I believe August 2005 will go down as marking another watershed moment in American history - when the Anti-Iraq War movement truly went "mainstream." George W. Bush, in another apparent lapse of good judgement, probably still has no idea what sort of movement he galvanized when he chose to ignore the likes of Cindy Sheehan camped out near his own backyard. The steadfast action and clear message Cindy's friends and supporters have sent in response, has unleashed a tremendous groundswell of unresolved grief, pent-up anger and frustration. Significant numbers of people from across mainstream America are now gaining courage to go public with their questions about this "noble cause."
Obviously, the potency of this theme - "support the troops by bringing them home now" - can be measured by who is leading the charge: not just the traditional leaders of the longstanding peace movement -- but this time, primarily, veterans groups and parents of the soldiers themselves - the "Gold Star" families, the most difficult sector of the American public to ignore!
Ray McGovern works for "Tell the Word", the publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC, and is co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. Last Wednesday, he arrived home in Arlington, VA, after five days in Crawford, and shared these poignant and powerful remarks with 300 neighbors at the close of a candlelight observance in honor of Cindy Sheehan, whom he refers to as "the Rosa Parks of Crawford, Texas" : http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0819-33.htm
I've also been rather impressed by the ongoing clips and reports from TruthOut, a great alternative soure to the mainstream media reports about what is really happening (and why) at Camp Casey: http://www.truthout.org/cindy.shtml
September 2005 holds great promise for a convergence of major proportions within the anti-war movement -- in Congress' own backyard of Washington D.C. I don't want to miss it this time around!
If you feel the same way, keep informed of transportation options and other organization details at: http://community.michiana.org/justice (if you are a local reader from Michiana) or http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2845 (regarding efforts and talking points from "Clergy and Laity Concerned" and "United For Peace and Justice")
Clair
Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Wednesday, 20 July 2005
Follow-up regarding "Down the Rabbit Hole or Reality?"
Here is the gist of an e-mail dialogue with a questioning friend, along with some personal reflections, in response to my previous post. My friend asked: "I'm curious. What, exactly, do you consider the political significance of the alleged additional explosions in the WTC?
I responded with: Good question! Read this story and perhaps you'll start to get the bigger picture:
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/28901.htm
By the way, regarding WTC #7 which fell at 5:20 pm on 9/11:
March 2, 2002: A New York Times article theorizes that a diesel fuel tank was responsible for the collapse of WTC Building 7. It collapsed on 9/11, even though it was farther away than many other buildings that remained standing. It was the first time a steel-reinforced high-rise in the US had ever collapsed in a fire. The fuel tank had been installed in 1999 as part of a new "command center" for Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. [New York Times, 3/2/02, Dow Jones News, 9/10/02]
What's curious, especially given all the Wall Street scandals later in the year, is that Building 7 was where the SEC stored files for numerous Wall Street investigations. All the files for approximately 3,000 to 4,000 SEC cases were destroyed. Some were backed up in other places, but many were not, especially those classified as confidential. [National Law Journal, 9/17/01]
Lost files include documents that could show the relationship between Citigroup and the WorldCom bankruptcy. [The Street, 8/9/02]
The Secret Service also lost investigative files. Says one agent: "All the evidence stored at 7 World Trade, in all our cases, went down with the building." [Tech TV, 7/23/02]
A few days later, the head of the WTC collapse investigation says he "would possibly consider examining" the collapse of Building 7, however, all the rubble has been removed and destroyed. [Committee on Science, House of Representativestestimony, 3/6/02]
Also, did you know that a great deal of the debris from 9/11 was quickly shipped off to China. Hmmmm? Is it any wonder why? --Clair
---------------
My friend replied: I think you're gonna have to spell it out for me. I'm picking up on some insinuations, but nothing solid. What do you think the "truth" is in regards to the alleged basement explosion?
And so I responded again:
OK, maybe this will give you something solid to chew on for a while: http://www.lewrockwell.com/reynolds/reynolds12.html
At least that did it for my father, who is quite mechanically minded -- it really sat him back on his haunches and stimulated some sober reflection and discussion, just like it affected me when I first read it. The logical conclusion I get from it all (and I join a host of others in this who have "been there" a lot longer than I have) is that, at a minimum, a highly secret and very professionally-designed controlled demolition, well planned ahead of time by a company with a contract to do "official business" of that nature, took the three towers down. The identities are still a secret but there are some clues. It seems logical to me, if that is the case, that "someone" (I honestly don't know who all) within very high levels of the government would have had to know, likely at a very high level in our current administration.
Some very rational persons conclude this does indeed imply a conspiracy to pull off an inside job -- the victims lives be damned -- to instigate a modern Pearl Harbor, fire up the war machine and insure world dominion by the rulers of this nation, according to the motives of the comprehensive PNAC plan. According to this theory, the control center for the operation on the twin towers was likely in WTC7 in a secret reinforced bunker inside that building that could withstand 160 mph wind, and then they took all that evidence down that evening at 5:20 pm.
