LOVELIGHT
Magazine
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July 2005***Vol. 2, no. 7
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Managing editors: Richard Shining Thunder Francis and Adamaria Francis. Contributors to this issue: Ramona Abella, Jim Dwyer, Maureen Dwyer, Christine Finer, Dr. Mark Franzen, Tom Gustin, Teresa Ramsey, Ty Scharrer, Karleen Sell, Barbara Siler, Geoffrey Stoermer, and Heather Wiggins. To you all, my special friends, thanks, blessings, and infinite peace.
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TRUE
PATRIOTISM, sent in by Jim Dwyer
We stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.
James Bradley reverently began to speak: "My dad is on that statue,...Six boys raised the flag. The first guy... is Harlon Block.... But
[war] didn't turn out to be a game.
Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out. I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this
statue and talk about the ‘glory’ of war. You
guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were seventeen to nineteen
years old.... This next guy...
[is] Rene Gagnon... If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was
taken and looked in the webbing of that
helmet, you would find a photograph... of his girlfriend. Rene
put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was
18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old
men. The next guy... was Sergeant
Mike Strank.... He was the hero of
all these guys. They called him the ‘old man’ because he... was twenty-four. When Mike would motivate his boys,...
he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some
Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was
talking to little boys.... He
would say, 'You do
what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'... ]Next] is Ira Hayes, a
Pima Indian...
Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House... President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a
hero when two hundred fifty of my buddies
hit the island with me, and only twenty-seven of us walked off alive?'...He
had images of horror in his mind. Ira
Hayes died dead drunk, face down,
at the age of thirty-two.... The next guy... is Franklin Sousley... Franklin died
on Iwo
Jima at the age of nineteen. When
the telegram came to tell his mother
that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all
night and into the morning.... Next...
is my dad, John Bradley... [He] would never give interviews. When [newsmedia] would call, we were trained as little
kids to say, 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not
here...’ Usually, he was sitting there right at the table... My dad
didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes,... My
dad knew better. He was a
medic. [He] was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held
over 200 boys as they died.
And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain. So that's the story about six nice
young boys.... Overall, seven thousand boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the
Marine Corps.
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MINIPARABLE: WHAT ARE YOU MADE OF? sent in by Maureen Dwyer
A young woman told her mother about how things were so hard
for her. She did not know how she
was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that whenever one problem was
solved, a new one
arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water, and placed each on a high
fire. Soon the water boiled. In the first she placed carrots, in the
second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil,
without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
She asked, "What do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the daughter replied. Her mother brought her
closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that
they were soft.
The mother then asked her to break an egg.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally,
the mother asked her to sip the coffee.
She smiled as she tasted its rich flavor. She then asked, "What does it mean, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity-- boiling water. But each had reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.
Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. “When
adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are
you a carrot, an egg or a coffee
bean?”
***
Think of this: Which
am I? Am I the carrot that seems
strong, but with pain and
adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable
heart, but changes with the heat? Did
I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or
some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the
same, but on the inside am I bitter
and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better, and change the situation around you.
***
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes their way.
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When you were born, you were crying, and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that, at the end, you're smiling even if
everyone around you is crying.
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LOVELETTERS FROM FRIENDS, BUDS, AND PALS
From Heather Wiggins:
Richard-
No thanks are needed. It is people like you that make it effortless to
"express my soul so beautifully." I look forward to hearing Heartmind today
(my favorite Sunday pastime), and to seeing you in one week.
Love and light,
Heather
***
Our letter to Heather:
061905sun
Dearest Heather,
What an uplifting, touching, and moving letter! Thank you, from the
heart, my friend, for caring so much! You are truly an example of a
good cultivator of the interior Love-nature.
I have, since the first time that we met, considered you to be a very
sweet person. You are also quite intelligent, and quite sincere. I am
so happy that you read the stuff in the uld about our freedom as adults,
and as mystics. Never hold back, my dear friend. Always feel free to
speak your mind! That is what freedom is all about!
It has been my great pleasure and privilege to come to know you during
the past few months. You have greatly enriched my life, and I will
always be grateful for that. As Love increases in the Mind, so does
kindness. Love is certainly transforming your life for the better-- as
It is also doing for everyone.
