October l8, 2004A little bit about C.O. and more… *Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai: "In a country like America, there are lots of people who would prefer that their government ratify the (Kyoto) protocol, who would gladly change their consumptive lifestyle, especially the rate at which they consume fossil fuel, so that they are not polluters of the environment."
*A poll you might have missed: "Global Views 2004" American Opinion and Foreign Policy" by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (CCFR)…nearly 90% of the public (l,200 random) and 85% of the leaders (450 leaders with foreign policy power, specialization, and expertise", including U.S. lawmakers and their senior staff, religious, business and labor leaders, sr. admin. Officials, heads of major foreign policy orgs., lobby groups and university professors and journalists with foreign policy expertise) said they favor a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty; 70% of both groups said they support U.S. participation in International Criminal Court and Kyoto Protocol…check it out… mention of United Nations Day coming.
- Even with a resounding defeat (only 2 pro votes) of HR l63 on Oct. 6, 2004 of the Military Draft Bill, there continue scuttlebut and fear about a military draft re-instatement…the war-footed climate of the country and world is probably the source of these feelings and fears, no matter which political party or person denies any looming potentials in this area of social discourse…speaking only for myself, I wonder if it isn't passed-time for each of us to consider our beliefs about war and peace? Regardless of age, race, religion, occupation…is the organized kill-and-or-being killed thing we call war, sane? Regardless of if/when/whether a military draft resurrects itself, watch for a "special skills" type of draft for medical folks that surely won't be called a draft, but something patriotic-sounding , clever and unwieldy...remember "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terror"?
- According to an article at madison.com by Janet Parker l0/l6/2004…."Students' records are now being automatically turned over to recruiters under new regulations that are part of the No Child Left Behind Act." (I cringe at the sinister other-side-of-coin aspect of that!)… If one's conscience is totally opposed to war, any war…what can one do? Without prescribing courses of action, we explore some possible options, for you our listener/reader to decide for yourselves…
- The former National interreligious service board for conscientious objectors has a website www.nisbco.org/ which reflects the beliefs of the Center on Conscience and War…"to defend and extend the rights of conscientious objectors to war and violence…"their site includes basic draft and registration info…questions to help you decide your own beliefs on war and whether you are a conscientious objector…where to get help if you're barred from student loans…g.i. rights…action alerts for those so inclined…l-800-379-2679….according to these folks, board of director members including members of Pax Christi; Episcopal Church; Jewish Peace Fellowship; Fellowship of Reconciliation; Mennonite Central Committee…conscientious objectors must show that you personally hold the belief that is not "merely a personal moral code" but that in "duty of conscience" you object to "war in any form" and are "opposed to the planned and organized killing that takes place in warfare.." also mentioned is the fact that most religious beliefs support the c.o. view, including Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Jainist to mention a few… again, we are here to explore the many roads to peace…here is just one exploration among many…we are not offering legal, ethical religious or personal advice…due diligence is always a good idea, eh? J
- Sect. 7(j) of Military Selective Service Act …"Nothing contained in this title shall be construed to require any person to be subject to combatant training and service in the armed forces of the U.S., who, by reason of religious training and belief, is conscientiously opposed to participation in war in any form."…since colonial times, American law has included this type of contingency, according to nisbco.org
- We include here some other sites of possible interest on this topic, none of which an endorsement, but an exploration…www.afsc.org/ www.veteransforpeace.org www.paxchristiusa.org/ www.iccnow.org www.mfso.org www.veteransforcommonsense.org www.vaiw.org www.girights.objector.org www.diplomatsforchange.com www.cojmdsd.org/
Quotes: "The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is born in mind constantly--it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over." J. Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda
"No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all accomplices."- Edward R. Murrow, Journalist
"Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war." - Einstein
Musical environs including: Ka Nohona Pili Kai/Keali'I Reichel; Hawai'I '78/I. Kamakawiwaole;
Song for the 'Aina/H. Shapiro; Season of Renewal/Steve Gordon; and much more…this program was light on talk and big on music…
*a note: we upload this information l0/2l/04 and continue working on improving the site and programming with you in mind…your comments and suggestions are most welcomed…a guestbook is available for your convenience…E Malama Pono, Aloha, a.s.
