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). 31 March 04 Haiti Situation Explained This month started out with the news that John-Bertrand Aristide claimed he was kidnapped (see March 1 below). Now, full-circle at the end of the month, here are a few statements by Jesse Jackson that sum up the situation and give an overall assessment of the situation: "Both the [Bush] administration and Aristide agree that the Haitian opposition, mostly of the elite, loathed Aristide and feared the poor that he represented. Both agree that the rebels were composed of former remnants of the deposed dictatorship . . . Both agree that the Haitian police were outgunned . . . Both the administration and Aristide agree that as the rebels began shooting police, terrorizing cities and 'taking them over,' Aristide sought U.S. assistance. Both agree that the U.S. refused to offer assistance . . . Both the administration and Aristide agree that Bush representatives demanded that Aristide accept an agreement that would make him essentially a figurehead . . . Both the administration and Aristide agree that the opposition refused to accept any agreement that kept Aristide in office. Bot agree that the administration did nothing to force the opposition to sign, and refuse to provide protection for Aristide . . . Both the administration and Aristide agree that the Bush administration pressured Aristide to resign and leave the country. Both agree that Aristide was told the administration would not protect him or his family unless he agreed to resign and leave. Both agreed that armed Marines escorted Aristide to the airport. Both agree that the plane took off with Aristide's having no idea where it would land. "Nothing more is needed to establish that the Bush Administration was directly implicated in a coup d'etat of the elected government of Haiti. The only disagreement is in the details. Here questions remain: "Was the CIA, which had long times to the leaders of the rebels, aware of the planned rebellion before it was launched? Did it assist or 'nod' to the rebels we asked? Did it know of the flow of arms to the rebels? If it knew, did it do anything to intercept or impede that flow, or to warn the Haitian government or the regional allies? Were the neoconservatives in charge of the State Department's Latin American affairs - cold warriors who despised Aristide from the beginning - conspiring with the rebels, or the remnants of the former army, or the opposition to bring Aristide down?" 30 March 04 Clarke Leans Left; Benefits Right When Richard Clarke testified before the 9-11 commission he said the Bushies failed to act on certain intelligence warnings. So far so good. But then he had to add that Bush started an unnecessary war (Iraq) that has detracted from the war on terror. The commission really didn't need his opinion on this. Everybody's got an asshole, too, but the commission doesn't need to hear about it. The commission is not concerned with Iraq. Period. There's one problem with sharing irrelevant opinions in mixed company - and a 5 to 5 panel of Dems and Reps is about as mixed as it can get! Loaded statements have the potential to split people's emotions. The hard sell creates a general "uncomfortable" feeling. Instead of focusing on the issues at hand, there is the danger that the commission could break down into partisan bickering. If that happens, then the five Republicans will feel obligated as a matter of honor and duty to defend their president, even if Bush pushed the button to ignite 9-11 himself. In other words, we're trying to investigate the worst crime in the history of the world and now Clarke has people bickering about him, instead of the real issues. The right wing nuts on TV have used this controversy to their advantage. Now rank and file republicans see Bushy bushy bushy as the trod-upon underdog in all this. Sob. There are other things about Clarke that blot his record in our view. First of all, he's a big proponent of pre-emptive war. Did you hear him whine about why they could not assassinate Osama in the 1990s? And, further, Clarke believes Bush is innocent of any complicity in the 9-11 plot. He's alleging incompetence, not complicity. Other 9-11 news: Here are some positive thinking banners for 9-11 fresh off the press. Please take one and link to our 9-11 Truth link collection at http://surrealist.org/prayforpeace/9-11truth.html 29 March 04 Sierra Club Recommendations If you are voting in the Sierra Club board of directors election, you should have your ballot now or in a couple of days. Help the Sierra Club avoid a hostile take over of its board of directors. Here is a list of candidates who will defend and honor the Sierra Club's mission. Vote for all five: LISA RENSTROM, leader of the Harvard project to strengthen the Sierra Club's groups and chapters, former Director, former Foundation Trustee, and former Chair of the Sierra Club's fundraising efforts. DAVID KARPF, Recent Director of Sierra Student Coalition, and Chair of the Sierra Club's Training and national EPEC field programs. NICK AUMEN, Everglades restoration scientist and former Sierra Club Treasurer and Vice President for Conservation. SANJAY RANCHOD, delegate to the U.N. Kyoto global warming negotiations and Chair of the Sierra Club's Sustainable Planet Strategy Team. JAN O'CONNELL, Sierra Club Treasurer, former Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness, fundraiser in the Sierra Club's beat-Bush effort. MoveOn endorses these candidates and published this statement from the Sierra Club: "Nick, Dave, Jan, Sanjay, and Lisa have brought experience and dedicated leadership to the Sierra Club. They have led our