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Pray for Peace Notebook
Pray for Peace News started in 1996 to help promote the medical marijuana initiatives that successfully passed in California and Arizona. You can see our news coverage and read excerpts from the voters' manuals from those elections.
In its beginnings, we designed PFPF News for a mailing list of several hundred webmasters who like us, were also involved in the legalization movement. The newsletter was short and infrequent - approximately one page once a month. However, the articles often referred to our website, which is now permanently located at Surrealist.org.
Now that Pray for Peace News gets thousands of visitors through the search engines and links, we have stopped mailing out a newsletter. We continue to publish a log, with an ever growing archive, now called the Pray for Peace Notebook.
Click here to read the Pray for Peace Notebook table of contents.
Click here to read our voluntary warning page for minors under the age of 18.
Feel free to take a copy of the American flag and ponder what it means to be an American. This flag is in the public domain, so send a copy to all your friends.
Endorsement of Pray for Peace
By educating people into the proper, respectful use of medicines like cannabis, peyote, mushrooms, and by celebrating the elders of our culture, we guide kids to a better trail than hard drug addiction.
--Steve Hager, High Times
Hemp is Not Just for Smoking Anymore!
Marijuana has been smoked for thousands of years. First it grew wildly, then people learned to cultivate the plant into the earth where they wanted to plant it and now in these modern times Pot can be grown Hydroponically without any soil. Along with smoking Marijuana you can cook the potent cannabanoids right into your food. By cooking pot into the butter and adding the butter to any recipe calling for the butter can make that food magical.
Editorial:
Speaking Out on Pot
I want you to be clear on how I feel about marijuana at this point in my life knowing fully that my perception and understanding may change over time. I feel that I am here to speak my truth no matter how unconventional a case it may be. But my truth is that when I smoke small quantities of marijuana, meaning no more than three to four modest hits on my water pipe, I have had instances where I have felt profound connection with God and the Holy Spirit. It's a God of caring and of loving and of nonjudgement and of guidance.
I would notice that shortly after I had smoked I would sometimes be piqued by my environment into a feeling of uneasiness about something or I would begin to worry. And in those instances I recently began taking the time to center myself as I mentally professed my commission of the experience to the Holy Spirit. And as I did so, I would begin to feel such loving peace and I would receive such clarity and guidance. Often my tense muscles of which I was not aware before suddenly became loosened. And I would see clearly to the core of the issues that were immediately before me. This is what I mean by guidance. I would somehow know what the higher, or more loving of my options were in any given scenario, either mental or real. I would see the grander picture, I would write beautiful music and cry over it. I would feel that I were hearing the direct voice of God and I would know it by its truth. If I were drinking I would immediately lose my desire to have another beer. As I write this, part of me insists that I state that I am aware of the possible negatives from smoking marijuana like the risk to one's health, a tendency to worry and loss of coordination with the alteration of visual perspective. However, during these times I simply would not focus on those and it allowed for a much higher experience. (No pun intended)
The message was never that I needed marijuana, only that if I chose to do so that the experience of God was available for me there too, as God has no judgement either way. As a song I wrote about just this suggests, perhaps I'm harder to reach otherwise so he takes my invitation when I am in a state of mind where I am less likely to judge the incoming signal. And from that opportunity it blossoms. But within that message is always the feeling that the weed is not necessary and that a similar invitation on a regular basis when I am not high can do so much more. I just seem less able to tap into the clarity and the widened perspective in my normal waking state.
Perhaps one of the messages I am hear to say to anyone who chooses to smoke marijuana regardless of their level of choice in the matter is that you too can choose to call God into the experience, whatever form or name your understanding of God is to you. Then try to maintain a willingness to experience things differently and know that the loving spirit of God has accepted your invitation. If we are going to choose to use drugs as an individual or as a culture we do ourselves no service by holding ourselves in guilt or harsh judgement for the action. All anyone need do is commit any and every experience to the management of the Holy Spirit and you will have the power of the universe at your fingertips to stop or start any behavior you choose. For as you get into the practice of calling on me throughout your day and before you sleep your will become more and more aware of my will.