Your thoughtfulness and kindness are both greatly appreciated, with
profound gratitude. Thanks for expressing your soul so beautifully!:)
Love,
Richard
***
Here is the original letter from Heather:
Richard-
I wanted to wish you a wonderful Happy Father's Day. In the short
time I have known you, you have been a better "father" to me than my own
birth father ever was. You have helped change my life, and I am so
grateful to know you. I thought the “Love Digests” you mailed out today were
wonderful. I appreciate that I can speak my mind at the Pneumarium occasionally and
always feel like my opinion is validated. At the same time, I always receive some
wisdom from you that allows me to see my own view in a new, and often times
clearer, light.
Thank you for the kindness and wisdom you have shared with me so far
in this lifetime.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!
Love and light,
Heather
***
From Barbara Siler:
Hi, Richard!
Your message yesterday (Sunday) was super, as usual. "Enough" is certainly a good rule by which to live. Greed has become so rampant these days, and I have to wonder if it isn't, maybe, the downside of capitalism. But, I guess it's just part of the "human catastrophe," as Zorba would say, that has always been with us.
Last night's program was great, too, and Dale loved what you said (and I paraphrase), that it doesn't matter how much education or how many degrees a person lays claim to, it has little bearing on his/her level of spiritual understanding. It just blows us away that so many of our leaders (community, government, etc) with all their education and experience, file into church every Sunday like "sheeple," and come out with hearts and minds still full of hatred and intolerance. How can a person run a corporation, much less a nation, without an ounce of spiritual awareness?! So much for "religion....
Anyway, as we were sitting there listening to you, Sunday, I noticed that you had the most beautiful aura around you. So bright. Last night, after we listened to you and Ron, I got to thinking about it, again.... Then, the word "facet" came to mind, which led to thinking about body, soul, spirit. Next thing you know, I'd written a poem... It's almost as hard to put a title on thoughts and feelings as it is to pin a label on God, which is a label in itself. So, here it is, in all its unpolished spontaneity...:
Beautiful spirit,
Nameless cosmic dancer,
You are the all in one
And one with all,
Boundless mindstuff,
Joyous creator,
Everlasting love.
Sweet ancient soul,
Tempered by your lifetimes,
Although the path
Be fraught with challenges,
You play like a happy otter
‘Mongst the stars.
What fun to swim in Love!
Beloved...,
Gentle mystic visitor,
The Light indwells, surrounds you,
Radiates to all
Who share your space.
How blest are we
To call you teacher, mentor, friend!
***
As I told Adamaria, your messages on the ULD have been so powerful and thought-provoking, it's hard to keep from responding to each one. And, by the time I get a chance to sit at the PC, another beauty has arrived, and there goes whatever I wanted to say about the last one. Besides, nothing really needs to be said, after experiencing such wisdom. It's just a reflex of gratitude more than anything else. We do love you and Adamaria, and could never give back in kind for what we've received. Speaking of receiving, I hope your two books "Luminous..........???" will be arriving soon. Can't remember the full titles, but Maria said she'd send them to us. Can't wait!
Hope you have a beautiful summer, and maybe we can find some time to get together, again, one day. Let's keep in touch.
Love and joy to you both,
Barbara and Dale [Siler]
***
SOME BIBLICAL ABSURDITIES, sent in by Geoffrey Stoermer
In a book I am reading, I found out a few fun facts that I am sure our beloved President would want to know and maybe make law. After all, they are all from the bible.
It is acceptable for marriage to consist of a union between one man and one or more women.
(II Sam. 3:2-5
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Marriage does not impede a man's right to take concubines, in addition to his wife or wives.
(IISam.5:13; 1 Kings 11:3; Chron.11:21
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A marriage is considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is discovered not to be a virgin, the marriage is considered dissolved and the woman is to be executed. (Deut. 22:13-21)
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The marriage of a believer and a nonbeliever is forbidden. (Gen. 24:3 Num. 25:1-9 Ezra 9:12: Neh. 10:30)
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If a married man dies without children, his brother is to marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not giver her children, he is to pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut. 25:5-10)
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I AM YOUR DOG, sent in by Christine Finer
I am your dog, and
I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to
rear. It always seems like you are
running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly
grand things in life.
Look down at me now,
while you sit there at your computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are
beginning to ring my soft muzzle.
You smile at me; I
see love in your eyes. What do you
see in mine? Do you see a soul
inside, who loves you as no other in the world could? A soul who would forgive all trespasses
for just a simple moment of your time? That is all I ask. To slow down, if even for only a few minutes, to be with me.
Sometimes we dogs die
young, and O so quickly. Sometimes,
it is so sudden that it wrenches your heart out of your chest! Sometimes, we age so slowly before your
eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end. Then, we look at you with grizzled
muzzles and cataract clouded eyes. Still the Love is always there, even when we must take that
long journey, to run free in a distant land. I might not be here tomorrow; I might not be here next week.