conservation priority campaigns, the Sierra Club's EPEC program, help strengthen the Sierra Club's financial health, run the Sierra Student Coalition, and represented the Sierra Club at UN conferences on the Kyoto accord on global warming. (For information on these candidates, go to our website, http://www.groundswellsierra.org 28 March 04 New Link Page With the Internet, people are no longer dependent on the television for news. Click here for links to progressive media. If you want to add a site, click here for contact info. 27 March 04 9-11 Commission Brings Facts Out in the Open Now that the cat's paw is out of the bag thanks to the diligent work of the commission, another paw and perhaps a beady eye or two is about to follow. The Bush Administration knew about 9-11. They knew everything. They thought they got away with it, but now it's just a matter of time until they are exposed. Sit back and relax, fellow space travelers, you're about to see the most amazing show of this lifetime. Hold onto your best friend's hand and pretend you're at Universal Studios or Disneyland. You'll have plenty of time to think about everything once it's over. 25 March 04 9-11 Hearing Whitewash So Far People want the truth about 9-11, but the first two days of hearings only offered a little bit of honest information. The questions were tame and the performance consisted of finger-pointing (Dems to Reps, Reps to Dems) and denial. The commission failed to ask any hard questions. Richard Clark offered an apology to the families, but now the Republicans are trying to take it back. They act as though they have no remorse or compassion for the victims. The commission asked Richard Clark why the relatives of Bin Laden were allowed to leave the country before Sept. 16, before any other planes were allowed to fly. It turns out Richard Clark knew about it, but said he trusted the FBI's (or White House's) decision that the Bin Ladens weren't needed for questioning. He said he didn't know who gave the authorization. So, nothing was resolved. However, Richard Clark said, "Your government failed you." That is correct. To read about the real issues people care about, go to one of these links: 9-11 Truth (at this site); 911Visibility.org; or click here to read 9-11 families' questions for President Bush. Trust Central Casting For some reason "Central Casting" has sent Donald Rumsfeld to act as Secretary of Defense. We don't understand why a joker like this got this position of grave responsibility, but there must be some reason. Here Rumsfeld is seen walking around outside the Pentagon on the morning of 9-11. You can see the little hole that the big jetliner left in the building (that's another mystery). Overlaid is an actual quote by Rumsfeld. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image. To see some of my other artwork, click here. 22 March 04 One Million Plus Mark Anniversary of Iraq War More than a million people in sixty countries around the world rallied to protest the war in Iraq, which just passed the one year mark. Some media refused to cover the marches, such as The New York Times and L.A. Times, except for maybe a story buried somewhere at the back of the front section. Nevertheless, the marches were successful and peaceful. . . . for the most part. Here in Hollywood, there was some trouble. On the local news Saturday night they showed footage of peace demonstrators clashing with pro-Bush demonstrators. The image was of two groups of young people yelling at each other. They looked like exact mirror images of each other, but dressed in different t-shirts. It was a cosmic image that explains to me why the voters are split exactly 50 - 50, or to be precise 48 - 48, or 48 - 43 - 5, if you count Ralph Nader. The strong (and long standing) duality suggests that we are living in some sort of "mirror land." In other words, "those people" on the other side are just like us, only opposite. In essence, we are fighting against ourselves. Worlds on each side of the mirror are fighting for supremacy. What to do? We must find a way to reach into the mirror and pull our reflection into the same world as us. That is an archetype of reintegration, accepting the shadow, and developing compassion for others like the Buddha had. If you want another metaphor, take the Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a story about the crew of the Black Pearl who were cursed to remain embodied and never die. They could only find peaceful rest if they could collect all the medallions worn by everyone in the crew at the time of the curse and bring them all back together in once place. The plot revolves around finding that one last medallion. At the end of the Oscar-nominated movie they finally collect all the medallions and the spell is broken. The story offers a clue about how we can resolve the human condition. We're traveling with all the souls on earth, and collecting the medallions is a metaphor for recognizing the worth of every soul. Saints of various religions know this truth. The Bodhi Sattvas of ancient Eastern religions vow to come back to help the wretched rejected souls of this world until every soul is delivered. Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross so that the entire human race could be saved. War criminals and bad leaders will have to atone for their crimes, but try to see beyond the poor choices they have made and the suffering they have caused. Even the worst president, terrorist, crook, and con artist has a soul. When you talk to people who disagree with you, remember that they are a precious soul, whose ultimate enlightenment is in your interest. If you want to promote peace, you have to live in peace yourself. Tell yourself this if you start to become angry at a friend, a colleague, a landlord, a parent, or a stranger: "It's a free country. People are allowed to support ushy gooshy Bushy if they want. I let go of my need to control what they think because I want to live in a world where I am free to believe as I want." I'm probably just as hypocritical as anybody when it comes to controlling my temper even though I say I'm a peace person. He he, I apologize to anyone who has had to argue or defend themselves from me. For example, after leaving the Hare Krishna movement in 1989, i felt extremely betrayed and resentful toward the men who illegally took over their guru's legacy and turned it into something like a criminal organization. Over the years i worked out my anger by writing Betrayal of the Spirit and seeing its publication. I'm a lot less angry now than I was fifteen years ago, but I can still get mean when i talk to a Hare Krishna person that I perceive as promoting the party line of the criminal Krishies. But I've had to get over it. When you live in a house of mirrors, you may think you're striking out against evil, but the anger is inside you. When you strike out at a perceive evil, you are making thing worse for yourself too. Violence cannot bring peace, only peace can bring peace. You can't beat someone over the head with your peace protest sign, so think of more meaningful and compassionate ways to share your opinion. Maybe that way we can have some movement away from the 48 - 48 split we are now experiencing. 22 March 04 Americans Must Embrace Risk Here at Pray for Peace News headquarters, we nearly jumped out of our britches Sunday morning when we read Fenton Johnson's editorial in the L.A. Times Opinion section. Johnson is the author of "Keeping Faith: A Skeptic's Journey" (click here to see it at Amazon) and his article as called: "In Fearful Times, We Must Embrace Risk." Reflecting on the increased perception of risk since 9-11, Johnson said that risk is the nature of reality. He said we can take all the necessary precautions to prevent terrorism, but "at some point, we must declare to ourselves that we prefer risk over fear, life with liberty and faith in each other over more government intervention." He congratulates himself for trusting life when he says, "I revel in my freedom. I take pleasure in the knowledge that I have put humanity to the test and once again we have come through with flying colors. I am cheered by the thought of chipping away at the paranoia that is our current national pastime and the rallying cry of our current administration." You may say Johnson is too optimistic, naive, or whatever, or you could say he's a thoughtful man who has looked at the risk and decided he can handle it with courage. When I hear about the TSA padding down a seventy-five year old grandmother, I think, "COME ON! Someday we have to go back to the honor system." The fear has turned neighbor against neighbor, and people are thinking that "anybody" could be a terrorist. We absolutely have to find a new way to deal with risk. Here at Pray for Peace, we have posted our peace plan for the war on terror (click here to read). The main points are: 1. Switch over to the renewable energy paradigm 2. Out the Underground Economy 3. Achieve Transparency in Government and Business 4. Reduce Poverty and Alienation The last item is a challenge to every individual, not just society's leaders. You can make friends and spread hope sitting right at your computer. You can meet people from any country in the world, practically, and tell the person that you are in solidarity for peace. Johnson said, "I try to act with both prudence and courage, but forced to choose, I'll take the latter." He is seeing things our way! At last! Someone sees an alternative to the wall of paranoia America has put up since 9-11. Johnson criticized the tendency to "expand police power" and praised the ability to "live with the risk, however small, [and] the opportunity to test our wits in the game of life." So next time you're standing in the airport watching someone rifle through your suitcase or hassle a little old lady, just tell yourself that someday things will go back to normal. People will learn to trust their brains instead of their fists, and we can finally get out of this perpetual war - perpetual paranoia - paradigm. 16 March 04 Abrupt Climate Change If somebody like Walter Cronkite says something, we have to listen. We owe him a lot, in terms of respect and gratitude for being who he is. In this article, printed yesterday in the Philadelphia Enquirer, Cronkite asks the presidential candidates to "Make Global Warming an Issue." Read this chilling article now: http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031704G.shtml. 16 March 04 Ides of March Blowback Last year on March 15 - that dangerous day for all politicians - Bush was meeting with Spanish P.M. Aznar in a "last chance war summit" in the Azores. It was not really a "last chance" for peace, since the Bush administration had already decided to go to war and P.M. Aznor was supporting it all along. If you don't think the Ides of March has some prophetic quality, then look at what happened to Aznar exactly one year later. By March 15, 2004, he was booted out of office. See: http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031604B.shtml 13 March 04 Rumsfeld's Shard Apparently Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is showing off his "shard" of the jetliner that hit the Pentagon. Since there are no photos of a plane hitting the building, no airplane debris were found at the site, and the hole in the Pentagon is too small for a jetliner to enter, this is an astounding revelation. To read the article, go here: Rumsfeld Has Sept. 11 Souvenir Debris, by John Solomon, Associated Press, March 13. To see photos of the Pentagon on the day of the attack and read conspiracy theories about what may have transpired there that day, go here: 9-11 Truth. 