There is nothing to indicate that our current convict and condemn practices we hold for our drug using population are doing anything to drastically curb drug use or promote the healing of our culture. It seems the best we can offer a brother who admits to a problem with drug or drink is an A.A. or N.A. program in which everyone immediately adopts the indelable, life-long title "and I'm an Acloholic" or "and I'm an Addict." But the power of profession keeps them in a kind of inescapable land of the lotus eaters from which no one ever leaves. There never seems to be the allowance for true healing when one is considered forever diseased. But maybe if we accept, forgive, embrace and offer help to our brother who chooses to experiment with states of consciousness we may soon find that we have no drug "problem" at all. If all were encouraged to look for the divine pearl of love and wisdom within every experience regardless of how socially unacceptable or painful a situation it may be, we may start to have a culture that learns to hear its own inner guidance. A culture that has learned to hear the voice of God.
--Chris Evans
Editorial:
Marijuana -- Shamanic Tool
of Ancient Cultures
With all the conversation and commentary these days about legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, and the damage to our youth that might ensue, the war on drugs to prevent young people from using them lacks an essential discernment. This is not just a black/white, right/wrong issue. In addition to medical benefits, marijuana can be a valuable tool in that most essential journey of soul that human beings are here to make.
We are very different as a function of our belief systems. For some, life is a power struggle and acquisition is the goal. For others, who are further along in their psycho/spiritual development, it is a divine dance with the source of everything. Feeling aligned with that fundamental force, commonly called God, is a very different life experience than feeling separate from it, and people who have a that perspective handle marijuana differently from people imprisoned in separation. This ancient tool of shamanic cultures affords them insights rather than escape -- a blueprint to another level of reality beyond the small self, where we are connected to everyone and everything. Marijuana gives insight into whatever fears and other reactive emotions blind us to this unity, helping us to be the authors of our lives and not its victims.
The natural urge to transcend this reality to connect with a larger one needs to be acknowledged for young people to deal realistically with their feelings and longings, which, when denied, makes them crazy. Kids made wrong for what is ingrained become split off from themselves, naughty instead of natural. We have a lot of naughty people getting psychotherapy to unravel unrecognized needs they have expressed in unacceptable ways.
The drug problem will not change until society at large changes; no punishments will be harsh enough to break people of wanting what is so desirable to them. When we deal with all of "us" intelligently choosing, and not just "them" as some renegade minority of abusers, we will be tackling the right issue. We all need to meet in the miracle of life, the sacredness of earth, and the divinity of soul. That, and not a war on anything, should be our societal objective. Then, assistance from marijuana can be seen as the blessing it can be.
As marijuana can reveal the mind of God, a good education demands focus in a non-transcendent state. Youngsters might never acquire the basis they need to succeed in life if they enter transcendent realms too soon. They need a frame of reference in this plane for marijuana to teach them about the next one. This is a reason for abstinence, where the power of the human to choose what is right comes into play. This intelligent choosing is what we need to be looking at, as all of us as a society work out our future together.
--Suzanne Taylor
Mighty Companions
Movie Review
by Nori Muster
"Sex, Drugs and Democracy" is a new documentary about Dutch social policy. About half the show is dedicated to defending the nation's policies on free sex, showing brothels, sex bars, homosexuality, nude beaches, stage shows, etc. They recognize that since these things will go on anyway, simply tolerating will cut down on crime, disease, etc. Approximately another quarter is about hard drug policy. Several scenes show addicts shooting up, but there it's considered a medical problem. The Dutch drug policy is to build a wall between hard drugs and soft. The main wall is allowing coffee shops to sell pot, thus keeping hard drugs in a totally separate category. Only a small percentage of the population smokes pot regularly, but they say almost everyone has tried it. They point out that Dutch artists and forefathers had used it for centuries.
