Open Letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York by Kevin Powell

It is my honor to post a letter from Mr. Kevin Powell to Mayor Bloomberg....... NOTE: This blog can also be found at http://www.kevinpowell.net/blog/2011/11/open-letter-to-mayor-michael-bloomberg-of-new-york/ Open Letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York by Kevin Powell Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Dear Mayor Bloomberg: I was awakened in the wee hours of this morning by texts and calls from friends and associates distraught that Occupy Wall Street protestors were being forcibly removed from Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. Even more troubling is that you chose to make a mockery of the First Amendment of our United States Constitution by not only evicting the peaceful activists, but also by blocking media outlets from recording the police raid. This is America, Mr. Bloomberg, a nation that through much effort, tears, blood, and, yes, deaths, has evolved from a slaveholding country that also destroyed much of Native American culture, to one where women, people of color, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, the physically challenged, Jews, Muslims, White ethnics from places like Ireland and Italy, and so many others have been able to gain some measure of freedom and democracy. We are not the nation we ought to be, yet, but we are also not the nation we once were, either. We do that history, and ourselves, a great disservice when we in leadership positions resort to tactics used to deny freedom and democracy, in the old America of Jim Crow laws, in the old South Africa of apartheid. As I watched the amateur video made of the raid online this morning, I got very choked up. I am a big supporter of Occupy Wall Street because it speaks directly to my history as a Black person in America. The occupation is nothing more than the bus boycotts, freedom rides, and sit-ins of the Civil Rights era. The nonviolent approach harkens back to the principles of Dr. King, borrowed, of course, from the great Indian leader Gandhi. The use of technology to spread the Occupy Wall Street messages is no different than how W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, and other visionaries used the media at their disposal in their day to communicate with the masses. So when we choose to walk down the path of repression, of removing and silencing those who would speak out, Mr. Mayor, we are saying that we are choosing to be on the wrong side of history. That we are choosing to be in bed with the devil, instead of on the side of God, of the noble promises of our America. As I said, I am a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement, here in New York City, and across America. I have been a part of many rallies and marches the past two months. I have spent much time talking and listening to participants, at Zuccotti Park, at planning meetings, and in private one-on-one sessions with some of the leadership. They are mostly good and decent Americans and I have not witnessed a movement like this since the anti-apartheid protests of the 1980s when I was a college student. It is the same energy, the same sense of purpose, and the same fire-in-belly belief that what they are doing is right. They are not anti-American. They are not anti-business. They are not anti-wealthy folks. They are not anti-police. They are not anti-you, Mr. Mayor. They, we, merely want to see our nation be a place where people, regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, or educational level can have an opportunity to have an opportunity; to not struggle to get or keep a job or career; to not struggle to pay for an education which should be our birthright; to not suffer through housing woes, including foreclosures; to not have to spend our entire lives in debt, broke, or broken spiritually and emotionally because of our finances. But what message are we sending, Mayor Bloomberg, when we come like the thief in the night to remove people by extreme force? What message are we sending when we inhumanly destroy a community built to show what democracy can look like in our era? How condescending and nearsighted are we to state these people are dirty and unfocused, that they somehow are more of a public nuisance than certain banks and corporations that have wrecked the lives of so many Americans? How arrogant are we to assume, just because we may have a certain financial background, status, or title, to think we are above relearning lessons of democracy at various points in our American lives? And how can we ever again say it was not right for militaries in Middle Eastern and North African nations to crack down on the democracies there, then we turn around and do the same on our own shores, only months later, and to our own children, to our own people? Mayor Bloomberg, you said on your weekly radio show, several weeks ago, that it was inevitable for Americans to take to the streets because of the state of our economy. But is the solution to beat these people back with batons and gloved fists, or is the solution to listen to their voices, hear their concerns, and figure out a way, together, for us as a people, all people, to transform America for these times and beyond? I know somewhere in your person, Mayor Bloomberg, you have a soul and a moral conscience. You are going to have to ask yourself, billionaire or not, mayor of New York City or not, whose side you are on, because the Occupy Wall Street movement is here to stay, and will only get bigger and stronger when leaders like you attack the protestors, as you've done. Justice, Mr. Bloomberg, is not on the side of those who would misuse and abuse their power. Justice is, forever, on the side of those who would even sacrifice their own bodies because they believe so deeply in their cause. Those are the kind of people and the kind of Americans I stand with, Mayor Bloomberg. Those are the kind of people I know, from their tents, blankets, and makeshift occupied communities, will do for America exactly what those Civil Rights workers did with their shoes, overalls, songs of freedom, and voter registration cards a generation ago. And so it shall be, and so it shall be- Respectfully, Kevin Powell Kevin Powell is an activist, public speaker, and author or editor of 10 books. His 11th book, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and The Ghost of Dr. King: And Other Blogs and Essays, will be published by lulu.com  in January 2012. You can reach him at kevin@kevinpowell.net, or follow him on Twitter @kevin_powell

Michael Stone: Love and Shadow in the Occupy Movement....excellent!

