Tear Down This Wall!

Part One:
I saw a film today, END:CIV by Franklin Lopez. It talks about some of Derrick Jensen's ideas.

One part of the film mentioned the definition of fascism as the merger of state and corporate power.

What a relevant message in today's U.S.A., where state and corporate power have merged to a remarkably extreme degree.

Here's what I think: I think the wall of fascism, the merger of state and corporate power, ought to be torn down. That would be good for people and planet.

People and planet deserve to be liberated from policies and practices of dominance and conquest. Conquest of human populations and planetary minerals for profit does not serve life.

We need policies that reflect the best nature of humanity, the nature of lovingkindness, tolerance, and respect for life.

No war! No corporatism!

Yes to stability. Yes to sustainable life-serving society.

Part Two:

Practice democracy: abolish the C.I.A..

This is from the weekly Friday evening peace vigil at Percival Landing in Olympia, Washington.

Happy Valentines Day

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Help us love even those who hate us; so we can change the world. - Cesar Chavez

Love is the Way

Help us to love even those who hate us - so we can change the world.
Cesar Chavez

Love Can Drive Out Hate

This is a re-post:

better seen large: www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitlock/3518849249/sizes/l/

"The ultimate weakness of violence
is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.

Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.

Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.

In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes.

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
— MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

http://inthecourseofevents.blogspot.com/2009/05/love-can-drive-out-hate-martin-luter.html

Bohemian Grove Summer Encampment with the Cremation of "Dull Care"

Every Summer, about 2,500 of some of the world's richest and most powerful men gather at the Bohemian Grove. During the encampment's opening ceremony, a ritual sacrifice is performed. It's called the "Cremation of Care." In the initiation, the effigy of a human child named "Dull Care" is ritually sacrificed, and then cremated.

Rumors abound that in times past the ritual involved the sacrifice of a real actual living human child. I don't know if that's true or not. But whether or not that's actually the case, this ceremony is disturbing on many different levels. Two ways in which it is disturbing are: one, the basic idea of human sacrifice, and two, the notion of wanting to do away with care (via cremation.)

Ritual human sacrifice, and cremating care - that is the effigy of a child named "Dull Care": this seems strange to me. What's behind it? - I wonder.

Personally, I think it is wrong. The idea of some of the world's most powerful men gathering, performing ritual human sacrifice, and celebrating the concept of doing away with care: it's just wrong.

Care is a virtue. Care is a form of love - not something to be lightly or gaily discarded. Children are not to be sacrificed. They are to be protected, to be cared for, to be treated with love, understanding, respect, and kindness - to be taught about the magic of life, and the deep and sacred majesty of the planet, and their fellow humankind.

So Please - Don't sacrifice people (even for pretend.) And don't cremate care!

Six Principles of Nonviolence from MLK

Here are six principles of nonviolence, as espoused by the great Martin Luther King Jr.. I found these principles on the New Mexico Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission website via a link from the National Fellowship of Reconciliation Blog, forpeace.net. :

SIX PRINCIPLES OF NONVIOLENCE

PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

It is active nonviolent resistance to evil.
It is aggressive spirituality, mentally, and emotionally.
It is always persuading the opponent of the righteousness of your cause.
It is only passive in it’s non-aggression towards its enemy.

PRINCIPLE TWO: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.

The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation.
The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.

PRINCIPLE THREE: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.

Nonviolence recognized that evil doers are also victims, and are not evil people.
The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil, not people.

PRINCIPLE FOUR: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.

Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation.
Nonviolence accepts violence if necessary, but will never inflict it.
Nonviolence willingly accepts the consequences of its acts.
Unearned suffering is redemptive, and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.
Suffering has the power to convert the enemy when reason fails.

PRINCIPLE FIVE: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.

Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit, as well as of the body.
Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish and creative.
Nonviolent love gives willingly, knowing that the return might be hostility.
Nonviolent love is active, not passive.
Nonviolent love is un-ending in its ability to forgive - in order to restore community.
Nonviolent love does not sink to the level of the hater.
Love for the enemy is how we demonstrate love for ourselves.
Love restores community and resists injustice.
Nonviolence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated.

PRINCIPLE SIX: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.

The Nonviolent resister had deep faith that justice will eventually win.
Nonviolence believes that God is a God of justice.

link to original: http://www.nmmlksc.com/sixprinciples.html

The one part of this that jumps out at me is the use of the word 'aggressive' in the first principle. I would prefer using the word assertive. Nonviolence is having an assertive spirituality, emotionality, and mentality.

Love Can Drive Out Hate | Martin Luther King Jr.

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.

Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.

Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.

In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

- MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, pp. 62–63 (1967).


see larger: Love Can Drive Out Hate

Law and Morality, Truth, Love, Peace and Justice

Yesterday at a peace vigil, which I regularly participate in, I was holding a sign that reads, The War is Illegal. I believe that it is true that the war is illegal, because if President Bush did as we can rightly assume he did, based on obvious evidence that exists in the public realm, to intentionally - knowingly and deliberately - mislead Americans about the nature of a threat from Iraq, then he broke the law - egregiously and grievously. Thousands of people have died and suffer as a result.

The war is illegal because members of the Bush Administration took the USA to war based on fraudulent representation of a threat posed by Iraq. They took us to war on a lie. Thousands of soldiers have been killed and many thousands more now suffer grievous injury to mind and body. The situation of the people of Iraq is even worse.

Laws are based on morality. The search for a moral, ethical and benign society is what (supposedly and ideally) dictates the formation of law. Furthermore, Morals are based in essential principles like Love, Truth, Peace and Justice.

So, while holding my sign, which read the war is illegal, I did my best to feel Love toward my fellow human beings. I liked the effects. People seemed to respond and really take notice and appreciate me and the sign I was holding. You might try something similar in your life. Try to feel Love (platonic is usually the preferred sort) toward your fellow human beings - in all of your interactions. Maybe treat it like an experiment. See if you get along better while maintaining a feeling of Love toward others.

Lily in Sunlight

A beautiful flower. Dedicated to the ones I love:

Peace to be Attained through Understanding

...and Love. Whatever happened by the way?



Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson