Concerned about the content of a secret Congressional meeting on March 13, 2008, the Web has been humming with “news” that the subject of the discussion was leaked by furious Congress members as concerning:

* The imminent collapse of the U.S. Economy to occur sometime in late 2008
* The imminent collapse of the U.S. Government finances sometime in mid 2009
* The possibility of Civil War inside the United States as a result of the collapse
* The advance round-ups of “insurgent U.S. Citizens” likely to move against the government
* The detention of those rounded up at The REX 84 Camps constructed throughout the United States
* The possibility of public retaliation against members of Congress for the collapses
* The location of safe facilities for members of Congress and their families to reside during massive civil unrest
* The necessary and unavoidable merger of The U.S. with Canada and Mexico establishing The North American Union
* The issuance of a new currency called the AMERO for all three nations as an economic solution.

This, however, is based on speculation and not actual reports. Let me prove this to you.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=1fde2498-d8c8-44f3-9c94-4a27f8407536   

Conversely, the Last Trumpet Newsletter from Beaver Dam, WI reported in May 2008 that the above theories were fact. The “facts” contained in the Last Trumpet’s report became “news” and were represented as such, as supposedly leaked by members of Congress in attendance of the closed meeting.

Note however, that the Last Trumpet closed the paragraph containing the so-named "report", with a statement that “Obviously, there is no documentary proof for the above as the meetings were secret. The information, however, does fit the profile of what is going on around us. Our Almighty Saviour is ultimately in charge. Time will tell if these things are so, and time is running out!”

So even while The Last Trumpet Newsletter concurs with the Australian report, that this is conjecture and not fact, some Internet blogger ran with the information and represented it as hard-core reality. And it has scared many liberals nearly half to death.

It could be reality-based, but it would appear to be a hoax. Here is a reality check for you:

Kucinich’s interview with Amy Goodman about the secret Congressional meeting should help to put our minds a little bit at ease. You can watch the video, below:

In this short interview with Amy Goodman, Kucinich said that he refused to participate in the closed-door session because “you give up your conscience. You can’t tell anybody that they lied to you…they propagandize….to tell anybody would be violating confidentiality”. He said that he suspected the meeting was about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (not the same as the Telecom Immunity bill) which would monitor the phone calls and emails of Americans communicating with people overseas.

Regardless of the secrecy or whatever speculated contents of the meeting, Kucinich made a significant statement:

“Congress can vote to make the transcripts public”. He called it “dangerous” for Democracy to operate in secrecy, stating that sunshine and transparency are key. He also said, again significantly, that once the transcripts were ordered by Congress, it “could make for serious political repercussions, especially if it was not a serious matter”.

What we as activists need to do, is to demand, in letters to the underground and college newsletter editors, that the transcripts of the secret meeting be ordered. Heck, try the mainstream newspapers too. The only *guarantee* that our letters won’t be printed is if we don’t submit. And if we fail, at least we did our best. And if our letters are printed, at least we also helped to get the matters of secrecy in government on the public radar. That right there is an accomplishment. So the effort will be well worth it, even if Congress (as is likely) never does vote to make the records public.

If they refuse, the thing to do next is to expose YOUR Congressperson’s vote of conscience, or of ill conscience, in this matter. Send out letters to the editor, chain emails, call your local radio station, etc and get word out that YOUR Congressperson refused to make a secret Congressional meeting open to public transparency. If that is the case, surely unwholesome motives are involved, and the public should vote them out of office. Tell them to do just that, in no uncertain terms! Just let Congress fall into the trap. Just let them refuse to cooperate by voting for the transcripts to be made public. And let it be their own undoing. United we stand, folks! Mission accomplished: Just as The Psalmist said, the snare set for the foxes becomes the net which the hunters fall into, themselves.

Let’s look at the fear about internment camps for Americans. And don’ t get me wrong: I don’t hold this as an impossibility. That said, let’s look at some thought loops we humans commonly have going through our heads, and tease them apart.

Fear has a way of telling us that a certain scenario is GOING to happen, as a DEFINITE REALITY. This is a cognitive distortion, and a brain trick to which we, as emotional creatures, may be subjectively vulnerable.

To look at fear objectively instead of subjectively, from an intellectual distance instead of from an emotionally involved plane, one comes to realize that certain things are POSSIBILITIES. Probably very vague possibilities, at that. This contrasts sharply with the fear message in our heads, which insists that something-or-other WILL happen. We get graphic imagery in our head about it, which resonates with our emotional nature. Objective intellect takes a back seat as the emotional person within is practically seared by the wild emotions. Trust me, I know this from first-hand experience, and that is why I have come to realize that fear always exaggerates. And the horror movies in our heads almost never come to pass.

I say “almost” never though, because in fact I don’t put it past Bush and Cheney to falsely imprison innocent Americans who are vocal. It’s already happening on a smaller scale, with the FBI investigating innocent Americans, and activists comprising the bulk of no-fly lists. Given their proclivity to go to war based on lies and to endanger a life out of revenge (Valerie Plame), why wouldn’t they punish vocal citizens in this way? I do think this is a possibility and having seen dictatorships become murderous when living next door to the Iron Curtain, I don’t think this is impossible.

But I also want to break through the “facts” in our heads which may actually be fear-based exaggerations and cognitive distortions. The “report” concerning the internment of Americans in FEMA camps, the collapse of our economy and the conversion to the Amero, has scared the liberal cross-sector into thinking that Congress members leaked a “report” about these “facts“. This is not the case. It’s only theory.

And we need to keep that in mind.

FYI, a cognitive therapy method is to stall worrying during the day, but then to give oneself ten minutes per day to sit and do nothing but worry. Go ahead: Imagine all the worst! Give yourself a good laugh. Because it all seems absurd when you “go for it” in this way. You get things back into perspective after seeing the mental imagery in your mind running wild.

 When the worry crops its ugly little head back up---because it will---don't control it. Control doesn't work. Instead, just see it for what it is: A distortion of mind games. Tell yourself that it's just a horror movie comprised of exaggerations, an emotional snare which lies by making itself *feel* so real. You will feel better right away.

Another thing which helps me in dealing with fear is to get information about it. The more fact-based my reality, the more my head calms down.

I urge us liberals to do the same, and to be sure that what we report is thoroughly researched before assuming anything is accurate truth. And especially, before we report it as such.

Reporting such "facts" Which scare us all is a disservice to people, needless to say. But also, may I suggest that certain things don't belong in print. Why give the government any hot ideas? (I am writing about it now because it's already been all over the Web. And it's time to bust the bubble not so much about the FEMA camps per se, but about the so-called "leaked contents" of that secret Congressional meeting.

Last but not least, the reaction from one European I spoke with about the FEMA camps and incarceration of Americans, was that “they can’t do that. They’d be at war with Europe if they did”.

I don’t know how courageous Europe would be in waging war with the now-terrorist country of America, given our nuclear weapons and some crazed maniac’s eager readiness to use them. But it was an interesting and reassuring point that he made.

What do you all think? Please post below. Thank you.

And don't forget to stop and smell the flowers. Nurture your soul. Life is short.