Someday you will be
angry at yourself that you did not have just "One more day" with me. Because I love you so, your sorrow
touches my
soul and grieves me. We have NOW, together. So come, sit down here next to me on the
floor, and look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I,
heart to heart.
Come to me not as
"alpha" or as "trainer" or even "Mom or Dad." Come to me as a living soul, and stroke
my fur, and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and talk. I might tell you something profound
about myself, or even life in general.
You decided to have
me in your life because you wanted a soul with whom to share these kinds of
things. You wanted someone very
different from you, and here I am. I am a dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in
the
differences between our souls. I do not think of you as a "Dog on
two feet." I know what you
are. You are human, in all your
quirkiness, and I love you still.
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ELEVEN RELIABLE RULES BY WHICH TO LIVE, sent in by Maureen Dwyer
1. Life is not always fair . Get used to it!***2. The world won't care about your selfesteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.***3. You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You
won't be a vice-president until you earn it.***4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.***5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it “opportunity.”***
6. If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine.***7. Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation,
try delousing the closet in your own room.***8. Your school might have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This
doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.***9: Life is not divided into semesters.***10. Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually
have to leave the coffee shop, and go to work at jobs.***11. Be nice to nerds. Chances are good that you'll end up working for one.
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SNORTS, GIGGLES, AND MILK OUT OF YOUR NOSE: HUMORTHERAPY
A TEST OF YOUR MORALITY, sent in by Geoffrey Stoermer
This
test has only one question, but it's a very
important
one. By giving an honest answer,
you will
discover
where you stand morally.
The
test features an unlikely, completely fictional
situation
in which you will have to make a decision.
Remember
that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous.
Please
give due consideration to each line.
You
are in Miami, Florida. There is chaos all around you caused by a
hurricane with severe flooding. This
is a flood of gigantic proportions. You are a photojournalist working for a
major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster.
The
situation is nearly hopeless. You're
trying to
shoot
career-making photos. There are
houses and
people
swirling around you, some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all of its destructive
fury.
Suddenly
you see a man floundering in the water. He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with
the debris. You move closer. Somehow the man looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is.
It's
George W. Bush!
You
notice that the raging waters are about to take him under, forever. You have two options -- you can save the
life of G. W. Bush or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning
photo,
documenting the death of one of the world's
most
powerful men.
So
here's the question, and please give an honest
answer:
Would you select high contrast
color film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?
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A PREACHER’S LUST:
WHEN LAWS SURPASS GOODNESS, sent in by Gator (Ty Scharrer)
A Fundamentalist Baptist Minister, sorely tempted, finally
propositioned the gorgeous young Choir director one night after practice, when
they were alone in the Church.
"Where should we do it, Reverend?" she enthusiastically
inquired.
"Right here on the floor!" he panted.
"It'd be too cold," she whispered, very sensually. "How
about this: Could we do it
standing up?”
"Good Lord, girl! Have
you taken leave of your senses?" he shouted. "If anyone came in, they'd think we were dancing!"
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A DREAM OF A BETTER, HEALED WORLD,
by Ramona Abella
A communication from the Democratic Leader in Washington, Nancy Pelosi, was sent [to me] by a dear friend and spiritual mentor, Richard "Shining Thunder" Francis.... But I thought this update might be of interest to free thinkers... [who] long to find... compassionate ways to build a... peaceful world for ALL. I know we are a VERY LONG way from eradicating countless [unnecessary] global deaths...Here are some fantasies of how to create a "better World"....
