges”. Rights are held by “we the people” and come from the Constitution. Rights endure as long as the Constitution endures. Privileges are a lesser form of rights in that they can be granted and can be removed on a whim.
The solution to the growing dominance in this country by corporations is to grant them privileges not rights. Corporations should have no rights because they are not “we the people”. If a corporation behaves in a manner not in keeping with the public good, their privileges should be revoked. “We the people” need to take back our rights from the corporate interests that have been steadily increasing their hold on our government. Otherwise, we will continue to slide into a form of government that Benito Mussolini called “Corporatism”.
“Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism as it is a merge of state and corporate power.” - Benito Mussolini Fascist dictator of Italy in WW II.
The peak and subsequent decline in world oil production appears imminent, along with the ensuing decline in national industrial economies which rely on oil. Most of the world's petroleum geologists agree that more than 95 percent of all recoverable oil has now been found. Declining production has already set in with most of the world’s oil producers; it was thought that Saudi Arabia could take up the slack. New evidence is coming to light that Saudi Arabia’s reserves are not as vast as once thought. Saudi Arabia has either in oil production, or will soon according to oil industry analyst Matthew Simmons.
Sixty percent of the oil we use each day is controlled by a bunch of countries that are primarily Islamic theocracies inhabited by people that would rather burn the oil in mass dumping grounds instead of selling it to us regardless of the price. We have become backed into a corner and it appears that our only response so far has been to flex our muscle which only serves to make them resent us even more.
Imagine if we had spent the we have wasted to date in Iraq on an Apollo-like program to develop a new energy infrastructure. We would be moving toward energy independence; we would be safer and less likely to be held hostage by Islamic radicals controlling our energy sources; we would not be creating and training a new crop of terrorists; and we would have millions of good new jobs. Most importantly, 10,000 American families would not have suffered the unnecessary death or lost limbs of their loved ones.
If you think we can wait until oil starts running out before we try to develop an alternative energy source, you are gravely mistaken. When oil starts to decline in production, our growth economy will suffer a severe shock and there will not be the money available to fund a new alternative energy infrastructure. Oil serves as the platform on which an alternative energy economy (whether it is solar, wind, nuclear, hydrogen) is constructed. For example, the metals and silicon that make up a solar panel are mined with oil; they are refined, smelted, machined and transported with oil; they are assembled in a plant constructed and run with oil. The people, who make the solar panels, drive cars and live in houses that run on oil.
I have the distinct impression that we are all partying on the deck of the Titanic, oblivious to the approaching disaster. Some of us are shouting for a change of course, but few are listening. If we don’t change course soon… well, you know what happens.
What if President Bush gave a speech and actually told us the truth:
"My fellow Americans, I have decided to stop deceiving you and tell you the complete truth for why we really invaded Iraq. First, you know that I have long been obsessed about getting rid of Saddam Hussein. There's also a lot of oil there and Iraq occupies a central strategic location in the region. My neoconservative advisers wanted new bases in the Middle East since our Saudi bases were about to be shut down. It's important for us to have bases in the Middle East so that we can pressure the governments that are hostile to the U.S. to not cut off our oil supplies. So when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred, I saw my chance. Dick Cheney and I began merging references to al-Qaeda and Iraq and Bin Laden and Saddam. That way, the casual listener would start associating Iraq with 9/11 subliminally, even though there was no real evidence to support that connection. We made it a point to repeat these false associations over and over at every opportunity. We also decided to exaggerate the shaky intelligence we had about Iraq's WMD because we knew that would scare the American people, with 9/11 still fresh in their consciousness, into supporting a war against a country that wasn't threatening us. To keep British Prime Minister Tony Blair on board, we agreed to go to the United Nations first, but only because we hoped that Saddam would reject a demand for U.N. inspections and give us a better pretext for war. When Saddam crossed us up by letting the inspectors in, we had a problem. So, before it sank in with the American people that the U.N. inspectors weren't finding any WMD, I forced the inspectors to leave and quickly declared war. Later, when your memories were getting a little fuzzy, I pretended that Hussein had never let the inspectors in and had shown 'defiance,' leaving me no choice but to invade as a 'last resort.' All these acts that I've described to you tonight might well be considered war crimes, but I really don't care much about international law. Some of my critics might say that I've been a disassembler, which means someone who doesn't tell the truth. But it's just politics."
The point I'm trying to make here is that if our president thinks we should go to war, he owes it to the American people and especially to those who are going to sacrifice their lives, to be honest. If he thinks we need bases in Iraq, then it should be honestly debated and not obscured with made up intelligence and lies.