The tragic results we experienced would had to have been expected -- coldly and shockingly calculated to provide an excuse to ignite support for the current war we now have -- so that a base for controlling (energy) oil reserves in the Middle East could be established long term. (By setting up a puppet government in Iraq and manipulating the fickle mainstream press Stateside just as we have seen them do.)
Whether or not there was collusion at high levels, it seems clear now that those perpetrating this war strategy didn't count on being stuck in it now like they are: waaaay over their heads in an impossible conundrum, with civilians in the administration trying to call the key shots and making mistake after mistake. Recently, one courageous general who was in charge of the Falluja operation came out publicly recently to say that he and his cohorts were absolutely appalled by their orders (with his impression that they came directly from the White House) to take Falluja down like they did. They knew what the long term fallout would be. The military didn't want to do it, but they had to follow orders.
If one only takes into consideration only the facts already established, published, "out there" in the mainstream press: the explosions, the aftermath of 9/11, then the build up and execution of war in Iraq -- and one can read the whole sweep of these all pulled together in one place on this excellent summary at: http://www.wanttoknow.info/9-11cover-up10pg -- from my vantage point the vast patterns of control and obfuscation come ever so much more sharply into focus.
Things were unraveling just a bit too much and too fast lately, so Bush gave that recent speech again: 9/11-Iraq, 9/11-Iraq, 9/11-Iraq...to keep the drumbeat rolling.
Now looking forward:
I guess we shall have to watch and see what happens, but in the meantime I believe we can collectively make quite an impact if we all do our part. I hope this blog contributes just one more little ripple to the collection in the big pond. There are many so very much better than mine.
I'm hoping that FINALLY the mainstream media, with the excuse that the bloggers are leading the way in investigative journalism, will have to unfold what has been so long suppressed among the masses of the American people, who still, for the most part, don't have a clue about what has been there all along in the alternative press. Europeans are being much more astute in these matters.
I predict that within the next year a quest for the truth behind this scenario will be sought by a bolder mainstream press, more former officials with great reputation and but nothing to lose politically will confirm more disturbing elements of this scenario, the story will increasingly unravel to a wider public, and the Bush administration is going to have its hands full - very full! If operatives within the current administration were somehow in collusion with the demolition theory, there are vast political implications indeed. (Although I admit, proving this may never be accomplished before Bush's term is over.)
At minimum, political progressives, in preparation for the next election, need to have someone in line powerful enough to call for investigation as to why the 9/11 commission deliberately ignored the testimony corroborating some of this information, and "clean house" at the higher levels of the FBI and CIA, if necessary. (I personally suspect the manipulation of Cheney and Rove, and the rest of the neocon/PNAC inner circle.) Perhaps George W. Bush was set up as a stool pigeon -- it seems obvious to me, at least up until now, that he's always been told what to say and do by the "omnipotents" Rove and Cheney. Of course, it could be that I undersell Bush and don't give him enough credit for being able to think for himself!
Either way, whether or not he is complicit in these dreadful actions, I do believe that our Commander-in-Chief is wholly incompetent -- and more and more American people are starting to see an emperor with no clothes on. I hope this makes just a smidgen of sense, and am glad for the push to articulate what I really feel and think about this subject.
Clair
I responded with: Good question! Read this story and perhaps you'll start to get the bigger picture:
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/28901.htm
By the way, regarding WTC #7 which fell at 5:20 pm on 9/11:
March 2, 2002: A New York Times article theorizes that a diesel fuel tank was responsible for the collapse of WTC Building 7. It collapsed on 9/11, even though it was farther away than many other buildings that remained standing. It was the first time a steel-reinforced high-rise in the US had ever collapsed in a fire. The fuel tank had been installed in 1999 as part of a new "command center" for Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. [New York Times, 3/2/02, Dow Jones News, 9/10/02]
What's curious, especially given all the Wall Street scandals later in the year, is that Building 7 was where the SEC stored files for numerous Wall Street investigations. All the files for approximately 3,000 to 4,000 SEC cases were destroyed. Some were backed up in other places, but many were not, especially those classified as confidential. [National Law Journal, 9/17/01]
Lost files include documents that could show the relationship between Citigroup and the WorldCom bankruptcy. [The Street, 8/9/02]
The Secret Service also lost investigative files. Says one agent: "All the evidence stored at 7 World Trade, in all our cases, went down with the building." [Tech TV, 7/23/02]
A few days later, the head of the WTC collapse investigation says he "would possibly consider examining" the collapse of Building 7, however, all the rubble has been removed and destroyed. [Committee on Science, House of Representativestestimony, 3/6/02]
Also, did you know that a great deal of the debris from 9/11 was quickly shipped off to China. Hmmmm? Is it any wonder why? --Clair
---------------
My friend replied: I think you're gonna have to spell it out for me. I'm picking up on some insinuations, but nothing solid. What do you think the "truth" is in regards to the alleged basement explosion?