1) The US decides to create a "Department of Peace" that will focus on eliminating global illiteracy, overpopulation, and the deliberate exploitation of one nation... for the express material benefit of another; in effect, changing the current acceptability of the "First World vs. Third World" concept to a "One World" family consciousness; 2) The US establishes that the "Department of Justice"'s mission is to... oversee a plan to eliminate hunger in collaboration with other industrialized nations within a [deadline]; 3) The National Institute of (Mental) Health starts an initiative to eradicate from our... values the notion that "materialism" and "progress"... are synonymous and that "multitasking"... is synonymous with... "self-worth" :); 4) A Department of EmPOWERment is created; and its mission is a total commitment to developing alternative sources of energy, so that our energy needs can be met without the ultimate depletion of the Earth's...resources and the poisoning of its... oceans, thus, ultimately, saving ourselves! 5) The international definition of "Violation of Human Rights" code is updated to include... any... systematic violence that women... are still experiencing. [This includes everything from] the ubiquitous "domestic violence" in the US and most other nations to the acid burnings of wives and fire burnings of widows in Middle Eastern countries and in India. [It also includes] the clitoral/vaginal mutilation of little girls in Africa, and the discarding of female babies by roadsides in China...; 6) The Department of Foreign Policy in collaboration with... other agencies and governments makes it part of its policy/mission to eradicate curable diseases in poorer nations.... The DFP makes a commitment to finance existing (and new) organizations in bringing healthcare (doctors, nurses, supplies) to poorer nations. [It also] helps finance the training of doctors, nurses, and aids in US schools. [It also] provides materials to build hospitals (and supplies to run them) in poorer countries; 7) The Department of Agriculture in collaboration with other nations makes it a top priority to... facilitate... incentive for earth-friendly farming practices at home and abroad. [It also will] financially support existing (and new) organizations with a mission to provide materials... to small farmers and fishermen in villages throughout the developing world....; 8) The Department of Tourism in collaboration with other governments and environmental groups commits funding and education to assist... groups whose livelihood depends on the killing of precious wildlife and endangered species, to substitute those activities with viable practices that generate income from tourism.
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QUOTATIONS BY WHICH TO LIVE
“We all ask God to do great things for this country and for the people we love; and we all ask God to go to work for this great country and for our great principals and ideals, and for the people we love in this country; and God answers back, ‘Here on earth, my work is your work.’”-- John F. Kennedy
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To know
even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived. This
is to have succeeded.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, sent in by Chris Finer
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THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE: MAKE IT COUNT FOR CHANGE! sent in by Barb Siler
|
WHY WAIT UNTIL 2008? THERE IS AN ELECTION IN 2006. I HEREWITH FIRMLY STATE THAT I WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANY POLITICIAN, REGARDLESS OF THE OTHER ISSUES, IF (S)HE DOES NOT SPONSOR AND SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION. THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE STANDING FOR ELECTION IN 2006. LET US SHOW OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON "PEOPLE POWER"AND THE POWER OF THE INTERNET. LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE WITH ME ON THIS BY REPLYING AND FORWARDING TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. 2006 Election Issue! This is worth reading. It is short, and to the point! Tom DeLay is slated to receive $4,795,000. Jon Corzine will receive only $1,140,000 because of his short tenure in the senate. Bob Dole is already collecting on his $6,575,000 since he left the Senate. His wife is now in the Senate, working to build up her own pile of gold from us. These figures are in addition to the FREE medical, dental, optical, and hospitalization services given to these so called public servants. Let us clean up their act in 2006, use your votes. (This is calculated on an average life span for each of
those named. Younger
“public servants” who retire at an early age will receive much
more during the rest of their lives.) Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. Help spread the good word that we, the people, still have a voice,
and that this voice gives us real power! ? ******* *******
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IT IS WHAT IT IS NOT: GOLDEN SILENCE AT THE LAKE, by Mark Franzen
On the Memorial Day weekend of 2005, I had the good fortune
of spending each dawn on the lake in my kayak. The first morning was, as I had hoped, exquisite on many
levels. There was a slight chill
in the air. The songbirds
serenaded the ever increasing light with a wonderful excitement. Wind was
absent and thus the water lay with an incredible calm that reflected perfectly
the gentle steadily intensifying light.
Ahh, the first of three weekends off work! This weekend was,
astrologically, not the official commencement of summer. But it most certainly marked the
beginning of summer-fun in our early twenty-first century culture. On this
lake, I could not imagine a more perfect setting upon which to spend my nows.
It seemed that my “perfect life” was just where it should be. My
next 3 hours were spent in quiet, joyous introspection. Maximizing the “Beauty
In/Beauty Out” principle
implies that the more that we can immerse ourselves in beautiful settings, the
more that we will exude beauty in our characters.
The following morning, I once again found myself on the water at the
commencement of the day. In line
with the uniqueness of every day, this day began with a gentle, thick spring
fog. Visibility was, maybe, thirty
feet. The powerful honking of
passing Canadian Geese intermittently dominated the soundscape with their
gentle rhythm. It was a precious setting, followed once again by a generous
dose of reflective silence.
