My apologies for having announced this for last week... my mistake. ellen
Salon Weekly
A Weekly Email Publication of The Lloyd House
Circulation: c. 450
Growing out of the Monday Night Salon
For info about the Salon, see the bottom of this email
Join us at the Lloyd House every Monday of the year at 5:45 for pot luck and discussion.
3901 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
To: Friends on our Pot Luck Salon list.
(to unsubscribe see below, bottom of page).
Saturday 11 June 2005
At the table Monday June 13: Toby Costello (Welcome Toby!) Mara Helmuth, Shirley Reischman, James Reischman, Robyn Repasky, Joan Friedland, Marvin Kraus, Dan Hershey, Gerry Kraus, Steve Sunderland, Milan Vinks, Yvonne Van Eijden, Nancy Dawley, Mike Murphy, David Rosenberg, Gwen Marshall, Shirley Maul (Welcome Shirley!) Pete Altekreuse, Noella Sudbury (Welcome Noella!), Eileen Sullivan (Welcome Eileen!), Ellen Bierhorst. (21 people, another big one!)
We talked about Hope. Where do you get it? There is much fuel for despair in our world today. For instance, Gwen told us that most environmental experts today feel that we have passed the point of reversal and that it is too late to save our natural world...among many other horrible developments and realities. So where do we find what we need to go on, to live with some joy?
We heard f rom Spencer, from Yvonne, David Rosenberg, Eileen sullivan, Joan Friedland, Mira Rodwan, Adrienne Cooper, Gary Weiss, Mara Helmuth, Steve, Marvin, Mike, Dan and me, Ellen.
Ellen: When I was a junior at Walnut Hills H.S. (1957) I did a term paper on B. Bernard Shaw (some ask 'why?' I say, 'Why not?') and was impressed by his idea on longevity. Trouble with humans is we die as soon as we get some sense. He thought most people died because they just didn't expect to live longer. They ran out of life script, and so they die. So he thought that if you really believed that you should and could live longer, then it would be "Back to Methuselah". I was persuaded! I set about immediately programming myself to live to an extremely old age. In my thirties I met Dan Hershey who studies aging and learned that the something in our cells seems to be programed for 120 years. Moses lived to 120. So I decided right then that I would adjust my self programming to conk out in the year 2060. Been working on that ever since. After turning sixty I was vexed with sore joints, low energy in the winter, depressed mood sometimes. But in recent times I have had tremendous help from the spiritual fellowship (and path) I belong to, the Alexander Technique lessons I have had for three years with Erik Bendix, the Rolf method of Structural Integration sessions with James Reischman, and the amazing psycho-spiritual results from learning to do dervish whirling. I am convinced that my ability now to again jog two miles (with huge mental health boost resulting) is due to the classical (constitutional) homeopathic treatment I have been receiving with Shirley Reischman.
I believe that the worst plague facing us today is social alienation and isolation... the breakdown of community. Also, that the best tool we now have for cutting through that isolation is the internet and email (viz. the Salon and the Salon Weekly).
Also, I believe that the secret weapon on the side of the angels today is the growing cadre of able bodied, alert and engaged older people. The availability of time and energy, intelligence and experience of our older population brought to bear on societal and community problems is a bonanza! I remember reflecting when in my thirties what a rich endowment for the community it is to have a childless adult running around. Bearing and rearing children takes so much work! Anyone who isn't wrapped up with that mammoth task is a millionaire in time and energy. Well, now that older people are healthy and energetic, there is our bonanza.
I believe that our weekly pot luck salon is a very important phenomenon in our society. Let's spread that idea. I'd be willing to go anywhere and teach anyone the knowledge I have gleaned in these four years so that others can more easily start their own salons.
Dan Hershey chimed in saying that people actually can live much much longer than is commonly believed. The current data is that males can now live to the ages of 85 or 90, while females live to 95 or 100 years of age. He said in parts of the world like Okinawa where folks routinely live to be very, very old, they all share in this: they get up early, and they go to work. They walk to work, many times up and down mountains.
Dan studies aging systems. A society is a system; an individual life is a system. He admires the work in this area of Prigogine. Dan said as complexity increases, a system comes to a breaking point. But then they can transform and acquire new life. If the system is isolated, closed, then it tends to self destruct. But open systems renew themselves. All right!
Dan also said that civilizations thrive on challenge and response. We certainly are challenged today!
Years ago I saw an inspiring film by Barbara Marx Hubbard that presented some of these ideas about the evolution of the planet as a critical mass of human beings get the concept that we are all part of one living organism. Looking for it on Google I found her recent film One, featuring the Dalai Lama, Fr. Richard Rohr, Thich Nat Hahn, et al. Read about that here:
http://www.waterfrontfilm.org/index.php?p=2&s=4&fid=266
Adrienne Cooper talked about her hope. Adrienne runs long distance races, including the 13 mile mini marathon. She spoke about the Leukemia foundation and how they give runners amazing support and encouragement. She also told about the hope she sees in the possibility that groups like Earthsave will be able to transform our economy through changing the way we eat, getting away from animal based diets. (Earthsave Cincinnati will have a special gathering tomorrow where Michael Freemont, octegenarian marathon runner and save-the-rivers activist will present on the China Study, that mamouth public health study. Sunday, 2:00 pm until 6. Bring a vegan dish and musical instruments to jam... at James Taylor park in Newport where the Licking River joins the Ohio. Adrienne says this is bound to be a fabulous event, full of hope. Michael is terrific.)
Steve Sunderland spoke movingly as always, including reflections on the "magical friendship I find here at this table". He finds our gathering nurturing. We laugh at ourselves. ... This is a place where I can sing. Where even strangers can be friends.
He spoke about his recent trip to Indonesia (see h is article in the blue section, final report on his mission) Many there find hope in Islam. In Indonesia there is stunning evidence that hope is more powerful than the oppression of human beings. Another amazing evidence of this is the period when so many Americans were enslaved... how did they find their powerful hope?
Alan Bern (in absentia) told me last week the he finds hope in the unmasking of lies, the revelation of truths.
Yvonne VanEijden commented, What is truth? Last week in our discussion of the Netherlands' rejection of the EU constitution we made some interpretations of the meaning of tht, but her contacts with her fellow Dutch suggests to the contrary. They voted "No" simply because they are fed up with their government and wanted to express that. Only that.
David Rosenberg is buoyed up by the amazing rise of organic farming and organic produce use in America today. He remembers vividly the first Earth Day in 1970 when leading experts insisted that organic agriculture was simply not possible. Earlyl Butts, the secretary of agriculture at the time, went so far as to say that if we attempted to go organice, 50 million people would die! David is so glad Earl and all those experts were wrong.
Eileen Sullivan, coming here fresh from the Women in Black demonstration, (thank you Mira Rodwan for recruiting these two young women!) is a philosophy major at the University of Dayton. She sees hope in our society-wide movement towards sustainability.
Joan Friedland told how seven years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and according to the predictions made then, should be dead today. She attributes her recovery to flax seed oil and flax seed meal, a wonderful health discovery.
Spencer Konicov said he believes a person must generate hope each morning, that it is our job, that it springs forth from within the person.
Gerry Kraus: due to the outcries from so many Cincinnatians, city council has remanded their previous decision to cut back the green bin recycling program to every other week starting next month. Now weekly recycling will continue, thanks to Lloyd House Salonistas and others who sent emails and made phone calls to city councilpeople. Gerry also takes much hope from the movement towards sustainability.
Marvin Kraus recently attend a high school reunion. Everyone there was 75 years old, and they were all active, engaged, productive.
Mike Murphy believes that hope comes in the interaction between people. It is a thing we give and get. I feel hopeful when I see little children. I am given hope by the authors of fine books. The elderly give me h ope. My GALLI project in Wooden Shoe Hollow. Hope is something we create.
Gary Weiss: hope is born when people in hard times look towards the end of that h ardship.
Come to the table Monday, hear what Gerald Cheeco has to say about his geothermal house, and sustainability generally.
Hugs,
ellen
(for Articles: see below. First, the "Announcements" section.)...
Don't miss the way cool article you want to read in blue section. It might be one of these:
- grass roots bi-partisan movement to get congresspeople on Social Security!
- Hoopla over Fountain Square
Money thing. This is an interesting four part interaction via email last week- Granny Dee speaks out last month about What is happening to us. Wonderful speech.
- Re. Father's Day: Scoop Nisker, Bay Area radio voice. Honoring the Masculine.
- Steve Sunderland's final report on his Indonesia trip. Beautiful.
- My post to David Pepper about his (failed) effort to have penalties for Marijuana posession hugely increased.
•
Announcements:
6/19
Come to Earthsave Annual Picnic
Tomorrow, Sunday 2:00 Program at 3:00
Earthsave Cincinnati will have a special gathering tomorrow where Michael Freemont, octegenarian marathon runner and save-the-rivers activist will present on the China Study, that mamouth public health study. Sunday, 2:00 pm until 6. Bring a vegan dish and musical instruments to jam... at James Taylor park in Newport where the Licking River joins the Ohio. Adrienne says this is bound to be a fabulous event, full of hope. Michael is terrific. Go through the levee-flood wall from Columbia street, as though you were going to the Acquarium, then turn left on Riverboat Row and go to the end, where it enters James Taylor Park. Look for the Earthsave group... they have reserved the shelter.
Flash: The Book "The China Study" now is in our public library!
The China study : the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implications for diet, weight loss and long-term health
Campbell, T. Colin, 1934-
Tri-State Treasures
Tri-State Treasures is a compilation of unique local people, places, and events that may enrich your lives. These treasures have been submitted by you and others who value supporting quality community offerings. Please consider supporting these treasures, and distributing the information for others to enjoy. And please continue to forward your Tri-State Treasures ideas to jkesner@nuvox.net.
Sincerely, Jim
~~~~~~~~~~
Tri-State Treasures - Specific:
Dances In The Park 2005 [beginning on Thursday 16 June @ 6-10:30 PM]: In the midst of one of the city park jewels, boasting floral gardens that are reminiscent of Europe, Ault Park presents Dances In The Park 2005; great dance music for all ages. Featured will be The Remains on June 16, The Modulators on July 21, & The Generics on August 18. Free admission; beer & soft drinks for sale, though it is unlawful to bring alcohol onto city property; all profits go to Ault Park. Ault Park is on Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45208. More info @ 513.871.9015, Info@AultParkAC.org, & www.aultparkac.org/.
Six Acres Bed & Breakfast & Summer Sunday Night Jazz Concerts [beginning Sunday 19 June @ 7 PM]: This recently opened B&B in College Hill embraces history & elegance. It is owned & run by two lovely women, Kristin Kitchen & Laura Long, who have spent 3 years rescuing & renovating this 6,500 square foot 1850s Colonial mansion that was built by Elon Strong, noted abolitionist & active participant in the Underground Railroad. This restored landmark showcases 5 graciously appointed guestrooms that including a full course breakfast & daily turndown service. The facility also offers a 3,000 foot lower-level available for conferences, receptions, & reunions. Kristen & Laura can also provide catering & help in a variety of other ways. The outdoor patio can accommodate 60 for outdoor presentations, as the 6-Acres B&B presents its Summer Sunday Night Jazz Concerts in a uniquely scenic, wooded & serene setting beginning with the Solari String Quartet on Sunday 19 June @ 7 PM. Bring your lawn chairs & blankets as seating is limited. Be ready for smooth grooves, tasty treats, & a cool new musical experience in Cincinnati. $15 admission includes appetizers & drinks. Shuttle parking provided from Twin Towers Retirement Community @ 5343 Hamilton Avenue. Six Acres B&B is @ 5350 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45224. Read more about Six Acres B&B at www.maxinethompson.com/mar2005.html & http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041118/ENT/411190303/1091. More info @ 513.541.0873, info@sixacresbb.com, & www.sixacresbb.com.
Jesus & Nonviolence - a Film & Discussion Series [Sunday 19 June @ 7 PM & the following 3 Sundays]: This is the 2nd in a 6-film series to illustrate how the nonviolent teachings & life of a first century Jew influenced the nonviolent actions of the 20th century, & how we can follow the path of nonviolent action. Each Sunday will feature one of the 30-minute films followed by discussion, & readings for the next week. The series tells one of humanity's most important & least understood stories - how, during a century of extreme violence, millions chose to battle brutality & oppression with nonviolent weapons - and won. "These are powerful stories, about truth overcoming lies, love dissolving evil, & life eclipsing death," said former president Jimmy Carter of the documentary. The films draw on stunning archival footage & interviews with witnesses, survivors, & unsung heroes who contributed to these century-changing events. The 3rd presentation shown on Sunday 19 June will be: The consumer boycott campaign against apartheid in the black townships of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa in the mid 1980s, led by the young activist Mkhuseli Jack. 4) The courage & endurance of Denmark's citizens resistance movement during the 5-year Nazi occupation of World War II to commit sabotage & stage general strikes & rescue nearly all the country's 7000 Jews from the Holocaust. 5) The 1980 Gdansk Shipyard strike that won Poles the right to have free trade unions, launched the Solidarity movement & catapulted Lech Walesa, on a path to leadership, a Nobel Peace Prize, & the fall of communism in Poland. 6) The national protest days led by Chilean copper miners in 1983, which overcame a decade of paralyzing fear, showed that public opposition to the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet was possible, & signaled the start of a nonviolent democratic opposition. Free & open to all thoughts & ideas; local leaders from all faiths have been invited. At All Saints Episcopal Church, 6301 Parkman Place, Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati, OH, 45213. More info & directions @ 513.531.6333, therevken@yahoo.com, www.allsaintscincinnati.org, & www.pbs.org/weta/forcemorepowerful/.
Wine Tasting Party [Friday 24 June @ 7 PM]: After the rousing success of the 1st-ever wine tasting party at Bistro 318, it was bound to be repeated. In the restaurant's relaxed setting, guests will again have the opportunity to experience a wide range of fine wines normally offered only by the bottle: 2003 Millet Sancere, 2003 Macon-Bussiers white burgundy, 2003 Dubois Ladoix Burgundy, 2002 Robert Sinsky Pinot Noir, 1998 La Grace Dieu Bordeaux, & 2001 Crozes Hermitage Rhone. The wines will be complimented by a fantastic spread of "twisted" French appetizers prepared by Chef Casey. Bistro 318 (formerly Scalea's) is an upscale, casual restaurant with 5-star food, service, and ambience without the 5-star price; a place to relax & be yourself in a warm contemporary environment. The menu is fun, light, & creative; a contemporary American blend of fusion cuisine. Round off the evening by making a reservation to stay for a late dinner. The selected wines will also be available for purchase if you would like to take home some of your favorites. Admission for the wine tasting party is $20. 318 Greenup Street, Covington, KY 41011. More info & RSVP @ 859.491.3334.
Foot Reflexology [Friday 24 June @ 6:30-8:30 PM]: Relax from the soles of your feet to the soul of your heart. Reflexology is a natural healing art, based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet & hands which correspond to every part of the body. Learn ways to restore the body¹s natural equilibrium. Come alone or bring a friend, but remember to bring your feet. Instruction by Jacquilyn Drake, a certified reflexologist with a practice in Mt. Lookout, graduated from the Ohio Academy of Holistic Health & Wellness in Xenia, OH, and is experienced in reflexology, healing touch, & reiki. $20 per person with pre-registration; $25 at the door. New Thought Unity Spiritual Practice Center, 1401 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45230. More info @ 513.961.2527 & LouFreeman@ntunity.org.
Usui Reiki Levels I & II Training [Saturday-Sunday 25-26 June @ 9 AM - 5 PM]: Introduction & initiation to the first & second level of this hands-on healing system Saturday-Sunday 25-26 June @ 9AM-5PM. Each class includes lecture, demonstration & practice. No experience required for Level I. Learn to give treatments to self & others & to be able to do powerful distance healing. Classes are approved for 8 hours each day for nurses. Attend one or both days. Registration: Level I is $125 on Saturday 25 June; Level II is $175 on Sunday 26 June. Pre-registration with $50 deposit for each level is required by June 17. Discount if registered & paid by June 3. At WholeCare, 4434 Carver Woods Drive, Blue Ash, OH. More info and registration: JoAnn Utley @ 502.777.3865 & jutley5122@bellsouth.net.
.
6/18/05
Moveon.org calls for us to
Save NPR and PBS
From MoveOn.org: Save NPR from huge cuts
> From: "Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org" <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
> Subject: This time, it's for real: Save NPR and PBS
>
> Dear MoveOn member,
>
> You know that email petition that keeps circulating about how Congress is
> slashing funding for NPR and PBS? Well, now it's actually true. (Really.
> Check the footnotes if you don't believe us.)
>
> A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS,
> starting with "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," and other
> commercial-free children's shows. If approved, this would be the most
> severe cut in the history of public broadcasting, threatening to pull
> the plug on Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch.
>
> Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS:
>
http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-1590627-e2MVtv.lwzwB_k1hVVB7_g&t=3
>
> If we can reach 250,000 signatures by the end of the week, we'll put
> Congress on notice. After you sign the petition, please pass this
> message along to any friends, neighbors or co-workers who count on NPR
> and PBS.
>
> The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year -- $100
> million -- and end funding altogether within two years [1]. In
> particular, the loss could kill beloved children's shows like "Sesame
> Street," "Clifford the Big Red Dog," "Arthur" and "Postcards from
> Buster." Rural stations and those serving low-income communities might
> not survive. Other stations would have to increase corporate
> sponsorships.
>
> This shameful vote is only the latest partisan assault on public TV and
> radio. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which exists to shield
> public TV and radio from political pressure, is now chaired by Kenneth
> Tomlinson, a staunch Republican close to the White House. Tomlinson has
> already forced one-sided conservative programs on the air, even though
> Tomlinson's own surveys show that most people consider NPR "fair and
> balanced" and they actually trust public broadcasting more than
> commercial network news [2].
>
> Tomlinson also spent taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt to root out
> "liberal bias," including a secret investigation of Bill Moyers and PBS'
> popular investigative show, "NOW." Even though the public paid for the
> investigation, Tomlinson has refused to release the findings [3].
>
> The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money in
> the budget -- they're trying to decimate any news outlets who question
> those in power. This is an ideological attack on our free press.
>
> Talk about bad timing. Every day brings another story about media
> consolidation. Radio, TV stations and newspapers are increasingly
> controlled by a few massive corporate conglomerates trying to maximize
> profits at the expense of quality journalism. Now more than ever, we
> need publicly funded media who will ask hard questions and focus on
> stories that affect real people, instead of Michael Jackson and the
> runaway bride.
>
> As the House and Senate consider this frightening effort to kill public
> broadcasting, they need to hear from its owners -- you.
>
http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-1590627-e2MVtv.lwzwB_k1hVVB7_g&t=4
>
> Thank you for all you do,
>
> --Noah, Wes, Jennifer, Eli and the MoveOn.org Team
> Tuesday, June 14th, 2005
>
> P.S. You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from our
> friends at Free Press at:
>
> http://www.moveon.org/r?r=748
>
> Sources:
>
> 1. "Public Broadcasting Targeted By House," Washington Post, June 10, 2005
> http://www.moveon.org/r?r=745
>
> 2. "CPB's 'Secrets and Lies': Why the CPB Board Hid its Polls Revealing
> Broad Public Support for PBS and NPR," Center for Digital Democracy, April
> 27, 2005
> http://www.moveon.org/r?r=746
>
> 3. "Republican Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases," New York
> Times, May 2, 2005
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0502-01.htm
>
6/18/05
So Victoria Wulsin lost the bid to be the Dem. candidate for Rob Portman's seat as District 2 congressman, but interestingly, I met Paul Hackett, the winner in that primary. He sat next to me at the CAFTA talk organized yesterday by Sr. Alice Gerdeman of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center. Is on board our efforts to stop anti-democracy "free trade" initiatives. He looks about 38, is a lawyer, lives Indian Hill, is said to be a millionaire. He said, "Is that what they are saying? Ten years ago I was homeless." He is lively, tall, very thin, nice looking. Said he got into politics when he got home from Iraq in March. He had volunteered for active duty in the Marine Corps to go to Iraq, ... he has a wife and three children... He served seven months over there. Now is a major Marine reserves. Very likable. I urged him to come to the salon. Gave him my card. We'll see. It would be great to have a Democrat in that seat. His opponent is, I understand, a female Republican candidate. Rob Portman, who used to have that seat, is a terrible Bush ass kisser, they say. Now has a job as an ambassador for trade issues. Is the one to contact re. CAFTA, NAFTA type issues. The globalization enemy. Fights dirty, they say. District 2 is Hamilton Co. East of Vine st. I think we want to support Paul Hackett. ellen
³Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.²
President Harry S. Truman
Paul Hackett is OUR Democratic candidate for Congress‹and we are taking the battle to Jean Schmidt (that's the Republican nominee) starting TODAY! (And we don¹t have to go farŠ her office is across the street!)
We are asking every Democrat in District 2, in Ohio and across the United States to make a pledge to fight alongside Paul Hackett. If we join together, WE will WIN on August 2nd!
Make a pledge to fight with Paul today! Donate $100, $50 or $25 to help pay for the phones, literature and media we need to get Paul¹s message out.
http://hackettforcongress.com/index.php?page=display&id=73
Make a pledge to volunteer! Sign up to canvass, help in the office or make phone calls. The battle will only last a few weeks and we need everyone to join the team.
http://hackettforcongress.com/index.php?page=email
Make a pledge to pass it on! Send this email to everyone in your address book‹in Ohio and around the country. Spread the word that Ohio Democrats are taking the battle to the Republicans in District 2!
http://www.hackettforcongress.com
Thank you,
Meghan Gaffney
Finance Director, Hackett for Congress
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PATRICK FOSTER, FIELD DIRECTOR: (and they guy who did such a terrific job running the Kerry campaign in Hamilton Co. last summer. ellen)
Thank you everyone for all your hard work during the primary. We could not have had such a great result on Tuesday without the hard work of all our volunteers.
However, it goes without saying that the work has just begun. Here are three ways you can help the Hackett campaign keep the momentum going in the next week:
What: Mailing- stuffing, sealing, and stamping
When: Friday, June 17th, 10AM-5PM
Where: Campaign HQ in Batavia, 27 N. Second St.
What: Parade in Fayetteville, Brown County, March w/ Paul and get a Hackett T-shirt
When: Sunday, June 19th, 2pm, Line up at 1:30pm
Where: Parade starts from Fayette ville Middle school, which is just south of Fayetteville on route 68. The street address is 601 South Apple St. for all you mapquesters.
What: Phone calls to likely voters
When: Next week, Monday-Thursday evenings 5PM to 9PM
Where: Hackett HQ in Batavia and Hamilton Co. Dem. HQ at 615 Main St. in Cincinnati
E-mail us at http://us.f527.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=hackettforcongress@yahoo.com if you can help with any of these activities.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Election law requires us to inform you: Contributions to ³Hackett for Congress² are limited to $2,100 per individual, $4,200 per couple. Contributions are not tax deductible. Corporate contributions are not accepted. FEC regulations require name, address, employer and occupation information be collected for all donations over $200. Paid for by ³Hackett for Congress,² Gary Spenlau, Treasurer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 25 Sat.
Free Talk: Introduction to Homeophthy
Shirley Reischman
Cincinnati's only Classically Trained Homeopath
Saturday, June 25 1:00 - 3:00 pm.
Wild Oats Market
Rookwood Shopping Center, Edwards and Madison Road
Hyde park/Norwood
Pre registration is necessary as seating is limited. Call 531 8015 to register, or you can sign up at Wild Oats.
Shirley's talk is fascinating, informative, clear, authoritative. AND if you attend the lecture, she will give you a $100 discount off an initial consultation (such a deal!).
I have been under Shirley's care since July 2004 and I am thrilled with the results. Am jogging again after arthritic knees told me fifteen years ago that I would never jog again. Much peppier and happier this winter. This is the berries! ellen
7/8
Paddlefest 2005
The largest canoe and kayak festival in the Midwest,
On the Ohio River
Friday July 8; 3:00pm (four Seasons Marina, Kellogg Ave.) Free Admission, Saturday 8:30 - 1:00 pm 6 mile paddle race
http://www.OhioRiverWay.org
Register to race, or just come and watch. You can rent a canoe, but reserve it at website above. Hundreds of canoe and kayak paddlers. See you there!
July 8 - 10, 2005
EarthSpirit Rising:Summer Conference
(Hey, I have now a coupon for $25 discount on registration fee
to anyone who contacts me.
Only have one of these, so act now. ellen)
(Also, Louise writes there is more financial aid...see below)
Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio
(This is a national, important Eco Conference put on each year by our own IMAGO, that fab. movement up on Enright in Price Hill founded decades ago by the Shenks, Jim and Eileen. Last year it was in the Carolinas. This year it is right here. I will be leading one of the discussion groups on Saturday evening on how to build community in your own locale. See, people will be coming from all over the country and abroad for this. I will talk about building the salon. So this is a great opportunity to attend a great conference. Check out the stars who will be giving keynotes! See below. ellen)
EarthSpirit Rising:
A Conference on Ecology, Spirituality, and Community
All the details are on the web at: http://Earthspiritrising.org
A Council of Earth Elders follows the conference
All the details are on the web at: http://Earthspiritrising.org
For a conference brochure, registration or more information:
E-mail - earthspiritrising@imagoearth.org
Phone - 513-921-5124
Mail - EarthSpirit Rising 700 Enright Ave Cincinnati Ohio 45205
$$ Aid for ESR Conference
Hi, Ellen,
I talked with David Rosenberg today about the EarthSpirit Rising conference
and the number of people connected with the Lloyd House whom he thought
would love to attend but would find the $200 fee out of reach. We
brainstormed ways to get people there, and one of the thoughts is to pass on
to you the application for work/study for the conference. (see links above for application). There are a
limited number of positions, but there is still room for a few more people.
The trade is for about 8 hours of help at the conference. The cost is
reduced to $85. It works best for local folks because it doesn't include
food or lodging.
We also talked about how to find a couple of donors who would underwite the
rest of the fee, or at least some of it. Any ideas who we might approach?
Thanks,
Louise Lawarre
6/18 I spoke with Sr. Alice Gerdeman yesterday about this march. They have not begun to work on busses and stuff for this one yet. I am counting on them to lead our delegation from Cincinnati. Them being the Intercommunity Peace and Justic Center. What a wonderful force they are in our city! I also told her I wanted to attend training for the demonstrators in non violent tactics, and what to do if the D.C. police act up against the demonstrators. Hope she will organize that. Police can be very dangerous and scary these days. ellen
SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2005
Huge March in Washington
against war in Iraq
Sept. 24
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
===========================================
Hold Bush & Congress Accountable for the Deaths, the Destruction,
SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2005
the Lies, and the Toll on Our Communities
END THE WAR ON IRAQ - BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
Leave no bases behind - End the corporate occupation of Iraq
Stop bankrupting our communities - No military recruitment in our schools
Sat., 9/24 - Massive March, Rally & Festival
Sun., 9/25 - Interfaith Service, Grassroots Training
Mon., 9/26 - Lobby Day, Mass Nonviolent Direct Action and Civil Disobedience
------------------------------------------------------------------------
More than two years after the illegal and immoral U.S. invasion of Iraq, the nightmare continues. More than 1600 U.S. soldiers have died, at least another 15,000 have been wounded; even the most conservative estimates of Iraqi deaths number in the tens of thousands. Iraq, a once sovereign nation, now lies in ruins under the military and corporate occupation of the United States; U.S. promises to rebuild have not been kept and Iraqis still lack food, water, electricity, and other basic needs. ....
===========================================
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
===========================================
- end of Announcements -
A r t i c l e s
6/18 spencer K. sends this:
Subject: 2008 Election Issue
Wouldn't this be great if we Americans could get such an issue on the ballot.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE
REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT!
KEEP IT GOING!!!!
2008 Election Issue!!
GET A BILL STARTED TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOC. SEC.
This must be an issue in "2008 ". Please! Keep it going.
--------------- ------------------- SOCIAL SECURITY:
(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.
You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their
Our Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.
own benefit plan.
In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die.
For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments..
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries. For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.
Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.
Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA....ZILCH...
This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Fund;
"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK"!
From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into,-every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer)-we can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement.
Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.
That change would be to:
Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us
then sit back.....
and watch how fast they would fix it.
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.
How many people can YOU send this! to? Better yet.....
How many people WILL you send this to??IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE
REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT!
KEEP IT GOING!!!!
2008 Election Issue!!
6/18
Hooopla over Fountain Square Money thing
This is an interesting four part interaction via email last week:
June 14, 2005
M E D I A A D V I S O R Y
CONTACT: Howard Konicov (Spencer's activist son)
The Synthesis Foundation
513-751-9531
Hkonicov@gmail.com
CINCINNATI CITY COUNCIL VOTES ON MASSIVE SUBSIDY TO FIFTH THIRD
Vote Wednesday; Conflicts of Interest Are Widespread.
Luken makes assurances Pepper, Reece, Tarbell & the Republicans Sam Malone & Chris Monzel will push through his Fifth Third Corporate Headquarters agenda for Fountain Square. John Cranley "leads" the charge --Pat Dewine watches in angst.
CINCINNATI - Cincinnati City Council has embarked on the final stage of ensuring Cincinnati's Fountain Square will not achieve its potential to be an exceptional public space in our lifetime. On Wednesday, June 15, 2005, in a stealth "fast tracked" emergency ordinance Cincinnati City Council will vote to turn over 40 years of proceeds from the Fountain Square parking garage to the not-for-profit 3CDC which will be used to secure a $15 million dollar loan from Fifth Third Bank, represented as a member of 3CDC's Board of Directors, to leverage $72 million dollars in improvements to Fifth Third's two buildings on Fountain Square, to the Square itself and other de minimus stake holders. Fifth Third's stake is estimated at $36 million in cash and tax incentives although NO ACCOUNTING OF HARD COSTS HAS BEEN MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC OR CITY COUNCIL TO DATE. Soft costs (Engineering, insurance, management fees et al), contracted through 3CDC are requested by 3CDC at $8.8 million.
Conflicts of interest include: (1) campaign contributions to Council members for their Council & Mayoral campaigns, past and present; (2) Pat Dewine's pledge to fiscal discipline as Chris Monzel votes on his behalf; (3) To the charter form of government, Jim Tarbel, a Charterite voted for George Schaefer's proposal [Fith Third CEO] for the dismantling of the City of Cincinnati's Planning Department and the subsequent politization of the city's development bureaucracy. Presently, the City of Cincinnati does not have the internal professional capacity to analyze these development deals, and has a track record of misusing the financial vehicle of TIFS as corporate give away on deals unlikely to generate additional future tax revenues.
WHO: Cincinnati City Council.
WHAT: VOTE to FUND Fountain Square giveaway.
WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, June 15th, 2:00 p.m. at City Council Chambers, City Hall.
The 501(c) (3) not-for-profit Environment & Development Synthesis Foundation was founded in 1989 with a commitment to excellence in public policy. The Foundation has been represented on the EAC, DCI Transportation Committee and at the Small Business Administration.
# # #
Ellen's Letter to the Council:
-----Original Message-----Charlie Luken responded that he thought my post and Howard's were stupid and insulting. ellen
From: Ellen Bierhorst [mailto:ellenbierhorst@lloydhouse.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 9:26 AM
To: City Council
Subject: vote NO today re. fountain square
Dear Council Members,
`I ask you to vote NO regarding the Fountain Square money move today in Council. The Synthesis Foundation has my respect as an independent watchdog organization (see their post below) and I need to hear answers to the questions they raise about vested interest, campaign contributions and tomfoolery.
This issue will be discussed at our weekly Lloyd House Salon gathering on Monday and this letter forwarded to the Lloyd House Salon Weekly subscription list of 456 loyal readers in Cincinnati.
Sincerely, Ellen Bierhorst
Lloyd House Pot Luck Salon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Smitherman responded:
Ellen,
Thank you for the email. As you probably saw, the vote was 7-1. I voted against the deal.
Christopher Smitherman
====================
Then Gerry Kraus send me the following:
Yes, Ellen, City Council passed Fountain Square deal. The absent Councilmember was David Pepper. At the annual meeting of Invest In Neighborhoods this evening the representatives of the city's neighborhood associations attending were mostly all opposed to this deal and many said they had voiced their opposition to City Council, but to no avail. So much for Council representing the Cincinnati citizens! I thought you would be interested in Chris Smitherman's email below. Gerry
Chris Smitherman's Rationale for opposing the Fountain Square Deal: This guy is a mensch. ellen
From: Chris Smitherman
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 9:13 AM
Subject: Fountain Square Vote
I voted against the Fountain Square deal because I believe the citizens could have gotten a better package. The vote passed 7 to 1 and one Councilmember was absent.
We gave away $1.8 million worth of gross revenue off of the garage for 40 years. These funds will be used to pay off $26 million of debt borrowed by 3CDC. Citizens had more than $4 million and $500,000 CPI (inflation) on the table to support the Fountain Square deal. The total amount of taxpayer contributions exceeded $100 million over the 40 years. 3CDC¹s $7.5 million will not adequately compensate the citizens of Cincinnati for the 40 year loss of $1.8 million annual gross garage revenue.
Thank you for all your email responses. In conclusion, citizens overwhelmingly did not believe that the renovation was a priority at this time. I have heard that citizens believe that addressing crime, employment, and basic services (e.g. repairing potholes) are the priorities on which the City should be spending capital dollars. When the City of Cincinnati disbanded its City Planning division and replaced it with 3CDC, it took its first steps to privatizing a portion of City government. Since 3CDC is a private institution, it should not be surprising that there is a disconnect between the priority of 3CDC¹s first project on the people¹s space, Fountain Square, and t he people¹s priorities. The majority of City Council voted yesterday gave up its ability to control Fountain Square for 40 years.
I believe the space will be beautiful and the garage will be repaired. However, I do not believe the decision to ever hand over this public space to another entity was the right public policy.
6/18/05
Jenny Edwards (Mallory Campaign aid and salonista) sends text of "Granny Dee" beautiful Speech last month on
What is Happening Today in America
From Jenny:
Dear Friends:
After lunch today with a dear friend highly involved in the world of Pleasant Ridge, I returned to a more somber world to find the following from my friend Denise, also from Pleasant Ridge.
A higher power does not have to knock twice here.
The impact of great relationships is that, whether we agree or disagree with our friends, they provide us the nurturing within the relationship to be wrong and grow from any errors; to be stronger than if we were deemed always right. They allow us two-way streets of exchange to navigate with each other in dialogue, to grow and prosper one-to-one, around tables, neighborhood blocks, our city, and taking us as far away as we can go.
For the loving group of friends and acquaintances receiving this, I know you support self-growth as an eternal process and take seriously our obligations as Americans, I send the warmest of HUGS and great love. Reinforcement is always needed.
For my friend who cannot read extended e-mails, the highlights are for you, hon.
Yesterday's Gay Pride Parade was indicative of the moving forward of our city. The open affirmation of interwoven support that can heal a city, or, if calculated only for a few people's survival, can lead to that region's demise. My lunch and, the subsequent offering that follows, forwarded by the incredibly talented Denise Deitemeyer, reinforces what I feel of the the positve flow of this city.
Read and savor. Great love, Jenny
"Great leaders lead from a better vision of a possible future."
Doris "Granny D" Haddock speaking at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, May 21, 2005
Thanks to the staff and members of faculty and to President Prince, and to all of you graduates who chose me to be your speaker. I hope my message will be up to the occasion.
I am sure there were times in your years here at Hampshire when you doubted you would ever see this day. But you kept going, one step at a time, and here you are. Sometimes all you can do in life, in the harder moments, is to put one foot in front of the other. You will always come to some new victory, despite your darkest worries and despair.
We--all of us--sincerely congratulate you.
Today will stay in your memory as a reminder that you have the power to shape your own life. That is not small change in yo ur pocket; it is a great and golden treasure.
For it is the loss of faith in our personal power that drives the woes of the world.
When I was a child growing up in New Hampshire, my father worked in a furniture warehouse. It was modest work, but he gave it all his honest muscle, and, with what he earned, he knew he would be able to build a house and provide for his wife and five children, which he did beautifully. He felt in control of the future, and that gave him the emotional freedom to be a good citizen and a good neighbor.
When we feel insecure in our power to take care of our families and direct the future of our own lives, we fall into a kind of social mental illness that encourages us to distrust and then hate other people and work against their interests.
Radical religious leaders-unlike the wiser men and women of their faiths -promote that hatred when they make people feel powerless; when their people are made to believe that all power comes from some selfish, egomaniacal God who shares none of His power with His people, With some shared power from on High, might not the people be able to shape a happier world-a world where the beautiful differences of lifestyle and belief are tolerated and celebrated--like so many different birds and flowers in God's garden?
When people are made to feel powerless, either by religious despot or political preacher, they feel despair, even if they disguise the anxiety and pain of that powerlessness as piety or as patriotism--or both.
The current effort by zealots to pass laws against the interests of gay people is a good example of all this. We have had gay members of our society for as long as there are human records, but that does not stop some people from thinking it is suddenly new and dang erous and in need of suppressing. They do so partly out of sheer ignorance, of course, but their motivations are grounded in fear of their own powerlessness. The coming and going of anti-gay politics is a simple and accurate barometer of how much power is being stolen from the people by political leaders and their business partners.
In the Germany of the 1930s, when politicians began to pass measures harmful to minority groups, most especially the Jews, but also gays and gypsies and others, the average German was struggling to survive in a worldwide depression that came on the heels of the economic catastrophe in Germany following the First World War.
It was not enough to be a hard worker in a furniture warehouse or anywhere else. Monetary inflation reached such an extreme that people literally carried cash around in bushel baskets to pay for their groceries -if they had cash at all. How c ould parents feel that they were in control of their children's futures and happiness? They could not. And, for the master politicians, it was an easy trick to redirect that insecurity and anger away from themselves, who were indeed the guilty parties, and toward sacrificial victims.
That is what is happening in the United States today. The best jobs of our middle class have been wiped out by big box stores, the exporting of our jobs and the tearing down of all the garden walls of protective tariff. It continues in a way that gives people great fear for their own futures. Our safety nets, such as Social Security and our Bill of Rights, are being cut from under us, for the financial benefit of a few.
If the great majority of America's are feeling insecure and fearful of the future-of their children's futures--what might the master politicians do to redirect that fear? Well, you have seen misdirected into piety and false patriotism.
You h ave seen it with your own eyes. People take their anger out with ballot measures against their gay neighbors. They de-fund our poverty programs and public schools. They intrude on the privacy of people in their most personal decisions of life and death, depriving them of their power over their own lives and bodies. They applaud the attack of other countries on false evidence and they allow the mistreatment of their men, women and children of those countries with mass killings, torture, and a shedding of the Geneva Convention.
They meekly allow the anthrax attack on the minority leaders of our Congress so that those leaders will step to a more military march, and they accept the fact that this attack, made with the most traceable of chemicals, has produced no arrests.
They accept that, in the last election, electronic voting machines gave a five percent deflection from exit polls, all in the same political direction, and they a ccept the fact that this horror is not even reported by the media.
I am not, on this grand occasion, talking about partisan politics, I am talking about our very freedom.
Our freedom comes first from our belief in it. We have the ability to shape our futures. We are in charge of our communities and our nation. We bear responsibility for what happens here. The moment we lose faith in these core beliefs, we are no longer a free people.
I ask you to hold this day in your memory, to remind yourself that you have the power to make a difference in your own life and in the world.
]
I have to struggle for every breath now, but the air is still free, and you have come into your maturity at a moment when we, your elders, say to you, here is a great nation for you! Here is the land of the free, but, by God, it had better be the land of the brav e if you would keep it. You had better be the patriots you now require.
But do not act from anger; the defense of freedom and fairness comes best from a loving and tolerant heart.
Accept no leaders who would lead you with fear or anger-who are forever dividing and punishing the people instead of uniting, encouraging and empowering them. Great leaders lead from a better vision of a possible future. Great leaders-and you must include yourself in this-lead themselves, their families, friends, communities, nations and their world from the great, golden idea that people should be free and should in every way be encouraged to fulfill their highest potentials and live life responsibly as they choose. Great leadership comes from love, and great societies come from confident, mass empowerment.
Throughout your lives, your best friends will be the people who remind you that you are really a genius, that y ou have great gifts to give other people and the world, that you have the power to be happy and to help others be happy, too. Stick to those friends, and give that service to them in return. Apply the same rule to your political leaders. Do they make you feel your power as part of a great community, or do they make you want to hide in a bomb shelter? You must decide, for we Americans-and this is a hard fact-always get the leaders we deserve.
Not long ago I read from the Declaration of Independence in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington. I was arrested and jailed for doing so. As I thought that was a violation of my free speech rights under the Constitution, I went back and read from the Bill of Rights. That landed me in jail, too.
I felt freer in that jail, because I had spoken out as a free person, than I have ever felt in the open air, and I am not finished being a free American, whatever happy costs await me.
I do not know what is in store for you. But I know that courage is freedom, and freedom is joy. Be fully who you are, letting the world get used to you-it will. Find a loving community of friends who support your ever-flowering growth, which is a lifetime proposition. And take seriously your role as an American. Understand what it means to be an American. It means to take responsibility for mature self-governance. In a world where the polar ice is melting and atmosphere ozone levels are thinning daily, and in a world where the divide between the very wealthy and the literally starving is growing rapidly, where one child in five goes to bed hungry. We must take our responsible and loving place at the table of power.
Our old revolution against oppression and unfairness is never concluded. It is a joyfu l revolution, if you will put yourself fearlessly into it, keeping always an open mind and a tolerant heart-for those are the true flags of justice and freedom. Let those lofty banners signify your life now and onward to the last day of your long, happy, meaningful and love-filled life.
Thank you.
(Mrs. Haddock was thereafter mobbed by the cheering graduating students.)
6/18/05 Kate Kelly sends:
>Subject: [Fwd: Honoring the Masculine - Scoop Nisker (worth reading!)]
>
>Not sure if you've heard of Scoop Nisker, but
>he's been on Bay Area radio for many years. The
>Fogheads he refers to are listeners on the radio
>station KFOG (which I listen to just about every
>day!). Anyway, thought a bit of intro might be
>helpful.
>
>The following was broadcast on KFOG today. (The
>audio is probably available on the web
>www.kfog.com)
>
>Peace!
>
>Rhonda
>
>
>-------- Original Message --------
>Subject: Honoring the Masculine - Scoop Nisker (worth reading!)
>Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2005 13:25:52 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Sue Strand
>To: t>
>
>
>
>Fogheads (= listeners to this radio station)... Are you ready for Fathers Day? And
>then two days later, we encounter the muscular,
>masculine energies of the summer solstice... so
>it's obviously time to examine this male
>thingie... the penetration principle... the
>"yang"-dang-doodle. And this is Scoop Nisker...
>t..t...talkin' bout my g-g-g-g- gender... on
>another edition of the
>Occasional Scoop...and yes, Fogheads, you've got male.
>
>And let's begin with the extreme masculine, the
>armored and aggressive personality, driven by a
>feverish desire to be ALPHA MALE, to have the
>biggest one, or make the loudest sound. This
>male can be found in abundance in the Bush
>administrationŠand is typified by Donald "Darth"
>Rumsfeld.
>
>For instance, last week, Darth had the audacity
>to tell China to stop making so many weapons.
>And yet, next year, for the first time, the
>United States military budget will be more than
>all the other military budgets in the world,
>combined. However, Fogheads, history tells us
>that bloated military budgets like these are
>usually an indication of impending imperial
>decline. Overspending on the military is almost
>always a sign of superpower erectile dysfunction.
>
>Meanwhile, according to philosopher and linguist George Lakoff, the
>entire Republican party runs on the archetype of the "strict father"Š
>as opposed to the Democrats who represent "the nurturing mother," or
>what we might call the "big tit" government. So now we have the strict
>father George W., whose speeches always sounds
>as though he's lecturing his daughters,
>explaining democracy and war and economics to
>people who just don't understand. And this
>strict father wants everyone to stay in their
>room until they learn how to obey his orders and
>believe in Jesus, and then maybe Dad will let
>them come to the table for supper.
>
>Yes, Fogheads, and the whole attitude of Bush and his gang is that they
>are never wrong about anything, even when they are caught lying and
>stealing, because they are in charge of this American family, and will
>run it their way, so help them God, who, by the way, in their eyes, is
>also an Alpha Male.
>
>But the Bush gang may be going too far with their male blusterŠ
>especially when they start messin' with the power of the sun. And just
>this week it was revealed that the head of Bush's White House Council
>on Environmental Quality, has deliberately been altering scientific
>reports on global warming, a practice that has become common in this
>administration. But while the Bushites may be able to out-Macho
>Sad--dam Hussein and the Iraqis, you can be sure they aren't going to
>win any pissing match with the sunŠ the Alpha Male of the solar system.
>
>Surely with this one, they have committed the Greek sin of hubris, of
>overweaning pride.
>
>Meanwhile, Fogheads, I know a lot of men who are very different than
>the Bushites, men who know that if we are going
>to survive as a species we will have to overcome
>the lizard-brain war making instinct, and the
>fear-based aggressive desire to conquer and
>subdue and control everything that moves.
>
>I have spent a lot of time trying to find a
>better way to be a man in this world, and I'd
>like to admit, Fogheads, for the first time in
>public, that I just may be a girlie man. Yes,
>Fogheads, a girlie man who wants to learn how to
>love better, and live in harmony with the rest
>of creation. And by the way, Arnold, if you had
>any real balls, or leadership charisma, then you
>would be man enough to stand up and tell
>Californians the truth, that if we want to have
>a decent society, then we are all going to have
>to pay more taxes.
>
>And just mark my words Arnold, if you and your
>muscle-men don't destroy it first, the girlie
>men will inherit the earth.
>
>But Fogheads, let's celebrate Father's Day anyway, in spite of all the
>menŠand even though the holiday was invented by the sock and tie
>manufacturers of America. And remember, even if your father was a bit
>of a hard-ass, he was probably doing the best he could, given his
>father, and the times they lived through and so on.
>
>And remember, on Father's Day, we can honor not only our biological
>fathers, but also our poet and storytelling
>fathers, like Rumi and Blake and Whitman and
>Dylan, who explained life to us, and told us
>about sufferingŠ. And our philosopher fathers,
>Plato, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Camus.. who tried
>to figure it all out for us. And our scientific
>fathers, Newton, Darwin, Einstein and Freud and
>Jung... and all our engineering and inventing
>fathers who discovered cures for nasty diseases
>and built great bridges...and whose labors and
>genius have made our lives a relative luxury.
>And our political fathers who trusted the people
>to rule themselves and seeded democracy... and
>all those giant fathers like Gandhi and King...
>who ignited politics with spirit and soul... so
>that we could all rise above ourselves.... and
>on Father's Day, we honor those super fathers,
>Buddha, and Jesus and Mohammed... who pointed us
>all toward our true nature... which is perfectly
>human... and divinely so.