Link to the Sex, Drugs & Democracy website
"Sex, Drugs and Democracy" includes colorfully footage of tulip fields, windmills, dikes and the Amsterdam skyline. We recommend the movie just for these visuals. The Dutch are proud of their history as a free nation, defended through hundreds of years of history. Their enthusiasm for life and love for their world is admirable. In one scene some pot smokers pass by a policeman, wave and smile. The cop waves back as the narrator explains how affectionate people are toward the police.
Before previewing this video for your local Shriner's meeting or PTA, remember that it's sprinkled with explicit sexual scenes. Some Americans are undoubtedly ready to live in a society like The Netherlands, but there are those who would find it unnerving. However, there are lessons to be learned. "Sex, Drugs and Democracy" shows how one of our European neighbors accomplishes a balance of freedom and civility. It's inevitable that the same spirit would be interpreted differently here, but Americans will appreciate the simplicity and efficiency of the liberal Dutch policy.
Click here to order
Amazon Reader Review:
Enlightening!!! It is extremely difficult to review a video(especially one such as this) in merely a few words. On the surface this a documentary that unfolds the social and political structures that make Holland what it is from both a fundamental historical perspective and a modern day to day perspective as told through interviews with every kind of person you can imagine. As far as what I got out of this video...All I can really say is that I found this documentary to be enlightening in the fullest sense of the word. The video watches like a 'how to succeed in running your country' manual...and watching this video will convince you that the Dutch have it down pat! I believe that everyone would like to change (fix?) the world and this video serves to add fuel to that fire within. Anyone with the slightest interest in how society, the world and people just getting along works should watch this...you will be pleasantly enthralled and in the process discover that there is hope for the world yet!
High Times Interview with Deepak Chopra
In the May 1999 High Times, Steven Hager speaks with Dr. Deepak Chopra, the author from India who talks to us about changing our reality by changing our thoughts. Dr. Chopra has sold more than 10 million books on healing and spirituality. In this interview, he talks about the Hindu's spiritual use of soma (a religious sacrament that often contained ganja, marijuana). Here are excerpts (link to High Times).
Steve: In the Rig Veda it says, "Soma is king of the healing plants . . . the blind see . . . the lame walk . . . and it clothes the naked."
Dr. C.: Well, soma, originally in Ayurvedic terms, is the elixir of life . . . In the Rig Veda we find reference to a plant which also gives that experience of a higher state of consciousness. What that plant was we don't know, but we can guess.
Steve: What would you guess? . . . We know cannabis is effective in the treatment of glaucoma, which explains why the blind see. We also know cannabis is effective with multiple sclerosis . . . and cannabis also clothes the naked.
Dr. C.: It is possible soma was a cannabis-like substance.
Steve: How do you feel about the possibility that one of the central plants of the oldest living Eastern religion is illegal everwhere in the world?
Dr. C.: I think it is reflective of the psychosis of our social conditioning and our tribal minds . . . we legalize substances which are much more harmful and we outlaw substances which could be significantly important.
Steve: As an M.D., how do you feel about the widespread prescription of synthetic, mind-altering drugs?
Dr. C.:I believe 80% of the drugs that are prescribed are of optional or marginal benefit. . . The average person in a nursing home is getting between 10 and 15 drugs that are totally unnecessary.