October ll, 2004
Discoverer's Day, revisited as Discoveree's Day! More on Media
Folks who were "just fine" for thousands of years found themselves "discovered" in l492…we talk about what this really means and explored the "real" story of discovery , referring listeners to
www.commondreams.org/views 04/1011-27.htm, an article by Thom Hartmann as to the realities of 'discovery'….tourists here discover our islands (I was once) and we honor the "discoverees" with a fun sampling of Rap Reiplinger's "Room Service"….reveries as to how different the world might now be if folks had learned from the wisdoms of indigenous peoples, rather than absorbing or annihilating…what a wonderful world it would be when we all learn aloha…other topics:
*The Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct for Radio and TV News Directors Association www.rtnda.org/ethics/coe.html "Provide a full range of information to enable the public to make enlightened decisions." * "Fight to ensure that the public's business is conducted in public." "Clearly label opinion and commentary." "Gather and report news without fear or fervor and vigoriously resist undue influences from any outside sources, including,advertisers, story subjects, powerful individuals, and special interest groups." And more…
- Another look at the media, including cross-overs among companies that are in the media business and the so-called defense contracting business…General Electric $l34.2B in 2003 ( owns NBC, CNBC, Bravo, MSNBC, Paxson and also manufactures engines for F-l6 fighter jets; Abrams tanks; Apache helicopters, U2 bombers UCAVs and so forth
www.freepress.net/ownership …"The concentration of power -- political, corporate, media, cultural --should be anathema to conservatives"-William Saffire…. We looked at other media giants as well as to their entire holdings, and then looked at various ones in terms of open-bid/ non-open-bid and discovered some of the following overall FY '98-2003 period: GE. #7 at $l0,600,007,l0l with 88% NOT full/open bid process on the DoD contracts given Carlyle Group #9 @ $9,334,962,462 with 60% NOT full/open bid process on same Halliburton #l4 @ $6,768,728,33l …Renco Group #55 @$l,845,48l,266 (which we mentioned last week for it's DoD informational contracting www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/printer_14269.shtml for the larger story….and we outlined a few interlocking directorates among corporate boards of directors www.fair.org/media-woes/interlocking--directorates.html… www.eet.com/story/OEG20040211S0046 and we suggested other websites folks can explore about media and media ownership: www.mediachannel.org/ownership/..rcfp.org/handbook/index.html…cjr.org/tools/ownership… Quotes: "All warfare is based on deceit"--Sun Tzu
"All propaganda has to be popular and has to adapt its spiritual level to the perception of the least
intelligent of those towards whom it intends to direct itself." -- A. Hitler, Mein Kampf
"Loyalty in character means absolute obedience that does not question the results of the order, nor its reasons, rather obeys for the sake of obedience….through your oath, you bind yourselves to a man who --that is our faith--was sent to us by higher powers." -Rudolf Hess, radio broadcast 2/24/34..Loyalty Oath to Hitler…
Oct. 4, 2004
Media…Mind over Matter? Peace Journalism
*Big Mahalos to all who attended the showing of the mega-Academy-award-winning film, "Gandhi"..and to those who made the showing possible at UHH…
- "Trust and verify"-Ronald Reagan, Sr… Daily, we are offered a variety of informational sources…tv, radio, internet, printed formats, films and so forth…briefly, media can be categorized….we can learn to be smarter about how we receive information…we can learn how to do our own research and fact-checking …rather than simply blindly accepting all that is offered to us as readers/listeners, we can choose to be informed and unfooled…
- Journalism: news, features, editorials…4 W/s and H…who, what, when, why, where, how? News is meant to give answers to these fundamental questions…facts, objectivity, balance, fullness of reality are components of real news…truth is paramount…Sources are primary…quotes are attributed clearly…sources are identifiable and legitimate….the public learns something new, in varying degrees of depth …it is left to the public to decide on the meanings of the facts/events reported…information is tested, verified…bias is stringently rejected…We come away from a news experience with facts…with a sense of a real-life event from the largest view possible…as compared to gossip, slippery innuendo, or misleading out-of-context spin, we may think to ourselves: oh, I didn't know that; I've learned facts that are useful…to begin the exploration, here are some possible start-spots:
