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Editor's note: November 11, 2024 We should thank, and be proud of, the pro-Palestinian student protesters who seem to be the main citizens demonstrating a genuine, active conscience. Add to this list Jewish Voice for Peace and we have some role models for those of us who remain silent or even support the ongoing mass murder (genocide) of Palestinians by Zionist Israel. It strikes me as a holocaust against Palestinians -- a modern Nakba that the United Nations is helpless to stop due in part to its fatally flawed Charter. -R. Kotila, PhD
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Have we become soulless?
GAZA TELLS US WHO WE ARE
Caitlin Johnstone
Some days it’s hard to say which is more horrific: the Gaza genocide itself, or the moral decay throughout our society which makes it possible.
I mean, the atrocities in Gaza have a couple million victims. If you add up the populations of the US, Europe, Canada and Australia, you’ve got around a billion people living in a dystopia whose collective conscience is so warped and twisted that they’d allow their governments to support a live-streamed genocide in full view of the entire world. A billion people who are so morally bankrupt that they find it tolerable for such a nightmare to be inflicted upon their fellow human beings right in front of them.
This has been especially pronounced during the heat of a US presidential race, with tens of millions of voters falling all over themselves to cognitively sweep Gaza under the carpet so they can throw their support behind one of the two mainstream candidates who’ve both pledged to support the Zionist state which is perpetrating this genocide. At best they see Israel’s crimes as an annoying side issue which the left keeps disrupting their Kamala parties about, and at worst they support Israel’s actions entirely.
What a pointless, meaningless, soulless way to live. What a betrayal of truth, and of our own humanity. How could anyone possibly find satisfaction in that kind of zombie-like existence? Mindlessly shuffling along to the beat of the status quo, devouring human flesh because it’s more comfortable than the cognitive dissonance which would come with divorcing the power-serving worldview you’ve been indoctrinated from birth into espousing.
I was listening to an interview with a doctor who worked in Gaza during the genocide and he discussed the time many months ago when the IDF forced the evacuation of a hospital and left four premature babies to die in their incubators after assuring the staff they’d be taken care of. Their tiny bodies were found decomposing weeks later after Israeli forces cleared out of the area.
How did that one incident, just by itself, not stop the world? How did it not stop us all in our tracks and force us to re-evaluate everything that led to this point? It wasn’t a secret that those four babies died; it was in the mainstream news. It was right there, right in front of us, and we did nothing.
Such atrocities have been happening on a daily basis for thirteen months now, and still nothing.
We’ve got to live like this. We’ve got to live in this genocidal dystopia, surrounded by shambling sleepwalkers covered in human blood. Our lives here in the west are far, far more comfortable than the lives of people in Gaza, but they are also far less truthful, and far less capable of nourishing the human spirit.
We marinate in lies and psychopathy, watch lies and psychopathy, eat drink sleep and breathe lies and psychopathy. Our minds are full of garbage and our hearts are full of shit, and we are wading around up to our ankles in the blood, sweat and tears of the global south. This festering sore of a civilization is the only soil in which the western-backed genocide in Gaza could take root.
The people in Gaza have to suffer the consequences of who we are and what we have become, but we have to live with who we are and what we have become. We’re killing their babies and leaving them to rot, but we’re the ones who have to live with the corpses of rotting babies in our souls.
One way or another the killing in Gaza will end one day. But the forces within us which gave rise to that butchery will live on long after the sounds of the drones and explosions have ceased.
We will have to live like that. We will have to live knowing that this is who we are. -- Caitlin Johnstone November 4, 2024
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May 22, 2024
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Leopoldo A. Cook A.
Here I propose some ideas that I believe are shared by most organizations that advocate for world peace, environmental sustainability, equity and justice.
Many of the differences in visions that our organizations may have among themselves correspond more to the cyclical, momentary, moment in which the proposal is located, than to substantive differences.
Unity in Diversity is necessary.
There are many organizations with visions of a democratic world. In addition to the proponents of the Constitution for the Federation of the Earth (Earth Constitution, EC), there are many other organizations, such as the First Universal Constitution (PCU), the Earth Constitution, the Humanists, the World Democratic Federalists, the Pentagon of the Peace, the Greens, Ananda Marga / PROUT, the Venus Project, many Buddhists, the Good Living Movement, the Bahai, the Community of World Citizens, the World Citizens Assembly, the World Social Forum, the People's Organization of the Earth, and so many others, that we have a lot in common regarding the global vision.
The Constitution for the Federation of the Earth (Earth Constitution) offers concrete infrastructure support. Many movements, such as the Humanist Movement, Bahai, PROUT, offer the “soul” of the new civilization.
Others offer some social aspects, such as the vision of the Venus Project, and the Self-Sufficient Economic Units of PROUT, which complement the Electoral Districts economically and socially.
We believe that progress can be made in three major phases:
1. Empowerment of favorable conditions that favor a vision of humanity as a single global society. Personal growth. Need for peace, for a sustainable economy with equity. Creation of rapprochement mechanisms between the many organizations that agree on some of these aspects. We are currently advancing in this phase.
2. Federated Democratic World Government, through the ratification of the Constitution for the Federation of the Earth (EC), moving to the First Operational Stage: Promote regional mechanisms of rapprochement, multipolarity, redefinition of the concept of national “sovereignty”, disarmament, successive integrations regional, reaching a Democratic Federated World Government. It is the Universal Free Planetary Republic that proposes the World Constitution for the Federation of the Earth.
3. Long-Term Planetary Vision. As a planned evolution from the previous phase, until reaching a kind of equal, collaborative and supportive multi-ethnic world federation. Unity in Diversity. It is the Universal Human Nation of the Humanist Movement. It is the long-term vision of most movements.
The conditions are in place to accelerate phase 2, with the World Constitution for the Federation of the Earth as the first fundamental step towards civilizational change. It is not enough to have a long-term vision, it is necessary to give it a concrete face in the short and medium term.
Leopoldo A. Cook A.
+58424-273.8997
Vice Presidente América Latina y el Caribe
Constitución Mundial
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February 8. 2024
Global Law and Order Via the Earth Constitution & the UN General Assembly
Roger Kotila DWF NEWS
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The UN Charter's loopholes prevent the UN from the needed intervention to stop the world crimes reported in this issue of DWF NEWS: Genocide, crimes against humanity, stealing Palestinian lands and homes, torture, killing or imprisoning journalists, apartheid and more.
Global law and order may be possible if the UN General Assembly takes what action it can under the Charter, and also begins Charter Review under Article 109. The UNGA should join forces with the World Constitution & Parliament Association whose Earth Constitution is ready to go. It is ready to serve as a guide, model and authority for a "new UN" free of the burden of the undemocratic UN Security Council.
By bringing in the WCPA's Earth Constitution for the Review, the UN General Assembly can become democratic, -- no more a second class citizen at the UN. It can adopt the EC's World Judicial System and Enforcement, free from the Security Council's P-5's veto which has protected the leaders of Bully nations who routinely violate international law.
Below a list of actions that the UN General Assembly can immediately do from journalist Sam Husseini https://husseini.substack.com/p/international-court-of-justice-ruling?
who reported on international lawyer Francis Boyle who believes that the UN General Assembly acting under the Uniting for Peace Resolution (1950) can:
- Suspend Israel from participation in its activities as the General Assembly did to the former criminal apartheid regime in South Africa and to the genocidal Yugoslavia;
- Set up an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel in order to prosecute its highest level civilian and military officials for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide;
- Recommend economic sanctions against Israel to UN Member States;
- Recommend UN Member States sever diplomatic relations with Israel;
- Admit Palestine as a full fledged UN Member State
Global law and order and democracy are absent and a glaring problem for the United Nations which too often is sidelined when it counts the most, unable to intervene when it is clearly needed. Democracy is also absent at the UN. The Earth Constitution provides new structures and authority which can make the UN more relevant, vibrant, and with the potential for justice and to end war itself. - R. Kotila, PhD
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Gaza Children Buried Alive, Buried Alive, Buried Alive (plus 2 other articles)
November 5, 2023
Gaza Children Buried Alive, Buried Alive, Buried Alive
Roger Kotila, PhD
As I obsessively watch the flashes of relentless airstrikes on Gaza ordered by Netanyahu and his generals I can't stop thinking about children trapped underneath the tons of concrete rubble. In horror I imagine these innocent kids buried alive. Buried alive. Buried alive.
When the Israeli Zionist destruction of all things Gazan finally comes to an end and the excitement of death and destruction ebbs to a sickening nausea, then there will likely be demands from a stunned public that Netanyahu and his generals (and President Biden) be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and tried for genocide and "collective punishment" -- a scholarly way of describing mass murder of civilians.
But the ICC and UN interventions for humanitarian purposes and a ceasefire in this Israel-Gaza war have been angrily rejected by Israel who let it be known that it will do militarily to the Palestinians whatever the hell it wants to do, and UN Secretary-General Guterres be damned.
It's another example of why we need to introduce the Earth Constitution movement to the world and the UN General Assembly to serve as a guide, model and authority to form an urgently needed "new UN." War and human rights violation criminals from a Bully nation should not be allowed to, year after year, steal the homes and lands of Palestinians, terrorize them with overwhelming brute force, and do so with impunity. They should not be above the Law, protected by the U.S. who uses its UN Security Council veto power to prevent the UN from applying independent and honest Global Law and Order.
Let Them Eat Cement
Chris Hedges
EXCERPTS
The Biden administration, slavishly doing Israel’s bidding, is fueling the madness. The U.S. was the only country to veto the U.N. Security Council resolution calling for humanitarian pauses to deliver food, medicine, water and fuel to Gaza. It has blocked proposals for a ceasefire. It has proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that says Israel has a right to defend itself. The resolution also demands Iran stop exporting arms to “militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region.”
The U.S. and its Western allies are as morally bankrupt and as complicit in genocide as those who witnessed the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews and did nothing.
Palestinians will be killed not only from the bombs and shells, and eventually, with the ground invasion, bullets and tank shells, but from hunger and epidemics such as cholera. Without water, fuel and medicine and with the breakdown of sanitation, diseases will spread swiftly. The U.N. states that hospitals in Gaza “are on the brink of collapse.” Thousands of patients will die once fuel runs out for hospital generators.
Israel has no intention of lifting the total siege on Gaza. It announced it will increase its airstrikes. It will continue, as it has for the past two weeks, to extinguish the lives of Palestinians and terrorize and starve them into leaving Gaza. TO READ FULL ARTICLE:
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Why We Can't Have World Peace
Roger Kotila Earth Federation News & Views
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August 31, 2023
We can't have world peace as long as the US government's foreign policy is to (militarily) conquer the world. Western think tanks refer to this grandiose wet dream to dominate the world as American "exceptionalism" and US "hegemony."
Every day through word and deed the US overtly (e.g., AUKUS to dominate China), and covertly (CIA with MI6 help), carry out its grandiose plans.
AUKUS is a pretend "defense" alliance between Australia, the UK, and the US with outreach to include Japan and South Korea. However, the alliance is seen by China as a military threat, especially in regard to Taiwan.
Russia and China resist disarmament because they see their countries encircled militarily by US/NATO, and now AUKUS. Weaker nations, especially socialist-leaning governments, see themselves being overthrown secretly by the CIA or by (illegal) US economic warfare (sanctions).
Unlike the Germans under Hitler, the US has a more effective propaganda machine to convince the public that the US is the "good guy" despite all of the factual evidence to the contrary. That the US can't be trusted is widely known by BRICS and the Global South. (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa make up the economic group called BRICS.)
The Pentagon supports the US government's delusions of grandeur with "full spectrum dominance" which means military superiority on land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace. This scheme is super expensive and explains why the US military budget is so absurdly huge.
World peace is impossible as long as the US relies upon war and threats of war. In reality, the so-called "defense" business is in truth the US War Business, with the code phrase "national security" used to manipulate Congress and the public for ever bigger budgets.
An important question for activists: WITHOUT WAR AND THREATS OF WAR WOULD THE US ECONOMY COLLAPSE?
World peace is virtually impossible unless the United Nations transforms from a treaty-based organization to a world constitution that yields a world (federal) government. History shows that treaty agreements can't be trusted. They are unreliable and too easily broken by national self-interest over the world's public interest.
World federalists supporting the EARTH CONSTITUTION (EC) know what is needed to save the world: Either a "new UN" under the EC, or Earth Federation government with a World Parliament under the EC.
Can we imagine a GLOBAL LEADERS PSYCHOTHERAPY SUMMIT conducted by psychologists and world federalists? Key leaders of powerful nations, like the rest of us, at times, can benefit from professional help.
-- Roger Kotila, PhD
Psychologist (ret.)
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June 16, 2023 Subject: My Letter published today in SF Chronicle: "Defund the military"
Friends in the media - The SF Chronicle published this letter today. It calls for more services for the homeless (unhoused), and less money for the U.S. military and its endless wars. I regret not mentioning the EARTH CONSTITUTION as a potential replacement for the outdated UN Charter in order to end wars between nations. -- Dr. Roger Kotila
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR San Francisco Chronicle
JUNE 16, 2023 Defund the military Regarding “S.F. will never solve the crisis on its streets alone. What should California do about it?” (Editorials, SFChronicle.com, June 10): I’m a retired psychologist whose experience includes the days when we had a state mental hospital system. I worked at Camarillo State Hospital, where we treated psychotics, alcoholics and drug addicts. In many cases, the treatment was court-ordered (involuntary) and life-saving. To save more lives, we need a partnership with the state of California but should also seek federal help. We don’t need to waste money on the Pentagon’s F-35 fighter (the plane that can’t fly right), billion-dollar aircraft carriers, nuclear first-strike missiles and endless wars. The war corporations drain the treasury. Why do we need 800 foreign military bases while our homeless (unhoused) citizens and psychiatric causalities remain shamefully underserved? Roger Kotila, Novato, California
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February 2, 2023
Earth Constitution: Only A Democratic World Federal Government Is Realistic
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. -- DWF NEWS
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The Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka Earth Constitution) is a blueprint to build an emerging democratic world federal government -- an Earth Federation movement led by the World Constitution & Parliament Association (WCPA) to replace the United Nations system stymied with its obsolete and fatally flawed Charter.
World federalists generally agree that world federal government is our only realistic hope to end wars between nations, or to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Because the United Nations Charter is not a world federal government and is not constitution-based, it has repeatedly failed in its main purpose -- to end war.
For the reasoning to explain that only world government can save our world I recommend "Einstein on Peace" and "The Psychology of Nuclear Disarmament: Only A Democratic World Federal Union is Realistic" (Academic Council on the UN System, Earth Federation NEWS 2/2/21).
If the UN is unable, or unwilling, to transform itself into a democratic world federation, then the WCPA's Earth Federation/Earth Constitution movement must fill the void. Its strategic advantage is that it need not wait for approval from the nation-states, important as they ultimately will be, to build an alternative world organization parallel to, but independent of, the United Nations.
The Earth Federation strategy is far more than an attempt to build a viable democratic world federation. Its Earth Constitution is the heart and soul of a new vision for our world, where idealism is encouraged and supported while the path to good government is concrete and practical.
The Earth Federation's Provisional World Parliament outlaws weapons of mass destruction and war itself. There is a brilliantly designed World Judiciary System with Enforcement powers so that Bully nations whose leaders are responsible for world crimes are no longer above the Law.
Professor Glen Martin, a WCPA leader, declares that the Earth Federation "invites in all and excludes no one." "It recognizes every human being as a citizen, and invites every nation to be a member, with all the rights, privileges, and benefits that apply under the Constitution."
Should social activists just keep doing what they're doing -- networking; reacting to this crisis, then that crisis; protesting this war, then that war; lamenting loudly over poverty and human rights abuses? Isn’t complaining loudly, but with no permanent solution, a "Sisyphean experience"? The Earth Federation/Earth Constitution/World Parliament strategy could change all of that.
We'd all like UN reform to succeed. But if the UN remains with its present failed Charter, then it's just common sense to have a replacement strategy waiting in the wings. Tell the UN General Assembly that the Earth Constitution is ready to go.
Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Psychologist (ret.)
Co-editor, DWF NEWS
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November 22, 2022
TO OUR READERS: I asked Democratic World Federalist Board member Fritz Pointer if DWF NEWS could share his sister Anita's reaction to "Anyway" by Mother Teresa. Anita, from the famous singing group The Pointer Sisters, definitely gave a "thumbs up" to this powerful message. -- Roger K. (DWF NEWS)
---------- Original Message ----------
From: Anita POINTER
Thank you Fritz, I LOVE THIS POEM Anita,
I think of you every time I read this poem, "Anyway" and I've read it a lot. It's become a kind of philosophy of life for me. It's really a song. Remember that Bob Marley transformed the speech and word of Haile Selassie to the United Nations into the song "War." These words have that kind of potential, but not in my wheelhouse. What a lovely interview, today, with you and Michele
Anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
~Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.
~Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.
~Succeed anyway.
The good you do may be forgotten tomorrow.
~Do good anyway.
Honesty and openness make you vulnerable.
~Be honest and open anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight,
~Build anyway.
People you really want to help may attack you if you help them.
~Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
~Give the world your best anyway.
~Mother Teresa
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WORLD PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM
Should the UN Investigate 9/11?
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. DWF NEWS 9/15/22
The problem of a deeply corrupt government poses a challenge to honest citizens. When your government is suspected of committing a crime, but refuses to provide an independent investigation, you are stuck. See https://www.ae911truth.org There is no where else to turn. What about the United Nations?
There is an UN Office of Drugs and Crime which states its responsibilities include "accountable criminal justice responses to terrorism." Could UNODC investigate the U.S. government if the evidence points at 9/11 being an "inside job"? (Probably not. The UN, the UNODC, the World Court, and the ICC lack independent enforcement powers.)
This is the situation in the U.S. when the 9/11 Commission Report appeared to be a cover-up as explained and documented by the brilliant Dr. David Ray Griffen ("The 9/11 Commission Report - Omissions and Distortions," 2005).
The September 11, 2001 attack, blamed on the alleged hijackers, became the excuse for the U.S. government's out-of-control "war on terror" with wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. If it is true that 9/11 was an "inside job", then the rogue elements from within the government who launched 9/11, can themselves be considered the real "terrorists."
To this day the government's cover story (narrative) is that "19 Muslim hijackers" did it -- al-Qaeda terrorists directed by Osama bin Laden. The attack's "mastermind" was attributed to Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed, detained at Guantanamo Bay where he was relentlessly tortured (probably to obtain a false confession).
In my personal opinion, the evidence is so overwhelming that the US government's 9/11 narrative is false, that when journalists continue to parrot it, I wince. A highly complex operation conducted by 19 Muslim hijackers? Absurd.
In reality, the degree of complexity of 9/11 points to a highly sophisticated false flag operation, conducted by powerfully corrupt insiders and their allies. A "false flag" means that the blame is directed to others (Muslims), not to the real perpetrators (inside job).
Repeated calls by 9/11 researchers for a new investigation have been ignored. Why? If 9/11 really was an inside job, then a deeply corrupt government would not want to have an objective investigation. Frankly, I feel that the 9/11 Commission Report was like asking a criminal enterprise to investigate itself.
I believe that there is ample justification to argue that there has been heavy censorship on 9/11 truth researchers and onging attempts to discredit them. A BYU (Mormon) professor, for example, who identified nanothermite explosives at the site gets fired.
I'm guessing he was naive about the politics of finding nanothermite evidence...and BYU got scared pressured by the Bush regime, so they fired him. See https://www.ae911truth.org
Another attempt by the government to discredit truth researchers is by claiming they are "crazy," "tin hats," or "conspiracy theorists."
The 9/11 researchers I met are not only not crazy, they are highly intelligent and psychologically healthier than the average person. These folks are strong and smart, and have integrity. See (I'm a clinical psychologist with over 40 years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.)
I teach young peace activists that if they are not a conspiracy theorist, they don't understand the situation. As proof I discuss the CIA, Mossad, and similar covert agencies who routinely conspire to assassinate, overthrow governments, etc. In order to overcome this type of corruption in national governments, I believe it is time to establish a "new UN," one modeled after the EARTH CONSTITUTION whose design offers citizens a better judiciary and enforcement system to achieve real justice.
-- Roger Kotila, PhD
Psychologist (ret.)
earthstarradio@aol.com
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DWF Editorial:
ENDING WAR, Obstacles and Solutions
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. 6/23/22
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DWF NEWS publishes articles that we believe illustrate the crises that our current United Nations global governing system is unable to handle adequately. War after war after war. Bully nations out of control and who routinely violate international laws and human rights, essentially mocking the UN and its principles.
Earth Constitution federal government (a "new UN" or Earth Constitution government) could likely have prevented the Ukraine war in the first place. There would be no need for NATO, nuclear weapons, or conventional warfare.
Under a federal geopolitical structure such as provided by the Earth Constitution, the nightmare of war between nations could finally be ended. War prevents a nation from dealing adequately with climate change. Individual human rights could also be better protected.
Modern day slavery, for example, could be investigated and prosecuted worldwide. Finally, world public interest journalists are needed. Democracy requires an adequately informed citizenry. Truth matters.
-- Roger Kotila, Ph.D. ~ DWF NEWS, Democratic World Federalists
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GET THE POINT
Fritz Pointer 5/4/22 Earth Federation News & Views [earthfederation.info]
Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Elites’ War to Rule the World
We can date the beginning of the war in Ukraine to October 2002. For, it was on this date that a document published by American oligarchs, the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) the Pentagon, clearly and unambiguously stated America’s Foreign Policy for the 21st century “Full Spectrum Dominance” declared by the Pentagon to rule the world. That is, to dominate (militarily of course) the nations, people and resources of the entire world. Not “Full Spectrum” or global Peace, Diplomacy or Cooperation, but Domination.
America’s oligarchs, the ruling class, made up of the traditional elites that run the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, came up with this insane, maniacal, harebrained, foolish statement of US foreign policy. The list of those who signed the PNAC letter reads like a Who’s Who of the neoconservative 95% white male elite who helped pave the intellectual path to the Iraq nightmare of a combined civilian and combatant death toll of 1.2 million human beings: Elliott Abrams, Richard L. Armitage, William J. Bennett, Jeffrey Bergner, John Bolton, Paula Dobriansky, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kagan, Zalmay Khalilzad, William Kristol, Richard Perle, Peter W. Rodman, Donald Rumsfeld, William Schneider, Jr., Vin Weber, Paul Wolfowitz, R. James Woolsey, and Robert B. Zoellick. These insane folk along with their equally dim-witted allies, is determined to take control of all the world, to become the greatest empire in history; and pretend it is the result, exclusively, of white “genius” and “ingenuity” and no one else. The 300 years of the brutal enslavement of African people is of no consequence.
Of course, each and every one of the above mentioned individuals, along with Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice for window dressing and a bit of color, is responsible for Crimes against Peace. In other words, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. The Judgement of the 1946 International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg states: “To initiate a war of aggression is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime.” That is, waging an aggressive war is the original war crime from which all other war crimes spring. No war, no crimes. Americans fought to establish the primacy of crimes against the peace in the planning stages for Nuremberg. The planning and execution of the unprovoked war America launched against Iraq in 2003 is a clear example of crimes against peace, crimes against humanity and against International Law: according to Kofi Anan Secretary-General of the UN, at the time.
After the United States has tried everything in its power to malign, ignore and undermine the International Criminal Court since it came into being in 2002, now the U.S. government is pushing for the ICC to prosecute Russian leaders as war criminals for war crimes in Ukraine. Well, it takes one to know one. Apparently, Washington thinks the ICC is reliable enough to try Russians but not to bring U.S. or Israeli officials to justice.
“Full Spectrum Dominance”! The promulgation of this PNAC doctrine of U.S. foreign policy is the beginning of the war in Ukraine and the U.S. war on the world. Preparation for war is a primary cause of war; and no nation spends more time passionately, enthusiastically, intensely making preparations for war than the USA. In January 2014, U.S. military trainers arrived in Ukraine. In February 2014, Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych was overthrown in a violent CIA backed coup. In May of 2019 the clown (literally his resume) Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine after a false promise of peace. Also, in May 2019, the U.S. Rand Corp. think tank issued a manifesto to destroy Russia. Preparation!
The U.S. engages and activates all major institutions in preparing for and starting wars: Religious, Intellectual, Social, Economic, Political Cultural and Media. Now, due to years of anti-Muslim terror propaganda, anti-Russian and anti-Chinese propaganda, entire populations and nations of the world are regarded as enemies by many American people, seen as vicious, irrational, less-than-human creatures who are undeserving of basic decency, let alone the protection of international law. Who benefits? Raytheon, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing: with exclusive weapons supply contracts with NATO countries.
Yet, dear reader, can you imagine this PNAC Gaggle of Goons noted above and their predecessors (including Barak Obama, Kamala Harris, Lloyd Austin) handling the next global Covid pandemic? Can you imagine the world, the entire globe under the exclusive incompetent and inept leadership of the USA – with a world leader advocating the drinking of Clorox or shining ultra-violent light into some orifice as solutions to this Covid health pandemic, while disparaging and insulting science and scientists? Have mercy! This national “leadership” has cost the U.S. over one million lives and counting – the highest in the industrialized world. What do you think such leadership would mean to the world?
“Full Spectrum Dominance” for what? To provide the world with Healthcare? Housing? Childcare? Eldercare? Better Schools? Public Transportation? Clean Water? An adequate diet? The people of Yemen are experiencing a dose of U.S. /Saudi dominance; and there the children are so hungry they are literally eating their hands. This is the meaning of and will be the result of U.S. domination of the globe. Clearly, at the very least, the U.S. must rethink its foreign policy objectives.
See: Rebecca Gordon, American Nuremberg: The U.S Officials Who Should Stand Trial for Post-9/11 War Crimes, 2016
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Jingoistic Journalism Is No Friend of Ukraine
MEDIA, 18 Apr 2022
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. | Earth Federation News & Views – TRANSCEND Media Service
14 Apr 2022 – Propaganda in favor of a bigger and longer Ukraine war is flooding the airwaves on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News; and in print at the NY Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. This attempt to manipulate public opinion is so extensive as to exhaust those of us who try to keep track of “what’s really happening.”
You can be sure that the international peace movement for a “new UN” by replacing the obsolete UN Charter with the Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka Earth Constitution) is never reported by mainstream media which clings to the current geopolitical war system.
Time and time again, in unison, the reporters and pundits tell us that the war over Ukraine is “unprovoked” (a lie), as if Russia had no possible reason to invade Ukraine. They are silent about the US supported Maidan massacre (2014) which caused an illegal regime change. Americans are rarely told that the US violated a promise to Russia not to place NATO on Russia’s border.
U.S. “jingoistic journalists” are one sided, “all in” for the U.S. government’s version of the war. The narrative is designed to keep Ukraine at war as long as possible, and to prepare Americans to accept that their domestic goals for affordable housing, child care, and college will just have to wait. Inflation (which mostly hurts the poor) will have to be tolerated as part of our “sacrifice” to “help” Ukraine defend itself.
JINGOISM is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country’s advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests. Colloquially, jingoism is excessive bias in judging one’s own country as superior to others – an extreme type of nationalism. Wikipedia
Pity the Ukraine citizenry who will watch their country be destroyed, but cheered on by western media as heroes for “defending” their country down to the last man, woman and child — the price of “victory.”
That Ukraine may serve as a US/CIA puppet is avoided in the Press, as is the accusation that the U.S. ruling oligarchy’s goal is to (literally) conquer the world — including Russia and China. The delusion of American “exceptionalism” to justify Empire is still active.
Years of war over the Ukraine would help weaken Putin/Russia and in theory hasten regime change. A lengthy war is fabulous for America’s War Business, while furthering the U.S. goal of ruling the whole world — by any means necessary.
But democracy requires an adequately informed citizenry in order to make good decisions. If U.S./NATO is in reality often a “bad guy” whose international war crimes (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Palestine, etc.) even exceed that of Russia, the public deserves to know this.
Most Americans don’t have the time to do their homework to judge media’s fairness and accuracy. They don’t know about the CIA’s past “Mighty Wurlitzer” which had reporters and pundits on its payroll as media “assets” who justified U.S. aggression all over the world with its 750 military bases and black sites.
World public interest journalists and peace experts are unlikely to be seen on U.S. jingoistic mainstream media. Noam Chomsky, Glen Martin, Bill Pace, Byron Belitsos, Chris Hedges, Medea Benjamin, and other objective, honest analysts are rarely, to never, allowed on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, or interviewed by the NY Times or Washington Post.
Unfortunately for the world, the Pentagon funds think tanks that specialize in war while ignoring more worthy think tanks who are experts on what a world peace system would look like to replace the current disastrous war system haunting the world community.
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 Roger Kotila, Ph.D. is a peace activist and a psychologist (ret.) with many years of clinical experience with the California Dept. of Corrections doing psychiatric diagnosis and treatment with inmates. President of Democratic World Federalists he is co-editor of DWF NEWS, and editor of Earth Federation News & Views. He supports a “new UN” under the Earth Constitution. www.earthfederation.info Email: earthstarradio@aol.com
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February 3, 2022
The Need for a "new UN" Couldn't Be More Obvious
Roger Kotila, PhD Earth Federation News & Views
The need for a "new UN" couldn't be more obvious as wars and climate change threaten to bring down nations and the world community itself. Potential war hotspots routinely pop up. Now Ukraine, next Taiwan. Etc. Etc.
Russia seeks a neutral Ukraine while the U.S. wants to eventually install a militarized NATO. Ukraine should not have to choose between the U.S. and Russia. Both together could help Ukraine rid itself of its neo-Nazi infiltration (see this edition of DWF NEWS "Shocking Support by the U.S. of a Neo-Nazi Infested Ukraine"), and help it regain peace and prosperity.
But the outdated UN Security Council, supposedly for peace and security, as usual, is a miserable failure. The P-5 veto keeps Russia and the U.S. in life threatening conflict.
Reporter Irwin Arieff (PassBlue, 2-1-22) observed: "In a Jan. 21 speech to the 193-nation UN General Assembly, Secretary General Guterres, who has his finger on the world’s pulse, warned that a terrifying five-alarm fire was threatening to blaze out of control, with devastating global results."
Arieff adds: "It is also a part of Guterres's job to come up with ideas to get the world back on track and translate these ideas into action. But in this department, his speech was heavy on rhetoric and light on specifics."
OK Mr. Guterres, I have a suggestion: Join with the UN General Assembly to launch a review of the UN Charter (under Article 109-3) using the Earth Constitution as its model and guide to establish a "new UN", one that forms a democratic world federal union.
In this edition of DWF NEWS ("Breaking News from WCPA") we see the outlines of a new global voting system as called for by the Earth Constitution utilizing the advances in Internet capabilities to broaden and expand the representation for the Provisional World Parliament.
The world's 7.9 billion people do not currently get a vote on global affairs at the UN, -- there is no representation for "we, the people." But the Earth Constitution, designed to replace the obsolete UN Charter, changes all of that, starting with a plan for 1000 electoral districts to form either a UN World Parliament or an Earth Federation World Parliament.
These 1000 electoral districts will be part of the foundation for forming the urgently needed democratic world federation. The present United Nations has its hands tied, doing its best despite a Charter which represents a rigged geopolitical system that has allowed the US and its NATO allies to have an estimated 800 military bases around the world. No wonder nations like Russia and China fear encirclement. The US/NATO pattern of wars and threats of war fits in with the US plans for military "full spectrum dominance" and now a nuclear arms race is underway. Oh where, oh where, is the UN?
-- Roger Kotila, PhD
Psychologist (ret.)
President, Democratic World Federalists
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January 24, 2022
Earth Federation News & Views
Breaking News from the World Constitution & Parliament Association (WCPA)
The 15th session of the Provisional World Parliament successfully took place in hybrid mode broadcast from New Delhi, India, December 10-12, 2021. This session of Parliament served as a turning point for the World Constitution & Parliament Association (WCPA) and the Earth Federation Movement: It announced the completion of delineating the 1000 World Electoral Districts begun years ago with the 20 world regions defined in the above map.
The 1000 World Electoral Districts defined by the Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka Earth Constitution) are ready for action by citizens living within those districts (a comprehensive map is forthcoming). From now on, WCPA will be signing up people as “Global Citizens” qualified to vote in their electoral districts under the authority of the Earth Constitution. People will first sign up as Global Citizens who have endorsed the Constitution, and soon after, will be assigned a secure, on-line voter ID that will allow them to vote in Provisional World Parliament elections.
This process lays the groundwork for not only electing delegates to the next session of the Provisional World Parliament (scheduled for Pondicherry, India, next year). It also lays the framework for an emerging Virtual World Parliament and for the future (secure and documented) voter ratification of the Earth Constitution itself.
We invite all people to sign up as Global Citizens at www.wcpa.global and become active participants in transforming our broken world system into a demilitarized system of peace, justice, sustainability, and freedom under the democratically ratified Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
Dr. Glen T. Martin is President of WCPA and the Provisional World Parliament, and Executive Director of the Earth Constitution Institute. His most recent book is THE EARTH CONSTITUTION SOLUTION Design for a Living Planet.
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December, 2021
The Provisional World Parliament & Earth Constitution Offer Inspiration and Hope
~ Dr. Roger Kotila, Democratic World Federalists DWF NEWS
The ideal of a one world global family is one of the underlying moral and spiritual foundations for the values which will be needed to save the world. The Earth Constitution expresses this high ideal by providing a new, visionary governing structure designed for the benefit of the whole world, not just the few. This 15th Session of the Provisional World Parliament plays a major role for this emerging international movement.
Can 7.6 billion people learn to live together cooperatively, and without war? The 15th Provisional World Parliament under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth (also known as the Earth Constitution) says "yes." We accept the wisdom of India's legendary leader Mahatma Gandhi and the famous physicist Albert Einstein, both of whom concluded that we will need democratic world federal union government to create a safe and peaceful world.
War between nations, civil wars, and the threat of a nuclear nightmare hang over all of us. Heartbreaking crises of grinding poverty are contrasted with vast wealth held by the few. Violations of human rights occur routinely in almost all nations, even those claiming to be "democratic." Perpetual wars, sociopathic rulers, and climate extremes are causing chaos and unwelcome mass migrations.
Very serious defects in the UN Charter
Although the United Nations Organization accomplishes many useful and needed services to the world community, the UN Charter's defects prevent the UN from handling successfully its most important duties -- ending war, eliminating nuclear weapons, protecting universal human rights, and dealing more effectively with climate change.
The need for a democratic World Parliament is part of what is needed, something lacking now in the UN organization which gives only 5 nations voting rights. The UN is undemocratic. There are 188 nations in the UN with second class citizenship, denied a meaningful vote in final decision-making on global affairs.
India, despite being the world's largest democracy with deeply rooted faith in Gandhian nonviolence, is one of the UN members denied voting rights. India, a nation which proclaims “World is One Family” (वसुधैव कुटुंबकम” is being troubled by its neighbors, yet the current UN governing system is not able to resolve the conflict.
Besides India, smaller nations are also denied voting rights at the UN. Only the UN Security Council's Permanent 5 (P-5) nations have final decision-making power with the special advantage of the veto. During the UN’s formation in 1945 the Indian delegation was a key part of those who insisted on a review of the Charter after a ten year period (see Article 109-3). This legally required review has yet to be conducted according to the Center for UN Constitutional Research (CUNCR) based in Brussels.
Why the UN can't do its job
We must remember that even if India were given veto voting power along with the P-5, the UN still could not end war or stop the very dangerous nuclear arms race. There are too many profound problems in the Charter, defects that the Earth Constitution is designed to correct.
Missing in the UN Charter, for example, is enforceable World Law to be applied equally to all nations and their leaders. As a consequence the UN Security Council's P-5 veto power nations (USA, Russia, China, France, UK) and their proxies openly ignore international law knowing they will not be held accountable. It is a prescription for lawless anarchy at the global level resulting in unimaginable suffering of the families who are the innocent victims of the violence around them.
Military invasions, secret operations to overthrow governments, and illegal economic sanctions are openly utilized against other nations. The UN, whose hands are tied by its Charter, are unable to bring peace. World news is consistently so bad that many people feel it is a hopeless situation. They have given up.
But the exciting news is that, believe it or not, a realistic solution is possible. Professor Glen T. Martin's new book The Earth Constitution Solution explains why there is hope, and what must be done.
The changes to achieve peace and security will require our political leaders and the world's citizenry to step forward and support the Earth Constitution and its Provisional World Parliament. They must let the Earth Constitution serve as a living, active symbol to inspire and guide us out of the wilderness.
Rising to world patriot
Achieving world peace and prosperity can become a reality...if only the community of nations and the public embrace the Earth Constitution and its high ideals for humanity.
World patriotism emerges in a morally and spiritually healthy culture where people sincerely care for the well-being of all people, not just those in their particular tribe or nation. The Earth Constitution expresses this ideal while the Provisional World Parliament acts to make it a future reality in our actual lives.
India, equal in size to China, appears to be the best logical possibility for a leadership role by joining forces with the World Constitution & Parliament Association-India to support a movement to persuade the UN General Assembly to launch a Review of the Charter as required under Article 109-3 signed in 1945 in San Francisco, which is why we call it THE SAN FRANCISCO PROMISE.
A Charter review launched by the UN General Assembly will open the door for the Earth Constitution and the exciting prospect for an urgently needed "new UN."
It is a matter of great interest to know the contributions of India in this movement such as Sri Aurobindo's legacy of World Union and the support for the WCPA. Great numbers of visionaries and intellectuals deliberated for decades to draft this new world constitution. The drafting committee had an Indian member and the first signatory is also an Indian.
India has in the past hosted seven PWP's, including the historic second session inaugurated by the then President of India and presided over by the Speaker of the Lower House of the Indian Parliament.
Let us be clear. The UN is unable to stop the current emerging nuclear arms race. The UN is sidelined by its defective Charter and thus helpless when it counts the most, -- for example a world in extreme danger if war breaks out between US/NATO and Russia, or between the USA and China. If war breaks out, India could be dragged into the conflict.
It is in the best interest of India (and all governments) to recognize the need for a "new UN" using the Earth Constitution as its guide and model to replace the obsolete UN Charter.
The current Session of the Provisional World Parliament serves to provide potential future world legislation which would be extremely useful when a ratified Earth Constitution and the World Parliament are activated with the need to work quickly and efficiently to begin to resolve the many global crises.
~ Dr. Roger Kotila
Psychologist & Peace Activist
President, Democratic World Federalists
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The VoiceAmerica Special on “The Earth Constitution and the Great Transition” will be released on The Convergence Friday, October 15.
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What If Socialism (or Communism) Is a Better Deal for Poor People?
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. July 22, 2021, Earth Federation News & Views
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China's outstanding economic successes are the worst thing that has ever happened for American capitalists (who control most of the American government). Their fear is that economies that favor socialism or communism will become attractive to Americans, especially its poor people and the middle classes who would stand to benefit.
The fear of socialism is not shared by the U.S. Defense Dept. which uses a socialist economic model for the U.S. Military. Its soldiers and their families have little to worry about for health care, housing, or schooling -- it is generously covered by the U.S. government.
If socialism is good enough for the Pentagon, why isn't it good enough for Cuba?
America's mainstream media conveniently fails to tell the public that the U.S. government is violating international law and human rights conventions with its policy of "regime change" against socialist and/or communist governments.
The public is told that we are doing this to give the people of these (communist) nations "freedom," "democracy," and "justice." We are told that we are "ending tyranny." We are not told that these nations have voting rights, or that by comparison the US is an oligarchy, not a democracy.
In our July 7, 2021 edition of DWF NEWS, we published an article which accuses the US economic blockade against Cuba as amounting to mass murder. The US embargo year after year has deprived Cubans of medicines, food, and other necessities, and makes it impossible for the country to prosper.
The embargo made Cuba's plight exponentially worse when Covid-19 hit. While some Cubans protested and blamed their own government for Cuba's problems, to be fair, a big part of the current protests in Cuba appears to have been bought and paid for by the CIA.
Year after year the U.S. foreign policy is to crush certain countries with a socialist (or communist) government "by any means necessary." Propaganda campaigns, bribery, economic warfare, assassinations, outright military invasions are the illegal tools routinely used by the U.S. government's deep state against a long list of nations targeted for regime change in Latin America and elsewhere.
Article 14.1.2 in the Earth Constitution assures "freedom of choice of member nations in the Federation of Earth (i.e., a "new UN") to determine their internal political, economic and social systems consistent with the guarantees and protections given under this World Constitution to assure civil liberties and human rights...."
Recently the United Nations General Assembly voted 184 to 2 that the Cuban blockade must end. Shamefully, only the U.S. and Israel voted "no". The suffering and early deaths of innocent citizens caused by the U.S. blockade against Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua is a moral outrage and legally is an international crime. Unfortunately, the UN lacks the tools to protect these countries from such criminal intrusions, a defect which we can correct under Article 109(3) which opens the door to a review of the fatally flawed UN Charter.
To make U.S. international crimes acceptable to American citizens, we are psychologically conditioned from early childhood to be "proud to be an American" and to feel in our hearts that America is the "good guy." We brag that we are "#1" and proclaim our global leadership for democracy and freedom -- a shameless lie; otherwise, why is the U.S. friends with Saudi Arabia and other dictatorships in the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa?
We are indoctrinated to believe that American capitalism is the "best" economic system and that socialism and communism are "bad" -- another shameless lie. In point of fact, and this is this author's personal opinion, a combination of socialism and capitalism is the most sensible economic model. America's vast homeless population, as well as the vast differences of wealth, is clear evidence of an obvious failure of capitalism. Socialism works in those areas (like health care and redistribution of wealth) where capitalism fails.
With a "new United Nations" under the Earth Constitution, capitalism and its ruling elite would no longer have ultimate power. The economic advantages of socialism would be allowed to shine with an equal voice to capitalism. There would be a World Parliament where "we, the people" would have a voice. The poor people of the world, including in the U.S., would have a far better opportunity for a decent, safe, and prosperous life.
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. is a psychologist and the President of Democratic World Federalists. He is the co-editor of DWF NEWS and the editor of Earth Federation News & Views.
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July 7, 2021
U.S. Mass Murder by Economic Warfare Mocks the UN and the Teachings of Jesus
Roger Kotila, PhD Earth Federation News & Views
The United Nations has not been able to protect socialist countries in Latin America from economic warfare by the U.S. At its worst such aggression could be considered to be indirect mass murder -- some say genocide. Cuba and Venezuela have been prime targets.
We learn from a report by Danny Glover (in Resumen, 6/29/21) that the pandemic finds Cuba "facing a shortage of millions of syringes" which are blocked by the US as part of a 60 year US embargo." How many Cubans will die as a result of not being able to get vaccinated for Covid-19?
US economic warfare is being used against over 20 nations in the form of sanctions, blockades, and embargoes, all illegal under international law. In other words, US foreign policy using economic warfare is a crime according to the UN -- as Glover points out, it "indiscriminately targets and harms civilians."
We learn from the Interfaith Task Force on the Americas (Summer, 2021) that the U.S. economic blockade against socialist countries could not be stopped by the UN despite overwhelming votes in the UN General Assembly demanding that the US lift its blockades: "All countries except the US and Israel have voted against the unilateral coercive measures the US imposes on Cuba."
Venezuela, according to the Interfaith Task Force, "faces shortages of food and medicine." "In the period of 2017-2018 alone, some 40,000 deaths were attributed to the sanctions. And that was pre-COVID and before the most devastating sanctions fully took effect."
Mass murder? Genocide? Just imagine what it would be like if your drug store had no medicines, and if your grocery store shelves were empty. The sick and vulnerable are more likely to die.
A request from a Venezuela activist is for the Earth Constitution's Provisional World Parliament (which convenes in India in December 2021) to pass a "Law to punish those responsible for unilateral measures against Venezuela." The UN has not been able to stop the illegal and sadistic economic warfare by the U.S. against Venezuela and Cuba, hence this appeal to a peoples' World Parliament.
The Earth Constitution could be the basis for a "new UN" if the UN General Assembly under Article 109(3) agreed to replace the obsolete and undemocratic UN Charter.
Jesus as a socialist
There are numerous passages in "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" (The Jefferson Bible, 1820, 2011) which make it clear that US economic aggression against socialist nations is morally wrong and indeed, a sin.
Ironically, while the US likes to see itself as a "Christian" nation, it targets socialist governments in Latin America for regime change, despite the fact that it can be shown that Jesus Christ, although he accepted some aspects of capitalism, in his life style and morals was a socialist. He healed the sick for free. No insurance needed. While preaching and teaching he offered free food to the masses.
The teachings and life of Jesus were highlighted by Thomas Jefferson known for the Declaration of Independence -- but not for slaves. Anyway, he is not so well known for his Thomas Jefferson Bible (1820) which focused specifically on the life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth. Sadly, it is obvious that U.S. Foreign Policy mocks the teachings of Jesus.
I have been reading about how economic warfare can be interpreted as death sentences imposed on innocent men, women and children in Latin American countries. I am struck by how the U.S. targets socialist governments like Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to be overthrown, and will use a wide variety of criminal actions and dirty tricks.
What I find ironical is that the U.S., which claims to be a Christian nation, attempts to shut down socialist nations despite the fact that Jesus Christ himself, although not opposed to capitalism, lived socialism and taught socialism as the way to gain entry to heaven.
The Jefferson Bible refers to Matthew 25: 31-46: "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:"
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."
"Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethen, ye have done it unto me." It's time for the U.S. to adopt a new foreign policy -- one that is no longer an international crime and against God.
Roger Kotila, PhD
Psychologist (ret)
co-editor DWF NEWS
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Earth Federation News & Views
April 18, 2021
Is Biden Enabling Ukraine For War With Russia?
Rich Scheck
Apparently unnoticed by the Mainstream Media and the broader public is how the harsh rhetoric and provocative actions of President Biden are enabling Ukraine's boldness via Russia including the threat by President Zelensky to build nuclear weapons. https://antibellum679354512.wordpress.com/2021/04/15/ukrainian-envoy-nato-or-nuclear-weapons/
But Zelensky doesn't need his own nuclear weapons, he can spark a war with Russia which would tempt Biden to bring in NATO which has nukes.
As Mark Gaffney points out, this confrontation has "Biden "leading" the world to the brink of nuclear war over Ukraine!"
Control of the Black Sea is another key issue involved in this crisis and involves the roles of Georgia and Turkey:
Ukraine is obviously part of Russia's sphere of influence. We have our Monroe Doctrine warning other nations away from our region. It is simply self-serving propaganda to decry "Russian aggression" against a country that has deep roots in Kiev and Crimea that go back hundreds of years.
It is hard to put into words the seriousness of such brinkmanship on the part of the West that coupled with similar actions against China demonstrates a level of lust to obtain Pax Americana exceeding any previous Administration.
Biden and his Democratic cohorts seem to be living out the wet dream of the Neocons who surfaced during the term of George W. Bush when they saw the 9/11 attack as an opportunity to achieve their quest for a unipolar moment.
Putin has shown clearly he will not be intimidated by all the huffing and puffing even if his enemies are not bluffing. But all it will take is one overly zealous general or even private to trigger a chain reaction of the kind that launched WWI for push to come to shove for a global conflagration.
With bipartisan support in the Senate to block the US from withdrawing from NATO as President Trump suggested, the true nature of American Imperialism is on full display for all to see how devoted both parties are to implementing their vision for global domination.
Biden appears to be all in for war against Russia with Ukraine as his proxy. Calling Russia an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” is beyond inflammatory and has provoked a strong response from Moscow to the tune of half a million soldiers.
One would think that after two world wars that began in Europe, people would have learned the weakness of our current international system and the failure of leaders from that part of the globe to shape a viable planetary peace.
Our collective silence in the face of such reckless behavior may well doom us to a fate no decent person wants for themselves or their posterity. We can and must do better!
Rich Scheck is a graduate of Harvard Law School and was at one time a part of Nader's Raiders. An independent journalist, he provides a Big Picture view of emerging geopolitics.
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March 12, 2021
Rising to the Level of Global Citizen
by Bob Hanson (Rossmoor News)
This senior doesn’t remember many of his professors at Washington State University 70 years ago...much less what the profs had to say. However, my sociology instructor named Milton Maxwell is an exception. His description of the process of human maturity blew me away.
He explained that when a child is born, its world of concern is himself and his mother. As the child grows, he or she relates to and empathizes with his or her family. Then the circle grows to encompass one’s school, neighborhood and town. As we mature, we gradually relate to our state and country. For many, that is as far as the process goes. The ultimate maturity is achieved by those who develop a compassion and concern for all of one’s fellow human beings who share planet Earth.
Professor Maxwell didn’t use the term “global citizen,” but I think that is what he had in mind. Donald Trump is a good example of someone who has never reached that final level. His mantra is America First...implying that everyone else is second. Trump believes that foreign relations is a zero-sum game...if we profit, someone else has to lose. Global citizens believe in cooperation and working for “Win-Win” solutions.
Global citizens promote solving problems non-violently. They try to thoughtfully understand others points of view. They affirm that all persons have worth and dignity because all persons participate in the miracle that is human life.
World citizens understand that reason and dialog must be complimented by compassion and kindness.
World citizens are committed to transforming the process of living on the Earth to sustainable, ecologically friendly forms of economics, production, consumption and patterns of living. They are committed to leaving a livable planet to future generations.
A world citizen affirms the principle of solving problems non-violently. As Mahatma Gandhi stated, there are dozens of ways to solve conflicts creatively and intelligently, respecting everyone involved.
World citizens understand that the world is a wonderful manifestation of unity in diversity that must be respected and encouraged. We are all different from each other in race, culture, religion and beliefs, but we must learn to live together and share our beautiful planet. Yes, professor Maxwell...thanks for starting me out on the path to world citizenship.
Dr. Hanson is a Board member of Democratic World Federalists, and the author of THE SAN FRANCISCO PROMISE calling for UN Charter Review under Article 109(3).
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January 6, 2021
THE BEST KEPT SECRET ON SAVING THE WORLD
by Bob Hanson DWF NEWS
I’m betting you have never heard of the World Constitution and Parliament Association. This international movement has been working diligently since 1958 to come up with a better way to run the world. There have been many international meetings held in various countries to develop what is known as the CONSTITUTION FOR THE FEDERATION OF THE EARTH. It was written by the combined efforts and input of hundreds of folks who consider themselves world citizens.
The paper has been modified and improved many times since the first world assembly which was held in Interlaken, Switzerland. The document is based upon six principles: 1) The common Humanity and Dignity of all human beings; 2) Economic democracy and equal opportunity for all persons; 3) Sustainability and ecological health for the planet; 4) Unity in Diversity of all Nations, Communities, Religions, and persons living together in harmony on Earth; 5) Ending War and Reducing violence in Human Affairs; and 6) The rule of democratically Legislated, Enforceable Law for the Earth.
Some of you who are still with me are probably thinking, “but, don’t we already have a United Nations?” Of course we do…and it has been a big improvement over the former world organization, the League of Nations. The U.N. has probably prevented many international conflicts and has done yeoman duty in terms of refugees and humanitarian relief. However, it has failed in the task it was created for in San Francisco in 1945….ending war. The U.N. has failed to live up to its potential for several reasons, most of which are related to the U.S. and other world powers unwillingness to give up a bit of their sovereignty for the common good. The Security Council veto has prevented that organization from acting on many occasions. The International Court of Justice is voluntary, with no means of enforcing its judgments and the General Assembly is undemocratic (India and Monaco each have equal votes), and generally powerless.
The right wing in this country and abroad is paranoid about the U.N., ineffective as it is. To them, world government conjures up thoughts of black helicopters and Hitlerism. They feel that the war system is the natural order of life and we have to be able to fight for our freedom….a dog eat dog world. To the victors go the spoils. If this thinking prevails, it is only a matter of time until a nuclear confrontation lays the earth uninhabitable and humankind’s little experiment will be over.
If the Earth Constitution or something similar were to be adapted, it would be an extension of our present democracy. Functions that affect us locally will still be handled by local governments; state affairs will still be conducted by our state representatives and matters dealing with national issues will still be under the jurisdiction of federal governments. The jurisdiction of the democratic world government will be limited to relations between nations and issues such as global warming which do not recognize national boundaries. Pollution created in China may end up here, or vice-versa.
Article 109-3 of the U.N. charter calls for a charter review after 10 years. This, of course, has never happened because the permanent five (U.S., Russia, France, UK and China) don’t want to give up the veto. Organizations I am involved with are working to mobilize the peace-loving nations of the world to demand charter review. If we are able to make that happen, maybe the U.N. charter will be replaced by the Earth Constitution or something similar and war will become a relic of the past.
Albert Einstein said “There is no salvation for civilization or even the human race, other than the creation of a world government.” Now is the time, before it is too late.
To find out more about the Earth Constitution, go to www.earth-constitution.org.
The present essay is from Dr. Robert F. Hanson's new book "WORKING TO SAVE THE WORLD: Essays on Current Affairs" (Big Hat Press, 2020). Dr. Hanson is a Board member both of Democratic World Federalists (DWF, San Francisco) and the Center for United Nations Constitutional Research (CUNCR, Brussels).
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December 11, 2020
EDITORIAL San Francisco -- America & Terrorism, Soul-searching Time? Has the time for soul-searching arrived for the American people? Are we even capable of soul-searching? If you are judged by the friends you keep, then America is in bad shape.
It may be tempting to ignore the following searing indictment of the American government authored by Caitlin Johnstone. Are we really "terrorists"? Have we lost our moral way? Has America's ambitions for power and empire caused us to become the "bad guy" while lying to ourselves that we are the "good guy"?
Military and political cooperation with the primitive Saudi Arabia dictatorship which brutalizes Yemen is one example, while the disgraceful support by the US Congress of apartheid and occupation of the Palestinians by Israeli Zionists is another.
The United Nations cannot control the wrongdoing of powerful nations like the US who hold veto power at the UN. This defect in the UN Charter gives these privileged nations a free pass when they commit crimes or are complicit in crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The permanent veto privilege at the UN unfairly keeps the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK (P-5) above the law. Charter Review under Article 109(3) using the EARTH CONSTITUTION as its model and guide can help the UN General Assembly establish a "new UN" capable of requiring all nations to be law-abiding. -- R. Kotila, PhD DWF NEWS 12/10/20
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/55997.htm
We Are The Terrorists
By Caitlin Johnstone
December 07, 2020 Information Clearing House
The Trump administration is reportedly close to moving the Houthi rebels in Yemen onto its official list of designated terrorist organizations with the goal of choking them off from money and resources. The head of the UN’s World Food Program along with many other experts caution that this designation will prolong the horrific war which has claimed over a quarter million lives and create an impenetrable barrier of red tape stopping humanitarian aid from getting to the Yemeni people.
The United Nations conservatively estimates that some 233,000 Yemenis have been killed in the war between the Houthis and the US-backed Saudi-led coalition, mostly from what it calls “indirect causes”. Those indirect causes would be disease and starvation resulting from what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls “the worst famine the world has seen for decades”.
When people hear the word “famine” they usually think of mass hunger caused by droughts or other naturally occurring phenomena, but in reality the starvation deaths we are seeing in Yemen (a huge percentage of which are children under the age of five) are caused by something that is no more natural than the starvation deaths you’d see in a medieval siege. They are the result of the Saudi coalition’s use of blockades and its deliberate targeting of farms, fishing boats, marketplaces, food storage sites, and cholera treatment centers with airstrikes aimed at making the Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen so weak and miserable that they break.
In other words, the US and its allies have been helping Saudi Arabia deliberately kill children and other civilians on mass scale in order to achieve a political goal. Which would of course be a perfect example of any standard definition of terrorism.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1334243698586992641
We are the terrorists. Saudi Arabia, the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, France and every other nation which has facilitated the horrific mass atrocity in Yemen–this tight globe-spanning power alliance is a terrorist organization the likes of which the world has never seen before. The unfathomably savage and bloodthirsty US empire designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization is the least funny joke that has ever been told.
We are the terrorists. I say “we” instead of our governments because if we are honest with ourselves, we as a civilian population are complicit in this slaughter. The horrors in Yemen are without question the worst thing that is happening in the world right now, yet they comprise barely a blip in our social consciousness. The overwhelming majority of us have seen the pictures and videos of starving Yemeni children, thought something along the lines of “Oh a famine, that’s so sad” and gone back to thinking about sports or whatever other insipid nonsense occupies most of our attention.
We are the terrorists. Yes it is true that we have been propagandized into our complicity with this terrorism and if the news media were doing its purported job Yemen would be front and center in our attention, but we are still complicit. We are still participating in it, still living in a society that is woven of the fabric of slaughter and brutality without rising up and using the power of our numbers to force a change. Just because you are unaware that you sleep on a bed of butchered children doesn’t mean you’re not lying in it.
We are the terrorists. But we don’t need to be.
We can begin waking up together. Waking up our friends and neighbors, spreading consciousness of what’s going on, raising awareness of the horrors our governments are perpetrating in Yemen and in other nations in the name of imperialist domination, helping each other see through the veils of propaganda to how much life and how many resources are being spent on inflicting unspeakable acts of terror upon our world instead of benefiting humanity.
The US government could force an end to the horrors in Yemen almost immediately if it really wanted to.
If maintaining unipolar hegemony were suddenly advanced by giving the Houthis victory in Yemen instead of fighting to ensure Washington-aligned rule, the Saudis would withdraw and the war would be over within days. We could make this happen if we could spread enough awareness of the reality of what’s happening in Yemen.
Break the silence on Yemen. Pressure Biden to fulfil his campaign pledge to end the war which was initiated under the Obama-Biden administration. Oppose US imperialism. Weaken public trust in the mass media which refuse to give us a clear picture of what’s going on in the world. Help people realize that their perception of reality is being continually warped and distorted by the powerful.
We end our role in the terrorism of the empire by awakening the citizens of that empire to its acts of terror.
Caitlin's articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. https://caitlinjohnstone.com
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October 15, 2020 DWF NEWS
"Why the United Nations Can't Eliminate Nukes"International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons | 26 September
Sculpture depicting St. George slaying the dragon. The dragon is created from fragments of Soviet SS-20 and United States Pershing nuclear missiles.
Photo:UN Photo/Milton Grant
UN International Day for Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Excerpts from UN Press Release):
"Achieving global nuclear disarmament is one of the oldest goals of the United Nations. It was the subject of the General Assembly’s first resolution in 1946, which established the Atomic Energy Commission (dissolved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction... In 1978, the first Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament further recognized that nuclear disarmament should be the priority objective in the field of disarmament. Every United Nations Secretary-General has actively promoted this goal..."
"Yet, today around 13,400 nuclear weapons remain. Countries possessing such weapons have well-funded, long-term plans to modernize their nuclear arsenals. More than half of the world’s population still live in countries that either have such weapons or are members of nuclear alliances... not one nuclear weapon has been physically destroyed pursuant to a treaty..."
[Copy and paste the following for the full text describing the UN's Day (Sept. 26) for the Total Elimination of Nukes]
https://www.un.org/en/observances/nuclear-weapons-elimination-day
After reading the full text of the UN's September 26th Day for Total Nuclear Disarmament, I wrote the following response which I titled:
"Why the UN Can't Eliminate Nuclear Weapons"
by R. Kotila, PhD
Is the UN's attempt to eliminate nukes A LESSON IN FUTILITY? It may be, unless we can identify nations that will work with us for the needed Charter Review with the Earth Constitution as a potential guide and model for a "new UN." (This strategy is known as THE SAN FRANCISCO PROMISE.)
The UN and peace activists know that nukes are a horrible DANGER. But they are trying to solve the problem by remaining within the current UN geopolitical paradigm. This means relying on persuasion for cooperation between the nations, getting an international legal ban on nukes (which can't be enforced), and signing treaties ("multilateralism") agreeing to disarm and eliminate nukes.
What's wrong with this picture? Treaty agreements (to ban nukes) are like building on quicksand -- they can't be trusted. The UN must face reality and become a world government. Hence, this well-meaning, helpful strategy during the UN 75th should be seen as an interim step -- but not penetrating deeply enough to get the job done.
Here is where Democratic World Federalists (DWF), the Center for UN Constitutional Research (CUNCR), and WCPA-India/Earth Constitution Institute (WCPA-India, ECI) must lead the way. We must convince some of the nations at the UN (those that fear nukes) to join THE SF PROMISE which requires a review of the obsolete UN Charter to open the door to a new Charter. The EARTH CONSTITUTION (earth-constitution.org) can be the guide and model for forming a "new UN".
Frankly, the UN General Assembly should take over decision-making from the UN Security Council (P-5 veto powers) which has shown that it can't do the job. The UNGA could be the House of Nations (see Earth Constitution ) in the initial stage of forming a World Parliament.
The UN Security Council P-5 in my opinion is blocking nuclear disarmament and world peace. This is a bitter truth backed up by its history of failures. I don't think the UNSC can be considered legitimate as it is not representative of the world community,... and the P-5 are the leading weapons dealers in the world.
Violations of international law and UN conventions are routine by the P-5. They reject law and order for themselves. They mock the International Criminal Court. They are above the Law as they hide behind the "sovereignty" granted them in the defective UN Charter.
I believe there is an opportunity to get concerned nations on board with us to make the changes that are needed. It is time for world federalists to quit kicking the can down the road.
Roger Kotila, PhD
Psychologist
(personal opinion)
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September 17, 2020 Earth Federation News & Views
United Nations World System Is Wrong - Weak & Small Nations Suffer
San Francisco - EDITOR'S NOTE: Professor Martin's analysis of the current geopolitical system is invaluable to understand why the UN cannot do its primary job. Wars continue unabated. A nuclear arms race is underway. What is wrong? The following excerpts illustrate the reality at the UN that makes it difficult to impossible for the UN to do what is really needed. For example, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals can't be met. Democratic World Federalists offers a strategy for the UN General Assembly to launch UN Charter Review using the EARTH CONSTITUTION as a model new world charter/constitution to establish a "new UN." -- Roger Kotila, PhD
*EXCERPTS from Dr. Glen T. Martin's Tour de force:
The UN Sustainable Development Goals as World-System Ideology
Glen T. Martin
This essay is dedicated to the loving memory of Swami Agnivesh
(Please note: the views expressed in this essay are my own
and do not necessarily reflect those of the organizations in which I serve.)
Everyone Pretends to See the Emperor’s New Clothes
Since its founding in San Francisco in 1945 and its establishment in New York City as a main UN Center, the United States has dominated what goes on at the UN. The UN pretends to pursue the ideals of peace, justice, and environmental sustainability but only within the conceptual limits provided by its main financial contributor. As long as the organization is supported by the voluntary contributions of its members, then the actual framework for thought and most decision-making will, of course, be one dollar one vote, and the US always has the lion-share of the votes.
5 Not that the UN is otherwise structured democratically. It is not. The Security Council, largely under the domination of the US, controls everything that goes on. In Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower, William Blum constructs his entire Chapter 20 on lists of votes on dozens of issues in the UN General Assembly over a period of years. On any issue that would increase the peace and justice in the world, the vote has been the vast majority of nations versus the US and often Israel (the latter, when not abstaining, always votes the same as the US).
6 For example, the proposal to expand the UN’s approaches to “emphasize the development of nations and individuals as a human right” (120 nations for, the US against). On a “declaration of non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states” (110 nations for, the US and Albania against). On holding “negotiations on disarmament and cessation of the nuclear arms race” (111 nations for, the US and Israel against). On affirming a “world charter for the protection of ecology” (111 nations for, the US against). The list goes on and on. The votes mean little, since the General Assembly has no power and any resolution on such matters that comes to the Security Council is vetoed by the US.
7 Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark details the US manipulation of members of the Security Council to get the go-ahead to militarily attack Iraq after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in January 1991. In order to secure a “Yes” vote from the then members of the Security Council, the US provided Ethiopia and Zaire with new aid packages. It awarded China 114 million dollars in deferred aid from the World Bank, it got Saudi Arabia to provide $4 billion to the then disintegrating Soviet Union. It subjected Malaysia to “enormous pressure.” And it subjected Cuba and Yemen to severe punishment for their ‘no’ votes.
8 Yemen’s ambassador was told this would be “the most expensive ‘no’ vote you ever cast” and immediately a $70 million US aid package to Yemen was cancelled (1994, 153-55). Of course, the invasion went ahead in spite of these ‘no’ votes. The US maintains a global empire and the UN functions as an integral part of that empire. The richest nation not only uses the leverage of its monetary contribution to the UN to control that organization. It also buys, bullies, and blackmails its way to domination within the UN.
9 For the majority of the world’s small and weak nations, it is bad enough to have a US Embassy watching every political and economic decision of their government and promoting neo-colonial domination in their midst. But that tragedy compounds if they are unlucky enough to be hosting a US military base. Chalmers Johnson, in Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic details the 725 known military bases that exist outside the US, spread out in countries around the world. The very existence of these bases gives the US another place from which to monitor local movements that might be advocating change or social justice and from which to launch assassinations, coups, or threats against local governments who fail to toe the US ideological line claiming that a “free market” means these countries must open their resources to penetration by US foreign capital.
[*We will continue to publish other excerpts from this unusually important analysis that highlights critical problems about the current UN World System. To read full essay: www.oneworldrenaissance/glens-blog]
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August 29, 2020 Will U.S. Foreign Policy Continue to Support Violent Aggression?
[SAN FRANCISCO -- FAIR'S analysis (see article below) of the Biden/Harris approach to U.S. foreign policy suggests that the U.S. government under the Democrats will remain guilty of using direct (military force) and indirect (economic sanctions) violence as a main foreign policy tool to make nations submit.
FAIR warns us to look out for key words like a "muscular" or "robust" foreign policy. By contrast, Earth Constitution activists seek a "new UN" where the foreign policy of all nations is nonviolent, cooperative, and caring. Instead of "enemies" or "adversaries," we become a global family. To accomplish this goal, and to once and for all put an end to the War Business, the nations must Federate.
The Earth Constitution shows the way. We must transform or replace the obsolete UN Charter. The Bully nations will not give up their lust for wars and profits, or their underlying paranoia of each other, until the UN General Assembly steps into the action using the Earth Constitution as its leader to create a urgently needed "new UN". -- Roger Kotila, PhD - Editor, Earth Federation News & Views www.earthfederation.info ]
https://fair.org/home/muscular-foreign-policy-media-codeword-for-violence-abroad/
‘Muscular’ Foreign Policy: Media Codeword for Violence Abroad
ALAN MACLEOD 8/28/2020
The Washington Post's Josh Rogin (8/13/20) writes that "Biden and Harris, if they are elected, will have a chance to prove that Democratic muscular liberalism is still the right approach."