Here is a burst of optimism from a spiritual perspective about what the Occupy movement can accomplish.

Michael Stone (psychotherapist, yoga teacher, Buddhist teacher, author and activist) talks about the powerful shift that this movement is trying to re-imagine in our world.

It goes beyond corruption on Wall Street….......


CLICK HERE FOR...excellent BRIEF VIDEO: Michael Stone: Love and Shadow in the Occupy Movement

"The Four Agreements" /Don Miguel Ruiz/You Tube

This video is accompanied by the music of Enigma, one of my favorite groups.  The song is, "Return to Innocence".  The time is NOW!!!  Only LOVE prevails.......

Problem Solving EFT Ho'oponopono Guided Meditation/ YouTube

The Shift to Unconditional Love

Penn State Grad: “I have fully lost faith in the leadership of my parents’ generation”

When I read this article, I was aware that I am of the generation of this young person's parents  ..... and I am in complete agreement with him.


The Penn State scandal comes on top of a total breakdown in ethics and accountability in government and beyond. A Penn State grad and member of Sandusky's foundation discusses his generation's loss of faith in his parents' generation.........

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING.... | AlterNet

Obama: Kids Stuck in Foster Care Due to Deportation a “Real Problem”

From Alternet:

In a briefing last week, President Obama directly acknowledged that his administration’s immigration enforcement practices break up families.

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE:

5 Hilarious Parodies of the Current Presidential Candidates | | AlterNet

The best spoofs include Tim Heidecker's "Cain Train," the Second City on Michele Bachmann, and of course, Baracka Flocka Flame.

CLICK HERE for: 5 Hilarious Parodies of the Current Presidential Candidates

A MUST READ article from Kevin Powell! "Joe Paterno, Herman Cain, Men, Sex and Power"

Kevin Powell: Joe Paterno, Herman Cain, Men, Sex, and Power

Joe Paterno, Herman Cain, Men, Sex, and Power
by Kevin Powell | special to NewBlackMan

Joe Paterno. Herman Cain. Penn State football. Presidential campaigns. Men. Sex. Power. Women. Harassed. Children. Abused.

These are some of the hash tags that have tweeted through my mind nonstop, these past several days, as multiple sexual harassment charges have been hurled at Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain; as Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator for Penn State's storied football program, was arrested on 40 counts related to allegations of sexual abuse of eight young boys over a 15-year period. Sandusky's alleged indiscretions have not only brought back very ugly and unsettling memories of the Catholic Church sexual abuse mania a few short years ago, but has led to the firing of legendary coach Joe Paterno and Penn State president Graham Spanier, plus the indictments of athletic director Tim Curley and a vice president, Gary Schultz, for failing to report a grad assistant's eyewitness account of Sandusky allegedly having anal sex with a ten-year-old boy in a shower on the university's campus in 2002.

In the matter of Mr. Herman Cain I cringed, to be blunt, as I watched his press conference this week denying accusations of sexual harassment against him, which has swelled to four different women, two identified and two anonymous, for now. I was not there, so I don't know, only he and the women know the truth. But what was telling in Mr. Cain's remarks is that he was visibly defensive and defiant, rambled quite a bit about the media's smear campaign and, most curious, only once mentioned sexual harassment as a major problem in America, and it was just one quick, passing sentence. Then he went back to discussing himself, which he is particularly adept at doing.

What Herman Cain and the disgraced male leaders of Penn State have in common is the issue of power and privilege we men not only wield like our birthright, but which has come to be so inextricably linked to our identities. So much so, in fact, that many of us, regardless of race, class, religion and, in some cases, even sexual orientation or physical abilities, don't even realize what a disaster manhood is when it is unapologetically invested in power, privilege, patriarchy, sexism, and a reckless disregard for the safety and sanity of others, especially women and children.

Every single year, it seems, some well-known man somewhere gets into trouble because of sex, money, drugs, or violence, or some combination thereof (and God only knows how many unknown males do likewise). It is always the same themes, just with a new cast of characters. Yesterday it was priests of the Catholic Church. Today it is the male leadership of Penn State. Yesterday it was Anthony Weiner and Charlie Sheen. Today it is Herman Cain. I remember earlier this year, in fact, in the wake of Mr. Weiner's sudden and rapid fall from grace, a report was published that said over 90 percent of sex scandals in America feature us men as the culprits. That very few women engage in that mode of self-destructive behavior.