And so I responded again:
OK, maybe this will give you something solid to chew on for a while: http://www.lewrockwell.com/reynolds/reynolds12.html
At least that did it for my father, who is quite mechanically minded -- it really sat him back on his haunches and stimulated some sober reflection and discussion, just like it affected me when I first read it. The logical conclusion I get from it all (and I join a host of others in this who have "been there" a lot longer than I have) is that, at a minimum, a highly secret and very professionally-designed controlled demolition, well planned ahead of time by a company with a contract to do "official business" of that nature, took the three towers down. The identities are still a secret but there are some clues. It seems logical to me, if that is the case, that "someone" (I honestly don't know who all) within very high levels of the government would have had to know, likely at a very high level in our current administration.
Some very rational persons conclude this does indeed imply a conspiracy to pull off an inside job -- the victims lives be damned -- to instigate a modern Pearl Harbor, fire up the war machine and insure world dominion by the rulers of this nation, according to the motives of the comprehensive PNAC plan. According to this theory, the control center for the operation on the twin towers was likely in WTC7 in a secret reinforced bunker inside that building that could withstand 160 mph wind, and then they took all that evidence down that evening at 5:20 pm.
The tragic results we experienced would had to have been expected -- coldly and shockingly calculated to provide an excuse to ignite support for the current war we now have -- so that a base for controlling (energy) oil reserves in the Middle East could be established long term. (By setting up a puppet government in Iraq and manipulating the fickle mainstream press Stateside just as we have seen them do.)
Whether or not there was collusion at high levels, it seems clear now that those perpetrating this war strategy didn't count on being stuck in it now like they are: waaaay over their heads in an impossible conundrum, with civilians in the administration trying to call the key shots and making mistake after mistake. Recently, one courageous general who was in charge of the Falluja operation came out publicly recently to say that he and his cohorts were absolutely appalled by their orders (with his impression that they came directly from the White House) to take Falluja down like they did. They knew what the long term fallout would be. The military didn't want to do it, but they had to follow orders.
If one only takes into consideration only the facts already established, published, "out there" in the mainstream press: the explosions, the aftermath of 9/11, then the build up and execution of war in Iraq -- and one can read the whole sweep of these all pulled together in one place on this excellent summary at: http://www.wanttoknow.info/9-11cover-up10pg -- from my vantage point the vast patterns of control and obfuscation come ever so much more sharply into focus.
Things were unraveling just a bit too much and too fast lately, so Bush gave that recent speech again: 9/11-Iraq, 9/11-Iraq, 9/11-Iraq...to keep the drumbeat rolling.
Now looking forward:
I guess we shall have to watch and see what happens, but in the meantime I believe we can collectively make quite an impact if we all do our part. I hope this blog contributes just one more little ripple to the collection in the big pond. There are many so very much better than mine.
I'm hoping that FINALLY the mainstream media, with the excuse that the bloggers are leading the way in investigative journalism, will have to unfold what has been so long suppressed among the masses of the American people, who still, for the most part, don't have a clue about what has been there all along in the alternative press. Europeans are being much more astute in these matters.
I predict that within the next year a quest for the truth behind this scenario will be sought by a bolder mainstream press, more former officials with great reputation and but nothing to lose politically will confirm more disturbing elements of this scenario, the story will increasingly unravel to a wider public, and the Bush administration is going to have its hands full - very full! If operatives within the current administration were somehow in collusion with the demolition theory, there are vast political implications indeed. (Although I admit, proving this may never be accomplished before Bush's term is over.)
At minimum, political progressives, in preparation for the next election, need to have someone in line powerful enough to call for investigation as to why the 9/11 commission deliberately ignored the testimony corroborating some of this information, and "clean house" at the higher levels of the FBI and CIA, if necessary. (I personally suspect the manipulation of Cheney and Rove, and the rest of the neocon/PNAC inner circle.) Perhaps George W. Bush was set up as a stool pigeon -- it seems obvious to me, at least up until now, that he's always been told what to say and do by the "omnipotents" Rove and Cheney. Of course, it could be that I undersell Bush and don't give him enough credit for being able to think for himself!
Either way, whether or not he is complicit in these dreadful actions, I do believe that our Commander-in-Chief is wholly incompetent -- and more and more American people are starting to see an emperor with no clothes on. I hope this makes just a smidgen of sense, and am glad for the push to articulate what I really feel and think about this subject.
Clair
Tuesday, 19 July 2005
Down the Rabbit Hole -- or REALITY? (The 9/11 Truth Movement)
[Preface: The recent London bombings, with clear evidence of "simultaneous exercises" being conducted by the authorities in the exact same places at the exact same time make one wonder who really is "in control" and gave a huge boost to the veracity of those within the "9/11 Truth Movement." Most people will think you have gone down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, if you talk about these matters, unless they are willing to deal with facts and logic, based upon largely heretofore suppressed evidence -- like the following stories have to offer. There is more, plenty more actually, from a variety of "alternative news" websites, but I have tried to select only those sources with the highest of integrity, who utilize original, trustworthy sources themselves.]
If you haven't really heard of the "9/11 Truth Movement" yet, know that it is rapidly gathering steam across this land. In order to educate, I have provided below some links to pertinent news articles and video resources. They aptly illustrate just how pervasive and powerful the "control" really is, by high level leaders in the Bush administration, over the vast majority of the American people. They even explain the ways and means the neocons utilize to effect a massive cover-up in the mainstream press...but only thus far. For in recent times many retired public servants, now private sector citizens "in the know", are coming forward to share their corner of the truth with the hope of blowing this thing wide open. Yes, powerful forces may have, until now, been able to manipulate (via threat of ruined careers, financial incentives, or otherwise) the mainstream press regarding the truth of 9/11, but it is finally starting to bubble up. As we know, the truth itself can never, ultimately, be suppressed! And, obviously, the "alternative press" on the internet and in the "blogosphere" has been quite busy of late:
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/28552.htm
(Headline: One-On-One Interview With Ray McGovern, Former CIA Senior Analyst For 27 Years, Who Warns U.S. Headed Down A Fascist Road And Highly Critical Of President Bush and Neo Con Explanations Of WMD, 9/11 And Manipulation of Intelligence Gathering)
Ray McGovern is now associated with ‘Tell the Word,’ a publishing ministry of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC; he writes and speaks for the arm of Tell the Word called ‘Speaking Truth to Power’ and many of his articles on intelligence issues have appeared regularly in national publications. A friend of mine, Audrey Metz, who works at the COTS Potter's House bookstore, told me she knows him personally, and can vouch for his total integrity.
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/29242.htm
(WTC Maintenance Worker "hero" whose story was suppressed by the NYTimes and book publishers, announces plans for an upcoming national "9/11 Truth Speaking Tour" while appearing as a guest on the St. Louis Drive-Time Morning Radio Show.) He reveals about how after extensive interviews by the New York Times and others about his experience, they have left him out of the stories, the book, and other official accounts. Why? He's fed up and making noise -- lots of it.
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/29392.htm
(Headline: Former Vietnam Combat and Commercial Pilot Firm Believer 9/11 Was Inside Government Job; An Experienced Boeing 757/767 Pilot, He Says 'No Way' Could a Novice Fly the 'Big Birds' He Knew So Well.) So, this expert pilot has decided he is no longer going to stay silent either! This interview would be a good one for someone steeped in the military or in aviation.
Many aviators have apparently known for some time that a Boeing 757 (as reported) could never have been the plane to hit the Pentagon. The hole was way too small, no wreckage of any plane was strewn about after the crash there, and a missile likely created that fire and hole, directed there by a small jet controlled by a very secret sector of the military. And how many realize what was reported in only a few places, e.g. the Boston Globe: http://tinyurl.com/6stmt
"In what the government describes as a bizarre coincidence, one U.S. intelligence agency was planning an exercise last Sept. 11 in which an errant aircraft would crash into one of its buildings. But the cause wasn't terrorism -- it was to be a simulated accident. Officials at the Chantilly, Va.-based National Reconnaissance Office [NRO] had scheduled an exercise that morning in which a small corporate jet would crash into one of the four towers at the agency's headquarters building after experiencing a mechanical failure. The agency is about four miles from the runways of Washington Dulles International Airport." [So, it was just a short hop for the NRO team to run over and secure the Pentagon. And, by the way, the NRO has a budget estimated to be three times that of the US State Department. And how plausible is it, really, that the Pentagon, the most highly protected building in the entire world, could undergo something like this without official "permission" at a very high level?]
The best overall summary of the issues from a Christian perspective, would be the 60 minute C-SPAN lecture that theologian David Ray Griffin gave at the University of Wisconsin (in Madison) in April, which has been rebroadcast a couple of times since then. Watch it online for free at http://www.wanttoknow.info/050504davidraygriffin and please don't miss the following 20 minutes of questions and answers. Some of those responses are "priceless" -- but I'm also warning that your perception of the truth just might get altered forever if you exercise your own logic at all and follow his argument. It's Griffin's new book which made a "believer" out of Ray McGovern! Far from being a crackpot, Prof. Griffin's bio is very impressive:
http://www.ctr4process.org/about/CoDirectors/CPSGriffin.htm
Anyone who wishes to invest further time, will benefit from more eye-openers and pertinent testimony, with links to original sources, summarized at this very well-organized blog: http://georgewashington.blogspot.com
If you've gotten this far, it will be more than enough to put chills down your back -- and certainly it does take some time to absorb -- at least it did in my own case, as I took this mental and emotional journey in recent weeks. Reading and pondering this stuff will either generate complete disbelief, or sober reflection. If its the later, I hope it will also generate the sort of inner call to action that is rooted in faith. I see signs of this gradually emerging in an organized way amidst various groups across our land calling for accountability and prophetic witness. I suggest measured engagement rooted in much prayer.