Writing in the Washington Post , pro-war columnist Josh Rogin appeared relieved that Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate for November—as opposed to a progressive like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, who would have called for cutting military budgets, fewer US interventions and the withdrawal of troops stationed abroad. Biden and Harris, he explained, will together pursue a “robust” foreign policy agenda.
Harris is described approvingly by one source as “pragmatic” (another media codeword—FAIR.org, 8/21/19), and together, Rogin notes, she and Biden can prove that “muscular liberalism is still the right approach.” What that actually means in practice, he is a little vague on, though he does suggest that will entail “aggressively” “confronting” nuclear powers Russia and China.
“Muscular,” along with similar words like “robust,” are commonly used in political reporting, especially with regards to foreign policy. They are inherently positive descriptions, conveying strength and confidence, their opposites being “weak,” “feeble” or “decrepit.” It is obvious which have the better connotations. This is a real problem, because all too regularly the words are used as euphemisms to sugarcoat inflicting violence around the world.
Often the consequences of such a policy are not stated, as when CBS News (6/17/16) reported that John Kerry recommended “a more muscular US role in Syria,” or when a guest on the Rachel Maddow Show (6/18/14) described former Vice President Dick Cheney as wishing for a more “muscular policy” for the US in Iraq. Thus, when CBS’s Face the Nation (3/23/18) aired a segment entitled, “Trump Surrounding Himself With ‘More Muscular’ Foreign Policy Team,” a naif or a foreigner might be forgiven for thinking Jesse Ventura or Arnold Schwarzenegger was advising the president. And when the BBC (12/18/17) reported on the US’s “muscular engagement” with the world, they were not describing a new workout plan.
CBS (3/23/18) described Trump's hiring hyper-interventionist John Bolton as signaling a "more muscular" foreign policy team.
Sometimes, however, journalists made explicit what such a foreign policy would consist of. The New York Times (5/14/15), for instance, described Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio as offering “a robust and muscular foreign policy,” including the end of normalization with Cuba, a hike in military spending and reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act.
The Times is a repeat offender in whitewashing the Florida senator’s often disturbing policies; in 2019 it described his advocacy for further sanctions and military intervention in Venezuela as “muscular policy tools” (New York Times, 1/29/19). By this time, the sanctions had already killed an estimated 40,000 people and would go on to kill over 100,000. What about blocking the import of medicines is “muscular”? “Sociopathic” might be a better adjective. Support for regime change in Venezuela is bipartisan, however, with Bloomberg’s Eli Lake (8/3/20) recently noting that support for a “democratic transition” there would be more “steadfast” under a Biden administration.
The result of “muscular” and “robust” policies can also be seen all over the Middle East. In 2017, Trump reversed his earlier promise to pull US troops out of Afghanistan, instead announcing his own surge, having just dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in human history on the country. The Washington Post (8/21/17) described his decision as “muscular but vague.” On Syria, the New York Times (4/21/17) pondered whether a more or less muscular approach would bring better results. And when Trump ordered B-52 bombers to Iran’s doorstep, CBS anchor Margaret Brennan (5/12/19) asked a guest what he thought of the president’s “muscular response” to Iranian provocation.
Or you can also read about Saudi Arabia’s muscular foreign policy in Yemen (LA Times, 4/20/15, 8/11/19; BBC, 4/21/15), thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people. Likewise, on one of the many recent occasions when Israel bombed Gaza, the Washington Post (3/26/19) noted that some Israeli politicians were calling for an even more “muscular response”—combining the “muscular” media trope with the convention that the US and its allies never initiate violence themselves, but only ever “respond” to enemy provocation (FAIR.org, 6/6/19, 8/21/20).
So reflexive is this media whitewashing of state violence that it is even applied to official enemies. For instance, in an article explaining the rise of Russian president Vladimir Putin, CNN (8/8/19) wrote: “What explained Putin's surge in popularity over those crucial early months? One factor was clear: Putin's muscular response to domestic terrorism.” That “muscular response,” CNN explicitly stated, included when “Russian forces leveled the [Chechen] rebel capital of Grozny,” which is thought to have killed around 9,000 people.
The word is also sometimes used in reference to domestic programs as well, but generally only when involving oppressing the powerless. In 2012, Fox News (1/10/12) reported that immigration activists were unhappy with President Barack Obama’s “muscular deportation policy” (which saw more people deported than ever before). Likewise, in the wake of masked federal agents abducting people off Portland’s streets, the New Yorker (7/24/20) worried about the “ever more muscular immigration-enforcement presence in US life.”
"Weak" is used in corporate media as a synonym for "diplomatic" (Fox Business, 8/18/20).
While advocating wholesale violence is “robust” or “muscular” in media speak, opposing it is inherently “weak” and worthy of condemnation. A case in point is Bernie Sanders, whose “weak foreign policy,” according to Business Insider (3/15/20), was a serious black mark against him. Examples of his weakness, it noted, include “an obvious commitment to rejoin the Iran deal” and ending Saudi attacks on Yemen.
More scandalous, apparently, were his “controversial comments” on Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba, comments that amounted to not endorsing US regime change efforts against sovereign nations. This, for Business Insider columnist and former US diplomat Brett Bruen, made him a unserious presidential candidate.
And while Rogin and the WaPo might have described Biden as robust on foreign policy, Trump did not see it that way; the president this month telling Fox Business (8/18/20) his opponent was “weak” on the issue. The reason? Biden would pursue a diplomatic solution with Iran, like Obama did.
There is nothing inherently strong about destroying or terrorizing other nations, and nothing weak about opposing it. But our hawkish corporate media continue to present it as such, therefore subtly manufacturing consent for continued conflicts around the world. The next time you hear someone on corporate media praising a “muscular,” or “robust” foreign policy, be on the alert: They might be trying to sell you another war.
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June 1, 2020
Excerpt: 5/31/20 (TIME magazine)
EMERGENCY SPECIAL SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
M. Gorbachev writes:
"The overriding goal must be human security: providing food, water and a clean environment and
caring for people’s health. To achieve it, we need to develop strategies, make preparations, plan and
create reserves. But all efforts will fail if governments continue to waste money by fueling the arms race."
"I’ll never tire of repeating: we need to demilitarize world affairs, international politics and political
thinking."
"To address this at the highest international level, I am calling on world leaders to convene an emergency special session of the U.N. General Assembly, to be held as soon as the situation is stabilized. It should be about nothing less than revising the entire global agenda. Specifically, I call upon them to cut military spending by 10% to 15%. This is the least they should do now, as a first step toward a new consciousness, a new civilization."
Gorbachev, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is a past President of the former Soviet Union.
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March 6, 2020 Earth Federation News & Views
GET THE POINT
by Fritz Pointer
Nuremberg and Media
Who knew? I certainly didn’t know that journalists were among those prosecuted for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity during the Nuremberg Trials post WWII. It intrigued me even further to read that my namesake, Fritzsche (nickname, Fritz) that is, Hans Fritzsche was one of those defendants. The Nuremberg prosecution argued: “By virtue of its functions, the German Press Division (think ABC, NBC, FOX, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, CBS, NY Times, Washington Post) became an important and unique instrument of the Nazi (think Project For the New American Century - PNAC) conspirators, not only in dominating the minds and psychology of Germans, but also as an instrument of foreign policy and psychological warfare against other nations.”
The indictment of, Fritz, not me, the German media chief, for war crimes, is certainly different from America today, when “Whistleblowers” those exposing war crimes are indicted and prosecuted. The indictment against Julian Assange is having a chilling effect on American journalism as it has been practiced for generations. It is aimed straight at the heart of the First Amendment.
The charges focus on receiving and publishing classified material from a government source. That is something journalists do all the time. This is what the First Amendment is designed to protect: the ability of publishers to provide the public with the truth. Of course, an Administration that considers the press an ‘enemy of the people’ would launch this attack. In attacking the media, it is attacking the people.
The truth is that a revengeful U.S. government was exposed with clear evidence of committing war crimes, meddling in other nations’ internal affairs and spying on adversaries, allies and citizens alike and in response imprisoning and charging the journalist who exposed these crimes. This speaks with tremendous force to the role of the US media owners in today’s world affairs.
American Propaganda Brings Memories of Nazi Germany
Today, billionaire controlled media propaganda is clearly a factor in preparing and conducting acts of aggression: by “Manufacturing Consent” by “Perception Management,” and by using Media Folks (journalists) who are CIA Assets (Operation Mockingbird), the American people are encouraged to accept obediently the criminal behavior of America’s endless regime change wars. We would all do well to read Dr. Brian Covert author of “Played by the Mighty Wurlitzer: The Press, the CIA, and the Subversion of Truth,” which is the sixth chapter within Censored 2017.
The television networks and leading newspapers are the prime sources of information for tens of millions of people in the U.S. However, these so-called “public” media are in the hands of giant firms, controlled by fabulously wealthy individuals who will stop at nothing to defend their profits and property. The bodies, the corpses of thousands, or, if necessary, millions of Iraqis, Syrians, Yemenis, Sudanese, Iranians, Palestinians and others are a small price to pay, as far as the media billionaires are concerned, for achieving American military and economic domination of the globe.
Today, the basic method of American propagandistic activity, as in Nazi Germany, is in the false presentation of facts (e.g. Mexican immigrants are rapists, drug dealers and criminals), the dissemination of provocative lies (e.g. America is a white man’s country) and the systematic deception of public opinion (Americans want endless wars for national security) are as necessary to the US for the realization of its plans for military and economic global domination, as are the production of military equipment and the drafting of military plans.
Without deliberately spreading lies and rumors, attacking freedom of the press and of speech and arresting journalists it would not be possible for American endless war to pursue its stated goal of “full-spectrum global domination” and to put in practice the war crimes and crimes against humanity of which it is guilty. In this U.S. propaganda system, it is the daily press and television that are the most important weapons and are all as guilty of war crimes as Hans Fritzsche and the propaganda work he did for the Nazis.
The Constitution for the Federation of Earth available and recommended as a viable and useful document for United Nations Charter Review states: Article 12 “Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth” 12.3: “Freedom of thought and conscience, speech, press, writing, communication, expression, publication, broadcasting, telecasting, and cinema, except as an overt part of or incitement to violence, armed riot or insurrection.” And, 13.3 states: “Full access to information and to the accumulated knowledge of the human race.”
Today, the role of the American press in habituating the American people to the suffering of other peoples and, even, urging war crimes, like extrajudicial murder and assassinations of a country’s leader; it is possible that many Americans would never have participated in or tolerated the atrocities being committed throughout the Middle East, had they not been conditioned, inured, goaded, manipulated by constant media propaganda and lies. The media’s very success in manipulating public opinion is one of the strongest proofs of its culpability in the commission of war crimes.
Fritz Pointer is a retired professor of English and African American Studies. He is the Vice President of Democratic World Federalists (www.dwfed.org). He has published numerous scholarly and creative works and articles such as “African Oral Epic Poetry: Praising the Deeds of a Mythic Hero” (2013). The older brother of the internationally known singing group, The Pointer Sisters, he has co-authored a just released book “Fairytale: the Pointer Sisters’ Family History.” Prof. Pointer’s main interests include combating racism, advancing human rights, ending war, eliminating nuclear weapons, and nonviolent solutions to global problems. fhpointer@comcast.net
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February 24, 2020
Subject: Free Journalist Julian Assange -- Imprisoned for Exposing US War Crimes
Editor's note: The United Nations should intervene in the case of journalist Julian Assange, imprisoned for exposing US war crimes. But the UN is helpless, prevented from intervening in a country's internal matters. The problem is that the UN Charter grants "sovereignty" even if a country's government is corrupt or rogue, and is violating basic rights (such as freedom of the Press). Ending the criminal abuse of national sovereignty will require replacing the flawed UN Charter. Democratic World Federalists is seeking a formal Charter Review by the UN General Assembly which could open the door to replace the obsolete Charter with the EARTH CONSTITUTION. - R. Kotila, PhD Earth Federation News & Views
Free Journalist Julian Assange -- Imprisoned for Exposing US War Crimes
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February 4, 2020
Earth Federation News & Views -- Editor's note: Here's a senior citizen's view from an upscale retirement community in California. Dr. Hanson writes: "...in general we have it pretty good." ...or do we?
THE BEST OF TIMES…THE WORST OF TIMES
by Bob Hanson
As we enter a new decade, it’s hard to know whether we should be grateful for the good life we enjoy or fearful of the days ahead.
Most of us here in the U.S. go to bed with full stomachs each night, enjoy a standard of living that was unheard of for the masses in previous generations and have sufficient savings to tide us through the remainder of our days. Our life expectancy is far greater than any other humans have ever enjoyed and we live in relatively peaceful times. We have never experienced war and bloodshed first hand.
We have the means to travel to distant lands, instant communications with friends and relatives anywhere in the world, great entertainment in our living rooms and little fear of violence. Our cars are more dependable than ever; Our food has more variety and availability; we live in large, comfortable dwellings…and in general have it pretty good.
HOWEVER: Many of us wonder if the good times are here to stay? We don’t spend much time thinking about the possibility of a nuclear holocaust, like we did back in the 1960s, but maybe we should. There are still thousands of nuclear warheads aimed our way. It would be pretty easy to stumble into World War III by accident or miscalculation. Lawrence Livermore Labs would certainly be a prime target and you know where that would leave us. Our president is currently playing “chicken” with the leaders of Iran. This could easily escalate and draw in Russia. Why do we continue to allow our president to have a finger on the nuclear button?
And then there is climate change. It isn’t going to ravish the planet in hours the way a nuclear exchange would, but the long term effects could be nearly as damaging to life here on earth. Because the changes are and will be relatively slow, we may not fully realize the gravity of the situation. Our children and grand children are ahead of us on this realization, because they understand the science better and have more to lose. I’m not a religious person, but I pray that we wake up to the danger before it is too late. Let’s not be like the frog in the pot of slowly warming water…waiting too long to take action. What can we do?
Lots! Insulate our houses; require solar panels on all new housing; buy electric cars; push our legislators to put a large tax on carbon; develop new ideas for renewable energy (such as tidal power, deep thermal power, wave energy, etc.)
Finally, as the ultimate answer to both the climate problem and the nuclear weapons problem, we need to strengthen and democratize the United Nations so that it can effectively address these problems with enforceable world law. Our leaders promised the world in 1945 that the U.N. charter would be reviewed in 10 years. This has not happened. A volunteer organization based in San Francisco, the Democratic World Federalists, is calling for the UN General Assembly to review the outdated charter. It will take a “new U.N.” to give us a chance to avoid endless wars and prevent a climate catastrophe.
[Dr. Bob Hanson writes opinion pieces for the Rossmoor News in California, USA, including such provocative columns as "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" and "Do We Live In A Democracy?" He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for United Nations Constitutional Research based in Brussels and Democratic World Federalists in San Francisco.]
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December 11, 2019
GET THE POINT
by Fritz Pointer Earth Federation News & Views
The United States Congress and World Federation
World federation, world government and law are not “new” or “fringe” ideas but quite mainstream
“Of all our studies, History” says Malcolm X “is best qualified to reward our research.” So, when we look at the continuous, systemic narrative of past ideas and concepts related to World Federalism, World Government and World Law their relevance and appeal to today is clearly evident.
As early as 1949, the U.S. House of Representatives debated its Concurrent Resolution 64; in 1950 the U.S. Senate debated its Concurrent Resolution 56 calling for the United States to pursue a foreign policy dedicated to strengthening the United Nations with the eventual goal of building it into a world federation. The full text of the House Concurrent Resolution 64:
Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, that it is the sense of the Congress that it should be a fundamental objective of the foreign policy of the United States to support and strengthen the United Nations and to seek its development into a world federation, open to all nations, with defined and limited powers adequate to preserve peace and prevent aggression through the enactment, interpretation, and enforcement of world law.
Why are the America people, certainly the majority, not aware of this? Why is the idea of world federation, world government, or world law not mentioned in high school Government and Civics classes? It should be well known. The House resolution had 111 co-sponsors. The Senate’s had 21, with broad support from both Republicans and Democrats. The co-sponsors included John F. Kennedy, who was then serving as a Democratic Representative from Massachusetts’ 11th district and Gerald Ford, Republican, who was representing Michigan’s 5th congressional district. In other words, world federation, world government and law are not “new” or “fringe” ideas but quite mainstream.
In fact, the paragon mainstream journalist, Walter Cronkite, makes the following observation: “It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict, we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step towards a world government patterned after our own government.”
We Democratic World Federalists believe that world peace can be realized only by the creation of a world government. We call for the US Congress to support DWF’s demand for the UN General Assembly to open a review of the fatally flawed UN Charter combined with an evaluation of the Earth Constitution as a model world federal constitution better suited for a “new UN” given the tools it needs to end war and eliminate the danger of a global nuclear nightmare.
Fritz Pointer is a retired professor of English and African American Studies. He is the Vice President of Democratic World Federalists. He has published numerous scholarly and creative works and articles such as "African Oral Epic Poetry: Praising the Deeds of a Mythic Hero" (2013). The older brother of the internationally known singing group, The Pointer Sisters, he has co-authored a soon to be released book "Fairytale: the Pointer Sisters' Family History." Prof. Pointer's main interests include combating racism, advancing human rights, ending war, eliminating nuclear weapons, and nonviolent solutions to global problems.
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August 24, 2019
Earth Federation News & Views - THE LAST STRAW - an environmental tale
Earth Constitution Article 1.5: "To protect the environment and the ecological fabric of life from all sources of damage...." Article 4.23: "...administer and supervise the development and conservation of the oceans and the sea beds of Earth..." Article 13.9: "Protection of the natural environment which is the common heritage of humanity against pollution, ecological disruption or damage which could imperil life or lower the quality of life." [The Earth Constitution is the first "green" constitution ever drafted, designed to do what the UN Charter has been unable to do, -- protect the environment from politicians like Donald Trump.]
THE LAST STRAW
by Rees & Jolley
“Liberal paper straws don’t work. STAND WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP and buy your pack of recyclable straws today”-- shop.donaldjtrump.com
In the past several weeks, the Trump reelection committee has sold approximately $800,000 worth of plastic straws (“$15 for a package of 10”). Never mind that plastic straws -- like all plastics -- add to the enormous contamination of the environment and that they are particularly harmful to birds and sea creatures. The majority of the 200 to 300 million straws used each day by Americans “end up in our oceans, polluting the water and killing marine life,” some of which, like sea turtles, suffer slow agonizing deaths from ingesting them.
In a typical unsympathetic response, Trump said, “You know, it's interesting about plastic straws: so, you have a little straw, but what about the plates, the wrappers, and everything else that are much bigger and they're made of the same material? Everybody focuses on the straws. There's a lot of other things to focus on.
Yes, like the all-out war he has been waging on the environment almost from the first day of his administration.
Taking away environmental protections
That includes canceling, reversing or rolling back nearly all of the environmental protections enacted during the Obama and earlier administrations, including cutting carbon emissions, regulating pollution from sewage plants, protecting rivers and oceans from pollution, limiting methane and coal production emissions, banning the use of hydro-fluorocarbons (ultra-potent greenhouse gases), establishing stricter automobile efficiency standards, and ending or restricting drilling in the Arctic and on federally-protected national monuments. Trump seems personally threatened by every step Obama took to protect the environment. In doing so, has taken on the mantle of Dr. No, or more accurately, Dr. Death. Yes, there are a lot of other things to focus on besides straws, but Trump focuses on none of them.
Plastic straws may be a small part of plastic contamination, but they are difficult to recycle, and therefore make their way into rivers and oceans more easily. Rather than dissolve or biodegrade, they break down into what is known as “microplastics,” which makes them much easier for animals to ingest. StrawlessOcean.org estimates that by midcentury “99% of all sea bird species will have ingested plastic, causing a dramatic increase in mortality.”
Indifference to suffering
Trump’s indifference to the suffering of animals – seemingly exceeded only by his indifference to the suffering of human beings -- lacks any empathy whatsoever. Whether it’s damage to the planet or the national debt, his response likely comes out the same: “I don’t care. I won’t be here.”
The Trump reelection committee promotes its straws as “BPA free” and “reusable and recyclable,” but new evidence suggests that “BPA-replacement chemicals may be just as harmful" as regular plastic, and who believes that people who don’t seem to give a damn about environmental protections are actually going to care enough to reuse and recycle?
Consider the irony of the Make America Great Again Committee raising money to re-elect Trump by selling plastic straws so that if he is re-elected he can wreak more havoc not only on America but on the entire planet. Perhaps using paper straws is a liberal idea, but it is linked to the more liberal idea of saving this small, fragile planet, and with it humankind.
National Geographic warns, “For Animals, plastic is turning the ocean Into a minefield.” Lest we forget, we too are animals and our history shows that what we sow in terms of nature and the environment, we will reap." Ultimately, our indifference to something as small and seemingly insignificant as plastic straws, could be the last straw.
Bob Rees teaches religion at Graduate Theological Union; Clifton Jolley is president of Advent Communications.
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Nukes and Misdirected "Manhood" In Washington, D.C.
OPEN LETTER TO THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRESS
POSITION PAPER
May 1, 2019
Kathleen Barry, Ph.D. and Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
How can it be that Washington, D.C. expands its security policies in exactly the wrong direction, one that literally endangers America, our families, and the world? Do we really want to trust our safety and that of our children to "modernized" nuclear missiles and to more plutonium pits, the triggers for nuclear bombs?
"In examining how one U.S. president after another took the military into unnecessary wars, historian Alexander DeConde in his study of Presidential Machismo found that presidential power over the military allowed leaders to test and prove their virility.”
VIRILITY?
In "Unmaking War, Remaking Men" Dr. Kathleen Barry describes how many men suffer from "core masculinity," meaning, these men psychologically experience the possession of nuclear weapons and a large military force as increasing their (unconscious) sense of manhood!
Remember Dr. Helen Caldicott’s book "Missile Envy"? Does "We are #1!" and "Make America Great Again'" sound familiar? President Trump has vastly increased the already bloated military budget. We are now in a dangerous nuclear arms race.
We turn to the new members of Congress bringing a progressive agenda and the opportunity to convince doubters that progressive goals (e.g., the Green New Deal) are feasible and practical. But in presenting these issues to Congress, progressives face a history of narrow-minded resistance and racist intransigence primarily from older white men, many of whom disregard the peoples of color who their bombs land on and even reject the scientific warnings about climate change.
TAKE NOTE: "Core masculinity” renders it difficult for mostly older white males to envisage a more enlightened means of safety and security. Their sense of manhood is too unconsciously intertwined with myths of white superiority, sexism and a need to be “strong.”
The "masculinity of war" with its emphasis on violent power results in exaggerated Pentagon budgets that diminish resources for universal health care, child care and free education. These rights are given a lower priority and derided as "entitlements,” as if the military and nuclear weapons are the only “valid” expenditures.
The Pentagon's war-making budget contains increases for nuclear missiles, more plutonium pits, and the failing F-35. Congress supports the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) program underway to "modernize" its 1,650 strategic nuclear warheads. Euphemistically labeled a nuclear “Life Extension Program” at a cost of $1.7 trillion over the next 30 years, it is more aptly seen as a LIFE EXTINCTION PROGRAM.
Does anyone really believe that the U.S. military doctrine of nuclear deterrence will be successful for the next 30 years? Can this dangerously misguided macho assumption be rejected before it is too late?
Traditional masculinity reinforced by blindly accepted patriotism reduces empathy in our leaders in Congress. They become ever more unfeeling as they routinely accept ever larger budgets for war-making… and try not to think about the harm they are doing killing in faraway lands and at home depriving millions of Americans in need of health care, child care, affordable educations, food and shelter.
REMEMBER: Behind every issue be it health care, child care, education or climate change lurks the question of a sudden nuclear nightmare, and of course, war itself. Men’s ability to annihilate their own families seen worldwide in domestic violence, makes it psychologically feasible for them to take down not only their own kin, but the whole global family.
The most serious danger for national security occurs when a psychopath becomes a national leader as in the case of Donald Trump where the nation's foreign policy is based upon militarism, racism, and jingoism. Unfortunately for us, President Trump, a malignant narcissist, also fits the psychopathic profile. Such a person cannot be trusted due to lack of conscience, lack of empathy for others, and lust for power over others by any means necessary.
Psychopaths are prone to lie, cheat, steal, and kill. There is an attraction to sadism (eg, torture) and "winning" by any means necessary. This personality type is predatory by nature, but often able to appear "normal" in social situations, and indeed can come off as intelligent and charming to his admirers and followers.
Psychopathic leaders will reject proposals that might actually create a peaceful and healthy world. They will look down upon the United Nations, reject world federal union such as a "new UN" under the Earth Constitution, and refuse to disarm the weapons of mass destruction -- creating paranoia and the very nuclear arms race now underway with Russia and China.
It is time for the new members of Congress to make a crisis intervention before it is too late by withdrawing and replacing the Pentagon's LIFE EXTINCTION PROGRAM. We urgently need a new, safer vision for security. The theory of nuclear deterrence is too risky, and militarism as US foreign policy is literally a dead end. It is an ideal time to look for wiser approaches.
The Green New Deal should be developed but in the context of a progressive foreign policy that aims for a new governing structure for the United Nations – world union now must be taken seriously. We must look at the UN in a new, respectful way. The UN needs a modern Charter, one which gives the UN the tools it needs to be truly effective.
Kathleen Barry, Ph.D. sociologist, is the author of “Unmaking War, Remaking Men” (2011) and other books including "Female Sexual Slavery" (1983) and "Prostitution of Sexuality: The Global Exploitation of Women" (1995). Her work launched a global movement against sex trafficking which treats men buying prostitution as violence against women.
Roger Kotila, Ph.D. psychologist (ret.), has a special interest in the Antisocial Personality Disorder with twenty years of clinical experience with the California Dept. of Corrections doing psychiatric diagnosis and treatment with criminals. Dr. Kotila is an advocate for a "new UN" under the Earth Constitution, and the President of the Democratic World Federalists based in San Francisco.
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March 12, 2019
EARTH FEDERALIST WINDOW to "The Least of These": Jesus and Earth Stewardship [scroll down to article]
There is an important moral and spiritual dimension to the issue of climate change as brought out in "The Least of These": Jesus and Earth Stewardship by Dr. Bob Rees and Clifton Jolley. Quoting scripture, they contend that Jesus Christ himself would direct us to take responsible action to the crisis of climate change. Importantly, they also bring to our attention the destructive impact on the less fortunate among us, as well as to future generations if we do not take urgent corrective action.
The Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka Earth Constitution) drafted by the World Constitution & Parliament Association is the first "green constitution" ever drafted. Its Preamble states: "Aware that man's abuse of science and technology has brought Humanity to the brink of disaster through the production of horrendous weaponry of mass destruction and to the brink of ecological and social catastrophe;"...
The Earth Constitution includes the Earth Stewardship that Rees and Jolley believe Jesus would demand. Article 1.5 directs Earth Federation government (i.e. a "new UN")... "To protect the environment and ecological fabric of life from all sources of damage, and to control technological innovations whose effects transcend national boundaries, for the purpose of keeping Earth a safe, healthy and happy home for humanity." -- R. Kotila, Ph.D.
“The Least of These”: Jesus and Earth Stewardship
Robert Rees and Clifton Jolley March 12, 2019
“The age of climate panic is here.” —David Wallace-Wells
Climate scientists are not crazy prophets of doom; they are a collective of urgent voice crying in the wilderness, warning of the inevitable catastrophes that already have been unleashed by melting glaciers, mega-cyclones and hurricanes and rising temperatures. As a recent article in the Guardian reports, “The world’s leading climate scientists have warned there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.” David Wallace-Wells, author of the soon-to-be-released bookThe Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming,” warns that complacency is our gravest risk, that we will not act when clearly it is time to panic…which time is now!
A couple millennia ago, Jesus Christ sounded a similar (although, in its way, more expansive) call to action. In the twenty-fifth chapter of the Gospel According to St. Matthew, Jesus gives the ultimate challenge to his followers: they are to consider those whom they see as most in need--the naked, hungry, thirsty, homeless, and imprisoned; “the least, the lost and the lonely”--as if they were Jesus himself. He is saying that we should consider those who increasingly will suffer disease, destruction, and death if we fail to act to save the earth for future generations--as if they were Jesus himself--from the fire, floods and other devastations scientists predict as inevitable results of our folly. Jesus’ imperative should compel us to do all we can—so that our children’s and grandchildren’s generations can inherit a livable planet.
Compare the urgency expressed by The Guardian, Wallace-Wells, and Jesus to our present federal government, which is not simply indifferent to the fate of future generations, but hostile to any conversation involving climate change. Responding to his own government’s National Climate Assessment of impending climate catastrophes, President Trump said he “doesn’t believe” it. His attitude toward climate change mirrors that toward the growing national debt. When warned that our present $21 trillion national debt could balloon even higher, Trump responded, “Yeah, but I won’t be here.”
What a rebuke of Jesus’ teaching. As Francisco Goldman says, “The great metaphor at the heart of the Gospel According to Saint Matthew is that those who suffer and those who show love for those who suffer are joined through suffering and grace to Jesus Christ.”
One assumes such empathic love includes not just those who now suffer but those who increasingly will suffer as a result of our indifference to the fate of the planet we are blessed to inhabit and which we seem intent on degrading and destroying. We tend to forget that the earth does not belong to us, but rather is a gift from a loving God. As the 24th Psalm says, “The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
Our imaginations should allow us to project two possible scenarios as far as the fate of the earth—and therefore our own fate--is concerned. One is to continue on our present disastrous course, and the other is to act with great urgency to reverse the degradation we have set in motion—if it isn’t already too late. According to the Washington Post, “We may have irreversibly destabilized the great ice sheet[s] of West [and East] Antarctica” which together would cause a rise in sea levels of more than twenty feet.”[i] What we may have already unleashed portends a slow motion flood of biblical proportions.
No responsible Christian contends that Christ will come to rescue us from the consequences of our folly. In fact, it seems clear that Christ intends for us to read Matthew 25 not just in terms of the past and present, but also the future. In this sense, he asks us to imagine those who will suffer from famine, pestilence and disease because of our inaction.
Some scientists fear that humans are in danger of becoming the sixth extinction in the history of the world.
Earth is the moral imperative of our own and future generations.
Robert. A Rees, Ph.D. teaches religion at Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, Calif.
Cliffton Jolley is President of Advent Communications
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February 1, 2019 [Who is the Real Threat to World Peace?]
Friends,
The following article ("Who is the Real Threat to World Peace.......?" by Hans Stehling (pen name) caught my attention.
While the US prepares for nuclear war with its nuclear LIFE EXTINCTION PROGRAM (that is, "nuclear modernization" which the Pentagon calls its Life Extension Program), Israel poses a parallel threat to the entire Middle East with it (undeclared) nuclear weapons.
Israel's possession of nuclear weapons may explain why this Zionist government feels safe to bomb Syria and Iran without fear of military retaliation to Israel itself?
If Iran must be nuke free, why not Israel? Why the silence about this danger in mainstream media?
-- R. Kotila, PhD (Earth Federation News & Views)
Who Is the Real Threat to World Peace: Nuclear Israel with Its 400 WMD or Non- Nuclear Iran?
https://www.globalresearch.ca/who-is-the-real-threat-to-world-peace-nuclear-israel-with-its-400-wmd-or-non-nuclear-iran/5667054
U.S. intelligence officials confirmed to the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday, that Iran was not developing nuclear weapons in violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement, and furthermore had no strategic plans to do so.
This report from the US intelligence community indicate that Israel’s Netanyahu and his American cohort, Donald Trump, have deliberately misinformed the world regarding Iranian nuclear capability. The state of Israel, which is estimated to have in excess of more than 400 undeclared nuclear warheads must be compared to Iran which is not a nuclear weapon state. Who, therefore, is the threat to world peace?
Under the influence of the Israeli Prime Minister and ignoring the emphatic advice from the UN Security Council and the European Union, US President Trump last year pulled out of an international nuclear deal with Iran, put in place under his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Trump then re-imposed sanctions on Tehran causing massive economic and political destabilisation throughout the Middle East in addition to dismay from the European and other signatories to the nuclear deal.
It is crystal clear where the truth lies, and it is certainly not in Tel Aviv nor in the Trump White House. Now is surely the time for Europe to strengthen cooperation with the geographically important state of Iran, both economically and politically, whilst cutting ties and trade with Israel. It is vital that the West recognises who are its future friends and strategic partners.
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Note to readers: please click the share buttons above. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.
Hans Stehling (pen name) is an analyst based in the UK. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research.
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January 13, 2019 Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer, and the Logic of Mobsters
Editorial: The U.S. has for years lied to its citizens about "American values." Portrayed as a loving, caring country for freedom and democracy, it turns out that the U.S. has too often secretly behaved like a cold-blooded mobster, while pretending to Americans that we are the "good guy." Too many politicians and jingoistic right wingers give America and Christianity a bad name. Unlike Jesus who taught we are all God's children, these narrow-minded, selfish bigots don't give a damn about Latin Americans, our global family, or the world community. -- Dr. R. Kotila, Earth Federation News & Views. [See excerpts below from the REAL NEWS network which illustrate how politicians and Presidents from both political parties bring shame to America.]
https://therealnews.com/stories/what-donald-trump-chuck-schumer-and-tony-soprano-have-in-common
What Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer, and Tony Soprano Have in Common
January 9, 2019 the REAL NEWS network
Excerpts: (Paul Jay interview with Gerald Horne)
On Tuesday night, Donald Trump delivered an address to the nation, preempting time on the major television networks and all of the cable news channels. There was a lot of speculation during the day that he was going to announce a national emergency, and use that as a cover for funding his wall without Congressional support. Well, he didn’t call for a national emergency. In fact, he more or less said the same things he’s been saying, well, since his election campaign. The message barely changed tonight, which I think may have been somewhat disappointing for some of his followers that were expecting something rather dramatic. But I think he did say one thing that is revealing into the soul of Donald Trump. But Into the soul of the whole class Donald Trump represents. Here’s a clip from the speech.
DONALD TRUMP: Some have suggested a barrier is immoral. Then why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences, and gates around their homes? They don’t build walls because they hate the people on the outside, but because they love the people on the inside.
PAUL JAY: That’s the speech, I think, one could have heard from another New Yorker, a few years ago. I’m loyal to my family; I believe and love my family. Everyone else is expendable. And of course, the New Yorker I’m talking about is Tony Soprano. That is the logic of the mafia: That you’re loyal to your own, and you don’t care much–you may not hate the others outside the wall. After all, it’s only business; it’s not personal, to quote Tony Soprano. But this is the logic of mobsters.
Well, another politician spoke after Donald Trump: Chuck Schumer. Here’s a clip from Schumer’s speech.
CHUCK SCHUMER: The symbol of America should be the Statue of Liberty, not a 30 foot wall.
PAUL JAY: Well, let’s remember Chuck Schumer together with President Obama deported something like two million people. In fact, President Obama’s nickname was ‘deporter in chief.’ But let’s talk about the roots of why there is so much migration, particularly, these days, from Central America–‘these days’ meaning the last few decades. Because it’s been a bipartisan affair, this mobster mentality that we’re loyal to ourselves and don’t care about others. Interesting enough in a nation that pretends to be one with American values, which are often called Christian values, which would one think has something to do with the values of Jesus, but certainly is not care about yourself and don’t give a damn about anybody else.
But it’s been a rather bipartisan effort, both Democrats and Republicans, to pillage and plunder Central America and prop up oligarchies, tiny handfuls of families in Central American countries that use the most vicious, dictatorial methods to suppress resistance. Supported, as I say, by both Republican and Democratic regimes, or governments.
GERALD HORNE: Well, I think it’s fair to say that there has been a bipartisan crusade over the past half century to make sure there has not been a redistribution of the wealth in Central America, which obviously has created a large class of poor people who see no alternative but to head north.
PAUL JAY: The solution to the refugee crisis, the migration crisis from Central America, it seems to me is rather obvious. It’s even been talked about during the Obama administration, it has been talked about in Congress, but they don’t do anything about it, which is actual–they don’t use the word ‘reparations.’ But reparations to Central America for the destructive and criminal violation of international law. The way the United States interfered in the internal affairs of Central American countries propped up these dictatorships in the favor of U.S. corporations. If they’re serious about wanting to stop this refugee migration crisis, then there should be reparations paid to these countries. They should stop propping up these right wing governments. In fact, what they’ve done is the opposite, of course. Wherever there’s been a progressive breakthrough in Latin America the United States does everything it can to undermine and bring down governments that are actually somewhat more–that are social democrat by European terms, or even American terms. And a lot of the governments that the Americans and the CIA have brought down wouldn’t have been that far from the policies of Bernie Sanders. But that’s considered beyond the pale for American policy in Latin America.
GERALD HORNE: Well, your words actually reflect the recent remarks of the newly installed president of Mexico. I’m speaking of Lopez Obrador, AMLO, who suggested quite recently that if there are those in Washington who were sincerely interested in halting or stopping or curbing the migration flow northward, that they would be involved in more serious and productive investment in Central America. Particularly in the northern triangle that I just made reference to, where the borders of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala meet. And what’s interesting, to go a step further, is that AMLO said that if he could not receive a fair hearing for this reasonable proposal in Washington, that he would go abroad to seek investment opportunities for the Northern Triangle, speaking of China, for example. Speaking of other countries.
And I think that that’s the kind of approach that we need. That is to say, we need to talk just as talk in Washington nowadays about so-called Green New Deal. We need an old-fashioned New Deal for Central America. That is to say, government-directed investment to create employment opportunities at reasonable wages. That’s what’s needed right now for Central America.
PAUL JAY: All right. Thanks very much for joining us, Gerald.
GERALD HORNE: Thank you for inviting me.
PAUL JAY: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
STOP
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December 21, 2018
Can't We Remember Our Better Angels?
Clifton Jolley and Robert Rees
“Walls work.” - Donald Trump
“I was a stranger and you took me in." - Jesus
Having celebrated Thanksgiving and continuing to be thankful for Christmas and Chanukah, it’s easy to be distracted by Cyber Monday gift getting and the lights on Union Square. It’s simpler to forget that 5,000 refugees (and counting) camp at our southern border. We may even choose to cheer ourselves that the daily 50 to 100 refugees being processed seems a reasonable number, given the risks to public safety posed by so many women and children. Besides, how is it possible to manage 5,000 people suffering in make-shift shelters?
The answer is in our mixed history of either welcoming or standing guard against the immigrants who have built our cities and railroads, our bridges and buildings, who have dug our root vegetables and picked our apples and plums.
The answer is Ellis Island that for three quarters of a century—from the late 19th century through 1954—was the main port of entry for immigrants to America. Challenged by similar dangers—Communists from Russia and Eastern Europe, anarchists from the factories of Western Europe, polygamists from the Near East—the government created an ingenious set of questions to filter the terrorists from the refugees. They asked, “Are you a Communist?” “Are you an anarchist?” “How many wives do you have?”
Fewer than 2% were turned away. Most immigrants were processed and admitted in less than two hours, an average of more than 2,500 and as many as 5,000 were processed. A day. A “caravan” (if you insist) of poor, weary, and huddled masses—much like the 5,000 currently huddling in Tijuana—seeking, as had refugees before them, the “golden door” of freedom the Statue of Liberty once claimed to light.
But that was before Donald Trump became president, promoting his dark, nationalist obsession that walls are better than doors.
It’s tempting to blame our ignorant l’enfant terrible president. But Trump is merely the most recent evolution of nativist bigots who have captured and enlarged on popular fears of “the other.” The Chinese Exclusion Act, the Alien Contract Labor Law, the institution of literacy tests: all were designed to put out the light, to close the door…this time outside San Diego, prohibiting Hispanics fleeing anarchy and tyranny and poverty and worse. The dark underbelly of American immigration policy is that we were most willing to receive immigrants who were white Western Europeans. (No Hispanics. Few Muslims. Perhaps too many Jews...but according to Trump, we need accountants and money lenders.)
Although Ellis Island processed its last immigrant in 1954, its demise began in 1921 with the nationalist Quota Laws, underscored in 1924 by passage of the National Origins Act, which was an early version of Trump’s effort to forbid Hispanics and Muslims, establishing a percentage system to preserve the majority the "old immigrants” from Northern and Western Europe.
In other words, people who look like Donald Trump. Except that an increasing number of Americans do not, and the recent mid-terms suggest the pendulum of power is swinging away from Trumpian tribalism.
But pendulums tend to swing slow, and the immigrants camped in Tijuana can’t wait on the evolution of our cultural appreciation and the growing power of those who once were minorities.
And besides: It’s Christmas. The light of Chanukah burns brightly, however limited the oil. Can’t we remember our better angels, when it was possible to process thousands rather than dozens of those seeking refuge in a land of such plenty as we have been blessed?
Clifton Jolley is President of Advent Communications
Robert Rees teaches religion at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley
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Earth Federation News & Views
Media & Academic Censorship Betrays the World Public Interest
December 11, 2018
WORLD PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM requires serious journalists to expose those who would try to shut down media and academic freedom. I have chosen 4 articles that illustrate how the world public is being deprived of important information necessary for democracy to function properly.
I think of journalist Julian Assange whose "crime" is that he exposed the truth about criminal behaviors by American VIP's. I think of the panic from Israeli Zionists whenever the facts about Israeli crimes against the Palestinians are revealed to the public. And I think of the ongoing propaganda machine operated by elements of the U.S. government which is euphemistically called "perception management." - R. Kotila, PhD Editor -Earth Federation News & Views
12/7/18 THE PERSECUTION OF JULIAN ASSANGE: WIKILEAKS EDITOR SAYS MEDIA IS GIVING THE U.S. COVER TO EXTRADITE HIM | OPINION by KRISTINN HRAFNSSON in Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/julian-assange-wikileaks-editor-us-extradite-opinion-1249871
"What do these stories have in common? They all give the U.K. and Ecuador political cover to arrest Assange and for the U.S. to extradite him. Any journalists worth their salt should be investigating who is involved in these plots." ...See the article at the site listed above.
"One way that the Israeli right wing gets away with these atrocities is to use techniques of blackballing, smearing, and propaganda to marginalize any voices they don’t like. Jewish American mainstream organizations like the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco secretly have created web sites and techniques for getting people fired or blocking their career advancement if they aren’t on board with Israeli colonization of the Palestinian West Bank. Canary Mission is even now targeting our undergraduate students, hoping to blight their lives for taking a stand for justice. I do not believe it is too much to say that Canary Mission is evil. " ...See the article shown below.
The Bottomless Dishonesty of CNN on Palestine and Marc Lamont Hill Firing
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment
03 December 18
EXCERPTS:
 NN has fired contributor Marc Lamont Hill for a speech he gave on Palestinian rights at the UN. The speech can be found here.
You can protest this outrageous firing at this petition site.
And here is a link to his book, Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond, which everyone should buy and read.
CNN would have been under special pressure to fire Hill because he is a prominent African-American intellectual with a following in his own community, and the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs (the propaganda arm of the Likud government) is worried about the boycott and sanctions movement spreading among American minorities who might sympathize with the oppressed Palestinians.
In his speech, Hill carefully explained all the ways in which Israeli Apartheid practices (my word, not his) devastate the basic human rights of the 5 million Palestinians living under Occupation. Not only are the 20 percent of Israeli citizens who are of Palestinian heritage second class citizens (and, increasingly, third class citizens), but those kept under the jackboot of the Israeli military in the Palestinian West Bank and in Gaza are kept stateless and without even the right to have rights.
These crimes, epochal and unparalleled in our own time, are being committed by Binyamin Netanyahu and his henchmen in plain sight, violating every principle of agreed-upon international law in the post-1945 period. (I say unparalleled because I know of no other government on earth in the 21st century deliberately keeping millions of persons stateless and depriving them of citizenship. Some countries give minorities a citizenship many of the latter do not want, but they still do have a passport and property rights). Israel occupied the Palestinian West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967 and refuses to relinquish them or grant citizenship to the inhabitants, ensuring they remain in the twilight zone of statelessness. They are by far the largest stateless population in the world, (Undocumented migrants are not stateless since they have citizenship in their home country). The Nazis made Jews stateless as a prelude to the Holocaust.
One way that the Israeli right wing gets away with these atrocities is to use techniques of blackballing, smearing, and propaganda to marginalize any voices they don’t like. Jewish American mainstream organizations like the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco secretly have created web sites and techniques for getting people fired or blocking their career advancement if they aren’t on board with Israeli colonization of the Palestinian West Bank. Canary Mission is even now targeting our undergraduate students, hoping to blight their lives for taking a stand for justice. I do not believe it is too much to say that Canary Mission is evil. (To read full article click on site listed below.)
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/53705-the-bottomless-dishonesty-of-cnn-on-palestine-and-marc-lamont-hill-firing
University of Sydney Professor Tim Anderson Suspended for “Criticism of War Propaganda against Syria, Iraq and Palestine”
(To read article click on the following site:) https://www.globalresearch.ca/university-of-sydney-professor-tim-anderson-suspended-for-criticism-of-war-propaganda-against-syria-iraq-and-palestine/5662229
Mainstream Media Assaults on Freedom of Speech. “The Truth” is No Longer “Important”
Global Research, December 07, 2018
Excerpts: "Friel and Falk focused on the New York Times due to the newspaper’s importance. The authors point out that in 70 Times editorials on Iraq – from September 11, 2001 to March 20, 2003 – the words “international law” and “UN Charter” were never mentioned. The “truth” did not seem terribly “important” as the Times stood idly by in the destruction of Iraq.
Such was the barrage of propaganda directed at the American public that 69% believed Saddam Hussein was “personally involved” in the September 11 attacks. That is a significant achievement in manipulation. The poll results must have been news to the Iraqi dictator himself, a forgotten one-time American ally.
Why Hussein would take it upon himself to orchestrate a surprise attack on the United States, of all nations, is anyone’s guess. Perhaps if he had a death wish but as later events proved he was not the suicidal type.
The Times was not alone in its position of selling the Iraq war to the American people, as television networks from Fox News to CBS and CNN were overwhelmingly pro-war. Fox News, owned by Rupert Murdoch – who strongly backed the illegal conflict – placed a permanent US flag in the corner of the screen. Fox employees were compelled to describe the invasion as “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis later being killed.
The pattern continues into other illegitimate interventions as the liberal Guardian newspaper championed the demolition of Libya in 2011, with editorials imploring, “The quicker Muammar Gaddafi falls, the better.” The Guardian encouraged NATO “to tip the military balance further against Gaddafi”, while later that year summarising that “it has turned out, so far, reasonably well” – by that point thousands had been killed." (To read full article click on site listed below.)
https://www.globalresearch.ca/mainstream-media-assaults-on-freedom-of-speech-the-truth-is-no-longer-important/5662140
STOP
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October 9, 2018
Re: A Movement of Movements, Let the Earth Constitution Be Our Leader
Roger Kotila (a response to Janet's email shown below)
I agree with Janet and Chuck on the need to bring us together towards a MoM (Movement of Movements). Unfortunately the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) need to be adjusted to include a demand for a "new UN," one given the tools it needs to succeed. SDG is an inadequate basis to create a powerful MoM.
The needed changes to establish an MoM are not included in the SDG plan. SDG will not end wars -- one of the key global problems. Militarism and nuclear weapons could destroy the world as we know it. There would be little worthwhile left to "sustain." To add to this problem, the military is a leading polluter of the environment. Lastly, war takes away the resources which could end povery worldwide. MoM must have a means to end militarism.
MoM using the Earth Constitution as our leader
The World Constitution & Parliament Association addresses these fatal flaws at the international level, including of course, the U.S. for a MoM, conducting a series of Provisional World Parliaments under the Earth Constitution -- the first green constitution ever drafted and a model governing structure for a "new UN" or, if you prefer, for an Earth Federation.
I've pointed out repeatedly that the "Constitution for the Federation of Earth" (aka Earth Constitution) provides an ideal "leader" for a worldwide combined movement with peace, anti-war, environmental, and human rights groups, as well as for the majority of nations suffering under the foot of the P-5 Veto nations at the UN who just happen to be the world's largest weapons' dealers and warmongers... along with their favorite allies and proxies (eg, Israel; ISIS; Saudi Arabia; Columbia, Ukraine, etc.).
Chuck, like myself, are world federalists/world citizens. Short of forming a democratic world federal union government -- a "new UN", we will fail to end these damned wars, eliminate threats of a nuclear nightmare, fail to provide adequate protection for human rights, and lack a better response to climate change.
And not to worry, for in the proposed "new UN," there will be no "world president" or "world dictator." No Trump to bully everybody else. The proposed constitutional replacement for the obsolete UN Charter uses a Parliamentary model, not a Presidential paradigm, hence avoiding the danger of authoritarian rule. A World Parliament gives "we, the people" a real voice in global affairs, something lacking in the current undemocratic UN geopolitical system.
The world community wants a global peace system, not the current geopolitical war system.
Watch for the Democratic World Federalists campaign demanding UN Charter Review -- we are calling it THE SAN FRANCISCO PROMISE. The defective Charter is why the leaders of Bully nations who commit world crimes are (literally) above the law. The P-5 veto protects the leaders of these nations and their allies from criminal prosecution. It's a free pass to break international law routinely and not worry about the ICC.
Roger Kotila earthfederation.info
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Janet wrote (10/9/18): (See Roger Kotila's response above to Janet's call for a MoM.)
Re Chuck's "FIRST: Bring together the leaders of various movements (peace, environment, social/economic justice/human rights) to brainstorm a national strategy for activating a unified coalition (movement of movements - MoM) for funding and achieving the 17 SDGs ASAP!"
Forging a unified peace-antiwar-justice-environment coalition is what I tried to advocate as a focal purpose of our Peace Congress. The initial tepid response trailed off. If we couldn't have done something like this, we could've started what Chuck advocates. But it seems nobody's really interested enough to get it off the ground.
Thanks, Michael, for your post about climate change.
Janet STOP
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September 1, 2018
ROLE MODEL
Dr. Bob Hanson
We all need a role model, hero, or mentor. I have had several very important ones in my life. One of them died recently, a woman named Mary Harris. Mary passed-on just 49 days short of her 101st birthday. I served with Mary on the board of the Democratic World Federalists. She attended meetings regularly up until the last few weeks of her long life. Living at her beach home in Pacifica, she climbed up 160 stairs every time she went anywhere and relied on public transportation and friends for rides.
No-mores
Mary was contemptuous of war, and called it simply another form of mass murder. At 97, she wrote: “Some say Some-mores are a delicious campfire treat. I present here a truly delectable idea: No-Mores. No-more bombs; No-more war; No-more torture; No-more invading countries for their resources; No-more making enemies; No-more killing for land; No-more crude oil pipelines; No-more fracking; No-more “solving problems” by hating, killing or revenge; No-more excuses for global violence; No-more massacres; No-more mass incarcerations; No-more starvation; No-more homelessness; No-more prejudice; No-more racism, sexism, or ageism; No-more ghettos; No-more extrajudicial killings; No-more “all options are on the table.”
American exceptionalism, but not in a good way
Like many of us, Mary considered herself a global citizen. She would have bristled at the idea that the United States is an “exceptional” nation…the view held by many right-wingers that implies that America doesn’t need to comply with any global rules.
Unfortunately, our country is in many ways an exceptional nation – but not in a good way. Compared with other industrialized countries we enjoy the greatest income inequality, the highest poverty rate, the worst child well-being, the lowest social mobility, the highest infant mortality, the most people without health care, the highest obesity rate, the highest carbon emissions, the highest anti-depressant use, the worst gender inequality, the highest incarceration rate, the worst murder rate and highest military spending.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter a $1.5 trillion dud
Expanding on this last point: Today over half of the nation’s discretionary spending is going to the Pentagon. We are spending more on arms than we did at the height of the Cold War, when adjusted for inflation. We spend as much on the military as the next 12-15 countries combined. This while the administration and Congress maintain there isn’t money to solve the homeless crisis, end poverty, or repair the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
One example of wasteful spending is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Over the course of its life, the program is projected to cost $1.5 trillion. This program is not only unnecessary, but the planes have failed test after test; it is now questionable whether they will ever be “combat-ready.”
Stay afraid, America, stay very afraid
The military-industrial-congressional-big media complex manages to keep military spending at astronomical levels by freezing the American public in a state of fear. For decades it was fear of Communism. When this wound down, it became a fear of terrorists. Now we see a fear of Islam and/or Russia. President Eisenhower put it very well in his farewell speech to the American people: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending our money without high cost. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.”
Mary’s spirit lives on…
Mary is gone, but not forgotten. Each day I ask myself what I can do to contribute to her dream…a world without war. I know that what I can contribute is miniscule in the big picture, but if enough of us do something to bring lasting peace on Earth maybe it will happen. Please support World Beyond War, Code Pink, the American Friends, Democratic World Federalists, Peace Action and other groups devoted to the cause. -- by Dr. Bob Hanson doctoroutdoors@comcast.net
[First published 8/29/18 in Dr. Hanson's "Progressive View" column in the Rossmoor News, California.]
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[Editor's note: This is an abridged version of Professor Glen T. Martin's "Human Beings Face Extinction: We need to act now." Subtitles have been introduced by the editor to highlight certain key points.]
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The global climate is unraveling at rates far beyond the predictions of scientists. The studies are so common by this date, and the scientific evidence so pervasive going back at least half a century, that there is no need to cite sources about this fact. The oceans are dying, the fisheries are becoming exhausted. The forests are dying. They are devastated through human overuse, logging, wildfires, acid rain, and rapidly changing climate conditions.
Agricultural lands are drying up and losing productivity, the land, water, and air are polluted. Artificial human-made chemical compounds are found in the tissues of every living creature on Earth, with unknown synergistic effects. The oceans are rising, displacing millions of coastal dwellers and submerging prime agricultural lands.
The habitats for animals and life in general are disappearing, and many species go extinct daily. The polar caps are melting, irrevocably altering the planet’s climate. Rainfall is irregular, with periodic droughts alternating with devastating floods. ....
At the same time, the global human population unsustainability continues to increase. ... ...Noam Chomsky declares: “Survival of Organized Human Life Is at Risk Due to Climate Change and Nuclear Weapons.”
UN Charter's untouchable sacred cow prevents global citizenship
Meanwhile, the nations of the world focus on “sovereignty,” militarism, national independence, trade wars, and unsustainable capitalist development. “Sovereign independence” is written into the UN charter in multiple ways and continues to function as an untouchable sacred cow, preventing the development of global citizenship everywhere on Earth. Each nation inculcates loyalty into its citizens and criminalizes any non-government sponsored relationships with foreign officials, which they label “disloyalty” and “treason.” Trillions of dollars are poured down the toilet of militarism that are needed to protect and restore the planetary environment.
Few people seem to care
Nuclear weapons are refined and made “combat ready,” and countries like North Korea correctly understand that without the nuclear deterrent, they would suffer the same destruction as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. For the imperial system led by the U.S. and its NATO allies continues to work for a global hegemony to counter the growing influence of Russia and China, politically and economically, without concern for human rights, dignity, or the welfare and livelihood of many millions who appear of less worthiness to live because they are “not us.” Books such as Nuclear Madness by Helen Caldicott or The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg regularly appear detailing the many times that the near use of these weapons has brought humanity close to extinction, but few seem to care. Our fragmentation, hate, fear, and need for “enemies” is so much greater than our desire for a future for our children or the planet.
Shock alert: It's a war system, stupid!
Our planetary system is inherently a war system requiring enemies and producing vast profits for the industries that supply and encourage this system. As climate and military disasters around the world increase so do the profits of the system of “disaster capitalism” described by Naomi Klein in her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine the Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Meanwhile the big banks and masters of the global monetary systems continue to dominate unsustainable global economics, running the world as a debt system from which they derive not only vast profits but vast political power, as Ellen Brown showed in detail in her 2007 book The Web of Debt.
Is the ruling class "insane" or simply criminal?
A Google search reveals a number of articles by different authors who have declared that the ruling class is “insane.” Indeed, if bringing the entire planet to ruin in the service of ones personal greed for wealth and power is insane, then this label is appropriate, although I prefer the term “criminal,” since the majority of the ruling class of the world are simply criminals who control the mass media, the politicians, and the UN in the service of their criminal enterprises that are bringing humankind to extinction.
In the US, the majority of both Democrats and Republicans in the Washington, DC, government are criminals in this sense, serving both themselves and the ruling class. Many so-called liberals in the US are working to remove Trump as President, and to “take back our country.” But the truth is they never had “their country.” The ruling class has always had it, and human extinction advanced perhaps just as rapidly under Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, or Barack Obama. The mass media, the war system, and the “sovereign nation” propaganda keep the people of the US asleep no matter who is president. Whomever fills that office can do little because the system itself defeats rationality, recognition of our common planetary humanity, and the changes necessary for survival.
Refusing to become world citizens is a death sentence
Trump is a symptom and not a cause. People refuse to actualize what Karl Marx called our species-being. They refuse to become world citizens in any real sense of this word. They cling to their sovereign borders and delude themselves that somehow extinction can be avoided if the peoples of some 193 different, militarized sovereign nations all care about the environment, recycle, and “dispose” of the trash properly. Rather than living in what I call a “boundary-less world,” they insist on their puerile boundaries and identities, even as this exacerbates the rush to total climate collapse and human extinction. To cling to a tiny, exclusive identity that divides one from others who are “not me” becomes more important than the survival of the human race.
Mass media a main source for immature ideologies
It has often been pointed out that the mass media keep ordinary people distracted, immature, and unable to think clearly. The mass media are designed for this purpose. For more sophisticated ordinary people, there are sources like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, which frame the immature ideologies in a more erudite manner to satisfy the egoism of the “educated” middle classes. But the entire world system is immature and structurally inculcates immaturity into the peoples of Earth.
Misguided loyalties to outdated systems
The system of sovereign nation-states is nearly four centuries old, often said to have begun formally at the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, developed at a time when people were riding horses and fighting with swords. The system of capitalism is just as old, developed at a time when the Earth seemed to have inexhaustible resources, was able to receive unlimited wastes from human industries, and the population of the world was a fraction of what it is today. These systems structurally condition people into loyalty to their puerile national identities and into a capitalism that has no concern for the environment or human dignity, but only for egoistically pursued private profit. “Freedom” becomes promoting egoistic self-interest regardless of the social or environmental consequences.
The world seen from space, or from an airplane, has no borders. ...
Bigotry and hate start here
People everywhere need to think: “I am an American,” not a Russian or Chinese. “I am of a certain skin color, not like those of red, yellow, brown or black complexions.” “I am a Republican, not a Democrat.” “I am a Christian, not a Hindu or a Moslem.” And it is the same everywhere else, national loyalty requires these identifications, as does so-called religious belief. In India, people go crazy over their Hindu identity, or their Moslem identity, or their caste status.
"Borderless" means we are One humanity
A borderless world does not mean that we abolish all practical administrative distinctions such as electoral districts or jurisdictions for local, regional, or national governments. A borderless world means that people have realized their species-being and become one in their common humanity and dignity. This is the world as seen by the great teachers of human kind such as Jesus Christ, Jiddu Krishnamurti, the 14th Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite their great differences, all these leaders lived from their fundamental humanity.
...Today, these identities are tearing the world apart because they mirror the structural (political and economic) fragmentation of the world into sovereign nation-states and the capitalist egoistic drive for power and profit.
We can "jump-start" a world peace and justice systemWe do not need to wait for humanity in general to grow up and embrace the holism of planet Earth, our planetary biosphere, and the human race. ...We can ratify the “Earth Constitution” and place the common good of the planet, its citizens, and its living creatures at the heart of a global public authority that can reign in and control the egoism and nihilism of both the politicians and the capitalists. ... The Constitution for the Federation of Earth ( www.earth-constitution.org) is already completed and ready for ratification. It places what is common and universal (the common good of the Earth and its citizens) above the nations and the corporations as the single most legitimate source of governmental authority.
World Parliament
The Earth Federation will establish a democratic World Parliament with authority over both global corporations and so-called “sovereign” nation-states. For the first time in history, our common human dignity will be the basis of the global public authority, not fear, enemies, war, greed, and exploitation. There is no other way to end environmental and human destruction by the corporations as well as war and terrorism by the nation-states.
Earth Constitution and the universal good
The Earth Constitution establishes global democracy predicated on what is common and universal and empowers an Earth Federation Government to conform both economics and politics to the universal common good. Article One defines that universal common good as ending war, protecting universal human rights, addressing poverty and inequality, and protecting and restoring the planetary environment. Law enforcement is assured through civilian police who must themselves obey the law. There is no military. Here we have the only true source of legitimate government authority: the common good of the Earth and its citizens: a global peace system, justice system, and sustainability system.
... If we actualize our species-being, then we are open to love, concern, and identification with all, including the Earth’s many other living species. We no longer need to cling to an identity that excludes the others (whomever they happen to be). Some 200 years ago, the philosopher Lessing wrote to the Christians and Jews of Europe: “if only I had found one among you for whom it was enough to be called a human being!” My newest book,
Global Democracy and Human Self-Transcendence, develops these ideas in some detail.
The Constitution for the Federation of Earth structurally establishes a planetary democratic government ... All persons become World Citizens first, responsible for their planetary home and future generations. Their primary identity becomes our common humanity. We need to ratify this Constitution if we want to avoid the rapidly approaching fate of planetary extinction of the human race.
It is time for humanity to grow up and face responsibility for ourselves and our precious planet. It is time we ended the global war system and converted to a peace, justice, and sustainability system. It is time we united our planetary home in a global democracy under the Earth Constitution.
-- Professor Glen T. Martin
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May 12, 2018
Progressive View Rossmoor News Walnut Creek, California
Bob Hanson
[First published May 9, 2018]
THE BEST KEPT SECRET ON SAVING THE WORLD
I’m betting you have never heard of the World Constitution and Parliament Association. This international movement has been working diligently since 1958 to come up with a better way to run the world. There have been many international meetings held in various countries to develop what is known as the CONSTITUTION FOR THE FEDERATION OF THE EARTH. It was written by the combined efforts and input of hundreds of folks who consider themselves world citizens.
The paper has been modified and improved many times since the first world assembly which was held in Interlaken, Switzerland. The document is based upon six principles: 1) The common Humanity and Dignity of all human beings; 2) Economic democracy and equal opportunity for all persons; 3) Sustainability and ecological health for the planet; 4) Unity in Diversity of all Nations, Communities, Religions, and persons living together in harmony on Earth; 5) Ending War and Reducing violence in Human Affairs; and 6) The rule of democratically Legislated, Enforceable Law for the Earth.
Some of you who are still with me are probably thinking, “but, don’t we already have a United Nations?” Of course we do…and it has been a big improvement over the former world organization, the League of Nations. The U.N. has probably prevented many international conflicts and has done yeoman duty in terms of refugees and humanitarian relief. However, it has failed in the task it was created for in San Francisco in 1945….ending war. The U.N. has failed to live up to its potential for several reasons, most of which are related to the U.S. and other world powers unwillingness to give up a bit of their sovereignty for the common good. The Security Council veto has prevented that organization from acting on many occasions. The International Court of Justice is voluntary, with no means of enforcing its judgments and the General Assembly is undemocratic (India and Monaco each have equal votes), and is generally powerless.
The right wing in this country and abroad is paranoid about the U.N., ineffective as it is. To them, world government conjures up thoughts of black helicopters and Hitlerism. They feel that the war system is the natural order of life and we have to be able to fight for our freedom in a dog eat dog world. To the victors go the spoils. If this thinking prevails, it is only a matter of time until a nuclear confrontation lays the earth uninhabitable and humankind’s little experiment will be over.
If the Earth Constitution or something similar were to be adapted, it would be an extension of our present democracy. Functions that affect us locally will still be handled by local governments; state affairs will still be conducted by our state representatives and matters dealing with national issues will still be under the jurisdiction of federal governments. The jurisdiction of the democratic world government will be limited to relations between nations and issues such as global warming which do not recognize national boundaries. Pollution created in China may end up here, or vice-versa.
Article 109-3 of the U.N. charter calls for a charter review after 10 years. This, of course, has never happened because the permanent five (U.S., Russia, France, UK and China) don’t want to give up the veto. Organizations I am involved with are working to mobilize the peace-loving nations of the world to demand charter review. If we are able to make that happen, maybe the U.N. charter will be replaced by the Earth Constitution or something similar and war will become a relic of the past.
Albert Einstein said “There is no salvation for civilization or even the human race, other than the creation of a world government.” Now is the time, before it is too late.
To find out more about the Earth Constitution, go to www.earth-constitution.org.
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May 9, 2018 [Editor's note: "Manna" may or may not become a viable form of currency and should be considered to be speculative at this stage of its introduction to the public. -RK]
MANNA
The official initial currency of WCPA under World Legislative Act #22:
Toward a Guaranteed Income for the People of Earth under the Earth Constitution
Some answers by Eric Stetson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
People's Currency Foundation and Mannabase Inc.
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1. What is the main currency of 'Manna'? Will people from other countries will convert their own currency in USD.?
The People's Currency Foundation (non-profit which distributes Manna) aspires to have Manna listed on various currency exchanges where it may be converted into numerous major currencies in the world. Currently, it is on one exchange where it can be converted into two currencies: USD and Bitcoin (BTC). As our project and number of users continues to grow, we hope that other exchanges will add Manna and enable people to exchange it for EUR, JPY, GBP, BRL, INR, and others.
2. How will Manna work to help the poor and needy people?
Every person in the world is eligible to receive an equal amount of Manna which is deposited into their online wallet on Mannabase.com on a weekly basis. Children are also eligible, but their wallet will be locked until they turn 18, at which time they will receive access to the Manna that has been saved in their wallet during their childhood. The People's Currency Foundation is looking for charities, NGOs, municipalities and governments to sign up impoverished or economically disadvantaged people they serve, for the distribution of Manna currency as a free benefit to help increase their economic opportunities.
This will be especially helpful for two groups of people: adults in severe poverty, for whom small amounts of money would be of significant benefit, and children whose parents cannot afford to provide them with any capital to help them get an education or other things to help them start their adult life, for whom the Manna children's savings account would be very helpful when they turn 18.
3. How Manna will solve the growing problems of wealth inequality?
If Manna becomes a widely accepted currency in the world, its equitable distribution system will gradually reduce the inequalities of wealth over time. We cannot take wealth away from those who already have it, but we can provide more wealth to those who do not, which comes from growing our money supply. In other words, the inflation of Manna currency is distributed evenly to everyone, so as the money supply grows, there is less of a gap between rich and poor.
Our nonprofit will be backing the value of Manna with donations received, and profits from our social media platform, as well as profits from other investments we may hold in the future as our organization becomes better capitalized. The currency is also backed by people's faith and trust in it, and choice to buy and use it. If its value is sufficiently backed, it can be an effective vehicle for redistribution of wealth among individuals and nations of the world.