06 March 04 Gratitude The truth endures, even if dishonest people try to deny it. For example, on Feb. 16, less than a month ago, Archbishop Desmond Tutu asked Tony Blair and George W. Bush to apologize for their immoral war in Iraq. You can read more about it at Truthout or any news source: "Apologize for immoral war." It's not that I expected Blair and Bush to apologize, because it's clear they're far too arrogant for that. However, I believe they should apologize and I'm grateful that somebody with some power to challenge them asked them to apologize. It all makes sense. I hope it makes them see what demagogues they are. Here's another example of something righteous. Terry Waite, the man who was held as a political hostage in Lebanon from January 1987 until November 1991, has spoken out against Bush. Terry Waite works with a group called Guantanamo Human Rights Commission to seek justice for the 650 people that Bush is holding in Cuba in his so-called war on terror. "I was blindfolded, shackled, kept in solitary confinement and interrogated," Waite said, adding that it "should not be happening in a civilized nation." You can read the article here: Terry Waite. Bush and his people can lie all they want, but the truth has a way of getting out. The Iraq war was immoral - even the Pope told Bush that before it was too late. Holding people without due process is immoral and he can't get away with it forever. Bush is finally making people so uncomfortable that they're speaking out about it. In this week's edition of Newsday magazine, columnist Jimmy Breslin said, "In his first campaign commercial, George Bush reached down and molested the dead." The fire fighters and the families of 9-11 had similar harsh words. Here's the article by Jimmy Breslin: Newsday. 05 March 04 Outspoken Neighbor Most of the year I live in a colorful older neighborhood of L.A. with a multi-racial, multi-cultural population. There are many artists, writers, actors, and musicians in the mix. It's a comfortable urban area that shows what's good about America. It's common to see a "war is not the answer" bumper sticker or a sign planted in someone's yard calling for peace. We have a radical left-wing radio station that everyone loves to hate, but CNN and others call the KPFK newsroom for tips and information. There are millions of things that make this a great city. A few nights ago while taking a walk I found this editorial pinned to a newspaper stand as a flyer. Apparently one of the neighbors printed them up after having his letter to the editor published in the Daily News. It's one man's opinion of G.W. Bush. From the streets of the city to you via the Internet [excerpt]: "Peace is Life, by Franco Massimo: One day leaders will learn that death brings death and life brings life. One day leaders will learn that communication and words are more powerful than war, terrorism, violence, destruction, and death. One day leaders will learn that peace is life and violence is violence. If Dean or Gore were president today, over 500 U.S. soldiers would be alive instead of dead. Who knows how many Iraqis and Afghanistans would be alive instead of being bombed out of existence If there was no oil in Iraq, our troops would not be there. Bush lied to the American people and to Congress. He knew there were no weapons of mass destruction. How can any Christian vote for Bush? Peace is life." I have never met my neighbor Franco and don't know who he is, but I agree with him. Words are the most powerful thing, even more powerful than money. Further, the existence of the Internet has been the main force driving the new peace movement. Communication is speeded up, allowing us to transfer information, opinions, and ideas light years faster than when we had to rely on the telephone and USPS. This must make the dishonest leaders nervous. Maybe the Internet age will be the thing that finally allows us to turn that bend to demand honesty from our leaders. When Nixon resigned we thought it was all over, but they just got more sneaky. Now we're onto them and the word is spreading. In other words, "Gee, you mean our leaders have bad secrets and keep things from us? Yes and here's what they do specifically . . ." The TV news may not report it, but that can no longer stop the information from getting out. Some neighbors and I were just talking about how much subterfuge the Bush administration puts out. You never know if they're lying to you or not. Like, are there WMDs or not? What was up with Bush and his people on the morning of 9-11? You would never think of questioning it unless you heard so much about it through the computer. Who outted Valerie Plume and why? I thought they wanted more intelligence. Why do they need to frisk grannies at the airports and tap ordinary citizens' email? Are they really harassing peaceful anti-war groups? Is this still a democracy? Are they plotting to hack the vote? Are they just waiting for the right moment to drag Osama bin Laden out for his perp walk? We don't know. Is this like being a pawn in the Hare Krishna movement? Yes exactly. I've said this before, i would be a lot more scared, but I've already been down this road before. I've seen this movie. In the end all the bad people get what they deserve. The only problem is that until that happens you get manipulated and abused. Ha ha: joke's on us! The