www.cjr.org…..www.C-Span.org/watch/…www.fair.org…www.tompaine.org And many others you can search Commentary/Analysis is the realm of "talking heads", editorialists, columnists, who attempt to give meaning to facts/events/personalities, all of which are commented on/analyzed..Judgements can be made; relativism and divisiveness can creep in…while the facts can still be transparent, they can easily be tainted by the background, views, experience and conscious/unconscious agendas of the analyst…accountability and truth can, without due diligence, suffer. Openness and curiosity are still present, but the listener/viewer can feel the urge to agree or disagree with the points of view of the "talking head"…facts may be slippery, incomplete or untrue…we see this often on talk radio and other media venues… Public Relations/commercials/info-mercials. Generally benign in nature, this area definitely crosses a line..from a basis inresearched facts and open, unbiased offerings of information to one-sided presentations of information given in strategic ways for the purpose of eliciting specific actions and reactions from reader/listener…materials originate from self-serving sources or agents…information is presented for clear advantage…facts are manipulated in advantageous manners…we may feel that we are being "sold" something. We feel we are being persuaded into complicity…we buy or don't buy what is being offered. To have a clear feeling of this, just watch commercials..they tell us in essence: if you buy such-and-such, you will be empowered; your sex life will improve; your children will love you more; you will rise in esteem somehow…we are thus persuaded with the proverbial carrot…The Rendon Group…www.truthout.org/docs_04/092104A.shtml…www.wsfa.com/global/story.asp?s=2366879&ClientType=Printable Spin/Propaganda/Mass Hypnosis. The sinister side of persuasion. In this realm of communications, facts become insignificant…our emotions become paramount…we are asked to buy intangibles, ideas, beliefs and so forth for the benefit of the originators of the "deal"…Here, there is lack of transparency and no room for exploration/understanding, dialogue or honest intellectual questioning. Instead, here we find the persuasion of the 'stick'…we are prodded forward by fearful persuasion…techniques such as: appeal to emotions; bandwagonning; card stacking; either/or fallacy; false logic; glittering generalities; name calling; plain folk; ad hominem; appealing to authority; transfer and others…in a way kindred to homeopathic methods, perhaps one can cure complacent vulnerability to propaganda by studying from the most proficient of propagandists, Joseph Geobbles, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda. www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/…http://members.aol.com/MrDonnUnits/Propaganda…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda…www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/unser33.htm…www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/hess1.htm A few questions that can assist in inoculating from the poisons of propaganda? Who does this information benefit? Why did they do that? And this information is according to whom? Learning from the past and all the powerful use of language that heralded in the Nazi reality to this planet, can protect us from any possible replays…"The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason: terror and force." -Hitler, Mein Kampf… "…the rank and file are usually much more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially simple and repetitious. In the long run only he will achieve basic results influencing public opinion who is able to reduce problems to the simplest terms and who has the courage to keep forever repeating them in this simplified form despite the objections of the intellectuals." -J. Goebbles, diary entry, found in the rubble of the Propaganda Ministry WWII end. Always ask, am I being hypnositzed ? Always ask for evidence, material facts to assertions, whisper-campaign techniques. Memes. Peace Journalism: The Other Side of the Coin… exploring a piece by Jake Lynch: l7 Tips: What a Peace Journalist Would Try to Do..www.mediachannel.org/originals/warandpeace2.shtml Basically, his ideas include: view conflict as consisting in more than just 2 parties, thus going beyond win/lose scenerios…ask questions from the point of view of the 'other'…what happens if…? what are long-term consequences? what do everyday people want? what