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March 23, 2018
CAN THE ZIONIST LOBBY NOW MANAGE PRESIDENT TRUMP? [Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh gives a Palestinian perspective, almost never seen in the controlled Western mainstream media. He believes that Zionist extremists now have the White House, and will soon have the US in open warfare against Iran and Syria to satisfy plans for Zionist Empire ("Greater Israel"). With the appointment of right wing extremist hawk John Bolton as National Security Adviser, even MSNBC and CNN are worried about the danger of open warfare -- a repeat of the US world crime against Iraq which Bolton helped launch. -- Dr. R. Kotila, editor Earth Federation News & Views]
From: mazin@qumsiyeh.org
My visit to Spain and Portugal is going well. I met so many nice people. From those in the science and education fields to those taking care of homeless people in the streets of Madrid, I am inspired always by the human spirit of giving and sharing. As they say in Spanish Pasaremos (like we shall overcome or it will pass). Yes, we wish politicians everywhere are on the same wavelength as the good people trying to make a living, help each other, and “first do no harm”. That contrast is made the more visible to us as we stay tuned to world affairs “thinking globally and acting locally”.
Let us first talk about thinking globally then move on to reflections on acting locally. Thinking globally one could get frustrated to see what is going on. Teenager Ahed Tamimi and her mother both given 8 months in Israeli jail for their simple acts of defiance to the genocidal Israeli apartheid policies (and have to pay thousands in “fines” and the hanging suspended sentence means they are liable to be imprisoned anytime for the simplest of acts of resistance).
Meanwhile many Israeli occupiers are claimed as “heroes” or (rarely) serve few months (but only when Israel needs to show it has “courts”) after brutally murdering Palestinians. Some who committed massacres have become Israeli leaders (Begin, Shamir, Sharon etc) or currently serve as Israeli leaders (Netanyahu and others). 100,000 Palestinians were killed since Palestine was colonized by force and renamed “Israel” and some 700,000 were kidnapped and held as political prisoners. Hundreds of villages were destroyed and today 7.5 million Palestinians are refugees or displaced people.
Under the thumb of the Zionist lobby#, the US Congress will pass a law to further punish Palestinian families and children* while continuing to reward Apartheid “Israel” with billions of our tax money. Trump fired Rex Tillerson on the orders of the Lobby then appointed neocon Pompeo as Secretary of State and Bolton as National Security Adviser. Both are Zionist “managed”. Trump then went on to appoint Gina Haskell who supports tortures and secret CIA torture prisons to head the CIA! By May 12, Trump will dump the global deal with Iran and work to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem in violation of International law.
Zionist managed mainstream media are whipping up the masses with propaganda just like they did with the war on Iraq and Syria. The Mossad which targeted Americans and others to start wars is already preparing the next false flag operation and timing it so that the US will enter yet another war in our region on behalf of Israel. It maybe the last war for the US empire (if not the world): tax payers were loaded with $3 trillion for the war on Iraq and thousands of American soldiers paid with their lives (as well nas >1 million Iraqis) and this war will be 10 times more devastating (Iran is far stronger than Iraq was and is supported at least partially by China, Russia, Syria, and Iraq).
Like Martin Luther King had said the USA remains the “biggest purveyor of violence in the world”. The only difference is that since the 1960s, the violence has been increasingly focused on the Arab and Muslim countries because of the success of the lobby shifting US foreign policy from imperialism for the sake of the US Empire to imperialism for the sake of the Zionist Empire in a globalized world where national interests are subsidiary to globalized money interests.
Times are ominous. I think it is safe to say not only should we resist these violent trends vigorously for the sake of the future of humanity, but we should also prepare for any unfolding scenarios of devastation. We can do and are doing this in thousands of ways: by growing food locally, rethinking our ways of life and where we get our news, by developing critical thinking, by dumping chauvinistic nationalism (the racist notion of “our nation first”), by love and caring for ALL fellow human beings etc.
Here example from the USA: https://uscpr.org/awards/ This is ACTING LOCALLY. As I said in the beginning I continue to be inspired by acts of kindness I see around me and via news from around the world. I gather hope from the beautiful students I met at two universities in Madrid to a Syrian refugee working in a Kitchen and helping distribute food to homeless Europeans. I see it in the Spanish students eager to learn Arabic and wanting to volunteer with us at Bethlehem University. I see it the eyes of children lighting up with curiosity and love of nature. We can and shall overcome.
An article I wrote in 2008 published by PASSIA about Palestinian options. It is still valid: “Cowardice asks the question - is it safe? Expediency asks the question - is it politic? Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But conscience asks the question - is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.” http://www.passia.org/home/2008/Palestinian%20Options%20as%20the%20Nakba%20turns%2060.pdf
Action: ell Adidas it is No Fair Play on Stolen Land https://bdsmovement.net/adidas #Al Jazeera has been threatened by members of Congress because of the investigation they conducted about the lobbying of AIPAC for Israel. Robert Fisk wonders if we will ever see the results of this investigation. https://popularresistance.org/will-we-ever-see-al-jazeeras-investigation-into-the-israel-lobby/ *
https://israelpalestinenews.org/legitimacy-family-compensation-palestinians-killed-injured-imprisoned/
Stay Human Mazin Qumsiyeh A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine http://qumsiyeh.org
From Mazin Qumsiyeh's Blog (March, 2018):
Zionist Lobby Dictates US Foreign Policy to Support Israeli World Crimes
The last fig leaf has fallen also off of the lie of a “peace process” supposedly led by the US government which in turn has a foreign policy dictated by the Zionist lobby. It is the last fig leaf that protected the Arab leaders from Riyad to Ramalllah who helped Israel get away with ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It is the last fig leaf that protected the hypocritical Western Leaders from Sydney to Berlin to London to Washington who speak of International law and did everything in their power to physically support and fund an apartheid state that violates just about every provision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the Fourth Geneva Convention and countless UN resolutions (both UN security council and general assembly resolutions). It even violates the provisions of Israel’s own admission to the UN and should have long been expelled from the UN.
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Earth Federation News & Views
Dateline: San Francisco, March 14, 2018. Would US troops die for Israel?
[Editor's note: Unfortunately the United Nations cannot prevent Israel or the U.S. from expanding the illegal war against Syria. The UN, due to its defective Charter, lacks the tools it needs to intervene effectively. The UN should turn to the Earth Constitution. It would have the missing governing structure needed to prevent the carnage and suffering that the Middle East endures. We can only hope that Israel does not also decide to attack Iran -- and use a "shock and awe" traumatic first strike strategy with tactical nuclear weapons, confident that Trump's American military will back them up. - R. Kotila, Ph.D. earthfederation.info]
US Commander: ‘US Troops Prepared to Die for Israel’ in War Against Syria, Hezbollah
Operation Juniper Cobra is not a routine exercise; it is a portent of a potentially devastating war against Syria, Hezbollah and Gaza for which Israel is actively preparing — a war likely to erupt within the coming months.
Featured image: Soldiers from the U.S. Army and the Israel Defense Force (IDF carry a litter with a mock patient during a mass casualty training as part of the combined missile defense exercise known as Juniper Cobra 18, Feb. 28, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo)
Last Sunday, the largest joint military exercise between the United States and Israel began with little fanfare. The war game, dubbed “Operation Juniper Cobra,” has been a regular occurrence for years, though it has consistently grown in size and scope. Now, however, this year’s 12-day exercise brings a portent of conflict unlike those of its predecessors.
Previous reports on the operation suggested that, like prior incarnations of the same exercise, the focus would be on improving Israeli defenses.
“Juniper Cobra 2018 is another step in improving the readiness of the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] and the IAF [Israeli Air Force] in particular to enhance their operational capabilities in facing the threat posed by high-trajectory missiles,” Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovitch, the IDF’s Aerial Defense Division head, told the Jerusalem Post.
However, this year’s “Juniper Cobra” is unique for several reasons. The Post reported on Thursday that the drill, set to end on March 15, was not only the largest joint U.S.-Israeli air defense exercise to ever happen but it was also simulating a battle “on three fronts.” In other words, Israel and the U.S. are jointly simulating a war with Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine – namely, the Gaza strip – simultaneously.
What makes this last part so concerning are Israel’s recent statements and other preparations for war with all three nations, making “Juniper Cobra” anything but a “routine” drill. It is instead yet another preparation for a massive regional conflict, suggesting that such a conflict could be only a matter of months away.
As MintPress recently reported, Israeli officials recently told a bipartisan pair of U.S. Senators that it needed “ammunition, ammunition, ammunition” for a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon — a war that will expressly target Lebanese civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings.
The alleged motive for the invasion is the presence of Iranian rocket factories. However, this allegation is based solely on the claims of an anonymous deputy serving in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and was first reported on by a Kuwaiti newspaper known to publish stories planted by the Israeli government.
In addition, Israel has been laying the groundwork for an invasion of Syria since last year and is largely responsible for the current conflict in Syria that has raged on for seven years. Israel’s current push to invade Syria is also based on flimsy evidence suggesting that Iran is establishing bases in Syria to target Israel.
Israel has also been preparing for a conflict on the embattled Gaza strip, which – owing to the effects of Israel’s illegal blockade and the devastation wrought by past wars – is set to be entirely uninhabitable by 2020. Reports have quoted officials of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which governs the Gaza strip, as saying that they place the chances of a new war with Israel in 2018 “at 95 percent” and that war games, like Operation Juniper Cobra, were likely to be used to plan or even initiate such a conflict. This concern was echoed by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, who stated that another Israeli invasion of Gaza, home to 1.8 million people, was “likely” to occur this year. Eizenkot ironically framed the imminent invasion as a way to “prevent a humanitarian collapse” in Gaza.
U.S. lights match, prepares troops
US and Israeli troops deploy a Patriot missile defense battery during the 2018 Juniper Cobra air defense exercise in March 2018. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)
Such a war is likely to be ignited by the unrest destined to follow the U.S.’ imminent move of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move, set to take place in May, led Hamas to call for a third intifada, or uprising, in response to the U.S.’ unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in defiance of the international consensus.
Beyond the fact that Israel is preparing to go to war with several countries simultaneously is the fact that U.S. ground troops are now “prepared to die for the Jewish state,” according to U.S. Third Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Richard Clark.
“We are ready to commit to the defense of Israel and anytime we get involved in a kinetic fight there is always the risk that there will be casualties. But we accept that, as in every conflict we train for and enter, there is always that possibility,” Clark told the Post.
However, more troubling than the fact that U.S. troops stand ready to die at Israel’s behest was Clark’s assertion that Haimovitch would “probably” have the last word as to whether U.S. forces would join the IDF during war time. In other words, the IDF will decide whether or not U.S. troops become embroiled in the regional war for which Israel is preparing, not the United States. Indeed, Haimovitch buoyed Clark’s words, stating that:
“I am sure once the order comes we will find here U.S. troops on the ground to be part of our deployment and team to defend the state of Israel.”
Operation Juniper Cobra is not a routine exercise; it is a portent of a potentially devastating war for which Israel is actively preparing, a war likely to erupt within the coming months. In addition to overtly targeting civilians, these preparations for war — as Juniper Cobra shows — directly involve the United States military and give the war-bent Israeli government the power to decide whether or not American troops will be involved and to what extent. This is a devastating giveaway of national sovereignty by U.S. President Donald Trump.
While the potential involvement of the U.S. forces in such a war is being framed as limited in scope, there is no indication that such a war will be so in practice. Indeed, the U.S. is currently occupying 25 percent of Syria and the Trump administration has economically attacked Palestinians living in Gaza by withdrawing crucial aid, as well as Hezbollah by enforcing new sanctions against the group. Furthermore, Israel’s nuclear arsenal and the fact that Iran — and even Russia — could become involved in such a conflict means that it could quickly spiral out of control.
*Whitney Webb is a staff writer for MintPress News who has written for several news organizations in both English and Spanish; her stories have been featured on ZeroHedge, the Anti-Media, and 21st Century Wire among others. She currently lives in Southern Chile.
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OPINION - Earth Federation News & Views
March 7, 2018
SCHECK'S WORLD
Are Netanyahu and Trump Going To Start A War Against Iran?
Trump reversed his campaign pledge to put America First by reducing our imperial profile. But instead of
cutting back on our interventions for regime change, he has continued the failed pro-Israel, Neocon policies of
his predecessors.
A quick perusal of the headlines shows that even as I write this, Trump and Bibi have reinforced their
public bromance with the President apparently endorsing everything the Israeli Lobby wants regarding
Jerusalem, Syria, settlements and Iran. Other than Jared Kushner losing his top security clearance, there
is little evidence that Trump is doing much to constrain the Israeli Lobby's hold on the Capital.
With Bibi in town to attend the annual AIPAC pow wow, we once again see the Israeli Prime Minister making
outlandish claims about Iran's threat to the world while predicting Trump will scrap the 5 + 1 nuke deal.
Most likely to happen is what Lawrence Wilkerson and I have both written: That the two beleaguered leaders will start a war with Iran to divert attention away from their scandals.
It is going to take much more to awaken our distracted and insouciant American public to shed the mantle of
domination we currently see manifesting itself today. Maybe if Bibi is frog-marched off to jail and/or Trump is
impeached or dispatched from the White House we will see a change.
Until then, it looks to this observer that the Trump/Kusner/Bibi Alliance underwritten by Sheldon Adelson and
manned by countless loyal Neocons will perpetuate the imperial ways of 21st Century America.
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November 16, 2017
A Courageous Israeli Speaks Out
by Rick Sterling
On October 6, 2017 there was a presentation in Lafayette California featuring the Israeli-American Miko Peled. The event was sponsored by Mt Diablo Peace & Justice Center (MDPJC) with co-sponsorship by Jewish Voice for Peace and others.
What Miko Peled says is seldom heard by Americans.
Miko was born in Jerusalem and comes from a famous Israeli family. His grandfather was one of the signers of the Israeli founding documents. His father was a soldier in the war which led to the creation of Israel and later a senior Army general during the 1967 war. Adding to the power of his voice, one of Miko’s nieces was killed in a suicide bombing attack. Miko Peled is author of the acclaimed book The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.
In contrast with what one might expect, Miko Peled is a voice of sharp criticism of Israel and Israeli policies. He does not mince his words. Israel is a “settler colonial state” and Israel does NOT have a “right to exist” as an apartheid state with preferential treatment based on ethnicity.
Miko does not speak in the abstract; he gives specific examples to demonstrate what he says. Palestinians in the West Bank have no consistent running water while settlers enjoy unlimited drinking water plus swimming pools and water for green lawns. The situation in Gaza is even worse. The two million residents of the tiny Gaza strip endure horrific conditions. Babies with medical conditions die while just a few miles away, Israeli babies with the same conditions will live.
Peled does not limit his criticism to the “Occupied Territories”. He says all of the state should be called Palestine with equal rights and opportunities for all. Peled pokes fun at the claims that Jews anywhere have a “right to return” because of a supposed 2000 year old claim and entitlement. These claims are based on the Old Testament not scientific history. In contrast with the myth, most Israeli citizens have zero DNA connection to the region. Peled humorously points to the irony of zionists who claim a 2000 year old “right” to the land as they deny and denigrate the rights and claims of Palestinians who were expelled in 1948 and after. As Peled explains, most Israelis are quick to tell Palestinians to “get over it” despite the fact that Palestinian claims are well documented and the expulsion was only 70 years ago not 2000. Unknown to most Americans, about half a million Palestinians languish in Lebanon, waiting for the time when they return to their villages in Palestine from which they were expelled in 1948 and after. The actual history of those events has been clearly documented by the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe.
Peled thinks that the situation is better now that the pretense of a “two state solution” is openly dismissed by US President Trump and Israeli PM Netanyahu. There are two paths: the current situation of supremacist democracy for Jews only with continuing occupation and oppression for the Palestinians or democracy for all. While acknowledging the unpopularity of equality for most Israelis today, Miko Peled recalls how quickly the change happened in South Africa. He says if they could overcome apartheid in South Africa, why is this not possible in Israel/Palestine?
In the 1980’s and early 90’s, the international Boycott Apartheid campaign helped to end open racism in South Africa. Around the world there is a similar peaceful and non-violent campaign pressing for the end of open racism in Israel. It’s called “BDS” for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. The goal is to pressure Israel to abandon its apartheid policies just as South Africa did. Making clear his own stand, Miko Peled wore a large BDS button on his lapel. For those who mistakenly believe that Israel is a progressive force internationally, the reality is that Israel was one of apartheid South Africa’s closest allies.
For taking the stance he does, and especially because of his family roots, Miko Peled has been vilified and threatened. It takes great courage to follow his beliefs as he has. His family is apparently with him. In his book he describes how his mother refused to take furniture or property of Palestinians who had been expelled from Jerusalem in 1967, as many other prominent Jewish families were doing. He describes his father’s evolution from military general to an advocate for peace and respect for Palestinians. And he describes the reaction of his sister and how she blamed Netanyahu and racist policies for the death of her daughter. Miko Peled demonstrates courage and integrity. Through his writing and speeches he exposes racist policies in Israel and the US. He seeks a better future even if it sometimes appears hopeless and provokes slander and personal threats against himself.
Miko Peled’s book is published by Just World Books. A video of his Lafayette presentation, including the introduction by St Mary’s College Professor Hisham Ahmed, is posted at the Mt Diablo Peace & Justice Center website.
[This article first published October 10, 2017 in DissidentVoice.org.]
Rick Sterling is an investigative journalist. He lives in the SF Bay Area and can be contacted at rsterling1@gmail.com.
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October 17, 2017
Editor's message to President Trump and to world federalists: It is tempting for world federalists to overlook President Trump's recent authoritarian speech to the United Nations. Yet for a leader of a powerful nation like the U.S. to openly threaten war goes against everything world federalists stand for. We don't need jingoism, Mr. President. World federalists want a "new United Nations" for a reason: To provide an effective global governing structure where conflicts can be resolved peacefully by means of going to Court, or going to a democratically elected World Parliament.
And excuse me, Mr. President. It should be "World first," not "America first."
-- R. Kotila, Ph.D.
United Nations – and the Monster in the Room
There are no words, other than Monster, not even human monster, that can describe Trump’s appearance before the UN General Assembly last Tuesday, 19 September.
It’s of no use to go through details of the insults he yelled at the word – many others have explained and analyzed that already – and done it well – remains to say that what Trump demonstrated with threats of total devastation of North Korea, war against Iran, total asphyxiation of Venezuela, regime change in Syria – and more – is sheer criminal, war criminal behavior.
Pledging for respect of nations’ sovereignty, yet threatening the world at large – except for Israel -with total annihilation if it doesn’t follow Washington’s orders, is pure hypocrisy; it has never been expressed as desperately before the entire UN body of nations as did Trump last Monday. While some of his predecessors have not talked kindly to this league of nations, expressing threats, lies and humiliations, the extent of Trump’s atrocious behavior has no precedent in the history of the UN.
The ongoing US indiscriminate killing around the globe – tens of millions of people in the last 70 years alone – plus these ferocious, insane threats, and economic strangulations through illegal sanctions, are ripe for a new Nuremburg type tribunal
It is a typical and dangerous conduct for a dying beast. Lashing out at its surroundings, at the world, as it were – for intimidation, disgrace and foremost to pull as many as possible with the dying monster into its self-made grave.
But the burning question that we have to ask ourselves, is this: Why did almost nobody, safe for Iran and North Korea and perhaps one or the other country representative walk out?
Why did of the more than 180 nations who wish and desire the final demise of this murderous empire, not dare to exit the room of the Monster, the General Assembly, and let Trump speak and yell atrocities to empty walls and to himself?
The New York Times reports that “world leaders were stoic and quiet, barely reacting to his remarks about their countries.”
Why? Out of fear? What fear? – Could and would this military dictatorship, run by “Mad Dog” et al, a top brass military junta, destroy the world as we know it? – I don’t think so.
Is it for the money, because the US is currently footing almost a quarter of the UN budget and is threatening to withdraw her funding, if the UN is not “restructured”, meaning, to become a total puppet of Washington and its deep state? – I don’t think so. Indeed, by 22 September 2017, the US of A had not paid her dues.
Every halfway sane nation knows that the UN already today is barely more than a stooge to Washington, so are most of the UN specialized agencies and international courts that were once created with good intentions, I hope to believe.
So, then why?
Wouldn’t walking out have been a clear act of world solidarity, of a world that stands for peace and not for eternal war, not for a weapons and military based economy, but one that thrives on peace, on people’s development and wellbeing?
A new UN body, à la League of Nations after WWI that stands for peace, could be forged without the rogue nations, such as the United States and Monsters such as Trump. And this at a cost much lower than the current official UN budget of US$ 5.4 Billion. A lot of deadwood overhead could be cut.
Or, is it that almost the entire world, its leaders, have become psychopaths, succumbing to the Stockholm syndrome? – They seek the protection of their very murderer. How sick has our western civilization become? The result of neoliberalism – a ‘modern’ form of fascism that makes people blindly obeying their butcher, confronting their own demise?
It’s high time that we wake up. Better late than never. And the Never is when we have been swallowed by the deadly abyss. Before that very moment, we still have a chance to resist.
Open your eyes and ears and walk away from and boycott Monsters like Trump, and the handlers that have chosen their multi-billionaire bully to frighten the world into submission.
Wake up! And walk out a way – forging a peace solidarity!
Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a former World Bank staff and worked extensively around the world in the fields of environment and water resources. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for Global Research, ICH, RT, Sputnik, PressTV, The 4th Media (China), TeleSUR, The Vineyard of The Saker Blog, and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed – fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution! – Essays from the Resistance.
The original source of this article is Global Research Copyright © Peter Koenig, Global Research, 2017
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| Beyond Trump and Nukes: Unmaking War, Remaking Men |
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| September 20, 2017 Reader Supported News |
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San Francisco -- When President Trump promises that the threats by North Korea's Kim Jong Un "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen,” many of us believe that Trump is willing to order a nuclear attack.
A president who takes pride in making violent threats and appears willing to risk a nuclear war raises an important question as to the president’s psychiatric status, and further brings up the question of what is wrong with the world’s geopolitical system that allows this type of nightmarish endangerment?
While some pundits fret over a president who appears mentally unstable and willing to start a nuclear war, there are others who are thrilled that the president is being “strong.”
New York Times reporter Richard Fausset captures conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s excitement over finally having a “real man” as president. “We don’t have a pajama boy who wears mom jeans who can barely throw a baseball, a first pitch, at a Nationals game, as president," Rush gushes sarcastically. "We have somebody out there who's no-nonsense, who's not going to take this!"
Trump as a macho warrior standing up against North Korea and making America great again? What’s wrong with this picture?
What if Trump’s "machismo" is a psychological trait which vastly increases the likelihood that he will impulsively order a nuclear strike to prove to a defiant opponent that he (the U.S.) is “the boss”? Sociologist Kathleen Barry in “Unmaking War, Remaking Men” concludes that men, due to socialization, are susceptible to the "masculinity of war” which leads to psychopathic behaviors like some see in the Trump presidency.
Trump’s many threats to use military violence puts the psychology of boastful “machismo” on full display, a trait that, in combination with other psychiatric symptoms, could lead to new wars like his recent threats to use military force against Venezuela.
Psychiatric symptoms galore
A group of mental health experts in April told a conference at Yale University’s School of Medicine that they believe President Trump is paranoid and delusional, and suffers a “dangerous mental illness.” Some pundits describe the president as narcissistic and lacking empathy, while others find him to be hostile, bigoted, emotionally unstable, a pathological liar, and “deranged.”
Could it get worse? Yes.
Trump displays behaviors found in psychopaths, the most dangerous type of antisocial personality disorder known to psychiatry. A psychopathic personality disorder refers to an extreme lack of conscience. Reporter Mehdi Hasan for The Intercept (8/9/17) quotes Trump’s strategy for defeating ISIS: “Bomb the shit out of ‘em” and “take out their families.”
“Remorseless killing” is a hallmark of the ultimate psychopath. While sociopaths may lie, cheat, steal, or even kill, extreme psychopaths are capable of the same and more, of remorseless mass murder. What if the President becomes obsessed with the idea of using his nuclear arsenal to show the world he isn’t just empty talk (isn’t weak).
Lack of Global Conscience
Psychopaths may easily fool people as to their true nature since they can seem to be normal – just like everybody else, but sometimes a little over the top. President Trump reveals a stunning lack of Global Conscience.
Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Environmental Accords illustrates his contempt for the world community, much as does his apparent willingness to commit genocide if he orders a nuclear first strike against North Korea. The radioactive victims would include American soldiers and millions living in Seoul only 30 miles from North Korea, not to mention the nearby people of Japan and on the eastern coasts of China and Russia.
A threat of genocide would suggest that emergency measures may be necessary to prevent the Trump and Kim confrontation from erupting into war. Can the world community rely on the military generals to refuse if Trump orders a surprise first strike nuclear attack?
Should Congress intervene and take the nuclear missile launch codes away from the President, or apply the 25th Amendment to remove an unfit President as suggested by John Cassidy in the New Yorker (8/14/17)?
Manhood gone awry
A key lesson to remember is that "leaders in the White House and around the world" become potentially "remorseless killers" because "Every society makes men's readiness to fight in combat a matter of their manhood."
Historian Alexander DeConde examines how “one U.S. president after another took the military into unnecessary wars,” and concludes in his study of Presidential Machismo that presidential power over the military allows leaders to prove their virility. Few presidents, he concludes, have been able to resist the temptation to use the military machine at their disposal to exalt themselves in the role of warrior.
War will not be unmade without remaking masculinity. “Core masculinity” is not biological, but is taught by society. A boy learns to be tough, aggressive, and unfeeling. As a man the state is preparing him for potential combat, part of society’s expectation and requirements of manhood.
World peace will require abandoning traditional core masculinity with its violent standards of manhood.
Why a "new UN" is needed
We know that changing the macho culture alone will not be enough to stop war. We urgently need geopolitical change. At the global level there is no law and order, no global sheriff to insure the peace. Leaders from powerful countries are above the law.
When the world is governed by unbounded psychopathy, it is a risk that America and the world community should not accept. A mentally ill leader may distort reality, but a psychopath is willing to take down the whole world.
Psychopaths do not respond to reason, love, or conscience.
The United Nations is needed in the event that a country is held hostage by a psychopathic leader. But the UN lacks the tools to intervene significantly, its hands tied by the flawed UN Charter.
The UN cannot remove Trump (or Kim) from office even if they represent an imminent danger. The UN cannot protect us from nuclear war. It is sidelined when it counts the most.
The UN’s deficiencies are being addressed by Democratic World Federalists in a strategy called THE SAN FRANCISCO PROMISE. An initial step is a demand that the UN General Assembly review the UN Charter which opens the door for the possibility of a “new UN.”
The World Constitution and Parliament Association’s Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka "Earth Constitution") can serve as the “gold standard” for a new Charter, transforming the UN into a democratic world federal union with enforceable world law, and given the tools needed to eliminate nuclear weapons and end war itself.
Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
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Beware Europe: American Empire Is Rapidly Imploding!
July 31, 2017
San Francisco
Dear friends in the European Parliament & fellow peace activists,
Please read carefully the following analysis by an American journalist familiar with the geopolitical undercurrents swirling against Russia and
impacting Europe. Will the EU be able to resist the economic sanctions imposed by the American Congress against Russia which could be
interpreted as an act of (economic) war?
We are witnessing in the USA an intensive propaganda campaign to give the (false) impression that Russia is an "enemy." With an
unpredictable President Trump, Europe must be cautious. Trump is naive about false flag operations (such as Gladio III), if activated by the
Deep State, could trick Trump into impulsively going to war.
Best regards,
Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Editor, Earth Federation News & Views at www.earthfederation.info 
The American Empire Is Rapidly Imploding!
Posted on July 30, 2017 by State of the Nation
Yelm, WA
July 30, 2017
by Rich Scheck
A brief review of the latest foreign policy developments demonstrates how rapidly the US Empire is coming apart at the seams.
With an Administration in Washington that is run by extreme nationalists and former military men along with a belligerent foreign policy that threatens war and more war across the planet, the economically weak US government has little prospect of avoiding WWIII much less staving off civil unrest at home.
Fed by massive MSM (main stream media) propaganda such as recently appeared on PBS, the American public is being conditioned to see Russia as its enemy:http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47547.htm
Sterling’s excellent analysis presumes the possibility that rational minds will prevail and war with Russia can be averted. That is extremely unlikely considering that the US empire is rapidly imploding under the Trump Administration which pays lip-service to fighting theDeep State but which is a more nationalistic
version of it. http://stateofthenation2012.com/?p=79226
The American public is brain-dead and addicted to sports, consumerism and worse. Trump has made the mess he inherited worse with his misguided leadership. His selection of Cabinet members was dominated by hawks and hacks who are unable to deliver on his campaign rhetoric because they see the need to rely on the failed doctrine of projecting military force instead of fostering economic growth through cooperation with Russia and China:
http://www.watchingromeburn.com/news/big-deal-trump-russia-china/
Instead we see an escalation of tensions in all the key trouble spots:
Russia: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47545.htm
China: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47544.htm
Iran: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47542.htm
North Korea: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47548.htm
The apparent retreat in Syria is suspect because of our continuing support of the Kurds and is subject to a quick reversal at the behest of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or any of the other players in that ongoing war.
The collapse of the unipolar world and Pax Americana is upon us. Efforts to perpetuate America’s imperial foreign policy under-girded by a criminal mentality that violates the spirit and intent of the Nuremberg Doctrine is being resisted across the planet.
Even the EU is threatening to abandon its (former?) ally in response to the latest sanctions outrage. We have returned to a delicate historical moment similar to August, 1914 and September, 1939 that preceded the start of the two previous world wars. With such poor leadership at the helm of the America’s Ship of State, the greater likelihood is that we will soon see a repeat of what has gone before.
The Rubiks solver calculates the rotations to sove the unsolvable cube.
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June 27, 2017
The Dinosaur Party and Dangerous “Useless Eaters”
Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
President Trump and Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan have submitted a proposed 2018 budget which adds $50 billion to the Pentagon’s already bloated war budget, while calling for catastrophic funding cuts in health care which could impact those with medical problems, the disabled, the poor, and the
working poor.
The budget opens the door for tax reductions which greatly benefit the rich. E.J. Dionne, Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle (6/26/17) writes “About $33 billion of this would go to tax cuts conservatively averaging $7 million every year to each of the 400 highest-income families in the country.”
While President Trump gives the Pentagon’s war machine extra billions and withdraws the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords, Speaker Ryan appears determined to reduce the population of those who, like in
Hitler’s Nazi Germany, are seen as “useless eaters.”
Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords by itself earns the Republican Party a new title – the
Dinosaur Party, as it risks large scale deaths from weather extremes.
But climate change denial isn’t the only dinosaur policy. The budget continues to lavishly fund the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Life Extinction Program (LEP), a plan whose aim is to “modernize” our nuclear weapons systems but is likely to cause a nuclear arms race.
Reducing access to health care services can be viewed as an indirect form of extinction policy, aimed at the needy. The goal appears disturbingly similar to when Hitler ordered the extermination of adults or children unable to function independently because of disabilities or significant medical conditions.
For the Nazis, such folks were deemed unproductive “useless eaters” – “life unworthy of life” (Wikipedia,
“Useless Eaters”). In a Salon article by Chauncey DeVega (3/20/17) the subtitle reads: “Trump’s budget
proposes many ways to punish the poor. It’s a new version of the Nazi urge to purge “parasites.”
With Speaker Ryan involved, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised since he admired greatly the ideas of the
author of “Atlas Shrugged,” Ayn Rand who advocated individual selfishness over the good of the
community, and especially held contempt for the weak and the poor.
For Ryan, dreams for an Ayn Rand world of personal selfishness and greed may finally come true. Useless
eaters, Paul Ryan might explain in the best Ayn Rand tradition, are “takers.” They don't deserve the
government's help. It only makes them more dependent.
But Ryan and the Republicans have it wrong. The disabled, the sick, the poor, are not to be cast off as
useless eaters, but seen and valued as members of someone’s family to be loved and cared for.
Finding the real useless eaters
The real “useless eaters” are the financially overfed beneficiaries of the military/industrial complex like
Lockheed Martin Corp. the prime contractor for the F-35, a new fighter jet that can carry a B61-12 nuclear
bomb.
The F-35 has been described as the most expensive military program in Pentagon history (Hartung, Center for International Policy). Trillions of dollars are happily given for this aircraft, the fighter plane that,
according to objective experts, can't fight or fly right. It's a lemon. Journalist Paul Barrett asks “Is the F-35
a Trillion Dollar Mistake?” (4/4/17, Bloomberg.com/news).
The total military-related part of the 2018 U.S. budget feeds absurd amounts of taxpayer cash to what
should be seen as the real “useless eaters” – such as the LEP nuclear attack program which includes the
F-35, B-21, B61-12, and the W80-4. The money for these diabolical weapons should go for health care and
education, not death and destruction.
The Republican budget, as noted earlier, continues to fund the NNSA’s euphemistically labeled Life
Extension Program. The LEP continues a 30 year plan started under President Obama to spend a trillion
dollars (!) to “modernize” our nuclear warheads, bombs, and delivery systems.
In reality, the LEP is a Life Extinction Program.
The LEP features refined ways to end the world with tactical nuclear bombs (B61-12) to be deployed in
Europe, and nuclear warheads (W80-4) for cruise missiles – the latter a “modernized” nuclear warhead considered by some experts to be a first strike weapon.
The B-21 stealth bomber built by Northrop Grumman is another useless eater of taxpayer money which can carry nukes to end the world. The B-21 is so expensive that its estimated cost was kept secret by Congress.
Lately, it is believed that the cost is upwards of $58 billion (The Defense Monitor, Sept., 2016).
Let’s hope and pray that a boastful President Trump doesn’t get an itchy trigger finger and becomes
overcome by a mood to remind the world that America is “exceptional” and “can’t be messed with!” and impulsively orders a nuclear first strike.
Having a brash President with access to a lethally armed nuclear war machine in an aggressive nation like the U.S., and who is also a climate change denier, is not a combination that bodes well for the homeland or the world.
Add it up, and it feels appropriate to refer to the present Republican Party as the “Dinosaur” Party. It is a Party whose budget will make sure that people who need help won't get it -- not food stamps, not Medicaid, not wheels on meals. Instead, the money will go to the unproductive rich and its ever more dangerous
military/industrial complex.
Senator Dianne Feinstein has been quoted to say that “…Congress shouldn’t fund dangerous new weapons designed to fight unwinnable nuclear wars.” (Citizen’s Watch, Spring 2017)
Seeking an end to the danger of a nuclear nightmare
Recognizing that nuclear militarism is a dead end, the peace loving nations at the United Nations are currently seeking to ban nuclear weapons. Yet the Dinosaur Party, as well as many corporate Democrats,
have yet to get the message.
The same shameful opposition can be said for the permanent 5 veto members of the UN Security Council –
France, Great Britain, Russia, China, and the U.S. -- all of whom are attempting to stop the UN from
passing a ban on nukes.
But the UN, no matter how well intentioned, lacks the tools needed to successfully end the dangers of life
extinction. The UN Charter itself lacks provisions to protect human rights, or enforce treaties or
international law. As a result, aggressive nations may simply ignore the ban.
The Earth Constitution could provide the needed answers for a “new UN.” The EC offers a blueprint to
transform the World System into one capable of preventing the danger of life extinction, and is designed to
replace the inadequate UN Charter.
The second “Building the World Parliament” conference under the Earth Constitution meets in
Delhi, India in December, 2017 and will be open to interested activists and the public.
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June 7, 2017 World Constitution and Parliament Association
www.worldparliament-gov.org
www.worldproblems.net
www.radford.edu/gmartin
www.earthfederation.info
For more information contact: gmartin@wcpa-org.us
(WCPA was founded in 1958 by Margaret and Philip Isely)
The Coming Climate CollapseThe Paris Climate Accord is a treaty of sovereign nation-states. “Sovereign” in this context means that they recognize no enforceable law above
themselves. It means that the nations of the world insist that their citizens must obey their internal laws, but they themselves refuse to live
under the rule of enforceable law. This contradiction is destroying our planetary climate and may lead to our extinction.The first U.N. sponsored environmental conference was as early as 1972. Twenty years later global alarm about the disintegrating environment
resulted in the famous 1992 Rio de Janeiro Conference that attracted scientists and leaders from around the world. Even at that time, there
was an overwhelming consensus among scientists worldwide concerning the life-threatening crisis of human-caused climate change. It was ten
years later, in 2002, that the U.N. sponsored another huge climate conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Despite this scientific consensus,
there was general agreement that the Rio climate accord, called “Agenda 21,” was a complete failure.
The U.N. then set the “Millennium Development Goals,” stating that the unsustainable global economy must be transformed by 2015. The
consensus in 2015 was again one of failure. So the U.N. with much fanfare launched a new set of 15 year goals called the “Sustainable
Development Goals.” These goals give the year 2030 as the deadline for achieving serious reductions in carbon and other emissions. These
goals were also largely included in the Paris Climate Accords, signed by some 190 nations.Does any thoughtful person seriously believe these goals will be achieved? “Sovereign” nations, recognizing no enforceable law above
themselves, can only cooperate by entering into voluntary, unenforceable treaties, like the Paris Accord. Yet every sovereign nation operates on
the basis of its own perceived economic and military self-interest.If a thriving capitalist economy conflicts with attaining the sustainable development goals, no nation will pursue these. If nations fail to achieve
these goals by the year 2030, no serious consequences follow for these nations or their leaders. The Paris accords are voluntary and
unenforceable. Under the present system the climate will inevitably collapse, and within a few decades may no longer support human life.In Brazil, greedy politicians who are also businessmen have been trying to push through their Parliament a bill allowing them to build some 40
dams on the Tapajos River and its tributaries and thereby flood some 1000 square miles of Amazon jungle. The Amazon jungle, as every
thoughtful person knows, is “the lungs of the Earth.” What right does Brazil have to destroy the lungs of the Earth? These lungs belong to the
planet and to humankind. Yet under the sovereign nation system, Brazil, like every other major country, has the power to destroy us all.Similarly, the U.S. recently withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, thereby sealing the fate of the entire world’s effort to prevent climate
collapse. As with Brazil, the U.S. is a sovereign nation and participation in this agreement is voluntary, just as compliance with the agreement is
voluntary. Under this system, there is little hope for a decent human future.The Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka "Earth Constitution) is dedicated to creating a sustainable planetary system from
beginning to end. To solve the problem of climate collapse, an integrated and comprehensive approach is necessary. For example, global
poverty must be eliminated along with global militarism if we are to achieve sustainability. (The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals only
recognize poverty as a problem, not militarism.) Today, half the world’s population cook their food with wood and charcoal, which is a major
cause of deforestation and climate collapse.Similarly, militarism is the global industry most environmentally destructive. It not only pours trillions of U.S. dollars down a toilet that should
be used for environmental protection and conversion, but the use of these bombs, shells, and missiles is environmentally devastating, and the
very manufacture of these horrific weapons produces millions of tons of poisonous toxic waste every year.Every nation operates from its own perceived self-interest, which is not the interest of the planet or future generations. Only uniting the Earth
under the Earth Constitution can create an integrated and comprehensive system that can save our planet. The withdrawal of the U.S. from
the Paris Accord only underlines this point. Withdrawal or no withdrawal is not the issue.The central issue is whether we can unite to solve our global problems. The Paris Accord is based on a political fragmentation of our planet that
makes effective action impossible. Uniting under the Earth Constitution will protect the internal sovereignty of every nation while at the
same time establishing the rule of enforceable law over all the nations. For all these reasons, ratification of the Earth Constitution is our
central hope. We must act now to unite the nations and protect our common human future.
On behalf of the World Parliament and the Earth Constitution,From the Executive Council of WCPA:Dr. Glen T. Martin PresidentSwami Agnivesh, WCPA Distinguished AdvisorDr. Roger Kotila, WCPA Vice-PresidentGuruji Arun Kumar, WCPA Distinguished Advisor
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Statement in Response to President Trump’s World Tour, May 2017
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The Constitution for the Federation of Earth
World Parliament
Operating in 14 sessions of the Provisional World Parliament to date in locations around the world
Statement in Response to President Trump’s World Tour, May 2017
On behalf of the World Parliament, with its many esteemed delegates and concerned citizens from around the world, we declare that a world tour by the President of the most powerful nation on Earth should promote real solutions to our terrible global problems of war, poverty, and environmental collapse.
Instead, we find President Trump speaking transparent lies and empty platitudes not only to Arab and Jewish dictators but to dozens of leaders from nations around the world. Behind these platitudes is the hypocrisy and terror of the present world system that continues war, human misery, and environmental devastation in countries everywhere such as Yemen, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria.
President Trump transparently promotes the war-system in the world and the uncontrolled capitalist trade system of wealth and power. He has secured a 350 billion dollar weapons deal with Saudi Arabia and another 240 billion dollars in trade deals. The recent terrible suicide bombing in Manchester, England, is a direct consequence of the war-system promoted by the U.S., Great Britain, and their allies. The so-called “security” systems of nearly all nations that destroy freedom and only increase human misery are also a direct consequence of their war-system.
We need world leaders who promote the rule of democratically legislated law on Earth. We need leaders who promote peace, justice, human flourishing, and environmental integrity. Any world leader who truly leads will affirm the need to empower the World Parliament under the Earth Constitution as only effective means by which human beings from around our planet can solve our global problems. The World Parliament seeks endorsement for our declaration from all those showing true leadership. We demand leadership with integrity and vision from everyone who truly seeks peace among the nations and peoples of the Earth.
On behalf of the World Parliament:
Dr. Glen T. Martin, President of the Parliament and the World Constitution and Parliament Assoc. (WCPA)
Swami Agnivesh, Distinguished Advisor, WCPA
Rev. Laura George, J.D., International Advisory Board, WCPA
Dr. Roger Kotila, Vice-President, WCPA
Dr. Vijaya Murthy, International Advisory Board, WCPA
www.earth-constitution.org
25 May 2017
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February 10, 2017
Jerusalem For All
Born in the Palestinian city of El-Bireh (presently under Israeli Military and Settlers Occupation). Immigrated to the US in
62. After graduating from high school in Gary, Indiana was drafte...Show More
Friends,
This article comes from Veterans Today. Jerusalem for all? A wonderful vision if only the United Nations had the tools to
make it happen. But Mr. Jadallah's hope for the UN Security Council to step in is wishful thinking. Israel has too much
influence over the US Congress, and will not permit it.
The Constitution for the Federation of Earth could provide the needed structure lacking in the present UN Charter.
It is time to ask the UN General Assembly to open its doors to the legally required Charter review, aiming for a new
world charter/constitution and a "new UN."
-- Dr. Roger Kotila, Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
Jerusalem For All
By Sami Jamil Jadallah on January 27, 2017
Haaretz, the well-regarded Israeli newspaper when it comes to Israel or the Arab-Israeli conflict, is much more
credible than the New York Times or the Washington Post; and Haaretz recently published an opinion by Gideon
Biger, in which he disputed the premise and the claims that Jerusalem is the Capital of the Jews, with “research
showing the city has existed for about 4,000 years. During the first 1,000 years it had no connection to the Jewish
People”.
Perhaps Mr. Trump, in finalizing his decision to move the US embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, should really think of a
“Jerusalem for all” as the US policy for the future, with the US embassy in Jerusalem serving all the people and
residents of Jerusalem, including the more than 70,000 Palestinians forced out of Jerusalem by the Israelis. It would be
even greater if the US embassy in Jerusalem were to be the American embassy representing America in a united One
State — a state for all of its people, Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel, as an occupying power, is unfit and unqualified to rule and manage the city. With the Palestinian leaderships
having abandoned Jerusalem and its Arab citizens in Oslo, it too is unfit and unqualified to represent and protect the
interests of Palestinians in Jerusalem.
A young Israeli boy and his Palestinian friend realize that their bond of friendship supersedes cultural or religious
animosity
Israel, contrary to its marketed slogan as “the only democracy in the Middle East”, is a racist xenophobic country, and
has never been a country for all of its citizens.
The PLO leadership is a self-serving, corrupt, inept organization that cannot be trusted to represent, let alone protect,
the life and rights of those whom it claims to represent.
For now, nothing short of providing international protection for the Palestinian population of Jerusalem and in the entire
Occupied Territories will do. The US is a party to the conflict, and cannot be trusted to be a fair and honest broker.
There is an urgent need to place the entire Occupied Territories under an interim international trusteeship, while both
sides the Israelis and Palestinians work out the details for the One State for All of its people.
The Palestinians under Israeli Occupation are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.” While all nations and
people have an absolute and inalienable right to resist foreign occupation including armed resistance, Palestinians are
the only people and nation denied such rights. Any form of resistance is seen as “acts of terrorism”, and this label is
sanctioned by the PLO, Oslo and the United States.
All official Israeli armed acts, along with the acts of criminal trespassing settlers, are deemed “self-defense” no matter
what are the circumstances, including targeted assassinations, detentions without charges, house demolitions, acts of
arson, cold-blooded murders, uprooting, burning of hundreds of thousands of olive trees, confiscation of property and
denial of access to one’s land and farm.
Knesset’s Ayelet Shaked: “Palestinian children are “‘little snakes'”
The Palestinians are denied any right to self-defense, let alone any right to resistance against the Israeli Occupation.
Keep in mind the Palestinian Authority and leadership role is a commercial and security partner with the Israeli
Occupation.
For nearly 50 years, since the Six Day War, Palestinians in Jerusalem have been suffering from daily discrimination and
ethnic cleansing by Israelis, supported for the most part by wealthy Jewish Americans using tax exempt organizations
to confiscate Palestinian properties under the pretense of being “Jewish” properties.
Israeli courts, for the most part, allow falsified and fraudulent deeds in support of such criminal activities, as we have
seen most often in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Sheik Jarrah and Bab-el-Amoud.
Since the founding of Israel, and prior to the 1967 War, Jerusalem was divided by barbed wires, with East
Jerusalem under Jordanian control and West Jerusalem under Israeli control. There was some minor UN presence.
It was only after the Six Day War that Jerusalem was united under total Israeli control, and formally annexed to Israel
shortly after the end the war.
Fence Building – This is the fence that Bibi built with American dollars
Israel moved quickly and swiftly to consolidate its control over East Jerusalem making dramatic changes in the city
demographics, by totally destroying entire Arab neighborhoods. This was the case with “Maghreb Quarter” near the
Dome of the Mosque.
Declaring the unified city as its eternal capital, Israel began to use a series of dubious laws as a legal means to
ethnically cleanse the city of its Arab residents.
First it denied Palestinians their right of residency under many pretenses, and then used “absentee laws” to officially
steal and confiscate their properties.
By now, and after 50 years of total control over Jerusalem, Israel proved over and over it is not a fair or honest trustee
of a city of both Jews and Arabs (Christians and Muslims); its policies are so discriminatory, it disqualifies Israel from
managing a unified city.
Israeli police on al Aqsa
On the other hand, and notwithstanding empty statements by the late Yasser Arafat and his successor Mahmoud Abba,
Jerusalem and its Arab residents were never a priority. They never received the necessary material support to help
Arabs fight Israel’s onslaught on their very existence in the city.
The Palestinian leadership never translated its words to action to help Arab residents in their struggle to stay. Little,
if any, legal support was given to the Palestinians to help them fight expulsion, or fight the confiscation or demolition of
their properties.
The cost of one international trip by Mahmoud Abbas and his entourage perhaps could have covered all the court costs
and fines. The Palestinian PLO leadership, just like Israel, is not qualified to represent and guard the interests of Arabs
in the city.
“Jerusalem for All” would keep the city unified under international agreement, and preserve the unique
quality of the city, and its special status as a holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
It will be worthwhile to explore such an international conference, supported by a UN Security Council resolution.
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October 15, 2016
! Why Not !
by Bob Neumann
King used the idea,
Gandhi's old idea.
Fight with non-violence.
Push for a clear, simple change,
hard,
very hard
without violence
and
with high purpose.
Discipline the peace warriors,
Train them in "Sit In" non-violence.
Singing and love are just
much more powerful than bullets,
just maybe -- some of the time.
The Civil Rights movement worked.
The color revolutions sorta worked.
Dozens of non-violent revolutions
like the Velvet Revolution
have worked well.
Solve problems civilly
forcefully,
with peace warriors -- trained,
with mass uprisings,
Instead of guns,
without guns.
Just a tad more civilized!
Voting with our precious time & tired feet,
sorta "direct," disciplined, democracy --
a head and heart vote
outside the ballot box.
Not as good or democratic as the ballot box,
but too often excruciatingly necessary.
Could this be the world's peaceful
path to world government ?
! WHY NOT !
by Bob Neumann
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September 15, 2016
Two Reasons for War
Hank Stone
War famously being “hell,” why do we Americans do so much of it?
There are two big reasons we have wars.
Money, of course, is the obvious reason. Our country spends about $1 trillion every year on wars and preparations for wars.
Everyone who gets that money is understandably concerned that peace may break out.
The man on the street does not want war, but doesn’t like to think about it either. So he delegates thoughts about war and peace to leaders who promise to keep us safe. Those leaders generally can gather more personal power, and get a pass for possible misbehavior, if the people are agitated about crazy terrorists under their bed.
So everyone who receives a piece of that $1 trillion per year, understandably enough, likes war.
The other big reason America gets into wars is a constellation of traditions.
Everyone who was around after World War 2 was regaled by heroic tales of brave soldiers, who kept America safe by fighting “the good war.” We have experienced parades, marching bands, snappy uniforms, medals, and clean-cut, disciplined, fearless young men.
At the same time, the U.S. economy has been strong for our whole lives. The Korean War was unsatisfying, and the Vietnam War was problematic, but the institution of war never wrecked our economy. War keeps us safe. Freedom isn’t free.
Periods of war, punctuated by periods of peace, seem normal to us. Our children watch GI Joe cartoons, and celebrate the death of the evil “other.”
When so instructed, we citizens seamlessly switch from fear of Germans and Asians, to fear of possible terrorists – anyone who looks Middle Eastern.
There is an important difference between those who receive money and power from the war system, and we who simply find getting into wars traditional, and normal.
The difference is like wolves and sheep having dinner together. The wolves make the arrangements, and collect the money. The sheep appreciate the tradition, but recognize too late that they are on the menu.
In our money-oriented culture, it’s hard to fault the weapons makers and military brass for doing what they do. But the time has come for the rest of us, who are made poorer and less safe by militarism, to reconsider our support for the tradition of war.
For militarily weak countries, war may sometimes be unavoidable. The U.S., by contrast, has extraordinary military power. We always have alternatives to war.
We Americans don’t need to be aggressors. We don’t need to be thieves. We don’t need to be murderers. We don’t need to be fearful. And we don’t need to be sheep.
by Hank Stone
hstone@rochester.rr.com
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August 1, 2016
Is Anything Sacred Anymore?
Americans appear less than satisfied with their presidential candidates. Reactions for many Americans are a state of disbelief and a growing sense of despair and gloom. Rants from Trump, accusations of criminal conduct by Clinton, and lying by both candidates cause voters to ask themselves, "Is there anything sacred anymore?"
Speaker Stephan Dinan's new book "Sacred America Sacred World" takes consciousness to where national patriotism begins to include world patriotism. Do not be deceived by the phrase "sacred America." Dinan is not glorifying America. He knows its dark side, its shadow. "Sacred" for Dinan has a different meaning.
He describes a (spiritual) shift from a focus on "me" to "we." His respect for the "sacred" is not just theoretical or academic; it is more than meditation seeking inner peace; there is a call to r-evolution that takes us to the United Nations and beyond.
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| The Parliament considered and passed a number of acts, among them two truly historic legislative acts, one for merging the UN under the Earth Constitution and the second for a “Global Sustainability Directorate” integrating the many UN agencies working for sustainability together under the Earth Constitution.(This act draws upon the Parliament’s earlier act creating the “Earth Emergency Rescue Administration (EERA),” updating it and integrating it into the many actually existing UN agencies directed to sustainability.) |
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2. ![]() Deriving from this accomplishment, one major WCPA project of the past six months has been to bind these legislative acts into a book along with the Earth Constitution and send this volume to all heads of UN agencies and world leaders. These acts are very forward-thinking and might just strike a resonate chord in some world social and environmental leaders concerning the practical and concrete steps that might be taken for uniting the world under the Earth Constitution and saving our planet from self-destruction. We have had to struggle to find funding to support this costly project but are determined to carry it forward despite all obstacles. We have the wonderful cooperation of Dr. Sid Smith, Director of the Institute for Economic Democracy Press, and of Swami S.A.R.P.V. Chaturvedi and the Sri Ramanuja Mission Trust in India. SRMT has volunteered to arrange the major portion of this publication in India, for which we are very grateful. The book, about to go to press, is called Our Common Future: The UN as an Effective Peace and Sustainability System. World Parliament Breakthrough Legislation under the Earth Constitution. Here is a photo of the front and back covers as designed by Sid Smith. |
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3. ![]() I want to formally introduce to you all our WCPA Administrative Assistant to the President, Ms. Becky Galdo. Becky has done a wonderful job over the past year in helping get the word out worldwide about the Earth Constitution as the only practical and viable option available to humankind at the present moment. She has approached this work with intelligence, independence, creativity and dedication, for which we are very grateful. Becky just graduated from Radford University (photo) and is now in the graduate program for Social Work at University of South Florida in Tampa. Despite the fact that WCPA struggles with a lack of resources to support our work, it appears to me that Becky has been the best possible investment that we could have made. |
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4. Becky has been developing websites, Facebook pages, and electronic mailing lists for us, as well as posting on diverse other sites. These include a separate site for the Collegium of World Judges (www.collegiumworldjudges.com), a site for the World Constitution and Parliament Association (www. earthfederationwcpa.wordpress.com), a site for the World Parliament:(www.provisionalworldparliament.wordpress.com), and a Facebook page for the Earth Constitution:
https://www.facebook.com/EarthConstitution/ |
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| 5. Mr. Peter Graves-Goodman, WCPA Vice-President in Miami, Florida, is working on updating our main website (www.worldparliament-gov.org) so that people will be able to sign the Earth Constitution and join WCPA electronically. This feature will finally bring our electronic media into the 21st century where it belongs. |
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6. ![]() My new book One World Renaissance: Holistic Planetary Transformation through a Global Social Contract has been published by IED Press as of 2016. It involves a sustained philosophical elucidation of the concept of holism in relation to human values and the foundations for democratic world law. I am hoping it will serve our work by laying the intellectual groundwork for the Earth Constitution. Becky has created and maintained a website and blog for the book at: https://oneworldrenaissance.com |
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| 7. We were honored to have as delegate to the Parliament, Sri E.P. Menon, a Vice-President of WCPA and long-time social activist and supporter of our work, whose home is in Bangalore, India. Following the Parliament, Menon organized for us an itinerary of speaking engagements in South India and Bangalore, from where I also sent copies of the Earth Constitution to Prime Minister Modi and President Mukherjee. We were also honored to have Dr. Klaus Schlichtmann as a delegate. Klaus, who lives in Japan, is internationally recognized as a scholar and historian of the peace movement and the World Federalist Movement worldwide. He is Distinguished Advisor to WCPA along with Swami S.A.R.P.V. Chaturvedi. |
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| 8. Justice David Percy Quispe Salsavilca from Peru has contacted us about the Collegium of World Judges and also has submitted an article that we will be publishing. We are looking forward to working with him in this project. As you know, the Constitution established a Collegium of World Judges from which all members of the eight benches of the World Supreme Court system will be drawn. I believe this is also indicative of our growing presence in Latin America. Traditionally WCPA had presence in a number of countries in Africa and Asia but less so in South America, in spite of our dynamic center in Costa Rica led by Lic. Celina Garcia. Though her work and that of others this is beginning to change. |
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9. In Latin America, in the past year I have visited both Ecuador (from where I sent a letter to President Correa) and Venezuela on behalf of our work. In Venezuela, we had extensive contact with the World PROUT Movement through Dada Maheshvarananda who directs a Cooperative in Caracas and with others in the PROUT network within Venezuela, such as Professor Dorkis Shephard and Mr. Eugenio Mendoza. The founder of PROUT, Indian Guru P.R. Sarkar, advocated world unity, world spirituality, and world government. Hence, there was a very positive response to the Earth Constitution among PROUT supporters in Venezuela.
Venezuela is a socialist country that promotes cooperatives and socially conscious work for the common good of all: healthcare, education, food and housing.While there, I also met with government ministers: Mr. Tulio Virguez from the Ministry of Foreign Relations (right hand photo below with red hat), Riccardo from the Venezuelan Embassy in San Francisco (on my left), and Juan Pablo from the Ministry of Justice. They gave me a copy of the Venezuelan Constitution in English and saw the comparisons with the Earth Constitution, which I gave them in Spanish and English versions.We joined a big march in Caracas on behalf of the Bolivarian Revolutionary Government and its commitment to democratic solidarity with all persons. The photo to the left shows both this march in support of democratic socialism, and the center photo below shows our host, Eugenio Mendoza, his wife Cris, and their son Mario, along with two men to the right who gave us a tour of the military prison now a museum, that chronicles the oppression of freedom throughout Latin America. Both these gentlemen are former prisoners in this facility.
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10. In December in Delhi, I had the good fortune of meeting Swami Agnivesh (photo below) who wanted to find out more about the Earth Constitution. Swami Agnivesh has long been a prominent member of leader in the Interreligious Dialogue movement and a leader in collaboration with the UN to end human trafficking and bonded labor. I used his new book called Applied Spirituality in my Philosophy of Religious Course at Radford University during the spring semester 2016. He understands the need for a human unity in diversity under the Earth Constitution. He writes:![]()
“The seeds of globalization lie buried deep in spirituality, which is the only authentically universal vision that humankind has ever had. It is doubtful that any international organization would have come into being, but for the pattern that existed already in spirituality. Unlike the mechanisms of institutionalized religions, the call of true spirituality has always been to transcend the familiar boundaries drawn by individual and corporate ego, and to discover the unity underlying the diversity which marks our world” (p. 65). This statement could very well apply to the Earth Constitution, which, as we all know, is predicated on unity in diversity that derives from an authentic spirituality that has no need to identify with any exclusive and limited religious institutions. Swami Agnivesh will be meeting with Pope Francis this month and presenting him a copy of the Earth Constitution. |
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11. In May and early June, Phyllis and I went to Thailand and Japan. Dr. Phichai Tovivich, WCPA Vice-President, and Director of Universal Love and Brotherhood for Thailand, had organized the first international ULBA Thailand Conference (photo left below with Phyllis Turk, CNM, WCPA Treasurer). There were participants there from a number of countries besides Thailand: Vietnam, Australia, Japan, Nepal, the US, etc. He arranged for accommodations for us in the Guest House of Chulalongkorn University, where the conference was also being held. Dr. Phichai did a wonderful job putting together a truly impressive conference and special ceremonies (center photo below). I presented my paper called: “Holism, Universal Love, and Democratic World Law” (photo) through a corresponding Power Point presentation. There were many interesting speakers at this conference. We distributed many copies of the ![]() ![]() Constitution and other WCPA literature to the group. |
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| 12. An extraordinary moment happened at the Thailand ULBA conference when Mr. Madan Bhadur Pradhan introduced himself to me (photo wearing white with Rev. Lama Monk J.B. Tamang). Mr. Pradhan had been a Vice-President of WCPA during the 1980s and early 90s. He was also Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Education for the Nepal government, and had been appointed by the Provisional World Parliament as Environmental Minister for the Earth Federation. He had participated in the World Parliaments in Delhi and Miami Beach, Florida in 1985 and 1987. Mr. Pradhan was anxious to resume his work on behalf of the Earth Constitution. He said he had come to Bangkok just to meet me there and introduce himself. WCPA has a number of contacts in Nepal but no Vice-President or major officer. I was delighted to re-recognize his status in view of his long history of service to our cause. With his international experience Mr. Pradhan can lead a resurgence of interest in the Earth Constitution both in Nepal and within the South Asian nations. |
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13. On May 27th we flew to Japan. We had been graciously bid farewell by Dr. Phichai in Bangkok and then met at Osaka Airport in Japan by Mr. Katsuya Kimura who kindly lodged us in the Oomoto Guest House at Kameoka. On Sunday, May 29th, Mr. Kimura drove us for two hours to Takasago, where the Oomoto Temple there had organized an elaborate and beautiful Poetry Festival. Forty selected poems about peace (from the many submitted by Oomoto members) had been put to music and sacred chant, resulting in a wonderful and inspiring sacred spectacle to those many people assembled under the awnings in the gentle rain.
On May 30, an interview was arranged for me with the ULBA staff in which Mr. Hiromi Yano asked about our work on behalf of the Earth Constitution and served as translator. I also distributed copies of the Constitution and other literature in English to people in the ULBA division of Oomoto.We need translations of our literature into Japanese and other languages.The Earth Constitution is already in Japanese, but we need it distributed widely in Japan through cooperation with ULBA and Oomoto. We were very pleased to have the kind interest of Asada Tokihiko, Chief Director of the Oomoto Headquarters, Rev. Toshiomi Okuwaki, Director, Jinruiaizenkai Editorial Department, and Yasuhiko Inagaki, Vice-President of ULBA. |
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| 14. While in Kameoka I had the pleasure to meet Mr. Chayne Ellis, originally from Australia, who has lived in Japan for 14 years. He directs a school there as well as doing regular work for Jinruiaizankai in Kameoka. He is also a friend of Dr. Phichai Tovivich in Thailand. Chayne is a person of great energy and intelligence who had already researched WCPA carefully before we met. He already know our strengths and weaknesses and the difficulties we face in trying to make the Earth Constitution a household word throughout the planet. Chayne wants to work with us and I knew immediately that he would bring these good qualities to WCPA work in Japan. I am proud to have him as the President of our WCPA Japan Chapter and member of our International Advisory Board. |
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| By coincidence (or perhaps it was the synergistic global movement of convergence toward the Earth Constitution), I was also contacted by Mr. John Rachel after arriving home to Virginia. John lives in Japan and would like to work for the Earth Constitution.I put him in contact with Chayne Ellis.Japan is a place of great beauty, civility, and community.It is also a place where many understand the horror of nuclear weapons. I think the time is right for a renaissance for the Earth Constitution in Japan. |
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| 15. From June 1 to 3, Phyllis and I were in Hiroshima, hosted by the World Federalists of Hiroshima, Professor Shaw Fujii, Professor Mineko Morishita, and Professor Tadaakira Jo (in that order on my right in the photo). While at the Peace Center, we met with Secretary General Yasuyoshi Komizo and Director Yasco Suehiro in the offices of Mayors for Peace (left of Phyllis in the photo). They told me that more than 7000 mayors of cities around the world were organized in this effort to end nuclear weapons, which is a truly wonderful movement in my view. They shared important and detailed literature on their work, its history and significance. I urged them to consider that the world needed to adopt a “world peace system” to replace its present war-system and that the Earth Constitution was the blueprint for that world peace system that would end not only nuclear weapons but all wars everywhere. We gave out copies of the Earth Constitution and other literature to all of these leaders. We were especially hosted most wonderfully by Professor Mineko Morishita, who spent a day with us visiting the Peace Park and the beautiful island and World Heritage site of Miyajima. |
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16. I was also recently contacted by Richard Maxheim from Germany, a long-time World Federalist who wishes to work on promoting the Earth Constitution in Germany. I was very pleased at this development. More and more, Federalists around the world (sensing that their movement needs a clear and immediate framework that can save the Earth from immanent disaster) are turning to WCPA as a way of making a concrete contribution to a decent future for humanity. We have the Earth Constitution in a paperbound German edition already, and I will be sending this to Mr. Maxheim along with other literature. In the meantime, Dr. Eugenia Almand will be digitizing the German translation of the Constitution for Mr. Maxheim to put on the website he has already created for this purpose at: http://wcpa-deutschland.web-hostel.de/ There are many world federalists in Germany and in the European Union, which is important for our work because they already understand that the world needs a good constitution. We will be approaching them not only from Germany but also from Belgium (see below) with the message that the Earth Constitution is our best and most practical option. I look forward to working with Mr. Maxheim and others in the German Republic.
17. It is important to mention here that Mr. Amit Paul, president of the Delhi Chapter of WCPA, has been directing his dedication to a just and peaceful world under the Earth Constitution into passing law examinations in Delhi. He has spent years helping ordinary, often victimized, people submit affidavits and requests in the court system of Delhi, but with passing further examinations he will be able not only to serve people more effectively but promote the Earth Constitution among the judiciary and legal community in the capital of India, which he has been doing for several years now. He writes: “I want to travel in different countries spreading this message among the masses in humble way to work tirelessly for ONENESS of HUMANKIND, and to work for WORLD CONSTITUTION for the FEDERATION Of EARTH, which I hope to start from this year.” Amit Paul was instrumental in arranging many activities for me in Delhi during December of 2015 (just before the Parliament in Kolkata). He is truly a key person for promoting the Earth Constitution in India and beyond, and I very much appreciate his lifelong dedication to our work.
18. In the photo, Dr. Roger Kotila, Vice-President, WCPA (center), with Dr. Bob Hanson and Ms.Vivian Davidson, are in historic Brussels, Belgium, home to the European Parliament and many World Federalists. Roger writes: “A world federalist colleague, Shahr-Yar Sharei, studied law at the University of Kent. Based upon his doctoral research into international law (or lack thereof) and the UN Charter, he has concluded that the UN is legally required to conduct a Charter review. As a consequence of his findings, he is in the process of setting up a new think tank – the Center for United Nations Constitutional Research (CUNCR), to be located here in Brussels.” Roger was in Brussels to make contact with European Parliamentarians and World Federalists, and to see that any Charter review process for the UN will include the proposal to replace the Charter with the Earth Constitution.
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February 29, 2016
Palestinian Professor Concludes That Diversity a Key to Survival
From the PREAMBLE to the EARTH CONSTITUTION
"Conscious that Humanity is One despite the existence of diverse
nations, races, creeds, ideologies and cultures and that the
principle of unity in diversity is the basis for a new age when
war shall be outlawed and peace prevail;..."
Editor's note
[Below is a recently received email from Professor
Mazin Qumsiyeh who provides human rights news and
commentary from the rarely reported viewpoint of the
Palestinians themselves. His insights regarding the
value of "diversity" are shared by the Earth Federation
as reflected in the excerpt shown above from the
PREAMBLE to the EARTH CONSTITUTION.]
Professor Qumsiyeh writes:
Mea culpa: I shared as part of my last email an anecdote what Hillary
Clinton said in a letter to Saban. In that letter Clinton asserted her
opposition to BDS but did not say she supports killing Gaza children. The
latter part apparently was a news item of a satirical nature. I am sorry
for this error. Clinton and Trump and Sanders remain strong Zionist
supports and have not challenged Israel’s ongoing genocide of native
Palestinians.