On Monday morning, it was
once again clear, windless and pristine. Aviary excitement, clear, calm, reflective waters. A comfortable chill. Beautiful. This
morning I chose to cut my outing short. ‘What happened?’ I found myself wondering. It was the same beautiful setting. Yet
it was most certainly not affecting me in the same manner. What changed? Time had passed, new events had occurred during the past 48
hours, and life was still quite grand. But the wonderful exquisiteness of the outing was definitely
no longer present. What had
changed was my familiarity with this experience. As captivating as it was, it was now just more familiar. More commonplace. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit
it, but there was something “ho hum” about this third consecutive
outing. I usually find myself on
the lake about three out of four Sunday mornings per month. And what this Monday of a long weekend
drove home was the relative nature of life. The foundations of our “zinging” moments are made up of bricks of
stressful, boring, mundane moments.
The drudgery of our existence is essential
to the makeup of our peak moments. By experiencing no pain, we make it more difficult to
experience unique pleasures. Our
true peak moments. Even knowing
this, I rarely place myself consciously in stressful situations.
When I do find myself in the midst of
turbulent waters, it gives me solace to know that I’m building my next
peak experience!
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DANGEROUS CONTROL OF THE NEWS, sent in by Karleen Sell
(This is
based upon an article by Frank Rich, published June 26, 2005.)
To control the news is to control the
people. It is to regulate what the
nation thinks—and even what it can think. So, it is the root of enormous power. Since before the time of Jesus, rulers
and despots have known this. It is
even more true in a democracy flooded with printcommunications and ecommunications.
The one who holds the controlling
“strings” of the press cannot fool all the people all the
time. But he can certainly give it
a good try! His influence will be
spread far and wide, and he will be able to regulate people on both conscious
and subconscious levels. For the
daily news is the “mental food” of millions of Americans. If it is “toxic,” they
start to die—and so does truth.
The battle over public broadcasting is not
about its survival. So don't be
distressed by obituaries moaning, too soon, the passing of Big Bird. This mythological critter is not in
much danger, for cynics use him to distract attention away from truly important
issues. For if you are thinking of
that gangly character, you are likely not concentrating on the real issue.
Laura
Bush, as a kind of “personal trademark,” gloms onto popular
"Sesame Street" characters in photo-ops whenever it is humanly possible. She has no real feelings for the big
critter; he is just a magnifying glass for her own ego, and pr. Like George, she will use anything or
anyone to get her face on the pages of the newspaper. And like George, she senses that public support is slipping
out from beneath her feet. Polls consistently prove that popular support for
public broadcasting is maintaining a healthy level, while Congress is in a race
to the bottom! But it is looking
as if Big Bird will once again conquer the politicians!
That doesn't mean that the
right's new assault on public broadcasting is powerless, or only symbolic. Far from it! But this time, the game is far sneakier and more clever. The intent is not to kill off pbs and
npr, but quietly to “castrate” them! How? By
stealthily annexing their news to the larger state propaganda machine! The Bush White House has been steadily
constructing this “synthetic” (made up) “news” at
taxpayers' expense. Fake “news
videos” ended up on local stations. Armstrong Williams and other columnists were secretly paid to
promote administration policies!
This is yet another example, among so many, of dissembling by the
“King George” White House.
The story of rightwing attempts to wrest control of the news from
neutral reporters, and even to “manufacture” or fabricate the news,
is a complex interwoven tapestry of lies, bribes, collusions, and corruption.
Nixon tried to undermine
and control public broadcasting in his war to gag antinixonian news media. Like him, bush is letting hubris and
arrogance take over his whole personality. He is obsessed with selfimportance, which shows what a
“little” and “weak” man he is inside! When he struts and smirks, it is
because he secretly hates himself!
He is trying his best to divert attention from real issues by the
“bait” of money. He is
hoping that investigative reporters “bite.”
His own sad and shameful history of
consistent dishonesty has convinced him that he is invulnerable, and
untouchable. He works under the
delusion that anyone can be bought, if enough money is involved. Most of his cabinet agrees. He surrounds himself with billionaires,
and feels fortified against the real world of hardworking, poor, and even
starving people. He is as smug as
Nixon just before his catastrophic fall into impeachment. The impeachment of bush is a subject of
serious, repeated discussion.
That money is not the one
hundred million that the House threatens to chop off the shoulders of public
broadcasting. This funding
ping-ponging is a smoke screen! It
is hiding what bush does not want you to see. What is he hiding?
Partly, among other things, this: the $14,170 that, as Stephen Labaton of The New York Times
reported on June 16, found its way to a mysterious recipient in Indiana named Fred Mann.