The question begs itself: Why not? I feel it has to do with how we construct manhood from birth. Most of us boys are taught, basically from the time we can talk and walk, to be strong, tough, loud, dominating, aggressive, and, yes, even violent, even if that violence is masked in tales of war or Saturday afternoon college football games. Without anything to counteract that mindset like, say, that it is okay for boys and men to tell the truth, to show raw emotions and vulnerability, to cry, to view girls and women as our equals on every level, we are left with so many of us, far into adulthood, as fully formed physically but incredibly undeveloped emotionally. And if you are a male who happens to have been sexually assaulted or abused yourself, and never got any real help in any form, highly likely you will at some point become a sexual predator yourself. And if you are a man who still thinks we are in pre-feminist movement America where it was once okay to, well, touch, massage, or caress a female colleague inappropriately, to talk sex to her, as she is either working for you or attempting to secure a job (and has not given you permission to do so), then you are also likely to be the kind of male who will deny any of it ever happened. Again and again and again-

The bottom line is that our notions of manhood are totally and embarrassingly out of control, and some of us have got to stand up and say enough, that we've got to redefine what it is to be a man, even as we, myself included, are unfailingly forthright about our shortcomings and our failures as men, and how some of us have even engaged in the behaviors splashed across the national news this year alone.
 
But to get to that new kind of manhood means we've got to really dig into our souls and admit the old ways are not only not working, but they are so painfully hurtful to women, to children, to communities, businesses, institutions, and government, to sport and play, and to ourselves. Looking in the mirror is never easy but if not now, when? And if not us in these times, then we can surely expect the vicious cycles of manhood gone mad to continue for generations to come, as evidenced by a recent report in the New York Times of a steadily climbing number of American teen boys already engaging in lewd sexual conduct toward girls. Where are these boys learning these attitudes if not from the men around them, in person, in the media, on television and in film, in video games, or from their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, older brothers, teachers, and, yes, coaches?

For sure, nothing sadder and more tragic than to see 84-year-old Coach Joe Paterno, who I've admired since I was a child, throwing away 46 years of coaching heroism and worship (and 62 total years on the school's football staff) because the power, glory, and symbolism of Penn State football was above protecting the boys allegedly touched and molested by Sandusky. Equally sad and tragic when Mr. Cain's supporters are quick to call what is happening to him a lynching when this man, this Black man, has never been tarred and feathered, never been hung from a tree, never had his testicles cut from his body, never been set on fire, as many Black men were, in America, in the days when lynching was as big a national sport as college football is today. Anything, it seems, to refute the very graphic and detailed stories of the women accusing Mr. Cain of profoundly wrong, unprofessional, and inhuman conduct.

But, as I stated, when our sense of manhood has gone mad, completely mad, anything goes, and anything will be said (or nothing said at all), or done, to protect the guilty, at the expense of the innocent. We've got to do better than this, gentlemen, brothers, boys, for the sake of ourselves, for the sake of our nation and our world. It was Albert Einstein who famously stated that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Then insanity may also mean men and boys doing the same things over and over again, for the sake of warped and damaged manhood, and expecting forward progress to happen, but then it all crumbles, once more, in a heap of facts, finger-pointing, and forgetful memories when convenient.

If any good can come of the Cain and Penn State disasters it is my sincere hope that spaces and movements are created, finally, where we men can really begin to rethink what manhood can be, what manhood might be. Manhood that is not about power, privilege, and the almighty penis, but instead rooted in a sense of humanity, in peace, in love, in nonviolence, in honesty and transparency, in constant self-criticism and self-reflection, and in respect and honor of women and girls, again, as our equals; in spaces and movements where men and boys who might not be hyper-macho and sports fanatics like some us are not treated as outcasts, as freaks, as less than men or boys. A manhood where if we see something bad happening, we say something, and not simply stick our heads in the sand and pretend that something did not happen. Or worse, yet, do something wrong ourselves, and when confronted with that wrongness, rather than confess, acknowledge, grow, heal, evolve, we instead dig in our heels and imagine ourselves in an all-out war, proclaiming our innocence to any who will listen, even as truth grows, like tall and daunting trees in a distant and darkened woods, about us.

A manhood, alas, where we men and boys understand that we must be allies to women and girls, allies to all children, and be much louder, visible, and outspoken about sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence, sexual abuse and molestation. Knowing that if we are on the frontlines of these human tragedies then we can surely help to make them end once and for all, for the good of us all.

That means time for some of us to grow, and to grow up. Time for some of us to let go of the ego trips and the pissing contests to protect bruised and battered egos of boys masquerading as men. Before it is too late, before some of us hurt more women, more children, and more of ourselves, yet again-

***

Kevin Powell is an activist, public speaker, and author or editor of 10 books. His 11th book,Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and The Ghost of Dr. King: And Other Blogs and Essays, will be published by lulu.com in January 2012. You can reach him at kevin@kevinpowell.net, or follow him on Twitter @kevin_powell

What Do Herman Cain and Joe Paterno Have in Common? | AlterNet

I don’t give a damn about football.

I don’t care about Joe Paterno or his precious legacy as the winningest coach in Division I history. That he espoused honor and scholarship to his players, put Pennsylvania State University on the national map, made the school $52.3 million, or meant a lot to the 4,000morally deficient cult members students who literally rioted after the 84-year-old was fired for looking the other way while his defensive coordinator, Gerald “Jerry” Sandusky, allegedly raped, sodomized, fondled and manipulated young, poor boys under the guise of charity. 

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THIS BEVY OF SOCIOPATHS....

Well...THIS should go well!!! :-(

A Wall Street Journal article announces:

Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier will chair Penn State’s special investigation committee charged with investigating the “failures” that occurred at the school surrounding sexual abuse allegations against a former football coach.

Maybe it's just me, but a Harvard-educated attorney, who is the CEO of a Big Pharma company, and a Trustee of Penn State University?  I don't know but does anyone smell conflict of interest and a con-job coming??

My judgement is premature, of course, but....I'm just sayin'...........

The silver lining? If there can even be a silver lining to a sociopath repeatedly raping 10-year-old boys, while the 'boy's club' stands by with impotence (no pun intended...well, sort of....), this point is clear.  Between the Catholic church, and Penn State ... it is amazing to me how much the rape of males is given so much more attention than the rape of females and all those children and females in the sex trade industry.  Perhaps all will benefit from such scrutiny.  One can only hope our collective souls focus on the energy which seems so focused on violence to our children, and each other.

This article, by Katherine Hobson, from the Wall Street Journal is laced with "public relations", and the evolution of acts which had their genisis in something so dark....so evil....and the recurrent theme of sweeping the "nasty" under the carpet:

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/11/11/mercks-kenneth-frazier-no-stranger-to-public-debacles-heads-up-penn-state-investigation/?mod=google_news_blog

A Reminder for the Media: Sex Scandal, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment Are Not Interchangeable Terms

From Alternet:


The recent accusations against Herman Cain gave us reason to remind the mainstream media of the differences between sexual harassment and sexual assault. Daniel Denvir writes:

TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK HERE:

What If The Country Isn't Really Broke??????

CLICK HERE, and see what you think.....

A Reminder, Ignored.......

The Sun Magazine | Last Night I Drove My Son Home

CLICK to read this wonderful story!

Rioting Penn State Students: "Sure, Children Were Raped -- But What About Our Football?!"

Sure, children were raped, but...

Football!

Seriously, Penn State students who are rioting because the board of trustees fired a man who helped cover up serial child molestation? You all should be ashamed. And if the comments on your school’sfacebook page are any indication of the level of intellectual discourse (and basic spelling and grammar skills) you’ve got going on over there, I would suggest you spend more time hitting the books and less time bleating about how Joe Paterno is a victim, too......

Click here to continue reading: Rioting Penn State Students: "Sure, Children Were Raped -- But What About Our Football?!" | AlterNet

3 Ways Elites Rig the System | Economy | AlterNet

From low capital gains taxes to stock buy-backs, here are the ways the elites ensure the markets benefit them......

CLICK TO CONTINUE READING....3 Ways Elites Rig the System | Economy | AlterNet

Why Bank Transfer Day (Today) Is Only the Beginning of Something Huge

The movement to make sure our money serves our own values rather than the bottom line of huge banks will only gain energy as small victories accumulate.

CLICK TO READ: Why Bank Transfer Day (Today) Is Only the Beginning of Something Huge | | AlterNet

Some Asthma Drugs Kill More People Than Asthma: Why Is Big Pharma Allowed to Hawk Deadly Pills?

CLICK TO READ: Some Asthma Drugs Kill More People Than Asthma: Why Is Big Pharma Allowed to Hawk Deadly Pills? | Personal Health | AlterNet

Extreme Poverty Is Now at Record Levels -- 19 Statistics About the Poor That Will Absolutely Astound You | | AlterNet

In 2010, we were told that the economy was recovering, but the truth is that the number of the "very poor" soared to heights never seen previously.

CLICK HERE TO READ: Extreme Poverty Is Now at Record Levels -- 19 Statistics About the Poor That Will Absolutely Astound You | | AlterNet

Beating Babies in the Name of Jesus? The Shady World of Right-Wing 'Discipline' Guides | Belief | AlterNet

There is a brutal movement in America that legitimizes child abuse in the name of God........

Click here to read article.....

Noam Chomsky Speaks to Occupy: If We Want a Chance at a Decent Future, the Movement Here and Around the World Must Grow / AlterNet

In a speech to Occupy Boston, the linguist and icon hailed the "unprecedented" first weeks of OWS. He cautioned protesters to build and educate first, strike later.....

Click here to continue reading.........

Character / Helen Keller

The Four Agreements

The Revolution Will Not Be Spotified — Arts and Culture — Utne Reader

The Revolution Will Not Be Spotified...an interesting view...click here.....

