Let 2 plus 2 be 4--not 5, not 3, not 4.1, not 3.9: Four! As in 2 + 2 = 4.
Let up be up, let down be down, let white be white, let peace be peace, let war be known as the mass murder that it is; let the world make sense. Let us acknowledge that there are physical, biological, and chemical laws upon which the natural world runs, and let us learn to live with them and not pretend they don't exist. Let truth burst forth in every segment of society, in every political discussion, in every news story, in every workplace, in every classroom, in every courtroom, in every family.
Let us use language as if it is connected to reality, and defer to Webster every now and then: a weapon is a weapon, not a "peacekeeper"; torture is torture, not anything else; Let us speak the truth, particularly about imposters: George Bush is a spoiled rich kid with a low IQ and an alcohol damaged brain; a person who never shouldered a responsibility, a member of our species with no conscience, no empathy, no compassion; and thus let us admit that we now have a ten year old in an adult body behaving as a lethal madman in the most powerful position in the world.
Let there be no more senseless violence toward one another. Let all weapons be laid to rest, let hatreds cease through serious attempts at understanding. Let there be a Department of Peace. Let there be kindness! Kindness to one another, kindness across borders, kindness amongst cultures, kindness in all religions, kindness on the playground, kindness in place of "road rage." Let those who can't be kind go to special "kindness schools," until they earn a diploma and prove that they know the meaning of kindness, and can demonstrate what is meant by empathy.
Let us put children first. First! Ahead of money, ahead of adults, ahead of ideas and ideologies; ahead of business schemes, ahead of political wet dreams, ahead of dumping billions of dollars into sending a handful of humans into the dark night of space. Etc. Let there be no child without water, no child without food, no child without shelter, no child without the essentials for a healthy life. Let schools exist for kids, not kids for schools. Let antiquated curriculums be revamped, so they are meaningful, and so that what we now call hyperactivity or attention deficit or learning disability become things of the past, because schools exist for the people in them, rather than the other way around. Let there be no more than fifteen to twenty kids in a classroom, and even fewer in science classes. Let teachers teach and have fulltime assistants for all other chores, preferably from the ranks of administrators.
Let all humans learn some basics in kindergarten, and have those basics reinforced throughout their school years: Share, play fair, don't hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don't take things that aren't yours, say you're sorry if you hurt somebody, wash your hands before you eat, flush, live a balanced life-learn, think, draw, paint, sing, dance, play and work some every day. When you go out in the world stick together and be friendly; be aware of wonder, like the seed in the cup whose roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, even though we're all like that. Let humans learn early on that goldfish, hamsters and white mice all die, so does the seed in the cup and so do we. Let us spend more time looking around and noticing the world, and observe the beauty in it. Let finding and observing beauty in the world be the highest goal of education. Let humans learn at an early age to treat others as they'd like to be treated themselves (modified version of Robert Fulghum's "All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten").
Let there be teen education, real teen education, about real topics. Let us teach about sex and safe sex, and the realities of bearing a child. Let us teach about relations. Let teens learn about comparative religions, unrevised world history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology. Let teens learn about drugs, the differences between them, and how different ones affect us. Let us eliminate gangs and prisons through education. Let us be sure that no child gets past third grade without a love of reading, and some awareness of the vast universe of the written word, accessible through libraries everywhere. Let every graduate of high school, which would include all humans, understand our place in space and time, our uniqueness in our own galaxy, and the fact that our galaxy is just one amongst untold billions of others.
Let humans respect nature, and do so on a very deep level. Let us always assume that nature is correct, and that if changes are proposed, the burden of proof is on those who are making the changes, to show that the changes will not be harmful. Let all humans realize we live on a planet, and that we only have one. Let all humans be instilled with an understanding that we are all one species, in spite of our cultural and historical differences. Let there be no adult who doesn't comprehend the basics of evolution and the fundamentals of biology, such as carrying capacity, the oxygen cycle, the importance of oceans, the interconnectedness of all species. Let all humans know that in the fabric of life, all species count.
Let us have clean water, clean air, and clean land, all around the earth, everywhere, no exceptions.
Let us aim for total sustainability, in energy and resource use. Let everything manufactured be easily recyclable or biodegradable.
Let there be no borders between states, countries, nations, except for natural ones, such as rivers or mountains or oceans. Let us use knowledge to restore the Garden of Eden, as it was once on this planet, and turn away from the Hell we have been creating.
Let transportation be radically altered, with railroads connecting cities, cars either unnecessary or environmentally friendly. Let free public transportation be readily available in all cities of the world. Let there be bike and rollerblade paths everywhere people need or ought to travel.
Let neighborhoods be changed, so they are people friendly, no gates, no fences. No ridiculous mansions, no more suburbs. Let there be abundant parks, playgrounds, nature areas, and ponds and lakes throughout all cities. Let there be no vast expanses of concrete, but trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses everywhere a person might look.
Let this world make sense, let humans connect with reality and disengage from unreality. Let "political discussion" revolve around true or false, correct or incorrect, and what is best for the most people. Let there be only qualified people in positions of power, qualified people with a proven track record, people who can converse and explain to others their hard-earned knowledge in understandable ways. Let there be no lawyers in power, but rather scientists, educators, writers, artists, philosophers, mothers, and young people. Many young people.
Let us realize that rearranging society is essential and necessary for our survival. Let all people be treated with respect and dignity, let all people be considered of equal inherent worth. Let us abolish money, or if we decide not to do that, let there be a limited range of incomes, so that the top income cannot be more than ten times that of the lowest. Let us recognize that garbage collectors, workers in nursing homes, burger flippers, and used car salesman all play necessary and important roles in society.
Let there be many political ideas and parties and means of government that go beyond a two party system. Let there be instant runoff elections, publicly funded. Let there be no money or favors involved in lobbying, let there be open discussion on all issues, with consideration of the best for the most over the longest time as a guiding principle.
Geery lived off the grid for 15 years in an earth-sheltered, solar heated home, while his kids learned in school that solar energy isn't feasible. NAPTA hosts a page on Geery's foibles in education, and explains how he got his butt fired from a tenured teaching position. Here's a short clip of his most recent solar contraption; for more on that project, and Geery's contention that the Wright Brothers took a wrong turn, please visit his airship page (hyperblimp.com). Apparently, Geery is the only one in the world to respond to Osama bin Laden, call bullshit on him and George together, and expose them for the pansy ass rich kids that they are. Unfortunately, bin Laden has been too scared to write back and explain himsself; and George is still working hard to finish his goat book.