Mr. Labaton learned: In 2004, Kenneth Tomlinson, the Karl
Rove bosom-buddy, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, covertly
paid this money to Mr. Mann. Why? To monitor pbs’ Bill Moyers's
"Now."
Why would Mr. Tomlinson pay
for info that any viewer with a fifth of a brain could track with TiVo? Why
would he hire someone in Indiana? Why would he keep this contract a secret from
his own board? A reporter exposed
his secret. He tried to cover it
up. He falsely claimed, in a
letter to an inquiring member of the Senate, Byron Dorgan, that another CPB
executive had "approved and signed" the Mann contract. But this was a lie: He had signed it himself!
Senator Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat,
called Mr. Tomlinson demanding to see the "product" that Mr. Mann had
provided for his $14,170. Mr.
Tomlinson sent the senator fifty pages. Sifting through those pages, Mr. Dorgan
said it wasn't merely Mr. Moyers's show that was monitored but also other
programs.
“Anti-administration"
was affixed to any segment raising questions about bush. Three of The Washington Post's star beat
reporters were similarly singled out simply for doing their job as journalists. None of these, by the way, covers the
White House or politics or writes opinion pieces. But they did ask questions about administration policies. That was transparently verboten.
"It's pretty scary
stuff,” Senator Dorgan said. "It's unbelievable."
Not from this gang. Mr. Mann was hardly chosen by chance. He assembled what smells like a
blacklist. He long worked for a right-wing outfit called the National
Journalism Center. Its director,
M. Stanton Evans, is writing a book to white-wash the sick and dark reputation
of Joe McCarthy. What we don't
know is how many other "monitors" might be out there compiling
potential blacklists or Nixonian enemies lists on the taxpayers' megabucks .
We do know that it's s.o.p. for this administration to force people away from, and to reprimand, dissenters and opponents. This includes those in the Pentagon who criticized Donald Rumsfeld's low troop allotments for Iraq. It also includes lobbying firms on K Street that don't hire Tom DeLay cronies. We also know that Mr. Mann's highly rightwing history is typical of CPB hires during the Tomlinson period of oversight.
Eric Boehlert of Salon discovered that one of the two public ombudsmen Mr. Tomlinson hired to monitor the news broadcasts at pbs and npr (for “objectivity”) was William Schulz. He is a former writer for the radio broadcaster Fulton Lewis Jr., a notorious Joe McCarthy loyalist and slime artist.
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RED MARBLES: A MINIPARABLE OF LOVE, sent in by Teresa Ramsey
In the dusty little store, I noticed a small boy,delicate of bone and feature, ragged
but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.
I paid, but was also drawn to the
display of fresh green peas. Pondering them, I could not help overhearing the conversation
between the owner Mr. Miller and the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello, Larry. How are you today?" asked Miller.
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine,
thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas
. Sure look!
good.”
"Anything I can help you with?”
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?”
"No, Sir. Got nuhthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
“All I got's my prize marble here.”
"Is that right? Let me see it."
"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmm,
only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go
for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"
"Not zackley . but almost."
"Tell you what. Take
this sack of peas home with you and next trip this
way let me look at that red
marble.”
"Sure will. Thanks Mr.
Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been
standing nearby, came over to help me. With a
smile she said, "There are
two other boys like him in our community, all
three are very poor. Jim just loves to bargain with them for
peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides
he doesn't like red after all, and he
sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble.”
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man.
Several years went by. Mr. Miller died. They were having his viewing when I visited that area, and I went to say my last good-bye.
There were three young men. One was in an army uniform; and
the other two wore dark suits and
white shirts-- all very professional looking.
Each of them hugged
Mrs. Miller, kissed her on the cheek, spoke
briefly with her and moved on to
the casket.
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as each stopped briefly and placed his own warm hands over the cold pale hands in the casket. Each left awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.
"Those three young men were the boys I told you about! They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size, they came to pay their debt. We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim considers himself the richest man in the universe!”
With loving gentleness, she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased
husband. Resting underneath were three
exquisitely shined red marbles!
***
Moral: We will not be remembered
by our words, but by our kind deeds.
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******
PLEASE
DON’T EAT SISTER COW
Nature makes every creature for its own purposes, and to fill a natural need, an “ecological niche.” Each sentient being (thinking and self-aware creature) has a right to exist to find what pleasure and meaning that it can. Higher species do not have the right to turn lower living creatures into inanimate objects, treating them with no more compassion than stones.
