FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY
From pre-history to the present time, we humans have always had to deal with groups or individuals seeking power and control over the rest of us. We must continually learn and relearn that we are being manipulated in that process and continually gather our courage to assert our freedoms and dignity. Current controlling groups such as the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderbergs, and the Committee of 300, all with interlocking members, aim to subdue and control most of the population of the earth through poor food, poor illness care, poor education, disastrous financial manipulations, dangerous and unhealthy energy extraction and use.
I have been thinking long and hard about how to help our country and I have a suggestion which I think could be a powerful antidote to these activities.
I believe that if only 100 wise and compassionate people would come together with the aim to counteract our oppressors, a way could be found to substitute life affirming goals in place of the deadly goals of the controllers eager for power and profit. The first job is to awaken people to the fact of the many ways that we, and our spirits, are being oppressed and destroyed as we live with the myth of the US as leader of the free world. This is not our myth; it is a ruse of those who desire to keep us distracted, and it has to be replaced by a more gracious and humble image. I think we absolutely have to reconsider the theme that we are the best and know what is best for the rest of the world. Do the French continually hear that they are the best? Do the Italians always hear that they are the greatest? The English? Russians? Iranians? I think not.
My idea is that the committee of 100 will devise means for waking people up, brainstorming some good methods to counteract all the lies and outright fabrications we are bombarded with... and then the next step I think is some organization. Right now, according to Paul Hawkens, it would take 2 months for the average person to read thru the list of names of all the organizations that are working for a better world. These groups are all doing good work, but almost in isolation. We need a common theme to pull everyone together. These many groups are a rich source of dispersal of that theme, once it is conceived. But now each one and each of us is like a voice crying in the wilderness. The American people are slow to wake up .. partly they still buy the theme that everything will be all right eventually .. just give it time.
I would not be surprised if we need a third party as the organizational focus. We may need a constitutional amendment that allows for percentage representation of all parties receiving a certain percentage of the vote. Then a third party vote would be consequential.
For our committee of 100, or 200 or 300, I am presumptuous enough to make a few suggestions, and I'm sure many more can be found and recruited. My suggestions include Rabbi Michael Lerner, co-founder of the Network of Spiritual Progressives, who stresses generosity and trust in all we do, Bernie Saunders, Senator from VT and Dennis Kucinich, Congressman from OH, who are capable of thinking outside the box. These 3 are nationally known and already working hard to promote change and to move from greed to generosity. In addition I would suggest Susan Davis, founder and president of Capital Missions, who has for 20 years been helping groups to manifest their desires based on trust and generosity. These 4 are simply unselfish people with whom I have no personal agenda. There are many more good people in our country who share my concerns. I hope they will hear this call and respond.
I don't envision that the committee of 100 will move politically to support certain very virtuous programs, ex. Michael Lerner's Environmental and Human Rights Amendment to our Constitution. They may do this as individuals, but in the main the committee needs to think how best to tell the story of our deteriorating situation and to inspire more and more people to resist demeaning domination. Then there needs to be a positive vision. No one person can create this scenario, but surely we have enough good people who could put their minds and hearts together and lead us out of our plunge into the depths.
Of course everyone is already leading a fully committed life and hasn't time to add anything more. But time must be found. The oppressors lead full lives also yet find time to meet each year to decide how to further subdue us. We must respond. Everything else pales in comparison to salvaging our humanity, our freedoms, our care for the earth which is our home, and for the physical and mental well being of each other.
We must turn our country around. Times are changing and we need a new narrative to carry our country forward. The old narrative -- that of the American dream -- is dead, in fact for some it has become a nightmare. Jobs have been off-shored, homes foreclosed, illness care costs and CEO salaries have ballooned, middle class salaries have flattened, the spacious skies are too often polluted, immigrants [which we all are or have been] are not wanted. It is my sincere hope that the Committee of 100 can create a new narrative " one that will engage the imagination and spirit of all our people, one that will counter the pessimism, anger, disappointment, and sadness that many feel about our country today. The question is: Who will lead the effort to organize and build such a group? Who will take a first step in this direction? This may be a call of destiny for someone reading this article, perhaps for you.
Anne Mendenhall, Lansing NY
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