Many in other sectors of the world have gained a very good handle on these issues and can hardly believe what we are willing to put up with in America. Is it any wonder that the vast amount of general good will and trust in America invested by most other members of the international community has been almost totally squandered?
I think we have been duped as an American people -- duped about as much as the German Christians were during the early rise of Nazi-ism. I am convinced of tremendous spiritual forces at work in very high places in our country -- just not the kind the vast majority of evangelical American Christians think of when they so blindly "bless" and support the current Bush adminstration. (Lest people wonder, I consider myself an evangelical, in the classic sense of the word -- and at this point I'm neither Republican NOR Democrat!)
Let us hope and pray. Let us "be not afraid" to take faithful, symbolic, prophetic actions together. I'm banking on the hope that we have not already lost the opportunity to learn from history, and turn the tide from the tremendous momentum the neocons have so deliberately generated already. And most of all, I'm banking on the truth found in scripture where it says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." JOHN 8:31-32 NIV (emphasis added)
(A final note: I do very much welcome others' responses below, pro or con, but only after readers have done the work to delve into some of these sources I've mentioned.)
Clair Hochstetler
7-18-05
If you haven't really heard of the "9/11 Truth Movement" yet, know that it is rapidly gathering steam across this land. In order to educate, I have provided below some links to pertinent news articles and video resources. They aptly illustrate just how pervasive and powerful the "control" really is, by high level leaders in the Bush administration, over the vast majority of the American people. They even explain the ways and means the neocons utilize to effect a massive cover-up in the mainstream press...but only thus far. For in recent times many retired public servants, now private sector citizens "in the know", are coming forward to share their corner of the truth with the hope of blowing this thing wide open. Yes, powerful forces may have, until now, been able to manipulate (via threat of ruined careers, financial incentives, or otherwise) the mainstream press regarding the truth of 9/11, but it is finally starting to bubble up. As we know, the truth itself can never, ultimately, be suppressed! And, obviously, the "alternative press" on the internet and in the "blogosphere" has been quite busy of late:
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/28552.htm
(Headline: One-On-One Interview With Ray McGovern, Former CIA Senior Analyst For 27 Years, Who Warns U.S. Headed Down A Fascist Road And Highly Critical Of President Bush and Neo Con Explanations Of WMD, 9/11 And Manipulation of Intelligence Gathering)
Ray McGovern is now associated with ‘Tell the Word,’ a publishing ministry of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC; he writes and speaks for the arm of Tell the Word called ‘Speaking Truth to Power’ and many of his articles on intelligence issues have appeared regularly in national publications. A friend of mine, Audrey Metz, who works at the COTS Potter's House bookstore, told me she knows him personally, and can vouch for his total integrity.
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/29242.htm
(WTC Maintenance Worker "hero" whose story was suppressed by the NYTimes and book publishers, announces plans for an upcoming national "9/11 Truth Speaking Tour" while appearing as a guest on the St. Louis Drive-Time Morning Radio Show.) He reveals about how after extensive interviews by the New York Times and others about his experience, they have left him out of the stories, the book, and other official accounts. Why? He's fed up and making noise -- lots of it.
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/29392.htm
(Headline: Former Vietnam Combat and Commercial Pilot Firm Believer 9/11 Was Inside Government Job; An Experienced Boeing 757/767 Pilot, He Says 'No Way' Could a Novice Fly the 'Big Birds' He Knew So Well.) So, this expert pilot has decided he is no longer going to stay silent either! This interview would be a good one for someone steeped in the military or in aviation.
Many aviators have apparently known for some time that a Boeing 757 (as reported) could never have been the plane to hit the Pentagon. The hole was way too small, no wreckage of any plane was strewn about after the crash there, and a missile likely created that fire and hole, directed there by a small jet controlled by a very secret sector of the military. And how many realize what was reported in only a few places, e.g. the Boston Globe: http://tinyurl.com/6stmt
"In what the government describes as a bizarre coincidence, one U.S. intelligence agency was planning an exercise last Sept. 11 in which an errant aircraft would crash into one of its buildings. But the cause wasn't terrorism -- it was to be a simulated accident. Officials at the Chantilly, Va.-based National Reconnaissance Office [NRO] had scheduled an exercise that morning in which a small corporate jet would crash into one of the four towers at the agency's headquarters building after experiencing a mechanical failure. The agency is about four miles from the runways of Washington Dulles International Airport." [So, it was just a short hop for the NRO team to run over and secure the Pentagon. And, by the way, the NRO has a budget estimated to be three times that of the US State Department. And how plausible is it, really, that the Pentagon, the most highly protected building in the entire world, could undergo something like this without official "permission" at a very high level?]