lessons are being learned on the ground? look at daily life consequences…don't judge, blame, use imprecise adjectives…avoid demonizing labels…go beyond individuals/leaders and look to any source of possible peaceful solutions…www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/lovinger1.html for an op-ed on Journalism by soon-to-retire Bill Moyers. "Secrecy is contagious, scandalous, toxic--and costly." Public Service Announcements Quotations: Sampling of music: Mind Games/J. Lennon; The Velocity of Love/Ciani; Everyday People/Sly & Family Stone Mahalo for visiting with us on this website…I apologize to those who just go nutty over these stream of consciousness ellipses…. I ask your forgiveness! J once we have our archives up and running, you will be joyously spared this current format, while hearing the content directly…and mahalo to those waiting to hear from me about a possible visit to the program…this is a volunteer effort…mahalo for your patience…Oct. ll, 2004..next week's topic: More on media ownership
Sept. 27, 2004
Van Pools, Car Pools, How To's
*We look at simple things we can do NOW -- not waiting until corporations decide to release renewables patents; not when governments decide to make high m.p.g.'s law; not when OPEC decides to drop prices; or when Mother Nature decides to make more dinosaur bones J …We do not have to be powerless economically or ethically in terms of the gasoline and its acquisition that chips away at our moral fiber, our pockets and our planet…peacefully, we can choose. We can choose less…live simply..We can choose day-by-day to live in harmony with the Nature of the Earth rather than the baser nature of our human self-interest…Ideas: Walk. Bike. Use Mass Transit (yes, we have the beginnings of a system here)…Demand laws from representatives to create higher miles per gallon requirements for vehicles…biogas, cow-dung batteries (no, I'm not kidding) http://www.fueleconomy.gov/... electriccar.com... www.rmfldevelopment.com/SaveOilNow.htm... http://www.fueleconomy.gov/... http://www.aaa.com/... http://www.electriccar.com/... www.sdearthtimes.com/et0501/et0501s10.html *As of 3/3/04, according to a Census Bureau analysis reported on Honolulu's Starbulletin.com, Hawaii state ranked highest in the nation for carpooling with an l8% rate…Hawaii state also ranked seventh when measured for mass transit usage at 6%…We can feel a sense of pride and disappointment at those facts and figures, but better, why not learn more about how to save further on fuel? Hawaii hosts a Van Pool program statewide. Anyone can form a vanpool so long as there is a primary driver and 3 riders…The primary driver needs to be at least 25 years of age; carry a clean driving abstract; hold a current driver license; be employed full-time or be a full-time student…there are other specifications and costs involved. www.vanpoolhawaii.com/get_started/index.htm or l-800-VanPool …wonder if any of our subdivision community associations would like to explore this idea…particularly as oil prices remain volatile and have already tested the $50/barrel mark, with likelihood of the market prices reaching higher over time…
*How about carpools on campus? How about carpools for folks who live East Side and commute to Kona for work? What are your ideas? Some websites to explore…and as always this is not an endorsement, but an exploration..www.erideshare.com/…www.alternetride.com…..www.carpoolworld.com …while researching these sites, I found that there were some folks from Hawaii already posting for rides…or create your own…or start a business enterprise matching riders with ridees…so see if this helps create more peace of mind for you and the planet and dollars for your pocketbook…
*Guest: Catherine "Cat" Killam, representing PawsAcrossHawaii.org….October is "Love a Dog Month" and we explore the newly launching website;history of the organizatioin; animal cruelty legislation needs; trap/s/n/release programs; empowered stewardship; snip banks; and invitations to visit the keiki corner for
educational and fun activities for children…www.pawsacrosshawaii.com
*Sampling of music: Aloha Hale O Ho'oponopono; Songs for the 'Aina/Howard Shapiro; Hilo E/E Liliu'e/Pahinui & Brozman; Wolf Eyes: Paul Winter; Freedom Overspill/Steve Winwood; The Way Home/Charlottemarie
*Quotations: "Freedom is the ability to tell people what they don't want to hear." - George Orwell
"…we will not learn how to live together in peace by killings each others children."- J. Carter
*Public Service Announcements, as always
*Nickelodean Channel goes dark for 3 hours Oct. 2…Next Week: Media…Mind over Matter?
Sept. 20, 2004.