"Seeing something, saying something" y Irin Carmen / Salon

Web footage of a judge hitting his daughter shows how technology can give victims power........

Click here to continue reading this article........

The Right-wing's Propaganda Machine Has Failed to Destroy OWS

From Alternet......


Less than a year after the 2010 elections, the right-wing is losing its ability to dominate the media's attention. Here's why it hasn't been able to tarnish OWS...........

Click here to continue this article......

Jon Stewart Nails Cain And Perry In One Hilarious Clip

The Republican lineup gets more and more...and OMG!!! Thankfully, I believe we are sending Cain and Perry to the showers. Romney is about to strike out!

Jon Stewart Nails Cain And Perry In One Hilarious Clip

Important Message from Montague Keen October 30

It has become blatantly clear who you can trust and who you need to see with suspicion. Check who is pulling the strings. The puppets who sold their souls for gain were put in positions of power. They are there only as long as they serve their masters. The changes that are taking place are much bigger than you can imagine. Just because you do not see them, does not mean that they are not happening: they happen on different levels.

Click here to read entire article:

Report: NYPD steers drunks to Occupy Wall Street

Those found drinking in city parks are told by officers to "take it to 

Zuccotti," the Daily News reports

Click to read report: NYPD steers drunks to Occupy Wall Street

After I left my abusive boyfriend

I transformed myself when we split, but it wasn't just about reclaiming my self-worth. It was about becoming normal.....

Click here to read: "After I left my abusive boyfriend"

Making the Case for Medical Corruption

Is the medical establishment looking out for the best interests of patients?

Click here to read: Making the Case for Medical Corruption

Chemtrails Chemtrails + HAARP: Weather Warfare

Was Katrina an Instance of Weather Warfare?This History Channel show describes several scenarios of actual and potential weather warfare tactics that have been tested or deployed by more than one nation over the past century, with deadly results. William Thomas, author of the book, 'Chemtrails Validated' describes a program he claims is currently being used, according to one FAA official whose identity is being protected. Allegedly, chemicals are being sprayed by USAF tankers over "commanded airspace" in conjunction with Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) waves directed from the HAARP facility in Alaska, creating drought conditions in enemy territories, as a means of forcing surrender. Diabolical stuff!

Watch this video! Click here!!!

Truth about the Federal Reserve & World War I

To watch this VERY IMPORTANT VIDEO, CLICK HERE!

400% Rise in Anti-Depressant Pill Use: Americans Are Disempowered -- Can the OWS Uprising Shake Us Out of Our Depression? | Drugs | AlterNet

Is it time to repoliticize a great deal of our despair, and reconsider the old-fashioned antidepressant of political activism?


Excellent article.......

click here to continue reading......

"How the Common Good Is Transforming Our World"

Douglas LaBier

Business psychologist and psychotherapist

Posted: October 17, 2010 12:31 PM

In my previous post I wrote about a rising social psychosis that's visible in three areas of our society. It's likely to prevail for some time, but I think it's like a wave that's crested and will crash to the shore. The reason is that the social psychosis is a backlash against a steadily growing consciousness and behavior that refocuses personal lives and public policies towards promoting the common good.

By the "common good" I'm referring to a broad evolution beyond values and actions that serve narrow self-interest, and towards those guided by inclusiveness -- supporting well-being, economic success, security, human rights and stewardship of resources for the benefit of all, rather than just for some.

It's like a stealth operation, because it hasn't become highly visible yet. But polls, surveys and research data reveal several strands of change that are coalescing in this overall direction. I describe each of them below. They may appear to be unrelated, but I think they're driven by an underlying perspective that we're all like organs of the same body, and the body doesn't thrive if any of the organs is neglected or diseased.

It's an awareness of interconnection of all lives on this planet, and a pull towards acting upon that reality in a range of ways. They include rethinking personal relationships, the responsibility of business to society, and the role of government in an interdependent world.

A 21st-Century Mindset

The rise of the common good reflects a sense of global citizenship and an obligation to be a good ancestor to future generations who inhabit this planet. In fact, it embodies behavior and policies that fit the needs for effective functioning -- both personal and political -- in our post-9/11, post-economic meltdown world.

That is, in previous posts I've argued that this new era of unpredictable change in a non-equilibrium world requires new criteria for psychological health and resiliency, beyond just effective stress management and coping. Others have emphasized the new mindset that's needed for effective business and leadership strategies in this interconnected era.

For example, Matt Bai has described in the New York Times that "[n]ow we live in an integrated world where American jobs rely on the economic policies of governments in Asia or Latin America, while our security is subject to the whims of a cleric living in a cave," and, "[w]ith global interdependence comes a certain lack of control, a vulnerability to disparate influence."

Similarly, CUNY professor and blogger Jeff Jarvis refers to a "great restructuring of the economy and society, starting with a fundamental change in our relationships -- how we are linked and intertwined and how we act."