The best overall summary of the issues from a Christian perspective, would be the 60 minute C-SPAN lecture that theologian David Ray Griffin gave at the University of Wisconsin (in Madison) in April, which has been rebroadcast a couple of times since then. Watch it online for free at http://www.wanttoknow.info/050504davidraygriffin and please don't miss the following 20 minutes of questions and answers. Some of those responses are "priceless" -- but I'm also warning that your perception of the truth just might get altered forever if you exercise your own logic at all and follow his argument. It's Griffin's new book which made a "believer" out of Ray McGovern! Far from being a crackpot, Prof. Griffin's bio is very impressive:
http://www.ctr4process.org/about/CoDirectors/CPSGriffin.htm
Anyone who wishes to invest further time, will benefit from more eye-openers and pertinent testimony, with links to original sources, summarized at this very well-organized blog: http://georgewashington.blogspot.com
If you've gotten this far, it will be more than enough to put chills down your back -- and certainly it does take some time to absorb -- at least it did in my own case, as I took this mental and emotional journey in recent weeks. Reading and pondering this stuff will either generate complete disbelief, or sober reflection. If its the later, I hope it will also generate the sort of inner call to action that is rooted in faith. I see signs of this gradually emerging in an organized way amidst various groups across our land calling for accountability and prophetic witness. I suggest measured engagement rooted in much prayer.
Many in other sectors of the world have gained a very good handle on these issues and can hardly believe what we are willing to put up with in America. Is it any wonder that the vast amount of general good will and trust in America invested by most other members of the international community has been almost totally squandered?
I think we have been duped as an American people -- duped about as much as the German Christians were during the early rise of Nazi-ism. I am convinced of tremendous spiritual forces at work in very high places in our country -- just not the kind the vast majority of evangelical American Christians think of when they so blindly "bless" and support the current Bush adminstration. (Lest people wonder, I consider myself an evangelical, in the classic sense of the word -- and at this point I'm neither Republican NOR Democrat!)
Let us hope and pray. Let us "be not afraid" to take faithful, symbolic, prophetic actions together. I'm banking on the hope that we have not already lost the opportunity to learn from history, and turn the tide from the tremendous momentum the neocons have so deliberately generated already. And most of all, I'm banking on the truth found in scripture where it says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." JOHN 8:31-32 NIV (emphasis added)
(A final note: I do very much welcome others' responses below, pro or con, but only after readers have done the work to delve into some of these sources I've mentioned.)
Clair Hochstetler
7-18-05
Sunday, 12 June 2005
Adversity can bring out the very best! (Thoughts about dealing with cancer)
Last Sunday afternoon Sam Donaldson, the veteran newsman from ABC and a survivor of lymphoma, was here to help our health system colleagues, patients, and friends from the community celebrate with 155 cancer survivors (my own mother among them) all of whom have survived cancer for at least five years -- and all treated by our new Center for Cancer Care here in Goshen. The CCC program was established only approximately six years ago, but has already brought us national attention and, fortunately for us, attracted some "world class" cancer doctors, and some very special accreditation, as well. (See the news release summarizing these developments at: http://www.goshenhealth.com/news/news_releases.asp?item=543 )
Mr. Donaldson predicted that what we have here in Goshen may very well become the next "Mayo Clinic" -- starting in a very small town but growing rapidly because of the quality of care and cutting edge approaches to treatment. I don't know about that -- time will tell. What I do know is that I feel privileged to work here in this capacity and to be a real part of what's happening. However, what stood out in my mind was something else Sam said that earlier today really "struck home."
Mr. Donaldson affirmed a fact -- that there has NEVER been a cancer that someone hasn't survived. This profound thought figured prominently in his own story and in the type of attitude and relationship he had with his own cancer doctor -- it is a message of hope, indeed.
Then a few days later I encountered the story that truly grabbed my attention -- an unfolding autobiographical account by 23 year-old Alicia Parlette in a 7-part series in the San Francisco Chronicle. When I came across it at first, midweek, I thought I was too busy to read it because of the length, but she drew me in after the first page. It's a story of her own fight with a very rare form of cancer, a certain type of sarcoma, which was discovered while she was working as a copy editor at the SFC. Her self-disclosure is a poignant witness to the importance that family, friends and faith have become -- especially when the news is bad.
I absorbed the first four installments right away, and have kept up daily ever since. Her journal surveys the emotional and spiritual map of a young cancer patient like nothing I've ever quite read before -- and is extremely relevant to my own work in spiritual care here with the Goshen Health System
Not only is it a powerful read, but what really was the kicker for me on Wednesday was to hear, in her own voice, her reflections and responses regarding the new directions her life has taken over the past three months -- during an interview with Alex Chadwick, which originally aired Tuesday on NPR's program "Day to Day." You can listen to her yourself at NPR's archive of programs online; they also have a link to Alicia's journal installments the SF Chronicle is publishing daily and which are stored on their own online archives. Find that link to the series in the upper left corner of NPR's website at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4683792
or you can read them directly at http://sfgate.com/alicia . On Thursday, after being duly inspired by what I had just read in that day's installment, I sent Alicia an e-mail link to a special card I created for her to see --at least I hope she'll see it-- in response that emotionally and spiritually-charged section of her saga. Anyone reading as far as the end of installment #5 will understand this card's significance:
By the way, you can copy this link and send it along to anyone else you wish at any time, as a word of encouragement or reassurance, since I intentionally created the card for that purpose. I deliberately didn't personalize" the card itself with Alicia's name. I created it with my
personal subscription to the artist Jacquie Lawson's website, so it will last pretty much "in perpetuity" * housed indefinitely at a certain section of the internet, even if my subscription eventually runs out. In other words, this link will always "work" when clicked upon, and without ANY associated advertisements (unlike most cards you get or see nowadays...)