International Day of Peace celebration… Sept. 2l, 2004…In l98l UNGA Reso 36/67, then again 200l (A/RES/55/282) "to encourage worldwide, 24-hour spiritual observations for peace and nonviolence…by all religious and spiritually based groups and individuals, and by all men, women and children who seek peace in the world." Description and commentary. Join the world in silence, prayer, meditation for peace…
How your host was introduced to D.U. One fine morning at a Volcano restaurant for breakfast, I overheard a woman expressing her deep anguish about the fact that her son had served in Iraq, was going to return and wanted to have children…and she feared for the normalcy of him, his wife and future family…I admit that I didn't know anything specific about depleted uranium used in weapons before being awakened to this issue that morning…commentary on this huge issue that has the British Ministry of Defence issuing D.U. Warning Cards to Troops deployed to Iraq (Sunday Herald/Traprock Peace Center) which reads: "You have been deployed to a theatre where Depleted Uranium (DU) munitions have been used. DU is a weakly radioactive heavy metal, which has the potential to cause ill health. You may have been exposed to dust containing DU during your deployment…"Evidence exists to show that serious effects from low-level exposure to Uranium can contaminate water, food sources;cause illnesses, including cancers and affect the DNA structure resulting in dramatically mal-formed offspring among civilian and military people in the affected areas, areas downwind and so forth…in my recent readings, I was stunned by a scientist's word: "omnicide"…What can be done? Some use sperm banks to safeguard their DNA before leaving for the "theatre"…Others get tested upon return…more basic information on DU..what it is…where it comes from…how it creates damage….the half-life of Uranium-238 is 4.5 billion years…this material was first used in the l973 Sinai War and has been used in the l99l Gulf War and also in the NATO campaign in Yugoslavia, before usage again in the current Iraq and Afghanistan liberations, according to sources… - For a Preliminary Self Assessment Questionaire for Possible Uranium Contamination go to:
http://nrpb.org/faq/du/dul3.htm 585-682-4274 Lakeview Medical Clinic/NY Uranium Medical Research Centre at http://www.umrc.net/factsAndFictions.asp http://www.sfbayview.com/082804/Depleteduranium081804.shtml (The National Black Newspaper of the Year article by Leuren Moret A search engine look for "Depleted Uranium" will yield much information also… a l0-second 'instant gratitudification' practice described from Spirituality & Health Magazine Winter 2002 International Ethical Collegium's Open Letter To the Candidates of the 2004 United States Presidential Election http://thenation.com/edcut/ The value of HUGS J … This article was in the SUN, so it must be true J Hawaiian Humor Musical environs including: Tabula Rasa/Arvo Part; The Beauty of Mauna Kea; Dessert Heart; Living in America/Hiroshima; America the Beautiful/Ray Charles; If I Ever Lose My Faith In You/Sting; Puna Paia'a'ala/Kotani; E Pele/Lake+Trio; Hilo E&E Lili'ue/Pahinui & Brozman Mahalo for visiting this site…I do hope this information is helpful to you or those you may know…May there be peace on Earth…Malama pono…Aloha, a.s.
Sept. 13, 2004
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)…Civilian Soldiers…Weekend Warriors and their families…An Army survey published in the July l, 2004 New England Journal of Medicine states that l5.6% to l7% of returning soldiers from Iraq exhibited signs of anxiety, major depression or other mental health issues. ptsd-alliance.org reports that l million veterans from the Vietnam era still suffer from PTSD….Not only military people, but civilians can suffer from PTSD because of major trauma such as rape, war, observing family violence as well…more statistics, descriptions of what all those in Iraq are likely to witness daily…What are the symptoms of PTSD? How can families cope? Where to begin the search for help?
www.ncptsd.org ptsd-alliance.org Hilo Veterans' Administration: 935-378l; 969-l684 Honolulu VA l-800-2l4-l306 GI Rights Hotline l-800-394-9544 - National opinion polls you may not have seen…Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life Aug 24,2004 stated that 65% of Americans they polled oppose church endorsements of political candidates…69% think it is improper for political parties to ask for congregation lists…A.P. National Poll July 24, 2004, by the Program on Int'l Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, conducted by Knowledge Networks observed American attitudes about torture, law, civil rights and related topics….