And Umair Haque writes in his Harvard Business School blog about the new principles of a new economy "built around stewardship, trusteeship, guardianship, leadership, partnership," adding that "[a]s interaction explodes, the costs of evil are starting to outweigh the benefits." In effect, transparency will become the antidote to evil.

Let's look at some of the seemingly disparate themes of the massive shift underway that has spawned the current social psychosis.

The New Norm of Racial-Ethnic Diversity

As you read these words, the country is becoming more diverse. Some demographers believe that 2010 could be the first year that most children born in the country will be non-white. Already, five states have a majority non-white population. New York Times columnist Charles Blow captured a slice of this at the time of the passage of health care legislation, writing that "[a] woman [Nancy Pelosi] pushed the health care bill through the House. The bill's most visible and vocal proponents included a gay man [Barney Frank] and a Jew [Anthony Weiner]. And the black man in the White House signed the bill into law. It's enough to make a good old boy go crazy."

Nearly 20 percent of counties in the U.S. have, or are close to, a nonwhite majority. This shift is steadily changing the social landscape. The trend is towards movement in the direction of tolerance, acceptance and valuing -- rather than fearing or hating -- the increasingly diverse composition of American society. And that includes the rising numbers of those with multi-racial/ethnic backgrounds. Moreover, research finds that the latter group tends to be open-minded and more oriented to inclusiveness and openness.

Volunteer Service

Data show that the number of volunteers is steadily growing among all age groups. During 2009, about 64 million Americans did volunteer work (defined as unpaid volunteer activities through an organization.) That's nearly 27 percent of the populations and reflects a steady year-by-year increase, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report. And a rapid rise of volunteerism has occurred in the last decade among men and women in their 30s and 40s. Today, people describe volunteerism as part of their sense of responsibility to help others in need, not something for padding their resume.

Donations of Organs by Living Donors to Strangers

That number is steadily rising. For example, kidney donations from living donors have outnumbered those from deceased donors since 2003. Some states, such as Wisconsin, offer tax deductions for expenses related to living organ donations.

Hands-On Philanthropy

This trend is towards wanting contributions to have visible, direct impact upon people's lives. More are turning away from writing checks to well-heeled organizations like universities or cultural centers. This trend is visible among venture capitalists who bring a high-impact perspective to venture philanthropy as well as among average citizens, who increasingly contribute to international organizations that help people become more self-sufficient in daily life -- for example, through micro finance (providing small loans to individuals starting businesses in impoverished countries), or purchasing a goat for a family that relies on small farming for their livelihood, or paying the salary of a schoolteacher in an impoverished part of the world.

Responsibility for a Healthy Planet

Despite the continued denial of the reality of climate change and the human contributions to it by the GOP, a denial unmatched among major political parties around the globe, pressure continues to build, both politically and on a grassroots level, for actions that reverse or halt climate change and promote sustainable living. Among the latter are groups like 350.org, the Alliance for Climate Protection and community alliances of citizens, businesses and government such as Bethesda Green, in Bethesda, Md. This trend is underscored by the steadily rising financial contributions to environmental organizations.

Support For Human Rights

Data show a steady increase of both financial contributions to and membership in such organizations as Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, Amnesty International, Mercy Corps International and others. Even in the absence of effective action, consciousness continues to build around the perspective that violations of rights to safety, dignity and personal freedom for another -- anywhere in the world -- affect oneself, as well. In addition, the view of security and human rights is expanding to include not only freedom from violence and terrorism, but also the rights to health care, support of older citizens, rights to adequate housing, food, fair wages and other conditions. A recent U.N. report examines these issues with respect to responsibilities and actions of member nations.

Personal Success

I've written previously that men and women increasingly want a "4.0 career": one that provides more than personal recognition, power and financial reward. They want meaningful work, opportunities for continued learning and growth, a positive management culture and a team-oriented, ethical environment. They want to have impact on something larger than just their own personal success. These themes are especially pronounced among younger workers.

The Social Impact of Business

Business leaders have already bought into the need for sustainability, and many are contributing to the rise of a new business model, one that addresses social problems and serves the common good as well as achieving financial success. The "green business" movement reflects this shift, along with the concept of the "triple bottom line." Related trends include sustainable investing, social entrepreneurialism, corporate social responsibility, building a psychologically healthy management culture, and transparency via open access to information and corporate disclosure policies.

Acceptance of Gay Relationships and Gay Marriage

Acceptance of gay relationships has steadily increased, while opposition to gay marriage has steadily decreased, when tracked over the last several years, according to data from the Pew Research Center. Between one-quarter and one-third of gay and lesbian couples are raising children, a steadily rising number. And the most current surveys indicate that about half of all Americans support gay marriage.

