God, Gold, War, Oil Pipelines, and Sarah Palin

These videos of Sarah Palin speaking in a church is a scary example of fundamentalist thought and ethos.

It reminds me of a recent post about Jeff Sharlet's book "The Family." The Family: Elite Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power.

People use the concept of a higher power, aka God, to assume their own power, or somehow justify their own power over others and over planetary resources.

I wonder if these supposed Christians understand the Golden Rule (ethic of reciprocity.) Because, I can't imagine anyone using petroleum like there is no tomorrow, without regard to the environmental and social (health, etc.) impacts - not to mention impact on future generations.

How are they so sure that Armageddon is near? Perhaps it is because theirs is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anyway. agh.

I am a spiritual person. I believe that all matter and all energy that exists is part of a great whole that can be understood as a higher power. I understand that everything is part of God. Life is given as a lesson - to learn and to evolve spiritually as individuals, but also as humans collectively. That's what I believe.

So I am saddened by this fundamentalist ethos of domination, of fear-based preaching about "end-times." I wonder if those who belong to these types of communities have a love-based reality or do they perceive the world from a reality that is fear-based? Do they like it, or do they feel trapped and too fearful to break out?

p.s. Maybe Palin just has "God" confused with "Gold."

Part one


Part two

Arlington Northwest 2008

Olympia, Washington

More information at OlyBlog: Arlington Northwest Iraq War Memorial 2008

Corporate Power: the Ethics of Social and Environmental Degradation

This is a work in progress. Here are few statements that I want to explore, and a few questions that I want to answer and work with in more depth.

1) Statement: Corporate Power - that power which is vested in the biggest and most massive (primarily) international corporations - is doing harm to humanity and to the planet (to animals, plants, rocks, landscapes, mountains, oceans, air, water, etc.).

2) Question: Is it unethical to reap financial profit, from those activities which do harm and cause degradation: whether to individuals, whole societies, or whole systems (eco-systems or planets)? An alternative question is to ask "what are the ethics involved in" the process of reaping financial reward from activities which do harm / cause degradation.

(Yes, moralizing can be difficult, but we have social values and morals and ethics for a reason - to provide for the well-being, and to protect, individual, society, and increasingly more so, the very planet itself.)

Taken to its extreme and ultimate final end product, social and environmental degradation could possibly result in a destroyed planet - i.e. planetary destruction. It's scary to think that humanity may be so advanced "techno'logically'" that it will even be able to escape such a destroyed planet - only to spread a culture of degradation and destruction into other worlds...

Nuclear Free Zone Olympia

I just published a letter that I sent to the City Council of Olympia Washington in regard to the Nuclear Free Zone Act of 2005: olyblog.net/what-nfza-means-me

America in Peril

I am concerned about the health of America. The economy is in turmoil. Corporate power is elevated to never before seen heights. There is a major push toward privatization and deregulation. It seems that many of the lessons learned after the market crash of October 1929 and the subsequent recession (dubbed the "Great Depression"), have gone unheeded by those who continue to push for unregulated free market economies. However, we have seen that in the absence of governmental oversight, market economies often times have negative and harmful consequences for the general public. It is essential that government manage the economy with an eye toward the public interest and the welfare of all.

This management must encompass taxation to guard against offshore tax havens, it must include regulation to protect against exploitation and inhumane work environments, as well as ethical business practices to guard against graft, extortion. Government must protect against the influence of special private interests. Government must serve the greater good, in the interests of sustainability, human rights, environmental protection and equitable and respectful relations amongst all.

The recent trend in American government toward increased representation of special, private interests particularly in the elite corporate sphere is troubling. Now that America is no longer tithed to the gold standard, it seems that market disaster may be avoidable - but harm to the public is already occurring.

What is scary is the media-ministration of pro-corporate-power-propaganda. This corporate power social privatization agenda is harmful, and truly dangerous to the future health and prosperity of America.

The Cold War Revitalized...

full spectrum dominance

Mount Rainier August 2008

Here are photos from an August 2008 trip to Mount Rainier. Here's the description as I posted it on Flickr:

Travel to Mount Rainier August 2008.

Ana and I entered through the Southeast Entrance and stayed overnight at the Ohanapecosh campground (so gorgeous).

The next day it was kind of rainy and stormy, so instead of hiking, we drove to the short trail to Silver Falls and then we entered the fee area and drove across the Southern road that transverses the park. We stopped at the Grove of the Patriarchs and then at Box Canyon (and a couple other scenic vistas) We had lunch at the National Park Inn at Longmire and headed for home.

It was a nice day and a half trip in the park.

Hope you enjoy the photos.

Here's a Flickr slideshow embed of the photoset:

Public Opinion Matters

In regard to the City of Olympia General Government Committee's decision to recommend repealing the Nuclear Free Zone Act:

Here's some of the text of a comment I just left at my City Council Member, Rhenda Iris Strub's blog:

You’re right. America is not a Democracy. It is a Republic. - However it is a democratic Republic. The opinion of the people matters. Public opinion is integral to the formation of the laws of government, and the ethics of society. No getting around that.

The opinion of the public matters. So, we must then ask, is the public opinion reasonable? Does it make sense? The argument in favor of the ordinance is a winning argument. What is the argument against the ordinance? It’s not strong enough? It is impractical? It’s ineffective.

Which leads me to my third point: The ordinance is effective. It is effective for me. It makes me feel good. I am proud of my City and my Community because of this, and similar, ordinance.

So, please. Don’t take it away. I hope the other City Council Members read this too, because the same applies to them.

Public opinion matters. The opinion of the public in favor of the ordinance (and in favor of strengthening it) is reasonable - it makes sense. And the ordinance IS effective.

Sincerely,

Bert

Here's a link to the post: Disrespectful and Duplicitous [url: http://rhenda.com/?p=30]

And a direct link to my comment: Defending the Nuclear Free Zone [url: http://rhenda.com/?p=30#comment-25]

Words

Some words. You can consider it a poem if you would like to... Word - Word them up:

calm

joyful

peaceful

resolute

dignified

It's a work in progress. But I just wanted to get it down. To be utterly revealing, the topic is branding for the movement for peace and justice and nonviolence (and resistance to: the corruption and tyrannies of power, and the (destructiveness to the planet, to ecosystems, to societies and individuals - of the) violent corporatist crusade for dominance.) It is to establish a mental banner, a frame of sorts, for those who are engaged in the struggle. I am struggling to create a better world, a sane and sustainable society that respects and serves humanity, all life, and the Earth.

please join me

[Of course, the movement would need to consent to such a (mental - or spiritual) banner...]
updated 14:17 Saturday, August 30th, 2008

Blackhawk Over Olympia

A blackhawk helicopter flies noisily over Olympia. This one, or another or others like it, were out and about a lot yesterday. Well what do I have to say about it?

Stop the War!


...

The war was unnecessary. It never needed to happen. Iraq didn't pose a threat. The government and military of the USA have been hi-jacked by zealots.

Read more from Liet. Gen. Greg Newbold: Why Iraq was a Mistake