>
>So Fogheads... in the next couple weeks, find a way to celebrate the
>masculine... And to honor the fathers and
>sunsŠthe boys and the menŠ and this is Scoop
>Nisker saying Go Man Go... and if you don't like
>the news... go out and make some of your own.
>
6/18/05
Steve Sunderland's final Indonesia Trip Report
Dear Friends:
(This is the fourth and last Peace Village Newsletter entry on Indonesia. It
is based on my reflections from a trip taken with 12 American peace makers
to Indonesia in March, 2005, to meet with Indonesian peacemakers and to
visit the tsunami destroyed Aceh (prounounced "ah-CHAY" ellen) province. I have learned that there are no
easy answers to repair the damage in Aceh or simple ways to support
democratic institutions for the whole country. Everywhere we went we heard
the songs of the people, trying to sing even though the realities of
poverty, military oppression, and natural disaster continue to take their
breath away. My American colleagues have joined the chorus calling for some
kind of involvement that makes our voices partners with all that is being
aired at this time. I think about our work as part of the long effort to
free Indonesia so that its' voices of freedom can finally be heard. Singing
the songs of freedom has required great courage on the part of the
Indonesian people. The songs and the hopes they rest upon continue to
inspire me.I welcome your comments.)
1.The Indonesia Burden of Oppression:The Song of the Plantations
"My Motherland is Crying"
The Motherland is crying. The tears are coming down. Gold and diamonds are
only a memory For us, mountains, rice field, the ocean that belong to us.
The Motherland is crying And praying.
This song of protest of the Indonesian students stands ready as a weapon.
When sung, the students rally, await instruction, and revolt. So, I learned
on our bus trip through Java from one of the former student leaders, "M." A
bright and quiet young man, looking out of the window at the countryside of
poverty, rice fields, and begging elders that raced by us as our bus pushed
forward on dusty and crowded roads. "We are ready," he said with steely
confidence, "to come back if we are needed. We await the call of the song."
I listened, not really knowing what he was saying or understanding the
historical role of students in bringing down the dictators of Indonesia.
What does it mean to live "under a dictator" for 30 years? What happens to
the spirit of the worker as the best of their goods are stolen? Who can
report of the cost to the desire for the truth of the intellectual when lies
pass so easily? When does a feeling of confidence in living a life of
dignity for the average citizen become realized? Indonesia has a history of
brutality that cannot be fully known in my mind. I cannot fathom what it is
like to live under the thumb of an arrogant colonial power for 400 years,
or, to live in a daily society where Dutch culture is the language of power
and oppression, reminding each native person of their relevance as only a
slave on a plantation. (The Dutch turned Indonesia into the most profitable
slave empire in colonial history.) I tried to find out what the years of
Japanese occupation were like during World War II but the elders I asked
turned away, suggesting it was too soon to speak of the betrayal and cruelty
of the Japanese.(The Japanese initially promised Indonesians freedom and
then, as their war plans turned bad, enslaved and brutalized the Indonesian
people.) While the bloody fight to keep out the Dutch after the war was
successful, the outcome was 50 years of military rule with two dictators,
free to exploit the riches of this poor country, keep the people in severe
poverty, and frustrate the rise of a mature and potent democracy. (The
Indonesian army, playing an important role in the effort to liberate
Indonesia from the Dutch pretensions to reclaim "their colony, became brutal
rulers under the dictators.) The people have survived these reins of terror
with untold stories of grief for the millions of people killed by poverty
and cruelty. What does compacted grief mean in a people who want to live
freely and in harmony? (One author describes the hollowness of a lost center
in identity: "...Java's one remove from the cultural source, there's a
slacking--something missing. Even the air goes slack. A country of
secondhand." In C. Koch(1978). The year of living dangerously. Autrailian
Large Print. Page 154.)
The dignity of the Indonesia people we met in the discussions about
democracy had an initial confusing quality because we, Americans and
Indonesians, thought we were discussing the same ideas. Our discussion of
"change," "freedom," and "hope" were kept to an abstract level. Yet, as the
warmth of the people, the leaders of the new year of full democracy,
emerged, the quality of our conversations changed from superfial common
meanings to brilliant stories of individual change that continue to create
pain and inspire hope. The shadows of so much Indonesian human loss
flickered throughout our small talks, their scars hidden behind the
beautiful scarves, were partially revealed, and the costs of persisting for
freedom were bared. I am thankful for the honesty, for the friendship, and
for the joining of hearts, even if I didn't know the specifics of of the
roots of what I was hearing.
How do you hear the ever present shadow of danger lurking in each corner of
the Indonesian society, whether it be military or bureaucrat? Poverty and
hunger, never fully out of sight, follow each speaker like a curious dog,
sniffing and scratching just outside the door. Memories of killings by
government officials of youth flit hear and there in conversations and
appear on posters as codes, signs of unspeakable actions that threaten to
reappear without warning. A student leader of a protest rally for the poor
just received six months in jail for burning a picture of the president of
the country.The military leader in Aceh has announced that he will not
continue in the peace negotiations and the killings will continue. People
too poor to bury children killed by malnutrition are thankfully still
getting headlines in the Jakarta Post. And, somehow the urge for democracy
continues and the struggle for local and regional elections persist.
2. Who Controls the Indonesian Military?:The Song of Resistance
I asked Rick Kraince, Ohio University's Southeast Asian program director,
what was behind the civil war in Aceh? He said the the military has operated
with "impunity." The people want nothing to do with a government that allows
the army to do what it wants without punishment for violations of human
rights. Admitting that there are other factors of economic exploitation,
religious fury, and vast economic suffering, he elaborated on the limits of
people to accept a personal and political violation of their spirit. The
people of Aceh province have had their fill of actions that undermine their
self respect. No pretense of a democratic process can remove the daily
reminders that the military can transport people from their homes to war
zones, take property away, and exploit funds for relief if not watched.
Beneath pleasant conversations of conflict resolution and tolerance for
diversity, there is also a passion for another way:
"We possess nothing but burning hearts roughened by suffering that may turn
into lava, fire and thunder destroying foes, grinding them to dust. We the
downtrodden shoulder freedom without rank,nameless we've kept our country
from becoming a prison" (Sabarsantoso Anantaguna: "The Downtrodden Shoulder
Freedom"), in V. Naipaul(1981). Among the believers: An Islamic journey.
Knopf., p. 386.)
The struggle for putting in place democratic structures faces these
challenges of deep resentment and a shrinking tolerance for superficial
reforms. Millions of lives of students and members of political parties have
been brutally sacrificed in the upsurge of violence that appeared necessary
for the removal of the two dictators.
3. The rise of democracy in the midst of confusion about
authority:The Song of Hope
What can we, as American peace workers, offer these
activists working for justice, equality, and a strong civil society? Thanks
to American experts in non-violent conflict resolution who joined our
conversations, we were able to share principles of relationships that foster
trust, caring, and mutual respect. The application of these skills to
Indonesian conflicts connected to promoting respect for dissent and
discouraging violence were taken seriously. Yet, private discussions
indicated that class, race, and gender differences are rife and seem to be
impervious to our methods. But the desire to acquire skills in conflict
resolultion was so important to so many of our Indonesian friends as the
first chapter in moving an education for solid peace throughout schools,
local organizations working for rights, and as the basis for political
interaction.
Their belief in democracy is tempered by the
individual's history of being the recipient of prejudice. These points of
conflict are so strongly embedded in the cultures of Indonesia and connect
to the ways freedom seeking people throw off the mantle of oppression. We
heard serious questions about how religions can be respected when there are
attitudes of fear connected with Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, or, when
there are deep seeded hatreds of Indonesians of Chinese descent. Or, when
there are feelings of inferiority associated with dark skin color. In order
for democracy to have a chance, the questions about these bedrock attitudes
about tolerance have to be faced, changed, and discussed.
