This weblog goes back in time, with newest entries at the top. Older entries are transferred to the archive. If a search engine or a link brought you to this page and you don't see what you're looking for, search the site: The Web This Site You can also go to the Pray for Peace News archive (click here) or an index of everything at this site (click here). 22 Oct. 03 Opening Doorway I've been getting lots of information coming in about a cosmic event of awakening. You can learn more about this by entering "11:11" into any search engine. Nov. 5 - 11 humanity may enter a higher dimension. Here's an excerpt from an email about it: "It is a point in time in which a cosmic doorway is held open for now and always. - It is an announcement of integral truth. The Concordance is a unification of consciousness. - It is the birth of divine collective human awareness. The importance of this star gate, or star date, is in the acknowledgement of multidimensional consciousness. - It is a refinement, a desire to be in Concordance or accord with the Earth and the Earth's movement. - It is a desire to participate in and with the wholeness of the Earth." I will be down in Florida so I'll write more about it later, but it appears to be a good time to drop all preconceived notions about what the future holds. Here are some more links: http://astrosite.com/ & Orchid Essences. 18 Oct. 03 Cheating Cheaters and Their Voting Machines There is a class of politicians who want touch screen voting machines that can easily be manipulated to influence the outcome of an election. If the People allow this, America will become a dictatorship. Get involved in the campaign to guarantee our right to vote. Go to VerifiedVoting.org. Here's another link on this subject: LockBoxVoting.org. 14 Oct. 03 NRA wants Its Guns The NRA has posted a list of people and organizations that it considers enemies. You can now get on the list by signing up here: http://www.nrablacklist.com. Here's a good article about it, by Bob Herbert of The New York Times: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/101403B.shtml 13 Oct. 03 Rush's Folly Here's a great editorial about the Rush Limbaugh revelations of the last week, by Jonathan Alter: "Rush, To Judgment." http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/101303G.shtml 13 Oct. 03 Cannabis Ministry Get into the holy spirit at the Cannabis Ministry of Amsterdam: http://www.thc-ministry.net/ 13 Oct. 03 Schwarzenegger and Enron Ten days ago Greg Palast broke the news that Schwarzenegger met with Enron officials, including Ken Lay, to try to stop the lawsuit that then Secretary of State, Bustamente, had just filed against Enron and other Texas energy companies. The Enron minutes and emails are posted at ConsumerWatchdog.org. The election was six days ago. Four days ago at a press conference, reporters asked Schwarzenegger about the Enron meeting, but he said he could not remember any such meeting. The California Department of Justice has a copy of the Palast article and will review the materials before the election certification in November. 13 Oct. 03 Origin of the Name Schwarzenegger Just when things couldn't get any more apocalyptic, we heard from one of our relatives that "Schwarzenegger" translates: "The Black Plowman." Update on the meaning of Schwarzenegger. Another relative, who is a scholar of the German language, gave the following educated guess: "The -egg- suffix I think is either from a form meaning (farm) field, or else from a word meaning "corner", as in the corner of a forest or field or something. The -er I assume means someone from that place, like a highland-er. So his name might mean something like "a person from Blackfield" or "from Black-corner" or something like that. Or maybe it means something completely different. In any case, it's almost certainly an Austrian place-name." He added, "Your poor aunt [his sister] is mortified by the whole Arnold thing -- 'Oh you must think we're crazy out here!' Well, guess what, the sad thing is that political goofiness is everywhere in this country. California has no corner on that market!" 10 Oct. 03 California's New Governor Yes he groped Enron, yes he might be a Nazi womanizer, but he's also the governor-elect of California. Welcome to the dreamtime, where anything can (and will) happen. It's like my boss said to me the other day, "I woke up today and realized I'm a character in one of Schwarzenegger's movies now." A word to the other 49 states and the world: Just be glad he can't run for president. Oh wait a minute, they're already working on changing the law that a president must be born (not naturalized) an American. Logical explanations? Now that Bush has failed, perhaps angry voters are looking for a he-man leader to rescue them. Maybe it's some kind of karmic justice for the rest of us. We feared ending up in one of those futuristic movies and now - fiction has merged with reality - we are in the movie in a way that we never dreamed possible before. 03 Oct. 03 Schwarzenegger and Hitler Sure we've all heard the stereotypes about Austrians and their love for Hitler, but is it really true? Here's a quote from an ABC News story published today: "ABCNEWS obtained a copy of an unpublished book proposal with quotes from what was called a 'verbatim transcript' of an interview Schwarzenegger gave in 1975 while making the film Pumping Iron. "Asked who his heroes are, he is quoted as saying, 'I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for what he did with it.' "He is also quoted as saying he wished he could have an experience, 'like Hitler in the Nuremberg stadium. And have all those people scream at you and just being total agreement whatever you say.' " (Ed's note: George Butler, the author of the book proposal told some reporters that Aronold did not say that, and at different times excused it as something "out of context." Schwarzenegger's father was a Nazi, so this is not the first time Schwarzenegger has been accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. He denies it. See Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39198-2003Oct3.html) I vote in Arizona, but this Schwarzenegger thing is making me queazy. Fascists and Nazis are taking over our government. You can't call them "conservatives" because they are not interested in conserving anything. This is a call to the People. Are we awake or are we morons? To read the entire article, click here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/100403A.shtml To go to the Activist's Workshop, click here: workshop.html. 03 Oct. 03 Two Constitutional Amendments Please affirm the eventual passage of two new amendments to the Constitution: (1) Protection of the environment. No corporation or individual may harm the environment for the sake of earning money. America becomes a leader in environmental preservation and restoration, and in alternative energy technology. (2) Stop using radioactive substances for civilian or military purposes. An end to war. America builds a reputation as a peacemaker. No more imperialism. America acts as a fair and equal partner in the world community. Of course, passing these two amendments seems totally unrealistic, but someday - probably not in our lifetimes - it must happen for the sake of preserving life on Earth. 29 Sept. 03 Choose Heaven or Hell I've had my head in the clouds lately. Things seem bad for America, I tell myself, but maybe they've always been this bad and we're just starting to see it. I'm referring to the way America punishes other countries while our own corporations get away with financial and environmental crimes. I will attempt to put things in perspective from an Aquarian's point of view. In heaven (atheists read: metaphorical/archetypal images of what heaven represents), everything would be just, fair, and honorable. People would help each other and work in harmony under God's vision. Miracles would happen on a daily basis. You would be sure that the denizens got there on merit. Nobody would take pleasure in cheating others for ill-gotten gain; nobody would congratulate or cover up for other criminals. In hell (or the metaphor/archetype of hell) everybody would try to cheat; nobody would be genuine or helpful; things would go wrong all the time. People would live in suffering and shame. Demons would smash planes into buildings all the time and war would go on continually. Do we live in heaven? No, clearly. Do we live in hell? No. This is a middle planet where we experience a degree of both heaven and hell, plus periods of relative neutrality between the two opposites. Whether you believe in a literal heaven and hell, or just see them as archetypes of human experience, you can choose where to invest your heart. If you witness disturbing historical events as we have seen in the last couple years, you might look forward to a life of hell where the bad people get away with their crimes. Or, you could invest your thoughts in heaven, trusting that dishonesty will be revealed and justice done. Heaven is a place where there is no more karma - it has all been paid off. Even if you don't believe in an afterlife, you can raise your thoughts to the heavenly level in this life. Instead of becoming frustrated and angry about dishonesty in government, think about how people in heaven would see it. This raises you out of the fray. You might even start to feel compassion for people who are trapped in hellish thoughts. It's a free country and we still have the right to think enlightened thoughts. We do not have to be frightened and angry about world events. Ironically, the more calm and centered we can remain, the more power we have to change things for the better. 29 Sept. 03 Peace Demonstration in Hollywood The last weekend of September was dedicated to peace marches around the world. Yesterday several thousand people gathered at Hollywood and Vine, then marched about a mile down Sunset Boulevard, then held a rally on Hollywood and Highland. More photos coming soon. 19 Sept. 03 Republicans' Worst Nightmare What would be the worst case scenario for the Republicans? Perhaps a Dean-Kerry ticket? Maybe a Dean-Clark ticket? Not even. The worst nightmare I can think of for the Republican would be if Bush Knew. If Bush was complicit. That would be a hard one for most Republicans to swallow. The honest ones, anyway. 17 Sept. 03 Energy Independence The Apollo Alliance (apolloalliance.org) wants you to imagine: A foreign policy freed from our dependence on foreign oil. American industry at the cutting edge of energy efficiency and state of the art technology. Cities revitalized by high performance and efficient buildings. Mass transit, solar and wind power in abundance. If this sounds good to you, sign their petition: http://action.apolloalliance.org/petition/ 14 Sept. 03 Where Did This Come From? Believe it or not, I found this graphic at Democrats.com, a website that connects the "dot com democrats." It was with a petition to impeach Bush for the 9-11 cover-up. Click on the graphic to go to the petition. Read the comments other people have written. You'll see why I say that it's almost time for the truth to come out. Truth may be painful, but you can only live an authentic life if you choose to bear the truth. (for more about the 9-11 cover-up click here) 14 Sept. 03 Kerry + Dean? Dean + Kerry? A columnist at the Washington Post suggested that two Democrats team up before the primaries, because that would set them apart from the crowd. These two would be a good match, but who would be vice-president? They can work that out at the convention. If you like the idea, write them a letter. Click on the banner to access the candidates' email info. If you want to contribute or contact their campaigns, go to their websites: Dean's website click here; Dean's contact info. click here Kerry's website click here; Kerry's contact info. click here. 11 Sept. 03 Message of Peace for 9-11 Anniversary Following is an excerpt from the September 11th Families For Peaceful Tomorrows, issued on the second anniversary of 9-11. To read the entire statement, click here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/091103J.shtml "As grieving family members, we know that feelings of fear and anger are a natural part of the healing process. But we have learned that it is not healthy or constructive to act on these emotions. The government's response to 9/11 has kept us stuck in the fear and panic that we all shared from the shocking events of 9/11. Rather than basing our policies on fear and anger, we call upon the government to act in the best interest of the American public by rejoining the community of nations to work together constructively in solving the issues of worldwide terrorism and war." 10 Sept. 03 The Karma of Bashing a Bush Mark Ash just published an amazing editorial, a dramatic piece about the death of a soldier. Here are some excerpts where he outlines Bush's folly: "Destroying Iraq funneled billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars into the coffers of defense contractors . . . Now we have entered the 'reconstruction phase;' more billions paid to U.S. contractors with direct connections to the White House . . . The work done by this Administration represents the largest, most rapid transfer of public funds to private individuals in world history." People who get TruthOut.org mailings have probably already read the article, but if you don't get it, you can read it here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/091103A.shtml If you don't get TruthOut, sign up right away. Here at Pray for Peace central we're concerned about karma. I often write about karma and cults because of my ten years in a Hindu-like guru cult. I left the cult of my own free will after getting fed up with abuse of power and money (as well as other types of abuse). It was happening all over the place. Where ever there was money in that group, there was corruption. People embezzled money, spent lots of money, and lied with money. In one case a "guru" told the people at one of the temples in his zone that they would have to sell their property and give him the money. These people had worked hard to buy their little acre and fix it up as a place of worship for Krishna. Nevertheless, Mr. Guru was arrogant he had ample audacity to make such demands. Here's a more recent example, excerpted from an email I received yesterday from a friend who's still a member: "If the [Hare Krishna] Temple is broke . . . how can the gift shop make over $1,000,000 a year, the restaurant almost half of that AND S. taking a reported (there's a joke) $40,000+ a year salary, while paying no employees, no state taxes, no federal taxes, no unemployment taxes . . . the normal things every other business has to pay? "He drives a $40,000 car (with leather seats), I know of at least two people living in the ashrams that are paying "rent" through their government checks directly to him . . . "Please, please, nail these suckers to the wall once and for all, there has got to be a trail somewhere! "This group in power is MORE CORRUPT THAN THE LAST ADMINISTRATION OF "Ali-V." and his forty thieves! "I remain... Your Humble Servant, . . ." If you're feeling as bad about your federal government as my friend is about the goons in the cult, then I recommend you read my article comparing the Bush Administration to a cult. It could make you feel worse to know that you're being manipulated as though you'd shaved up and joined the temple, but on the other hand it might add clarity. http://surrealist.org/betrayalofthespirit/bush.html Regarding this thing about Bush, I think it would get me a lot more depressed except I've already been through it once. In the case of the Hare Krishnas, I have seen the abusers get their due, one by one over the last twenty years. I can tell you that karma is real. People who steal and abuse power get what they deserve. It takes a long time, but it catches up with them exactly when they least want it to. The only problem with retribution and wanting to see someone get their karma is that cult leaders, including Bush and his men, are part of the human race. Our same human race. If you believe we are all one spirit of humankind, then you have to accept that Bush is part of us - ugh - even though he's reeking with bad karma. Since he's part of humanity, it's one more good reason to say it like it is, as Mark Ash did in his editorial. Abusers deserve consequences. It won't benefit humankind to help Bush save face. It won't make him change and stop bombing people and stealing all the money. If we think turning away will make us "nice" "patriotic" people, that's denial. That's codependence. Through excusing Bush, we open up the doors for more abuse. I also tried protecting the "gurus" during my ten years in the temple, but just ended up regretting it because it made me feel guilty for the bad things they did. Abusers make you think you'll be punished if you speak out about their crimes. In the Kritter temple the gurus told us that "blasphemy" of them was a sin. In that way, they transfer their guilt to the followers and nobody challenges them. Pretty tricky. The same thing is happening in America where people are afraid of what might happen if they speak out about the foibles of the leaders. Of course, lots of people are brave. This is America. It's our right and our destiny to have free speech. They cannot take it away from us just by passing a law. We're Americans, we will not be raped by some "patriot" act. George Orwell, did you hear that one? Send help! Bush and his cronies might have all the power and money now, but those are just the things of the material world. They can't pay off the accumulation of karma (conscience) with their money. 