This is what human beings have done with cattle, for thousands of years. Now, their “cow-karma” is returning to the human species, many of whom are being killed by cancer and heart-disease, some attributable to fat in meat, or to chemicals added to meat.
A full ninety percent of all grain grown in this country goes to feed cows and pigs, just so that spoiled Americans can have their burgers and bacon. If that grainland were used to grow human crops, that would forever be the end to world-hunger. People who really care about the starving members of our species are making the lifestyle-adjustments to stop eating meat.
But the latest, and the scariest, aspect of being a carnivore is “mad cow disease.” American cattle are barely checked for this illness. So, as the Organic Consumer Association pointed out on April 28, there have actually been “cover-ups” of this terrible disease. Remember, the gov does not want any problems that might hurt the economy, and many farms are now large corporations. There is now evidence, says the oca, that the “usda has been covering up cases of Mad Cow Disease.” A vet, in charge of testing cattle, reported this scary breach of faith by the uncaring gov. (Dr. Masua Doi has made these revelations.) Only very “sketchy testing” has occurred since 1997. Wherever profit is involved, we dare not trust the gov to be selfrevealing. Other usda scientists share Dr. Doi’s concern. Dr. Karl Langheindrich runs a testlab in Georgia, and complains that the correct anatomical parts are not even sent to him. Inspector Lester Friedlander offered testimony to a Canadian House of Commons committee to show that the U.S. has actually been covering up cases of mad cow disease. The usda has refused to respond.
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POISONS
ON YOUR LAWN
A number of lawns are treated with pesticides, and some are quite popular. But an analysis of the most popular proves that more than half contain possible carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals). A full one-third contain endocrine disrupters, which disturb the chemical and hormonal balance in the body. And more than one-fourth of all popular lawn-chemicals contain reproductive toxins, affecting the egg, sperm, or unborn children.
Over forty percent of the most popular lawn-pesticides are banned in other countries! Perhaps their governments are less greedy, or more concerned about their citizens. At any rate, our gov will never jump at the opportunity to regulate a multi-million-dollar industry. Would it sacrifice our health, and the health of our children, for mere profit?
You bet it would! How can we know this for sure? By its actions, policies, and legislation, the gov has proved, over and over, that it considers profit and corporations much more important than people. Its most obnoxious example: The death of as many as 112,000 Iraqi women, children, and men for oil-profits! How can anyone justify, turn away from, this obvious fact?
Despite the science, U.S. home-owners apply annually ninety million pounds of these toxins to their lawns and gardens. And that’s no small amount of money! How smart is that? Children routinely play in these same yards. And dangerous pesticides are regularly tracked indoors, where they can remain on floor surfaces and in carpets for years! Per acre, these home-owners apply three times as much pesticide as farmers.
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MOTHER
EARTH: BE KIND TO HER
Every minute is an appropriate time to reflect on the values that we all share. These include edible food, drinkable water, and breathable air. But even these basics are being threatened by pollution resulting from greed out-of-control. If allowed to do so, corporations will kill all of us, simply to improve their “bottomline.”
We all need to live consciously on Mother Earth, and to realize that, like any other complex living system, she can be poisoned, and die, from too many toxins. Because the gov no longer cares as much about pollution, we must all try to pick up the slack.
“Moral values” has become a buzz-phrase in our gov, despite the obvious immoralities and even obscenities of greed, and its resulting geocidal effects.
Indeed, it has been claimed that these so-called “moral” or “Christian” values mark only a certain segment of our society. But we all know that, of course, to be one of many serious lies backed by the hypocrites now in power. For the people in power have grown corrupt, powermad and obsessed with money. In many ways, they are the mere “puppets” of large corporations. It’s an old cliche, but they have sold out to the “devil” (fear). They have sold out for mere gold.
Many Americans and others consider their spirituality a deeply private and interior thing. They are uncomfortable “trumpeting it,” or using it for photo ops. The fact that they do not selfrightously brag about it is admirable and commendable. For true spirituality has no place in any kind of pr campaign. One who talks too much about “talking to God” is either mad, or deeply, secretly afraid that she does not believe at all in God.
Leaders who praise themselves as good “Christian” men are often the most selfish, greedy, and murderous people on the planet. They are also extremely bigoted and intolerant. There is no place for such hypocrites in a transparent democracy. Cheaters and scoundrels are just smarmy.
Most of the people who live “in quiet desperation” are guided by a strong sense of morality, even when or if they decide to avoid selfdisplay, which appeals only to the shallow and ignorant. When religion becomes a mere “game” played for the crowd, or the cameras, it loses its ability to transform. It brings neither Love nor peace. Some of the most barbarous and atrocious characters of history have been deeply religious, but had no spirituality in their hearts.