The Bush administration has been very effective at using people’s fuzzy memories to rewrite the history leading up to the Iraq war. They have convinced many that Iraq would not allow inspectors back into Iraq before the war. How do people get such ridiculous thoughts in their head? A dishonest administration plants them there with a steady string of lies. Here is an example of an outright lie along this line by Bush:
"The fundamental question is, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is, absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in. And, therefore, after a reasonable request, we decided to remove him from power..." – George Bush on 7-14-03
Many others recollect that Iraq did let the inspectors return but that they were not allowed access to the previously restricted palaces. Even many on the left who should know better hold this incorrect view. Here is a quote from James Kunstler’s book “The Long Emergency”:
“The precipitating justification for the war was Saddam Hussein’s refusal to let UN inspectors visit all the sites they deemed necessary to look through. Among these were a dozen extensive underground bunkers engineered by German contractors during the 1980s. The bunkers had been labeled “presidential palaces” by Saddam and placed off limits to UN inspectors… Since the UN team was prevented from completing the search, the United States had to do it in person.”
Here are just a couple of news reports from before the war documenting the fact that not only were inspectors allowed in but that they had free run to go when and where they wanted, including the “presidential palaces”.
"Inspectors Searching Previously Restricted Palaces BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) U.N. arms experts have found no clues about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction so far in President Saddam Hussein's palace compounds. Duelfer said the initial visits were the inspectors' first opportunity to see the compounds, which contain more than 1,000 buildings in all. "We want to get a quick understanding of the nature of each building and, because there are so many, we can average (only) 15 minutes for each,'' he said. He did not rule out further visits but stressed that Iraq would not have advance notice. Duelfer said Iraq was cooperating with his teams. "We are making good progress in achieving the objective'' outlined in the Annan accord, he said."
"Surprise Visitors; UN experts inspect palace; Iraq complies December 04, 2002 Baghdad, Iraq - United Nations experts searching for weapons of mass destruction barged into one of President Saddam Hussein's opulent palaces from two directions yesterday morning in a surprise inspection that tested Iraq's vow to comply with last month's UN Security Council resolution on Iraq. The inspectors, traveling in two convoys and followed by Iraqi officials, roared up to the front and rear entrances of Hussein's al-Sajoud Palace in central Baghdad shortly before 9 a.m. local time, 1 a.m. in New York. Flustered guards initially prevented the inspectors from entering the compound, but after about eight minutes, during which Iraqi officials accompanying the convoy barked into their radios and shouted at the palace guards, the black metal gates were pulled open, allowing the inspectors at the front entrance to drive up a wide, palm-lined driveway toward a three-story, turquoise-domed brick building at the center of the vast compound. SOURCE: globalsecurity.org; Chicago Tribune"
Over time people’s memories become a little less clear and the Bush administration likes to use this to obscure the truth with their steady drumbeat of lies. Some of us will refuse to let the truth die.
Cindy Sheehan, the mother of Iraqi war slain Casey Sheehan, received an invitation to meet privately with President Bush at the White House two months after her son died.
What she encountered was "an arrogant man with eyes lacking the slightest bit of compassion", a President totally "detached from humanity" and a man who didn't even bother to remember her son's name when they were first introduced. Instead of a kind gesture or a warm handshake, Sheehan said she immediately got a taste of Bush arrogance when he entered the room and "in a condescending tone and with a disgusting loud Texas accent," said: "Who we'all honorin' here today?"
"His mouth kept moving, but there was nothing in his eyes or anything else about him that showed me he really cared or had any real compassion at all. This is a human being totally disconnected from humanity and reality. His eyes were empty, hollow shells and he was acting like I should be proud to just be in his presence when it was my son who died for his illegal war! It was one of the most disgusting experiences I ever had and it took me almost a year to even talk about it," said Sheehan.
Sheehan said the June 2004 private meeting with the President went from bad to worse to a nightmare when Bush acted like he didn't even want to know her name. She said Bush kept referring to her as 'Ma' or 'Mom' while he "put on a phony act," saying things like 'Mom, I can't even imagine losing a loved one, a mother or a father or a sister or a brother.'
"The whole meeting was simply bizarre and disgusting, designed to intimidate instead of providing compassion. He didn't even know our names," said Sheehan. "Finally I got so upset I just looked him in the eye, saying 'I think you can imagine losing someone. You have two daughters. Imagine losing them?' After I said that he just looked at me, looked at me with no feeling or caring in his eyes at all."
"My daughter said to him directly 'I wish I could bring my loved one back' and he said something like 'so do we.' Later she told me that after he made his remark he gave her one of the filthiest looks she had ever had gotten in her life.
"I just couldn't believe this was happening. It was so surreal and bizarre. Later I met with some of the other 15 or 16 families who were at the White House the same day and, sure enough, they all felt the same way I did.
"It's interesting that they put us each in separate rooms. I heard this was done to prevent any type of group outburst and since it's easier to control a situation when people are separated. Looking back, all I can say is that the meeting with Bush was one of the most disgusting experiences in my life.
"And I even asked him: 'Why did you even bother to bring us here when I didn't vote for you and don't support the illegal nature of your war?' He said it wasn't political but I know it was just another one of his lies, as he probably wanted to be able to say out on the political stump that he wasn't afraid to meet with families who lost loved one's in the war."