fact is, the main issue at stake in this year's presidential election is eternal war for diminishing resources vs. a faint glimmer of hope that we can do better than that. So fight on, don't give up. Talk to people in person in your immediate surroundings or talk to people in the chat rooms, mail servers, and bulletin boards. Tell them there's still hope. Encourage them to vote, don't turn cynical and jaded. Wake people up! As long a there's a light to follow, we owe it to future generations to give it a try. 05 March 04 Incredible String Band If you were around in the good old days, you probably recognize this album cover: It first came out in 1970 at a time very much like the times we're living in now. In fact, I don't think society has progressed at all since 1970. We have been stuck in a time warp for thirty four years. If you had this music back then, buy it now and listen to it. I just listened to it and it brought back intense memories and feelings. Music has a way of doing that. Click on the album cover to read more about it at Amazon. 02 March 04 California Props. 57 & 58 Well, with ten percent of the election results in at about 9 p.m., we can already safely say that Schwarzenegger's Props. 57 and 58 will pass. Although California is poised borrow $15 billion to cover past debts, there's also 2004-05 to worry about. The state will rack up another $15 billion in debt this year unless something changes. The way it stands, the proposed budget asks people to give up health care for children, forget about making needed repairs and additions to public schools, and raise tuition for young people to attend college. State Treasurer Phil Angelides says that's not fair, asking poor families and young people to bear the entire burden. He has some good advice and ideas on how to spread the sacrifices out more fairly. See: StandUpforCalifornia.com for something completely different. 02 March 04 Assure Voter Confidence The threat of manipulating electronic voting is real, so Congressman Rush Holt of New Jersey has proposed The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 (H.R. 2239). You can read more about it on his site: http://holt.house.gov/display2.cfm?id=6282&type=Home If you are concerned about voting, urge your representative to support H.R. 2239. You can reach your representative at (800) 839-5276. Find out his or her name first, because that will save time. To find your representative's name on-line: Look up ZIP + 4 Look up rep's name using ZIP + 4 02 March 04 Way of the Woodchuck Ever get the feeling that you've been here, done this before? The Dec. 8, 2003 issue of The New Yorker carried this interesting blurb on its movie page: "THE WAY OF THE WOODCHUCK The 1993 comedy 'Groundhog Day' may seem like an odd choice to open MOMA's film series 'The Hidden God: Film and Faith,' but the movie, which stars Bill Murray as an arrogant weatherman who magically repeats the same day thousands of times before selflessly doing good, has apparently been embraced by Hasidic Jews, Jesuits, and Buddhists as an expression of their beliefs." Even before The New Yorker printed this article, I had thought about the movie as an accurate representation of my beliefs on reincarnation. My birthday falls on Groundhog's Day so I've always identified with the prognosticating critters. In life, like in the movie, some unexplained cosmic force gets us to endlessly replay the drama of our lives until we get it right. If you wonder about these things, then rent Groundhog Day and watch it. Someone asked me recently, "What good is it to suffer karma if we don't know why we have the karma, due to forgetting past lives?" The answer is that after suffering endless and repeated karma, an individual may eventually come to the point of taking responsibility. Instead of believing that things happen "to you," you can realize that there's a reason things happen. If a soul gets to that realization, the rest is easy. Even our political problems are our own responsibility. Instead of acting like we are powerless victims, we can take an active role in managing our leadership. We must band together to make things better. We can do this with or without the government, but part of our progressive movement should include making the political leaders more accountable. Follow the Way of the Woodchuck and stop blaming everything on somebody else. 01 March 04 What the Hell's Going on in Haiti? Was Jean-Bertrand Aristide kidnapped, did he resign, did he flee? Was it a U.S. coup d'etat? The media says he resigned, but he says he was kidnapped? L.A. ANSWER says: "Whether President Aristide was actually kidnapped by U.S. forces, as some sources have reported, or was just presented with 'an offer he couldn't refuse,' there is no question that Washington played the decisive role in this regime change. The coup in Haiti is reminiscent of similar deadly CIA operations in Iran, Guatemala, the Congo, Chile and numerous other countries in the last half-century." Here are two articles on this that came out today: William Rivers Pitt | Aristide Kidnapped by U.S. Forces? http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/030204A.shtml and President Aristide: 'I Was Kidnapped' http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/030204B.shtml Ed's note: This story appeared in the top right corner of the front page of today's L.A. Times (02 March 04): "Aristide Says U.S. Forced Him to Leave: The Bush administration denies charges by the exiled Haitian president that he was a victim of a 'modern kidnapping.' Some at the U.N. are uneasy," by Paul Richter and Maggie Farley. Latest news on this controversy: Aristide Leaves Exile for Jamaica index