Now on ongoing matters, a cease fire was declared in Syria brokered by the
US and Russia which is a good thing. The twin rogue regimes of Israel and
Saudi Arabia are not happy. The former rattled its military wares and
killed a few more Palestinians. The Saudi regime cut off aid to the
Lebanese army while dumping more weapons on civilians in Yemen. Personally
I was reflecting on issues of Invasive Species. Here in Palestine we see
more and more invasive species: crows, mina birds, Zionist settlers and
European Pine and Australian "ornamental" trees they brought that are
taking over vast areas of the country and damaging native flora and fauna.
530 native villages diverse in customs and culture and religion were wiped
out to make space for the invasive species. Biodiversity shrunk in the face
of the onslaught.
Many human beings especially those who look at life from a narrow
perspective (sometimes called fundamentalists) view diversity as harmful
and want to create a more homogeneous society with their group/idea
dominating it. The Pharisees of 2000 years ago were a powerful sect mired
in ritualistic traditions which predated by some 300 years the evolution of
Rabbinical Judaism. Jesus challenged them for their orthodoxy of thought
that he considered disconnected from reality and needs of the people. In
the past 2000 years similar ideas opposing diversity were resurrected from
crusaders to Islamic fundamentalism, to white supremacy, to genocide of
Armenians by Ottoman turks, to Nazi atrocities of murdering millions, to US
genocides in Cambodia and Vietnam, to apartheid in South Africa, to Rwanda,
and most recently to Zionist genocide of native Palestinians.
Working and adapting to changing landscapes is based on diversity whether
in natural world (Darwinian evolution) or in human societies (cultural
evolution). This is a key to survival but the reverse is also true: most
isolationist ideologies that refused to accept concepts of diversity are
extinct or almost extinct. Zionism will thus also end. I am beginning to
wonder if the ultimate trajectory of Jewish colonization of Palestine is a
complicated ritual (sacrificing the native Palestinians) to arrive at a
culminated predictable mass suicide (ala Samson or Masada). I say this
with some trepidation because all my life I have been working hard to
insist that there is a way out based on human rights and international law
that guarantees mutual survival and mutual respect for all people and ideas
in Palestine. I still think it is possible (although that window is
closing very quickly thanks to Israeli actions) to return Palestine to a
multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural society (albeit with now a
far more prominent Jewish and Hebrew presence). Zionists insist on their
program that is analogous to the program of the crusaders to “Christianize”
Palestine and make it this fictional “Christendom.” Zionists want to
transform the country to a Jewish state and their relentless program to do
that is now focused on Jerusalem and strengthening the Jewish only colonies
built around it on Palestinian lands. When the Crusaders were defeated,
Christian presence here continued and actually flourished (my family is
descendants of Canaanites who converted to Christianity in the 3rd century
AD and lived through that tumultuous era as Arab Eastern Christians).
Intrinsically, people recognize that there is beauty and harmony in
diversity. Every human being recognizes that spring is beautiful because
of the diversity of textures, flowers, animals, smells, faces, and foods.
From childhood we recognize that we do not like monotony and we like things
that mix colors or change routines. That is also why jokes are funny as
they provide the unexpected punch line. I started to think that the same as
applies to considering the natural world of animals and plants beautiful
must also apply to diversity of people. Zionism and Nazism’s main failure
is that they wanted to create homogeneity. Homogeneity is ugly by
definition even without considering the attempt to exclude what originally
made the place beautiful: the natives.
Stay human and help the natives
Mazin Qumsiyeh
Professor and Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
[Editor's note: The above email
received 2/28/16.]
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October 8, 2015
Pope and UN Sustainable Development Goals Inspire, but Fall Seriously Short
by Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
The talk to the United Nations by Pope Francis in late September along with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 by the UN General Assembly provide inspiration for a deeply troubled world beset with crises. Yet what is missing is too important to ignore.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in recent Guardian newspaper articles asks if the UN is “still functional” and “fair?” Can it be fixed? What are the chances for reform?
World federalists have warned from the UN’s birth that the Charter is wrong. Some of the world’s best thinkers, like Einstein and Freud, concluded that only a world government can do the job.
The Charter is the UN’s Achilles heel.
The Charter must be “constitutionalized,” much like when the 13 American colonies abandoned the Articles of Confederation and replaced them by adopting a federal union model of government -- the US Constitution.
Transforming the UN is no longer out of the question. A new world Charter/Constitution has been successfully drafted by the World Constitution and Parliament Association.
WCPA’s Constitution for the Federation of Earth, also known as the Earth Constitution, corrects the fatal flaws in the UN Charter. It is the type of governmental structure that world federalists insist is what will be required if we are to “end the scourge of war.”
NO NEED FOR DINOSAUR THINKING
In view of the availability of a replacement for the Charter, the Pope’s exhortations and the UN’s pronouncements fall seriously short. The Pope, perhaps unaware of a better alternative, lauds the UN Charter. UN member states, like dinosaurs, have remained stuck for 70 years in the same inadequate governing system.
Rather than talk directly about the fateful problems with the Charter and the need for a new one, the Pope emphasized spiritual strategies: “The appeal to the moral conscience of man has never been as necessary as it is today.” He urges an “examination of conscience” for those “charged with the conduct of international affairs.”
Meanwhile, proxy wars in the Middle East instigated by bully nations are causing terror beyond description. The US is busy invading nations and overthrowing governments. Now Russia weighs in bombing the very terrorists and mercenaries trained and armed by the CIA and its allies. The UN tries to mediate peaceful solutions but mostly is reduced to the role of Red Cross, aiding desperate refugees fleeing the carnage.
CLINGING TO A DEFECTIVE CHARTER
When changes to the UN are considered, they are invariably only cosmetic – appealing for “cooperation” and “partnerships,” expanding the size of the Security Council, or asking to have more say in selecting the next UN Secretary General.
Peace activists urge the Security Council’s Permanent-5 (US, Russia, China, Great Britain, France) to refrain from using the veto under certain dire conditions such as genocide.
UN member states, the UN Association, other NGO’s, and the media rarely address the urgent need to replace the defective, aging Charter. The thought of a new Charter for a “new UN” seems to be out of the question, despite the fact that a new world Charter/Constitution is completed and ready to go
The very idea of such a game changer is seen as either utopian, or unrealistic. There is a widely held belief, not without reason, that the Security Council’s P-5 would use their absolute veto power to block any new Charter -- no matter how good it is.
The introduction of the Earth Constitution, along with the concept of “constitutionalizing” the Charter, could potentially overcome the stifling threat of the veto. The absolute veto power granted the P-5 cannot be considered legitimate and may be challenged when democracy is the order of the day, and the Review required under the Charter has never been conducted.
To the Pope’s credit, he recognizes the key missing elements in UN governance -- democracy and enforceable law. He states that all nations should have “a genuine and equitable influence on, decision-making processes.” He adds that there is a need for the “rule of law” and “creation of a juridical system,” governing necessities lacking in the Charter.
SECOND CLASS CITIZENSHIP AND LEGAL LOOPHOLES
The UN is not democratic. The majority of nations and world citizenry have no say even though what happens globally affects everyone. Only the P-5 nations make final decisions. The remaining 188 nations have second class citizenship, only allowed to make “recommendations” for the P-5 to consider.
Loopholes in the Charter permit leaders of powerful nations and other VIP’s to be above the law. World crimes instigated by these leaders, by heads of multinational corporations, or by Big Money almost always go unpunished. The International Criminal Court and World Court (International Court of Justice) are small steps in the right direction, but are no match for these global shot-callers.
Despite glaring defects the Pope believes that the UN can yield “peaceful results” if only the Charter is “respected” and “applied with transparency and sincerity.” He is wrong.
The Pope’s faith in gaining peace by respecting the Charter will fail just as “give peace a chance” and “all we need is love” failed. Government has always been needed to maintain a civilized order, but we need the right kind of government.
PLAN FOR A NEW UN
Recent doctoral research on the UN Charter and international law reveals that the UN is legally required to conduct a Charter Review but has failed to do so. Such a Review is part of a “constitutionalizing” process for the UN. The time is ripe for such an examination.
The world feels like it is spinning out of control with the UN helpless to bring back order or stability. WCPA’s Earth Constitution is a carefully crafted document designed to defeat the geopolitical war system of which the UN and its Charter are an integral part. For the first time, there could be hope that a world of peace is possible.
With the Earth Constitution a democratic world federation can be created with a democratically elected World Parliament and a rationally designed global judiciary system.
Critical world problems -- wars, secret operations to overthrow governments, threats of nuclear destruction, climate change, deep pockets of poverty, and the violation of human and earth rights -- can be dealt with properly under the Earth Constitution.
We must now hope that the UN General Assembly has the courage to begin a full Charter Review to analyze its fatal defects that will become increasingly obvious when compared to the Earth Constitution.
Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Senior fellow, Institute On World Problem
Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
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September 6, 2015
American Violence and the Commonwealth of God
by Professor Glen T. Martin
Much has been written recently about the pervasive violence, internal and external, of the living disaster that is the United States of America. Articles have appeared about domestic violence, racist violence, prison violence, violence in the schools, police violence, violence against women, violence against immigrants, nation-building through genocidal violence, US imperial violence going back two centuries, the culture of violence, etc. Tom Engelhardt sums up much of this nicely in his June 2015 article “Armed Violence in the Homeland.” In the article he reviews much of the violence that occurs nationwide on a daily basis and, under the subheading “Armed Dangers and Meal Tickets,” points out how little danger there is to our lives from ISIS or foreign terrorists compared to the daily police and civilian violence pervasive in America. However, he points out that magnifying this so-called danger is the “meal-ticket” for the bloated national security state and the military-industrial complex.
In his other books and articles, however, Engelhardt also astutely documents the American drive to dominate the world through globally projected military violence, a huge militarism driven by the lust for empire, wealth, and the resources of our planet. A recent complementary book by four scholars and peace leaders very much agrees. In The American Empire and the Commonwealth of God, David Ray Griffin, John B. Cobb, Jr., Richard A. Falk, and Catherine Keller collectively document America’s drive to dominate the Earth through militarism, deception, economic penetration, and guile. The title of this article is influenced by their book, for I want to point out that the “commonwealth of God” that points beyond violence everywhere on Earth is not characterized adequately by any of these thinkers. Engelhardt proposes no real solutions to the pervasive violence he documents and these four other thinkers, in my view, are merely lukewarm in their assessment of what is necessary if human life is to continue much longer on this planet.
Pentagon views of violence immature and childlike
There are likely many interconnected causes of violence on all these levels: economic, cultural, technological, systemic, etc., but all these causes keep most Americans in a state of immaturity not much beyond adolescence. Violence is largely a symptom of immaturity: the people who work for the Pentagon are clearly childlike in their ignorant assumptions that violence can solve anything and everything. The people in Homeland Security are similarly childlike in their belief that trashing democracy and freedom can somehow make us safer, and the people on Wall Street are like college students strutting their post-adolescent stuff: “mine is bigger than yours,” or “I’ve conquered or exploited more people than you have”—clearly this lust for power and extreme wealth is as childish as it is ignorant. Garry Leach wrote a perceptive book called Capitalism: A Structural Genocide that underlines the point that there are also deep structural features to violence. Immature people living in immature, undemocratic systems of greed, exploitation, and power will only produce more immature people in future generations. We need to overcome violence on all levels: personally, culturally, and structurally.
But there is a second form of structural violence ignored by many and barely touched on in The American Empire and the Commonwealth of God. This is the violence of the system of militarized sovereign nation-states, all claiming some absolute rights over this or that portion of the Earth and the right to militarize themselves against the violence of all the other sovereign nation-states. Perhaps Mahatma Gandhi was right when he declared that the nation-state was “violence in a concentrated and organized form.” Both the nation-state system and the system of global capitalism were born three to four centuries ago when human beings were as yet not capable of moving to a higher stage of maturity.
Many psychologists and developmental thinkers are agreed on the basic stages of growth in moral maturity. I will summarize this in a generic way. (For more details see my recent books.) Human beings can progressively mature from the early magical and mythical stages of young children to the “ethnocentric” stage in which one identifies with one’s own nation, culture, and religion to stages of intellectual independence and “autonomy” and finally to stages of holism and “integration.” The latter stages inevitably see the world as one and respect its unity in diversity. The fact of the matter is that science (for the past century) has discovered the holism of the universe, our planetary ecosystem, and human life with great clarity and vast amounts of evidence. We are now in a position to do what they could not do when capitalism and sovereign nation-states were being developed—we can now see what holism means in our personal, social, economic, political, and cultural lives and adopt it for ourselves and our planet, overcoming the violence of immaturity and fragmentation and embracing our species and our planet with the unity in diversity that is now clearly understood as the fundamental reality of all things.
As Griffin, Cobb, Jr., Falk, and Keller point out, the holism of nonviolence, of unity in diversity, comes from a mature appropriation of the Jewish, Christian [and Islamic] traditions. In this they are so refreshingly different from the legions of so-called Christian, Jewish [and Islamic] fundamentalists who cling to an idolatrous God of vengeance, violence, and destruction of their perceived enemies. The Gospels of Jesus (as opposed to the lurid and revengeful Book of Revelation) clearly teach unity in diversity, nonviolence, universal love, and compassion. However, these qualities must also be structurally translated into our fragmented and violent institutions of global capitalism and sovereign nation-states.
The clearest way to embrace the structural holism that will advance human maturity geometrically is to ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. This Constitution (written by hundreds of world citizens between 1968 and 1991 and widely available on the web) is predicated on the holism of unity in diversity for the entire Earth: politically, economically, and ecologically. Only this kind of real conversion from the immaturity of fragmentation, hate, and fear, to the planetary maturity of universal democracy, mutual respect, and planetary cooperation can we turn our disastrous planet around in time to avoid universal death.
Finding the real "commonwealth of God"
We are all one species, genetically almost identical with one another. We all have the same needs, fears, hopes, and dreams. We all want our children and future generations to avoid climate collapse or nuclear holocaust. There is one way to go that is clearly superior to vain attempts to reform the UN, empty diplomacy, police body-cameras, or more spying and denials of freedom. We need to replace the UN Charter with the Earth Constitution. We need to really embrace the holism that is the foundation of the universe. This would be the real “commonwealth of God,” since all humans share the Earth in common, human nature in common, and hopes and dreams in common. A true “commonwealth of God” would mean seeing the entire Earth as one economic and political community. Only the Earth Constitution makes this a structural reality and lays the groundwork for making it a cultural and spiritual reality as well.
Even though violence and fragmentation are worldwide and not simply “American,” in my many international travels I have found that there is much less violence among people elsewhere, who lack the amazing arrogance and egotism of the American psyche. We can overcome this violence and fragmentation by identifying ourselves as truly “world citizens,” truly children of universal law under the Earth Constitution, and free of the identification with the fragmented and distorted laws of so-called sovereign nations. Let’s do it. The move to planetary maturity comes from a decision at the deepest level of our lives, one that is possible for us all to make. Let’s truly embrace the holism of our situation and assume the dignity of real world citizens operating under the unity in diversity of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
by Dr. Glen T. Martin
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Good morning friends,
I just finished reading the report of the Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance. The report is advertised as “Confronting the Crisis of Global Governance.” I am not impressed.
The Commission co-chairs are former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and a former Foreign Minister of Nigeria and past UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari.
Madeline Albright has been described by investigative journalist and author William Blum as “ethically challenged.”
Albright is best remembered by her critics for a “60 Minutes” television interview with Lesley Stahl in May 12, 1996. Stahl asked about US sanctions against Iraq: “We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And you know, is the price worth it?”
Madeleine Albright: “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price—we think the price is worth it.”
Granted it is unfair to evaluate a report by attacking the integrity of one of its sponsors, but the Iraq nightmare caused by US sanctions (and invasion) leaves me questioning Albright’s value system and judgment.
Unless I read the report wrong, I’m guessing it is another (well-meaning?) ploy to postpone having authentic global democracy for all nations and for “we, the people” – an often used strategy to keep civil society (you and me) feeling like we are making “progress,” when in fact nothing of real significance is being offered.
The euphemisms in this report would make a snake oil salesman puff up with pride.
The report, like the UN Charter, uses the right language (“justice”, “security”, and yes, of course, “PEACE”). These are feel good words–but alas, missing is a plan for a strong enough geopolitical structure to be able to deliver (except in ways that don’t alter the good life for the 1%).
There are no world federalist solutions here, except at the weak margins.
Rather than recommend eliminating the permanent veto in the Security Council which would be a step toward democracy, the report only recommends that the P-5 nations consider “use of restraint in the use of the veto.” This is laughable, an insult to any thoughtful world federalist.
I’m having trouble finding the word “democracy” anywhere, only the empty phrase “global governance.”
From the Commission recommendations we can conclude that militarization will remain, but with some frosting on the cake so it tastes better. How will they end wars? By establishing a “UN Peacebuilding Council.” Leaders of powerful bully nations who commit world crimes will remain above the law, with no seriously effective enforcement system under consideration.
There is no adequate plan to end war and proxy wars; no plan that would eliminate nuclear weapons. Resources will continue to be siphoned off to the military/industrial complex and to covert operations; hence, it will be hard to reduce poverty in the world despite the report’s call for “global economic cooperation.”
No proposed structure to give “we, the people” democratic control over multinational corporations and international Big Money. The Wall Street Journal investor class (the 1%) and private equity firms will continue business as usual. Your country could be up for sale next!
Climate change solutions will remain voluntary with no provision for enforceable universal legislative authority by the world community.
No proposal to fundamentally change the UN Charter–the heart and soul of “modern” (medieval) geopolitics. Bully nations and Big Money stay firmly in control, and global democracy is nowhere in sight.
There may be an opening for real change from all of this, but I’m not sure where a point of entry might be. Perhaps through the proposed UN Parliamentary Network especially if that “network” demands Charter Review, and join forces with the Earth Federation Movement’s Provisional World Parliament under the Earth Constitution.
At least then we would know we are headed toward establishing a democratic world federal union government – what we all know is what is realistically needed.
Your feedback? (Am I being too harsh?)
By Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
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June 15, 2015
[Editor's note: Dr. Martin points out that a list of citizen's responsibilities are listed separately from the Earth Constitution itself, and points out the difference between legal and ethical concepts.]
The Concept of “Ethical Responsibilities” in Relation to the Earth Constitution
Glen T. Martin
here are those who say that the Earth Constitution is lacking a list of responsibilities. They claim that what the world needs is a constitution that makes very clear the responsibilities of the citizens of Earth. They claim that the world needs a document, a constitution, that lists not only the rights of citizens but their responsibilities as well. For this purpose, they proclaim, the Earth Constitution is not adequate.
This sort of flawed thinking both fails to understand the concept of democracy and, furthermore, confuses responsibilities in the ethical sense from responsibilities in the related (but not identical) legal sense. A list of ethical responsibilities would have no place in a genuine Earth Constitution since a constitution is a legal document specifying the mechanisms by which decisions are made and who gets to make them (through elections, appointments, etc.). Obviously anyone elected to any office within the Earth Federation Government has a responsibility to perform that office to the best of their ability, with honesty, integrity, and transparency. The Constitution makes this very clear. Responsibility in this sense is intrinsic to the entire Constitution. This means that the entire document is a document outlining the responsibilities of those who govern.
Indeed, the very concept of democracy, from which the Earth Constitution springs, is a social and ethical conception that already includes both rights and duties. As American philosopher John Dewey puts this: “Democracy signifies, on the one side, that every individual is to share in the duties and rights belonging to the control of social affairs, and, on the other side, that social arrangements are to eliminate those external arrangements of status, birth, wealth, sex, etc., which restrict the opportunity of each individual for full development of himself” (1963: 497). Rights and duties are built into the very concept of democracy and do not need to be listed separately except for educational purposes that unpack for learners the depth of the meaning of the concept of democracy. It is the function of proper education to perform this task.
What of those citizens not under the responsibilities outlined for the governors? A list of exhortations about what people who are not in governmental roles should be doing would destroy the excellent character of the Earth Constitution and turn it into another practically useless set of ideals like the Earth Charter or the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Both these documents give us only ideals and exhortations, not mechanisms for governing the Earth.
How then to we get a list of responsibilities for citizens? The obvious answer that these critics overlook is that citizen responsibilities can and should be legislated as duties under world law. A constitution cannot have a list of these because it is up to the World Parliament to establish laws that articulate the responsibilities of citizens. Are citizens responsible to vote? To participate in politics? To participate at the local, regional, and global levels? To interact with the agencies of government? To learn about the nature of world democracy and their role in the self-government of humanity? A list of moral exhortations for these things should not be part of any constitution worth its salt, but the World Parliament can endeavor to answer these questions through creating good laws (in some countries, for example, voting is a legal requirement for citizens).
The philosophical basis for this distinction comes from philosopher of law Lon Fuller. In his well-known book The Morality of Law, Fuller distinguishes the “morality of duty” from the “morality of aspiration.” The role of lawmakers is to articulate wisely, clearly, publicly, and responsibly, the morality of duty: that is, the basic minimum requirements that each citizen must follow in order to create the “reasoned harmony” that is the function of law among the citizens.
These responsibilities of citizens and lawmakers do not exhaust the whole of morality, for Fuller, for there is also the “morality of aspiration” in which citizens identify the good or goods for their lives and pursue these goods. Part of this morality of aspiration may be making exceptional contributions to the common good through practicing exceptional citizenship and making extraordinary contributions to society. But lawmakers cannot legislate for this and it would be a mistake to attempt to do so. This is the role of education and reasoned dialogue, not the job of a Constitution, nor of lawmakers.
The Earth Constitution provides a constitutional framework for the morality of duty on a planetary scale. It presupposes both the duties of lawmakers and the responsibility of citizens to actively participate in their world democracy. It provides for a law-making capacity in which the duties of citizens may be further detailed and elaborated. The Constitution is entirely complete in this respect.
Hence, the Earth Constitution is not only properly formed as it is, it is the ultimate vehicle for activating responsibilities among the citizens of the Earth Federation. There is no other way to legitimately do this. If moral exhortation is what is wanted, then the world parliament can create an agency whose purpose it is to encourage the citizens of Earth to take responsibility for governing and participating in government. Some of this has in fact already been done by the Provisional World Parliament, including World Legislative Act number 26 (the Education Act) in which school children worldwide will be educated to take responsibility within the Earth Federation government.
Under this law passed for educational institutions worldwide insofar as they receive support from the Earth Federation government, students will study not only the Earth Constitution itself, but the nature of democracy, the responsibilities of world citizenship, and the fundamental world problems that the Constitution aims to address. Hence, the Earth Federation Government will emphasize responsibility at every appropriate occasion. Nevertheless, to repeat: moral exhortation has no place in the Constitution itself.
Responsibilities can and should only be legislated by law if the document is to be a legally binding document. And the mechanisms for legislating responsibilities are very clear in the Earth Constitution. Education of the citizens of the Earth for taking responsibility in the sense of the morality of aspiration will come from the educational function of the World Ombudsmus and other government agencies as well as from educational institutions worldwide under World Legislative Act number 26.
Indeed, the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) has not waited for the future implementation of the World Education Act. At its events worldwide, the WCPA passes out a card that details “Ten Principles of a Global Ethics.” The list, that we continue to disseminate widely, and that can be found on my web site, illustrates the futility of trying to formulate a list of specific duties that might be somehow embodied in a legal document like the Earth Constitution. These are the principles of a global ethics as promoted by the WCPA:
1. Dialogue. A World Citizen develops the capacity for dialogue directed toward mutual understanding. A World Citizen has the ability to listen carefully to others, to thoughtfully understand their point of view, and to respectfully dialogue in a process of increasing mutual understanding and learning.
2. Nonviolence. A World Citizen affirms the principle of solving conflicts nonviolently. As Mahatma Gandhi stated, there are dozens of ways to solve conflicts creatively and intelligently, respecting everyone involved. World Citizens promote creative, nonviolent problem-solving.
3. Human Rights. World Citizens affirm universal human rights and dignity. All people have dignity because all people participate in the miracle that is human life. We human beings are self-aware beings capable of freedom, creativity, compassion, and justice. We have dignity that must not be violated. World Citizens stand by the rights enumerated by UN Universal Declaration and the Earth Constitution, Articles 12 and 13.
4. Democratic Laws. World Citizens affirm the rule of just, democratic laws based on protection of civil liberties and human rights. They support equality, freedom, and equal due process for everyone before the law.
5. Compassion and Kindness. World Citizens understand that reason and dialogue must be complemented by compassion and kindness. World Citizens are sensitive to the suffering of other people and animals. They act toward others out of kindness and compassion. In Buddhism this is called karuna. In Christianity, it is often called agape.
6. Unity in Diversity. World Citizens understand that the world is a wonderful manifestation of unity in diversity that must be respected and encouraged. We are all one as human beings and as children of the divine, and we are all different from one another in races, cultures, beliefs, nations, and religions. World Citizens affirm this principle of unity in diversity for the entire Earth.
7. Justice-making. World Citizens insist on promoting equal treatment and due process of justice for all persons before the law. If laws are unjust, World Citizens work to change them to protect everyone equally. Where people are being marginalized, hurt, or discriminated against, World Citizens side with the victims.
8. Sustainability. World Citizens are committed to transforming the process of living on the Earth to sustainable, ecologically friendly forms of economics, production, consumption, and patterns of living. World Citizens are committed to making the Earth a decent place for future generations through protecting and restoring our planetary environment.
9. Global Education. World Citizens are committed to promoting global education with respect to all these ten principles. People everywhere should be developing global consciousness and a sense of global responsibility.
10. The Earth Constitution. World Citizens understand that none of these 10 principles can be successful for the Earth without the rule of democratically legislated, enforceable law for everyone under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth: http://www.radford.edu/~gmartin/CEF.pdf
The first thing that will strike the reader of these principles is that they are all open-ended because they are all aspects of the morality of aspiration and would be inappropriate for a morality of duty as required by law-makers and governments. You cannot require people by law to engage in dialogue directed toward mutual understanding, for example, you can only require them to negotiate, engage in diplomacy, or mediate. Dialogue directed toward mutual understanding, however, requires an ethical good will and discernment on the part of the participants that cannot be evaluated by the law. The law can only dictate external behaviors, including external manifestations of responsibility. It cannot dictate the ethical dimension of good will, discernment, love, or compassion that are essential to ethics and genuine responsibility.
Hence, the realm of moral responsibility requires a framework conductive to ethical growth and inner transformation toward a good will to do what is right. That is why in the recent Building the New World Conference at Radford University, the WCPA initiated collaboration with the inter-spirituality movement and the ethical growth movement so widespread today among concerned citizens and leaders like Barbara Marx Hubbard, the Shift Network, and other visionary movements (see www.btnw.org) . Government can help create this framework, indeed, with good educational policies both for children and for all citizens. But to try to place any such stipulations within a constitution would be inappropriate and irresponsible.
This is true of all the principles listed here as components of a global ethics. Yet they are all valid principles that demand our attempt to participate in, and fulfill, these principles. They demand our inner transformation toward ethical awakening and responsibility, which cannot be legislated nor demanded by government. Both WCPA in the present and the Earth Federation Educational System in the future can and will promote these values, but the attempt to make them into law would be both totalitarian, futile, and self-defeating.
Those who claim that the Earth Constitution or the WCPA need to be more articulate about “responsibilities,” rather than just rights, do not know what they are talking about. The critics need to stop pontificating about “responsibility” and begin taking responsibility for the future by working on behalf of the Earth Constitution. At this point in history, there is no clearer responsibility, as the last of these ten principles also clearly asserts.
The threat to the future is so immanent and so great (including climate collapse and the threat of nuclear war) that affirmation of the Earth Constitution becomes more of a moral imperative with each passing day. World federalists of all sorts betray the future of the Earth and coming generations with their refusal to endorse the Earth Constitution and take responsibility here and now to start governing ourselves under that Constitution. Here lies the essence of responsibility: not talking endlessly about it, but taking it upon ourselves in concrete action for democratic world government under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
--Article by Dr. Glen T. Martin
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Public Banking Institute News: June 8, 2015
Earth Federation News & Views Editor's note:
Below are excerpts from PBI NEWS. These items were sent to the editor of Earth Federation News & Views by the Public Banking Institute. PBI economic philosophy and policy are generally consistent with that of the Earth Federation/Earth Constitution. Indeed, publicly owned, controlled, and regulated banking is a necessity for a prosperous world economy that works for all, not just the 1%. The mayor of Barcelona gets it.
In addition, the TransPacific Partnership scheme President Obama is attempting to fast track through Congress would grant multinational corporations power to overturn economic and environmental policies of governments if they interfered with profits. Such a transfer of authority to the private sector would be prohibited under the Earth Constitution. The TPP is for private interests whereas the Earth Constitution protects and enhances the world public interest. -- EDITOR, Earth Federation News & Views]
FROM PBI NEWS:
"You cannot leave something as important as economic policy and money which has a social function, in the hands of speculation and private interest," says Mayor Ada Coloau, the latest leader to adovate for public banks. "Here, there’s been a democratic deficit and lack of global collective and democratic control over money and the economic system in general." Read and watch the interview here.
According to Dave Dayen, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which President Obama is secretly trying to fast-track, could dismantle state-owned enterprises and public services--which would pose a direct threat to public banking efforts--and threatens "social, cultural, and even public health goals." Read more here.
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Above two articles thanks to Public Banking Institute News. To learn more about the work of PBI go to www.publicbankinginstitute.org
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Editor's note: Duncan Graham's "Time for a UN Spring" challenges the power and legitimacy of the undemocratic UN Security Council. The Security Council is an obstacle to a World Parliament. The changes in the UN that Mr. Graham seeks could lead to UN Charter Review and the potential adoption of the Earth Constitution. -- RK
April 6, 2015
Time for a UN Spring
Duncan Graham (From the December 2014 edition of Mondial -- published in Canada by the World Federalists.)
“The absolute refusal of the P5 to brook even small reforms seems absurd . . . . I do not know
when the Council equivalent of an Arab Spring will emerge to sweep away the legitimacy of
the P5 in the global system.”
-- Kishore Mahbubani, former Ambassador of Singapore to the United Nations, in his 2013 book, “The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World.”
We are at an unprecedented period in our human history with planetary personal
communications, a global integrated economy and the evolutionary acceptance in the genome
that we are all one species, though a rich mosaic of cultures and ethnicities, the brotherhood
and sisterhood of humankind, the Nation of Humanity. Our cosmic identity is underlined
with space exploration and now the incredible landing on a comet.
But we are still in Neanderthal mode in our tribal relations, where the buzzwords
“international peace and security” of the UN Security Council are a hollow promise for the
hundreds of millions of people who go to bed hungry every night. Deaths by violence,
malnutrition and easily preventable diseases are an Auschwitz every ten months. And yet
world military expenditures (according to SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute) for 2013 were $1,747 billion and have been over a trillion dollars for ten years. The
permanent five members of the UN Security Council, China, France, Russia, UK, USA (i.e.
those same parties tasked with “maintaining peace and security”) are responsible for 71% of
world arms sales.
How much is $1,747 billion? Ten $100 bills are a thin 1 mm slice. A one-metre slab is a
million dollars. A billion dollars is one Km of $100 bills. World military expenditures is
1,747 Kms of packed $100 bills … and yet Malala has to plead for money to educate little
girls and boys.
Rescind powers of UN Security Council
A creative spark? At the World Federalist Movement - Canada’s AGM in Ottawa 25th Oct
2014 a resolution was submitted from the Vancouver Branch. It was introduced in a
teleconference call by Vancouver President Vivian Davidson. The resolution proposed that
World Federalists encourage members of the UN General Assembly to consider rescinding
Art. 24 of the UN Charter and that the Assembly itself assume responsibilities for
international peace and security, as allowed in Art 18 of the Charter, as a first step in creating
a political fluidity in the UN structure for the evolution of a democratic World Parliament and
Government. It is now history. The resolution passed.
Under Art. 24 of the UN Charter the members (UN General Assembly) confer on the UN
Security Council primary responsibility for international peace and security. The resolution
would have the Assembly rescind these powers.
This would leave responsibility for peace and security in the hands of the General Assembly.
According to Art. 18 of the UN Charter, decisions of the General Assembly on important
questions shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. These
questions shall include recommendations with respect to the maintenance of international
peace and security.
188 UN member nations should not continue to be subservient
It has become a Vancouver project to propose to the remaining 188 members of the UNGA
that they need not, should not continue to be subservient to the entrenched interests of the
Permanent Five.
The mindless carnage of World War One gave political energy to create the League of
Nations,(“First Parliament of Mankind,” headlined the Globe, now the Globe and Mail), the
International Court of Justice and in 1929 The Pact of Paris or Kellogg-Briand Pact that
outlawed war. (“War Outlawed,” headlined The Globe).
World War Two led to the creation of the United Nations with 51 nations in 1945. The major
Allies, China, France, Soviet Union, UK, USA who had spent so much blood and treasure
against the Axis regimes, were the pioneers, the deliverers of an organization to “save
succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Russia inherited the permanent seat that
had been assigned to the USSR in 1991.
In 1945 a world led by these quintuplets seemed to many the natural order of things. The
United States, with no domestic destruction and lower than the others in per capita deaths,
was the new superpower. France and U.K., though devastated by the conflict, still held
political dominion over great swathes of the globe with imperial dominance in Africa and
South Asia.
Insidious control of the UN a source of growing frustration
To give initial stability to these founding 51 nations of the United Nations a Security Council
was incorporated in the UN Charter with these five nations having permanent seats and their
concurring votes required for resolutions to pass – the so-called veto. Insidiously, the
Permanent Five’s assent is also required for any changes in the Charter itself. Art 108 on
Charter amendments requires 2/3rds members including all the permanent members of the
Security Council. After 1955 (Art 109) a conference to review the Charter could be held if so
decided by a majority of the General Assembly, but any amendments proposed would also
require the concurrent support of the P5.
With these provisions, there have been no significant changes to the Security Council except
in 1966, when the number of non-permanent members was increased from six to 10. These
two-year transients with a chance to posture on the world stage are elected to the UNSC by
the General Assembly for their contribution to international peace and security. 2014- 2015
members are Chad, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania, and Nigeria. 2015 –2016 members are Angola,
Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, and Venezuela.
UN Security Council's veto power unacceptable
To have the same five permanent members with veto in 2014, with now 193 UN members, is
a stagnating anomaly, an anachronism that requires nothing less than the interring of the UN
Security Council. The Vancouver, now a WFM-C, resolution could be pulling the plug on a
log jam that is imminent in any case. In the July issue of Mondial our Exec. Director Fergus
Watt notes “the growing frustration among members of the General Assembly with the
secrecy and failures of the Security Council.” He was referring in this case to “electing” a
new Secretary-General by the General Assembly, which in effect rubber-stamps a closed-door
decision of the P5.
The UN General Assembly has been marginalized, and an osmosis of power and authority
(by rescinding Art 24) could provide an energizing political fluidity.
Were this to be adopted, it should also be accepted in some fashion that a decision of the
UNGA should represent 2/3rds majority of the world’s people, the brotherhood and
sisterhood of humankind, as well as (per UN Chapter, Art 18) 2/3rds of member states.
The World Federalists can provide the goal, the vision; but the how-to, the means that would
allow the UN to better fulfill its purposes in the event these measures are to be implemented,
is the work of a broadly based UN preparatory committee process.
Vivian Davidson’s poster says it best: “Don’t Stay Calm. Change the World.”
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March 5, 2015
Justice Denied, Above the Law: Netanyahu, and Other Heads of State
by Roger Kotila, Ph.D. (Article also at RSN - www.readersupportednews.org)
The world’s current governing system allows heads of state and their accomplices to commit world crimes yet never be held accountable. With but few exceptions, such individuals will never face a judge or jury.
They are above the law.
In our geopolitical system, impunity is all but guaranteed despite violations of international law ranging from state sponsored terrorism to crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Will the paranoid geopolitical dynamics voiced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, coupled with a weak global governing system, lead to a nuclear holocaust with Iran its primary victim, and the rest of the Middle East collateral damage?
Should we take seriously Netanyahu’s past threats to attack Iran militarily, particularly if Israel rejects the agreement the United States is now brokering regarding Iran’s nuclear program?
Netanyahu’s March 3, 2015 speech to Congress leaves one with the impression that the U.S. Congress would support, without limit, almost any measure that Israel takes against Iran.
We can safely assume that Netanyahu is not at all concerned that a military attack against Iran might make him a war criminal, nor does he seem aware that Israel’s secret intelligence agency, Mossad, has become a suspect in the 9/11 attack (never mentioned in Establishment media).
The 9/11 aftermath has been war, anarchy, and chaos which could conceivably serve to weaken Israel’s alleged enemies in the Middle East.
World’s judiciary system no match for crimes by heads of state
Netanyahu’s impunity is seen for others. War crime charges have never been brought against former president George W. Bush, Jr. for the invasion of Iraq with its untold death and destruction--all under false pretense. Similarly, President Obama will never face criminal charges over the deaths of innocents in his drone warfare operations.
We see these glaring gaps in international law and order time and time again: Charges of genocide and apartheid (Israel against the Palestinians); crimes against humanity (Israel against Gaza); war crimes (the U.S. invasion of Iraq); torture (CIA); violating human rights (e.g., Saudi Arabia); and the 9/11 cover-up—all remain in limbo with no legal action for true justice in sight.
Lawlessness in the global governing structure is a prime reason why peace and justice persistently eludes the world, and why the Earth Constitution was drafted by the World Constitution & Parliament Association.
Quite simply, the United Nations and the international judicial system lack the tools needed to establish and maintain world law and order, and the Earth Constitution offers a way to overcome this disastrous and fundamental problem.
Precursor to mass murder?
In our lawless world, the danger that mass murder and annihilation will be unleashed must be assessed. Sociologist Abram de Swaan has identified “precursors” that are seen before mass killings take place. In “The Killing Compartments” (2015) de Swaan provides warning signs leading up to the possibility of mass annihilation.
With Netanyahu, some of these precursors can be found in the way he talks about Iran.
Netanyahu makes Iran a “target group” for the Israeli regime, as was quite clear in his speech to the U.S. Congress. He demonizes Iran by claiming that Iran, not Israel, is the dangerous (potential) aggressor. He insists that Iran must be stopped before it is too late.
Netanyahu’s rhetoric fits in with what de Swaan identifies as precursors to a future outbreak of mass killing: a regime’s propaganda…”demonizes the target group.”
“The target group (Iran) is depicted as the (potential) aggressor: the regime’s people (in this case, Israel) are the ones being threatened, and they (Israel) risk becoming the victim of the target group and its foreign patrons (the U.S.? Russia?).”
Another precursor, explains de Swaan, exaggerates the importance of a current situation: “According to the regime, the present moment is a decisive turning point in history. From now on everything will be different, if only the regime’s people seize their chance to act together resolutely.”
Unfortunately, acting “resolutely” for Netanyahu could mean launching a surprise “shock and awe” nuclear attack with the aim of bringing Iran to its knees before it can fight back.
Last but not least, de Swaan’s research reveals that those involved in massacres ordinarily have “full confidence of impunity.” They do not believe they will ever face punishment.
Unlimited sovereignty opens the door to world crimes
The culprit that opens the door to world crimes without fear of punishment is unlimited national sovereignty. “Sovereignty” means no authority greater than itself. Each nation is allowed to deal with its own internal affairs without outside interference. Few nations are willing to prosecute their own leaders for world crimes.
A dilemma for the citizenry occurs when a country’s ruling government becomes corrupt, or turns rogue. Elections are rigged. Legislators are bought and paid for. Courts favor those in power. The media becomes merely a propaganda outlet.
If you are a citizen of such a country, those in power are able to block meaningful remedies from within. Hence the need for a higher level of judicial appeal beyond the national government.
Deeply flawed and weak UN judiciary system
At its core what is wrong is a deeply flawed UN Charter with an almost invisible judicial system. The UN Security Council allows its permanent five veto members special privileges. They can prevent any prosecution of their own leaders, even if they have committed horrendous world crimes.
The International Court of Justice (also known as the World Court), the relatively new International Criminal Court, and the various ad hoc courts are not given enough authority to be able to provide justice when powerful heads of state are the criminals. Sovereignty is used to protect them from prosecution.
In the present geopolitical system then, most heads of state need not fear prosecution, especially those from powerful nations. Occasionally the ICC takes a case when the head of state is from a weaker nation like from Africa. Some heads of state have been tried using ad hoc courts such as created for the Nuremberg trials.
Higher level of justice through the Earth Constitution
The design of the Earth Constitution’s judiciary and enforcement system has provisions not found in the UN Charter that give a nation’s citizenry another level of legal action to deter world crimes, and provide a better opportunity for real justice when crimes occur.
Under the world judiciary of the Earth Constitution, heads of state like Mr. Netanyahu would have to think twice before committing world crimes.
No one should be above the law.
By Roger Kotila, Ph.D. Editor, Earth Federation News & Views in www.earthfederation.info
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February 13, 2015
Progressive View column by Dr. Bob Hanson in the Rossmoor News (California), February 4, 2015
3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
You may have heard of the “Doomsday Clock.” The clock represents the count down down to zero in minutes to nuclear apocalypse…midnight. The project is carried on by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. This is the 22ndtime since 1947 that the hands of the clock have been moved. This year, these nuclear experts moved the minute hand ahead two minutes…not a good sign. The clock has ranged from a low of two minutes to a high of 17 minutes at the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. I’m sure there are a number of factors taken into consideration when these knowledgeable scientists move the minute hand backward or forward, but a major one has to be the refusal of the United States and the other nuclear weapons states to live up to our obligations to begin dismantling our warheads and leading the way toward a world free of nuclear weapons. We had agreed to do so by signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968, providing the nations of the world who do not have the devices would refrain from developing them. Now those countries are beginning to think that maybe they should get their own bomb if the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France not only hold on to those they have, but proceed to improve them.
One small country, The Marshall Islands is taking the nuclear powers to court in the International Court of Justice, because of our inaction. Chances are if the court rules in favor of the small nation, we and the other powers will simply ignore the verdict, but maybe it will cause some embarrassment to Obama, Putin and their fellow travelers. The people of the Marshall Islands know first hand the effects of nuclear explosions…they were a proving ground for our tests back in the ‘50s.
Today, they pay the price with sky-rocketing cancer rates and a radio active environment.
Some of us remember the frightening days of the Cuban Missile crisis when the hand was at one minute to midnight. We came very close to seeing the end of civilization as we know it. Fortunately, the Soviets blinked and all-out war was avoided.
Do we really want to pass along the threat of nuclear warfare, by accident or design, which could destroy life on earth, to our grandchildren and great grandchildren?
Studies conclude that even a small regional nuclear war such as one between India and Pakistan using just 100 Hiroshima size bombs out of the 16,330 weapons in today’s stockpiles would result in up to two billion deaths due to the dramatic climate change and famine that would follow. Experts agree that there would be no possible adequate medical response to such a calamity.
We must all speak out against the Congressional and Administration plans to spend up to a trillion dollars in the next three decades “modernizing” the nuclear arsenal and delivery systems. This is the ultimate waste of taxpayer funds that are badly needed in so many other areas, such as infrastructure, health care, education, etc., etc.
The greatest threats to us today and in the near future are terrorist organizations, failed states, environmental destruction and climate chaos. None of these threats can be dealt with by a “modernized” nuclear arms system.
One hopeful sign I see is in the leadership of Pope Francis. I am not Catholic, but am inspired by his call for building fraternity among the nations. He challenges us to take care of the poor, return to the messages of Jesus, and end war.
As Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire states: “Today, in the 21stCentury, as we the human family face increasing violence, we are challenged to admit that we are on the wrong path, and that we need to find new ways of thinking and doing things from a global perspective.”
The international day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons was established by the United Nations General Assembly in order to increase public awareness about the threat these weapons pose to humanity. So, the small countries of the world get it. I have heard that there is a move to abolish the Security Council, whose five veto-wielding members just happen to be the nuclear powers. Maybe this would be a good idea. The world is ready to outlaw the terrible devices. It’s sad that we are standing in the way.
It is tempting to say that what I do won’t do anything to change the course of world events, but if a critical mass of ordinary citizens demands peace and an end to war, our leaders will have to get the message. Apathy will ensure that we continue down the pathway toward midnight and the end of the good life we have enjoyed.
by columnist Dr. Bob Hanson, Rossmoor News
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December 21, 2014
Armageddon or Disarmageddon: We Have A Choice
by Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
As the war on terror deepens in the Middle East, the spreading military chaos raises the question of an Armageddon scenario—the Biblical prophecy of the end of the world.
Professor Michel Chossudovsky’s carefully documented 102 page "Towards A World War III Scenario" offers an ominous warning: "The U.S. has embarked on a military adventure, a 'long war', which threatens the future of humanity."
So is Armageddon inevitable, or do antiwar activists have a peaceful alternative?
The public is largely unaware of the Earth Constitution—what I’ve described as a “gift to humanity” waiting to be discovered, and perhaps our best option to bring about a fundamental change from a geopolitical war system to a global peace system.
Unfortunately for the world, there are millions of Christians who believe that a “final battle”, literally, is on its way. Some, who believe in the Rapture, welcome it.
Provoking conflict
For example, some Christian groups help fund illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory which serves to provoke dangerous eruptions of conflict—another step closer to a “final battle.”
Chossudovsky notes that the Global War on Terrorism is presented to the public as a "clash of civilizations." Islamic extremists are said to seek a global caliphate under Islamic law, whereas the US/NATO/Israel are described as defending themselves and Western values.
Yet the real conflict, Chossudovsky concludes, is not about values and religion, but an "outright war of conquest, guided by strategic and economic objectives." In other words, US domination in the Middle East for military advantage and control of oil and other resources.
Longing for Jesus at any cost
Chossudovsky’s analysis of Middle East hostilities may be generally accurate, but he may underestimate the role of Armageddon enthusiasts. There are millions of Christians who believe that we are now witnessing signs of the Last Days that will culminate in Armageddon.
Indeed, prophecies in both the Old and New Testament warn of a time of suffering, death and destruction of epic proportions--a war between good and evil prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The belief in End Times coupled with a longing for the return of Jesus Christ, causes some Christians to ignore, or reject outright, the antiwar movement.
If it takes Armageddon before Jesus will return, then so be it—bombs away!
One might dismiss Last Days prophecy as delusional fantasy, except for the very real existence of nuclear weapons, and documented options developed by the Pentagon and NATO to use nukes on the conventional battlefield, and by US/Israel for a surprise attack against Iran.
There are eerie similarities between prophecy and current geopolitical conflicts.
For example, in the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 21): “Then he said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven…”
In the Book of Revelation (Chapter 16) St. John’s bizarre vision describes a God that orders his angels to “…pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
An angel “…poured his vial upon the sun—and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.” “For they are the spirits of devils…which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty…And he gathered them together into a place called…Armageddon.”
Would Jesus be a peace activist?
Which raises an unusual question: If Jesus returned today, either in spirit or in person, would he become a peace activist? Would he speak out against nuclear war and Armageddon?
Fortunately for humanity, Jesus Christ is known more for his desire for peace than a demand for war. Among Christians he is proudly proclaimed to be the “Prince of Peace”.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, Chapter 5) Jesus preached that “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 predicts that “a son is born” whose name shall be called “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The mighty God,” “The Prince of Peace.” “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end…”
In Isaiah 2:2-4 we read, “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
A path to safety
World federalists believe that there is a path to safety that can eliminate nuclear weapons, and end war. We must establish a democratic world federation. World union must replace competition for resources and military advantage.
When Texas and California have a conflict, they don’t go to war, they go to Court, or to Congress. Disputes are resolved peacefully. Peaceful solutions are possible because the states are in a federal union government under the U.S. Constitution. In similar fashion, nations must join in a world federal union government under the Earth Constitution.
The public has a right to know that there is a civilized way to govern the world without war or nuclear endangerment. We know what to do. The Earth Constitution took thirty years to draft by visionaries anticipating this moment in history.
By Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
www.earthfederation.info
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by Glen T. Martin, PhD*
The largest environmental protest march in history took place in New York on September 21, a truly massive event that was intended to send a message to participants in the U.N. Climate Conference scheduled to convene in Paris in mid-November. The march included famous environmentalist spokespersons such as Al Gore, Bill McKibben, Jane Goodall, and Vandana Shiva as well as concerned political leaders such as Senators Bernie Sanders and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
However, all the concern, protest, and the making of speeches in the world will not save the environment if we don’t direct our attention to the root political cause of the destruction of our planetary environment. Sadly, it is likely that not one speech at the climate march by these leaders even touched on this primary issue. And those who will be meeting in Paris in November (representatives of sovereign nation-states and their corporate backers) will never mention the root cause, and so the likelihood of their being any progress in Paris is close to zero.
The root causes of climate collapse are not ignorance, and they are not lack of good will to protect the climate. We know a great deal about ecosystems, pollution, and how the destruction works. And probably most corporate leaders, politicians, and citizens genuinely care about the environment. Neither are the root causes due to lack of popular support. Everywhere people are trying to recycle, conserve energy, and minimize their ecological footprints, and governments are offering tax incentives for environmentally friendly technology. But none of this is sufficient to prevent climate collapse.
The root causes of environmental destruction are not primarily psychological but structural. It is not so much a question of will and caring but the issue of the modern world system itself. The delegates meeting in Paris to discuss climate change will be representatives of a global capitalism inextricably interwoven with a system of sovereign nation-states, each state promoting its own multi-national corporations and competing with the others for power, influence, position, resources, and markets.
Many of these representatives have long known the disturbing facts of climate collapse. The first U.N. environmental conference took place in Stockholm in 1972. The disturbing facts about climate change were well known to those attending the giant U.N. environmental conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Its famous document “Agenda 21” was in many ways right on target in its demand for significant reduction of greenhouse gases by the dawn of the 21st century. The U.N. worldwide environmental conference that followed this, in Johannesburg in 2002, recognized the near total failure of the nations and corporations of the world to meet the Agenda 21 goals. The same recognition was there in the 2009 U.N. environmental conference in Copenhagen. The nations of the world, colonized almost exclusively by global corporate capitalism, have been unable to make any significant progress in preventing or slowing climate collapse.
Why don’t we get the picture? The climate threat is obviously a planetary problem, and 193 sovereign nations can never act as a legal planetary organization to regulate corporations or restrain all the nations simultaneously and equitably. To be a sovereign nation means to recognize no enforceable law above itself. In a competitive system of lawless sovereign nations, there can never be consistent global laws protecting the environment or restraining the greed of corporations.
To prevent climate change we need system change. The present world system makes climate collapse inevitable. In my 2013 book, The Anatomy of a Sustainable World: Our Choice between Climate Change or System Change, the frightening facts about the on-going destruction of our planetary ecosystem are laid out through the words of the climate scientists themselves. The book shows what is necessary for a sustainable world system: a world parliament legislating enforceable environmental laws and economic principles that end the rape of the planet’s forests, oceans, and fossil resources; plus legislative efforts to convert everyone—all 7 billion people, 193 nation-states, and multi-national corporations—to sustainable ways of producing, recycling, and drawing on renewable clean energy sources. This book shows in detail how this sustainability system has been carefully designed within the Earth Constitution.
It has to be everyone or it will be no one. The U.N. can be the vehicle for this system-transformation, if its unworkable Charter, premised as it is on the absurdity of lawless sovereign nation-states, is replaced with the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. The Earth will then have a World Parliament, a World Court system with universal jurisdiction, and a civilian World Police that can make sustainability happen, protecting the future of our planet and our children. All the nations will then flourish as democratic units within this Earth Federation. But this conversion based on the simple truth that it has to be everyone or no one simply cannot happen under the anarchy of lawless, militarized sovereign states who put environmental concerns way down on the list while they promote their influence, power, struggle over natural resources, and competition for markets.
The Paris Conference this month will be a failure, and all the environmental protests and marches in the world will be a failure, as long as we fail to demand the conversion of the world from a fragmented war and greed system to a coherent Sustainability System, under a democratic World Parliament and enforceable world law. This must be the basis of our protests, our speaking out, and our influence as citizens. We must demand system-change, for the present world system is inherently destructive of the climate and our future. And the most practical means for true system change will be to replace the present U.N. Charter with the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, transforming our present planetary disorder to a system that is truly democratic, sustainable, and free.
*Glen T. Martin is President of the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA), President of the Institute on World Problems, and Professor of Philosophy at Radford University in Virginia. Author or editor of 10 books, he is a member of the Board of the Democratic World Federalists and a frequent contributor to progressive on-line journals.
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October 7, 2014 NO-MORES
by Mary Harris
peace activist, age 97
Some say "Some-mores" are a delicious treat, but I haven’t tried them yet. I present here a truly delectable idea: "No-mores."
Listed below are suggestions for a United World Government to assimilate into its administrative, judicial, and social system. I assume of course that an eventual world government, probably or hopefully federal and democratic, will make “No-mores” an important part of the global good government system.
No-more bombs
No-more war
No-more torture
No-more invading countries for their resources
No-more making enemies
No-more killing for land
No-more crude oil pipelines
No-more “fracking”
No-more “solving problems” by hating, killing, or revenge
No-more adult “trick or treat” (extortion)
No-more excuses for global violence
No-more massacres
No-more mass incarcerations
No-more starvation
No-more homelessness
No-more prejudice
No-more racism, sexism, or ageism
No-more ghettos
No-more nonjudicial killings
No-more “all options are on the table”
No-more police militarism
No-more hate education
No-more world anarchy
No-more surveillance
By Mary Harris
Artist, retired teacher, and peace activist
Age 97
Democratic World Federalists
San Francisco, California, USA
MAKING IT REAL:
Support DEMOCRATIC WORLD FEDERALISTS (www.dwfed.org) 415.227-4880
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September 18, 2014
WCPA Statement for the International Youth Anti-Imperialist Conference in Istanbul at the end of October, 2014
World Constitution and Parliament Association
Locations in Africa, Costa Rica, Bangladesh, India, Libya, Macedonia, Malaysia, Thailand, and USA
www.worldparliament-gov.org www.earth-constitution.org www.earthfederation.info www.worldproblems.net
Statement on Imperialism
he World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) was founded in 1958 by Philip Isely and others in order to establish a world of peace, justice, and freedom for all people on Earth. These early founders of WCPA understood that World War II was a war amongst imperial nations for hegemony and control of Europe and the world. They wrote the Constitution for the Federation of Earth in order to end the system of militarized imperial nation-states and create a decent, equitable world system for all peoples.
These founders understood that the modern age of militarized nation-states has always been based on imperialism. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was the Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese who ravaged the world in search of colonies and riches. In the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, it has been the British, French, Germans, Russians, and Americans who have dominated the global in competition for markets, cheap resources, slaves and spheres of colonial or neo-colonial control.
Today, many top scholars have identified the structure of this world system as a whole. It is a system that economically and militarily revolves around a global hegemon, a global center of power that dominates the planet. Such a center of power may be composed of a militarized coalition of dominating nations, such as NATO. Yet since World War II, these scholars have often identified Washington, DC, as the major location for this global imperial center.
The work of World System Scholars further divides the remaining countries of the world into groups of nations called “semi-peripheral” and “peripheral” nations. Peripheral nations make up the majority of nations and people on Earth, mostly in the global south. They are kept in a condition of economic impoverishment, low technology, and relative weakness by the imperial system. Their function is to supply cheap labor and cheap raw materials to the imperial center and its allies.
Semi-peripheral nations share some characteristics with both the imperial center nations and the peripheral nations. They are somewhat more developed in technology, infrastructure, and industry. Semi-peripheral nations may aspire to become part of the center. However, like the peripheral nations they are subject to manipulation, subversion, invasion, or overthrow by the security, economic, and military forces of the imperial center. These nations may also themselves occasionally engage in imperialism, invading, manipulating, or overthrowing their weaker neighbors.
The World Constitution and Parliament association recognizes peoples’ need to resist specific acts or systems of imperialism. However, imperialism is built into the world system. Historically the imperial center has changed, but the world system remains in place. The only practical way to end imperialism and protect the rights and dignity of all nations and all people on Earth is to transform the world system itself. The Constitution for the Federation of Earth, and sessions of the Provisional World Parliament, are the best possible ways to address the scourge of imperialism.
We must establish a non-military, democratic Earth Federation that transforms the economy of Earth into one that serves all people equitably, that ends war and militarism among nations, and that protects the human rights and dignity of all peoples everywhere. It is not enough to be “anti-imperialist.” We can and must demonstrate the alternative. We must all work in solidarity to ratify the Earth Constitution. This is the only way to transform the imperialistic world system into a world based on freedom, peace, and justice. Please join WCPA—and stand in solidarity for a decent world system for everyone on the Earth.
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July 27, 2014
Bad Religion/Good Religion and War: Zionists, Palestine, Gaza, ISIS
Religious extremists frequently hijack a religion and bring out the worst in it, rather than the best. "Good religion" becomes a victim of "bad religion". Under the spell of bad religion we see the emergence of intolerance, hate, fear, and exceptionalism -- a poisonous brew that can lead to violence and war.
We have seen the tragic effects of "bad religion" in all major faiths, but the current war in Israel/Palestine/Gaza and Iraq/Syria highlight the danger when bad religion overcomes good religion, and there is no global authority capable of limiting the conflict. The current wars in the Middle East reveal an underbelly of theological ideology feeding the violence.
The vast majority of all religions practice what may be defined as "good religion," and pose no threat to the safety and security of our world. But in times of religious extremism and geopolitical opportunism, the moderate and morally healthy voices of religion are drowned out by sociopathic extremists who practice division and exceptionalism.
When extremists hijack religion
History and current geopolitics are full of tragic examples of what happens when extremists hijack a religion. Hitler used Christianity against the Jews. Jewish Zionists interpret the Old Testament to justify stealing the land and homes of the Palestinians. Claiming to be God's "chosen" people, Zionists argue that the "Promised Land" was meant for them. Violent force has been the Israeli Zionists' method of choice that is currently being used to bring the Palestinians in Gaza back into submission.
The forcible heist of Palestinian lands by Israel is being aided by fundamentalist Christians who long for Armageddon, and by American Empire seeking more control in the Middle East. (The American Congress recently voted unanimously to support the right of Israel to violently destroy an almost defenseless, imprisoned Gaza population. Nothing was said about Palestinians' rights to freedom and equality.)
Speeding up the end of the world
Christian fundamentalists help fund illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands to fulfill Biblical prophecy and to provoke a final war in the Middle East. They seek to quicken the pace to an Armageddon (massive death and destruction) telling themselves that then the promised Rapture will occur, and Christ will return.
The United Nations has been unable to prevent the routine violations by Israel of international law and UN mandates. The UN lacks an effective and fair world judiciary and enforcement system. (The Earth Constitution would correct this fatal flaw in the UN Charter.)
When the Palestinians protest their captivity in Gaza by building tunnels to the outside and firing rockets against Israel, so much the better for Armageddon loyalists.
When bad religion is in the driver's seat, the good and decent people of the world who practice a loving and kindly form of their religion become victims themselves. This irony is illustrated in an important attached article by a thoughtful Muslim scholar, Dr. Aslam Abdullah.
It is an important article that challenges the negative stereotypes of the Muslim faith currently demonized by much of mainstream American media -- what appears to be a propaganda campaign to insure that Americans have an "enemy" to fear and loath. Instilling fear is a handy tool for the military/industrial/national security complex to insure large budgets (and big profits).
Dr. Abdullah brings out the core goodness from the Quran -- the loving principles that define the authentic Islamic faith practiced by the vast majority of all Muslims, yet at the same time he addresses the problem of extremism such as reported regarding ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).
Authentic Islam rejects extremist violence
Dr. Abdullah challenges those (extremist) Muslims who have called for death of those who criticize, or show irreverence toward the Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith.
Blaspheme, Abdullah explains, never justifies punishment by death which is contrary to the teachings and the actual life lived by the Prophet.
ISIS is allegedly insisting upon sharia law, parts of which violate universal human rights such as punishing females who seek the same freedoms given men, and threatening punishment by death for blaspheme or other forms of apostasy. Dr. Abdullah's description of authentic Islamic values suggests that the ISIS use of sharia law is wrong, and not representative of true Islam.
Abdullah's article, titled "Is Blaspheme Punishable by Death in Islam?" helps us to understand bad and good religion, and is an antidote to western media prejudices that have demonized the Muslim faith. Below is the link (you may need to copy and paste)*
*Thanks to IslamiCity.com for permission to publish. Other relevant articles can be found on their website at www.IslamiCity.com. The article was also published 5/7/2011 in the Muslim Observer.
Path to a peaceful and safe world
The misuse of sacred texts (by Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc.) is a major obstacle to world union and to a peaceful, prosperous and safe world. We need more theologians like Dr. Abdullah to speak out when their own religion is captured by extremists.
We know that the vast majority of all religious faiths consist of moderates who favor love, kindness, and tolerance of others, and who simply seek a peaceful, safe, and healthy world for themselves, their families, and their communities.
The Earth Constitution offers a solution not found in the UN Charter. It provides for peaceful alternatives to war to resolve conflicts by means of enforceable world laws and a democratically elected World Parliament. It insures freedom of religion but also protection for universal human rights.
-- R Kotila, Ph.D.
Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
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June 1, 2014
Ukraine, NATO, and more: Time for the UN to look to the Earth Constitution?
The United Nations Charter seeks "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," but has not been able to live up to its rhetoric.
From the UN's inception in 1945 in San Francisco world federalists warned that the UN's Charter was fatally flawed. Sure enough, geopolitical hotspots and war have erupted with regularity.
The current crisis in the Ukraine is the latest example of UN helplessness. The elected government of the Ukraine was overthrown with covert help from the United States, and then Russia, fearful of encroachment by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, proceeded to annex Crimea.
Politicians and the public are largely unaware that there is a potential solution to these dangerous geopolitical maneuverings that could spark a world war. The Earth Constitution is waiting. It is ready to go.
Scourge of war out of reach for the UN
Ending the "scourge of war" has been out of reach for the UN. Weaker countries are routinely the victims of Bully nations who use covert operations, economic manipulation, and outright military aggression to control or overthrow governments.
The UN's defective Charter allows the leaders of the so-called "great" powers to toss international law aside, indeed to do almost anything at all, with impunity. The UN watched helplessly as the United States illegally invaded first Afghanistan, then Iraq.
For the world community the leaders of bully nations are literally "above the law" as was seen in the brutal "shock and awe" attack on Iraq wherein the US president and the generals responsible for this illegal invasion were never prosecuted for their war crimes, including torture.
The UN has been unable to prevent wars by proxy. For example, it could not prevent the upheaval in Syria supported by Saudi Arabia, the US, and Russia. Saudi Arabia has openly provided the insurgents with money and weapons in its campaign for regime change, ironical in view of the fact that Saudi Arabia itself is a dictatorship.
Israel's brutal attack on the Palestinians in Gaza and its ongoing silent war against them in the form of a blockade have left the Palestinians essentially imprisoned in Gaza. The UN cannot free them.
Israeli leaders have never been prosecuted for committing world crimes, nor have sanctions been applied because the US protects Israel from consequences by using its veto power in the UN Security Council.
UN overshadowed by the US/NATO
The UN has been overshadowed by US/NATO. The results have been disastrous for the countries invaded by this military alliance which ignores international law and makes its own rules, apparently motivated by the goal of world empire, and for "energy security" which one suspects means to satisfy the financial yearnings of private oil corporations.
Targets of US/NATO assaults include Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. The people see their homes and cities destroyed, including the infrastructure so that basics like water and electricity are barely available. Horrendous civil wars have resulted.
Libya was targeted by the US/NATO and the dictator Muammar Khadafy deposed, yet the people are worse off than ever with the country devastated and in a state of anarchy. We see a similar fate for Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and soon, possibly the Ukraine.
In the Ukraine the UN is unable to prevent the internal interference by the United States that helped cause the violent overthrow by neo-fascists of its elected government. To complicate matters, US/NATO seeks a door into the Ukraine, a move that has caused apprehension for Russia since the Ukraine lies on its border.
Is US/NATO a threat to world peace?
The UN has been unable to restrain US/NATO expansion. The facts about NATO as revealed by Mahdi Nazemroaya in "The Globalization of NATO" are alarming. The US/NATO military alliance, he reports, is carrying out plans to militarily encircle both Russia and China.
NATO's interest in the Ukraine along with the announcement by the US of its "pivot to Asia" confirms Nazemroaya's analysis. Fear of encirclement caused Russia to annex Crimea, and spurred China to begin to increase its own military might.
US/NATO actions appear so irresponsible and reckless that it is even conceivable that an attempt at regime change may be in the making to oust Russian President Vladimir Putin who is currently being demonized by the western press.
One can reasonably conclude that NATO, basically a military alliance led by the US, threatens world peace because of its actions to expand worldwide, yet claims it only seeks "security." But isn't that why we have the United Nations?
The UN must turn to the Earth Constitution
It is easy to illustrate the UN's failures. We are living them everyday through the news, -- always a new geopolitical conflict or outrage of one kind or another. Nations operate in a global war system.
The Earth Constitution provides a global peace system. Disputes between nations are resolved without war (which is outlawed). Conflicts are resolved peacefully through adjudication in specialized world courts, or by a democratically elected World Parliament -- lacking in the UN structure.
A core problem is that the UN cannot override the decisions of the undemocratic UN Security Council with its five permanent veto members who use the veto to protect themselves and their allies no matter what wrong they have committed. The United States, Russia and China have most often abused this veto power.
The public knows little about the UN's real problems which go back to its unsatisfactory Charter. They know even less about the Earth Constitution, drafted by the World Constitution and Parliament Association in order to have a constructive alternative to the UN, one that has the potential to actually end war and the lawless anarchy which so undermines a civilized society.
Professor Glen T. Martin, author of "World Revolution Through World Law," has described the Earth Constitution as the "most important document" of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is designed to accomplish what the UN has been unable to do.
The Earth Constitution offers a solution to the nightmare of war and nuclear weapons. Its design is for nonmilitary government both at the global and national levels, of critical importance because military power can never bring true security or peace, a lesson not understood by the US/NATO.
The only realistic goal for a safe and secure world must be world union. We must federate. The nations must form a world federation that truly represents the global community. There must be enforceable world law in league with a democratically elected world parliament. There is no shortcut.