Link to High Times | Link to Deepak Chopra Books
 click on photo to see larger image. | Sensitive photography and intriguing narrative will draw readers into the strange and
remarkable world of the sadhus of India. Features 100 color photographs and 50 black-and-white
illustrations. The cover photo shows an Indian holy man smoking ganja from a chillum. Order it Now for $15.96 (+ s&h) |
Pray for Peace Declaration Against
Child Abuse in ISKCON
June 18, 1999
We, the editors of the Pray for Peace News, state our belief that children were neglected and abused in ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We respect the religious aspects of the children's path, but object to:
- keeping parents away from their children
- kidnapping children
- discouraing children's relationships with their families
- physical, emotional and sexual abuse
- neglect, inadequate food, bad living conditions
- covering up for past abuse
- protecting abusers in the organization
- children underpaid for work they do as adults in the organization
- blocking adult gurukula alumni from renting apartments in temple communities
- using intimidation to discourage outsiders' involvement
Therefore, in order to expose cult tactics and cover-up, we resolve to talk openly to members of the media, politicians, law enforcement officials, attorneys, and others who may be able to help. We ask ISKCON officials to make amends for the harm they have done to children.
Riding the Wild Surf:
REFR 2000 and NORML Meet at Pizmo Beach
On Feb. 13, 1999, a member of the New American Church Assocation gave the following address to a group of 125 people at the NORML convention in Pismo Beach, California. The New American Church Association affirms REligious FRedom (REFR) on state ballots by the year 2000 and some NORML leaders agree. The NACA spokesperson's speech is repritned in full:
Marijuana: Religious Use
This group is certainly aware of the long history and rich tradition of the religious role of Cannabis. This has been well-documented in many sources, including books by participants in this Conference. Today, I want to focus my remarks on contemporary religious or spiritual use of marijuana. This, too, has received attention in recent books such as The Benefits of Marijuana : Physical, Psychological and Spiritual by Joan Bello, Cannabis Spirituality by Steve Gaskin, and The Healing Magic of Cannabis by Beverly Potter and Dan Joy. Also, in the Marijuana Medical Handbook, our esteemed colleagues, Ed and Dale and Tod observe that marijuana users "report feelings of euphoria, good will, empathy, and spiritual awe" and that "marijuana helps them think about serious matters, to become introspective and spiritual, to get to the essence of things."
So, in our present time, building on and extending those rich traditions, I recognize religious use in many contexts. First and foremost, I see marijuana use as religious in the sense of another natural plant, peyote, which is a source of inspiration and enlightenment to the members of the Native American Church. I see marijuana use as religious in the sense of the Rastafarians as exemplified in the music, the "kaya" and the good will of Bob Marley; religious in the sense of Steve Gaskin and his good works spanning three-and-a-half decades; religious in the sense of Ram Dass and "Be Here Now"; religious in the sense of the sixties LSD-awakening resulting in, as Ken Kesey wrote, "shedding our skins"; religious in the sense of the Church of the Grateful Dead; religious in the sense of Bob Dylan and his "Rainy Day Women"; religious in the sense of John Prine and his "illegal smile"; religious in the sense of the annual Reggae on the River event in Humboldt County where a large banner behind the stage says "Unity" and where ten thousand people of all ages smoke and share marijuana peacefully and lovingly as one big family and where I have observed almost everyone making gestures of respect and gratitude with their pipe or joint or bong as they toke and rejoice; religious in the sense of the Reverend Dennis Shields in Hawaii with his several decades old Religion of Jesus Church in which marijuana is a holy sacrament and the members study The Urantia Book; religious in the sense of Nori Muster's Pray for Peace News, a strong advocate for marijuana reform; religious in the sense of many of the writers at this Conference; religious in the sense of Guy Mount's recently founded New American Church Association, the purpose of which is to advocate marijuana as a sacramental and healing plant. Guy, who until recently maintained a Web site with an online journal called "Holy Smoke", writes that marijuana "lifts the spirit" and that we should "Thank God for pot and peyote" which are part of "our birthright as earthpeople".
Now, what I am particularly interested in is something that these various spiritual paths have in common, something that I feel is highly important ; namely, that marijuana is regarded with respect and that thoughtful use is encouraged. Respectful use of marijuana includes marijuana as medicine for the body, as a healing agent for the mind, and as a sacrament for the spirit. In all of these, the marijuana itself evokes a sense of gratitude; and this, in turn, gives rise to the desire to regard the herb with respect. Respectful use, or positive use, or what I like to call righteous use, is use that is healing, stress-reducing, consciousness-raising and happiness producing. (Are we not guaranteed the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?") With these things in mind, I encourage NORML to consider upgrading and broadening its 1995 statement on "Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use" to include the concept of respectful use.