10 Sept. 03 Ornery Thoughts for the 2nd 9-11 Anniversary Today and tomorrow I'll be working in the shop and undoubtedly our customers will be thinking about 9-11. I know I will, but I might not have anything comforting to say. Certainly we will never forget the terrible events of that day. Members of the media won't let us. It's bad enough having to open the L.A. Times and see a very large photo of a man falling head first from the Trade Towers - but to live with the memories - and the knowledge of what our country did to Afghanistan and Iraq in revenge, makes it even worse. Our "president" used the events of 9-11 to justify invading and destroying two sovereign countries. That makes me sad too. Our foreign policy has been ruthless, even worse than the terrorists. This is America. We're supposed to show compassion and help struggling nations, not blow them up. Besides, all the hijackers were Saudi, but our "president" didn't want to step on any Saudi toes (he likes their oil), so he picked the nearest scapegoats - Afghanistan and Iraq - to beat up instead. Maybe he even thought he could take over their oil supplies, who knows. It's been two years since 9-11 so we can start to see things in retrospect. Looking back today, I'm afraid of the USA; afraid of my country's love of war. Our leaders act like our bombs are vitamins that will help the world. The terrorists destroyed two of our buildings; the wars have probably destroyed more than 20,000 in just two years. I'm sad about 9-11, but even sadder about the wars that 9-11 was allegedly supposed to justify. Further, 9-11 did not have to happen. Maybe our "president" had the same attitude "Bring 'em on" before 9-11 and let the Saudi's carry out their plot. After all, as our "president" said in June 2002, "Lucky me! I hit the trifecta!" - meaning that he got a blank check to spend all the money in the surplus and Social Security funds, because he got the conditions he needed: recession, war, and national emergency. Now he just has to keep that fear alive so he can get the $87 billion he wants to carry on his war for an undisclosed length of time. Reflecting back on the events of 9-11 it's clear to me that we're the big loosers because we have a looser for a leader. It's our own fault, since 50 percent of people don't even vote. If you didn't vote in 2000, please help us out by voting next year. The bombing of Iraq was not "our" war, it was Bush's war. The karma is on Bush, not on the People. The People were out demonstrating, writing letters, and speaking out against war. Bush takes the blame for that mess. It's his folly and it will follow him throughout time. Eventually all this jingoistic nonsense will go away and Bush and his administration will be left facing their own crimes against humanity. Our country under Bush's state-sponsored terrorism and imperialism will live in infamy. Further, we better elect someone good next year or this could be the fall of an empire (our country). Please say something to cheer me up. Tomorrow is Sept. 11 and we're more hated and vulnerable than ever. 15 Aug. 03 Deregulation Blamed for East Coast Blackout If you're wondering why the power went out in Canada and the Northeast, read this article by Greg Palast. He makes an interesting case: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/081603B.shtml Here are a few more articles making the case against deregulation: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/081803J.shtml http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/081803D.shtml http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/082003E.shtml http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/082003I.shtml The best one yet: http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/082403I.shtml (read more at FreePress.org). We need distributed generation - solar, wind, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources. 05 Aug. 03 A Few Words in Favor of Diversity When I spend time in Los Angeles, I thank the Creator for diversity. Our city is a good home to people from all over the world. My part of L.A., at least, is a utopia of diversity. Over the last year I've met people from Russia, India, Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, Armenia, Rwanda, Iran, Bali, India, Japan, China, all points in Europe, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Korea - as well as people who were born and raised here, who have lived here most of their lives (like me). But anyone can be a native of L.A. after only five or ten years. Putting aside our bad reputation for air quality and shallowness, there's a lot of love in the neighborhoods and communities of L.A. In fact, this could be what heaven is like. Hindus believe that in the spiritual world of Krishna every person has different colorings. Krishna is blue, his brother Balarama is white, and each of their friends is another rainbow color. Living in a diverse culture makes me feel like I'm in Krishna's world, or at least part of a greater worldwide fellowship. I welcome diversity of race, religion, and creed as a sign that our culture will evenually find a peaceful end to the culture war. Here are some affirmations to bring peace, including affirmations for diversity. Lnk to our Affirmation Page. 05 Aug. 03 Bears Repeating In the Los Angeles Times May 11 letters to the editor, one reader points out that the full quotation is as follows: "My country, right or wrong. Support it when it is right, dissent when it is wrong." I became curious, so I looked it up on the Internet and found the following attributed to Carl Schurz (1829-1906): "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right!" (ref: http://sewaneetoday.sewanee.edu/alumnimagazine/articleoutput/8917.html) Now that you know more about the whole quote, do you agree that it's a moronic twisting of reality to use it to admonish people who dissent? (By the way, the article at Sewanee.edu is excellent.) Here's a similar quote by Mark Twain: "Loyalty to my country; always. Loyalty to my government; only when it deserves it." (Ed's note: Shurz was a contemporary of Mark Twain, so it's unclear who said it first.) index