Although Sheehan was opposed to the illegal nature of the war from the outset, it wasn't until January that she began to become politically active. Besides speaking at rallies and becoming known in Washington for her outspoken criticism of Bush, Sheehan formed a group called , joining together families who lost loved ones in an effort to expose the illegal nature of the war and to hasten the return of troops still fighting in Iraq.
Her involvement with the anti-war movement also led her recently to join forces with the After Downing Street movement, a civic, political and activist group seeking to open a Presidential impeachment inquiry based on the release of damaging British intelligence documents showing Bush doctored WMD intelligence reports to justify his war policy.
"Americans need to wake up and we need to put public pressure on our leaders to end this illegal war," said Sheehan, adding that if the public remains passive, recent statements by Donald Rumsfeld that the war may last another 12 years will come true. "We can't let these people continue to murder our children and also continue murdering innocent Iraqi citizens, now totaling more than 100.000. This is an immoral war based on a false premise. Iraq was never an imminent threat and the Downing Street Memo proves Bush went to war for oil, greed and all the wrong reasons."
An intentional community that is striving for sustainability in energy and food will find the mild climate and year round growing season in Hawaii of special benefit. No need for heating or cooling reduces the need for energy and dependence on declining fossil fuels. The 365 day growing season makes it relatively easy to provide fresh fruits and vegetables on a year round basis. Another benefit is that a large amount of palm oil can be grown per acre and used as a diesel fuel.
While Hawaii is still part of the United States, it is isolated from the mainland and may escape some of the strife brought on by the decline in oil. Since Hawaii is surrounded on all sides by 2000 miles of ocean, the air and rainfall is the cleanest on Earth. In the case of global warming and possible climate problems, the vast expanse of ocean moderates extremes of climate.
The Puna district on the big island is relatively lightly populated and land prices are surprisingly low. The big island has 90% of the land and 10% of the people of Hawaii. Land prices in Puna have started climbing recently but I bought a 3 acre parcel in 2004 for $18K (would now cost about $50K) and are still available under $200K – compare to elsewhere in Hawaii where you would expect to pay $300K for a city size lot. The rainfall in Puna is abundant at approximately 150 inches per year so water is another resource that is not a worry. The high rainfall is part of the reason for the lower land prices in Puna. Most people moving to Hawaii want to live on the dry side of the island where it almost never rains, but that arid climate is not so good if you want to grow your own food.
On the down side, Hawaii has no fossil fuels and little mineral resources. This could be a plus since when fossil fuels start running out, Hawaii will be forced to develop its considerable biofuels, geothermal, wind and wave energy capabilities.
Thieves targeted the Ohio Democratic Party Headquarters this week, stealing a computer and a Blackberry belonging to party chairman Denny White. Valuable computers, flat panel monitors and stereo equipment were left untouched. The items stolen were the party chairman’s Dell computer valued at $800, a flat-screen monitor valued at $250, and a $250 BlackBerry. Democrats also say the break-in is eerily similar to a burglary at the Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters last fall, in which three computers were stolen. Sandy Isenberg, who was chairman of the Lucas County Democratic Party at the time of the break-in, said yesterday the latest burglary “sounds more and more like dirty tricks. It’s no different than our break-in, through a window, [they] took three very important computers, and left everything else,” she said. “Come on - How strange is that? I find it extremely peculiar and suspicious.”
Ohio Democratic Party was working on information that links Republican office-holders with the state’s failed $50 million rare-coin investment with Tom Noe. It is not known if the stolen computer has the only copy of this information. Lawyers for Mr. Noe, a Republican fund-raiser, have told authorities that about $13 million in assets are missing from the coin fund. Sandy Isenberg said, “I lived through the Nixon era and I’m living through this convoluted mess right now, and it would seem to me that the Republicans will stop at nothing to further their cause. That’s unfortunate because there are many Republicans out there who would and do find this situation that the state of Ohio is in abhorrent of their beliefs and values.”
The first draft of the vision statement for the We Are the Change Intentional Community forming on the Big Island of Hawaii, Puna District.
The Problem: We live in a dysfunctional corporate culture that produces a lot of violent and damaged humans. We are using up the Earth’s resources at a frightening rate. We can see the end of the from where we are and is clearly imminent. Cataclysmic economic and social disruptions await our present civilization as multiple unsustainable trends are merging. Among these are: As the supplies of fossil fuels start to run out, there will be a clash with our economic system’s dependence on endless growth; the largely unknown consequences of the environmental degradation of our planet; the vast human population of our planet and the fact that much of our food is derived from intensive oil based agriculture.
The Solution: We are individuals coming together to create a community with a sustainable approach to energy and resource consumption that provides an environment to grow most of our own food and to live in harmony with the natural world. We will celebrate what we share in common, while being mindful of each other's unique individuality by fostering an atmosphere of mutual interdependence through shared facilities and responsibilities while respecting privacy and private ownership. When enough humans change the way they live in the world, a new culture that values community, sustainability and respect for the world will emerge. We are part of the transition to a new culture.
Links of interest that relate to the formation of an independent community:
If you are interested in exploring the formation of this intentional community, email me at mikekirtley@qwest.net or leave a comment below.