It is time for the UN and the peoples of the world to look to the Earth Constitution.
by Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
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March 10, 2014
F-35, MAD, Suitcase Nukes, or... Why I Became a World Federalist
The new F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft is symbolic of what's fatally wrong with the Pentagon's long-standing war policy of mutual assured destruction (MAD). It may one day carry nuclear missiles. With 18.6 million lines of software code required for the F-35 to "function at its operational specifications" (Boardman, RSN, 9-22-13), one can only sigh in disbelief.
It is just another reason why it is time to end a nuclear military policy defended by the dinosaurs at the Pentagon and richly funded by Congress. A totally new nonmilitary security doctrine is desperately needed. It has appeared in the form of the Earth Constitution, and that is why I became a world federalist.
Increasingly technical, what could possibly go wrong?
As the world gets increasingly technical, the chances for something to go terribly wrong are virtually inevitable, a conclusion clearly explained in Eric Schlosser's "Command and Control," an in-depth investigation of nuclear weapons (Penguin Press, 2013). Technical failure or human error is inescapable.
Defense pundits have defended MAD because, so far, nuclear war has been avoided. Unfortunately, the theory is based upon the rational notion that no one would attack the United States because we could totally destroy them in retaliation. It makes perfect sense, and it works...except when it doesn't.
It is tempting to believe that MAD isn't mad. Unfortunately, psychologically, the policy gives a false sense of security. MAD requires excessive nuclear weaponry which in turn increases the overall risk that, sooner or later, something will go horribly wrong.
MAD versus the 'David' factor
MAD fails to take into account a determined foe -- best illustrated in the Biblical legend of David and Goliath. Despite the fact that Goliath was an overwhelmingly powerful foe, it did not deter David.
At the operational level MAD consists of the "nuclear triad" -- nuclear warheads that can be delivered from the air, under the sea, or from land. But what about the 'David' factor?
The Defense Department, some years after Hiroshima, developed "man portable" atomic bombs. Adam Rawnsley and David Brown ("The Littlest Boy", Foreign Policy, Jan./Feb. 2014) describe the original miniature nuke -- the B-54 Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM). It weighed 58 pounds and could be carried on the back of a soldier.
These miniaturized atomic bombs gave way to Edward Teller's thermonuclear hydrogen bombs -- vastly more powerful than the original atomic bomb, yet some as small as 3 feet in length -- small enough to fit in a large suitcase.
The possibility of "suitcase" nukes coupled with the 'David' factor render the Pentagon's doctrine of massive retaliation hopelessly useless, and irresponsibly dangerous to the world. Such miniaturized nukes in the hands of state directed terrorists (false flag operations), or non-state terrorists, could potentially be secretly placed in major cities.
Such a scenario renders the vastly expensive missile defense systems irrelevant. Moreover, the nation of the vaporized city would not know who to retaliate against, making MAD useless.
First strike and launch on warning further endangers us
Seeking military advantage, or fearing an impending attack by an adversary, first strike has become part of Pentagon and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) policy. Put differently, strategists have adopted the right to launch a surprise nuclear attack.
Additionally, decision time is foolishly short. Many of our missiles are on "hair trigger" alert (i.e., launch on warning).
"In a nuclear crisis, the U.S. secret war plan calls for the president to decide in just 13 minutes what he should do in the event there is a serious warning of a missile attack," reports Pulitzer Prize recipient David Hoffman (Foreign Policy, Feb., 2013). Thirteen minutes to decide to destroy the world? What could possibly go wrong?
What is wrong with this picture?
"Flag officers in unified combatant commands,... are now given authority by the US president to have operational control over nuclear weapons to launch attacks on their own prerogatives." (Nazemroaya, "The Globalization of NATO", 2012)
Former nuclear commanders talk of handing over bombs to NATO units from other nations which, in retrospect, "you wouldn't trust with a .22 rifle." (Eric Schlosser, Command and Control, 2013)
"...an Air Force general in charge of nuclear-tipped missiles relieved for drunkenness off duty -- follows a long list of officer wrong-doings over the last year." (San Francisco Chronicle, 10-24-13)
"In just one example, in August, 2007, six nuclear warheads disappeared for two days between North Dakota's Minot and Louisiana's Barksdale Air Force bases." (San Francisco Chronicle, 12-11-11)
"Twice this year alone, Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to nuclear-tipped missiles have been caught leaving open a blast door that is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post..." (Associated Press, 10-23-13)
A world free of nuclear danger...or, Why I became a world federalist
The world federalist solution provides the means for security without nuclear weapons. By contrast, the United Nations system has been handicapped by its Charter, hence unable to eliminate nuclear weapons, or end war.
Einstein and other high level thinkers concluded many years ago that the world federalist solution is the (only) path to eliminate nuclear weapons. The world does not have to continue to live in the cold shadow of a nuclear nightmare. We know what to do.
Under the protection of a world constitution
A democratic world federal constitution gives nations a nonmilitary means to resolve conflicts. Differences between nations are resolved nonviolently -- by means of courts and enforceable world law, and a democratically elected world parliament.
The Earth Constitution, drafted by world federalists and world citizens worldwide, is now ready for ratification by the peoples of the world, and by the nations.
by Roger Kotila, Ph.D. Editor, Earth Federation News & Views earthfederation.info
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Peace Strategy Upgrade: Putting "Ending War Itself" on the Table
January 19, 2014
On January 1, 2014 an "invitation to join a movement" came across my desk from David Swanson, an articulate World Beyond War organizer announcing plans underway to launch a global movement to abolish war itself. What was missing was clear recognition of the necessity to replace the current dysfunctional geopolitical system with the world federalist solution. World federalists warned from the very beginning that the United Nations Charter was flawed, and that the UN system would not be able to abolish war. That is why it seems important that Beyond War organizers look closely at the Earth Constitution -- a carefully designed democratic world federation that creates a new geopolitical system that actually could abolish war. Swanson writes: "I'm involved in helping to organize a global campaign for the abolition of war. We've begun holding conference calls, setting up committees, discussing plans by list serve, raising funds, and creating a website. We plan to launch the campaign with a big international event on September 21, 2014." "In the meantime, we're looking for input, advice, and participation from groups and individuals around the globe -- and not just peace groups. We're working to build a broad coalition of every organization that would like to see an end to war. All individuals and organizations, all over the world, are invited to sign a statement in support of ending all war..." World Beyond War strategy appears to include the use of strong factual, emotional, and moral appeals to emphasize the terrible destructiveness of war, coupled with warnings of the always present danger of unexpected nuclear annihilation. Activists will also be ..."expanding the global nonviolent peace force of civilian, trained, international, nonviolent peacekeepers and peacemakers who will be available to protect civilians and local peace and human rights workers endangered by conflicts in all parts of the world and to help build peace where there is or has been violent conflict." If "ending war itself" captures the popular imagination, trained peacemakers determined to end war could conceivably organize and expand into an international "peace army" trained in nonviolent tactics. Such a (global) peace army would be hard to ignore. It could make its voice heard. It could penetrate the propaganda of the military/industrial/secret operations/Big Money complex that year in and year out stirs up tensions, conflicts, and wars by creating a constant supply of invented, imagined, and real "enemies." The total abolition of war will require more than powerful arguments, a global peace army, and brilliant nonviolent tactics to counter the military/industrial propaganda that fuels hate and fear. A new geopolitical system must also be put into place. Some activists cling to the notion that what is needed instead of a world federation is small government and local control. They are badly mistaken. Decentralized "local control" can never deal with the power of Big Money, Big Military, Big Police, and Big Secret Operations. Small, separate sovereign units simply make it easier for the powerful to divide, manipulate, conquer, and dominate. There are some on the Left who believe that the real problem is capitalism, and what is needed is not a world federation but a new economic system. To be sure, money is like water, everybody needs it. Deprived of water in the garden of life, you and your family are flowers that will wilt away in the unforgiving grip of poverty. But even if all nations transformed into democratic socialist economies beneficial and fair to all citizens, without a world federal union they would soon be at each other's throats -- fighting for oil, over water, or you name it. We must face the fact that we will need a democratic world federation. There is no shortcut. As World Beyond War organizers review and refine overall strategy, the Earth Constitution could emerge as a key factor, particularly if activists decide that the current geopolitical system must be changed. The Earth Constitution deserves serious study. Its significance is not unlike the Magna Carta or the U.S. Constitution except now federalist and democratic principles are to be applied to all nations and peoples. The public is largely unaware that there exists a rational and practical solution to the problem of war. Our lives need not be darkened by the fact that at any moment nuclear annihilation could erupt. There is a way out. The Earth Constitution could become the beacon for world union, and the foundation for a world that is safe, democratic, prosperous, and fair to all. World Beyond War serves a vital purpose when it boldly rejects war itself, and demands that war be abolished. Its agenda wisely goes beyond war, to include peace and social justice, the environment, and human rights. We know what to do. We can fix this. We can end this nightmare. Article by Roger Kotila 415.328-2341 Earth Federation News & Views at www.earthfederation.info
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16 January 2014
EARTH CONSTITUTION THE MISSING LINK FOR "WORLD BEYOND WAR"? [Ending war is a top priority. The "World Beyond War" strategy has exciting potential for real progress. Read David Swanson's behind-the-scenes appeal to activists, followed by this editor's advocacy to utilize the Earth Constitution as a key tool to unify groups worldwide, and as the foundation to begin building the type of good government structure that will be needed to successfully abolish war.]
Invitation to Join a Movement:
I'm involved in helping to organize a global campaign for the abolition of war. We've begun holding conference calls, setting up committees, discussing plans by listserve, raising funds, and creating a website. We plan to launch the campaign with a big international event on September 21, 2014. In the meantime, we're looking for input, advice, and participation from groups and individuals around the globe -- and not just peace groups. We're working to build a broad coalition of every organization that would like to see an end to war. All individuals and organizations, all over the world, are invited to sign a statement in support of ending all war, and to join in the planning of this new movement at http://WorldBeyondWar.org Here is the statement.
I understand that wars and militarism make us less safe rather than protect us, that they kill, injure and traumatize adults, children and infants, severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties, and drain our economies, siphoning resources from life-affirming activities. I commit to engage in and support nonviolent efforts to end all war and preparations for war and to create a sustainable and just peace.
To sign this, and to get involved in many different ways, individuals should click here and organizations here.
When you sign, nothing more is required, but you can indicate -- if you choose -- how you would like to be involved. You can also send questions, concerns, comments, and ideas to david@davidswanson.org
Here's a bit more about what we're thinking:
Public opinion is moving against particular wars and the world's spending of $2 trillion every year on war and preparations for war. We plan to announce the launching of a broad movement capable of ending war preparations and transitioning to a peaceful world. We are creating the tools necessary to communicate the facts about war and discard the myths. We are creating ways to assist organizations around the world that are working on partial steps in the direction of a war-free world -- including developing peaceful means of achieving security and resolving conflict -- and to increase widespread understanding of such steps as progress toward war's complete elimination.
If unnecessary suffering on an enormous scale is to be avoided, we must abolish war. Some 180 million people died in wars in the 20th century and, while we have not yet repeated a war on the scale of World War II, wars are not going away. Their devastation continues, measured in terms of deaths, injuries, trauma, millions of people having to flee their homes, financial cost, environmental destruction, economic drain, and erosion of civil and political rights.
Unless we want to risk catastrophic loss or even extinction, we must abolish war. Every war brings with it both massive destruction and the risk of uncontrolled escalation. We are facing a world of greater weapons proliferation, resource shortages, environmental pressures, and the largest human population the earth has seen. In such a turbulent world, we must abolish sustained and coordinated militarized combat between groups (primarily governments) known as war, because its continuation puts all life on the planet at risk.
If we abolish war, humanity can not only survive and better address the climate crisis and other dangers, but will be able to create a better life for everyone. The reallocation of resources away from war promises a world whose advantages are beyond easy imagination. Some $2 trillion a year, roughly half from the United States and half from the rest of the world, is devoted to war and war preparation. Those funds could transform global efforts to create sustainable energy, agricultural, economic, health, and education systems. Redirection of war funding could save many times the lives that are taken by spending it on war.
While abolition is a larger demand than partial disarmament, which will be a necessary step along the way, if the case for abolition is made convincingly it has the potential to create support for serious and even total disarmament among people who would otherwise favor the maintenance of a large military for defense -- something that we've learned generates pressure for offensive warmaking. The first step in such a campaign must be persuading people of the possibility of, and the urgent need for, abolishing war. Awareness of the effectiveness of nonviolent action, nonviolent movements, and peaceful resolution of conflicts is growing rapidly, creating the increased possibility of persuading people that there are effective alternatives to war to resolve conflicts and achieve security.
The reduction and eventual elimination of war and the re purposing of the military-industrial complex could be of great benefit to sectors of the world economy and of public services to which that investment could be transferred. We are creating a broad coalition encompassing civilian industries and advocates for green energy, education, housing, healthcare, and other fields, including civil liberties, environmental protections, children's rights, and the governments of cities, counties, states, provinces, and nations that have had to make major cuts in social programs for their people. By demonstrating that war is not inevitable and that it is actually possible to eliminate war, this movement will develop the allies needed to make it a reality.
Resistance, including by those profiting financially from wars, will be intense. Such interests are, of course, not invincible. Raytheon's stock was soaring in the summer of 2013 as the White House planned to send missiles into Syria -- missiles that were not sent after dramatic public opposition arose. But ending all war will require defeating the propaganda of war promoters and countering the economic interests of war promoters with alternative economic possibilities. A wide variety of support for "humanitarian" and other particular varieties, or imagined varieties, of war will be countered with persuasive arguments and alternatives. We are creating a resource center that will put the best arguments against various types of war support at everyone's fingertips.
By organizing internationally, we will use progress made in one nation to encourage other nations to match or surpass it without fear. By educating people whose governments make war at a distance about the human costs of war (largely one-sided, civilian, and on a scale not widely understood) we will build a broad-based moral demand for an end to war. By presenting the case that militarism and wars make us all less safe and decrease our quality of life, we will strip war of much of its power. By creating awareness of the economic trade-offs, we will revive support for a peace dividend. By explaining the illegality, immorality, and terrible costs of war and the availability of legal, nonviolent and more effective means of defense and conflict resolution, we will build acceptance for what has only relatively recently been made into a radical proposal and ought to be viewed as a common sense initiative: the abolition of war.
While a global movement is needed, this movement cannot ignore or reverse the reality of where the greatest support for war originates. The United States builds, sells, buys, stockpiles, and uses the most weapons, engages in the most conflicts, stations the most troops in the most countries, and carries out the most deadly and destructive wars. By these and other measures, the U.S. government is the world's leading war-maker, and -- in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- the greatest purveyor of violence in the world. Ending U.S. militarism would eliminate the pressure that is driving many other nations to increase their military spending. It would deprive NATO of its leading advocate for and greatest participant in wars. It would cut off the largest supply of weapons to the Middle East and other regions.
But war is not a U.S. or Western problem alone. This movement will focus on wars and militarism around the globe, helping to create examples of effective alternatives to violence and war, and examples of demilitarization as a path to greater, not lesser, security. Short-term goals may include economic conversion commissions, partial disarmament, elimination of offensive but not defensive weapons, base closures, bans on particular weapons or tactics, promotion of diplomacy and international law, expansion of peace teams and human shields, promotion of nonmilitary foreign aid and crisis prevention, placing restrictions on military recruitment and providing potential soldiers with alternatives, drafting legislation to redirect war taxes into peace work, encouraging cultural exchange, discouraging racism, developing less destructive and exploitative lifestyles, the creation of a peace conversion task force to help communities make the transition from war making to meeting human and environmental needs, and expanding the global nonviolent peace force of civilian, trained, international, nonviolent peacekeepers and peacemakers who will be available to protect civilians and local peace and human rights workers endangered by conflicts in all parts of the world and to help build peace where there is or has been violent conflict.
To get involved, individuals should click here and organizations here.
Flyers.
***** ***** *****
16 January 2014 Earth Federation News & Views
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Editor Roger Kotila Reflects Upon the "World Beyond War" Strategy
The missing link to a permanent end to war is the world federalist solution. The Earth Federation Movement, with its Earth Constitution, offers a way to unite "we, the people" worldwide, and provides a brilliant democratic design to establish good government at the global level.
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[Editor Kotila writes:] What seems to be missing in the "World Beyond War" plan (worldbeyondwar.org) is the world federalist solution. That was Einstein's conclusion to end war, and that is why I believe the Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka "Earth Constitution") needs our serious consideration.
We must change the geopolitical system or the weapons of mass destruction will never be eliminated, wars will continue, poverty will remain a disgrace on the human race, and rights will be violated by whatever group of predators and sociopaths run this country, or that country, or this corporation, or that corporation. The environment will continue to be endangered. The United Nations has not been up to the task.
The problem goes beyond economic change
Predatory, monopoly capitalism is part of the problem, but its elimination would not bring peace. Socialist nations, each with independent sovereignty, would soon be at each other's throats, fighting for oil, or water, or you name it.
We need a balance of economic socialism/and regulated capitalism. The mixture of democratic socialism/capitalism seems positive to me, so long as the game of Monopoly is never allowed.
Money is like water, everybody needs it. Deprived of water in the garden of life, you and your family are flowers that wilt away in the unforgiving grip of poverty.
No one should be above the Law
Universal human rights, although not perfect, are pretty good as a universal standard: Women's rights, children's rights, etc. World crimes such as false flag operations, war crimes, torture, and crimes against humanity often go unpunished by those responsible.
But there must be a means to enforce violations of international and world law so that individuals in power who violate rights are held personally accountable (and suffer consequences such as going to jail).
If we had a well-designed geopolitical system like the Earth Constitution, world criminals (I could give you a long list of dictators, president's, covert operatives, generals, tycoons, bankers, and others) would be arrested, given legal due process, and if convicted, placed in prison for their world crimes. The key is individual accountability. No one should be above the Law.
Good government at the global level is possible
Apprehension about the need for a democratic world federal union government is understandable, but I believe that the Earth Constitution provides the answers.
The Constitution's democratic design rules out the danger of a world dictatorship. There is a unique world judiciary system that allows "we, the people" a means to challenge and eliminate crooks in government and in the private sector.
"FEDERAL" is very important as it means that the world government limits itself to those global problems (such as war, nukes, poverty, climate change) that can only be handled at the global level.
Local problems remain solved at the local level. Good government will mean new freedoms for local governments as resources become available that are now wasted on the military and black box operations.
Abolishing war will take more than warnings, networking, and protests
The "World Beyond War" strategy of worldwide protests via networking is helpful, but not strong, or smart, enough. As described to date, it is a consciousness-raising campaign that argues against war on moral, spiritual, and economic grounds. It warns us of potential global catastrophe.
But to succeed we must simultaneously address the fatal flaws in the geopolitical system that have allowed and supported militarization and created what is essentially a global war system where basically "might makes right."
The United Nations as a global governing system has been stymied by its Charter. It cannot do the job.
The ideal in the UN Charter of (unlimited) national sovereignty (for those who reject a world federation) plays right into the hands of the multinational corporations/Big Money/Big Military who so often are the shot-callers at both the national and global levels.
Separate nations make it much easier to dominate, much like the mistaken notion that "local control" can solve world problems. They can't, and they won't.
"Local control" is a good thing and has its place, but could never deal with the power of Big Money, Big Military, Big Police, and Big Secret Operations. These challenges require new thinking -- a new strategic paradigm, and that's why the Earth Federation Movement with its Earth Constitution is on the right track.
The Earth Constitution deserves serious study. Its significance is not unlike the Magna Carta or the U.S. Constitution except now the federalist and democratic principles are to be applied to all nations and peoples.
When Texas and California have a conflict, they don't go to war, they go to Court or they go to Congress. That's democratic federalism, and the Earth Constitution's wisdom and power is the nonviolent, good government structure needed if we are to succeed to permanently abolish war.
World federalists speak of enforceable world law as a nonviolent means to control harmful and dangerous behaviors by leaders of nations or other groups.
The public does not know there is a solution to the problem of war
We must let the public know that there is a rational and practical solution waiting to be acknowledged and applied. We do not have to suffer endless wars, nor do we have to live with the constant background fear of nuclear annihilation. We know what to do. We can end this nightmare.
There is a better way. That's why I like to say "I stand with Einstein." (Read "Einstein on Peace")
-- Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
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October 23, 2013
Has National Security Become a Dangerous Mental Disorder?
By Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
A psychologist views the national security complex using the latest diagnostic manual released by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5, 2013).
Has national defense, driven by grandiose delusions, greed, paranoia, and deceitfulness gone over the psychiatric edge, creating enemies real and imagined, with the result of endangering the citizenry rather than bringing safety and security?
Although the APA's Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is intended for individuals, there are insights to be gained from applying it to other contexts.
Early signs of mental disorder
The signs of mental disorder surrounding national security are numerous, but few Americans seem aware of it, a condition that the DSM-5 defines as anosognosia. The public fails to see that the Department of Defense appears more accurately to be a Department for War.
At the end of WWII the American military dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was a savage and sadistic blow aimed at civilian populations. The "cute" names given the two horrific bombs, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man", could not take away from the moral calamity that this depraved act represented.
As if the WWII fire bombings of German cities and Tokyo were not bad enough, the generals and the President had chosen to go even further by using the A-bomb. For the Pentagon, this marked the time when there would be no more limits as to the weaponry allowed in the name of national defense --even if that weaponry could destroy the world.
By the 1960's it was obvious that the United States had far more nuclear weapons than would ever be needed, but the real number was so huge as to stagger even the irrational imagination. Foreign Policy (Oct., 2013) reveals that in 1967 the US nuclear arsenal reached 31,255.
The Pentagon's insatiable attraction to weapons that could destroy the world was an early symptom of impaired judgment due to mental disorder. Sociopaths and psychopaths had gained full control of America's national security apparatus.
"Sociopathic" and "psychopathic" are forms of mental disorder in the DSM-5 under the category of "Antisocial Personality Disorder" (APD). It is one part of the diagnostic picture that helps explain how the military/industrial complex, about which President Eisenhower warned us, went wrong.
A type of mental disorder mistaken for normal, but deadly nevertheless
The public's notion of a mental disorder usually does not include the APD sociopath because they often appear to be normal, seemingly no different from you or me. Indeed, they may be quite intelligent and articulate, not unlike a Pentagon general or a member of Congress.
Symptoms may include lacking conscience and remorse, breaking the law, manipulating others, lying, sadism, and greed. Such indicators are seen in the past and current history of many in the national security establishment.
Sociopaths and psychopaths are often found in prison populations, but many never see jail, and some have gained high positions in business, government, the military, and elsewhere. Psychopaths represent the extreme -- mass murder, serial killing, and sadistic acts such as use of napalm, white phosphorous, and torture.
The U.S. military poisoned vast portions of Viet Nam with Agent Orange. In Iraq and Afghanistan the Pentagon routinely used depleted uranium munitions -- causing perpetual radioactive exposure to the civilian population such as the deformed babies now being born in Fallujah, Iraq, and disability and early deaths for American soldiers exposed to it.
Sociopaths often fail to conform to the law. It is well established that the U.S. invades or uses secret operations to overthrow governments it doesn't like, even those with democratically elected leaders.
Other sociopathic signs include enduring patterns of lying (getting the U.S. into wars in Viet Nam and Iraq), greed (an astronomical defense budget), and manipulation (war on terror to justify a military empire). The Dept. of Defense might more aptly be called the Dept. of War.
Torture and false flag operations part of the psychopath’s arsenal
Some behaviors like the CIA’s use of torture and false flag operations have an evil, psychopathic quality. Torture includes a sadistic satisfaction, the torturer seeking a certain type of response from the helpless victims. False flag operations murder our own. Covert operatives do a mass killing of innocent people, but the act is falsely blamed on an alleged “enemy.”
Bamford's Body of Secrets exposes the fact that the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved a plot (Operation Northwoods) to blow up an American passenger plane and blame it on Cuba as a pretext to invade Cuba. The 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident leading to the war in Viet Nam was likely false flag.
Independent investigators have posited that 9/11 was false flag, an inside job used to justify invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and to launch the perpetual war on terror. Despite convincing evidence that the 9/11 Commission Report was rigged to present a false picture, the US government has refused a new, independent investigation.
American "exceptionalism" a grandiose delusional disorder
A delusion, according to the DSM-5, is a false belief that is not amenable to change even in light of contradictory evidence. A grandiose delusion manifests an inflated sense of worth, power, and identity.
Neo conservatives boast that the U.S. is the "lone superpower" and declare that America is "exceptional" -- morally superior to other countries, and better than everyone else.
This "exceptionalism" justifies all sorts of behaviors from overthrowing governments to ignoring international law, to a justification for the Pentagon's plan for Full Spectrum Dominance.
Full Spectrum Dominance is not a peace plan. It is a grandiose military plot to control the world over land, on the seas, in the air, and up in space. With over 800 military installations worldwide and a large assortment of secret operations, the U.S. is widely seen not as "exceptional" or morally superior, but as a dangerous bully who is feared, resented, and often hated.
The Pentagon is locked into the distant future to an ideological paradigm of adversaries, enemies, and advanced weaponry, with no world peace in sight even 25 years from now. Huge sums of money continue to be wasted on nuclear weaponry and their delivery systems.
There are no plans to eliminate nuclear weapons or war. None. Despite all of its resources to keep us safe, there has been no reaching out by the Pentagon to the world federalists, who actually know what to do to end war and to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction.
The Pentagon's job is to make us safe. Is there a single general who knows what the World Federalist Solution is all about and that this was the answer that Einstein said could get us out of nuclear danger, and yield peace?
The notion that we could have a peaceful world is not in the imagination of our national security leaders. Rather then embrace the Earth Constitution as a plan for worldwide peace, the State Department has been obstructive, and the Pentagon has continued to obsess down a dark path seeking security through horrific weaponry and secret operations.
Creating a world of enemies, real and imagined
After WWII the U.S. soon found a new enemy -- the communists. The "Red Scare" was convenient to justify Pentagon ambitions, aided by terrorist attacks in Europe falsely blamed on the communists (Operation Gladio). Gladio was a murderous deception, an example of the national security state going purely psychopathic.
Terror pays big dividends for the business of war, keeping the citizenry frightened and willing to spend any amount of money to feel safe.
Invasions and covert operations to overthrow governments have created enemies worldwide, people who do not want to be ruled by the U.S. and its allies. But by creating enemies the military/industrial complex keeps itself relevant even while the domestic economy crumbles.
The anosognosia-blinded public has yet to see that the Department of Defense is really a Department for War.
The use of "enemies" to manipulate the citizenry has been overplayed, the result of which has been to plunge America into a perpetual abyss of enemies, real and imagined. Because black box operations are secret, many military personnel themselves are kept in the dark.
Plunging into paranoid psychosis: enemies everywhere, they hate us
After communism was defeated, the military/industrial complex needed a new enemy. By immediately blaming militant Muslims for the 9/11 attack, a new enemy was created even before the dust had settled and a legitimate investigation could be conducted.
It was a conspiracy theory offered by the government before the full facts were in, and made official by the 9/11 Commission Report, a report desperately defended by Establishment media despite growing amounts of evidence from independent investigators that the government’s version of events was false.
Nevertheless, the war on terror was underway supported by convenient lies such as the neo con’s who claimed that “They hate us because of our freedoms!”
A psychiatric assessment of the national security complex should not be taken lightly. The identified disorders are some of the most difficult to treat and may seriously impair judgment to such a degree as to become a danger to self or to others.
By Roger Kotila, Ph.D. www.earthfederation.info
[Soon in OPINION: The symptoms of a mentally disordered national security state are looked at more closely. Has society been too willing to ignore, deny, or rationalize a system that has become dangerously out of control? Is the well-being and safety of Americans and others worldwide now routinely at risk?
When a patient becomes a danger to self or others, mental health professionals are required to do an intervention that may involve treatment. Should the “national security state” be subject to some type of intervention?]
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October 9, 2013 Has National Security Become a Mental Disorder?
A psychologist views the national security complex using the latest diagnostic manual released by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5, 2013).
Has national defense, driven by grandiose delusions, greed, paranoia, and deceitfulness gone over the psychiatric edge creating enemies real and imagined, with the result of endangering the citizenry rather than bringing safety and security?
Although the APA's Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is intended for individuals, there are insights to be gained from applying it to other contexts.
Early signs of mental disorder
The signs of mental disorder surrounding national security are numerous, but few Americans seem aware of it, a condition that the DSM-5 defines as anosognosia.
At the end of WWII the American military dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was a savage and sadistic blow aimed at civilian populations. The "cute" names given the two deadly bombs, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man", could not take away from the moral calamity this depraved act represented.
As if the WWII fire bombings of German cities were not bad enough, the generals and the President had chosen to go even further by using the A-bomb. For the Pentagon, this marked the time when there would be no more limits as to the weaponry allowed in the name of national defense --even if that weaponry could destroy the world.
By the 1960's it was obvious that the United States had far more nuclear weapons than would ever be needed, but the real number was so huge as to stagger even the irrational imagination. Foreign Policy (Oct., 2013) reveals that in 1967 the US nuclear arsenal reached 31,255.
The Pentagon's insatiable attraction to weapons that could destroy the world was an early symptom of impaired judgement due to mental disorder. Sociopaths and psychopaths had gained full control of America's national security apparatus.
"Sociopathic" and "psychopathic" are forms of mental disorder in the DSM-5 under the category of "Antisocial Personality Disorder" (APD). It is one part of the diagnostic picture that helps explain how the military/industrial complex went wrong, causing increasingly less security both abroad and at home, and ultimately becoming a danger to the country.
A type of mental disorder mistaken for normal, but deadly nevertheless
The public's notion of a mental disorder usually does not include the APD sociopath because they often appear to be normal, seemingly no different than you or me. Indeed, they may be quite intelligent and articulate, not unlike a Pentagon general or a member of Congress.
Sociopaths are often found in prison populations, but many never see jail, and some have gained high positions in business, government, the military, and elsewhere.
Symptoms of this disorder may include include lacking conscience and remorse, breaking the law, manipulating others for personal gain, lying, sadism, and greed. Such indicators are seen in the past and current history of the national security establishment.
The U.S. military poisoned vast portions of Viet Nam with Agent Orange. In Iraq and Afghanistan the Pentagon routinely used depleted uranium munitions -- causing perpetual radioactive exposure to the civilian population such as the deformed babies now being born in Fallujah, Iraq.
Sociopaths often fail to conform to the law. It is well established that the U.S. invades or uses secret operations to overthrow governments it doesn't like, even those with democratically elected leaders.
Other sociopathic signs include enduring patterns of lying (getting the U.S. in wars in Viet Nam and Iraq), greed (an astronomical defense budget), and manipulation (war on terror to justify a military empire).
False flag operations, like the CIA's use of torture, have an evil, psychopathic quality.
Covert operatives do a mass killing of innocent people and the act is falsely blamed on the "enemy." Bamford's "Body of Secrets" exposes the fact that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had approved a plot to blow up an Amerian passenger plane and blame it on Cuba as a pretext to invade Cuba.
Independent investigators have posited that 9/11 was false flag, an inside job used to justify invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to launch the perpetual war on terror. Despite convincing evidence that the 9/11 Commission Report was rigged to present a false picture, the government has refused a new, independent investigation.
American "exceptionalism" a grandiose delusional disorder
A delusion, according to the DSM-5, is a false belief that is not amenable to change even in light of contradictory evidence. A grandiose delusion manifests an inflated sense of worth, power, and identity.
Neo conservatives boast that the U.S. is the "lone superpower" and declare that America is "exceptional" -- morally superior to other countries, and better than everyone else.
This "exceptionalism" justifies all sorts of behaviors from overthrowing governments to ignoring international law, to a justification for the Pentagon's plan for Full Spectrum Dominance.
Full Spectrum Dominance is not a peace plan. It is a grandiose military plot to control the world over land, on the seas, in the air, and up in space. With over 800 military installations worldwide and a large assortment of secret operations, the U.S. is widely seen not as "exceptional" or morally superior, but as a dangerous bully who is feared, resented, and often hated.
The Pentagon is locked into the distant future to an ideological paradigm of adversaries, enemies, and advanced weaponry, with no world peace in sight even 50 years from now. There are no plans to eliminate nuclear weapons. None. Huge sums of money continue to go toward nuclear weaponry and their delivery systems.
Creating a world of enemies, real and imagined
After WWII the U.S. soon found another enemy -- the communists. The "Red Scare" was convenient to justify Pentagon ambitions, aided by terrorist attacks in Europe falsely blamed on the communists (Operation Gladio). Gladio was a murderous deception, an example of the national security state going purely psychopathic.
Terror pays big dividends for the business of war, keeping the citizenry frightened and willing to spend any amount of money to feel safe.
Invasions and covert operations to overthrow governments have created enemies worldwide, people who do not want to be ruled by the U.S. and its allies. But by creating enemies the military/industrial complex keeps itself relevant even while the domestic economy crumbles.
The use of "enemies" to manipulate the citizenry has been overplayed, the result of which has been to plunge America into a perpetual abyss of enemies, real and imagined. Because black box operations are secret, many military personnel themselves are kept in the dark.
Plunging into paranoid psychosis: enemies everywhere, they hate us
After communism was defeated the military/industrial complex needed a new enemy. By immediately blaming militant Muslims for the 9/11 attack, a new enemy was created even before the full facts had been established
October 9, 2013 Has National Security Become a Mental Disorder?
A psychologist views the national security complex using the latest diagnostic manual released by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5, 2013).
Has national defense, driven by grandiose delusions, greed, paranoia, and deceitfulness gone over the psychiatric edge creating enemies real and imagined, with the result of endangering the citizenry rather than bringing safety and security?
Although the APA's Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is intended for individuals, there are insights to be gained from applying it to other contexts.
Early signs of mental disorder
The signs of mental disorder surrounding national security are numerous, but few Americans seem aware of it, a condition that the DSM-5 defines as anosognosia.
At the end of WWII the American military dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was a savage and sadistic blow aimed at civilian populations. The "cute" names given the two deadly bombs, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man", could not take away from the moral calamity this depraved act represented.
As if the WWII fire bombings of German cities were not bad enough, the generals and the President had chosen to go even further by using the A-bomb. For the Pentagon, this marked the time when there would be no more limits as to the weaponry allowed in the name of national defense --even if that weaponry could destroy the world.
By the 1960's it was obvious that the United States had far more nuclear weapons than would ever be needed, but the real number was so huge as to stagger even the irrational imagination. Foreign Policy (Oct., 2013) reveals that in 1967 the US nuclear arsenal reached 31,255.
The Pentagon's insatiable attraction to weapons that could destroy the world was an early symptom of impaired judgement due to mental disorder. Sociopaths and psychopaths had gained full control of America's national security apparatus.
"Sociopathic" and "psychopathic" are forms of mental disorder in the DSM-5 under the category of "Antisocial Personality Disorder" (APD). It is one part of the diagnostic picture that helps explain how the military/industrial complex went wrong, causing increasingly less security both abroad and at home, and ultimately becoming a danger to the country.
A type of mental disorder mistaken for normal, but deadly nevertheless
The public's notion of a mental disorder usually does not include the APD sociopath because they often appear to be normal, seemingly no different than you or me. Indeed, they may be quite intelligent and articulate, not unlike a Pentagon general or a member of Congress.
Sociopaths are often found in prison populations, but many never see jail, and some have gained high positions in business, government, the military, and elsewhere.
Symptoms of this disorder may include include lacking conscience and remorse, breaking the law, manipulating others for personal gain, lying, sadism, and greed. Such indicators are seen in the past and current history of the national security establishment.
The U.S. military poisoned vast portions of Viet Nam with Agent Orange. In Iraq and Afghanistan the Pentagon routinely used depleted uranium munitions -- causing perpetual radioactive exposure to the civilian population such as the deformed babies now being born in Fallujah, Iraq.
Sociopaths often fail to conform to the law. It is well established that the U.S. invades or uses secret operations to overthrow governments it doesn't like, even those with democratically elected leaders.
Other sociopathic signs include enduring patterns of lying (getting the U.S. in wars in Viet Nam and Iraq), greed (an astronomical defense budget), and manipulation (war on terror to justify a military empire).
False flag operations, like the CIA's use of torture, have an evil, psychopathic quality.
Covert operatives do a mass killing of innocent people and the act is falsely blamed on the "enemy." Bamford's "Body of Secrets" exposes the fact that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had approved a plot to blow up an Amerian passenger plane and blame it on Cuba as a pretext to invade Cuba.
Independent investigators have posited that 9/11 was false flag, an inside job used to justify invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to launch the perpetual war on terror. Despite convincing evidence that the 9/11 Commission Report was rigged to present a false picture, the government has refused a new, independent investigation.
American "exceptionalism" a grandiose delusional disorder
A delusion, according to the DSM-5, is a false belief that is not amenable to change even in light of contradictory evidence. A grandiose delusion manifests an inflated sense of worth, power, and identity.
Neo conservatives boast that the U.S. is the "lone superpower" and declare that America is "exceptional" -- morally superior to other countries, and better than everyone else.
This "exceptionalism" justifies all sorts of behaviors from overthrowing governments to ignoring international law, to a justification for the Pentagon's plan for Full Spectrum Dominance.
Full Spectrum Dominance is not a peace plan. It is a grandiose military plot to control the world over land, on the seas, in the air, and up in space. With over 800 military installations worldwide and a large assortment of secret operations, the U.S. is widely seen not as "exceptional" or morally superior, but as a dangerous bully who is feared, resented, and often hated.
The Pentagon is locked into the distant future to an ideological paradigm of adversaries, enemies, and advanced weaponry, with no world peace in sight even 50 years from now. There are no plans to eliminate nuclear weapons. None. Huge sums of money continue to go toward nuclear weaponry and their delivery systems.
Creating a world of enemies, real and imagined
After WWII the U.S. soon found another enemy -- the communists. The "Red Scare" was convenient to justify Pentagon ambitions, aided by terrorist attacks in Europe falsely blamed on the communists (Operation Gladio). Gladio was a murderous deception, an example of the national security state going purely psychopathic.
Terror pays big dividends for the business of war, keeping the citizenry frightened and willing to spend any amount of money to feel safe.
Invasions and covert operations to overthrow governments have created enemies worldwide, people who do not want to be ruled by the U.S. and its allies. But by creating enemies the military/industrial complex keeps itself relevant even while the domestic economy crumbles.
The use of "enemies" to manipulate the citizenry has been overplayed, the result of which has been to plunge America into a perpetual abyss of enemies, real and imagined. Because black box operations are secret, many military personnel themselves are kept in the dark.
Plunging into paranoid psychosis: enemies everywhere, they hate us
After communism was defeated the military/industrial complex needed a new enemy. By immediately blaming militant Muslims for the 9/11 attack, a new enemy was created even before the full facts had been established
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September 7, 2013
DEMOCRATIZE UNITED NATIONS TO END TERRORISM
[Editor's note: This article was written by a Bangladeshi who felt
spiritually inspired. From a very poor country, the author
believes that the ideas about the UN were given to him
..."through inspiration from GOD."
Here is an opportunity to hear from those seldom given
a voice in geopolitics, and who are victims of an unfair
and failing global political system.]
Excerpts are presented below, maintaining the key points
from the author's analysis:
DEMOCRATIZE UNITED NATIONS TO END TERRORISM
The whole world has been brain washed to fight terrorism... Killing innocent
civilians creates no concern for them...Terrorism will come again and again unless the root cause of terrorism is identified and resolved.
The root cause of terrorism lies in the economic exploitation of the third
world countries by the rich and powerful western countries. You do not have
to be a "rocket scientist" to figure that out. Just look at the structure of
"United Nation" (UN).
In UN, there are more than 200 [sic] member countries. UN has fifteen-member
Security Council. All the resolutions are passed in Security Council by
vote. Ten members are rotated every year or so among all the 200 plus member
countries. Only five countries have the permanent membership in Security
Council with a special veto power. Which means, any one of these five
countries has the unlimited power to stop or reject any resolution voted in
Security Council. These five countries are USA, UK, France, Russia and
China.
Among these five countries USA is from North America, UK, France and Russia
are from Europe, and China is from Asia. This representation of five
permanent member of Security Council in UN is definitely not democratic and
fair. Why there are three countries from Europe when the population of
Europe is much less than Asia? Why there is no country representation from
Africa? Why there is no country from South America? Who will protect the
interest of majority of Black countries in Africa? Who will protect the
interest of majority of Spanish people in South America?
Is there any wonder why the countries of Black Africa and Spanish South
America are poor? China is looking after the interest of oriental countries
only... A permanent member of a security council with unlimited and unconditional veto power plays an important role in distributing the world
wealth through UN organs like World Bank, IMF, WTO and so on. Similarly, Russia,UK and France are taking care of European nations.
I am not a racist. But I am bringing this up so that the whole world can see
the injustice and unfairness in the name of democracy and freedom. In the
present world population about 60% Asians, 12% Europeans, 13% Africans, 14%
Americans (North & South)... Now look at the five veto
power member representation. Three countries (UK, France and Russia) are
representing only 12% Europeans who are white. One country (USA) is
representing 14% of North & South Americans of which majority is Spanish but
there is no representation from Spanish South America. Only one country
(China) is representing the 60% population of the world who is oriental and
non-white Asians...
...There is no representation from the 13% Africans, majority
of whom are Blacks. The poor and suffering class is clearly the Black
Africans, Spanish South Americans and non-white Asians (please note that the
Arabians are considered as white and they are rich).
From the above statistics, it is obvious that the Four white permanent
members of UN security Council is [sic] pulling the White nations and China is
pulling the Oriental nations. Having no representation for the Blacks,
Spanish and non-white Asians, these countries are continuing to suffer from
poverty, corruption and exploitation due to negligence in proper
distribution of world wealth and investment.
UN is not only for the white and the oriental countries. UN is for the all
countries of the world. Therefore, for the sake of Justice, fairness and
democracy, I demand that the UN structure be modified to have proportionate
representation in the Security Council permanent membership with veto power.
If we believe in democracy, then the five permanent members of the Security
Council should represent the world population of Black, Spanish, non-white
Asians and White fairly proportionately.
If we do not stop this discrimination in the UN, our empty slogan of
democracy and freedom is a mere hypocrisy and the root cause of world
terrorism.
[Editorial comment: We agree with the idea of a link between terrorism and the lack of a democratic voice for all countries. Unlike the UN Charter, the Earth Constitution provides for equal voting rights and proportionate representation for all, thus providing a better opportunity to create a civilized, fair and just world society.
The UN, despite a longstanding legal requirement to hold a Charter Review, has failed to do so. This failure draws into question the very legitimacy of the UN Charter itself, and also the legitimacy of the Security Council which continues to function on an undemocratic basis.]
___________________________________________________________________________
*This article was first submitted to Democratic World Federalists, and is published
in Earth Federation News & Views with the author's permission.
-- DEMOCRATIC WORLD FEDERALISTS Working for a Democratic World Federation 55 New Montgomery St. #225, San Francisco, CA 94105-3421 Phone & Fax: 1-415-227-4880 www.dwfed.orgWorld Peace with Justice through Democratically Enacted and Enforceable World Law
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September 3, 2013
Internet Chatter on Syria: Is the US Lying Again?
The Middle East is a victim of the geopolitical war system, with Syria just the latest example.
Internet chatter reveals much doubt as to whether or not the United States is telling the truth about chemical weapons use. The civil war in Syria is made far worse by the involvement by proxy of powerful nations such as the United States, Israel, and Russia.
The United Nations lacks a system to prevent wars by proxy, while the Earth Federation has a system of enforceable world law that would hold individuals, not nations, accountable.
Internet chatter: Deep distrust of the US government and fear of WW III if Syria attacked
"One cannot poke even lightly a hornet's nest and hope to avoid being attacked viciously in return. The spiral towards a wider conflict is easy to predict."
"I think that you, and my other friends online, will know by now that the present threat being posed by Obama in the 'oval orifice' is contrived. Our covert ops folk have been busy in Syria, killing hundreds of innocent people, then blaming Assad's government for use of chemical weapons..." "Obama threatens military action in Syria, based on contrived, false evidence, as happened to launch hostilities in Iraq by George Bush II. George used outlawed depleted uranium in 600 cruise missiles launched at Baghdad, 600,000 lbs. of radioactive material, dumped on innocent people."
"WW III? Syrian, Iranian Officials say Israel will be "Set on Fire" if US strikes." http://.infowars.com/ww3-syrian-iranian-officials-say-israel-will-be-set-on-fire-if-us-strikes/
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The USA Project of World Domination versus the Earth Constitution
The recent revelations from Edward Snowden concerning massive NSA spying on the people of the US and the nations of Europe come as no surprise. Any person who is even marginally politically aware knows that the US has been systematically implementing a project of total world domination for the past 15 years, if not for the past several decades. Fifteen or more years ago, a group of key neoconservative leaders wrote and signed the document “Project for a New American Century.” This document (found on-line) has served as a blueprint for the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001 and for the systematic militarization of the US in its project for world domination that has taken place since that time. As Paul Craig Roberts, former US Assistant Secretary for the Treasury, puts this in a recent article:
By now the entire world must know that Washington is not merely lawless, but also totally out of control, reveling in arrogance and hubris, driven by desires for hegemony over the entire world. Washington is so paranoid and distrustful that it doesn’t even trust its own citizens or the European puppet governments that it has bought and paid for.
Washington is the only government that has ever used nuclear weapons, and Washington used them against a defeated government that was trying to surrender. Today the craziness in Washington is much worse. Decision-making councils are full of crazed neoconservative war-mongers, such as National Security Advisor Susan Rice, a threat to humanity. Washington think tanks and media are over-represented by neoconservatives such as William Kristol who wants to know “what good are nuclear weapons if you can’t use them?” http://www.opednews.com/articles/Has-Washington-s-Arrogance-by-Paul-Craig-Roberts-130702-784.html
For decades now, the US has had a policy of relating to other nations either as lackey nations (“allies”) or as enemy nations (destined for invasion or overthrow). The lackey nations, including Britain, France, and Germany, have compliantly followed US imperial policy by sending troops into Iraq and Afghanistan in order to justify and cover up the naked imperialism of the US through “a coalition of the willing.” After the revelations of NSA spying on the American people and on ally countries in Europe, the leaders of these European nations today express concern and outrage. But surely these leaders are not so naïve or stupid that they do not understand their immoral complicity with the destruction of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and other countries relatively independent of the system of domination.
Surely, both the leaders and people of these countries know that the super-power is bent on world-empire and that their silence and complicity makes them modern-day heirs of their own past systems of slavery, colonialism, and devastation. Do we want democracy, justice and freedom for the people of Earth or not? If we see that every human being has the rights listed in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including “the right to life, liberty, and security of person,” then we give up our ethnocentrism, egoism, and selfishness and work to transform this corrupt world order.
You cannot have democracy in Britain, France, Germany, or the US—or anywhere else—if your country is a militarized cog in the global domination machine. Militarism destroys democracy on every front—through secrecy, through surveillance, through violation of human rights, and through diverting massive resources from health care, education, social security, and environmental protection toward weapons, destruction, and naked power politics.
After 1945 there was great hope in the United Nations, a hope that has since been clearly betrayed. We should question why the UN system cannot give us peace or democracy in the world. Perhaps the most fundamental right in the UN Universal Declaration that has never even been partially actualized is found in Article 28: “Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.” Under the present world order “life, liberty, and security of person” are impossible for every person on Earth. War, surveillance, violence, and poverty violate these daily for hundreds of millions of persons worldwide. The only possible world order that can give human beings a decent existence is global democracy.
A decent world order cannot come through the system of some 192 militarized territorial entities competing militarily and economically from a multiplicity of national interests, ideologies, religions, and selfish perspectives. The great French writer, Albert Camus, declared that we must free ourselves from this system that requires all of us to be “either victims or executioners.” Today’s world system makes it inevitable that we be either one or the other. The leaders of Britain, France, and Germany express outrage that the US is spying on them, but how can they possibly justify such outrage when they have willingly been part of the system of executioners against the victim countries worldwide?
To free ourselves from this militarized nightmare of victimization and execution, we must rise to a higher level of existence. Albert Einstein declared that no fundamental problem can be solved on the level within which that problem arose. We must move to a higher level of humanity, decency, and organization if we are to survive on this planet—if we are to respect human rights, establish justice, protect and restore the environment, and eliminate poverty and misery from the world.
The Constitution for the Federation of Earth (www.worldproblems.net), simply through the act of its ratification, raises humanity to this new level. In its very first article, the Constitution identifies the functions of a planetary democracy all of which are beyond the system of nation-states to accomplish. From this level of global democracy alone can we prevent war, disarm the nations, protect human rights for all persons, conserve world resources, eliminate poverty, and protect our planetary environment.
The Constitution sets up a democratic world system—free of surveillance, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, power politics, and violence—in which the people of Earth join together to make our planet a happy and peaceful home for all its citizens. It is not that people need to change their human nature. Rather, it is the system itself—a democratic economic and political system for the entire Earth—that will lift us beyond the dilemma of being either victims or executioners. In place of the chaos of some 192 competing, mostly militarized entities, we will have a democratic world parliament, a world judiciary, a civilian world police, and a world department of human rights called the “Ombudsmus.”
Let us place our outrage where it should be placed—not at the US in its project of global domination, not at Britain, France, or Germany for being lackeys in this imperial project, not at Arabs or Israelis or Iranians for struggling to survive within this brutal and unjust world system—but at the system itself which fosters these awful consequences and makes us all into either victims or executioners. If we raise the democratic system to a world level where it properly belongs, we will be liberating humanity for the project of justice, peace, and decency.
Let us study the Earth Constitution, promote the Earth Constitution with its global democratic system, and let us pledge allegiance to the Earth Constitution. We can have a truly new world, but it is each of us that must commit to building it. Our corrupt and complicit national leaders will not build it. They are too deeply embedded within the old system—too wealthy, too used to hypocrisy, too afraid, too compromised. We the people must take charge of our fate on this Earth—for our own sake, for the sake of our children, and for the stake of future generations. Let us all be a living part of this world-historical transformation of our planet from chaos to order, from war and violence to peace, and from a system of power and domination to planetary democracy. It is now or never. We must make our choice before it is too late.
BY: Dr. Glen T. Martin
Guest writer bio:
Glen T. Martin is the professor of philosophy and chair of the Peace Studies Program at Radford University in Virginia. He is President of the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) and the Institute on World Problems (IOWP). His personal website is www.radford.edu/gmartin.
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April 17, 2013
Toward Democratic World Federation
The Big Idea
The Big Idea
What is the "Big Idea"? Put bluntly, establishing a democratic world government. Stated more softly, creating a democratic federal world union. Stated more simply, forming a democratic world federation.
The Big Idea is being put out in cyberspace (www.dwfed.org) by San Francisco-based Democratic World Federalists showing different "Paths to World Federation." DWF, an independent, nonprofit think tank and educational peace organization, identifies various "Paths" that could lead to the establishment of a democratic world federation.
Certain paths have special significance for the Earth Federation Movement. One path is to transform the United Nations. Activists are looking at instigating a United Nations Charter Review, and also establishing a UN Parliamentary Assembly.
Charter Review for EFM would be an opportunity to introduce the Earth Constitution to UN member nations and examine its benefits compared to the UN Charter. A UN Parliamentary Assembly could become the "House of Peoples" in the Earth Federation's World Parliament.
Another "Path" is to create a world constitution that supercedes the aging UN Charter. An Earth Federation democratic government is formed "inside the shell" of the UN organization, saving those UN agencies of proven effectiveness, but removing the undemocratic governing structure which rigs the system in favor of the few.
Under the Earth Constitution the permanent 5 veto nations of the UN will no longer have special privilege and power. Equality is introduced. The second class citizenship of 190 nations at the UN comes to an end and in its place, democratic equality for all.
The path to create a world constitution can be fast-tracked thanks to the visionary efforts of the World Constitution & Parliament Association. Many years ago WCPA saw the need for a world constitution, and proceeded to draft the Earth Constitution. It can be implemented immediately, a fact that environmental and anti-war activists may find quite attractive in view of the emergency nature of world problems.
Lesson from the democratic spring and occupy movement
The democratic spring and Occupy movement offer an opportunity for a new dimension of dialogue about solutions, particularly as the existing strategies of protesting and activist networking fall short. Activists have not looked at the United Nations for serious help because the UN itself is handcuffed by its obsolete Charter.
Although "think globally, act locally" enables a decentralized and widespread network of activist groups, there still needs to be an "act globally, act locally" component. Imagine a multinational corporation having to deal with Los Angeles and San Francisco versus having to deal with LA, SF, and the Earth Federation. Which type of structure is most likely to succeed?
The public is unaware that solutions exist to resolve global problems
The need for world government has not been on the media's agenda since the Cold War. The public, therefore, is completely unaware that potential solutions exist to resolve the problems that threaten the well-being of their families and the planet itself.
Establishment media, intellectuals, and politicians maintain a habitual and irresponsible silence regarding world government, a failure which is almost unforgivable since no other type of political system is capable of eliminating nuclear weapons, ending wars, controlling Big Money, and saving the environment.
If this analysis is correct, then we must somehow get the message out to the public. They have a right to know that an economic Armageddon, an environmental Armageddon, or a nuclear war Armageddon are not impossible problems we can never hope to change. There are solutions, but they are not talked about.
There is no shortcut to world peace except to establish a democratic federal world union
World federalists must somehow acknowledge an exciting but scary truth: There is no shortcut to world peace except to establish a democratic federal world union.
To argue otherwise is to continue to endanger our planet , our nation, and our families.
Half-way measures are like treating pneumonia with a partial dose of penicillin. It won't work. We will need a full dosage of good (democratic world) government, one that can replace the present shadow government controlled by the .1%.
To restore faith and belief in good government, there must be real democracy, equality, and decentralization by means of federating.
I submit that the Earth Constitution can provide a trustworthy foundation for a new type of governance, one we can feel pride in, and experience a new sense of safety and well-being.
[Editor's note: This is a revised/modified version of a "President's message" submitted to Democratic World Federalists at its Annual Meeting on April 14, 2013. I am the President of DWF, re-elected for another one year term. The views expressed here do not represent the official position of DWF, but are the sole responsibility of the author. -- Roger Kotila, Ph.D.]
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February 28, 2013
I HAVE A DREAM
[Editor's note: A DREAM OF PEACE provides a surprising challenge to cynics who believe that establishing a peaceful federal world union would be "impossible."
Such feelings of despair discourage people from taking constructive action. "There have always been wars, and there always will be wars," shrugs the cynic. Unfortunately, such a sense of futility casts a cold shadow over the will to create a safe and peaceful world, and reduces chances for meaningful change.
Columnist Bob Hanson's A DREAM OF PEACE offers an unexpected, simple, yet powerful message for those paralyzed by feelings of helplessness that "there is nothing any of us can do to save the world." Dr. Hanson refuses to indulge in this emotional dead end, and instead gives us a prescription for action. - Roger Kotila, Ph.D.]
A DREAM OF PEACE by Dr. Bob Hanson (first published in the Rossmoor News, January 16, 2013)
Next week we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. King had a dream. He dreamed that one day little children would be judged by their character, not the color of their skin. He dreamed that the American promise that all men (and women, I presume) are created equal, would someday be fulfilled. We haven’t fulfilled his dreams yet, but we have all observed much progress in that direction, not the least of which is re-electing an African-American as president. Things are moving in the right direction.
I also have a dream. Apparently, it was the vision of a song writer named Ed McCurdy who in 1950 put his dream to music in the song “Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream.” The words go on to say that “all the nations had agreed to put an end to war.” MLK would also have subscribed to this dream.
I don’t expect this to happen while I’m alive, but unless life on this planet is brought to an end by a nuclear holocaust, I am confident that war will eventually be outlawed and future generations will look back upon the 20th Century, the way we now look at the Dark Ages.
Seeing a solution. In order to reach this point in the history of humankind, I am pretty sure we will need to accept democracy at the international level the way we take it for granted at the local, state and federal level. Just as war between California and Oregon is not a possibility because of our Federal system, democratic world federalism will make the possibility of war between Israel and Iran a non-starter. The current civil war in Syria could be solved by international law, international courts and an international police force. Costa Rica has discovered that they don’t need a military. When will the rest of the world figure this out as well? This could free up the resources of the world to eliminate poverty, eradicate diseases, combat global warming, provide universal education and a decent standard of living for all people on Earth.
Take the U.S. as an example. We squander more money on our military than we spend on education, natural resources, housing, and everything else combined. Yes…I said squander. The biggest share of our “defense” budget goes for weaponry developed to fight a war with the Soviet Union. One good example is the F-22 fighter jet. We have spent billions and billions on it, yet it has never flown a combat mission.
A good chunk of the military budget goes to maintain over a thousand bases throughout the world. Does Germany really need 60,000 of our troops to protect itself from who? France? These overseas bases cost us $250,000,000,000 a year.
Don't tell me we can't end war! One of my friends once said “we’ve always had war and always will have.” I refuse to believe that that is true. I plan on spending a good number of my remaining days here on earth proving him wrong. I have a dream.
If you are interested in the possibility of democratic world federalism, check out www.DWFed.org and www.earthfederation.info.
Dr. Hanson can be reached at doctoroutdoors@comcast.net He is a Board member of Democratic World Federalists -- an international peace think tank/educational organization based in San Francisco, California, USA.
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December 2, 2012 (revised December 6, 2012)
Earth Constitution a gift to the world not yet taken
Joy to the world, peace on earth, goodwill to all. Happy holidays! But why does world peace seem so far away?
Even with the best of intentions (e.g, "love thy neighbor") a good and decent life for all has failed to materialize. War, brutality, and poverty stubbornly persist, casting a cold shadow over our world.
World federalists have known for over fifty years what would be needed to establish a world in which war between nations could be eliminated. They predicted accurately that the United Nations Charter could not yield world peace. The Charter was not democrat, nor was it federal in design. Provisions for effective enforceable world law were absent.
The UN's International Court of Justice was to be used for nation versus nation, but with no real way to enforce decisions, and with no means to hold individuals accoutable. In the end, the most powerful nations did whatever they wanted, no matter what the decision of the ICJ.
The recently established International Criminal Court for the first time held individual leaders accountable, but leaders of powerful nations were, as before, essentially above the law no matter what world crimes were committed. The ICC's jurisdiction was too narrow, and means of enforcement unreliable.
Hence the the illegal aggressions of the United States, Israel, and China as just three examples, go unpunished. Invasions, covert operations including war by proxy, occupying other countries and territories, use of weapons of mass mutilation -- all are free of any legal consequences for those leaders who direct such world crimes.
The Earth Constitution was drafted by the World Constitution and Parliament Association because the UN Charter lacked the features that world federalists knew were needed to have a world that worked for everybody, provided fair and equal justice, and could end war.
Under the Earth Constitution, disputes and conflicts are resolved in the World Judiciary or by the World Parliament, not by going to war or by covert operations. In other words, the Earth Constitution, unlike the UN Charter, provides a means for peaceful alternatives to resolve conflicts.
The real question now is when will the media let the people know about the Earth Constitution, this gift to humanity? The holiday season would be a wonderful time to inform the public that there just might be a way to bring peace on earth, and goodwill to all.
-- Roger Kotila, editor
Earth Federation News & Views
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November 21, 2012
Israeli Zionist Ambitions, Empire, Religious Extremism, Disarmageddon
[This is a new article with excerpts from "Thoughts on Evil & Evil Empire" first published in September, 2012 but revised extensively in view of the current Israeli-Gaza conflict.]
by Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Israeli Zionist ambitions supported by American Empire
The Zionist dominated Israeli government gives the Jewish faith a bad name as it expands to establish an empire to control and to dominate the so-called "Promised Land."
The U.S. Congress cheers the Israeli leaders no matter what terrorist methods they use to expand beyond their borders, forcing the Palestinians out of their homes, and into submission. It is widely understood by political analysts that the U.S. Congress is a rubber stamp for the demands of AIPAC, the powerful American Israeli lobby.
The brutal attack on an essentially defenseless Gaza remains a world crime for which no Israeli leader has been prosecuted. Israel openly threatens Iran with an attack for allegedly trying to get a nuke, while the U.S. and the United Nations make no demand for Israel to get rid of its 200 nuclear weapons. Complete silence.
Religious extremism breeds evil in the Middle East
The religious fantasy of divine entitlement, if allowed to grow as it has since the beginning of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948, could lead to widespread war, perhaps even to an Armageddon event in the Middle East.
It is safe to say that all of the major religions in the West have been associated at one time or another with good and evil, and that actions in the Middle East by "extremists" have tainted the faiths of all -- Christian, Jew, and Muslim.
We observe Christian fundamentalists expecting and even encouraging a Middle East conflict to bring about Armageddon in order to fulfill the End Times fantasies of Biblical prophecy. These extremist Christians support Israel's Zionist expansionism to illegally conquer the Promised Land and all of Jerusalem.
Zionist extremists in Israel's government routinely issue warnings and threats that they will attack Iran. Gaza is again under attack, with threats of invasion.
Meanwhile, extremist orthodox Jews continue to establish illegal new settlements on Palestinian land and in Jerusalem, further increasing tensions. The United Nations has been unable to control Israel's use of terror tactics and its routine violations of international law, while the U.S. has been openly complicit in these world crimes, giving Israel money and weapons.
Out of control religious extremism
Zionist Jews cling to the grandiose delusion of being God's "chosen people" and thus claim the right to drive the Palestinians out of their homes by any means necessary.
Fundamentalist Christians insist that Armageddon is inevitable and refuse to question its wisdom despite the fact that it would mean the suffering and death of multitudes of the innocent.
In all of these examples, great evils go unchecked, allowed to continue because an honest analysis is not permitted, or if it is, people refuse to listen. The current conflict in the Middle East is a classic example where few are willing to challenge the delusional ideology that the Jews are God's "chosen" people with the absolute right to the Holy Land, aka the Promised Land, and with the right to take away Palestinian homes and territory.
Because "Armageddon" itself is considered a sacred prophecy by religious extremists, they may fuel the flames of hatred and violence between Israel and Palestine in the secret hope that it will hasten the predicted Armageddon. What is to be gained? According to their interpretation of prophecy Jesus comes down to earth just before the great nightmare and believers are spared, taken to heaven in the Rapture.
Breaking the hex of the Armageddon prophecy
Fundamentalist Christians have a sacred narrative predicting End Times. For those who take "sacred" overly seriously, this results in failing to take action to prevent Armageddon because it is predicted in sacred texts and therefore, is inevitable.
Rather than taking the steps necessary to avoid such a terrible catastrophe, they remain as if paralyzed because in their mind the up and coming end of the world is God's will. What right do we have to question it? And if that is what God wants, there is nothing anyone can do to stop it, anyway!
Another danger is that of a self-fulfilling prophecy. One helps to make the prophecy come true by helping it to occur. We see this when fundamentalist evangelical Christians actually support and encourage Israeli Zionist Jews to continue their illegal expansion into Palestinian territories, despite the fact that such actions cause deep resentments which could eventually erupt into violent conflict and war -- hence, a possible Armageddon.
There may also be unconscious fear in believers that Armageddon might actually be preventable. Talk of "disarmageddon" therefore, is met with incredulity. For those who believe that the whole Bible is absolutely true, the idea that a prophecy might not happen is unthinkable and frightening because preventing this Biblical prophecy can be seen as a threat to the perfection or basic truth of the faith itself.
How to get out of such a dilemma if you are a good and decent person, and also devoutly religious?
Good and decent people reject extremist religious values
Here we should say that the vast majority of people of these religious faiths are good and decent people, willing to live, and to let live. Good Christians, good Jews, and good Muslims the world over reject violence, war, and intolerance as do followers of the major religions in the East such as Buddhists and Hindu's. They respect love and kindness, and respect each others' religion.
Evil does not need to win
Unfortunately, the belief that Armageddon is inevitable causes many religious people to consider it impossible to stop. As a result the believer's attention is spent on working and praying for personal salvation rather than helping activists who are trying to replace the global war system with a peace system.
Yet most Christians would admit that if Jesus were here today he would do everything in his power to prevent the horrible suffering which would be unleashed in Armageddon. After all, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, not the prince of death and destruction.
Most Christians will also admit that, although unlikely, God who is "all powerful" could change his/her mind and cancel the Armageddon prophecy at any time, now or in the future.
Becoming a peace activist determined to prevent Armageddon
At a practical geopolitical level Disarmageddon will mean changing the undemocratic global political system centered around the flawed and inadequate United Nations Charter. The UN is simply unable to cope with a combination of Israeli Zionist empire and American Empire joined together to control and to dominate the Middle East.
The undue influence of the Israeli Lobby on the U.S. Congress must come to an end. Jews and Christians alike can challenge this toxic relationship. People can call for an end to the grandiose fantasies of Empire, and instead seek world union with mutual respect and caring for all peoples and nations.
The Earth Constitution marks a new direction for geopolitics, one which offers a more positive future for the world.
Embracing the Earth Constitution and the need for world union
Enter the Earth Constitution with the intellectual and moral standards needed to bring integrity back to government. Designed to establish good government and world union, it offers a path by which the citizenry can start to eliminate the evils of corrupt leadership in nations, while offering the people of the world a realistic means to become free from war, free from poverty, and free from the secret police state.
The Earth Constitution cannot solve all problems. The world will never be perfect. However, it can give us a structure that supports the good and decent people in the world who want nothing more than to be able to live in peace, and to raise their families in a decent and safe world.
-- Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
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November 15, 2012
Drones and Terror Wars: Attacking the Heart of Civilization Itself and What We Can Do About It
(excerpts of an article by Glen T. Martin published November 11, 2012)
911 AS TURNING POINT. Those high officials in the U.S. government who formulated the Project for the New American Century Document in the late 1990s envisioned the 21st Century as “the American Century” with military domination of the entire world by the U.S.
Yet the document stated that the American people would not go along with the “sacrifice” and immense military expansion this required unless they experienced “a new Pearl Harbor,” some attack on American soil so devastating that people would be mobilized to support perpetual war and militarism. This most conveniently happened in September 2001. Civil liberties were soon curtailed and habeas corpus eliminated even for US citizens if the government suspected they were associated with “terrorism.” Universal surveillance was soon implemented, and a perpetual war on terror announced that required military intervention anywhere in the world at any time indefinitely into the future.
From top secret to a publicly announced war on human civilization and the rule of law
U.S. POLICY HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED, therefore, from a top secret clandestine policy of black op assassination, kidnapping, torture, and murder developed in the 1960s to an official, publicly announced war on human civilization and the rule of law. Due process of law has been abandoned for the barbarity of arbitrarily killing anyone suspected of being the “enemy.” Unmanned drones, killing people around the world from control points in Nevada or Florida, are merely a symbol of this barbarity, but it is also there in President Obama’s policy of “targeted assassinations,” and in his policy of never ending worldwide “war” that he adopted from his predecessor George W. Bush.