REFR 2000
Some of you are aware of a vision of Guy Mount's to have a ballot initiative in California providing a religious exemption for the use of marijuana as a sacrament. According to the U.S. Supreme Court (Oregon vs. Smith, 1989), "Each state has the right to exempt any controlled substance for religious use." Based upon this, the state of Oregon passed a law permitting the use of peyote by members of the Native American Church. The proposed ballot initiative for the November, 2000, California election is referred to as RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2000. Guy put together the RE from "religious" and the FR from "freedom", and dubbed this REFR2000, and began referring to is as "reefer 20002." Unfortunately, this visionary idea, for which Chris Conrad drafted the proposed ballot language and which was launched and discussed by a small group at a meeting in Humboldt County last summer, languishes in the absence of any financial support.
[REFR 2000: "The religious use of plant materials (marijuana, peyote, etc.) in their natural form, and the cultivation and possession thereof for such use, shall not be a violation of any law of the State of California."]
An Appeal for Action
I will conclude my remarks with a proposal to NORML and to other organizations supportive of Cannabis. As progress is being made state by-state, I suggest an effort on a national scale. The idea is to have common goals expressed in a statement sufficiently inclusive to be acceptable to all pro-hemp and pro-marijuana individuals and groups. Working in unity to publicize and distribute such a statement, these people could demonstrate their power in sheer numbers. The response could serve as an informal national referendum. And, unlike the ballot initiative, this effort would not need to require large expenditures. Initially, I thought that something like this could just be launched on the Internet where it would catch the attention of many people who would assist in its distribution. We hear of something spreading like wildfire on the Web..... and that would be great. But, if organizations such as NORML, the Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Resource Center, and the Lindesmith Center, along with various hemp groups, would rally behind such an activity, it might move mountains. The goal would be to make it so pervasive that it came to the attention of millions of people, resulting in media coverage that would assure its success, showing acceptance and support roughly equivalent, I would guess, to President Clinton's recent job approval ratings. To open the dialogue and encourage consideration of such a proposal, I offer an example of such a statement that I call the Marijuana Manifesto, and which reads as follows.
Marijuana Manifesto
The time has come for a declaration on the part of all people who are aware of the power and beauty inherent in the species Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica and who respectfully use this plant in the form of marijuana for healing and celebration. This acknowledgment of physical, spiritual, psychological, educational, and recreational benefits from thoughtful use of Cannabis has the potential of bringing freedom and peace to those individuals and groups who wish to exercise their rights. By such a declaration, our society will be made aware of the number of people who share these perceptions and who will agree to abide by certain appropriate conventions regarding positive use of marijuana. If enough people support the changes described in this Manifesto, our society will no longer be able to ignore the reality of the value and the role of Cannabis in our culture. This is an appeal for sanity, and each person reading and understanding these words can participate in this historic action.
Marijuana is a powerful medicine, a natural herb that can be used in a variety of appropriate ways. Just as Cannabis in the form of hemp has the potential to save our country's economy, so marijuana used respectfully has the potential of healing the body, mind and spirit.. Those who already know or will learn these things deserve to be left alone, protected and free from persecution. This appeal for change is made in recognition of the fact that the use of marijuana requires responsibility and, in the case of minors, guidance by parents or other respected adult figures such as caregivers or shamans. Each person who uses it for medicine or sacrament should manage his or her own use so as to derive the maximum benefits being sought. Recreational use of Cannabis in small social settings or within a family is a form of celebration that is the responsibility of the participants. Also, there is widespread use of marijuana at public events, primarily at musical concerts and other gatherings of like-minded people. Fortunately, these generally occur peacefully and unobtrusively even within the present oppressive climate. The changes being sought will have little effect on this behavior, other than to remove fear and paranoia and recognize this free and joyful experience of choice.