Families And Relationships Are Transforming
A majority of Americans now say their definition of family includes same-sex couples with children, as well as married gay and lesbian couples. Regarding intimate relationships, surveys by the Gallup organization and other groups find that the quality of the relationship is more important to people today than simple allegiance to the institution of marriage. Census statistics and other data confirm this, showing, for example, a steady decline in the marriage rate over the last several decades, while cohabitation has steadily risen in each of those same decades. About half of all households today are headed by people who are single. And unmarried couples are as likely as married couples to be raising children: it's currently approaching 50 percent.

Some surveys report that at least 30 percent of those polled admit to having had an affair. Whether that's accurate or not, the upshot is that affairs are no longer viewed as immoral in today's culture. Moreover, attitudes towards prostitution are also shifting towards greater acceptance and focus on the rights of sex workers.

So, these are just some of the pervasive shifts underway. My read is that they link around an underlying theme that our culture is evolving in both consciousness and action, and that evolution will grow and strengthen over time. That's why the current social psychosis will fade. That's not only hopeful but important: The rise of the common good is both a necessary path for survival and security on an interdependent planet and the path towards personal psychological health, success and well being in this new world era.

Douglas LaBier, Ph.D., a business psychologist and psychotherapist, is Director of the Center for Progressive Development, in Washington, D.C. You may contact him at dlabier@CenterProgressive.org.

Follow Douglas LaBier on Twitter: www.twitter.com/douglaslabier

"Fear and Changing Times" / Ken Page & Nancy Nester

We've been getting a lot of emails, session questions and calls that ask why people around us are changing. The most out of control feelings we might have is when a loved one, or person you are with, changes the way they feel about you. It brings up so many fears - rejection, abandonment and disappointment to name a few. Perhaps you might even be angry at yourself because you just became aware that the other person feels differently about you than you had thought.

Sometimes the answer arrives that the individual was jealous or afraid of you. There might be a medical problem that interferes with their emotional stability - like depression, stress, serious illness... As we age, changes in our memory affect us and everyone else. Some people just want to feel more in control, so they change things or people around them to help themselves feel better.

Personally, we have been disappointed and saddened when age brings such forgetfulness about the love and affection we felt was shared in the past with someone else, even family members. The memories and emotions have been forgotten, as if the experiences were just erased from time itself.

As time changes and people change, we find ourselves asking if we really knew 'them' or they really knew 'us' in the way we thought. It might surprise you to know that the majority of individuals in your life actually think of you differently than you think of yourself. Some even hold onto a memory of you from when you were young. You have changed and they still remember you the way you used to be.

And when your beliefs, your truths are different than someone else, others can become fearful of you. Their understanding of life is not the same as yours and they must hold on to their reality with all their might. After all, who would they be without their own ideas?

Both of us have lost friends and some members of our own family because we are unique and remain true to ourselves. That actually takes some people outside their comfort zone of understanding. We just can't be how or who they think we ought to be. Like mismatched puzzle pieces, we just don't seem to fit in as well as we would like.

Do we fit into different metaphysical circles?
No, for there is a lot of misinformation out there;
Do we fit into the way most religions believe?
No, there is so much more to creation than they teach;
Do we fit in with the way others want to hold us?
No, because we don't believe there are limitations to the way any of us are.
Do we fit into any place that would not allow us to be who we are?
No, for we would not want to be there anyway.

Sometimes being different causes people to make judgments or projections that have a paralyzing affect on our lives and our creations. Something interesting happens when someone judges us. In that moment, all the creative and transformative energy involved is frozen. A piece of our reality becomes locked into place. Any aspect judged becomes locked into a freeze frame of reality. It's as if we are carrying around thousands of snapshots and movie clips that grow heavier each day. The particular aspect of ourselves that was judged becomes psychically welded in our life, weighted down by the opinions, thoughts and ideas of someone else. Until we can free ourselves from those projections, ten years can go by and the other person is still having the same judgment. If we were wrong then, we are still wrong now. It is apparent they have not changed.

So what happens when we change and others don't? How does that make us feel? We continue to grow and they remain stuck in their old judgments, their way of life, their 'story'. We have all seen others we know who are stuck, going down a path that won't help them yet could hurt them. They might even be destroyed by their choices and yet we can't help them. If they are ones we care about or love, it makes it even harder to let them go. By letting them go, we don't mean anything other than allowing them to be who they are. We just don't choose to stay around and watch what happens.

That's what compassion has taught us - to accept others and their choices without attempting to change them, only being available to help if and when we are asked.

*The Bottom Line: Love

So what is the bottom line in all of this? It's Love - unconditional love of self and unconditional compassion for others. When we have love for ourselves, the changes in others don't affect us in the same way, the judgments of others can't remain in our higher vibration.

The opposite of love is fear. We know fear paralyzes people. So if you know someone in fear, send them this newsletter. Tell them about the energetic clearing technique which can help them be more present-centered and come to love themselves; share with them the technique about being liquid light and remaining fluid so that the changes won't ripple so hard in their lives. Help them learn how to be less reactive to energy that hurts by using the Living Light Breath. Give them our website address so they can find more than 5,000 pages of free information and books to help themselves during these changing times.

Thanks for reading.
Many Blessings,
Ken and Nancy

Astounding Media Reports Prove Secret Societies Manipulate Global Politics

"The Bilderberg group, an elite coterie of Western thinkers and power-brokers, has been accused of fixing the fate of the world behind closed doors. Not a word of what is said at Bilderberg meetings can be breathed outside. No reporters are invited in and while confidential minutes of meetings are taken, names are not noted." -- BBC News article on powerful secret society called Bilderberg Group, 6/3/04

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Show Your Support For Scott Olsen: Please Share This Graphic Now!

The war veteran critically wounded in this clip has become a rallying point for all #Occupy supporters around the world. Can you help spread this far 
and wide?

Show Your Support For Scott Olsen: Please Share This Graphic Now!

Blog: A Restaurant Tries The Honor System | The Responsibility Project by Liberty Mutual

Click here for new story about Panera Bread...and human idea!!

Yay, We Made it!

Click here for important news about NESARA!!!

#OccupyMarines are Preparing to Occupy America Nationwide/Posted by Steve Beckow/Reposted by WatsonCommonThreads

Speak of a defining moment. Marine Corps Sgt. Shamar Thomas’s upbraiding of the New York Police Dept. just may have hastened evolution. (Video reproduced below.) The Egyptian army stood behind the protesters in Tahrir Square. Recently the Portuguese military came out in favor of the Occupy protesters in that country. If Shamar Thomas succeeds in swinging the military and the police behind OWS with his courageous face-down, well, Patrick Henry, (1) move over. Thanks to Said on 2012S.....

Click this link to continue reading.......#OccupyMarines are Preparing to Occupy America Nationwide

HPV Vaccine Victims Speak Out—Will the Media Finally Get it Right?

For people who do not believe the HPV vaccine can have devastating side effects, here is living testimony. The victims who have themselves been harmed by the human papillomavirus vaccine will address the nation this afternoon, hoping to inform the GOP candidates’ debate tonight.

As you know if you’ve been following our coverage of the dangers of the HPV vaccine, the media have been blindly parroting the American Academy of Pediatrics’ statement that the HPV vaccine has “an excellent safety record.” The fact is, ..........

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CNN 'Moderator' Finds GOP Eight Times as Dishonest as Democrats?

Tuesday night’s Republican debate in Las Vegas will be moderated by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. The CNN promo urges viewers to “See if what happens in Vegas gets them closer to the White House.” But Cooper’s nightly Anderson Cooper 360 often looks like it’s trying to keep Republicans away from the White House.

CNN advertises Cooper’s regular segment, “Keeping Them Honest,” with the question: “Who's Anderson keeping honest tonight?” Apparently, CNN and Cooper find Republicans are much more dishonest. Since July, a review of “Keeping Them Honest” segments found 24 reports tagging the Republicans with dishonesty, compared with just three for Democrats – a ratio of eight to one. 
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Robert Reich (The Meagerness of the Republican Debates, the Smallness of the President's Solutions, and the Need for a Progressive Alternative)

Republicans are debating again tomorrow night. And once again, Americans will hear the standard regressive litany: government is bad, Medicare and Medicaid should be cut, “Obamacare” is killing the economy, undocumented immigrants are taking our jobs, the military should get more money, taxes should be lowered on corporations and the rich, and regulations should be gutted.........

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Our Corrupt Banking System and Money/Icke/You Tube

"Bankers are sociopaths and parasites who`ve probably never done a proper days work in their life."
An excerpt from David Icke's Turning of the Tide 1996

& Biggest Economic Lies of the GOP

Courtesy of Move On.org

This week in the War on Women: No, actually, letting women die does not protect their rights

"Need more evidence that "pro-lifers" don't give a good goddamn about life? You know, in case the doctors they've murdered, the patients they've terrorized, and the disastrous laws they've already managed to get passed didn't yet have you convinced?

This week, the Republicans in the House (plus some Democratic 
accomplices) were only"..........

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#OccupyWallStreet:

#OccupyWallStreet:

Manifesting in a New World ~ www.AlunaJoy.com

Manifesting in a New World ~ www.AlunaJoy.com

Matt Taibbi: 5 Things Wall Street Protesters Should Demand of the 1% | AlterNet

Matt Taibbi writes in Rolling Stone that "the [Occupy Wall Street] movement's basic strategy – to build numbers and stay in the fight, rather than tying itself to any particular set of principles – makes a lot of sense early on." However, he says, "the time is rapidly approaching when the movement is going to have to offer concrete solutions to the problems posed by Wall Street."

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