THE VERY CONCEPT OF DUE PROCESS OF LAW HAS BEEN ABANDONED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. The fact that American citizens are not exempted is merely a consequence of the barbaric logic of this policy. For “war” is precisely the opposite of the rule of law. It dispenses with human rights, human dignity, and human protection under the law to simply kill and destroy whomever is perceived as opposing its power and domination. It is not only the continuing threat of nuclear holocaust that is facing the world due to the barbarism of sovereign nation-states, and it is not only impending climate collapse endangering our future, but the very progress of civilization is threatened by the US policy of perpetual, limitless war.
Liquid War targets whole populations such as Palestinians subjected to genocidal conditions
In his 2006 book Globalistan: How the Globalized World Is Dissolving Into Liquid War, internationally known journalist Pepe Escobar details the worldwide devastation caused by the U.S. in its attempt to enforce and secure its global economic and military empire. Not only are whole populations deprived of due process of law by U.S. supported dictators, and not only are whole populations such as the Palestinians subjected to genocidal conditions by the U.S. and its ally Israel, but the resistance efforts of the starving and hungry peoples of super-exploited countries must be crushed by the U.S. training of military oppressors in their respective countries or by direct drone or special forces assassinations by the U.S. military itself. The world is descending into “liquid war” by these policies, Escobar repeatedly shows, and the due process rule of democratic law is entirely gone from our conceptual framework except as Orwellian double-speak.
Building a new civilization through world union
HOW TO RECLAIM THE FUTURE. All these empires have one thing in common. They were all products of the system of sovereign nation-states first codified in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The thinkers since that time, including Spinoza, Hobbes, Locke, Kant, and Hegel, all recognized that this was a “war system” in that these nations (by definition as “sovereign”) recognized no enforceable laws above themselves. This war system was simultaneously the source of empires, since without the effective rule of law above nations those that are more powerful will inevitably seek to extend their power as widely as possible and secure through military force the resources and cheap labor of weaker nations.
Our only option, if we want to preserve and promote civilization on this planet, is to focus on the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. This document unites the nations of the Earth under a global democratic constitution in the same way that the states of the United States were united under a federal constitution that preserves their relative independence while making them subject to binding federal constitutional law. The trajectory of civilization from ancient times to the present in terms of the rule of law and due process of law culminates in the concept of democratic law for all humanity. The Earth Constitution, although available for immediate ratification under its Article 17, can and should also function as a regulative ideal for human activism, thought, and aspirations. As a regulative ideal it serves as a coherent and consistent vision of a just, equitable, and sustainable world system established and democratically maintained under the concepts of the rule of law and due process of law for all persons on Earth.
The most effective way to oppose the empire and stand for justice and integrity is not through anarchic non-violent resistance alone, nor is it through guerrilla warfare or violent revolution. Ideas are ultimately more powerful than weapons. We must envision the rule of law and due process of law as ideals for all persons and nations. This cannot be done for the system of sovereign nations as it now stands since there is an internal contradiction between the concept of a sovereign nation and the concept of the democratic due process of law.
The very heart of the human civilization project
A coherent vision of the rule of law and due process of law, that is, of a civilized world system, requires the concept of a Constitution for the Federation of Earth. The U.S.-led global system of liquid terror, abjuring the rule of law worldwide, can only be effectively stopped through conceptual clarity—by seeing barbarism for what it is and by seeing the heart of civilization for what it is.
THE EARTH CONSTITUTION MUST BE STUDIED, PROMOTED, AND RAISED UP as a regulative ideal symbolizing the very heart of the human civilizational project. Only an emerging Earth Federation can abolish war forever from the Earth, just as only an emerging Earth Federation can protect our planetary environment for future generations. The Earth Constitution symbolizes the very opposite of the terror drones and their perpetual liquid war. It symbolizes the due process rule of law for every person on Earth which is the key to a life of justice, dignity, and freedom for all—the actualization of our human civilizational project.
Dr. Glen T. Martin
President, World Constitution and Parliament Assoc. (www.wcpa.biz)
President, Institute on World Problems (www.worldproblems.net)
Professor of Philosophy, Radford University (www.radford.edu/gmartin)
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September 27, 2012
"A moral and political answer to the problem of hidden evil"
(Part 3 of 3) Thoughts on Evil and Evil Empire
Good and decent people reject extremist religious values
Here we should say that the vast majority of people of these religious faiths are good and decent people, willing to live, and to let live. Good Christians, good Jews, and good Muslims the world over reject violence, war, and intolerance as do followers of the major religions in the East such as Buddhists and Hindu's. They respect love and kindness, and respect each others' religion.
The psychological cloak of "sacred" allows evil to mystify good people
We are taught from a very young age that our country is great and good, that capitalism is the only rational and successful economic system, and that our religion is true. With enough repetition, these beliefs subconsciously achieve "sacred" status to the point that serious criticism is no longer considered needed, or welcomed.
Unfortunately the positive aspects of belief systems like nationalism (love of country), capitalism (incentives to work and to create), and religion (moral and ethical guidelines) harbor hidden evils which, surprisingly, remain unacknowledged by good and decent people, hence go unchecked.
Once sacrosanct, such belief systems become inviolable -- immune from criticism. Shrouded by this cloak of the sacred, any accusation of wrongdoing or imperfection is taboo. Criticism is reacted to as if it were heresy which acts to mystify even otherwise intelligent, good people. Evil has won.
When evil goes unacknowledged bad things happen
> Maladaptive nationalism. Symptoms of maladaptive nationalism can be seen in exaggerated American pride ("We are # 1! We are the best country in the world! We are the good guys."). Feeling favored by the divine, our leaders like to end their speeches with a confident "God bless America!" This grandiose narcissism creates a cloak of sacredness, and it blinds us to American imperfections and world crimes.
Nation worship prevents most good and decent people from an honest examination of the Pentagon whose grandiose ambitions to dominate the world (Full Spectrum Dominance) have destroyed the lives of thousands upon thousands of innocent people in foreign countries that we have illegally invaded, overthrown, or secretly corrupted.
Sadly for Americans, they also become the victims of this militarization as huge amounts of money are spent on advanced weaponry, wars, and over 700 military bases worldwide. It means ever less money for basic needs at home such as for health care, education, and for civilian jobs.
Most people want to believe in their country, that it is good and great. Americans have tended to forgive the lies that led to the Viet Nam war and the invasion of Iraq. So when the 9/11 Commission Report came out, the Establishment media refused to believe that the Report might be a cover-up despite mounting evidence by 9/11 researchers to the contrary.
Why should we care? Some people in power are sociopath's. Leaders who will lie and cause wars, might also plot to create incidents which make Americans feel they are under attack. A shock and awe incident like 9/11 causes fear and paranoia, and the citizenry become easily manipulated to the point where constitutional protections are lost. Use of indefinite detention without trial is one example -- a clear violation of international law and universal human rights.
The Earth Constitution's world judiciary system is designed so that if a nation becomes so corrupted that it cannot be fixed from within, then its citizens can appeal to the Earth Federation for help. An outside investigation can be launched on the authorities who are suspected of corruption.
> Godless capitalism. Capitalism in America is a form of religion. Profit is substituted for God. The free market and privatization is placed on a pedestal. Capitalism is endlessly praised for its supposed virtues despite ample evidence to the contrary. Government is belittled. Privatization is a ploy for the very wealthy to gain added profit centers. Regulation is fiercely opposed despite the corrupt banking and corporate practices which have helped to destroy the economy for the middle classes, yet produced great concentrations of wealth for the few (the 1%).
Godless capitalism, namely the predatory/monopoly type, has produced the equivalent of a modern feudal system with a handful of people around the world owning most of the resources, assets, and wealth. Like the game of Monopoly, if you own all of the valuable properties, you are set for life. Those without property (the 80%) become like peasants, renting from the Master, stuck in lifelong debt.
One utters the phrase "godless capitalism" at one's own risk as it is so highly idolized as to have become a sacred icon, with profit being at the top of the list. Objectively however, predatory/monopoly capitalism has produced serious evils including huge inequalities in income, poverty level wages with few benefits, and loss of democracy. Money rules.
It is an economic belief system which, we are told, is the "best in the world" despite the condemning evidence to the contrary. Where the economic system is primarily capitalistic, there is almost always a big gap between the rich and the poor unless taxes on the rich are high.
When Russia abandoned communism for capitalism, the standard of living for most people dropped dramatically, financial security was lost, and a small group of people became overnight millionaires and even billionaires. The U.S. has almost 40% of its entire population one or two paychecks away from financial disaster. Many of these folks could go bankrupt with a serious medical illness, and many cannot afford to go to the dentist. A college education in the U.S. can leave a young person in debt for life.
Under strict capitalism, one must "pay to play." Hence, one is not guaranteed food, clothing, shelter, or any of the other basics for life. In point of fact, a balanced mixture of socialism and capitalism is far superior as seen in countries like Finland and other Scandinavian countries.
> Out of control religious extremism
Regarding religion, extremist Muslims use threats and actual violence if one dares "insult" Mohammed. Fundamentalist Christians insist that Armageddon is inevitable and refuse to question its wisdom despite the fact that it would mean the suffering and death of multitudes of the innocent. Zionist Jews cling to the grandiose delusion of being God's "chosen people" and thus claim the right to drive the Palestinians out of their homes by any means necessary.
In all of these examples, great evils go unchecked, allowed to continue because an honest analysis is not permitted, or if it is, people refuse to listen. The current conflict in the Middle East is a classic example where few are willing to challenge the delusional ideology that the Jews are God's "chosen" people with the absolute right to the Holy Land, aka the Promised Land, and with the right to take away Palestinian homes and territory.
This religious fantasy of divine entitlement, if allowed to grow as it has since the beginning of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948, could lead to widespread war, perhaps even to an Armageddon event in the Middle East.
Because "Armageddon" itself is considered a sacred prophecy by religious extremists, they may fuel the flames of hatred and violence between Israel and Palestine in the secret hope that it will hasten the predicted Armageddon. What is to be gained? According to their interpretation of prophecy Jesus (or Mohammed) comes down to earth just before the great nightmare and believers are spared, taken to heaven in the Rapture.
Breaking the hex of the Armageddon prophecy
Both Christians and Muslims have a sacred narrative predicting End Times. For those who take "sacred" overly seriously, this can mean that they decline to take action to prevent Armageddon because in their view it is predicted in sacred texts and therefore, is inevitable.
Rather than taking the steps necessary to avoid such a terrible catastrophe, they remain as if paralyzed because in their mind the up and coming end of the world is God's will. What right do we have to question it? And if that is what God wants, there is nothing anyone can do to stop it, anyway!
Another danger is that of a self-fulfilling prophecy. One helps to make the prophecy come true by helping it to occur. We see this when fundamentalist evangelical Christians actually support and encourage Israeli Zionist Jews to continue their illegal expansion into Palestinian territories, despite the fact that such actions cause deep resentments which could eventually erupt into violent conflict and war -- hence, a possible Armageddon.
There may also be an unconscious fear in believers that Armageddon might actually be preventable. Talk of "disarmageddon" therefore, is met with incredulity. For those who believe that the whole Bible is absolutely true, the idea that a prophecy might not happen is unthinkable. It is also frightening because preventing such a predicted disaster may be seen as a threat to the perfection or basic truth of the faith itself.
How to get out of such a dilemma if you are a good and decent person, and also devoutly religious?
Can God change his/her mind?
The belief that Armageddon is inevitable and can't be prevented causes many good people to consider it impossible to stop. Believers pray for personal salvation but fail to get actively involved with peace activists to eliminate the global war system and replace it with a global peace system.
Yet most Christians would admit that if Jesus were here today he would do everything in his power to prevent the horrible suffering which would be unleashed in Armageddon. After all, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, not the prince of death and destruction.
Most Christians also will admit that, although unlikely, God who is "all powerful" could change his/her mind and cancel the Armageddon prophecy at any time, now or in the future.
How might Jesus view the evils in capitalism?
The world is told time and time again that capitalism is the only acceptable economic system. Ironically, we are warned to avoid socialism (and communism) despite the fact that Jesus spoke clearly of the evils of capitalism, and lived his life closer to the values of socialism. Jesus healed for free, fed people without their having to pay money, and relied on the generosity of friends and strangers.
Under a socialist economy no one needs to go hungry. Food and shelter are considered a right, as is health care. There is cooperation and sharing. Those who have more, share with those who have less.
In modern times we now know that many of the wars such as in the Middle East have been for resources such as oil. We know that the CIA and the U.S. military are used to allow multinational corporations to take over weaker nations, extract their natural resources, and have access to cheap labor. Domination by predatory capitalism takes many forms: The secret overthrowing of governments; outright invasion; economic terrorism; assassinations.
Jesus would not approve: Thou shall not kill (murder). Thou shall not steal. Love thy neighbor.
Predatory monopoly capitalism has not ended poverty, it has caused it -- as the facts regarding the unequal distribution of wealth clearly show. Poverty in the world, because it represents "unnecessary suffering," is just another example of evil caused by an extremist belief (in the ideology of capitalism). The 1% make a killing at the expense of the good and decent people of the world.
A few rotten apples spoil the whole barrel
Those in significant power around the world are not a large group, perhaps anywhere from 2000 to 5000 people. This small group of individuals according to some analysts appear to dominate and to rule the modern world. Making up about .1% of the 1%, they include a mixture of political leaders from a few powerful nations, corporate and banking tycoons, military generals, old money, secret agency heads, a few religious or mystical extremists, and sociopathic intellectuals who justify evil by means of sophisticated propaganda methods used on the unsuspecting public.
These individuals collectively have sometimes been viewed as the ruling class, or as a shadow world government. Their decisions and policies impact the entire world. Occupy Wall Street protesters would argue that the selfish greed of the "1%" is responsible for the economic hardships faced by the 99%.
Evil does not need to win
A world run in an undemocratic, selfish, and manipulative fashion by a small group of people can be put out of business. But networking and protests are not enough. A new global political system must be established which replaces the current global war system.
This means replacing the United Nations Charter with a new democratic governance structure which returns power to "we, the people." Global democracy matters, as does a means to establish and enforce world laws to limit the harm done by Big Money, Big Power, and sociopathic selfishness. No one should be above the law.
Antidote for evil and evil empire by embracing the Earth Constitution
Enter the Earth Constitution with the intellectual and moral standards needed to bring integrity back to government. Designed to establish good government, it offers a path by which the citizenry can start to eliminate the evils of corrupt leadership in government and business, while offering the good and decent people of the world a realistic means to become free from war, free from poverty, and free from the secret police state.
Good government would be joyously received by all except the evil doers -- those who seek power only for themselves and to dominate others at any cost. The disastrous harm to humanity by these extremists can be moderated, and in most severe cases, eliminated. For example, with Earth Federation government the prospects for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons are very good.
The Earth Federation Movement offers an exciting opportunity to bring back hope and idealism to "we, the people." The EFM's Earth Constitution offers a government structure which opens the door to new positive possibilities such as a type of government that we can be proud of, rather than ashamed. The Earth Federation will have a democratically elected World Parliament able to address the global problems which are too big for the nations to resolve on their own.
The Earth Constitution is as necessary for our survival as food and water. It makes the impossible, possible. Written by visionaries over a period of 30 years, a core value is that we are a global family. It opens the door to caring, love, and justice.
The law of the jungle and "every man for himself" are rejected as uncivilized and immoral. We must move away from predatory competition and replace it with cooperation, sharing, and kindness.
The Earth Constitution provides the potential for freedom from fear and violence, and freedom from hate and intolerance. It cannot solve all problems. The world will never be perfect. However, it can give us a structure that supports the good and decent people in the world who want nothing more than to be able to live in peace, and to raise their families in a safe, secure, and happy world.
-- Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
(End of part 3 of a 3 part series titled: Thoughts on Evil and Evil Empire) STOP
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September 11, 2012
"Godless capitalism, national security, empire, religious extremism"
(This is part 2 of 3 on Thoughts on Evil and Evil Empire.) Part 1 of this Op/Ed essay can be found by scrolling down on this page to September 4, 2012.
A dreaded question
Hitler was condemned for using torture. It was considered a war crime. Now America is known for torture, and has added assassinations and indefinite detention without trial.
A question which most in the Western world dread, but avoid asking: Has the American government and Congress with its Pentagon and secret agencies become a remorseless evil empire?
The aftermath of the nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the killing of untold countless innocent women and children did not lead America to denounce war or phase down its military. Instead, stoking up fears of communism, it launched the Cold War.
Sadly, the end of the Cold War with the demise of godless communism did not lead to America reducing its military. Conveniently for godless capitalism 9/11 came along offering the opportunity for another "war" -- the War on Terror. Like the Cold War, the War on Terror insures job security for national security professionals, and an extremely lucrative profit center for the military/industrial/research complex.
Insisting that America's "national security" is foremost, the U.S. government added more secret agencies, there is now Homeland Insecurity employing thousands, and the Pentagon maintains over 700 military bases around the world. This is Empire.
Is America the world's policeman for freedom and democracy -- the good guy, or has it become an evil empire? Unfortunately for those who want to believe in America as the good guy, there exists much documentation to the opposite, that American empire has the markings of evil.
Lies, secrecy,...to conquer by any means necessary
It is now well documented that lies launched the wars in Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Moreover, the U.S. has used covert operations or outright invasions to overthrow governments, even some that were democratic but deemed unfriendly to capitalism. William Blum's Rogue State (2005) documents widespread American covert interventions in a multitude of nations such as Honduras, Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, Ecuador, Venezuela, Iran, and elsewhere throughout the world.
Secret agencies such as the CIA overthrow democratic governments seen as unfriendly to capitalism and American interests, yet protect dictatorships in nations which cooperate with Empire--nations such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Nations "freed" from dictators like in Iraq appear to be colonized using a puppet government to carry out the policies of Empire.
Fantasy of empire: Full Spectrum Dominance
Full Spectrum Dominance is a military policy which calls for military domination on land, air, sea, and space. FSD is not just about having advanced weaponry. It includes other methods for control such as assuming the right to assassinate real and imagined "enemies," or to use indefinite detention without trial.
To make other nations bend to the will of empire, weaker governments are sometimes corrupted, or intimidated by use of economic threats or military coercion.
To maintain an atmosphere of paranoia, there are strong suspicions that secret false flag operations are conducted which kill or otherwise terrorize, yet put the blame on someone else. Ideal for creating false enemies, essential to keep the citizenry frightened and willing to spend unlimited sums of money on the military over domestic needs.
(There has been speculation by 9/11 truth researchers that 9/11 was a false flag operation. The 9/11 Commission Report has been thoroughly discredited by outside, independent investigators. Yet after 9/11 the military budget is practically unlimited.)
Controlling citizenry at home and abroad by use of dirty tricks, and adding illegal surveillance on its own citizens -- all begin to sound similar to the days of Nazi Germany.
Zionist ambitions supported by American empire
Zionist dominated Israel gives the Jewish faith a bad name as it expands to establish an empire to control and to dominate the so-called "Promised Land." The U.S. Congress cheers the Israeli leaders no matter what terrorist methods they use to expand beyond their borders forcing the Palestinians out of their homes, and into submission.
The brutal attack on defenseless Gaza remains a world crime for which no Israeli leader has been prosecuted. Israel openly threatens Iran with an attack for allegedly trying to get a nuke, while the U.S. and the U.N. make no demand for Israel to get rid of its 200 nuclear weapons. Complete silence.
Religious extremism breeds evil in the Middle East
It is safe to say that all of the major religions in the West have been associated at one time or another with good and evil, and that actions in the Mideast by "extremists" have tainted the faiths of all -- Christian, Jew, and Muslim.
We observe Christian fundamentalists expecting and even encouraging a Middle East conflict to bring about Armageddon in order to fulfill the End Times fantasies of Biblical prophecy. These extremists Christians support Israel's Zionist expansionism to illegally conquer the Promised Land and all of Jerusalem.
Zionist extremists in Israel's government routinely issue warnings and threats that they will attack Iran. Moderate and progressive Jews are unable to stop them. Extremist orthodox Jews continue to establish illegal new settlements on Palestinian land and in Jerusalem further increasing tensions.
Taliban-like Muslims appear to be extremists who use religious dogma as justification for violating universal human rights. They restrict the freedom of females as if they were property instead of humans, try to prevent girls from going to school, and threaten to kill anyone who criticizes Allah even in cartoon form.
In all of religious extremism there is manipulation by use of threats and psychological coercion, and by physical violence.The beliefs are so extreme that they cannot stand on their own. Nonbelievers are marginalized and forced to live by the rules of the extremists.
Good and decent people reject extremist religious values
Here we should say that the vast majority of people of these religious faiths are good and decent people, willing to live, and to let live. Good Christians, good Jews, and good Muslims the world over reject violence, war, and intolerance as do followers of the major religions in the East such as Buddhists and Hindu's. They respect love and kindness, and respect each others' religion.
End of Part 2 of a 3 part series Thoughts on Evil and Evil Empire
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September 4, 2012
Thoughts on Evil and Evil Empire
[A three part series by the editor. This is an Op/Ed article which grew so long it became a 3 part essay. Editor takes full responsibility for its contents as the opinions expressed are those of the editor and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Earth Federation Movement.]
[Part 1 of 3]
Existence of evil
I do not know if there exists in the natural world Satan or the devil, but I do believe that "evil" itself exists, and sometimes manifests itself in the real world of politics, religious fundamentalism, and our daily lives.
I will define evil by giving examples of it from history to the present. Unnecessary suffering of the innocent is the primary sign of evil. Some form of extremism is almost always present. Evil is also defined in this analysis by using my own emotional reactions which tend to have a definite tone and pattern in the face of evil.
Identifying evil through one's emotional reactions
The emotional definition of what I have termed "evil" is marked by a progression of feelings as I think of each atrocity: First shock, then repulsion. Next horror coupled with deep anxiety that such wicked acts could even be conceived, much less acted upon. Finally, a deep sadness which penetrates my whole being.
Evil empire
Evil empire seeks to conquer others by any means necessary. Falsehoods, lies, secret operations, torture, war, and horrendous weaponry are some of the means used, and without remorse. There have been empires throughout history. For modern times we will look at American and Zionist empire.
What about the "good"?
I believe that "good" exists. I would like to believe in the reality of a good God who is full of love and compassion. In this respect we can look at the New Testament's Jesus -- the Prince of Peace as one example for the good. Most religions around the world can cite a prophet or teacher who, like Jesus, sought good over evil, and advocated love and peace.
But religious extremists often interfere with the making of peace, as if Satan, known for deception, captured their hearts and minds leading them to allow hate over love, and to support aggression and war in the name of God or Allah. They are deceived into thinking that their hate, intolerance, and aggression have God's blessing, not realizing that they are being tricked by Satan.
A hidden evil stands in the way of the good for the majority of people in the world. It is a bigger obstacle than religious extremists. This evil is what some might identify as a "shadow government" which consists of an unelected powerful elite of "shot-callers" who manipulate the public and governments for their own selfish gain rather than for the common good and the world public interest.
This type of evil is often associated with an economic ruling class who conduct a predatory type of monopoly capitalism. What was called "godless communism" has been defeated and replaced by godless capitalism. This type of capitalism places profit at the top its value system. It meets the criteria for evil because it proudly amasses the Creator's earthly resources at the cost of extreme poverty around the world to others -- hence causing unnecessary suffering.
The earth's resources are adequate for all. The Creator of the earth has given us everything we need. No one needs to go hungry, or without shelter. Poverty is a result of hoarding by the few. A refusal to share God's bounty here on earth.
Evildoers in history
The history of evildoers is long. Examples include Biblical stories where a sometimes angry Old Testament God orders the extermination of an "enemy" tribe even if it is an entire city, killing the guilty and innocent alike -- including women and children.
It is not long up the history chain when we find the Crusades conquering other lands in the name of God. History shows the Muslims had a similar era of attempted domination of the world by means of war, slaying those in its path who failed to pay homage to Allah.
There are also numerous secular examples of evildoers found in history. If attacking the innocent helps define evil, one need not look far in the past. The Soviet Union had Stalin sending countless enemies of the state, real and imagined, to the Gulag. We have China's Cultural Revolution with the Red Guard's persecution, including torture and death, of those who were seen as disagreeing with Maoist thought.
Then of course there is Germany's Hitler and the infamous Holocaust where millions of Jews and opponents of Nazi fascism were arrested in the dark of night by the Gestapo, imprisoned and often tortured, killed, or left to die in prison camps.
The instruments of evil empire
Empire worships violence. The instruments used for suffering and death tell an important story about the evil nature of Empire.
The Pentagon continued routine nuclear bomb testing for many years despite knowing that exposure to radioactive fallout could cause cancer. Both soldiers and civilians were exposed.
Nuclear bombs, capable of destroying the world, were not enough cruel weaponry for the generals and their corporate and research sidekicks. The Pentagon's extensive use of Agent Orange in both Viet Nam and Cambodia left a shameful legacy of illnesses for future generations. Agent Orange was not only used indiscriminately on civilian populations, our own soldiers were also victims. It is a poison which, like nuclear weapons, leads to multiple physical symptoms, birth defects, and even death.
Nowadays both soldiers and civilians are being exposed to depleted uranium munitions (dirty bombs) used by the Pentagon in Iraq and Afghanistan. The annihilation of the city of Fallujah saw the use of depleted uranium on a civilian population which is now leading to widespread birth deformities of the newborn, cancer, and other symptoms.
Weapons of mass mutilation
Not satisfied with weapons of mass destruction, empire also uses cluster bombs, white phosphorus, landmine's, and dense inert metal explosives -- weapons which can be described as dirty, ugly, sadistic, and cruel...weapons of mass mutilation.
Both the U.S. and Israel have been reported to be using these terrible weapons, and refuse to give them up. We can expect that Russia and China, too, have their share of these types of weapons.
The weapons of mass mutilation listed above are still in military arsenals. Evil? Yes. Yet no general is held accountable. No general has ever been tried for Crimes Against Humanity or War Crimes for authorizing the use of these horrible weapons.
Torture has been added to its list of methods by which empire can enforce its will. Water boarding is just one example, but is of extra importance as some 9/11 truth investigators believe that it was used to extract false confessions to cover-up the real facts of 9/11.
A dreaded question
Hitler was condemned for using torture. It was considered a war crime. Now America is known for torture, and has added assassinations and indefinite detention without trial.
A question which most in the Western world dread, but avoid asking: Has the American government and Congress with its Pentagon and secret agencies become a remorseless evil empire?
STOP
[End of Part 1 of a 3 part series on "Thoughts on Evil and Evil Empire" an Op/Ed essay by editor Roger Kotila, Ph.D. Parts 2 and 3 to be published soon.]
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August 15, 2012
Editor's note: Who Should Jesus Bomb? was written by columnist Bob Hanson, a Board member of Democratic World Federalists. This article is timely as the Middle East -- what one might call the Unholy Land, is about to explode. Syria is the first to fall, and now Israel and the USA appear determined to attack Iran. Some Christian churches remain either passively silent, see Muslims as an enemy, or are secretly cheering for a full scale conflict in the Promised Land signaling the onset of Armageddon.
To Believers, what's so thrilling about Armageddon? Jesus, they are told, will return to earth and take the true Believers to heaven, thus avoiding the great suffering of the End Times.
But if Jesus were alive today he would most likely be overwhelmingly disgusted with the wars, the hate, and the longing for Armageddon. Jesus would condemn those churches that condone war by their silence, stoke hate against Muslims, or enthusiastically glamorize the military and its weapons of death and destruction.
On the other hand, the Prince of Peace would undoubtedly be very proud of those churches that are speaking out against war, and our own world federalists who continually denounce war, and work tirelessly for world peace. -- RK
August 15, 2012
Who Should Jesus Bomb? Dodging the peace issue in church
by Dr. Bob Hanson (published May 30, 2012 in the Rossmoor News, California)
Last week I had the good fortune to visit Shiloh, site of one of the biggest battles in the Civil War. There were over 23,000 casualties in three days of fighting. This historic park is located in southern Tennessee in the heart of the “Bible Belt.”
The visit caused me to ponder on the question of why most of the folks who live in the area aren’t pacifists? Having witnessed the results of war and professing to be followers of a man named Jesus who is referred to as the “Prince of Peace,” it would seem logical that the locals would devote their lives toward creating a peaceful world.
On the contrary, this part of the country seems to produce politicians who can’t wait to involve the country in the next war and who have never seen a military budget item that they would vote against.
The original form of Christianity for the first three centuries was a religion of pacifists, oppressed women, orphans, and despised people of all stripes who rejected violence and tried to return good for evil. The earliest Christians took seriously Jesus’ clear command to love and befriend their enemies. Despite brutal Roman persecutions, the religion thrived. Unfortunately, the Roman emperor Constantine converted the empire to the faith, and the church leaders, who were now dependent on the empire felt obliged to support it and its troops.
There are still a few Christian churches that actively oppose war. Most notable are the Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and the Quaker Friends. There are also a few isolated mainline churches which are willing to take a stand for peace. One of our neighbors, Duke Robinson, was minister for 28 years at the Montclair Presbyterian Church, which proclaims itself a “peace church”. Strong peace-oriented groups also exist at Christ The King Catholic Church, Our Savior Lutheran and one or two other local churches….so there are exceptions.
The vast majority of Christian churches, however, dodge war and peace issues completely, as if this isn’t something that their church should be concerned with. I suspect the reason for this is that they feel (realistically) that many of their members will abandon the church if it takes a stand on such a controversial topic.
I was a member of a Methodist Church in San Diego during the ‘60s where the minister spoke out forcefully in favor of the Rumford Act which was intended to end discrimination in housing. Dozens of members left the church, causing a major financial crisis for the remainder of us. Most ministers steer away from any topic as controversial as peace.
It seems peculiar that the more fundamentalist a church is, the more they seem to be cheerleaders for war, rather than pushing for peace, diplomacy, and reconciliation. Perhaps they are more susceptible to the messages of fear distributed by the military/industrial/congressional war-mongers as their members tend to be less educated and informed regarding international matters.
The suggestion of “an eye for an eye” (Old Testament) seems to resonate more than Jesus’ message of “turn the other cheek.”
If I were to be given one wish by that proverbial genie that pops out of a bottle, I think it would be that America’s Christians see the light and follow the teachings of Jesus. Maybe then we put the scourge of war behind us and lead the world to a peaceful future where war is a thing of the past.
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August 7, 2012 (updated on Aug. 9, 2012))
Evidence Mounts that the United Nations global system of governance is fatally inadequate for today's world
The UN has been unable to cope with growing geopolitical violence, lawlessness, and environmental crises. Bully nations, special interests, and Big Money plunder "we, the people" with impunity.
The currently expanding violence in the Middle East seen in Syria with Iran next, illustrates clearly the impotence of the United Nations to prevent wars or to hold responsible those leaders of "Bully" nations who use their military and economic powers to intimidate and to undermine weaker governments.
Special interests such as oil corporations relentlessly pursue natural gas fracking no matter whose water supply catches on fire, while refusing to reveal the chemicals being used in the process. Big banks and international investment firms continue to use computer driven formula's to extract huge profits while taxpayers must carry the burden of the losses.
Bully nations undermine governments they don't like. We see, for example, Israel telling Iran it cannot have nuclear weapons, while Israel itself harbors an estimated 200 nukes. Why the double standard? Israel, backed by its sponsor the United States, has superior military and economic forces which can subdue any weaker nation which defies it.
It also now appears that Israel/US has also been using covert operations to undermine the Iranian government, a process which also appears to have occur both in Libya and currently in Syria.
The goal? Violently if necessary, to take over these countries to have domination and control over the entire Middle East.
The moral and legal problems with all of this are that these actions amount to state sponsored and instigated terrorism, and a violation of international laws. The United Nations is simply not equipped to prevent these rogue actions, or prosecute for world crimes.
The result for the citizens of these unfortunate countries targeted to be overthrown is the nightmare which befell Afghanistan and the Palestinians -- devastated by war and conflict, and "we, the people" are forced into refugee status -- thousands upon thousands of families devastated, their lives now in shambles.
It does not help that the dictator in Syria, like in Libya, refused to turn over the country to democratic order, rather choosing to fight to maintain dictatorship control. Far better if the dictators would have peacefully given up power and accepted democratic rule. (This may have happened in Libya, but the US/NATO refused to negotiate probably to avoid the outcome of a genuine democracy in Libya; rather, like in Iraq and Afghanistan, Libya is to become colonized with the real "shot-callers" being the western powers -- to insure private oil corporation regain access to Libyan's oil resources.)
There are other factors besides oil accounting for the current attempts by western powers to overthrow governments. China, Russia, and India will be weakened by losing a foothold in the Middle East. Israel will be able to do whatever it wants with the Palestinians with continued impunity -- including genocide. The UN's structure does not provide a means for enforceable world law, hence like the US, Israel's open defiance of international laws cannot be stopped.
The solution to these geopolitical manipulations by the Bullies and by sociopathic Big Money is Earth Federation government under the Earth Constitution. The United Nations should join in with the Earth Federation Movement, and re-invent itself into a true democratic world federation. A global peace system is possible, human rights can be protected, and the world's economic model can be changed to one which benefits not just the 1%, but also the 99%.
It is time for the United Nations to realize the its present structure is preventing it from protecting "we, the people." The UN should no longer allow itself to be paralyzed by a UN Charter which favors a small undemocratic minority. It is time for the UN to turn to the Earth Constitution.
Editor - EFM News & Views (this Op/Ed completed 8/9/12)
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July 13, 2012
"I believe that someday historians will recognize Philip Isely as one of the truly great figures of 20th century history." -- Professor Glen Martin
Editor's note: In 1995 Dr. Martin learned about the World Constitution & Parliament Association led by Philip Isely, and joined. Martin's "In Memory of Philip Isely" describes some of his personal experiences with Mr. Isely, and also explains why he believes that Isely's legacy toward establishing world government is unusually significant.
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In Memory of Philip Isely
Glen T. Martin
July 2012
The passing of Philip Isely from this world symbolizes the end of an era. Philip was one of the last of the great visionaries who came out of the powerful transformative world federalist movement that emerged from the Second World War. With his first wife Margaret, he devoted his life energies to creating a Constitution for the Federation of Earth and promoting its ratification by the peoples and nations of Earth. It is not likely that the Constitution would exist today if it were not for the dedication and vision of the Iselys and the many people they organized over a period of some four decades through the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA).
I first learned of and joined the work of WCPA in 1995, flying to World Headquarters in Denver, CO, where the Iselys lived and maintained the two storey building with six employees that was then WCPA World Headquarters. Philip was known for his strong temper and his unwillingness to work with other world federalist organizations that had a more evolutionary view of the movement toward democratic world government. In one of these 1995 meetings of the WCPA Executive Council, I saw very clearly one of the reasons behind his intransigence. I participated with some ten other people from around the world in a brainstorming session in the WCPA offices in Denver. Our task, assigned by Philip Isely, was to come up with how and when we could organize a founding ratification convention for the Earth Constitution.
After lengthy deliberation, we went around the table giving our thoughts on the subject. One person after another spoke of educating the public, contacting interested countries, soliciting major sponsors, creating media events, influencing promising politicians, speaking with UN representatives, raising funds, etc. Isely was the last to speak. He blew up. He yelled at us in obvious anger: “We are revolutionaries!” he said. “We are not here to pussy foot and dance around within the present world system that is threatening the world with destruction. We are about changing that system. We need to push the transformation of the system to completion now, not put off what is truly needed by endless compromises with the system. We all need to think again and think better. Not how can we endlessly postpone what is needed. But how can we ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth here and now, in the near future.”
With this outburst, I knew I had come to the right place. Isely had a critical understanding of the global economic and nation-state system that few in the worldwide federalist movement possess. He saw that the present global economic system could not be evolved into something useful for human welfare, that neoliberal capitalism as we know it was a toxic poison for humanity. He saw that the nation-state system could not be evolved through slow evolutionary change or through reform of the United Nations into something beneficial to human welfare. The nation-state system is toxic in its very foundations and is leading, in collaboration with poisonous corporate capitalism, to the destruction of our planet and the human project.
Philip Isely saw that it was absolutely imperative to establish world government as soon as possible thereby founding an economic and political system for the planet that served human welfare rather than destroyed human welfare. He was about doing it, and his great energy and intelligence were dedicated to making it happen. It was these insights that were at the heart of his hostility toward many other World Federalist Organizations that were more evolutionary and less revolutionary in spirit.
In my 2011 book The Earth Federation Movement, I sketch out some of the background to the WCPA led by Isely with the goal of writing a Constitution for the Federation of Earth:
Our foremost visionary leader who led the effort to create a world constitution was Henry Philip Isely. Isely had been confined to a U.S. Federal Prison during the Second World War as a war resister who believed that both world wars had been caused at the deepest level by the lawless rivalry of sovereign imperial nations, and not, as war propaganda would have it, simply from a struggle of freedom against fascism. After the war, Isely took over the magazine Across Frontiers from World Federalist Gerry Krause and proceeded to set in motion systematic, step by step plans for creating a world constitution. In 1950, he wrote a pamphlet entitled “The People Must Write the Peace” stating that the situation in the world was so dire that the people cannot wait for the moribund national governments to take the lead.
In the early 1950s, Isely and others joined the Campaign for World Government at its Chicago offices, at that time under the direction of Mary Georgia Lloyd. By 1958 the basic concept of WCPA was founded. Key activists understood that the foremost need was to create a quality constitution for the Earth. Along with Thane Read, Guy Marchand, Marie Philips Scot, Margaret Isely, and others, a “World Committee for a World Constitutional Convention” was formed which, by 1961, established its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. The public call for a World Constitutional Convention was issued by the committee that same year with committed delegates from 50 countries and endorsements from several Heads of State.
By 1966 the decision was made to change the name of the World Committee for a World Constitutional Convention to the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA). Margaret and Philip Isely had been using the profits from their successful Denver-based business to travel widely, recruiting prominent persons to sponsor the development of a world constitution and prepare the call for a World Constitutional Convention. Among the recipients of Philip Isely’s immense correspondence were Dr. T. P. Amerasinghe of Sri Lanka and Dr. Reinhart Ruge of Mexico, both leading world federalists who had independently arrived at similar conclusions. These activists eventually became Co-Presidents of WCPA and worked together for more than 40 years in this capacity, with Philip Isely as Secretary-General and Margaret Isely as Treasurer.
Two elements in this account stand out as reflective of Philip Isely’s character. The first is the fact that he chose to go to prison during the Second World War rather than collaborate with the imperialist powers in that insane struggle among murderous sovereign nation-states. He saw the lie of a “just war” of some imaginary good against evil and was willing to face prison rather than compromise his integrity. He understood that the system of sovereign nations was the root cause of the war and of all wars, and he lived his life ethically from this insight, refusing to compromise even to the point of going to prison.
The second element is represented by Philip’s early pamphlet “The People Must Write the Peace” reflecting his lifelong understanding that we cannot and should not wait for the nations of the world to wake up and create a decent world system. The system of sovereign nation-states is intrinsically a war system and a global disorder destructive of human welfare. If it is going to be done, the people must start the new world system themselves, here and now. This understanding that we cannot wait for the powers within the present world system to evolve toward a world of peace, justice, and environmental sustainability would later be at the heart of the WCPA and the movement behind the Earth Constitution.
I first learned of the existence of WCPA in 1995 when I read a full page ad that Philip Isely had purchased in the progressive publication In These Times. It contained excerpts from a document called the “Manifesto” of the Provisional World Parliament. (The document was passed the following year at the 4th session of the Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, which I attended.) Among other stipulations directed toward establishing a new world system, the Manifesto prohibited all military ships from sailing on the oceans of the world beyond territorial boundaries. When I read it I immediately called WCPA and told them I wanted to join them. I understood, what Philip Isely also clearly understood, that the present world order is illegitimate. We do not have to wait for the illegitimate order to make decisions on behalf of humanity (which is impossible), but we must take the initiative and do it ourselves. The oceans of the world belong to the people of Earth, and the murderous tools of warring sovereign nations, whether the US Navy, the Chinese Navy, or the Russian Navy, have no right and no business putting their evil engines of destruction onto our global commons. The people of Earth must take back possession of our planet and its global commons before the present system has laid waste to our entire planet and all of human life.
Philip was not only the central force behind the writing of the Earth Constitution (and one of the five primary authors of the Constitution), he was also the central force behind starting provisional world government under the authority of Article 19 of the Constitution. He understood that ideals are not worth much unless they are actualized and that the people of Earth must begin world government here and now before it is too late. Provisional world government primarily took the form of organizing sessions of the Provisional World Parliament and building through this a worldwide network of citizens committed to living and acting under the Earth Constitution and governing themselves independently of the illegitimate nation-states in which they happen to live.
Sessions of the Parliament took place under his direction in 1982 in Brighton, England, 1985 in New Delhi, India, 1987 in Miami Beach, Florida, 1996 in Barcelona, Spain, and 2000 on the island of Malta. The resolutions and world legislative acts passed by the sessions of Parliament since 1982 have built a legacy of sane and redeeming documents that lay the foundations for an alternative world system in its living reality. A number of these early documents, like the Manifesto mentioned above, were written and introduced by Philip Isely.
In my view, Philip Isely’s enduring and substantial legacy is at least three fold. His legacy is bequeathed to us first and foremost in the form of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, the creation of which required four decades and involved an immense sacrifice of time, energy, money on the part of Philip and Margaret Isely. Secondly, Philip’s great legacy comes down to us through the actual initiation of world government under the Constitution giving the people of Earth the right to act in the form of the Provisional World Parliament and to immediately create all other aspects of provisional world government. People from around the world gathered at these early sessions of Parliament and ratified the transformative documents that Philip authored and introduced, many of which were also published in the journal Across Frontiers.
Third, Philip Isely bequeaths us the WCPA as a worldwide organization which, since 1958, has established the global foundations of the Earth Federation Movement. People everywhere, through WCPA and the Earth Federation Movement, are demanding immediate, nonviolent revolutionary change in the illegitimate world system. They are no longer patiently waiting for the slow death of so-called evolutionary change. “The world,” as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe proclaimed, “only goes forward because of those who oppose it.” I believe that someday historians will recognize Philip Isely as one of the truly great figures of 20th century history. His revolutionary opposition to the world has moved it forward to the creation of the most important document produced within that century—the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
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June 24, 2012
DO WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY?
(Editor's note: How often do mainstream newspapers raise the question of the need for democratic world federation? Almost never. But columnist Bob Hanson breaks this silence in a soon to be published column for the Rossmoor News, California.)
I strongly believe that if life as we know it is going to continue on earth, sooner, or later, hopefully sooner, we will have to adapt a democratic system of world federalism. Only then, will the world be able to end war and abolish nuclear weapons. The United Nations was a good move in that direction, but unfortunately the victors in World War II structured it to assure dominance for themselves through use of the Security Council veto.
There are at least four ways a world federalist system could be established. One being proposed is to form a World Community of Democratic Nations. The theory being that democratic countries don’t attack each other and that such an organization will encourage all nations to become democratic. A question that immediately comes up is “who will determine which countries are really democratic?”
Your immediate reaction will probably be that of course, the U.S.A. is. But I think maybe we aren’t as democratic as we like to think we are. We started out with only white male property owners being eligible to vote. Down through the years, others such as women and minorities won the vote, but now the Republican Party in many states is working hard to disenfranchise as many minority, poor and elderly citizens as possible by putting up roadblocks to voting.
We elect our president through an antiquated system called the “electoral college”, whereby the person with the most popular votes may not be elected.
We espouse “one person-one vote”, but a Senator from Alaska or North Dakota can be elected by a few hundred thousand voters, while it takes about 10 million votes to be elected Senator from California.
The U.S. Senate doesn’t go by majority rule. 40 percent of the members can impose their will on the others. The Democrats had a chance to change that in January by changing the rules the Senate operates under, but failed to do so.
Then, there is the question of money being considered free speech. It has been said that we have the best government money can buy! Our Supreme Court has ruled that because of the First Amendment, laws cannot be passed to limit the amount of money corporations and rich individuals can spend on elections. Would you run for Congress knowing that your opponent had ten million dollars to spend on negative advertising against you?
Many of our capable leaders get out of politics because they find they have to spend half of their time raising funds in order to be re-elected. The threats of an organization like the National Rifle Association pulling out all stops to keep one from even voting for a common-sense law like banning assault weapons, frightens many legislators from voting for what they know is right. Cast a vote for any piece of legislation that Netanyahu might not like and you will be political toast next election. We badly need public funding of political campaigns to take the money out of elections.
So, while the world badly needs a global system of enforceable laws in order to outlaw war, prosecute terrorists and deal with environmental problems which do not respect national boundaries, we also have a long way to go to be a respectably democratic nation. A good start will be to amend the constitution to clearly state that money isn’t speech, and corporations are not entitled to the rights of people. If you agree that this is urgent, please send a check to MoveToAmend.org.
-- Permission to publish granted by author Robert F. Hanson
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June 21, 2012
Rio's Earth Summit desperately needs the Earth Constitution
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development has the
right ecological principle (sustainability), is doing a good job identifying global environmental issues via the UN Environment Program, but is fatally handicapped by the obsolete UN Charter which justifies national sovereignty no matter how dangerous it is to a healthy and safe planet earth.
Rio De Janeiro, according to a story today sent out by the Associated Press, is an environmental mess. Water is being polluted by inadequate waste facilities. The problem is sewage in this city in Brazil with its millions of people. A Brazilian biologist, Sandra Azevedo, is quoted as complaining that she works "right next to open, running sewage." "We work next to a massive toilet," she concludes.
Environmentalists from the world over know that Rio is just one of these environmental nightmares. Oceans, rivers, cities, and different types of land from forests to deserts are being polluted in one way or another. The bombing of Fallujah, Iraq left radioactive poisoning which will haunt generations, a result of the use of Depleted Uranium munitions (dirty bombs) by the United States.
The United States is but one example of the type of environmental crimes committed by nations, but are untouchable by any enforceable laws as they are immune due to having "national sovereignty" -- hence, cannot be stopped when they pollute.
Without the Earth Constitution, environmentalists must rely on the good will of the individual nation states and the multinational corporations which do much of the polluting. With the Earth Constitution replacing the UN Charter, then each nation would be part of a unified whole, and be held accountable under enforceable world laws.
Thus, for example, the threat of nuclear annihiliation of planet earth could be eliminated under the Earth Constitution because nations would no longer need their military forces, the advantage of having a unified world within the protection of a democratic world federal government. But will Earth Summit activists and national politicians grasp what is really needed? Probably not.
The current Rio Earth Summit is most likely to yield an excellent, but depressing list of ecological crisis points, lots and lots of promises by the nations to "do better" regarding environmental standards, but in the end not do enough, fast enough. This Earth Summit, like those conferences before it, will ultimately fail despite the good intentions of those activists and politicians trying to save planet earth.
What's the answer? Embracing the Earth Constitution and starting the process of creating a new politica world body, the Earth Federation. This strategy may well be the only viable method to save even the nations themselves from environmental disasters.
Moreover, only a democratic world federation can eliminate completely the danger of a nuclear Armageddon. The nations and peoples must federate, and they must unite using the first green constition ever written -- the Earth Constitution.
-- Editor
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June 3, 2012 (revised from May 31, 2012)
Can the Earth Constitution provide a model of government which can prevent dictatorships while reducing political conflicts and enhancing democracy?
From Egypt to Libya to Mali, and beyond, uprisings have overthrown governments. They will need new constitutions of enlightened and thoughtful design in order to meet the needs and expectations of the citizenry.
When the World Constitution and Parliament Association took on the task of writing a world constitution, they sought input from world citizens from around the world reflecting different nations, religions, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds. The result was a constitution which was clear and convincing in its design.
WCPA's Earth Constitution (EC) was first of all a model for (1) democracy. Good government requires that people have a voice in their own governance. The revolutions in both Egypt and Libya were based upon people rejecting dictators, and demanding democracy.
Secondly, the EC's design seeks unification of the nations of the world by means of forming a federation. The nations were to (2) federate.
While federation creates a central governing structure, the EC provides for distribution of power by using the (3) principle of subsidiarity. The EC directs the government to decentralize power as much as is possible: Local problems to be solved at the local level; national problems at the national level; and global problems at the global level.
The directive to decentralize government with the Federation will enhance cooperation and goodwill between different tribal regions and cultures within any nation -- a feature which can reduce internal conflict in countries with strong ethnic or religious sects like in Egypt, Libya, and
Iraq.
Earth Constitution's design is parliamentary, not presidential
As troubled nations such as Egypt begin the task of writing new constitutions, they should note how the Earth Constitution rejects a design in which the country has a president. Instead, the EC's design is parliamentary, rather than presidential.
The President of the United States has gained the powers of an unchecked dictator by the simple means of declaring a (perpetual) war (on terror) -- using this excuse to give the President ongoing "emergency" powers -- in short, the powers of a dictator.
"World Executive" consists of a Presidium of 5 and Executive Cabinet of 25
The Earth Constitution has elections for parliament, not for president. This eliminates any chance of a dictator taking power. No need for people to panic over an election for a president as is now happening in Egypt. Many Egyptians are apprehensive. They dislike the two remaining candidates -- one from the previous Mubarak government which has been overthrown, and the other a member of the Muslim brotherhood with worry of a theocratic takeover.
From the Earth Constitution:
The World Executive shall consist of a Presidium of five members, and an Executive Cabinet of from twenty to thirty members, all of whom shall be members of the World Parliament. Article 6.3.1 The Presidium shall be composed of five members, one to be designated as President and other four as Vice Presidents. Each member of the Presidium shall be from a different Continental Division. 6.3.2 The Presidency of the Presidium shall rotate each year... 6.3.3 The decisions of the Presidium shall be taken collectively, on the basis of majority decisions... 6.3.4 Each member of the Presidium shall be a member of the World Parliament...
There are a number of troubled nations which may be writing new constitutions in the near future. The list includes Egypt, Libya, Mali, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and eventually, Syria. When new national constitutions are drafted, can they satisfy the different conflicting factions while maintaining democracy?
It is the contention of this analysis that if these troubled nations choose federation and democracy, the parliamentary instead of a presidential system, and the rotating leadership model of thePresidium as seen in the Earth Constitution, they will succeed.
A recommendation to Mali, and other unstable nations
Rene Wadlow, a world citizen expert on national conflicts and their resolution, has recommended that the current rebellion in Mali be resolved by forming a federation. This is wise advice.
If Mali, and the other troubled nations, carefully study the full Earth Constitution, they may find the ideas needed to write customized national constitution's which reduce internal political conflicts, eliminate forever the danger of dictatorship, and all in all provide good government which is able to meet the needs of the people.
-- Editor
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Revised May 13, 2012 (from April 18)
Quit kidding ourselves. The world must federate. A constant stream of new conflicts from China to the Arctic
In a recent Associated Press article (4-12-12) it was reported that the Philippines had warned China that "the Philippines would defend itself if provoked." Really? What's the problem? A territorial dispute over the South China Seas, described by the AP story as a "dangerous confrontation."
The South China Sea area is believed to be "rich in oil and gas", and it is also an area where Chinese and Filipino fisherman compete for fishing space. The confrontations between the two nations has included "armed Filipino troops" reported to have boarded a Chinese fishing vessel for an inspection.
Happily for the US military industrial complex, the Philippines has recently acquired what is described as its "largest warship", the BRP Gregorio del Pilar. This "warship" has been deployed to the South China Sea.
Can the United Nations prevent these types of territorial disputes? Probably not, particularly if the Chinese, with its veto power at the UN, refuse to accept outside mediation.
Then there's the developing story which makes one feel a deep chill. It's the race to the Arctic, thanks to global warming. Nations are positioning themselves for access to the oil, or whatever else of value might be found in these unfreezing waters. Nations attempting to secure territory include Russia, the United States, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and others.
In a 4-17-12 AP report, we learn that the nations gathered recently at a Canadian military base to discuss "regional security issues." How will nations decide who gets what? Will the most powerful nations edge out the weaker nations? Where will private corporations fit into the picture? Will NATO find an excuse to provide military protection for American and British oil companies?
The United Nations is too weak to step in and mandate a fair sharing of the Arctic's wealth for the world at large, despite the fact that the Arctic should be considered "world" territory.
These types of conflicts and disputes at the global level are typical, and illustrate the need for the world to federate. There must be world union.
The Earth Federation would provide the Arctic territory with a guardian in the world public interest. The UN will be unable to prevent its overly sovereign nations from fighting each other over territory in the Arctic. The UN's Charter gives too much independence to rogue states so that in the end, "might makes right." Threats of war, or war will be the final arbiter over who gets the wealth of the Arctic.
An Earth Federation government, thanks to its federal and democratic Earth Constitution, would put the disputed Arctic territories in the hands of the world community and the world public interest where it belongs. Cooperation and sharing instead of competition and narrow national self-interest.
-- Editor (Revised May 13, 2012)
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May 6, 2012
The majority of countries belonging to the United Nations have been restricted to second class citizenship. But the inequality and lack of democracy may be about to be challenged.
World federalist activists are calling for an Article 109 UN Charter Review Conference. Democratic World Federalists based out of San Francisco are in the process of preparing a new look website which will include Charter Review as a main "Path to World Federation."
Although recognizing that the Security Council could ultimately veto proposed changes to the UN Charter, it nevertheless is seen as opening the door to a full review of the Charter, and the possibility for an entirely new draft being presented as a careful examination of the Charter shows it is not democratic, and it is not federal in its basic structure. The Charter has also been criticized as it lacks the capacity for enforceable world law. Powerful countries ignore international laws at will, and their leaders are never prosecuted. They are above the Law.
Is it time to retire the aging UN Charter? Will the Earth Constitution be the foundation for an emerging new global political body (the Earth Federation)? An Earth Federation government based upon the Earth Constitution has the key characteristics (democracy, federal, enforceable world law) which are glaringly absent from the UN Charter rendering the UN ineffective and lacking political legitimacy.
-- Editor
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April 18, 2012
Quit kidding ourselves. The world must federate. A constant stream of new conflicts from China to the Arctic.
In a recent Associated Press article (4-12-12) it was reported that the Philippines had warned China that "the Philippines would defend itself if provoked." Really? What's the problem? A territorial dispute over the South China Seas, described by the AP story as a "dangerous confrontation."
The South China Sea area is believed to be "rich in oil and gas", and it is also an area where Chinese and Filipino fisherman compete for fishing space. The confrontations between the two nations has included "armed Filipino troops" reported to have boarded a Chinese fishing vessel for an inspection.
Happily for the US military industrial complex, the Philippines has recently acquired what is described as its "largest warship", the BRP Gregorio del Pilar. This "warship" has been deployed to the South China Sea.
Can the United Nations prevent these types of territorial disputes? Probably not, particularly if the Chinese, with its veto power at the UN, refuse to accept outside mediation.
Then there's the developing story which makes one feel a deep chill. It's the race to the Arctic, thanks to global warming. Nations are positioning themselves for access to the oil, or whatever else of value might be found in these unfreezing waters. Nations attempting to secure territory include Russia, the United States, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and others.
In a 4-17-12 AP report, we learn that the nations gathered recently at a Canadian military base last to discuss "regional security issues." How will nations decide who gets what? Will the most powerful nations edge out the weaker nations? Where will private corporations fit into the picture? Will NATO find an excuse to provide military protection for American and British oil companies?
The United Nations is too weak to step in and mandate a fair sharing of the Arctic's wealth for the world at large, despite the fact that the Arctic should be considered "world" territory.
These type of conflicts and disputes at the global level are a typical, and illustrates the need for the world to federate. There must be world union.
The Earth Federation would provide the Arctic territory with a guardian in the world public interest. The Arctic territory should be under the authority of the world public interest represented by an elected world parliament under the Earth Constitution.
-- Editor
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March 28, 2012
Why Americans need the Earth Constitution
Editorial
Article 13.5 (Directive Principles for the Earth Federation) in the Earth Constitution states that people have a right to "Free and adequate public health services and medical care available to everyone throughout life under conditions of free choice."
Meanwhile, the United States Supreme Court muddles through a decision which will mean life or death for many unlucky citizens. This decision should be a no-brainer, but not in a society where the high priests of money privateer without remorse and insist that your right to life should include a profit center -- most likely for the 1%.
The US can spend over $600 billion a year for so-called national "defense"(another profit center for the 1%), but what good is "defense" if you can't afford to go to the doctor? One can die from a foreign attack (unlikely), or die from lack of adequate medical care (far more likely).
Americans don't even have a right to go to the dentist -- unless that is, you have plenty of money.
Is it time to think about what Jesus (or Muhammad or Buddha) would do if making the health care decision of potential life or death for millions of people?
OPINION - Editor
For previous OPINION commentaries and editorials explaining the benefits of federating in a world union under the Earth Constitution, continue to scroll down...
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March 5, 2012
UN system can't stop Syria or Israel: Terrorism Shows Need for Earth Federation
The United Nations system is unable to stop the killing in Syria, or to prevent Israel from repeated terrorist threats telling Iran they plan to attack. These are examples of state sponsored terrorism using violence or threats of violence in order to gain submission.
Syria's dictator, Bashar Assad, has used the full force of his military against his own people. Tanks, artillery, snipers, and secret police have targeted rebels and innocent civilians such as in the ongoing massacre against the city of Homs. Assad has refused to let the Red Cross in, and has kept the media out.
UN system unable to prevent terrorism
The UN has been rendered helpless to intervene in Syria because Russia and China have veto power in the UN Security Council. The UN faces a similar problem regarding Israel.
Israel continues to threaten Iran with an attack because it does not want Iran to have a nuke. Ironically, Israel itself is estimated to possess 200 (undeclared) nuclear weapons, and refuses to give them up! This double standard does not seem to bother Israel, or its ally, the United States.
Much like Russia and China with Syria, the US uses its veto power to prevent the UN from stepping in to end the terrorist tactics. (Israel's message to Iran: Do what we demand, or we will bomb you.) Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces almost daily Israel's intention to commit a unilateral attack against Iran sometime in the coming months.
Terrorism is more than physical aggression
Imagine the trauma Netanyahu's pronouncements cause for families in Iran having their children hear that their country is going to be bombed. Many of these children may remember Israel's massacre of civilians in Gaza, or the shock and awe invasion by the United States of Iraq which destroyed the country and became a nightmare for Iraqi families.
For such families and their children, Israel's threats are a clear form of psychological terrorism.
Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution superior to UN system to prevent terrorism
The Earth Constitution joins nations in a world union in a form of "federal sovereignty" rather than absolute sovereignty. A federal structure has levels of governance -- local, national, and global.
When the national level of governance breaks down, the global government is there to resolve the issues so that war is avoided.
The world's citizenry also have basic inalienable rights. If a national leader violates these rights, the Federation will step in to hold that leader accountable for any criminal actions. (In Syria a dictator is the problem, hence the Federation would need to protect the citizenry from such a rogue leader.)
Whereas the UN requires each nation to militarize, the Earth Federation is a fully nonmilitary structure. Nations would no longer go to war, they would go to court, or they could potentially go to the World Parliament for a resolution of differences.
In a world union, war would be unnecessary and obsolete
The Earth Constitution has provisions which provide peaceful means to resolve conflicts. War or incitement to war would be illegal. Moreover, in a world union such as the Earth Federation, war to resolve conflicts would be unnecessary and obsolete.
In the Earth Federation, no one is above the law
The Earth Federation's judiciary system with its world law could not be ignored as is now the case with the UN system of international law -- which continues to leave leaders of powerful nations above the law.
Under the Earth Federation, the people of Syria would have been immediately protected. An arrest warrant would go out for the dictator Assad. If he failed to turn himself in to the authorities, the world police could seek him out. The Federation would not attack the whole country, but rather isolate him out as an individual, and arrest him for trial.
In a similar fashion, Mr. Netanyahu would potentially be arraigned for authorizing terrorist tactics against another nation. He could be held criminally responsible for inciting violence against another country.
In both these sample cases under the Earth Federation, the defendants would have a right to due process.
Editor's note: (It should be noted that US citizens no longer have the right to "due process of the law." US citizens can now be detained indefinitely without trial. This would be a case where the Earth Federation would need to intervene as all citizens have certain inalienable rights according to the Earth Constitution.)
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February 23, 2012
Less Government or Good Government?
An AP story by Jenny Barchfield (2/2/12 SF Chronicle) describes how Rio De Janeiro is "crumbling" over the last year while Rio tries to get ready for the Olympics. A professor of urban planning, Christopher Gaffney, is quoted as explaining "...The problem is the management of the city. It's a totally unregulated system, which leads to problems such as the exploding manholes, derailing streetcars, and collapsing buildings." Editor's commentary: Rio's unregulated system is an example of how "less government" hurts the public. Barchfield concludes that such an unregulated system is a "recipe for disaster." We can apply "unregulated" to the nation-state global system. Somalia is an example of "unregulated" and "less government" -- and Somalia is an ongoing disaster for its citizens. Moreover, the constant wars on the global stage show the negative consequence of the absence of government at the world level. We already see how the lack of appropriate regulation of financial institutions (that is, "less government") has caused a worldwide economic catastrophe. Good government is what is needed, not less government. For the Earth Federation, good government means protecting its citizenry from "less government" particularly when "less" is code language for "lack of regulation", wherein such lack of oversight causes harm to the public.
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February 21, 2012
Darkness of Empire: A devastating critique by Professor Glen Martin of the domination over people and the fragmented nations by use of military force and a rigged, debt-based economic system
"The American Empire and the Struggle for Human Liberation" recently published by Dr. Glen Martin is a powerful indictment of the present world's struggle with Empire and its endless thirst for more and more power, and domination of nations and peoples.
Martin describes how Empire "...endeavors to extend its tentacles, becoming ever more irrational and dangerous, while the peoples of Earth long for freedom, survival, and a new beginning. The Empire's secret plan? Martin agrees with Noam Chomsky who saw the U.S. after WWII as the remaining superpower which proceeded to establish "military and economic hegemony that could be used by transnational investors to maximize profits through exploiting the cheap resources and labor of subject peoples."
The rigged economic system has prevailed, writes Martin, "...with their system of debt-money making all governments beholden to them and placing the peoples of Earth into massive debt, an entirely unnecessary system of totalitarian control..." Martin cites author Ellen Brown in his analysis of how the world's money system works against the majority of people.
While Establishment pundits on the Left and the Right shy away from the need for world union and world government, Martin argues convincingly that the "fragmented world disorder of some 192 militarized 'sovereign' nation-states" is the very structure which allows Empire to dominate --
they can "divide and conquer."
What could be the answer to end the darkness of Empire? "The answer is simple, clear, and compelling," writes Martin. "Human liberation requires that we join together under a democratic Constitution for the Federation of Earth that protects the freedom and diversity of peoples everywhere."
Regarding the Earth Federation Movement, Martin states: "We do not want to eliminate the variety of nations, cultures, religions, languages, and perspectives of the world. Such diversity is wonderful and gives rise to thousands of beautiful ways of authentic human flourishing. But the absolute, militarized borders, and the ability of the World Bank and the IMF to force the economic conditions of empire onto isolated countries, cannot endure. These are the very building blocks of empire."
Martin's conclusion is one of hope yet with a warning: "The human spirit will prevail: the spirit of freedom, reason, diversity, compassion, and solidarity. But we are in a race against time, since the empire is intent on closing the doors of freedom on the Earth forever."
His conclusion: "We need to embrace together the Earth Constitution, and by doing so bring humankind to the next step in planetary consciousness and human civilization. We must all join together in the name of planetary democracy, and establish a common framework for free human flourishing for all persons. Only in this way can we abolish the empire, and the threat of empire, forever from the Earth."
-- for Dr. Martin's full article ("The American Empire and the Struggle for Liberation") go to
Reader Supported News’ Godot and posted on the websites (below) -- Editor
Dr. Glen T. Martin
President, World Constitution and Parliament Assoc. (www.wcpa.biz)
President, Institute on World Problems (www.worldproblems.net)
Professor of Philosophy, Radford University (www.radford.edu/gmartin)
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February 7, 2012
Conflict between Israel and Iran leading to war?
Why we need world federal government
The headlines these days make it clear that the conflict between Israel and Iran may move beyond economic sanctions against Iran. Israel has stated it may attack Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any attack would be met with retaliation.
Without federal world government in place, an attack and invasion may soon be in the making creating a nightmare for thousands upon thousands of innocent citizens particularly in Iran, but also possibly in Israel if the conflict spills over to the broader Middle East.
Ayatollah Khamenei is quoted as saying that "...any attack would be 10 times worse for the interests of the United States." The US has provided Israel with money and weapons, and Congress under the influence of the Israeli Lobby has voiced full support for Israel's threats against Iran if the Iranian government refuses to bow to Israeli demands to cease their nuclear program.
Israel has nuclear weapons. What's wrong with this picture?
A world federal government would analyze the conflict from the point of view of the world public interest rather than narrow national self-interest.
The (World) Federation would likely note that Israel maintains almost 200 nuclear weapons. Iran has none. Israel fears that eventually Iran will obtain nukes.
Under a World Federal Government neither nation would need, or be allowed to possess weapons of mass destruction since under world union there would be no need for such horrible weapons.
Much like California does not need nuclear missiles to protect itself from Texas, as part of a world federal union Israel would not need these terrible weapons to protect itself from Iran, or any other nation. Similarly, Iran would have no need to seek nukes for their defense.
In a democratic world federation there would be nonviolent alternatives to war. Both parties would take their dispute to mediators for resolution, and if that fails they could turn to a World Court (such as the World Court's Bench for International Conflicts in the Earth Constitution), or as another avenue, could take the dispute to a democratically elected World Parliament.
The global democratic Federal government described here makes going to war unnecessary, and indeed, illegal.
When war becomes a world crime
Under a well-written world constitution, war becomes against the law. Nuclear weapons also becomes against the law. But under this new global governing structure, laws would be enforceable, not mere empty words as is currently the case.
Any national leaders or generals who went to war, or maintained nuclear weapons would be treated as common criminals, and would be held individually accountable. World police would arrest them, and they would be prosecuted for world crimes.
State sponsored terrorism considered a world crime
War crime prosecutions in an Israel/Iran war could include leaders of the United States for providing weapons and money to Israel. Such support could be consider state sponsored terrorism. If evidence was provided that covert operations were also employed causing death or destruction such as in false flag operations, the operatives and those who ordered such actions could be considered world criminals and be prosecuted accordingly.
United Nations not equipped to deal with the Iranian/Israeli conflict
Because of the rule of sovereignty for each nation is written in the UN Charter, the UN has no authority to prevent either Iran or Israel from going to war, or even for possessing nuclear weapons.
If the US is involved, the UN's hands are completely tied because the US has the power of the veto in the UN -- an ultimate means to avoid prosecution for world crimes.