This declaration supports two basic stages for change regarding Cannabis and all the issues surrounding its use in our society. First, and foremost, there should be legislation at the federal level providing for medicinal use of marijuana whereby a physician and a patient are free to make this choice just as easily as can be done with other medications or forms of therapy. Next, religious and ceremonial use of Cannabis should be permitted in fashion similar to peyote in a Native American context. This was covered by the Religious Freedom Reformation Act of 1993 which was voided in 1996 by the Supreme Court and must now be re-enacted in some form that will include sacramental use of marijuana.
These two steps, liberation of an herb for healing both the body and the mind by those individuals who will use it respectfully and sincerely for such purposes, will ameliorate a significant number of the myriad problems associated with marijuana. Its management will be shifted from being a criminal issue to one of moderation wherein small scale personal cultivation for medicinal or spiritual use will be legitimate. And those persons who make these choices will be free to do so as long as balance and common sense are maintained. Neither personal medicinal choices nor religious practices are of concern to the public at large unless these oppress, endanger, or infringe on the welfare and rights of others. These same principles should apply to the use of the life-affirming Cannabis plant that is potentially beneficial in many ways to many people.
Closing Observations
Last week, I watched the televised four-hour miniseries on "The Sixties" and heard a terrific plug for marijuana. A young man is urging his friend to take a hit on a joint, while the friend is hesitant and says something about not knowing enough about it. In response, the smoker says, "Come on, it's a two thousand year old Native American sacrament." Despite the fuzzy accuracy of that statement, I would still give the screenwriter a big hug for putting in that line.
I also reflected, as I watched the program, on the parallels among the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement of the sixties, and the present "war on drugs" or, as I have heard it called, "the war on some drugs". I was there, as were many of you I imagine, when folks were being persecuted for the color of their skin. And, as we protested, we knew that ours was a just and righteous cause. The same things were true about the Viet Nam war. We knew in our hearts and minds that we were right. And now, as we face the issues over marijuana, with folks being persecuted and mistreated, we once again know our cause is righteous. Now, Brothers and Sisters, how shall we proceed?
New American Church Association
First Board of Directors Meeting
Arcata, California, August 15, 1998
Members present
Executive Director: Guy
Meeting Faciltator and Director: Bob
Director: Nori
Other Board Members: Jeannette, Betty, Victor, Sue
ITEM 1: Opening Prayer
(all)
Bob opened the meeting with a group prayer. Each participant stated their vision for the NACA, as well as for the day's meeting.
ITEM 2: New American Church Association Business
(Guy)
A discussion about the NACA's 501(c)3 status, what NACA can do to promote a ballot initiative, and whether NACA should continue pursuing non-profit 501(c)3 status or switch to a PAC 501(c)4.
A discussion about proposing a ballot initiative that would sanction religious use of plant substances. The project is tentatively named "Religious Freedom 2000."
Several board members felt that 2000 is too soon for a ballot initiative, since society may not yet be ready for these ideas. Some felt the initiative would backfire, bringing even more criticism to people who smoke marijuana. Several participants suggested limiting NACA's purpose to establishing a dialogue on respectful use and religious freedom. (See ITEM 2 for more discussion on this topic.)
A discussion of ways to build respect for marijuana smoking. The multiple medical and industrial uses of the plant add to its credibility. The acceptance of medical marijuana and industrial hemp are incremental steps toward total acceptance and legalization; religious use is another incremental step. NACA board members voted unanimously to endorse medical marijuana and industrial hemp.
Board members criticized the way the popular media (including High Times) portray marijuana smokers. NACA's purpose is to promote respectful use. Members voted to endorse an essay on respectful use written by Chris Evans (enclosed).