Today, Saturday, I see that ABC News has made Alicia Parlette the "Person of the Week!" Wow. Read their summary here: http://tinyurl.com/dl9ur
Inspiring.
- Clair
Saturday, 11 June 2005
This could well be another "tipping point" in American history
"The Downing Street Memo" case is FINALLY building up a head of steam. I watched President Bush's attempts to wriggle away from the truth it reveals (an impeachable offence, actually) in the June 7 press conference with Tony Blair. Williams Rivers Pitt is spot on as he traces this case, and its implications, in an eloquent yet factual fashion at: http://tinyurl.com/cbav4
As the pressure on the US media moguls has finally bubbled up strong enough to force their cooperation in prying open this issue, it would seem that an excellent strategy would now be to take some of GWB's advice-in his own words: "See, in my line of work, you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
But this time it's a whole lot more than propaganda. A massive coalition of activist groups have come together to form the "After Downing Street Coalition" which seeks coverage of this issue in the media and accountability from Congress and the administration. Their website http://www.afterdowningstreet.org contains the original source document together with excellent analysis; especially noteworthy is a freshly posted chapter from Ray McGovern's forthcoming book, "Sham Dunk: Cooking Intelligence for the President." (For more on Mr. McGovern, see my note below. *)
Rep. John Conyers and 88 other House members have delivered a letter to Bush demanding answers, and nearly 200,000 Americans have already signed their support for this letter. The signatures list is growing by leaps and bounds; according to John Conyers website, lately at the rate of approximately ten signatures per minute.
Some historians of the Vietnam War era deem that a major "tipping point" for America then was the magazine cover showing the 75 people who had died in Vietnam the previous week -- because it finally brought the face of the war home to the people. 911 was an attack on our own soil and many people are still worried stiff that something may happen to them and their children; that they need THIS president and his administration to protect them. Otherwise why would so many smart women vote for Bush against their own self interest except out of fear for their families?
The truth is most Americans still don't read blogs; in fact, sadly, most people today don't even pay much attention anymore to newspapers. They simply don't want to take the time. So they digest whatever is fed to them on their favorite television channel or talk radio station. It's also likely that the phrase "The Downing Street Memo" doesn't really communicate to listeners very well as to what it is all about -- it just sounds like something that only concerns the British, and it, like other "smoking guns" that we have all seen come and go along the way, hasn't interested the general public very much, allowing the major media outlets to keep the lid on it -- thus far. But no more.
When key media sources start to screw up enough courage and independence from their parent company owners to do a full scale review of the time frame of this memo and the other pre-Iraq invasion set-ups (including a reminder to the American people about Richard Clarke's story about Bush coming to him right after 9/11 and asking how they could tie the attack to Iraq) then something substantial might happen.
So, my friends, this could very well be "the moment!" We now all have the opportunity to help keep those Minutes in the forefront. I think June of 2005 could well go down in history as "the tipping point" in this Iraq War and the demise of the administration of GWB.
If you want to sign the "Downing Street Memo" letter calling for straightforward answers from the President, and be kept up to date with a coordinated strategy keep in touch with this website: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org
As Mr. Pitt says in his last paragraph: "Large majorities of Americans, in every poll, believe the Iraq invasion was unnecessary and the casualties thus far inflicted to be unacceptable. For the first time, the poll numbers show that a clear majority of the American people no longer believe that George W. Bush is keeping them safe. Bi-partisan coalitions are forming in Congress to demand that the US withdraw from Iraq and give that nation back to the people who live there, and those coalitions are edging towards majority-sized numbers. Legislation has been presented demanding withdrawal and more is in the offing."
-----------------
* Ray McGovern’s 27-year career as a CIA analyst spanned administrations from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. Ray is now co-director of the Servant Leadership School, which provides training and other support for those seeking ways to be in relationship with the marginalized poor. The School is one of ten Jubilee Ministries, not-for-profit organizations inspired by the ecumenical Church of the Saviour and established in an inner-city neighborhood in Washington, DC.
At his CIA retirement ceremony, Ray received the Intelligence Commendation Medal and a letter from then-president George H. W. Bush wishing him well in his transition to non-profit work in inner-city Washington. Ray served on the board of Bread for the City from 1989-94, the latter two years as president, before becoming co-director of the Servant Leadership School.