Of most importance is the role of Islam in the
strengthening of progressive ideas since Indonesia's 240 million people are
90% Moslems. Entering this Islamic world, with all of its complexities,
strengths and weaknesses, was a powerful introduction, for we visitors, of
our deep ignorance of the ways in which the different strains of Islam are
threaded into cultural practice. Democracy, if it is to really take hold,
will have to make a serious peace with Islam as it is practised and used by
Indonesian political leaders, educators, and local religious schools. The
immersion of all of society into many forms of Islam means that issues of
integration with other belief systems may, initially, be taken to threaten
the sense that Islam as the major frame of reference for all decisions. A
fiery meeting with the faculty of an Islamic university centered on whether
or not we, visitors and non-Moslems, really understood enough about the
centrality of Islam in the workings of their university: "Do you believe in
God?," one eloquent and angry faculty member asked us as a pre-condition for
discussion about how a university might work. If not, or if not his God,
then, our voices were not relevant to him. The president of the university,
our host, n pain about this exchange, both because of the emotionality of
the faculty member, and because of the sense the president had that no
serious university could proceed without respect for all faiths and many
approaches to the truth, called upon the faculty to review basic assumptions
about the role of faith in a university setting. His calm tone brought us
back to a kind of discussion that allowed for disagreement and the further
opening of basic questions. But, it is clear, that the role of Islamic
thought and action will subject any alternative belief system to very strong
review.
4. America as a model of a democracy of bullies and/or
patrioits?:The Song of the Bully
Democracy, if it is to be strong, will need more than laws,
elections, non-violence, and the control of the military, althogh these are
important benchmarks. Democracy rests on the assumption that people have the
right to make a life that is free for different voices to be heard and taken
seriously, secure in food, shelter, education and health, capable of
settling differences without violence because common agreement, non-coerced,
reflects a deeper level of justice, and that the soul of a person, from
whatever religious or spiritual source, is respected by law. There is no
place for the bully to have the major voice, or for the bully to keep power
of injustice, or for the bully to favor only one group and faith system.
Individuals and systems that rely on bullying wound the basic
fabric of a civil society, confusing coercion with persuasion and covering
violence with the phoney garb of acceptability. The legacy of bullying
change weakens the essential glue that binds a mature society together:
respect and trust for those who participate in self government. Democratic
society that is strong on respect relies on the overthrow of bullies in any
form. Justice is critical for promoting an identity of compassionate
citizenship.
In the American society, post-September 11, the rise of fear
based faiths to promote an illusionary security is another form of bullying
the population. Wars against terrorism use methods that frighten our
citizens as we read about not only the dead and wounded American citizens,
but the negative and growing psychological impact on American society of
accepting new standards for torture, illegal detention processes, and new
forms of imprisonment. What made America suspend the principles of
compassion and become a world bully?
5. What can be done in Indonesia by American and Indonesian
peace workers?:The Song of Solidarity
Since my return from Indonesia, I have continued to raise
funds for People to People/Nurania Dunia (51 Fairview Avenue, Athens, Ohio
45701), spoken at several high schools and churches in Cincinnati about what
we found in Indonesia, and joined a University of Cincinnati committee aimed
at following up on tsunami relief. I have proposed to our committee the
formation of an inter-university commission, the Center for Humanitarian
Service, to promote projects that involve university faculty and students in
the joint task of rebuilding Aceh and strengthening the leaders of
Indonesian universities, schools, mosques, and other agencies actively
promoting non-violent ways of ensuring democracy.
I am growing increasing aware that there are serious flaws in
using an "American" approach to rebuilding and strengthening Indonesia.
American society has entered a period of conflict over basic principles of
freedom, religion, education and security for each citizen. Where are the
American university leaders standing up to the new forms of bullying now
intimidating professors and students who are identified as "progressive"?
Who is objecting to the rising university's tuition coupled with the
cutbacks in financial aide for low income students? Who is prepared to take
on the president of Harvard for his openly discriminatory remarks about
women and minorities? The battle in the high schools over science teaching
has returned with new energy as science teachers are forced to consider
faith based critiques of evolution. More militant fundamentalist groups are
strengthening the introduction of teaching about Jesus in public schools and
finding favor with courts, legislators and our president. Who is the
national spokesperson, in colleges of teacher education, rallying the public
to this further weakening of education? Increases in hunger, homelessness,
unemployment, plus stepped up attacks on pensions and social security, are
combining to drive home an "anti-social insecurity" philosophy of
governmental responsibility: the federal government has no place in
providing a "safety net."
Precisely what do we mean by "American humanitarianism?" I am
aware of the deep commitment to justice on the part of many in our society
and the corresponding efforts of individuals and groups, professional and
volunteer, that is not giving up the fight for a just society. I am not
demeaning the faiths of those who work for interfaith respect, who have
continued to explore better and more innovative ways of bringing this
respect into common religious work, prayer and community building. The work
of immigrants, women, students, minorities, teachers and neighborhoods who
work with pride for progressive goals remains an inspiring force in American
life. Compassionate ideas about justice in health care, employment ,
education, and public safety still abound and offer hope to many groups. Our
efforts to promote humanitarian approaches is a small and too valuable idea
to minimize even though the federal efforts seems so anti-poor, anti
religion other than born-again Christian, and anti-immigrant.
Humanitarianism means learning just how the Civil Rights
movement's lessons can be applied to Indonesia's efforts to bring justice to
all of their society. Now, 40 years afterMississippi Freedom Summer, the
lasting efforts to build pluralism, honor difference, and respect diversity
are both holding up and undergoing strong resistance. Indonesian leaders are
well aware of the power of our civil rights movement and have used its
history as a way of surviving their own oppression. "During the Revolution,"
a jailed author wrote, "when I was being held by the Durch in Bukitduri
Prision, I memorized a Negro spritual, the first line of which went "There's
a happy land somewhere..."--a symbolic promise for every person's future.
With hope as his guide, sweat as the symbol of his labor, the present as
his starting point, and the past as his provisions, a person goes forward
toward a happy land somewhere. But because one can never be sure of reaching
that place, the second line of the song goes "And it's just a prayer
away..." (Pramoedya Ananta Toer(1999). The mute's soliloquy. Penguin. Page
7.) Indonesia's next steps in the direction of expanded freedoms will
require strong partnerships with American peace makers who are able to keep
hope under the increasing pressure to hollow out democracy's basic guts. I
am confident that we have much to learn in these next important steps from
our Indonesian brothers and sisters about the creative ways of working with
the remnants of brutality in the political and burecratic systems. Our next
steps can be found in the lyrics of democratic songs of participation and
cooperation. I bow in gratitude to all who are teaching the words and the
music of our freedom.
6/18/05
Ellen writes to D. Pepper re.
Drug War is a Scam
Hi David Pepper,
re. our conversation at Burnet Woods before the Pride Parade Sunday, the information about the drug war is from Catherine Austin Fitts, former undersec'y of commerce, I believe, and an expert in international banking etc. etc.
She explains how drug money is laundered through U.S. treasury notes, and how this puts the government in bed with the drug dealer moguls. So it is in both their interests to keep the "drug war" going. That is the main reason I was opposed to your ordinance initiative to raise the penalties for marijuana possession. I served for a month on the Grand Jury in 2004; Seems to me that if we decriminalized the drug commerce the whole thing would fold. With a fraction of the sum we now put into drug enforcement we could have a very good public information campaign to advertise the stupidity of using drugs. The U.S. has more of its citizens behind bars than any o ther country. Largely due to the drug war.
I would love for you to come back to the Salon and explain your view. Nothing is black and white.
Thanks for working hard for Cincinnati,
Ellen Bierhorst
Lloyd House Salon
A friend (Eric Russo) writes:"You can read Catherine Austin Fitts stuf at: http://www.solari.com
. You can join up for free (they'll assign you a password), and you can browse an extensive list of topics. I know she has a publication out called "narco dollars for dummies." I have not read it, but am familiar with its message. Another very informative web site to check out http://www.silverbearcafe.com
has a link to the narco dollars for dummies."
end of articles
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