Guy described Sweetlight Books' goals and mission, and explained how the use of peyote helped him heal a serious injury to his arm. He also described the uses of other psychotropic drugs, as they are described in the books his company has produced on these subjects. For example, Native American shamans used datura root in a ceremony to bring rain. He also explained the use of peyote and marijuana in childbirth, and revealed that his wife used these natural medicines to ease childbirth.
A discussion about coming out of the closet for marijuana use. Jeannette suggested sending Thanksgiving greeting cards to friends, asking them what they are thankful for and telling them that we are thankful for pot.
Board members discussed the ACLU ad (covered in a 1998 PFPF News article) that asks "Marijuana or Martini?" Nori suggested a visualization of a world in which we can smoke pot alongside those who openly drink alcohol, with full sanction from the government and the culture.
Board members voted to endorse the Family Council on Drug Awareness pamphlet criticizing D.A.R.E. (enclosed). NACA members are dedicated to ending abuse of innocent families, and programs like D.A.R.E.
A general discussion on the difference between pot and hard drugs. Guy pointed out that manufactured cigarettes contain gunpowder to make them burn faster, as an example of how manufactured drugs are different from their organic plant origins. Nori pointed out that people can die from an overdose of manufactured drugs.
The NACA board discussed the cultural, family and religious roots that lead people to prefer marijuana over alcohol.
Guy read a list of people who support the NACA's stated beliefs and goals. Board members voted to include the list in our meeting notes.
ITEM 3: NACA Ballot Initiative Proposal
(Guy & Bob)
Guy and Bob said they feel the time is right to get an initiative on the ballot in the year 2000. Victor proposed preliminary, tentative language for a Religious Freedom ballot initiative, as follows:
"The religious use of plant materials [marijuana, peyote, etc.] in their natural form, and the cultivation and possession thereof for such use, shall not be a violation of any law of the State of California."
Discussion:
A discussion about funding. Several board members suggested that NACA needs to network with groups that have successfully passed initiatives. The costs of a political campaign could range from a half-million to several million dollars.
Guy said he will continue to pursue the matter on his own. He has launched his own fundraising and signature gathering drive and will continue to solicit contributions. Guy is circulating a survey asking people whether they will become involved in promoting the ballot initiative.
The majority felt that it would be better to attract the interest of an experienced lobbying group to promote the initiative, rather than try to manage the campaign ourselves. Nori offered to contact the Drug Policy Reform Network, Marijuana Policy Project, George Soros, The People Have Spoken, and others who have successfully gotten initiatives on the ballot.
ITEM 4: U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
(Nori)
After a 30 minute break, the group reassembled to finish the agenda items. This section of the meeting opened with a moment of silence for POWs and other victims of the American drug war.
Nori presented Article 18 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Board members voted unanimously to endorse the November Coalition's statement concerning the drug war's violation of human rights (enclosed).
ITEM 5: Pray for Peace News
(Nori)
Nori described Pray for Peace News. Editors are committed to the legalization of sacred natural medicines for spiritual healing, for all people. She showed board members a Shiva-lingam (representation of Shiva) and explained how Sadhu Hindus offer ganja (cannabis) to the Shiva-lingam as a form of worship.
Nori mentioned that the weekend marks the celebration of Krishna's birth in India. She offered a written description of the holiday to be entered in the meeting notes.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6 P.M.
Message to Visitors at the Start of the New Century
Greetings! Welcome to Pray for Peace News. Our purpose is to promote tolerance and love in society. Our website is written by and for people who identify with counter cultural movements like the hippies, surrealists, transcendentalists, beatniks, and of course artists, writers and musicians of all ages. The editorial writer is Nori Muster and you can correspond with her through this website.
We pray and affirm that people learn to work together, weaving together the best of both worlds (culture and counterculture) to form an intricate tapestry that benefits all. We envision a society where all people count.