In the present conflict it appears that the US is an ally of Israel, and Iran may have China or Russia on its side. Because of the undemocratic powers of these powerful nations, they go unrestrained on the global stage. Their veto power in the UN Security Council can prevent any action which might prevent war.
Will war soon be the outcome? Will thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians, families, women and children become war victims as occurred in the invasion of Iraq? Another avoidable catastrophe simply because the nations refuse to unite and to federate?
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January 16, 2012
A recent book, Vultures' Picnic by investigative reporter Greg Palast, is an important source to understand the deep financial corruption seen worldwide
From finance, to oil, to nuclear power, Palast digs below the surface to reveal the manipulations and world crimes which benefit a sociopathic few while harming ordinary, decent people who make up the majority.
Mr. Palast, who is unfamiliar with the Earth Federation Movement, would most likely applaud the Earth Constitution's world judiciary structure which includes provisions for enforceable law at the international level. No longer would the powerful be "above the law" and often escape prosecution for fraud, cover-ups, and dirty financial dealings. A Swiss bank account anyone?
The EC provides a potentially powerful tool for honest investigators such as Mr. Palast who are often frustrated when crimes and injustices uncovered on the world stage go unpunished.
-- Editor
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January 9, 2012
Can a Democratic World Federation Government Include Dictatorships?
(Discussion from the Internet)
Dear fellow world federalists:
WCPA's Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka "Earth Constitution") has worked out the details for a World Parliament in a rather simple, yet elegant manner.
The Earth Federation's World Parliament is to include both a House of Peoples, and a House of Nations.
The House of Peoples, similar to the US House of Representatives, is to consist of 1000 Electoral Districts based upon population (to represent the 7 billion people worldwide). The late Dr. Hanna Newcombe devised a brilliant outline of potential electoral districts for the House of Peoples. These proposed electoral districts should prove relatively easy to update to account for subsequent population shifts.
The House of Nations outlined in the Earth Constitution allows up to 3 delegates per nation or group of nations, depending upon a simple formula taking into account population of each nation or group of nations. Large nations like China or India will be allowed 3 delegates maximum in the House of Nations.
Regarding the issue of a nation being democratic or not, the Earth Constitution's Bill of Rights is such that any nation ratifying the Constitution (thereby joining the Earth Federation) will be committed to democratic standards, per the Earth Constitution.
There will undoubtedly be debates about what constitutes fair and authentic democratic processes as each nation has its own notion of "democracy". Political democracy? Economic democracy? The role of money, the role of media, and so on.
Because a world federal government is so necessary if we are to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, prevent wars, end poverty worldwide, and protect individual human rights, it is my faith and belief that the glitches and obstacles can be overcome.
Dr. Roger Kotila - Editor, Earth Federation News & Views
Response from Dr. Glen Martin, President-elect of the World Constitution & Parliament Association (1/6/2012):
As Dr. Roger Kotila correctly points out, the Earth Constitution provides a framework for the inclusion of all nations into an Earth Federation that allows both for “full faith and credit” of their existing documents and legal systems (Article 14) and for the progressive transformation of what is undemocratic in their systems to conformity with the Earth Constitution. For example, it is not until the second operative stage in the actualization process of the Earth Federation (under Article 17) that nations are required to enter into the process of systematically and carefully disarming. Since all military organization is anti-democratic and destructive of universal human rights (because military action by definition dispenses with due process of law), no military can be part of a democratic Earth Federation. However, the Constitution allows for a measured conversion process to take place that does not confront dictatorships or oligarchies (like the US and Britain, for example) with an all or nothing choice.
Indeed, one of the truly extraordinary things about the Constitution is that, while standing on fundamental principles of global democracy and universal human rights (hence, ultimately not allowing dictatorships to be part of the Earth Federation), it provides a variety of mechanisms for moving from the current dysfunctional and undemocratic world to a world guided by these fundamental principles. The key is not an either/or attitude but reasonable mechanisms for conversion. One of these mechanisms is the Provisional World Parliament.
Right now, we are working on legislation to be introduced at the next session of the Parliament (Session 13), that specifies in detail a conversion process for dictatorships wishing to join the Earth Federation. This conversion process provides flexibility (they do not have to immediately throw out their current legal structures or ruling class) but requires that they enter into a process under which they can initially join the federation and begin receiving its immense financial and other benefits through agreeing to a carefully defined series of conversion stages that will ultimately lead to full conformity with the Earth Constitution.
This is the real issue. Not whether or not dictatorships can become part of an emerging Earth Federation, but the concrete and practical issue of a measured process by which nations begin to transform their structures over time into conformity with the requirements of universal democracy and human rights. The process holds out the incentive of the immense benefits of being part of the Earth Federation while not excluding non-democratic nations, but working with not only rulers and dictators, but also with their peoples directly, to undergo a reasonable, nonviolent process of transformation necessary to bring the nations of Earth together under a single Democratic Constitution.
Dr. Glen T. Martin
Secretary-General, World Constitution and Parliament Assoc. (www.wcpa.biz)
President, Institute on World Problems (www.worldproblems.net)
Professor of Philosophy, Radford University (www.radford.edu/gmartin)
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January 8, 2012
Will an Attack Against Iran be a War Crime?
Do the leaders of Israel and the U.S. risk prosecution by the International Criminal Court for a war crime if they invade Iran? The answer is "no". The leaders of Empire are, in practice, above international law.
This fact is very clear as evidenced by the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. The "shock and awe" destruction of Iraq for example, based upon false evidence, did not lead to prosecution by any international court of those responsible such as former President George Bush, Jr., Vice President Cheney, or the Pentagon generals. No prosecution for war crimes, no prosecution for torture.
The leaders of Israel have never been prosecuted for the brutal attacks on Gaza, or for the ongoing illegal expansion of Israeli settlements upon Palestinian lands.
Unfortunately for the world, when justice is unevenly administered, the imbalance creates resentment among peoples and nations. This fundamental unfairness becomes a breeding ground for more conflict and wars.
Iran is being told that they cannot have a nuclear weapon, yet Israel is allowed to possess, by some estimates, as many as one hundred nuclear warheads. The U.S. has refused to give up its nuclear weapons, as have other nuclear states including Russia, China, Great Britain, France, Pakistan, and North Korea.
The Earth Constitution, unlike the United Nations Charter, would establish enforceable world law applied to all. No individual, no matter how powerful his/her nation, would be above the law. Justice would be administered fairly to all.
Rather than war, conflicts would be adjudicated by a World Judiciary system, mediators, and a democratic World Parliament based upon the world public interest, not narrow national interest or superpower status.
Under the Earth Constitution, no nation is allowed to possess weapons of mass destruction. A psychological analysis of the dynamics of disarmament makes it clear that only disarmament by all nations will create acceptable conditions for a permanent and secure peace.
Realistically therefore, to avoid an Armageddon type catastrophe, all nations possessing weapons of mass destruction must give them up. Without full cooperation from all nations, the psychology of paranoia will continue and nations will refuse to disarm.
-- Editor
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December 9, 2011
A Grand Strategy: From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Everything. Will Activists See the Strategic Advantage of Adopting the Earth Constitution?
The Occupy Wall Street nonviolent protest movement has expanded almost everywhere -- from city to city, and to college campuses. We watch similar protests continue and grow in Europe, Egypt, Syria, and beyond.
Something is in the air -- the people want change. What psychologist C.G. Jung called the "collective unconscious" appears to have caused a simultaneous reaction worldwide -- a peaceful protest movement demanding fundamental changes in the governing system. The corruption of governments by Big Money must cease.
Time for a new governing system and world union
Enter the Earth Constitution drafted over a period of thirty years by world citizens from many countries organized by the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA). The Earth Constitution has become the foundation for an emerging Earth Federation Movement (EFM) calling for a democratic world union, and a new governing system.
The real question about this new governing system is not about big government, it is about good or bad government. Good government meets the needs of "we, the people" and is fair and just. The Earth Federation's Constitution is designed to meet these important standards, and much more.
The Earth Constitution, as just one example, replaces the current global war system with a peace system. If offers a realistic paradigm to eliminate all nuclear weapons. This fact alone should cause activists to embrace the EFM.
But it offers more. Think of the goal to "Occupy Everything." Because international private investment banking and multinational corporations literally and figuratively "buy" countries, this world constitution is designed to put a stop to these manipulations by Big Money. Individual nations are no match for Big Money or secret covert operations to overthrow them if they do not cooperate.
WCPA activists will be in India during the sessions of the International Conference of Chief Justices. WCPA will hold meetings to discuss strategies to further the cause of establishing the Earth Federation with its Provisional World Parliament under the Earth Constitution.
New world judiciary system part of Earth Constitution
Earth Federation activists hope to establish a "Collegium of World Judges" to support the Earth Constitution's structure for a World Judiciary system designed equal to the task for honest and fair, and enforceable world law and order.
Thus, for example, no longer would high government officials be able to avoid prosecution for their world crimes. Multinational corporations and international banking interests would no longer be able to be the "shot-callers" as to a nation's economic structure. High executives from business would be held accountable as individuals -- no longer above the law.
Bringing private international banking interests back to earth
Regarding banking, a concern of Occupy Wall Street, the 1% would no longer be able to hide their money in Switzerland -- or in other off shore secret bank accounts.
Private banking would no longer be allowed to control currency and credit. The global financial apparatus would be returned to "we, the people," with ownership and regulation by a democratically elected Earth Federation government.
Establishing universal standards for civilized societies
The Earth Constitution provides a blueprint for a new governing system which returns democratic processes to "we, the people." Its Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth (Articles 12 and 13) sets universal standards for civilized societies.
Articles 12 and 13 as well as other provisions in the Earth Constitution can provide authoritative legitimacy to the demands of the Occupy protesters who call themselves the "99%".
A modern Magna Carta for the people?
For the Occupy Everything protest movement, the Earth Constitution could function like a modern day Magna Carta. (In 1215 the English barons forced King John to agree to the rights and privileges which came to be known as the Magna Carta.)
The 99% are demanding that the 1% not only pay up, but give the government back to "we, the people." This is unlikely to happen despite worldwide protests except on a token level -- unless activists turn to the Earth Constitution.
The EFM has tried to warn activists that simply trying to "fix America" is inadequate. The system as a whole must also be changed.
The belief that if we can only "fix America" then everything will be alright is a mistake we made after stopping the Viet Nam war.
Now however, the peace movement is back. Will it be "flower power" again but failing to look more deeply into what's wrong? (One lesson learned out of the Sixties peace movement is that "love" is not enough.) More fundamental changes are necessary.
We must acknowledge "deep politics" and pursue the ugly truths such as the many "false flag operations" conducted by governments in secret. Covert agencies killing people but blaming it on someone else. Its a method of manipulation unknown to the general public used to create false "enemies." What's the purpose to create false "enemies"? To keep the people in fear and paranoia -- thereby easy to manipulate.
The Earth Federation government will not tolerate secret death squads or other forms of attacks on the innocent. The Earth Federation will stand for openness, authentic democracy, and integrity.
Students join the peaceful rebellion
What started out as a campaign to gain regulation over Big Money (i.e., Occupy Wall Street) has branched out as activists show that the unlimited spending on America's military is creating growing poverty at home.
Students, frustrated over the increasing costs of education, are in rebellion. They have to pay more because the country's money is going to the military/industrial complex rather than to education. America is a military economy. Weapons first, sold worldwide. Taxpayers pay unthinkable sums of money for death and destruction, while student tuition continues to rise.
Money flows easily for bombs, guns, nuclear weapons, covert operations to assassinate and destroy, and for Homeland Insecurity. The country provides expensive toys-for-boys such as fighter jets, ships loaded with technical gear, and drone missiles to kill by simply pushing a button.
Meanwhile, on the home front, people are losing their homes and can barely feed their families. There is massive unemployment. Education has become too expensive except for the 1%.
A political strategy to establish "legitimate authority" for protester's demands
A closer look at Articles 12 and 13 of the Earth Constitution shows how its provisions can give legitimate authority to the Occupy Wall Street protest movement expanded to a worldwide "Occupy Everything."
Article 12.3 Freedom of speech, press, communication
12.4 Freedom of assembly, peaceful demonstration
12.12 Freedom of person from arbitrary or unreasonable arrest,
detention, search or seizure; warrants required.
12.13 Prohibition against...torture
12.14 Right of habeas corpus
12.18 ...prohibition against surveillance as a means of political control
Article 13.1 Equal opportunity for useful employment for everyone
13.4 Free and adequate public education available to everyone.
13.5 Free and adequate public health services and medical care
available to everyone throughout life
13.11 Assurance for everyone of adequate housing,...food,...
13.13 Social Security for everyone to relieve the hazards of
unemployment, sickness, old age, disability,
family circumstances, catastrophe....
The Earth Constitution as the key "game" changer
It remains to be seen if Occupy Wall Street activists will grasp the implications of turning to the Earth Constitution as the key strategy to save America itself, and to deliver the world from its downward spiral.
The Earth Constitution is a system changer -- a basic "game" changer. It could become the foundation for a worldwide, peaceful political and economic revolution. It could provide the means for "we, the people" to regain control over Big Money, multinational corporations, and corrupt governments.
Making the impossible, possible
The Earth Constitution waits to be discovered, a gift to the world which could make what some think is impossible, possible:
A path to eliminating wars and weapons of mass destruction. Prosperity rather than poverty. Fair and equal justice for all. Protection of Mother Earth. Genuine good government with authentic as opposed to fake, democracy.
To be sure, any governing system will have its doubters, and its glitches. But the Earth Constitution is surprisingly wise, and that is why it could have a very good chance to deliver as promised.
-- Editor
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July 31, 2011
Radioactive Poisoning
Depleted Uranium (DU) munitions have been used by the US military in
Afghanistan and Iraq, with birth defects now showing up in Fallujah and elsewhere according to a report by Kelly Vlahos in "The American Conservative" (April 2011).
American soldiers, along with civilian populations, have also been
exposed to these cancer causing munitions. Like with Agent Orange
during the Viet Nam war, the military authorities are denying that DU
munitions endanger our soldiers or civilians.
Has the Pentagon and NATO also used dirty bombs in Libya?
Will the International Criminal Court be authorized to investigate those
Pentagon and NATO generals who authorize DU use? Will they be held
accountable for crimes against humanity?
EDITOR'S NOTE:
No, they won't be prosecuted by the ICC as its jurisdiction and enforcement capabilities are severely restricted. Some powerful nations have refused to accept jurisdiction. They reject the Universal Bill of Rights for themselves. They maintain special privilege to be above the laws which others are expected to follow.
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May 20, 2011
Privatization of Medical Care Could Make Going to the Doctor a Privilege, Not a Right
The recent proposal by the US House of Representatives to privatize Medicare by means of a voucher system could lead to health care being more of a privilege of the rich, rather than a right for all.
Moreover, privatization would add a new level of expense as money which should go for health care is siphoned off to go to CEO's and stockholders of private insurance companies.
It is this writer's understanding that the administrative costs of government run Medicare is less than 10%, while the same costs in a privatized system could run as high as 30%.
People with limited incomes could face the prospect of insurance premiums beyond their budget once their voucher allowance was used up, and be haunted by unknown amounts of co-pays and payment restrictions.
Let's keep it simple: The Earth Constitution states that health care is a right (not a privilege). Most European countries meet this standard of world citizenship, but the USA does not.
The Earth Constitution in Article 13.5 (Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth - Directive Principles): "It shall be the aim of the World Government to secure certain other rights..."Free and adequate public health services and medical care available to everyone throughout life under conditions of free choice."
The USA does not currently meet world citizenship standards although the Medicare system as it is presently structured is popular, and a step in the right direction. Ultimately the USA will most likely develop a mixed system of public and private health care with a sliding fee type of system where no one will ever go bankrupt due to illness, and no one will be denied medical care due to lack of money.
(Editor's note: "Medical care" also means access to both dental care and mental health services. The average American cannot afford dental care.)
-- Editor
April 30, 2011
Advantages of Using the Earth Constitution as a Model for Nations in Transition Who Seek Authentic Democracy
As nations such as Egypt, Tunisia and others experience the transition to new governments, they will likely seek to modify their existing constitutions to find ways to insure democratic processes and to prevent future tyranny by special interests such as Big Money, corrupt Superpower governments, or religious extremists.
The Earth Constitution, although written with the whole world in mind, might provide a wealth of ideas and principles which would help these changing nations guarantee authentic democracy. Better yet, the Earth Constitution's design might be helpful as a means to give all the different factions in a nation a voice.
Moreover, the Earth Constitution, since it is a parliamentarian system as opposed to a presidential or dictatorship system, offers a design which eliminates dictatorial powers by any single individual. The "Presidium" in the Earth Constitution consists of five members of Parliament who rotate each year as the Chairperson. No person or special interest can seize power.
There are numerous other features or principles in the Earth Constitution which a nation may wish to copy in their national constitution: The Bill of Rights, green principles for ecological sustainability, and decentralization (subsidiarity).
To be sure, the Earth Constitution will not be a perfect fit for any specific nation, but it does provide a design which offers a type of governing structure which can unite, and which provides practical wisdom into the governing process.
-- Editor
April 23, 2011
Democratic Springtime 2011
Democratizing our Dysfunctional World System
The ?Democratic Spring? of 2011 expresses what people around the world have felt for a
long time. In nation after nation both nonviolent and armed resistance to dictatorship and
tyranny has erupted. This rebellion is significant and indicative of the sentiment of people?s
worldwide. The World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) has chapters in many
countries around the world from which people are demanding democracy, not only for
themselves, but for the people of Earth.
Much of the uprising in this democratic springtime has taken place in the Arab nations of
Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, and elsewhere. There was even incipient
resistance in Saudi Arabia, where massive force was used to prevent its overt appearance.i I
was in Bangladesh in December 2010, where people are struggling against fundamentalist
religious and military forces to preserve their democracy that was established in 1971. In India
as well, as Vandana Shiva has eloquently described in her book Earth Democracy, the struggle
for democracy is vibrant and widespread.
A similar upsurge has even taken place in the United States and Great Britain where masses
of people in both nations have come out in demonstrations, civil disobedience, and other forms
of resistance against the ruling class attempt to break the unions, cut fundamental social
services, and solidify corporate domination over the political process.ii Many articles have
appeared in the alternative press in these countries detailing the facts of the vast accumulation
of wealth in the hands of the rich that has continued even after the crash of 2008, as well as the
steps taken by politicians representing corporate domination to further that wealth and reduce
the opportunities of ordinary people.iii
The democratic revolution erupting this spring, however, will not succeed under the
current world system, which is heavily stacked against democracy and the welfare of the people
of Earth. This world system has two major components that work together to ensure the rule of
a tiny fraction of the Earth?s population over the rest of us. It works, in other words, to ensure
that democracy does not work and cannot work. These two interrelated components are
global corporate capitalism and the global system of ?sovereign? nation?states. In this system,
the elites in government and the elites in business work hand in hand to make laws and
regulations benefiting corporate wealth?accumulation through laws benefiting corporate
interests including privatization programs, security arrangements protecting corporations,
interest and rent payments, access to cheap resources, and access to cheap, exploitable labor. iv
This global system is protected by the world?s imperial hegemon, the United States, with
730 known military bases in all corners of the world and significant economic and political
leverage over nearly every nation on Earth.v This system ensures the accumulation of private
T
wealth in the hands of the banks and large corporations (including the ruling class within the
US) through a balkanization of the world?s peoples into easily manageable nation?state
components. Sometimes the Pentagon and US espionage systems are taken by surprise as
happened recently in Tunisia, where largely nonviolent massive protests rapidly toppled a US
supported dictator early in 2011 and served as a catalyst for the ?Democratic Springtime?
throughout much of the Arab?speaking world, giving the people of Tunisia at least some hope
of creating for themselves an effective constitutional democracy.
A largely nonviolent revolution soon followed in Egypt resulting in the deposition of
another US supported dictator, with the Egyptian army refusing the dictator?s orders to fire
upon the protestors. However, forward movement toward democracy in Egypt remains stalled
since the army has assumed control of the country, an option for ?governing? regularly
supported by the US since its ascendency to hegemony after the Second World War.vi The US
has now swung into action to help suppress the spread of democracy in the Arab world. It has
made an agreement with Saudi Arabia not to interfere with Saudi military invasion of Bahrian to
protect the autocratic government there and has remained silent as governments in Yemen and
other Arab countries fire upon unarmed protestors to stifle democratic dissent.vii
The current nation?state system allows political trouble in one part of the world to be
quarantined and eradicated by the global hegemon and its imperial lackies (Britain, France,
etc.). If international manipulation of the victim country fails to succeed (bribes, economic
threats, etc.), then hegemonic interests will be protected by overt force. Direct invasion and
colonial control (as in Iraq and Afghanistan), once accomplished, may result in withdrawal and
installation of neo?colonial puppet dictators who use political surveillance and torture to
prevent outbreaks of democracy and other such rebellions against the poverty, marginalization,
and misery of the masses.viii The principle on non?interference in the internal affairs of
sovereign states applies in general to all nations except the imperial superpower, which
routinely attempts to influence elections, fund right wing media, bribe officials, and use all
means of pressure to keep its global empire in conformity with the needs of corporate
investors.
When the imperial interests of the former colonial powers dictate military intervention in
the internal affairs of sovereign nations, then the principle of non?interference is quickly
jettisoned, as in the case of Libya after the democratic springtime spread to that country. The
dictator in Libya was not a puppet of the imperial powers but a vocal critic of Western
hypocrisy. In addition, he had control of significant oil resources not directly in the hands of the
multinational oil cartels. For both these reasons, he had to go. Suddenly, ?humanitarian
intervention? was the theme of the day, and a UN agreement to a simple no?fly zone was
interpreted by the US, Britain, and France as near unlimited discretion to militarily support the
rebels against the forces of the official Libyan government. Again, the balkanization of the
world into particulate nation?states allowed the imperial forces to ensure domination of a
portion of the world?s people in the service of their ?national interests.? There is no doubt,
however, that democracy will not be allowed to triumph in Libya.
The balkanization of the people of Earth into nation?state compartments is essential to the
maintenance of the world capitalist system and the US Empire. World citizens who wish to free
human beings to become self?determining participants in ?one world democracy? often do not
realize the extent to which the balkanized system of sovereign nation?states must necessarily
be preserved by the global ruling class.ix Many world federalist organizations support the
democratization of the UN, for example, and the democratic spring of 2011 has enlivened them
to push, in the name of the aspirations of the people of Earth, for a World Parliament to directly
represent people within the UN organization to complement the existing General Assembly
(that represents only governments).x
The present world system, however, is promoted and protected by the UN organization,
which largely mirrors the world system as described above. The UN Charter recognizes the
?sovereign integrity of its member states? (Article 2) and places all effective power in the hands
of the Security Council, dominated by its five permanent members, all of whom have
aspirations to global power and, at the very least, regional hegemony. In addition, the entire
UN system has long been colonized by global capitalism so, for example, GATT (the General
Agreement on Treaties and Trade) has been transformed into the adamantly ?free trade? World
Trade Organization (WTO). The principle of ?national sovereignty? means that nations may or
may not sign treaties, that they have no compelling reason to comply with treaties they have
signed, and that they may even sign treaties (so called international laws) while exempting
themselves from compliance (as the US has repeatedly done).
The UN allows the global superpower almost free rein to use UN ?international laws? in its
own interest, and, when these do not serve its interests, ignore them, as it did with the
invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Many world federalists correctly perceive that the UN has an
extensive worldwide infrastructure that could be very useful to global democracy, but they fail
to realize that piecemeal reform of the UN system will not result in global democracy. The
imperial dominators hold all the cards that will certainly be used to block effectiveness of
reform, including the effectiveness of a global people?s assembly that might be created to
complement the nearly powerless General Assembly.
The World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) does not share the apparent
naivet? of many world federalist organizations regarding the world system represented in the
UN. The WCPA understands that piecemeal reforms of the UN system cannot be successful in
the face of the forces ranged against global democracy (at least not in time to prevent
planetary ecocide or nuclear omnicide). The WCPA has long supported, however, an Article 109
Review Conference in which the nations in the General Assembly vote to reexamine the UN
system.
In an Article 109 review conference, the UN would have the option to replace the UN
Charter (representing the current undemocratic world system) with the Constitution for the
Federation of Earth (representing true global democracy: www.worldproblems.net). The Earth
Constitution provides for a truly democratic tri?cameral legislature with the authority, and
supporting institutions, to pass enforceable world laws for the people of Earth.
A Review
Conference that ratified the Earth Constitution would be an optimum result for the people of
Earth. The General Assembly could easily become the core of the House of Nations, the global
voting mechanisms that are currently set up by organizations like Vote World Parliament and
the People?s Congress could elect the representatives to the House of Peoples, and the
presently functioning Provisional World Parliament could become the core of the House of
Counselors.
By the simple act of substituting the UN Charter for the Earth Constitution, moreover, the
UN High Commission of Human Rights could become the core of the World Ombudsmus
created by the Constitution, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) could become benches of the World Supreme Court system, the WTO could be
converted to the democratically run World Financial Administration, and UN Peacekeeping
forces could be converted into the civilian World Police. Moreover, the transformation would
be decisive. It would not become a mere cosmetic modification of the current world system of
domination and exploitation. For the Constitution creates genuine world democracy with
enforceable world law, with the power and mandate to require multinational banking and
corporations to serve the needs of the people of Earth, and with the power to disarm the
nations and bring them into conformity with the democratic rule of law.
The Provisional World Parliament has already taken other steps to promote this
integration. For example, the Education Act (WLA 26) allocates major funding to a number of
U.N. agencies that promote education in the world as soon as these agencies ratify the Earth
Constitution. It names the following agencies for allocations: U.N. Development Programme
(UNDP), U.N. Children?s Fund (UNICEF), U.N. University (UNU), International Research and
Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), U.N. Institute for Training and
Research (UNITAR), and U.N. University for Peace (UPAZ). Unlike the U.N., the Earth Federation
government will not be dependent on the voluntary donations of sovereign nation?states but
will have entirely sufficient funds to serve all human needs, including massive worldwide
educational development.xi
However, even though the WCPA fully supports a UN General Review Conference that
would open up the possibilities outlined here, it is likely that the global hegemon will veto any
attempt to make this happen. In our judgment, it is very likely that the people of Earth will
have to directly ratify the Earth Constitution independently of the UN system, attracting those
nation?states to their cause who realize that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain
through joining the Earth Federation under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. The
democratic springtime of 2011 offers a taste of the hopes and dreams entertained by the
people of Earth.
But these hopes and dreams can only be realized through the founding of a new social
contract for the Earth. The UN is not a social contract but a treaty of sovereign nations
colonized by the world?s hegemon. It is not likely that it can be modified to become a genuine
democracy. There will be subversion and resistance every step of the way. But ratifying a new
founding document (that cannot be altered or compromised prior to its ratification) offers a
tremendous hope to the people of Earth. There is great strength in placing our hopes in a
founded global social contract.
Perpetual compromise with the forces of global capital and imperialism is unnecessary
here. The people of Earth can rise up and shout ?enough!? They can found at new world
system predicated on equality, freedom, peace, prosperity, and justice from the very start.
Only such a founded Earth Constitution can really transform the present undemocratic world
system. Reforming the UN is ultimately not a significantly viable option. Democratic freedom
for the people of Earth demands a global social contract in the form of transparent, completed
document: the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
i Noam Chomsky, ?On Libya and the Unfolding Crises,? Interviewed by Stephen Shalom and Michael Albert,
March 31, 2011. Z-Net: http://www.zcommunications.org/noam-chomsky-on-libya-and-the-unfolding-crises-bynoam-
chomsky
iiAndy Kroll, ?Return to Wisconsin: the Beginning or the End?? Tom Dispatch, March 31, 2011.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175374/tomgram%3A_andy_kroll%2C_union-busting_or_republicanbusting_
in_wisconsin/
iii Zachary Roth, ?Off-The-Charts Income Gains For Super-Rich,? by Zachary Roth. The Lookout - Yahoo News,
April 8, 2011. http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110408/ts_yblog_thelookout/off-the-charts-incomegains-
for-super-rich
iv Terry Boswell and Christopher Chase-Dunn, The Spiral of Capitalism and Socialism: Toward Global Democracy.
Boulder, CO: Lynne Reiner Publishers, 2000.
v Chalmers Johnson, The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the end of the Republic. San Francisco: City
Lights Books, 2004.
vi Michael Parenti, Against Empire. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1995.
vii Chomsky, op.cit.
viii Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2008.
ix Belitsos and Tetalman, One World Democracy: A Progressive Vision for Enforceable World Law. San Rafael,
CA: Origin Press, 2005.
x Andreas Bummel, ?Towards a Global Democratic Revolution: A Global Parliament and the Transformation of the
World Order,? April 5, 2011. Internet circulated article.
xi Glen T. Martin, The Earth Federation Movement: Founding a Global Social Contract. History, Vision,
Documents. Pamplin, VA: Institute for Economic Democracy Press, 2011.
Glen T. Martin is Professor of Philosophy at Radford University, Virginia, USA, Secretary-
General of the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA), and President of the
Institute on World Problems (IOWP). His web site is www.radford.edu/gmartin.
|
April 19, 2011
Excerpts from a letter sent by Earth Fed activist Kevin Edds who explains what is wrong with the current global system and why it is dangerous:
The current mass-destruction of our Planet by "sovereign" nations, that are controlled by corporations or "special interest" groups, is supposedly "legal". With 192 "sovereign" countries doing whatever they want, including attacking and devastating other smaller or more peaceful countries, worldwide chaos and lawlessness is our current "system".
No country is bound by any "higher" law than their own "self interest", however wicked or evil that "self interest" might be. Numerous countries feel they have a "right" to do anything they want, including killing the whole world with a nuclear bomb attack or a "mistake" in a single day if "necessary" (causing a nuclear reaction or retaliation by other countries that produces a nuclear winter on our Planet). The slower method of killing our Planet with accumulated irresponsible ecological transgressions and needless environmental catastrophes and "accidents" is also "right" or "legal" according to our current "system".
Mr. Edds recently published "Save Earth with Earth Federation" which can be found at www.LuLu.com
February 23, 2011
-----Original Message-----
From: EarthstarRadio@aol.com
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:03:30 EST
Subject: Open Letter to the Egyptian People
To: editor@thedailynewsegypt.com, weeklymail1@ahram.org.eg,
gazette-editor@hotmail.com, ak@egyptdailynews.com
CC: letters@nytimes.com, letters@washpost.com, jjohnson@sfchronicle.com
23 February 2011
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT:
We, the undersigned, are proud of the people of Egypt for their successful peaceful protests and demonstrations against corruption and authoritarian rule, and for justice and democracy.
We salute your courage, intelligence, and compassion -- and your perseverance and humanity. You are a model for the entire world and, hopefully, a bold step toward a world of peace and justice for all.
Some of us in the United States are also working for peace and justice through organizations and ideas such as Democratic World Federalists, Earth Federation Movement, World Citizens, World Constitution and Parliament Association, United for Peace and Justice, and many others.
We are also working against corporate monarchy, corruption, and authoritarian rule here in the United States and worldwide. We do honor you for your successful and peaceful fight for truth, justice, and democracy.
In Peace with Justice,
Mary Harris, USA
Roger Kotila*, USA
Bob Hanson, USA
Shahriar Sharei, USA
Bob Neumann, USA
Glen Martin, USA
Esther Franklin, USA
Rob Wheeler, USA
*Phone contact: (415) 328-2341
February 14, 2011Signs that the Republican Party has become the Dinosaur Party
WELCOME TO THE DINOSAUR PARTY! But dinosaurs eventually became extinct. The Republican Party on almost every level supports policies which increase the possibilities of extinction -- both for the Republican Party itself, and literally, for Americans, and for the world.
To be fair, Republicans care about their immediate family, and some of their friends. However, they show little respect for the human family -- the global community. Because of their narrow worldview, Republican ideas are like taking a poison pill wherein one either dies slowly (poverty), or quickly (nuclear war).
The Dinosaur Party has a love affair with nuclear bombs and missiles. Wars are exciting and profitable to the dinosaurs. The 9/11 attack during the Republican administration of George W. Bush was a convenient excuse to go to war and to give the President dictatorial powers.
The Pentagon's "shock and awe" attack on Iraq was an example of state sponsored terrorism, and an indicator of the ruthless recklessness of the oligarchy which has captured America. Likewise the use by the military of depleted uranium ammunition which has exposed both our soldiers and its civilian victims to radioactive poisons.
There is growing suspicion that 9/11 was an "inside job" as claimed by an increasing number of experts. Why else has the government refused to allow a new independent investigation despite overwhelming evidence that the 9/11 Commission Report was a cover-up directed by Republican neocon's? Why did President Bush and Vice President Cheney refuse to testify under oath?
Indifference to the poor is another basic core value for the dinosaurs. Republicans see no real value in poor people except for cheap labor.
Hatred and fear toward those who favor socialism are basic characteristics of the dinosaurs, who claim to be "Christians" yet have policies toward the poor which are the opposite of what Jesus practiced and taught.
But such contempt for the poor has made enemies, not friends. For example, many South American nations, through free and fair elections, have rejected American values of predatory capitalism and the domination of the rich over the poor, and are eager and enthusiastic about a mixed economic model (as in Scandinavian countries) which includes ample socialism and careful regulation of capitalism.
The Republican Party has only contempt for socialism, despite the fact that by all indicators of health, mortality, and security -- it is superior to predatory, monopoly capitalism. The years of propaganda to fool the people about capitalism's supposed "superiority" are ringing on empty as America's middle class discovers it has been betrayed. If elections are not rigged (as they were for President Bush's election), Republican will come to mean "Dinosaur".
Ignoring climate change in favor of profit, a key value of Republicans, is another prescription for extinction. But that does not bother the dinosaurs whose thirst for money trumps
scientific warnings of weather extremes due to man made environmental pollution.
Forever trying to be clever, the Republicans pushed for nuclear power as a means to a "clean"environment, but ignored the warnings of the antinuclear activists. Now we see in Japan that nuclear power is a profound loser and extremely dangerous to the people. So once again, the Republicans accepted bad ideas which could lead to extinction.
Love of money is the dinosaur's basic moral and intellectual flaw, along with a refusal to have empathy for others except for one's privileged friends and family. Put simply, Republicans almost universally have very poor judgment and endanger the rest of us. Fortunately, oligarchy is going out of favor. Look at the uprising in Egypt.
The increasing frustrations that the dinosaurs are placing upon the middle classes will eventually lead to revolts like in Egypt. The dinosaurs refuse to raise taxes on the rich, preferring to starve America's less fortunate, and to spend taxpayer money on bombs, missiles, and war rather than on food, clothing, shelter, and health care.
The Republicans are more than willing to spend unlimited amounts of taxpayer money on the Pentagon for death and destruction rather than on the people for health care and education. This policy enriches the already corporate rich. It also increases the probability for ultimate death and destruction of the human family.
But sadism and greed, as Hitler discovered, eventually leads to downfall.
Revenge acts by wronged groups or nations who are victims of CIA covert operations (assassinations; overthrowing democracies) will continue to be a danger within the USA itself if the dinosaurs are not replaced by advanced progressives.
Unfortunately, Democratic President Obama has continued the authoritarian policies of
George Bush, Jr. while he and Secretary of State Clinton piously talk of "freedom and democracy" for Egypt. And in all fairness, it must be said that many Democrats, too, have become dinosaurs in their thinking and actions -- only different from Republicans in name only.
It must be said that many Democrats joined Republicans to establish Homeland InSecurity and the UnPatriotic Act. Democrats, like Republicans, have voted for ridiculous amounts of money for the military and for the black box budget.
Yet far more Democrats than Republicans genuinely care about "we, the people" and support good and caring government rather than the conservatives very dangerous plan to "starve government" -- a prescription good for the rich, but disastrous for the rest of us.
The Obama adminstration has joined the dinosaurs by increased spending on new, "advanced" weaponry and on nuclear weapons which will increase the chances of a "mistake." Worship of the Pentagon is flirting with catastrophe. Death and destruction (drone attacks, bombing, etc.) on innocents around the world who are described as "collateral damage" are killing America's soul, or what is left of it.
Prediction: Ruthlessness toward the weak and poor, and now the attacks on the middle classes, will backfire. Predatory acts ("privateering") such as attempts to privatize Social Security, eliminate unions, and continue the deep corruption in Wall Street will be met by growing resistance from America's middle classes.
The real question now is if the Dinosaur Party can be prevented from taking the rest of us down with them?
-- Editor
January 13, 2011
WILL HOLLYWOOD BEGIN TO TAKE NOTICE OF THE EARTH FEDERATION MOVEMENT IN 2011?
The present writer speculates that Hollywood's imagination can be touched by the visionary work of the Earth Federation Movement. For starters, its green world constitution (the Earth Constitution) should appeal to Hollywood progressives who have worked hard for the environmental movement, and who appreciate and respect fresh air, clean water, and green mountains.
A serious strategy to end war and eliminate weapons of mass destruction using the Earth Constitution as its foundation is the stuff that captures the imagination -- a valued commodity in Hollywood.
Who in Hollywood will be the first to get on the Earth Federation Movement bandwagon? Prediction: The music business will be the first on board. Why?
Wars are ugly and are now dragging down the economy. People seek escape and hope. The time is ripe, much as in the sixties, to "rebel" from the dreary and hopeless Establishment's strangulation of American liberties, a secure life, and happiness.
-- Editor
November 23, 2010
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WORLD PEACE: ONLY A FEDERATED DEMOCRATIC WORLD UNION IS REALISTIC
Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Recently a world federalist sent out an impressive list of United Nations treaties and conventions in various stages of consideration or acceptance by nations.
The list includes the New Start Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), and conventions to ban cluster munitions and land mines. Also there are UN conventions against torture (1987), conventions on the rights of children (1990) and the disabled (2008), and other important agreements.
Treaties are a mixed blessing
When nations sign treaties which relate to global issues, it gives us a false sense of security. Nevertheless, by addressing issues such as nuclear weapons and the like, nations are acknowledging problems of universal concern and importance despite differences in culture and tradition.
We can reasonably conclude, then, that there are areas of ethics and conduct which the majority of people worldwide accept as valid -- universal standards to be applied to all.
Unfortunately however, history shows that agreements based upon treaties are eventually broken or ignored. Time and time again, particularly with the more powerful, treaties are discarded when seen as inconvenient -- either with regard to national self-interest, private business interests, or religious dogmas.
Psychology of world peace and institutionalized paranoia
So where does the "Psychology of World Peace" enter this picture, and what does psychology have to do with treaties, conventions, and other agreements between nations?
The key psychological dynamic associated with national sovereignty in a world of nations is one of institutionalized paranoia. Greed is another factor which needs to be taken into account.
To understand the psychological dynamic of paranoia (and greed), one only needs to examine prison gangs. Like nations, they are sovereign, and like nations, gangs fear that the other side is seeking an advantage. Hence, even when prison authorities do a complete, clean sweep of weapons, within weeks the various gangs are rearming themselves.
Why? Paranoia. This is the psychiatric dynamic which the current global system of sovereign nations cannot overcome. It is an inherent response to the system of national sovereignty in a world flooded with a winner take all, survival of the fittest mentality.
Institutionalized paranoia between nations originates primarily from fear that the other will get the upper hand in terms of use of force or military might, and fear that the other will gain economic advantage and control.
In the current global system of treaty-based agreements, usually nations maintain a high degree of sovereignty. This fact means that nations cannot be prevented from violating treaties if they believe it is in their self-interest to do so. The lack of true union between nations causes them, weak or strong, to conduct secret operations which further fuels paranoia.
The European Union has made some progress convincing nations to give up some aspects of absolute sovereignty. But some of these nations continue to be quite reluctant (i.e., paranoid) about moving toward full union and federation.
It can be argued that partial union is better than no union at all. This idea has some merit. However, the ultimate psychological dynamic to achieve a genuine, permanent world peace free of war will require an almost complete world federation and democratic union with only minor exceptions.
This is a hard psychological fact from which there is no shortcut. Institutionalized paranoia will never be cured no matter how many treaties are signed by sovereign nation states. Every nation, whether or not fully in the federation, will have to agree to open inspections at anytime, anywhere.
President Ronald Reagan's famous quote regarding disarmament "trust but verify,"was partially correct, but incomplete. Because of the many sociopathic leaders in governments, there must also be criminal consequences to individual leaders who violate the law.
Otherwise there is no guarantee of open inspection, investigation, and prosecution. In the present global system, individual leaders from nations who violate treaties and commit international crimes usually suffer no consequences, particularly if their nation is powerful. They are protected by their "sovereign" nation.
But in a federal union system world laws by a democratic world parliament would be enforceable on all individuals no matter what their level of authority. This rule of law is necessary because whereas people with a normal, healthy conscience will do the right thing without threat of punishment, those leaders of nations who are sociopaths or psychopaths must be restrained by knowing they will face punishment if they commit crimes.
It is wishful thinking to believe that treaties or agreements alone can result in permanent full disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, prevent wars, or eliminate predatory economic behaviors. The psychiatric dynamic of paranoia (and greed), just like with prison gangs, will eventually sabotage any treaty-based agreements between sovereign nations.
Treaties are not strong enough medicine
Those who argue for a treaty-based global system to obtain world peace, justice and prosperity are stuck in Establishment thinking. There exist powerful psychological factors associated with traditional sovereignty which simply cannot be ignored.
Put bluntly, there is no shortcut except to establish a democratic federation and world union -- just as world federalists have been saying for over sixty years.
The psychology of world peace demands a new global structure which can eliminate the mental illness of paranoia, and the sociopathic condition of greed. The medicine needed to eliminate theses homicidal/suicidal symptoms has been known by world federalists for many, many years.
The nations must federate in a democratic world union.
Good medicine for a mentally ill world and a means to control sociopaths
The Earth Constitution/Earth Federation, not treaties, is the right medicine to end the paranoia, and to create a healthy and positive world -- free of the tyranny of fear, greed, lies, and dogma.
A federated democratic world union under the Earth Constitution has the potential to end paranoia, and the Earth Federation's World Parliament and Judicial/Human Rights system will provide a means to control the handful of sociopaths and psychopaths who destroy and impoverish our world.
By joining the Earth Federation, nations will no longer need to tolerate the second class citizenship imposed upon them by the design of the UN Security Council which makes a mockery of democracy and of equality.
It is time for the United Nations, whose sovereign nations breed a constant dynamic of paranoia, to break free from this psychiatric dysfunction. With the healthy foundation of the Earth Constitution to start anew, the world can free itself from the undemocratic roots which were incorporated into the UN Charter, and begin an era where "we, the people" has real meaning.
The Earth Federation's Constitution can open the door to a world that works for all humanity, not just the few.
-- Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
November 1, 2010
The United Nations 65th Anniversary celebration in San Francisco (October 22 -24, 2010) offered a generous portion of good feelings toward world unity and understanding to honor the signing of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco.
Events included a "Symphony for United Nations" conducted by Maestro Joseph Eger well-known for his artistic support of the UN; an inter-generational model UN session; a film festival on international issues; and some cultural performances with participants from other countries.
Although organizers of the events were successful in created a positive and constructive atmosphere, they did not shy away from discussing serious world problems. Speakers discussed worldwide poverty, sickness and diseases such as AIDS, human rights, wars and the urgent need for disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.
The prescriptions offered for solving these problems, however, tended to remain in the same United Nations paradigm emphasizing millennium goals which have been largely unsuccessful. Wars, threats of nuclear annihilation, worldwide poverty, and loss of individual human rights continue to be epidemic.
Lip service was made for the need to "strengthen the UN" and a call was put out to "rejuvenate the nuclear disarmament movement". A Stanford University professor, Dr. Hellman, presented the facts on the risks of nuclear catastrophe --
and left this observer more determined than ever to demand full nuclear disarmament the world over.
Proposed solutions by invited speakers, however, tended to remain "inside the box" regarding changes to the United Nations and the present global system. Proposed solutions relied upon treaties and international law within the present UN structure rather than a new democratic world body able to apply enforceable world laws on individuals and with a democratically elected world parliament.
There was some minor mention of the need for a "UN Peoples Assembly" to go along with the UN General Assembly, but no strong message to eliminate the Security Council with its undemocratic veto power, and no advocacy to replace or change the UN into a genuine democratic world federation which is what is ultimately needed -- the sooner the better.
The event drew together many people of goodwill, and reinforced the importance of a world body in which to discuss world problems and possible solutions. For me, the main importance of this event was that it reinforced goals which have moral and spiritual significance, and continues to maintain faith in the potential for good from our global community.
-- RK
August 1, 2010
WILL BIG OIL AND OTHER CORPORATIONS CASH IN WHILE THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER PAYS FIRST FOR A COMBAT MISSION, NOW FOR AN ONGOING OCCUPATION OF IRAQ?
Today the American president announced an end to the "combat mission" in Iraq. He does not discuss any plan to have an ongoing occupation using a mixture of American soldiers (now doing "training", not "combat"), and private contractors (mercenaries) to be stationed in permanent armed bases in Iraq, ready to strike if the puppet government's security forces flounder as the Iraqi people reject this arrangement.
The plan? It is my belief that the American taxpayer will get to pay for "security" while Big Oil (multinationals)& other corporations make lucrative deals for Iraqi oil and/or infrastructure projects, protected by the might of the American military, new police/military security via the State Dept., and highly paid private contractors replacing the "combat" troops along with those Iraqi's willing to join the security forces for a puppet government.
Otherwise, why an almost 1 billion dollar American embassy in Iraq, bigger than the Vatican according to various reports? It's a fortress, and the Americans along with the puppet government will be behind walls while Iraqi death/torture squads roam the land targeting dissidents. Moreover, although President Obama has stated America would not have a permanent presence in Iraq, the facts on the ground include numerous American military bases costing millions of dollars, and construction has apparently not abated.
War and occupation appears good for Big Business. Prediction: Big Oil and other corporations (e.g., Halliburton) will not pay for this protection, or the costs of maintaining a puppet government in which Iraqi officials will have ample opportunity to get rich right along with their corporate benefactors. (It will be the ordinary Iraqi citizen who will lose out.)
Another prediction: A similar fate awaits Afghanistan as Big Oil seeks a pipeline through that country. It will also require an ongoing occupation of the country coupled with a puppet government to fight off the rebellious people who reject such suppression. The American taxpayer will pay for the mixture of American soldiers and private contractors who will stay in Afghanistan (just like in Iraq) to insure a cooperating puppet government.
The Earth Federation would not accept the stealing of resources by use of military might by any nation and the use of propaganda (false information) to keep the people in fear and paranoia.
The 9/11 attack caused immense trauma and was supposedly an attack by Muslims, a pretext for the current wars. Unfortunately, the actual scientific evidence suggests otherwise -- yet the American government refuses a new investigation. If the Earth Federation were in full existence, it could do an independent investigation particularly when a nation is suspected of a cover-up. (The evidence presented by 9/11 Truth researchers points to an inside job, a highly sophisticated false flag operation which has led the American people into a "war that never ends, i.e., the war on terror.)
Speculation: There are likely to be additional "false flag operations" which falsely blame new attacks (possibly again on American soil), on "patsies" -- who "confess" their crimes after unbearable torture. These terror tactics will justify continued excessive budgets for the military/industrial complex and Homeland Security, as Americans give in to manufactured paranoia and fear.
Although American soldiers and the public are told that these wars are to bring "democracy and freedom" to whatever country is being "liberated," and to "protect" America from terrorists, the facts point in a different direction: The American government, largely dominated by corporate and banking interests, want governments who cooperate with predatory capitalism and its first cousin, privatization.
(Editor's note: KBR is one of the obvious beneficiaries of these financial arrangements having been granted large contracts for oil infrastructure work. The original oil contracts drawn up earlier in the conquest under Bremmer which locked up deals for 30 years, are being challenged by some Iraqi's who believe the deals cheat the Iraqi people. Oil deals I have learned recently, are not just for American and British oil giants, but also are being given to some other countries such as China and India. Is the Iraqi Oil Ministry getting appropriate contracts for their people, or are corrupt deals being created which redirects the profits to a handful of Iraqi officials in power in collusion with the oil companies?)
8/28/10
MEXICAN ACTIVISTS MAY JOIN THE EARTH FEDERATION MOVEMENT
Communications between the Earth Federation and activists in Mexico have started since it was learned that student and political activists in Mexico are planning a "First Model World Parliament" to be held in the actual House of Deputies of the Mexican government.
The original connection originated from a meeting with Democratic World Federalists in San Francisco who, in association with the World Alliance to Transform the United Nations, began planning meetings in San Francisco perhaps in October, 2010.
The political importance of this network of strategy discussions is that we see American, Mexican, and possibly activists from Central and South America joining together -- with a strong student involvement.
Earth Federation activists believe that the Earth Constitution is the ideal instrument which will allow the creation of a true, as opposed to a toothless, world parliament.
There are activists who would like to simply have an elected world parliament which offers resolutions in terms of solutions, rather than create a genuine new world body (new world government) to replace the present shadow world government which analysts have noted are unelected, wealthy and powerful in military might and in political corruption.
-- RK 8/28/10
* * * * * * *
Received 6/21/10 from Gary Shepherd
Gary Shepherd's analysis is a good history lesson for proponents of democratic world government. The public and politicians may resist, and even resent, logical solutions to our world's problems -- even when the old ways have been convincingly shown to be wrong, and in current times, disastrous. -- Editor
PTOLEMY, COPERNICUS AND WORLD GOVERNMENT
By Gary Shepherd
May - June 2010 issue of United World magazine
gshepher@verizon.net
Long before the advent of the current public arguments about
evolution and global warming, the greatest controversy in the history of
science was the debate between the geocentric, or earth-centered model of the
universe described by the second century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and the
heliocentric, or sun-centered model, advocated by the 16th century Polish
astronomer Copernicus.
This battle took most of a century to resolve, and it involved some
of the most powerful political and religious leaders of its time. Today, we
have forgotten just what a mental revolution Copernicus' theory represented.
Although some Greek philosophers had speculated about a heliocentric model, the
Ptolemaic model had been almost universally accepted by astronomers for more
than a thousand years. In fact, Copernicus knew that his idea was so radical
that he didn't even have it published until after he had safely died.
It is easy to see why. The idea that the Earth is at the center of
the universe, and that the sun, moon, planets and stars revolve around it
matches our everyday experience. After all, the Earth appears immobile beneath
our feet -- it doesn't seem to move. When we look up at the sky, the heavenly
bodies seem to be moving around us. Even today, we speak of the sun rising or
setting, as if it were the sun circling around the Earth.
What is more, the geocentric model could be used to explain all the
scientific observations that could be made at that time. Because it had been
noticed that sometimes the planets seemed to stop and go backwards in their
orbits for a while, Ptolemy created smaller circles, called epicycles, within
the larger crystalline spheres in which the planets circled around the Earth,
so that they were sometimes moving in the opposite direction from the larger
circle. Using this model, one could calculate precisely where a planet would be
at any particular time -- an important consideration at the time, since most
astronomers were also astrologers, and knowledge of the locations of the
planets at the time of a person's birth was vital to casting horoscopes.
But as time went on, and observations became more precise, the
ability of the Ptolemaic model to predict planetary locations began to break
down. The model was altered by later scientists, making it more and more
complex, in an effort to make it correspond to observations of the real
universe. In fact, the Ptolemaic model became so complex, that some scientists,
in order calculate planetary movements, used the Copernican model for
mathematical purposes, even though they didn't really believe it described the
actual universe.
Eventually, partly because of the invention of the telescope, the
Copernican model achieved acceptance over its rival, and today one would have
difficulty finding an astronomer anywhere who supported the geocentric
universe.
What, one is tempted to ask, has any of this to do with the idea of
world government? Well, the parallels are quite striking. The current system of
independent nation-states, sometimes called the Westphalian system, has existed
for many centuries as the unquestioned model for the way the political world is
designed. Like the Ptolemaic model, it makes sense to us. The nations appear to
exist, they appear to be eternal, and there doesn't appear to be any logical
alternative to it. They match our everyday experience. We speak of the earth,
and humanity, as if they were both divided up into nation-states.
Like the Ptolemaic model, as time has passed the nation-state model
has had to grow more and more complex to match the real world. Treaties,
conventions, and agreements have piled up, one upon the other, to govern the
complicated relations between the different nations. For instance, the Danube
River runs through numerous different nations on its way to the sea. All of the
national governments have a say in governing the preservation of that river,
making it very difficult to come to agreement about anything. The current
system has become so complex that sometimes, in order to make it function
properly, people act as if the world were united, even though they don't really
believe it is.
Just as it was the advance of technology and science led to more
precise measurements that doomed the Ptolemaic model to extinction, advanced
technology is leading toward measurements that are threatening the viability of
the nation-state system. We have peered down at the earth's surface from our
orbital satellites and have seen that there are no borders drawn on the real
earth. We have peered into the intricacies of the human genome, and we have
found no genes for nationality.
Copernicus offered a model that was truer to the real world, and
thus eventually supplanted the older, more inaccurate model. So too must we
offer a model of society that is truer to the real world, which is more
accurate, more sustainable, and simply works better, so that it can replace the
outdated one. One day, the idea of separate nation-states will come to seem as
quaint and antiquated as the perfect crystalline spheres that were a feature of
the Ptolemaic system.
5/24/10
MODERN MODERATE MUSLIM MAN OPPOSES USE OF THREATS OR VIOLENCE TO CENSOR RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION AND FREE SPEECH
A Portland, Oregon Muslim man in a recent article (in USA Today, May 13, 2010) opposes use of threats and violence by some Muslims who have murdered, or threatened to murder, those who have used the image of Mohammed in ways for which they did not approve.
Mr. Harris Zafar is highly critical of Muslim violence used to censor free speech and states that "...Islam does not support people who violently censor free speech. The Quran guarantees freedom of speech..." Mr. Zafar goes on to cite examples from the Quran and from the life of Mohammed himself which support nonviolence.
Importantly, Mr. Zafar also condemns State sponsored blasphemy laws such as used in Saudi Arabia (apostasy potentially punishable by death), Pakistan, and Afghanistan which also may invoke prison or a death sentence.
These majority Muslim states, according to the article, suppress other religious faiths and beliefs using blasphemy laws to silence or imprison religious minorities, journalists, academicians, and dissenters.
[Use of threats or violence to prevent free speech or practice of religion violates the Earth Constitution's Bill of Human Rights.]
Attempts to censor or silence critics is not limited to extremist Muslims. Jewish Zionists in the USA go to great lengths to silence criticism of Israel but use different tactics such as applying pressure to put a newspaper out of business.
Much like Saudi Arabia gives Muslims special rights, Israel does the same for its Jewish population. In both cases, citizens of other religions are second class citizens in terms of legal rights. [Unequal treatment of citizens violates the Human Rights section of the Earth Constitution.]
There is a somewhat different but parallel issue in the United States wherein Jewish Zionists try to silence criticism of Israel's criminal actions against the Palestinians. These Jewish extremists, unlike Muslim zealots, may allow public criticism of their God (Yahweh or Jehova), but they do not allow a full public discussion of Israel's expansionistic aggression against Palestinians and have "unelected" American politicians who dared defy the Israeli Lobby.
Last but not least, we must keep in mind a large group of fundamentalist Christians who (subconsciously) are actually hoping to have Armageddon (the ultimate in violence) to prove that their interpretation of Biblical scripture is "true." These extremist Christians support and encourage Israeli expansionism in the belief that once Israel has conquered all of the so-called "Promised Land" for Jews, then Biblical conditions are fulfilled for Armageddon to occur. Jesus will return while they, the faithful, will "rapture" up to heaven.
Armageddon, with its implication of widespread death and destruction, is not a particularly wholesome or loving value. Jesus, these extremists seem to fail to see, is the Prince of Peace -- not the Prince of Death and Destruction. If Jesus were here now, he would without question condemn any Armageddon scenario -- Jesus, in this writer's opinion, would not approve of the suffering of so many innocent people, such as our children, and would go into action to prevent such a horrible event.
-- Editor
4/30/10
"EQUAL LAND FOR EQUAL PEOPLE" OFFERS A STANDARD BY WHICH TO JUDGE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS BETWEEN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
Alan Barnett, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor (San Jose State University in California, USA), a peace and social justice activist, has proposed that the path to a fair and peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine should use the standard of "Equal Land for Equal People."
This principle of equality is in keeping with the standards and inherent basic rights as stated in the Earth Federation's Constitution. It would provide an objective that treats both the Jews and Palestinians (including Christians and Muslims) with integrity and respect.
Dr. Barnett notes that at the present time Israel has 78% of the Holy Land while Palestine has only 22%, despite the fact that when one counts the actual number of Jews and Palestinians in the region (including the Palestinian refugees driven out of Israel and in refugee camps), both have a population of roughly 6 to 8 million people. Hence his notion of "Equal Land for Equal People".
Barnett points out that, under the (international) rule of "right of return" the Palestinians would need more land than they presently have in order to accommodate the many refugees who want to return to their former homes (before being forced out year after year by the Israeli's).
The advantage of "Equal Land for Equal People" according to Dr. Barnett is that "The security of the Israelis depends on the Palestinians feeling that they are being dealt with fairly."
"Peace is only possible if both Israelis and Palestinians are treated as equals," writes Barnett.
Editor's note - "Equal land for equal people" is a potentially important guideline available for mediators in establishing a lasting and productive peace between Israel and Palestine. It is consistent with the Earth Constitution. Every human being is inherently, by birth, a "citizen of Earth" with all of the rights granted in Articles 12 and 13 (Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth, and Directive Principles).
3/27/10 MOVEMENT OF BUNKER BUSTER BOMBS BY THE US AIR FORCE SUGGESTS POSSIBLE ATTACK PLANS AGAINST IRAN. ANALYST PREDICTS A "STAGED TERRORIST" ATTACK WILL BE USED FOR JUSTIFICATION.
Analyst Paul Craig Roberts reports that a Scottish newspaper, The Herald Scotland, has reported that "bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." It is claimed by the newspaper that "bunker-buster bombs are being moved to an Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. One London analyst, Dan Piesch, is quoted as saying, "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The analysts speculate to what sounds like another "shock and awe" type of devastation as was used against Iraq, with the Western media claiming the attack is for "freedom and democracy" but the real intent will be to establish a puppet government.
A false flag operation followed by a military attack and invasion would be a violation of international law. (Many investigators believe that 9/11 was a false flag operation used as a pretext for war.) Would Israel and the USA act jointly?
If Iran is attacked under false pretense, would high government officials be held accountable by the International Criminal Court for war crimes? Even if Israel alone led the attack, could President Obama or Pentagon generals be tried for an international crime of aiding and abetting?
-- RK
Expect a False Flag Terror Attack To Precede Invasion Of Iran
Paul Craig Roberts -- March 18, 2010
According to news reports, the U.S. military is shipping "bunker-buster" bombs to the U.S. Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Herald Scotland reports that experts say the bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The newspaper quotes Dan Piesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London: "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The next step will be a staged "terrorist attack," a "false flag" operation as per Operation Northwoods, for which Iran will be blamed. As Iran and its leadership have already been demonized, the "false flag" attack will suffice to obtain US and European public support for bombing Iran. The bombing will include more than the nuclear facilities and will continue until the Iranians agree to regime change and the installation of a puppet government. The corrupt American media will present the new puppet as "freedom and democracy."
If the past is a guide, Americans will fall for the deception. In the February issue of the American Behavioral Scientist, a scholarly journal, Professor Lance DeHaven-Smith writes that state crimes against democracy (SCAD) involve government officials, often in combination with private interests, that engage in covert activities in order to implement an agenda. Examples include McCarthyism or the fabrication of evidence of communist infiltration, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution based on false claims of President Johnson and Pentagon chief McNamara that North Vietnam attacked a U.S. naval vessel, the burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist in order to discredit Ellsberg (the Pentagon Papers) as "disturbed," and the falsified "intelligence" that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
There are many other examples. I have always regarded the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City as a SCAD. Allegedly, a disturbed Tim McVeigh used a fertilizer bomb in a truck parked outside the building. More likely, McVeigh was a patsy, whose fertilizer bomb was a cover for explosives planted inside the building.
A number of experts dismissed the possibility of McVeigh's bomb producing such structural damage. For example, General Benton K. Partin, who was in charge of U.S. Air Force munitions design and testing, produced a thick report on the Murrah building bombing which concluded that the building blew up from the inside out. Gen. Partin concluded that "the pattern of damage would have been technically impossible without supplementary demolition charges at some of the reinforced concrete bases inside the building, a standard demolition technique. For a simplistic blast truck bomb, of the size and composition reported, to be able to reach out on the order of 60 feet and collapse a reinforced column base the size of column A7 is beyond credulity."Gen. Partin dismissed the official report as "a massive cover-up of immense proportions."
Of course, the general's unquestionable expertise had no bearing on the outcome. One reason is that his and other expert voices were drowned out by media pumping the official story. Another reason is that public beliefs in a democracy run counter to suspicion of government as a terrorist agent. Professor Laurie Manwell of the University of Guelph says that "false flag" operations have the advantage over truth: "research shows that people are far less willing to examine information that disputes, rather than confirms, their beliefs." Professor Steven Hoffman agrees: "Our data shows substantial support for a cognitive theory known as 'motivated reasoning,' which suggests that rather than search rationally for information that either confirms or disconfirms a particular belief, people actually seek out information that confirms what they already believe. In fact, for the most part people completely ignore contrary information." Even when hard evidence turns up, it can be discredited as a "conspiracy theory."
All that is necessary for success of "false flag" or "black ops" events is for the government to have its story ready and to have a reliable and compliant media. Once an official story is in place, thought and investigation are precluded. Any formal inquiry that is convened serves to buttress the already provided explanation.
An explanation ready-at-hand is almost a give-away that an incident is a "black ops" event. Notice how quickly the U.S. government, allegedly so totally deceived by al Qaida, provided the explanation for 9/11. When President Kennedy was assassinated, the government produced the culprit immediately. The alleged culprit was conveniently shot inside a jail by a civilian before he could be questioned. But the official story was ready, and it held.
Professors Manwell and Hoffman's research resonates with me. I remember reading in my graduate studies that the Czarist secret police set off bombs in order to create excuses to arrest their targets. My inclination was to dismiss the accounts as anti-Czarist propaganda by pro-communist historians. It was only later when Robert Conquest confirmed to me that this was indeed the practice of the Czarist secret police that the scales fell from my eyes.
Former CIA official Philip Giraldi in his article, "The Rogue Nation," makes it clear that the U.S. government has a hegemonic agenda that it is pursuing without congressional or public awareness. The agenda unfolds piecemeal as a response to "terrorism," and the big picture is not understood by the public or by most in Congress. Giraldi protests that the agenda is illegal under both U.S. and international law, but that the illegality of the agenda does not serve as a barrier. Only a naif could believe that such a government would not employ "false flag" operations that advance the agenda.
The U.S. population, it seems, is comprised of naifs whose lack of comprehension is bringing ruin to other lands.
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3/11/10
WAR SYSTEM SUCKS TAX MONEY AWAY FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION
On March 14, 2010 Dr. Tad Daley lectured to the public and UC Berkeley students on his new book "Apocalypse Never." But do college students really understand the relationship between their rising college costs and the bloated military/industrial/research war system budget of the United States with over 700 military bases around the world, and a so-called war against terror seemingly everywhere?
Do students really understand who is sucking up the majority of tax money which previously was used to provide an affordable, public college education? The obvious answer is the 700 billion dollars a year (plus or minus 50 billion dollars for black box operations) which buy bombs, bullets, rockets, guided missiles, golf courses for Pentagon generals, early retirement, Stealth bombers, jet airplanes, drones, Navy missile cruisers, and much, much more. Education and health care for Americans?
Many young people are being forced to "join the Army" in order to have a job, get health care, and sometimes, to get a college education.
Untold billions of dollars are being spent outside of America. New billion dollar embassies are being constructed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Billions of dollars to private contractors to rebuild infrastructure in these countries which the USA conveniently destroyed in the first place.
Corporations are (literally) "making a killing" in this war system, as are the smaller businesses that make uniforms, helmets, boots, and other necessities needed by a killing machine. Not to mention the doctors, nurses, consultants, spies, engineers, physicists, and other peripheral personnel used to advance and maintain the high tech war machine system.
Then of course there is the ongoing cost of death and destruction -- rebuilding disabled soldiers, demolished buildings, roads and other infrastructure destroyed by American/NATO bombs, and then having to replace these same bombs and missiles.
Yes, it's a good business -- if you believe in death and destruction.
But it's a bad business for educationand affordable health care at home. The public cannot afford to pay for constant, worldwide wars, both covert and overt, and pay for affordable education. Tough luck, students. Get the education you can't afford thanks to a war system designed to never end.
What could replace the world's war system? A world unity government -- the Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution...designed as a world peace system. Then students could be given affordable, or even free, education -- and universal health care would be a given.
-- Editor
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2/19/10 HOW THE UNPA CAMPAIGN RELATES TO THE EARTH FEDERATION'S WORLD PARLIAMENT
If European parliamentarians seek more democratic representation at the United Nations by adding a "Parliamentary Assembly," but is denied decision-making authority as is the case with the UN General Assembly, then the UNPA (and the UNGA) might consider joining the Earth Federation.
The Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution gives real democratic decision making authority to the Federation's World Parliament. This could become a real possibility since the UN Charter keeps key decision-making power in the hands of the Security Council, and limits the UN General Assembly to making "resolutions." A UN Parliamentary Assembly would most likely suffer the same fate as the General Assembly -- unless the UN Charter was dropped in favor of the Earth Constitution. -- Editor
2/12/10
WHY ESTABLISHMENT PANIC OVER THREAT OF NEW 9/11 INVESTIGATION?
An article in the Rock Creek Free Press (Feb., 2010) by Daniel Tencer reports that President Obama's appointee to head the "Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs," Cass Sunstein, proposes "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the one surrounding 9/11.
Why such panic from the Establishment?
This type of manipulation would most likely be for the goal of trying to avoid a new 9/11 investigation -- which is what the 9/11 truth movement has been demanding all along. (A demand which seems more than reasonable in view of the new factual evidence that has surfaced since the 9/11 Commission Report was shown to be fatally flawed.)
Such an obvious propaganda maneuver by the authorities is in line with the refusal of the mainstream media to allow credible researchers on the air to explain why they think a new 9/11 investigation is warranted. MSNBC, for example, despite trying to be "progressive", has repeatedly ignored requests to put 9/11 investigators on the air -- despite the fact that these researchers have blue ribbon, impeccable credentials.