Friday afternoon this week an advance chapter entitled "Sham Dunk: Cooking Intelligence for the President" from Ray McGovern's forthcoming two-volume set on the Iraq war, "Neo-CONNED!" and "Neo-CONNED! Again", published by Light in the Darkness Publications, was posted at www.AfterDowningStreet.org This comprehensive two-volume work deals with the run-up to and aftermath of the Iraq war containing groundbreaking and uncompromising analysis from 84 different contributors. Read this key chapter (a PDF version is also available) at: http://tinyurl.com/d6jo6
The substance of this book, as it becomes more widely read, will make it increasingly difficult for President Bush to wriggle away from probing reporters' questions regarding the "Downing Street Minutes" issue, as he did Tuesday this week.
--Clair Hochstetler
As the pressure on the US media moguls has finally bubbled up strong enough to force their cooperation in prying open this issue, it would seem that an excellent strategy would now be to take some of GWB's advice-in his own words: "See, in my line of work, you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
But this time it's a whole lot more than propaganda. A massive coalition of activist groups have come together to form the "After Downing Street Coalition" which seeks coverage of this issue in the media and accountability from Congress and the administration. Their website http://www.afterdowningstreet.org contains the original source document together with excellent analysis; especially noteworthy is a freshly posted chapter from Ray McGovern's forthcoming book, "Sham Dunk: Cooking Intelligence for the President." (For more on Mr. McGovern, see my note below. *)
Rep. John Conyers and 88 other House members have delivered a letter to Bush demanding answers, and nearly 200,000 Americans have already signed their support for this letter. The signatures list is growing by leaps and bounds; according to John Conyers website, lately at the rate of approximately ten signatures per minute.
Some historians of the Vietnam War era deem that a major "tipping point" for America then was the magazine cover showing the 75 people who had died in Vietnam the previous week -- because it finally brought the face of the war home to the people. 911 was an attack on our own soil and many people are still worried stiff that something may happen to them and their children; that they need THIS president and his administration to protect them. Otherwise why would so many smart women vote for Bush against their own self interest except out of fear for their families?
The truth is most Americans still don't read blogs; in fact, sadly, most people today don't even pay much attention anymore to newspapers. They simply don't want to take the time. So they digest whatever is fed to them on their favorite television channel or talk radio station. It's also likely that the phrase "The Downing Street Memo" doesn't really communicate to listeners very well as to what it is all about -- it just sounds like something that only concerns the British, and it, like other "smoking guns" that we have all seen come and go along the way, hasn't interested the general public very much, allowing the major media outlets to keep the lid on it -- thus far. But no more.
When key media sources start to screw up enough courage and independence from their parent company owners to do a full scale review of the time frame of this memo and the other pre-Iraq invasion set-ups (including a reminder to the American people about Richard Clarke's story about Bush coming to him right after 9/11 and asking how they could tie the attack to Iraq) then something substantial might happen.
So, my friends, this could very well be "the moment!" We now all have the opportunity to help keep those Minutes in the forefront. I think June of 2005 could well go down in history as "the tipping point" in this Iraq War and the demise of the administration of GWB.
If you want to sign the "Downing Street Memo" letter calling for straightforward answers from the President, and be kept up to date with a coordinated strategy keep in touch with this website: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org
As Mr. Pitt says in his last paragraph: "Large majorities of Americans, in every poll, believe the Iraq invasion was unnecessary and the casualties thus far inflicted to be unacceptable. For the first time, the poll numbers show that a clear majority of the American people no longer believe that George W. Bush is keeping them safe. Bi-partisan coalitions are forming in Congress to demand that the US withdraw from Iraq and give that nation back to the people who live there, and those coalitions are edging towards majority-sized numbers. Legislation has been presented demanding withdrawal and more is in the offing."
-----------------
* Ray McGovern’s 27-year career as a CIA analyst spanned administrations from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. Ray is now co-director of the Servant Leadership School, which provides training and other support for those seeking ways to be in relationship with the marginalized poor. The School is one of ten Jubilee Ministries, not-for-profit organizations inspired by the ecumenical Church of the Saviour and established in an inner-city neighborhood in Washington, DC.
At his CIA retirement ceremony, Ray received the Intelligence Commendation Medal and a letter from then-president George H. W. Bush wishing him well in his transition to non-profit work in inner-city Washington. Ray served on the board of Bread for the City from 1989-94, the latter two years as president, before becoming co-director of the Servant Leadership School.
Friday afternoon this week an advance chapter entitled "Sham Dunk: Cooking Intelligence for the President" from Ray McGovern's forthcoming two-volume set on the Iraq war, "Neo-CONNED!" and "Neo-CONNED! Again", published by Light in the Darkness Publications, was posted at www.AfterDowningStreet.org This comprehensive two-volume work deals with the run-up to and aftermath of the Iraq war containing groundbreaking and uncompromising analysis from 84 different contributors. Read this key chapter (a PDF version is also available) at: http://tinyurl.com/d6jo6
The substance of this book, as it becomes more widely read, will make it increasingly difficult for President Bush to wriggle away from probing reporters' questions regarding the "Downing Street Minutes" issue, as he did Tuesday this week.
--Clair Hochstetler
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