Truly spiritual people know that Mother Earth is sacred. So are her children—all people and all creatures. Nothing is more basic than survival, and nothing more essential than clean food, water, and air. The gov, in backsliding on these issues, and killing its citizens (our friends) for profit, has rolled back seriously some of the environmental standards for industries. That is why so many of our dear friends, both very young and very old, and in between, are suffering from “allergies,” asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. There are an entire spectrum of lung-troubles exacerbated by dirty air, and some of them are lethal. The gov has already said no to pleadings to clean up the air.
We want to, and we must, leave our children, and their children, a planet that is not filled with chemical toxins—where both the bright morning air and the waters in the ocean do not kill them. Decisions affecting the ecofuture must be made by honest, nonpartisan, nongreedy scientific assessments of the elements and factors involved.
We need two factors in order to continue happily on earth: A strong economy and a survivable ecology. We suggest that these words be combined as “eco-economy.” What is this? It is the philosophy that recognizes the need for a healthy economy, but holds firmly that it can be done in a cleaner way. Primitive, outdated technologies, such as internal combustion, are killing us. So are many other chemicals and substances. So, we must demand that our leaders, in both industry and politics, be eco-economically educated and aware. We now have the science and technology, right now, to begin to implement cleaner forms of energy. Let us exercise the common sense to lift them from the drafting-table and use them to power our homes and cities!
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SPIRITUAL JOY-ALTERNATIONS, by
Tom Gustin
Joy alternates, in the spiritual life, with periods of less joy. At times, even “depression,” of a kind, can appear. After studying some of the synonyms for “depression,” (www.thesaurus.reference.com), I found myself with a mild case of the “baby blues” (“postnatal depression”). Since everybody reading this is post-natal, that phrase will work, with a nontraditional definition.
Since we are many-faceted beings, it is impossible to separate the spiritual from the physical. All of our energy subsystems are intra-mingled & affect each other.
From the physiology-view, depression is a natural condition of energy depletion. Since we are active beings, it is to be expected sometimes. The results of acceptance and observation are eventual revitalization and restoration. This is integrative healing.
But if we resist the state often or long enough, it can lead to chronic depression. Not accepting a depressed state is self-denial.
We reject the
natural. Often, this comes from blaming, or trying to escape. “Blame” means that it is up
to the other to “fix” us.
Do not blame, giving away your power!
Resistance delays rejuvenation while repressing negativity. Continued repression creates accumulations of negativity. Persistent resistance leads to unrelenting depression. What we resist persists.
But what if the “depression” is a mild, just barely noticeable “ho-hum”? We feel physically well rested, yet, there is a vague, negative feeling? There might be some other resistance. This might be a different kind of Higher Self signal. Is there resistance to deal with a pending issue? Are you avoiding? Are you doing your “life’s duties (karmic path)”? The universe has sent you a message: “Recess is over! Get back to your studies!”
Everybody experiences let-down right after having just discovered a spiritual path. Much of the “ordinary” world is given up, and this might feel like “loss.”
By exploring, through meditation, your inner world instead of being held captive by the outer world
By choosing to be better people than we ever have been before,
By intending to express Love in all ways possible,
By petitioning our Higher Self for guidance,
By sprinting down the path towards discovering our True Essence,
We immerse ourselves in a new dimension that feels wholly “out of this world” at first. We run full blast until we become exhausted. Exhaustion creates depression. Stop and rest.
The ego wants no changes. Yet we have just announced to the universe that we are going to be living differently from now on. Do you assume that the ego is going to sit still without a major fuss?
The “cure” is a dose of “mind your own business.” Say what? When starting the Spiritual Growth phase of life, the “job” is to “Know Thyself,” and that is our business.
Discover who you are-- a soul possessing an animal body having a human experience with specific purposes. and 2) Study who you are not. You are not habits and beliefs. Create a new Love-version of your “Self” free from the past.
Your new job is to turn inward & be seriously concerned about rediscovering the real you, & your purpose for being here. That is what is meant by “mind your own business.” Remain ever watchful, and the Universe, in Her Unbounded Wisdom, will provide you with an unending stream of clues regarding your “current inner business.”
If we become depressed because we no longer see the clues (we feel lost), then:
1) stop striving; 2) relax, rest & meditate often; and then, 3) enter again into clue-searching, without expectations. (Expectation creates disappointment)
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