In the beginning (c. 1995), the purpose of Pray for Peace News was to use the newly-opened information highway to expose the hypocrisy of the war on drugs. Our efforts snowballed and our side (the counter c.) has achieved a great deal. Many newspaper columnists now speak for us and nine states have passed medical marijuana laws. Unfortunately, the violence against pot smokers has grown worse, with more medical patients are victimized in the War each day. Arrests have grown, prisons have spread and the Bill of Rights has been trampled.
As we enter the Twenty-first century, it becomes clear that the war on drugs is a symptom of the wider culture war. However, love is real and peace is still possible. Although things may look gloomy right now, eventually the greater perspective comes into focus and we realize that everything happened for a reason. For those just tuning in, political and social hypocrisy didn't just start with election 2000. It has been a factor throughout history, passed down to us on a silver platter from all the people who have every lived on Earth.
Regarding the question of kids and drugs. We believe that as culture peace takes root (one family at a time), kids will feel better about the world and about their own lives. Therefore, fewer of them will develop addictive personalities. We also lead the Organic Food for Our Kids drive, encouraging families to share organic food and teach their children about natural living, free from drugs and chemicals of all kinds. This will lead to lower drug use among kids, simply because they care about their bodies and what goes inside.
However, since we currently live in a much less than perfect world, the editors of Pray for Peace News ask minors to wait until they're older before experimenting with alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs. It's never too late to have a happy childhood, but smart people do it while they're still young. It's the best time to enjoy the natural high of friends, school and hobbies.
When Time Shall Be No More:
Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture by Paul Boyer -
A comprehensive look at the development and continuing influence of end
times prophecy . . . dominant in American Christianity.
A prayer from Atharva Veda 19.9.14:
With this peace the dreadful I now appease, with this peace the cruel I now appease, with this peace all evil I now appease, so that peace may prevail, happiness prevail! May everything for us be peaceful!
It's a Free Country Personal Freedom in America After
September 11, by Danny Goldberg (Editor), Victor Goldberg (Editor), Robert Greenwald (Editor)
"SUCKERS"A Sci Fi Scenario From Hell
Imagine the next State of the Union Address, George W. Bush gets up and says: "Folks, I want to level with you. Me and and my helparians are aliens from outer space. We have come here to harvest your oil, coal and trees. You are powerless to do anything so sit back and enjoy. To keep you entertained we will regularly bomb the countries of the biggest bullies on the block. You will also have to store our nuclear waste, which is what our alien spacecraft runs on. Your civilization will begin to resemble the scenes of those dark futuristic movies like Bladerunner, the Matrix and the Fifth Element, where Big Brother runs everything. Suckers!"
Now a word about crop circles. The alien breed that we fear our leaders represent do not make the crop circles. Crop circles come from benign fairies that love art and creativity. In fact, the reptillian race hates crop circle fairies so much that they are determined to stamp out all forms of creativity and individuality. Therefore, to fight the reptiles, all you have to do is remember that you have an alternative paradigm: the Star Trek Voyage.
Star Trek is set hundreds of years in the future, when humans on earth have evolved to become citizens of the Universe. They attain the power of space travel and explore new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before. Everyone knows that science fiction is really about the author's own view of things. Perhaps the Internet is the same device they use to communicate in the Star Ship Enterprise. They have a large monitor that can call up information or communicate with other spacecraft and planets. The humans in Star Trek are honest, peaceful people (although their human flaws sometimes get in the way and become part of the drama). Any true Star Trek fan knows that the earth planet in Stardate time is in great shape! People of earth live in peace in a multicultural society. They sit among their own vineyards, under their fig trees in bliss. They are never afraid. This is predicted not only in Star Trek, but also in the Bible (Micah 4 3-5). So choose your paradigm and stick with it.
In conclusion, we would like to encourage you to watch an episode of Star Trek. We caught a couple of good TNG epsiodes while staying in a hotel last month. "Heavenly."
I See Four Lights
William Rivers Pitt's echo to the Star Trek Scenario
Here's another artist thinking along the same line: X-Ray Bush
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