- Read Letter to the Editor, Hawaii Tribune Herald, 8/27/2004, by Gene Van Dyke called "Peace is a Way of Life".
- Shared a Thomas Jefferson Quotation
- Made public service announcements including one for the 5th Annual LomiLomi Conference: "Mana: The Roots", held 9/l7,l8,l9…965-8917…
- This program's musical selections included: Song for the Aina/Howard Shapira; Sanctuary of the Heart/Steve Halpern; Fortress Around Your Heart/Sting; Paoakalani/Ku'uPua I Paoakalani/Ozzie Kotani; Imagine/John Lennon; Common Ground/Paul Winter; Whalesongs , to name a few…
- I trust that this short synopsis will give you an inkling of how the programs are conducted, for those of you who can't catch the program live on Mondays 2-4…at least until we have the tech capabilities to provide our listeners with archived programming. Mahalo for your patience…I hope you'll visit us often. Malama pono…May there be peace on earth... Aloha, a.s.
Presidents’ Day #l…Women presidents/prime ministers/premiers in countries including: Bolivia, Iceland, Malta, Guinea Bissau, Phillipines, Nicaragua, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Guayana, Switzerland, Latvia, Panama, Finland, Indonesia, Serbia…the Iroquois Nation’s influence on founding fathers…quotations from Jefferson, Franklin, Eisenhower and others…audio speeches of Johnson and Nixon…on war, peace and justice
Presidents’ Day #2…Victoria Woodhull and Frederick Douglass presidential candidacy in l846…more on the influence of the Iroquois Nation’s influence on the writing of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights…more quotes from founding fathers…Hawai’i’s Queen Liliuo’kalani…
Bullying…The signs and symptoms of bullying behavior as it reflects in personal behavior, current events
Mars on August 26, 2004…to commemorate the planet’s closest approach to Earth in about 60,000 years, we explored the Roman and Greek (Aries) mythologies about the God of War complete with Souza Marches, Holst’s: Mars, The Bringer of War, concluding that perhaps after these many centuries, the mythological being might do well to have a heart-to-heart talk-story with Venus, the Bringer of Peace…
Language…euphamisms like: "friendly fire" and "collateral damage"and how we go to great effort to literally talk ourselves out of our civilized attitudes about life and death…how we hide from our shame at causing death to people we have never even met, regardless of the cause…
Conservative v. Liberal… Definitions and revisionist definitions…Perhaps there is a need for cultural "cross-crawl" exercise to bring whole brain balance to society, the left and right…learning from those we don’t easily understand or agree with as gandhi suggested…not a matter of absorption or annihilation of one side of the brain, conscience or potential of ideological/religious/ethical differences…live and let live
Cost of War…Eisenhower’s "Cross of Iron Speech" and others…discussion of the $30 million bounty given to informant in Iraq…loss of human life of all ethnic, religious, national description since and including 9/ll…loss of irreplaceable artifacts of civilization…damage to the earth and our kindred pets/critters…emotional and physical scars experienced by all involved in fear, hate, war and retribution…
Dollar cost projections and mounting drain on civilian populations…an honorific set of music for all innocents harmed, maimed, killed in our homes, neighborhoods and overseas…for the children, the mothers, the elders, soldiers, enemies and friends…
Department of Peace…legislation submitted for the creation thereof, explored…Dr. Singh, head of India’s suggestion and exploration with "unified/Quantum physics and unified fields…as a viable/proven adjunct method of homeland security…how Dept. of Defense was originally called the Dept. of War …what could happen if people were given the choice to put tax monies into either dept. of war or dept. of peace?
Education and Peace…how much of what you were required to learn in school to graduate do you retain, have you used in everyday life? What about requiring courses in conflict resolution,, nonviolent communications for graduation in grammar/high/college/ level creditations? Wouldn’t that be something we all could enjoy learning?
HR 1673... George Washington and a U.S. Department of Peace. Music deditcated to innocent children around the world. Hawaii Peace and Unity Festival. Concert for world peace.
*Various musical interludes, including traditional and contemporary Hawaiian selections. PSA's
More to come…look for latest postings on the website…
May there be peace on Earth. Your host, a.s.