New Material on OlyBlog

I have a few new posts on OlyBlog, some about nature, some messages to The White House, some about the peace vigil: olyblog.net/blog/berd —Berd

Who Rules the World

Social Cohesion and the Bohemian Grove, an interesting article by William Domhoff: I became interested in the Bohemian Grove a few years ago. I am not recalling what led to my initial interest. But since then I have actually traveled to the Grove, in April 2009 (photo below). Every year, there is an initiation ceremony at the beginning of the Summer Encampment at the Grove. It is called the Cremation of Care, and involves the ritual sacrifice of the effigy of a child, dubbed "Dull Care." There is rumor that real children, not effigies, have been sacrificed in this ceremony.

The Grove is interesting to me. How so many powerful men can meet in relative seclusion and secrecy, the rest of the world excluded from their minglings: it is astounding. I encourage you to look it up, and learn more.

The Domhoff article (Domhoff is a professor at UC Santa Cruz) is interesting for its information about the Bohemian Grove, as well as for its insights into the sociological aspects of the gathering.

One question I have is about the giant owl that presides over the Cremation of Care ceremony, and I want to know more about the idea that this owl is related to Moloch, an ancient Babylonian deity that required ritual human sacrifice.

Here's a link to the Domhoff article:
sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/bohemian_grove.html

Here's a photo of the main entrance to the Bohemian Grove:

Turn the Budget Around, re-post

olyblog.net/turn-budget-around-short-report

Full Moon at Boston Harbor, Monday 16 May 2011 & Peace Vigil Video

more photos from Monday 16 May 2011: here [http://olyblog.net/full-moon-rise]

And here's a video from last Friday at the Percival Landing peace vigil:

Peace Vigil at Percival Landing, Friday 13 May 2011

Military Submarines are Offensive!

Just a thought I had yesterday while participating with the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action Mother's Day vigil and traditional civil disobedience at the Naval Base Kitsap Bangor. NBK Bangor is homebase for about 8 Trident capable submarines. Trident is an ICBM system. Each submarine is capable of carrying 24 missiles. Each missile can be equipped with 8 nuclear warheads, with an effective range of about 4,000 miles. The explosive potential of the warheads is either 100 kilotons (W76), or 475 kilotons (W88), depending on which of two varieties the particular vehicle is equipped. By contrast, the bombs that exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki were about 15 and 21 kilotons.

According to scientists, these weapons are capable of striking virtually anywhere on the planet within about 15 or 30 minutes.

Submarines [military submarines] are an attack weapon. They are designed to lurk undetected near targets. They are designed to intimidate and instill fear. Putting nuclear weapons aboard submarines is just about offensive as it gets.

At the May 2011 protest, in opposition to the weapons, seven people entered the roadway in front of the main gate to the military base. They were cited with a traffic violation before being released on their own recognizance.

Let our hearts and our voices cry out: Trident must be abolished! Military spending must be redirected toward productive and peaceful purposes! End imperialism!

Below, I have posted some photos from yesterday's protest.

Berd

Going to Ground Zero

I am planning to go to the Bangor Naval Base Kitsap today. It is Mother's Day, and the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action has some good stuff going on to mark Mother's wish that their children not be sent to fight in wars.

Here are some words from a few days ago. I think it would be appropriate to share them at this time. Peace!

Saturday, 7 May, 2011
Olympia

I am opposed to all weapons of mass destruction, including all nuclear weapons: and especially as they exist in offensive capacity in the submarine launched Trident missile system.

Policies of economic supremacy are immoral and illegal.

The USA is well along on the way of the Imperial Project. Imperialism does not serve the best interests of anyone, including people from the USA.

Policies of economic and military superiority degrade humanity. These policies degrade and do harm to the well-being of all individuals, including supposed beneficiaries.

Robert Whitlock "Berd"

Truth and Justice

When the government cannot tell the truth, how can it serve justice?


www.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/world/guantanamo-files-detainees-lawyers-restricted-leaked-documents.html

Government (sort of) pretends that classified files have not been released by Wikileaks: according to one expert, the situation "looks ridiculous."

original size: farm6.static.flickr.com/5306/5662611301_4e65faa672_o.jpg

[a couple more recent NYT articles about this: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/nine-years-779-people-guantanamo-bay-and-the-implications-of-the-files/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/us/28gitmo.html]

R

Le Voyeur
one from the archives

New Material

It is Easter Sunday, and although I don't consider myself to be Christian, I do recognize Jesus as a pretty awesome human being! I was somewhat raised Catholic, so I understand some about the event. I think it is good to ask questions. For example, who was Jesus. What was the reason he was killed. How has his life and death been interpreted and used?

Anyway, happy Passover, and happy Easter, or whatever other you might celebrate at this time of year (like the start of the growing season, in the Northern hemisphere, the return of the Sun...)

I have posted new stuff on my other blogs, like a video about Artswalk and Procession of the Species 2011 on OlyBlog, here. Also I have new photos on Flickr, videos on YouTube, and other material on Facebook and Twitter.

If you are in Olympia, make sure to get to the Capitol Theatre this week for the Olympia Film Society showing of "I Am," a documentary film by director Tom Shadyac (director of Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty.) It is about human consciousness, social/political/economic evolution of consciousness. Trailer posted below.

Berd

Some Thoughts about Nuclear Weapons, Bullying, and Policy

I will not bully.

This photo is from the 3rd of March 2011. It was for an F.O.R. [http://forusa.org/] effort to post photos of people holding signs like this on a giant electronic billboard in (I think, though I am not sure) Manhattan, downtown NYC.

I was reminded of it because of I was arraigned on federal trespassing charges yesterday in Tacoma, WA. I and six others are accused of trespassing on the Naval Nuclear Weapons/Submarine Base Kitsap—Bangor, during a protest hosted by the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action [http://gzcenter.org/], on Martin Luther King day this year (15 January 2011.)

KOMO had a TV camera and reporter there, and also a journalist with the radio station.

During a pre-arraignment rally and vigil, I was able to speak in front of the TV camera for a little bit, and then reporter from the radio station did a short interview with me.

In front of the camera I echoed previous comments made by my fellow defendants, about being inspired by the actions of the Disarm Now Swords into Plowshares group [disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com].

I also mentioned being thankful for the hard work that the GZ Center does, and my reason for being there, which is to inspire increased awareness, and inspire people to ask whether we might be on the wrong track as far as these weapons are concerned—and if so, then how we might go about abolishing them as soon as possible!

I am glad the KOMO radio reporter also stopped me before entering the courthouse, because I was able to talk more about my reasons for being there. Which is where the bullying idea comes in. My opposition to nuclear weapons is not only based on their destructive potential (and illegality,) but because their existence is designed to support, enable, and further policies and practices of economic and political dominance.

So I ask why, when it is wrong for children to bully in kindergarten, is it considered normal or acceptable for grown-ups to bully in the marketplace or in the international political arena?

Just say no to bullying!

[also see "no more Hiroshimas or Nagasakis": www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1589328&l=9ad9eae545&id=1061322373]