In fact, no mainstream media (TV or newspaper) dares let these investigators report their findings to the public -- it would convince the public that they had been hookwinked.
The American propaganda apparatus instead attacks these researchers ad hominen -- an old propaganda trick used to avoid having to address the real issues.
Why? It is this writer's opinion that the Establishment has ordered censorship to avoid a new investigation -- precisely because the 9/11 researchers are getting too close to the type of facts that could bring down a ruling oligarchy.
One might speculate that there is a behind-the-scenes panic. 9/11 researchers are gaining more and more credibility worldwide.
But what about the so-called "mastermind" of 9/11? Won't the upcoming trial of Khalid Shikh Mohammed (KSM) put all questions to rest when he conveniently "confesses" in a public courtroom?
In reality, the fear that KSM might not "confess" the way he was "taught" by torture techniques, may be the reason that some politicians panic at the idea of a public trial, and want a military tribunal instead.
There might be a serious problem with KSM. What if he was tortured, not to get at the truth of "who done it", but to create what is known as a "patsy" in false flag operation lingo?
What if the endless series of waterboarding torture sessions failed to condition him enough to be a reliable patsy? (Hint -- if he appears to waiver from what he is "suppose to say", one might predict the possibility of an "accidental death," taking the full blame for 9/11 with him....case closed.)
-- Editor
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San Francisco Progressive Conference, like the Earth Federation, Proposes New U.S. Amendment to Take Away Corporate Personhood
Sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives (www.spiritualprogressives.org), over 500 progressive activists met in San Francisco on 2/15/10. There was much concern about the direction of the Obama administration. Expanded Pentagon budgets, corporate personhood, the health care debacle, bailing out Big Money, and much more had these progressives confessing to both emotional pain, and indeed, anger.
Similar to the recent discussion in Earth Federation ranks to pass a World Law to Prohibit Corporate Personhood, these progressives want an U.S. Constitutional Amendment to accomplish this same objective, albeit using a rather vague title: "Environmental and Ethical Responsibility Amendment."
Discussion on eliminating "corporate personhood" via an amendment recognized that, even if successful, would apply only here in the United States. Most corporations are multinational. Hence the importance of the Earth Federation's World Law proposal which will be discussed at the Provisonal World Parliament's 12th session which will be held in India in December, 2010.
The present writer was highly impressed with the level of discussion of most participants at this Conference, and the inspired leadership with such individuals as Rabbi Michael Learner, Medea Benjamin, and Marianne Williamson, and others.
There was also a proposal for a worldwide "Marshall Plan" in the belief that being kind and generous to others would be much more effective in global politics than using threats, intimidation, death and destruction. American militarization has only made our world less safe, both for Americans and for others in the world.
(The goals of this progressive group were very much in keeping with Earth Federation goals on almost all fronts -- ending war and poverty, increasing human rights, and protecting the environment. They continue, however, to think more in nationalistic terms rather than in terms of global structure change. Many do not yet grasp the critical need for democratic world federation to replace the current global war system and the inadequate and ineffective United Nations. -- Editor)
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2/6/2010
PROPOSED WORLD BILL FOR 12TH PROVISIONAL WORLD PARLIAMENT
Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Prohibition Act
Whereas, the fourth broad function of the Earth Federation is "to regulate world trade, communications, transportation, currency, standards, use of world resources, and other global and international processes" (Article 1.4);
Whereas, specific powers of the Earth Federation include the power to "define and regulate procedures for the nomination and election of members of each house of the World Parliament" (Article 4.7);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to protect the civil liberties identified in Article 12, including "freedom to vote without duress, and freedom for political organization and campaigning without censorship or recriminations" (Article 12.5);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "define standards and promote worldwide improvement in working conditions," standards of living, healthcare, sanitation, and other basic necessities for a quality of life for world citizens, including protection of the environment and the ending of war (Article 13);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "regulate and supervise supra-national trade, industry, corporations, businesses, cartels, professional services" (Article 4.14), and international communications (Article 4.13);
Whereas, in some major nations today, corporations have been granted "legal personhood," giving them all the rights and privileges of private human persons, with the exception that these corporations cannot die, that individuals operating within the corporation are protected from liability because the corporation itself is considered a collective "person," that corporations are entities without a conscience mandated solely to make a private profit for their investors, and that corporations, in spite of their vast impact on society, may claim privacy from public scrutiny, and other rights of private persons;
And whereas, within such nations, corporate personhood has given corporations the "free speech" of private persons through which they have used their vast economic resources to colonize and destroy the democratic process, engineering the election of law-makers beholden to the corporations, employing professional lobbyists for their private ends, and using a variety of means to manipulate government in the service of minority private interests;
And whereas, within the world prior to the advent of the Earth Federation, democracy has been compromised nearly everywhere by the wealth and power of the few to colonize governments and communications systems;
Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Provisional World Parliament:
Article 1.
Only flesh and blood human beings shall have the rights of legal persons as identified in Articles 12 and 13 of the Earth Constitution.
Article 2.
Private corporations under the regulative jurisdiction of the Earth Federation shall be incorporated . by the World Parliament or its designated agents with legal mandates specifically defining their functions, responsibilities, and modes of operation.
2.1. These legal mandates empowering corporations to perform certain economic operations shall be defined within a framework considering:
2.1.2. protection of democracy,
2.1.3, protection of the environment,
2.1.4 promotion of economic prosperity among people and communities effected by their operations, and, in general,
2.1.5 the common good of the citizens of the Earth Federation.
Article 3.
Private, profit-oriented corporations shall not have the right, as collective entities, to promote any candidate for election or any political cause within the Earth Federation, nor to contribute funds or campaign contributions or other economic support to candidates for office.
3.1. However, individuals working within any corporation, shall have the free and full right to participate in promoting candidates for election or any political cause they may choose,
3.2. Individuals working within any corporation shall have the right to contribute funds to political campaigns within whatever limits may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 4.
Private individuals shall have the right to promote candidates or causes of their choice within the legal criteria legislated by the World Parliament. Such criteria shall be formulated within a framework that limits the ability of wealthy individuals to unduly influence or colonize the political process.
Article 5.
Non-profit political associations of private individuals (as, for example, political parties, advocacy groups, or think tanks) shall be registered with the Earth Federation and operate within whatever legal limits, transparency, and other criteria as may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 6.
Elections conducted under the World Parliament, beginning at the First Operative Stage of the Earth Federation, shall be free, fair, and monitored by independent observers.
6.1. Each candidate shall use a government defined and paid for information booklet (which may also be electronic), of a standard size and overall format that shall be used for campaign purposes (as specified in Article 8.3.1.5 of the Earth Constitution).
6.2. Each candidate shall have equal access to public communications media (electronic or print) under limits and conditions defined by the World Parliament.
6.3. Each candidate shall have the right to use private communications media (electronic or print) as paid for by non-profit advocacy groups or contributions of private citizens under limits and conditions as defined by the World Parliament.
Article 7.
Private, profit-making communications media that are international in scope also fall under the category of corporations and agencies requiring regulation by the Earth Federation (Articles 1.4 and 4.13).
7.1. Profit-making communications corporations shall not be recognized as legal persons within the Earth Federation.
7.2. The Provisional World Parliament recognizes that profit-making communications corporations may play in important role in fostering democratic processes, the diversity of voices necessary to vigorous dialogue and debate, and disseminating information necessary to democratic decision-making.
7.3. With this possibly important role in mind, the World Parliament may wish to define legal incorporation for such entities differently from that from other profit-making corporations.
7.4. Nevertheless, the legal powers of profit-making communications corporations shall be defined within a framework directed toward maximizing the democratic powers of individual persons for participation in political processes and protecting the rights of individual persons to speech and political participation as define in Articles 12 and 13.
7.5. The framework identified in 7.4 may be fostered, for example, through anti-trust or anti-cartel laws that break up media conglomerates into a number of smaller, competing voices, or through legislation requiring the airing of opposing viewpoints.
Article 8.
When considering legislation concerning the items specified under this Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Abolition Act, the World Parliament shall seek input from each of the agencies within the Integrative Complex of the Earth Federation and from any other ministry or agency of the Federation deemed appropriate.
8.1. Since the World Boundaries and Elections Administration (Article 8.3) is responsible to define the procedures for properly democratic elections (8.3.1.5) and defines the rules for world political parties (8.3.1.6), this agency shall submit annual reports to the World Parliament regarding the successes and difficulties of democratic elections with respect to the functioning of concentrations of private wealth (wealthy individuals or profit-making corporations) and with respect to the operations of communications corporations.
8.2. These reports shall include factual assessments of the degrees to which free and fair popular democracy in the service of the majority of people is disrupted by private wealth, profit-making corporations, and/or communications corporations.
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Article 9.
Penalties for violations of this act shall be determined by the World Parliament and enforced by the world police and world courts.
9.1. All penalties shall apply to individuals and none to corporations, since it is individuals who break the law, not abstract legal entities.
9.2. The penalties and courts shall normally assess greater responsibility to those higher up in the corporate hierarchy, keeping in mind that "obeying orders" from one�s boss does not fully exonerate any individual who knowingly breaks the law.
9.3. Whistle blowers and others who report abuses with regard to this act shall be protected by this law from retaliation by their employers. It shall be the responsibility of the World Ombudsmus to monitor such situations and protect the rights of the persons involved.
2/6/10 FROM THE ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT NUMBER 78 by William Blum www.killinghope.org
(Below is an excerpt from Mr. Blum's latest article.)
The US bombing, invasion, occupation and torture in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bombing of Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, and the continuing Israeli-US genocide against the Palestinians have created an army of new anti-American terrorists. We'll be hearing from them for a terribly long time. And we'll be hearing American officials twist themselves into intellectual and moral knots as they try to avoid confronting these facts.
In his "State of the Union" address on January 27, President Obama said: "But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know." Well, ending America's many wars would free up enough money to do anything a rational, humane society would want to do. Eliminating the military budget would pay for free medical care for everyone. Free university education for everyone. Creating a government public works project that could provide millions of decently-paid jobs, like repairing the decrepit infrastructure and healing the environment to the best of our ability. You can add your own favorite projects. All covered, just by ending the damn wars. Imagine that.
(Editor's note: A belligerent nation always at war will go so deeply in debt that it will no longer be able to care for its own citizens at home. Worse yet, military and covert operation violence, death and destruction, make citizens less safe because the victims eventually seek revenge. Brutality only pacifies on the surface, underneath the victims seethe with anger and hate.)
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11/11/10
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WORLD PEACE: TREATIES ARE NOT THE ROAD TO WORLD PEACE AND JUSTICE -- ONLY A FEDERATED WORLD UNION IS REALISTIC AND PRACTICAL
Recently a world federalist sent out an impressive list of United Nations or other international treaties and conventions in various stages of consideration or acceptance by various nations.
The list included the NEW START TREATY (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT), the NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT), and conventions to ban cluster munitions and land mines. Also there are UN conventions against torture which came into force in 1987, conventions on the rights of children (1990) and the disabled (2008), and other important agreements.
By addressing these issues nations were acknowledging problems of universal concern and importance despite differences in culture and tradition, illustrating clearly that there can be universally agreed upon standards of ethics and conduct.
However, talk is cheap. Actually abiding by these types of agreements is a different story. History shows that agreements based upon treaties are built upon quicksand. Time and time again, particularly with the more powerful, treaties are ignored when seen as inconvenient with regard to national self-interest or business interests.
Smaller or weaker nations also routinely ignore these agreements but do so differently. They sneak and cheat as in the case of Israel regarding nuclear weapons, or get a powerful ally (in this case the USA) to give them protection from enforcement.
So where does the "Psychology of World Peace" enter this picture, and what does psychology have to do with treaties, conventions, and other agreements between nations?
In the current global system of treaty-based agreements, nations maintain "absolute" sovereignty. This fact means that nations are allowed to have secret operations, and choose which agreements they will abide by, or not. There is no guarantee of open inspection and investigation. Moreover, individual leaders are protected from outside criminal prosecution by their own nation.
The key psychological result of national sovereignty is one of institutionalized paranoia.
Prison gangs, like nations, operate under the paranoid dynamic. Because each gang is autonomous (i.e., sovereign), they are automatically paranoid that the other gang is arming to get the advantage. Hence, even when prison authorities do a complete, clean, prison sweep of all weapons everywhere in the prison -- the gangs within weeks rearm themselves.
The psychological effect of this dysfunctional global system is that each nation is paranoid of the other, and rightfully so. Nations, both powerful or weak, may be up to no good to get the advantage over the other.
There is only one method to end the dynamics of national paranoia. The nations must federate in a democratic world union. The Earth Constitution is designed for just that purpose.
The United Nations, consisting of sovereign nations and hence guaranteeing a constant dynamic of paranoia, must freely give way to the Earth Federation/Earth Constitution -- the latter of which has no military or economic power. Its power is in the fact that its design will eliminate once and for all the poison of paranoia which has plagued our world and brought us to the brink of destruction.
-- Editor (RK)
11/1/10
The United Nations 65th Anniversary celebration in San Francisco (October 22 -24, 2010) offered a generous portion of good feelings toward world unity and understanding to honor the signing of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco.
Events included a "Symphony for United Nations" conducted by Maestro Joseph Eger well-known for his artistic support of the UN; an inter-generational model UN session; a film festival on international issues; and some cultural performances with participants from other countries.
Although organizers of the events were successful in created a positive and constructive atmosphere, they did not shy away from discussing serious world problems. Speakers discussed worldwide poverty, sickness and diseases such as AIDS, human rights, wars and the urgent need for disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.
The prescriptions offered for solving these problems, however, tended to remain in the same United Nations paradigm emphasizing millennium goals which have been largely unsuccessful. Wars, threats of nuclear annihilation, worldwide poverty, and loss of individual human rights continue to be epidemic.
Lip service was made for the need to "strengthen the UN" and a call was put out to "rejuvenate the nuclear disarmament movement". A Stanford University professor, Dr. Hellman, presented the facts on the risks of nuclear catastrophe --
and left this observer more determined than ever to demand full nuclear disarmament the world over.
Proposed solutions by invited speakers, however, tended to remain "inside the box" regarding changes to the United Nations and the present global system. Proposed solutions relied upon treaties and international law within the present UN structure rather than a new democratic world body able to apply enforceable world laws on individuals and with a democratically elected world parliament.
There was some minor mention of the need for a "UN Peoples Assembly" to go along with the UN General Assembly, but no strong message to eliminate the Security Council with its undemocratic veto power, and no advocacy to replace or change the UN into a genuine democratic world federation which is what is ultimately needed -- the sooner the better.
The event drew together many people of goodwill, and reinforced the importance of a world body in which to discuss world problems and possible solutions. For me, the main importance of this event was that it reinforced goals which have moral and spiritual significance, and continues to maintain faith in the potential for good from our global community.
-- RK
8/31/10
WILL BIG OIL AND OTHER CORPORATIONS CASH IN WHILE THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER PAYS FIRST FOR A COMBAT MISSION, NOW FOR AN ONGOING OCCUPATION OF IRAQ?
Today the American president announced an end to the "combat mission" in Iraq. He does not discuss any plan to have an ongoing occupation using a mixture of American soldiers (now doing "training", not "combat"), and private contractors (mercenaries) to be stationed in permanent armed bases in Iraq, ready to strike if the puppet government's security forces flounder as the Iraqi people reject this arrangement.
The plan? It is my belief that the American taxpayer will get to pay for "security" while Big Oil (multinationals)& other corporations make lucrative deals for Iraqi oil and/or infrastructure projects, protected by the might of the American military, new police/military security via the State Dept., and highly paid private contractors replacing the "combat" troops along with those Iraqi's willing to join the security forces for a puppet government.
Otherwise, why an almost 1 billion dollar American embassy in Iraq, bigger than the Vatican according to various reports? It's a fortress, and the Americans along with the puppet government will be behind walls while Iraqi death/torture squads roam the land targeting dissidents. Moreover, although President Obama has stated America would not have a permanent presence in Iraq, the facts on the ground include numerous American military bases costing millions of dollars, and construction has apparently not abated.
War and occupation appears good for Big Business. Prediction: Big Oil and other corporations (e.g., Halliburton) will not pay for this protection, or the costs of maintaining a puppet government in which Iraqi officials will have ample opportunity to get rich right along with their corporate benefactors. (It will be the ordinary Iraqi citizen who will lose out.)
Another prediction: A similar fate awaits Afghanistan as Big Oil seeks a pipeline through that country. It will also require an ongoing occupation of the country coupled with a puppet government to fight off the rebellious people who reject such suppression. The American taxpayer will pay for the mixture of American soldiers and private contractors who will stay in Afghanistan (just like in Iraq) to insure a cooperating puppet government.
The Earth Federation would not accept the stealing of resources by use of military might by any nation and the use of propaganda (false information) to keep the people in fear and paranoia.
The 9/11 attack caused immense trauma and was supposedly an attack by Muslims, a pretext for the current wars. Unfortunately, the actual scientific evidence suggests otherwise -- yet the American government refuses a new investigation. If the Earth Federation were in full existence, it could do an independent investigation particularly when a nation is suspected of a cover-up. (The evidence presented by 9/11 Truth researchers points to an inside job, a highly sophisticated false flag operation which has led the American people into a "war that never ends, i.e., the war on terror.)
Speculation: There are likely to be additional "false flag operations" which falsely blame new attacks (possibly again on American soil), on "patsies" -- who "confess" their crimes after unbearable torture. These terror tactics will justify continued excessive budgets for the military/industrial complex and Homeland Security, as Americans give in to manufactured paranoia and fear.
Although American soldiers and the public are told that these wars are to bring "democracy and freedom" to whatever country is being "liberated," and to "protect" America from terrorists, the facts point in a different direction: The American government, largely dominated by corporate and banking interests, want governments who cooperate with predatory capitalism and its first cousin, privatization.
(Editor's note: KBR is one of the obvious beneficiaries of these financial arrangements having been granted large contracts for oil infrastructure work. The original oil contracts drawn up earlier in the conquest under Bremmer which locked up deals for 30 years, are being challenged by some Iraqi's who believe the deals cheat the Iraqi people. Oil deals I have learned recently, are not just for American and British oil giants, but also are being given to some other countries such as China and India. Is the Iraqi Oil Ministry getting appropriate contracts for their people, or are corrupt deals being created which redirects the profits to a handful of Iraqi officials in power in collusion with the oil companies?)
8/28/10
MEXICAN ACTIVISTS MAY JOIN THE EARTH FEDERATION MOVEMENT
Communications between the Earth Federation and activists in Mexico have started since it was learned that student and political activists in Mexico are planning a "First Model World Parliament" to be held in the actual House of Deputies of the Mexican government.
The original connection originated from a meeting with Democratic World Federalists in San Francisco who, in association with the World Alliance to Transform the United Nations, began planning meetings in San Francisco perhaps in October, 2010.
The political importance of this network of strategy discussions is that we see American, Mexican, and possibly activists from Central and South America joining together -- with a strong student involvement.
Earth Federation activists believe that the Earth Constitution is the ideal instrument which will allow the creation of a true, as opposed to a toothless, world parliament.
There are activists who would like to simply have an elected world parliament which offers resolutions in terms of solutions, rather than create a genuine new world body (new world government) to replace the present shadow world government which analysts have noted are unelected, wealthy and powerful in military might and in political corruption.
-- RK 8/28/10
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Received 6/21/10 from Gary Shepherd
Gary Shepherd's analysis is a good history lesson for proponents of democratic world government. The public and politicians may resist, and even resent, logical solutions to our world's problems -- even when the old ways have been convincingly shown to be wrong, and in current times, disastrous. -- Editor
PTOLEMY, COPERNICUS AND WORLD GOVERNMENT
By Gary Shepherd
May - June 2010 issue of United World magazine
gshepher@verizon.net
Long before the advent of the current public arguments about
evolution and global warming, the greatest controversy in the history of
science was the debate between the geocentric, or earth-centered model of the
universe described by the second century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and the
heliocentric, or sun-centered model, advocated by the 16th century Polish
astronomer Copernicus.
This battle took most of a century to resolve, and it involved some
of the most powerful political and religious leaders of its time. Today, we
have forgotten just what a mental revolution Copernicus' theory represented.
Although some Greek philosophers had speculated about a heliocentric model, the
Ptolemaic model had been almost universally accepted by astronomers for more
than a thousand years. In fact, Copernicus knew that his idea was so radical
that he didn't even have it published until after he had safely died.
It is easy to see why. The idea that the Earth is at the center of
the universe, and that the sun, moon, planets and stars revolve around it
matches our everyday experience. After all, the Earth appears immobile beneath
our feet -- it doesn't seem to move. When we look up at the sky, the heavenly
bodies seem to be moving around us. Even today, we speak of the sun rising or
setting, as if it were the sun circling around the Earth.
What is more, the geocentric model could be used to explain all the
scientific observations that could be made at that time. Because it had been
noticed that sometimes the planets seemed to stop and go backwards in their
orbits for a while, Ptolemy created smaller circles, called epicycles, within
the larger crystalline spheres in which the planets circled around the Earth,
so that they were sometimes moving in the opposite direction from the larger
circle. Using this model, one could calculate precisely where a planet would be
at any particular time -- an important consideration at the time, since most
astronomers were also astrologers, and knowledge of the locations of the
planets at the time of a person's birth was vital to casting horoscopes.
But as time went on, and observations became more precise, the
ability of the Ptolemaic model to predict planetary locations began to break
down. The model was altered by later scientists, making it more and more
complex, in an effort to make it correspond to observations of the real
universe. In fact, the Ptolemaic model became so complex, that some scientists,
in order calculate planetary movements, used the Copernican model for
mathematical purposes, even though they didn't really believe it described the
actual universe.
Eventually, partly because of the invention of the telescope, the
Copernican model achieved acceptance over its rival, and today one would have
difficulty finding an astronomer anywhere who supported the geocentric
universe.
What, one is tempted to ask, has any of this to do with the idea of
world government? Well, the parallels are quite striking. The current system of
independent nation-states, sometimes called the Westphalian system, has existed
for many centuries as the unquestioned model for the way the political world is
designed. Like the Ptolemaic model, it makes sense to us. The nations appear to
exist, they appear to be eternal, and there doesn't appear to be any logical
alternative to it. They match our everyday experience. We speak of the earth,
and humanity, as if they were both divided up into nation-states.
Like the Ptolemaic model, as time has passed the nation-state model
has had to grow more and more complex to match the real world. Treaties,
conventions, and agreements have piled up, one upon the other, to govern the
complicated relations between the different nations. For instance, the Danube
River runs through numerous different nations on its way to the sea. All of the
national governments have a say in governing the preservation of that river,
making it very difficult to come to agreement about anything. The current
system has become so complex that sometimes, in order to make it function
properly, people act as if the world were united, even though they don't really
believe it is.
Just as it was the advance of technology and science led to more
precise measurements that doomed the Ptolemaic model to extinction, advanced
technology is leading toward measurements that are threatening the viability of
the nation-state system. We have peered down at the earth's surface from our
orbital satellites and have seen that there are no borders drawn on the real
earth. We have peered into the intricacies of the human genome, and we have
found no genes for nationality.
Copernicus offered a model that was truer to the real world, and
thus eventually supplanted the older, more inaccurate model. So too must we
offer a model of society that is truer to the real world, which is more
accurate, more sustainable, and simply works better, so that it can replace the
outdated one. One day, the idea of separate nation-states will come to seem as
quaint and antiquated as the perfect crystalline spheres that were a feature of
the Ptolemaic system.
5/24/10
MODERN MODERATE MUSLIM MAN OPPOSES USE OF THREATS OR VIOLENCE TO CENSOR RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION AND FREE SPEECH
A Portland, Oregon Muslim man in a recent article (in USA Today, May 13, 2010) opposes use of threats and violence by some Muslims who have murdered, or threatened to murder, those who have used the image of Mohammed in ways for which they did not approve.
Mr. Harris Zafar is highly critical of Muslim violence used to censor free speech and states that "...Islam does not support people who violently censor free speech. The Quran guarantees freedom of speech..." Mr. Zafar goes on to cite examples from the Quran and from the life of Mohammed himself which support nonviolence.
Importantly, Mr. Zafar also condemns State sponsored blasphemy laws such as used in Saudi Arabia (apostasy potentially punishable by death), Pakistan, and Afghanistan which also may invoke prison or a death sentence.
These majority Muslim states, according to the article, suppress other religious faiths and beliefs using blasphemy laws to silence or imprison religious minorities, journalists, academicians, and dissenters.
[Use of threats or violence to prevent free speech or practice of religion violates the Earth Constitution's Bill of Human Rights.]
Attempts to censor or silence critics is not limited to extremist Muslims. Jewish Zionists in the USA go to great lengths to silence criticism of Israel but use different tactics such as applying pressure to put a newspaper out of business.
Much like Saudi Arabia gives Muslims special rights, Israel does the same for its Jewish population. In both cases, citizens of other religions are second class citizens in terms of legal rights. [Unequal treatment of citizens violates the Human Rights section of the Earth Constitution.]
There is a somewhat different but parallel issue in the United States wherein Jewish Zionists try to silence criticism of Israel's criminal actions against the Palestinians. These Jewish extremists, unlike Muslim zealots, may allow public criticism of their God (Yahweh or Jehova), but they do not allow a full public discussion of Israel's expansionistic aggression against Palestinians and have "unelected" American politicians who dared defy the Israeli Lobby.
Last but not least, we must keep in mind a large group of fundamentalist Christians who (subconsciously) are actually hoping to have Armageddon (the ultimate in violence) to prove that their interpretation of Biblical scripture is "true." These extremist Christians support and encourage Israeli expansionism in the belief that once Israel has conquered all of the so-called "Promised Land" for Jews, then Biblical conditions are fulfilled for Armageddon to occur. Jesus will return while they, the faithful, will "rapture" up to heaven.
Armageddon, with its implication of widespread death and destruction, is not a particularly wholesome or loving value. Jesus, these extremists seem to fail to see, is the Prince of Peace -- not the Prince of Death and Destruction. If Jesus were here now, he would without question condemn any Armageddon scenario -- Jesus, in this writer's opinion, would not approve of the suffering of so many innocent people, such as our children, and would go into action to prevent such a horrible event.
-- Editor
4/30/10
"EQUAL LAND FOR EQUAL PEOPLE" OFFERS A STANDARD BY WHICH TO JUDGE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS BETWEEN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
Alan Barnett, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor (San Jose State University in California, USA), a peace and social justice activist, has proposed that the path to a fair and peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine should use the standard of "Equal Land for Equal People."
This principle of equality is in keeping with the standards and inherent basic rights as stated in the Earth Federation's Constitution. It would provide an objective that treats both the Jews and Palestinians (including Christians and Muslims) with integrity and respect.
Dr. Barnett notes that at the present time Israel has 78% of the Holy Land while Palestine has only 22%, despite the fact that when one counts the actual number of Jews and Palestinians in the region (including the Palestinian refugees driven out of Israel and in refugee camps), both have a population of roughly 6 to 8 million people. Hence his notion of "Equal Land for Equal People".
Barnett points out that, under the (international) rule of "right of return" the Palestinians would need more land than they presently have in order to accommodate the many refugees who want to return to their former homes (before being forced out year after year by the Israeli's).
The advantage of "Equal Land for Equal People" according to Dr. Barnett is that "The security of the Israelis depends on the Palestinians feeling that they are being dealt with fairly."
"Peace is only possible if both Israelis and Palestinians are treated as equals," writes Barnett.
Editor's note - "Equal land for equal people" is a potentially important guideline available for mediators in establishing a lasting and productive peace between Israel and Palestine. It is consistent with the Earth Constitution. Every human being is inherently, by birth, a "citizen of Earth" with all of the rights granted in Articles 12 and 13 (Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth, and Directive Principles).
3/27/10 MOVEMENT OF BUNKER BUSTER BOMBS BY THE US AIR FORCE SUGGESTS POSSIBLE ATTACK PLANS AGAINST IRAN. ANALYST PREDICTS A "STAGED TERRORIST" ATTACK WILL BE USED FOR JUSTIFICATION.
Analyst Paul Craig Roberts reports that a Scottish newspaper, The Herald Scotland, has reported that "bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." It is claimed by the newspaper that "bunker-buster bombs are being moved to an Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. One London analyst, Dan Piesch, is quoted as saying, "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The analysts speculate to what sounds like another "shock and awe" type of devastation as was used against Iraq, with the Western media claiming the attack is for "freedom and democracy" but the real intent will be to establish a puppet government.
A false flag operation followed by a military attack and invasion would be a violation of international law. (Many investigators believe that 9/11 was a false flag operation used as a pretext for war.) Would Israel and the USA act jointly?
If Iran is attacked under false pretense, would high government officials be held accountable by the International Criminal Court for war crimes? Even if Israel alone led the attack, could President Obama or Pentagon generals be tried for an international crime of aiding and abetting?
-- RK
Expect a False Flag Terror Attack To Precede Invasion Of Iran
Paul Craig Roberts -- March 18, 2010
According to news reports, the U.S. military is shipping "bunker-buster" bombs to the U.S. Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Herald Scotland reports that experts say the bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The newspaper quotes Dan Piesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London: "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The next step will be a staged "terrorist attack," a "false flag" operation as per Operation Northwoods, for which Iran will be blamed. As Iran and its leadership have already been demonized, the "false flag" attack will suffice to obtain US and European public support for bombing Iran. The bombing will include more than the nuclear facilities and will continue until the Iranians agree to regime change and the installation of a puppet government. The corrupt American media will present the new puppet as "freedom and democracy."
If the past is a guide, Americans will fall for the deception. In the February issue of the American Behavioral Scientist, a scholarly journal, Professor Lance DeHaven-Smith writes that state crimes against democracy (SCAD) involve government officials, often in combination with private interests, that engage in covert activities in order to implement an agenda. Examples include McCarthyism or the fabrication of evidence of communist infiltration, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution based on false claims of President Johnson and Pentagon chief McNamara that North Vietnam attacked a U.S. naval vessel, the burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist in order to discredit Ellsberg (the Pentagon Papers) as "disturbed," and the falsified "intelligence" that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
There are many other examples. I have always regarded the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City as a SCAD. Allegedly, a disturbed Tim McVeigh used a fertilizer bomb in a truck parked outside the building. More likely, McVeigh was a patsy, whose fertilizer bomb was a cover for explosives planted inside the building.
A number of experts dismissed the possibility of McVeigh's bomb producing such structural damage. For example, General Benton K. Partin, who was in charge of U.S. Air Force munitions design and testing, produced a thick report on the Murrah building bombing which concluded that the building blew up from the inside out. Gen. Partin concluded that "the pattern of damage would have been technically impossible without supplementary demolition charges at some of the reinforced concrete bases inside the building, a standard demolition technique. For a simplistic blast truck bomb, of the size and composition reported, to be able to reach out on the order of 60 feet and collapse a reinforced column base the size of column A7 is beyond credulity."Gen. Partin dismissed the official report as "a massive cover-up of immense proportions."
Of course, the general's unquestionable expertise had no bearing on the outcome. One reason is that his and other expert voices were drowned out by media pumping the official story. Another reason is that public beliefs in a democracy run counter to suspicion of government as a terrorist agent. Professor Laurie Manwell of the University of Guelph says that "false flag" operations have the advantage over truth: "research shows that people are far less willing to examine information that disputes, rather than confirms, their beliefs." Professor Steven Hoffman agrees: "Our data shows substantial support for a cognitive theory known as 'motivated reasoning,' which suggests that rather than search rationally for information that either confirms or disconfirms a particular belief, people actually seek out information that confirms what they already believe. In fact, for the most part people completely ignore contrary information." Even when hard evidence turns up, it can be discredited as a "conspiracy theory."
All that is necessary for success of "false flag" or "black ops" events is for the government to have its story ready and to have a reliable and compliant media. Once an official story is in place, thought and investigation are precluded. Any formal inquiry that is convened serves to buttress the already provided explanation.
An explanation ready-at-hand is almost a give-away that an incident is a "black ops" event. Notice how quickly the U.S. government, allegedly so totally deceived by al Qaida, provided the explanation for 9/11. When President Kennedy was assassinated, the government produced the culprit immediately. The alleged culprit was conveniently shot inside a jail by a civilian before he could be questioned. But the official story was ready, and it held.
Professors Manwell and Hoffman's research resonates with me. I remember reading in my graduate studies that the Czarist secret police set off bombs in order to create excuses to arrest their targets. My inclination was to dismiss the accounts as anti-Czarist propaganda by pro-communist historians. It was only later when Robert Conquest confirmed to me that this was indeed the practice of the Czarist secret police that the scales fell from my eyes.
Former CIA official Philip Giraldi in his article, "The Rogue Nation," makes it clear that the U.S. government has a hegemonic agenda that it is pursuing without congressional or public awareness. The agenda unfolds piecemeal as a response to "terrorism," and the big picture is not understood by the public or by most in Congress. Giraldi protests that the agenda is illegal under both U.S. and international law, but that the illegality of the agenda does not serve as a barrier. Only a naif could believe that such a government would not employ "false flag" operations that advance the agenda.
The U.S. population, it seems, is comprised of naifs whose lack of comprehension is bringing ruin to other lands.
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3/11/10
WAR SYSTEM SUCKS TAX MONEY AWAY FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION
On March 14, 2010 Dr. Tad Daley lectured to the public and UC Berkeley students on his new book "Apocalypse Never." But do college students really understand the relationship between their rising college costs and the bloated military/industrial/research war system budget of the United States with over 700 military bases around the world, and a so-called war against terror seemingly everywhere?
Do students really understand who is sucking up the majority of tax money which previously was used to provide an affordable, public college education? The obvious answer is the 700 billion dollars a year (plus or minus 50 billion dollars for black box operations) which buy bombs, bullets, rockets, guided missiles, golf courses for Pentagon generals, early retirement, Stealth bombers, jet airplanes, drones, Navy missile cruisers, and much, much more. Education and health care for Americans?
Many young people are being forced to "join the Army" in order to have a job, get health care, and sometimes, to get a college education.
Untold billions of dollars are being spent outside of America. New billion dollar embassies are being constructed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Billions of dollars to private contractors to rebuild infrastructure in these countries which the USA conveniently destroyed in the first place.
Corporations are (literally) "making a killing" in this war system, as are the smaller businesses that make uniforms, helmets, boots, and other necessities needed by a killing machine. Not to mention the doctors, nurses, consultants, spies, engineers, physicists, and other peripheral personnel used to advance and maintain the high tech war machine system.
Then of course there is the ongoing cost of death and destruction -- rebuilding disabled soldiers, demolished buildings, roads and other infrastructure destroyed by American/NATO bombs, and then having to replace these same bombs and missiles.
Yes, it's a good business -- if you believe in death and destruction.
But it's a bad business for educationand affordable health care at home. The public cannot afford to pay for constant, worldwide wars, both covert and overt, and pay for affordable education. Tough luck, students. Get the education you can't afford thanks to a war system designed to never end.
What could replace the world's war system? A world unity government -- the Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution...designed as a world peace system. Then students could be given affordable, or even free, education -- and universal health care would be a given.
-- Editor
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2/19/10 HOW THE UNPA CAMPAIGN RELATES TO THE EARTH FEDERATION'S WORLD PARLIAMENT
If European parliamentarians seek more democratic representation at the United Nations by adding a "Parliamentary Assembly," but is denied decision-making authority as is the case with the UN General Assembly, then the UNPA (and the UNGA) might consider joining the Earth Federation.
The Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution gives real democratic decision making authority to the Federation's World Parliament. This could become a real possibility since the UN Charter keeps key decision-making power in the hands of the Security Council, and limits the UN General Assembly to making "resolutions." A UN Parliamentary Assembly would most likely suffer the same fate as the General Assembly -- unless the UN Charter was dropped in favor of the Earth Constitution. -- Editor
2/12/10
WHY ESTABLISHMENT PANIC OVER THREAT OF NEW 9/11 INVESTIGATION?
An article in the Rock Creek Free Press (Feb., 2010) by Daniel Tencer reports that President Obama's appointee to head the "Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs," Cass Sunstein, proposes "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the one surrounding 9/11.
Why such panic from the Establishment?
This type of manipulation would most likely be for the goal of trying to avoid a new 9/11 investigation -- which is what the 9/11 truth movement has been demanding all along. (A demand which seems more than reasonable in view of the new factual evidence that has surfaced since the 9/11 Commission Report was shown to be fatally flawed.)
Such an obvious propaganda maneuver by the authorities is in line with the refusal of the mainstream media to allow credible researchers on the air to explain why they think a new 9/11 investigation is warranted. MSNBC, for example, despite trying to be "progressive", has repeatedly ignored requests to put 9/11 investigators on the air -- despite the fact that these researchers have blue ribbon, impeccable credentials.
In fact, no mainstream media (TV or newspaper) dares let these investigators report their findings to the public -- it would convince the public that they had been hookwinked.
The American propaganda apparatus instead attacks these researchers ad hominen -- an old propaganda trick used to avoid having to address the real issues.
Why? It is this writer's opinion that the Establishment has ordered censorship to avoid a new investigation -- precisely because the 9/11 researchers are getting too close to the type of facts that could bring down a ruling oligarchy.
One might speculate that there is a behind-the-scenes panic. 9/11 researchers are gaining more and more credibility worldwide.
But what about the so-called "mastermind" of 9/11? Won't the upcoming trial of Khalid Shikh Mohammed (KSM) put all questions to rest when he conveniently "confesses" in a public courtroom?
In reality, the fear that KSM might not "confess" the way he was "taught" by torture techniques, may be the reason that some politicians panic at the idea of a public trial, and want a military tribunal instead.
There might be a serious problem with KSM. What if he was tortured, not to get at the truth of "who done it", but to create what is known as a "patsy" in false flag operation lingo?
What if the endless series of waterboarding torture sessions failed to condition him enough to be a reliable patsy? (Hint -- if he appears to waiver from what he is "suppose to say", one might predict the possibility of an "accidental death," taking the full blame for 9/11 with him....case closed.)
-- Editor
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San Francisco Progressive Conference, like the Earth Federation, Proposes New U.S. Amendment to Take Away Corporate Personhood
Sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives (www.spiritualprogressives.org), over 500 progressive activists met in San Francisco on 2/15/10. There was much concern about the direction of the Obama administration. Expanded Pentagon budgets, corporate personhood, the health care debacle, bailing out Big Money, and much more had these progressives confessing to both emotional pain, and indeed, anger.
Similar to the recent discussion in Earth Federation ranks to pass a World Law to Prohibit Corporate Personhood, these progressives want an U.S. Constitutional Amendment to accomplish this same objective, albeit using a rather vague title: "Environmental and Ethical Responsibility Amendment."
Discussion on eliminating "corporate personhood" via an amendment recognized that, even if successful, would apply only here in the United States. Most corporations are multinational. Hence the importance of the Earth Federation's World Law proposal which will be discussed at the Provisonal World Parliament's 12th session which will be held in India in December, 2010.
The present writer was highly impressed with the level of discussion of most participants at this Conference, and the inspired leadership with such individuals as Rabbi Michael Learner, Medea Benjamin, and Marianne Williamson, and others.
There was also a proposal for a worldwide "Marshall Plan" in the belief that being kind and generous to others would be much more effective in global politics than using threats, intimidation, death and destruction. American militarization has only made our world less safe, both for Americans and for others in the world.
(The goals of this progressive group were very much in keeping with Earth Federation goals on almost all fronts -- ending war and poverty, increasing human rights, and protecting the environment. They continue, however, to think more in nationalistic terms rather than in terms of global structure change. Many do not yet grasp the critical need for democratic world federation to replace the current global war system and the inadequate and ineffective United Nations. -- Editor)
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2/6/2010
PROPOSED WORLD BILL FOR 12TH PROVISIONAL WORLD PARLIAMENT
Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Prohibition Act
Whereas, the fourth broad function of the Earth Federation is "to regulate world trade, communications, transportation, currency, standards, use of world resources, and other global and international processes" (Article 1.4);
Whereas, specific powers of the Earth Federation include the power to "define and regulate procedures for the nomination and election of members of each house of the World Parliament" (Article 4.7);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to protect the civil liberties identified in Article 12, including "freedom to vote without duress, and freedom for political organization and campaigning without censorship or recriminations" (Article 12.5);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "define standards and promote worldwide improvement in working conditions," standards of living, healthcare, sanitation, and other basic necessities for a quality of life for world citizens, including protection of the environment and the ending of war (Article 13);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "regulate and supervise supra-national trade, industry, corporations, businesses, cartels, professional services" (Article 4.14), and international communications (Article 4.13);
Whereas, in some major nations today, corporations have been granted "legal personhood," giving them all the rights and privileges of private human persons, with the exception that these corporations cannot die, that individuals operating within the corporation are protected from liability because the corporation itself is considered a collective "person," that corporations are entities without a conscience mandated solely to make a private profit for their investors, and that corporations, in spite of their vast impact on society, may claim privacy from public scrutiny, and other rights of private persons;
And whereas, within such nations, corporate personhood has given corporations the "free speech" of private persons through which they have used their vast economic resources to colonize and destroy the democratic process, engineering the election of law-makers beholden to the corporations, employing professional lobbyists for their private ends, and using a variety of means to manipulate government in the service of minority private interests;
And whereas, within the world prior to the advent of the Earth Federation, democracy has been compromised nearly everywhere by the wealth and power of the few to colonize governments and communications systems;
Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Provisional World Parliament:
Article 1.
Only flesh and blood human beings shall have the rights of legal persons as identified in Articles 12 and 13 of the Earth Constitution.
Article 2.
Private corporations under the regulative jurisdiction of the Earth Federation shall be incorporated . by the World Parliament or its designated agents with legal mandates specifically defining their functions, responsibilities, and modes of operation.
2.1. These legal mandates empowering corporations to perform certain economic operations shall be defined within a framework considering:
2.1.2. protection of democracy,
2.1.3, protection of the environment,
2.1.4 promotion of economic prosperity among people and communities effected by their operations, and, in general,
2.1.5 the common good of the citizens of the Earth Federation.
Article 3.
Private, profit-oriented corporations shall not have the right, as collective entities, to promote any candidate for election or any political cause within the Earth Federation, nor to contribute funds or campaign contributions or other economic support to candidates for office.
3.1. However, individuals working within any corporation, shall have the free and full right to participate in promoting candidates for election or any political cause they may choose,
3.2. Individuals working within any corporation shall have the right to contribute funds to political campaigns within whatever limits may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 4.
Private individuals shall have the right to promote candidates or causes of their choice within the legal criteria legislated by the World Parliament. Such criteria shall be formulated within a framework that limits the ability of wealthy individuals to unduly influence or colonize the political process.
Article 5.
Non-profit political associations of private individuals (as, for example, political parties, advocacy groups, or think tanks) shall be registered with the Earth Federation and operate within whatever legal limits, transparency, and other criteria as may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 6.
Elections conducted under the World Parliament, beginning at the First Operative Stage of the Earth Federation, shall be free, fair, and monitored by independent observers.
6.1. Each candidate shall use a government defined and paid for information booklet (which may also be electronic), of a standard size and overall format that shall be used for campaign purposes (as specified in Article 8.3.1.5 of the Earth Constitution).
6.2. Each candidate shall have equal access to public communications media (electronic or print) under limits and conditions defined by the World Parliament.
6.3. Each candidate shall have the right to use private communications media (electronic or print) as paid for by non-profit advocacy groups or contributions of private citizens under limits and conditions as defined by the World Parliament.
Article 7.
Private, profit-making communications media that are international in scope also fall under the category of corporations and agencies requiring regulation by the Earth Federation (Articles 1.4 and 4.13).
7.1. Profit-making communications corporations shall not be recognized as legal persons within the Earth Federation.
7.2. The Provisional World Parliament recognizes that profit-making communications corporations may play in important role in fostering democratic processes, the diversity of voices necessary to vigorous dialogue and debate, and disseminating information necessary to democratic decision-making.
7.3. With this possibly important role in mind, the World Parliament may wish to define legal incorporation for such entities differently from that from other profit-making corporations.
7.4. Nevertheless, the legal powers of profit-making communications corporations shall be defined within a framework directed toward maximizing the democratic powers of individual persons for participation in political processes and protecting the rights of individual persons to speech and political participation as define in Articles 12 and 13.
7.5. The framework identified in 7.4 may be fostered, for example, through anti-trust or anti-cartel laws that break up media conglomerates into a number of smaller, competing voices, or through legislation requiring the airing of opposing viewpoints.
Article 8.
When considering legislation concerning the items specified under this Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Abolition Act, the World Parliament shall seek input from each of the agencies within the Integrative Complex of the Earth Federation and from any other ministry or agency of the Federation deemed appropriate.
8.1. Since the World Boundaries and Elections Administration (Article 8.3) is responsible to define the procedures for properly democratic elections (8.3.1.5) and defines the rules for world political parties (8.3.1.6), this agency shall submit annual reports to the World Parliament regarding the successes and difficulties of democratic elections with respect to the functioning of concentrations of private wealth (wealthy individuals or profit-making corporations) and with respect to the operations of communications corporations.
8.2. These reports shall include factual assessments of the degrees to which free and fair popular democracy in the service of the majority of people is disrupted by private wealth, profit-making corporations, and/or communications corporations.
?
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Article 9.
Penalties for violations of this act shall be determined by the World Parliament and enforced by the world police and world courts.
9.1. All penalties shall apply to individuals and none to corporations, since it is individuals who break the law, not abstract legal entities.
9.2. The penalties and courts shall normally assess greater responsibility to those higher up in the corporate hierarchy, keeping in mind that "obeying orders" from one�s boss does not fully exonerate any individual who knowingly breaks the law.
9.3. Whistle blowers and others who report abuses with regard to this act shall be protected by this law from retaliation by their employers. It shall be the responsibility of the World Ombudsmus to monitor such situations and protect the rights of the persons involved.
2/6/10 FROM THE ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT NUMBER 78 by William Blum www.killinghope.org
(Below is an excerpt from Mr. Blum's latest article.)
The US bombing, invasion, occupation and torture in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bombing of Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, and the continuing Israeli-US genocide against the Palestinians have created an army of new anti-American terrorists. We'll be hearing from them for a terribly long time. And we'll be hearing American officials twist themselves into intellectual and moral knots as they try to avoid confronting these facts.
In his "State of the Union" address on January 27, President Obama said: "But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know." Well, ending America's many wars would free up enough money to do anything a rational, humane society would want to do. Eliminating the military budget would pay for free medical care for everyone. Free university education for everyone. Creating a government public works project that could provide millions of decently-paid jobs, like repairing the decrepit infrastructure and healing the environment to the best of our ability. You can add your own favorite projects. All covered, just by ending the damn wars. Imagine that.
(Editor's note: A belligerent nation always at war will go so deeply in debt that it will no longer be able to care for its own citizens at home. Worse yet, military and covert operation violence, death and destruction, make citizens less safe because the victims eventually seek revenge. Brutality only pacifies on the surface, underneath the victims seethe with anger and hate.)
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11/11/10
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WORLD PEACE: TREATIES ARE NOT THE ROAD TO WORLD PEACE AND JUSTICE -- ONLY A FEDERATED WORLD UNION IS REALISTIC AND PRACTICAL
Recently a world federalist sent out an impressive list of United Nations or other international treaties and conventions in various stages of consideration or acceptance by various nations.
The list included the NEW START TREATY (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT), the NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT), and conventions to ban cluster munitions and land mines. Also there are UN conventions against torture which came into force in 1987, conventions on the rights of children (1990) and the disabled (2008), and other important agreements.
By addressing these issues nations were acknowledging problems of universal concern and importance despite differences in culture and tradition, illustrating clearly that there can be universally agreed upon standards of ethics and conduct.
However, talk is cheap. Actually abiding by these types of agreements is a different story. History shows that agreements based upon treaties are built upon quicksand. Time and time again, particularly with the more powerful, treaties are ignored when seen as inconvenient with regard to national self-interest or business interests.
Smaller or weaker nations also routinely ignore these agreements but do so differently. They sneak and cheat as in the case of Israel regarding nuclear weapons, or get a powerful ally (in this case the USA) to give them protection from enforcement.
So where does the "Psychology of World Peace" enter this picture, and what does psychology have to do with treaties, conventions, and other agreements between nations?
In the current global system of treaty-based agreements, nations maintain "absolute" sovereignty. This fact means that nations are allowed to have secret operations, and choose which agreements they will abide by, or not. There is no guarantee of open inspection and investigation. Moreover, individual leaders are protected from outside criminal prosecution by their own nation.
The key psychological result of national sovereignty is one of institutionalized paranoia.
Prison gangs, like nations, operate under the paranoid dynamic. Because each gang is autonomous (i.e., sovereign), they are automatically paranoid that the other gang is arming to get the advantage. Hence, even when prison authorities do a complete, clean, prison sweep of all weapons everywhere in the prison -- the gangs within weeks rearm themselves.
The psychological effect of this dysfunctional global system is that each nation is paranoid of the other, and rightfully so. Nations, both powerful or weak, may be up to no good to get the advantage over the other.
There is only one method to end the dynamics of national paranoia. The nations must federate in a democratic world union. The Earth Constitution is designed for just that purpose.
The United Nations, consisting of sovereign nations and hence guaranteeing a constant dynamic of paranoia, must freely give way to the Earth Federation/Earth Constitution -- the latter of which has no military or economic power. Its power is in the fact that its design will eliminate once and for all the poison of paranoia which has plagued our world and brought us to the brink of destruction.
-- Editor (RK)
11/1/10
The United Nations 65th Anniversary celebration in San Francisco (October 22 -24, 2010) offered a generous portion of good feelings toward world unity and understanding to honor the signing of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco.
Events included a "Symphony for United Nations" conducted by Maestro Joseph Eger well-known for his artistic support of the UN; an inter-generational model UN session; a film festival on international issues; and some cultural performances with participants from other countries.
Although organizers of the events were successful in created a positive and constructive atmosphere, they did not shy away from discussing serious world problems. Speakers discussed worldwide poverty, sickness and diseases such as AIDS, human rights, wars and the urgent need for disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.
The prescriptions offered for solving these problems, however, tended to remain in the same United Nations paradigm emphasizing millennium goals which have been largely unsuccessful. Wars, threats of nuclear annihilation, worldwide poverty, and loss of individual human rights continue to be epidemic.
Lip service was made for the need to "strengthen the UN" and a call was put out to "rejuvenate the nuclear disarmament movement". A Stanford University professor, Dr. Hellman, presented the facts on the risks of nuclear catastrophe --
and left this observer more determined than ever to demand full nuclear disarmament the world over.
Proposed solutions by invited speakers, however, tended to remain "inside the box" regarding changes to the United Nations and the present global system. Proposed solutions relied upon treaties and international law within the present UN structure rather than a new democratic world body able to apply enforceable world laws on individuals and with a democratically elected world parliament.
There was some minor mention of the need for a "UN Peoples Assembly" to go along with the UN General Assembly, but no strong message to eliminate the Security Council with its undemocratic veto power, and no advocacy to replace or change the UN into a genuine democratic world federation which is what is ultimately needed -- the sooner the better.
The event drew together many people of goodwill, and reinforced the importance of a world body in which to discuss world problems and possible solutions. For me, the main importance of this event was that it reinforced goals which have moral and spiritual significance, and continues to maintain faith in the potential for good from our global community.
-- RK
8/31/10
WILL BIG OIL AND OTHER CORPORATIONS CASH IN WHILE THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER PAYS FIRST FOR A COMBAT MISSION, NOW FOR AN ONGOING OCCUPATION OF IRAQ?
Today the American president announced an end to the "combat mission" in Iraq. He does not discuss any plan to have an ongoing occupation using a mixture of American soldiers (now doing "training", not "combat"), and private contractors (mercenaries) to be stationed in permanent armed bases in Iraq, ready to strike if the puppet government's security forces flounder as the Iraqi people reject this arrangement.
The plan? It is my belief that the American taxpayer will get to pay for "security" while Big Oil (multinationals)& other corporations make lucrative deals for Iraqi oil and/or infrastructure projects, protected by the might of the American military, new police/military security via the State Dept., and highly paid private contractors replacing the "combat" troops along with those Iraqi's willing to join the security forces for a puppet government.
Otherwise, why an almost 1 billion dollar American embassy in Iraq, bigger than the Vatican according to various reports? It's a fortress, and the Americans along with the puppet government will be behind walls while Iraqi death/torture squads roam the land targeting dissidents. Moreover, although President Obama has stated America would not have a permanent presence in Iraq, the facts on the ground include numerous American military bases costing millions of dollars, and construction has apparently not abated.
War and occupation appears good for Big Business. Prediction: Big Oil and other corporations (e.g., Halliburton) will not pay for this protection, or the costs of maintaining a puppet government in which Iraqi officials will have ample opportunity to get rich right along with their corporate benefactors. (It will be the ordinary Iraqi citizen who will lose out.)
Another prediction: A similar fate awaits Afghanistan as Big Oil seeks a pipeline through that country. It will also require an ongoing occupation of the country coupled with a puppet government to fight off the rebellious people who reject such suppression. The American taxpayer will pay for the mixture of American soldiers and private contractors who will stay in Afghanistan (just like in Iraq) to insure a cooperating puppet government.
The Earth Federation would not accept the stealing of resources by use of military might by any nation and the use of propaganda (false information) to keep the people in fear and paranoia.
The 9/11 attack caused immense trauma and was supposedly an attack by Muslims, a pretext for the current wars. Unfortunately, the actual scientific evidence suggests otherwise -- yet the American government refuses a new investigation. If the Earth Federation were in full existence, it could do an independent investigation particularly when a nation is suspected of a cover-up. (The evidence presented by 9/11 Truth researchers points to an inside job, a highly sophisticated false flag operation which has led the American people into a "war that never ends, i.e., the war on terror.)
Speculation: There are likely to be additional "false flag operations" which falsely blame new attacks (possibly again on American soil), on "patsies" -- who "confess" their crimes after unbearable torture. These terror tactics will justify continued excessive budgets for the military/industrial complex and Homeland Security, as Americans give in to manufactured paranoia and fear.
Although American soldiers and the public are told that these wars are to bring "democracy and freedom" to whatever country is being "liberated," and to "protect" America from terrorists, the facts point in a different direction: The American government, largely dominated by corporate and banking interests, want governments who cooperate with predatory capitalism and its first cousin, privatization.
(Editor's note: KBR is one of the obvious beneficiaries of these financial arrangements having been granted large contracts for oil infrastructure work. The original oil contracts drawn up earlier in the conquest under Bremmer which locked up deals for 30 years, are being challenged by some Iraqi's who believe the deals cheat the Iraqi people. Oil deals I have learned recently, are not just for American and British oil giants, but also are being given to some other countries such as China and India. Is the Iraqi Oil Ministry getting appropriate contracts for their people, or are corrupt deals being created which redirects the profits to a handful of Iraqi officials in power in collusion with the oil companies?)
8/28/10
MEXICAN ACTIVISTS MAY JOIN THE EARTH FEDERATION MOVEMENT
Communications between the Earth Federation and activists in Mexico have started since it was learned that student and political activists in Mexico are planning a "First Model World Parliament" to be held in the actual House of Deputies of the Mexican government.
The original connection originated from a meeting with Democratic World Federalists in San Francisco who, in association with the World Alliance to Transform the United Nations, began planning meetings in San Francisco perhaps in October, 2010.
The political importance of this network of strategy discussions is that we see American, Mexican, and possibly activists from Central and South America joining together -- with a strong student involvement.
Earth Federation activists believe that the Earth Constitution is the ideal instrument which will allow the creation of a true, as opposed to a toothless, world parliament.
There are activists who would like to simply have an elected world parliament which offers resolutions in terms of solutions, rather than create a genuine new world body (new world government) to replace the present shadow world government which analysts have noted are unelected, wealthy and powerful in military might and in political corruption.
-- RK 8/28/10
* * * * * * *
Received 6/21/10 from Gary Shepherd
Gary Shepherd's analysis is a good history lesson for proponents of democratic world government. The public and politicians may resist, and even resent, logical solutions to our world's problems -- even when the old ways have been convincingly shown to be wrong, and in current times, disastrous. -- Editor
PTOLEMY, COPERNICUS AND WORLD GOVERNMENT
By Gary Shepherd
May - June 2010 issue of United World magazine
gshepher@verizon.net
Long before the advent of the current public arguments about
evolution and global warming, the greatest controversy in the history of
science was the debate between the geocentric, or earth-centered model of the
universe described by the second century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and the
heliocentric, or sun-centered model, advocated by the 16th century Polish
astronomer Copernicus.
This battle took most of a century to resolve, and it involved some
of the most powerful political and religious leaders of its time. Today, we
have forgotten just what a mental revolution Copernicus' theory represented.
Although some Greek philosophers had speculated about a heliocentric model, the
Ptolemaic model had been almost universally accepted by astronomers for more
than a thousand years. In fact, Copernicus knew that his idea was so radical
that he didn't even have it published until after he had safely died.
It is easy to see why. The idea that the Earth is at the center of
the universe, and that the sun, moon, planets and stars revolve around it
matches our everyday experience. After all, the Earth appears immobile beneath
our feet -- it doesn't seem to move. When we look up at the sky, the heavenly
bodies seem to be moving around us. Even today, we speak of the sun rising or
setting, as if it were the sun circling around the Earth.
What is more, the geocentric model could be used to explain all the
scientific observations that could be made at that time. Because it had been
noticed that sometimes the planets seemed to stop and go backwards in their
orbits for a while, Ptolemy created smaller circles, called epicycles, within
the larger crystalline spheres in which the planets circled around the Earth,
so that they were sometimes moving in the opposite direction from the larger
circle. Using this model, one could calculate precisely where a planet would be
at any particular time -- an important consideration at the time, since most
astronomers were also astrologers, and knowledge of the locations of the
planets at the time of a person's birth was vital to casting horoscopes.
But as time went on, and observations became more precise, the
ability of the Ptolemaic model to predict planetary locations began to break
down. The model was altered by later scientists, making it more and more
complex, in an effort to make it correspond to observations of the real
universe. In fact, the Ptolemaic model became so complex, that some scientists,
in order calculate planetary movements, used the Copernican model for
mathematical purposes, even though they didn't really believe it described the
actual universe.
Eventually, partly because of the invention of the telescope, the
Copernican model achieved acceptance over its rival, and today one would have
difficulty finding an astronomer anywhere who supported the geocentric
universe.
What, one is tempted to ask, has any of this to do with the idea of
world government? Well, the parallels are quite striking. The current system of
independent nation-states, sometimes called the Westphalian system, has existed
for many centuries as the unquestioned model for the way the political world is
designed. Like the Ptolemaic model, it makes sense to us. The nations appear to
exist, they appear to be eternal, and there doesn't appear to be any logical
alternative to it. They match our everyday experience. We speak of the earth,
and humanity, as if they were both divided up into nation-states.
Like the Ptolemaic model, as time has passed the nation-state model
has had to grow more and more complex to match the real world. Treaties,
conventions, and agreements have piled up, one upon the other, to govern the
complicated relations between the different nations. For instance, the Danube
River runs through numerous different nations on its way to the sea. All of the
national governments have a say in governing the preservation of that river,
making it very difficult to come to agreement about anything. The current
system has become so complex that sometimes, in order to make it function
properly, people act as if the world were united, even though they don't really
believe it is.
Just as it was the advance of technology and science led to more
precise measurements that doomed the Ptolemaic model to extinction, advanced
technology is leading toward measurements that are threatening the viability of
the nation-state system. We have peered down at the earth's surface from our
orbital satellites and have seen that there are no borders drawn on the real
earth. We have peered into the intricacies of the human genome, and we have
found no genes for nationality.
Copernicus offered a model that was truer to the real world, and
thus eventually supplanted the older, more inaccurate model. So too must we
offer a model of society that is truer to the real world, which is more
accurate, more sustainable, and simply works better, so that it can replace the
outdated one. One day, the idea of separate nation-states will come to seem as
quaint and antiquated as the perfect crystalline spheres that were a feature of
the Ptolemaic system.
5/24/10
MODERN MODERATE MUSLIM MAN OPPOSES USE OF THREATS OR VIOLENCE TO CENSOR RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION AND FREE SPEECH
A Portland, Oregon Muslim man in a recent article (in USA Today, May 13, 2010) opposes use of threats and violence by some Muslims who have murdered, or threatened to murder, those who have used the image of Mohammed in ways for which they did not approve.
Mr. Harris Zafar is highly critical of Muslim violence used to censor free speech and states that "...Islam does not support people who violently censor free speech. The Quran guarantees freedom of speech..." Mr. Zafar goes on to cite examples from the Quran and from the life of Mohammed himself which support nonviolence.
Importantly, Mr. Zafar also condemns State sponsored blasphemy laws such as used in Saudi Arabia (apostasy potentially punishable by death), Pakistan, and Afghanistan which also may invoke prison or a death sentence.
These majority Muslim states, according to the article, suppress other religious faiths and beliefs using blasphemy laws to silence or imprison religious minorities, journalists, academicians, and dissenters.
[Use of threats or violence to prevent free speech or practice of religion violates the Earth Constitution's Bill of Human Rights.]
Attempts to censor or silence critics is not limited to extremist Muslims. Jewish Zionists in the USA go to great lengths to silence criticism of Israel but use different tactics such as applying pressure to put a newspaper out of business.
Much like Saudi Arabia gives Muslims special rights, Israel does the same for its Jewish population. In both cases, citizens of other religions are second class citizens in terms of legal rights. [Unequal treatment of citizens violates the Human Rights section of the Earth Constitution.]
There is a somewhat different but parallel issue in the United States wherein Jewish Zionists try to silence criticism of Israel's criminal actions against the Palestinians. These Jewish extremists, unlike Muslim zealots, may allow public criticism of their God (Yahweh or Jehova), but they do not allow a full public discussion of Israel's expansionistic aggression against Palestinians and have "unelected" American politicians who dared defy the Israeli Lobby.
Last but not least, we must keep in mind a large group of fundamentalist Christians who (subconsciously) are actually hoping to have Armageddon (the ultimate in violence) to prove that their interpretation of Biblical scripture is "true." These extremist Christians support and encourage Israeli expansionism in the belief that once Israel has conquered all of the so-called "Promised Land" for Jews, then Biblical conditions are fulfilled for Armageddon to occur. Jesus will return while they, the faithful, will "rapture" up to heaven.
Armageddon, with its implication of widespread death and destruction, is not a particularly wholesome or loving value. Jesus, these extremists seem to fail to see, is the Prince of Peace -- not the Prince of Death and Destruction. If Jesus were here now, he would without question condemn any Armageddon scenario -- Jesus, in this writer's opinion, would not approve of the suffering of so many innocent people, such as our children, and would go into action to prevent such a horrible event.
-- Editor
4/30/10
"EQUAL LAND FOR EQUAL PEOPLE" OFFERS A STANDARD BY WHICH TO JUDGE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS BETWEEN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
Alan Barnett, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor (San Jose State University in California, USA), a peace and social justice activist, has proposed that the path to a fair and peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine should use the standard of "Equal Land for Equal People."
This principle of equality is in keeping with the standards and inherent basic rights as stated in the Earth Federation's Constitution. It would provide an objective that treats both the Jews and Palestinians (including Christians and Muslims) with integrity and respect.
Dr. Barnett notes that at the present time Israel has 78% of the Holy Land while Palestine has only 22%, despite the fact that when one counts the actual number of Jews and Palestinians in the region (including the Palestinian refugees driven out of Israel and in refugee camps), both have a population of roughly 6 to 8 million people. Hence his notion of "Equal Land for Equal People".
Barnett points out that, under the (international) rule of "right of return" the Palestinians would need more land than they presently have in order to accommodate the many refugees who want to return to their former homes (before being forced out year after year by the Israeli's).
The advantage of "Equal Land for Equal People" according to Dr. Barnett is that "The security of the Israelis depends on the Palestinians feeling that they are being dealt with fairly."
"Peace is only possible if both Israelis and Palestinians are treated as equals," writes Barnett.
Editor's note - "Equal land for equal people" is a potentially important guideline available for mediators in establishing a lasting and productive peace between Israel and Palestine. It is consistent with the Earth Constitution. Every human being is inherently, by birth, a "citizen of Earth" with all of the rights granted in Articles 12 and 13 (Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth, and Directive Principles).
3/27/10 MOVEMENT OF BUNKER BUSTER BOMBS BY THE US AIR FORCE SUGGESTS POSSIBLE ATTACK PLANS AGAINST IRAN. ANALYST PREDICTS A "STAGED TERRORIST" ATTACK WILL BE USED FOR JUSTIFICATION.
Analyst Paul Craig Roberts reports that a Scottish newspaper, The Herald Scotland, has reported that "bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." It is claimed by the newspaper that "bunker-buster bombs are being moved to an Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. One London analyst, Dan Piesch, is quoted as saying, "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The analysts speculate to what sounds like another "shock and awe" type of devastation as was used against Iraq, with the Western media claiming the attack is for "freedom and democracy" but the real intent will be to establish a puppet government.
A false flag operation followed by a military attack and invasion would be a violation of international law. (Many investigators believe that 9/11 was a false flag operation used as a pretext for war.) Would Israel and the USA act jointly?
If Iran is attacked under false pretense, would high government officials be held accountable by the International Criminal Court for war crimes? Even if Israel alone led the attack, could President Obama or Pentagon generals be tried for an international crime of aiding and abetting?
-- RK
Expect a False Flag Terror Attack To Precede Invasion Of Iran
Paul Craig Roberts -- March 18, 2010
According to news reports, the U.S. military is shipping "bunker-buster" bombs to the U.S. Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Herald Scotland reports that experts say the bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The newspaper quotes Dan Piesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London: "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The next step will be a staged "terrorist attack," a "false flag" operation as per Operation Northwoods, for which Iran will be blamed. As Iran and its leadership have already been demonized, the "false flag" attack will suffice to obtain US and European public support for bombing Iran. The bombing will include more than the nuclear facilities and will continue until the Iranians agree to regime change and the installation of a puppet government. The corrupt American media will present the new puppet as "freedom and democracy."
If the past is a guide, Americans will fall for the deception. In the February issue of the American Behavioral Scientist, a scholarly journal, Professor Lance DeHaven-Smith writes that state crimes against democracy (SCAD) involve government officials, often in combination with private interests, that engage in covert activities in order to implement an agenda. Examples include McCarthyism or the fabrication of evidence of communist infiltration, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution based on false claims of President Johnson and Pentagon chief McNamara that North Vietnam attacked a U.S. naval vessel, the burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist in order to discredit Ellsberg (the Pentagon Papers) as "disturbed," and the falsified "intelligence" that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
There are many other examples. I have always regarded the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City as a SCAD. Allegedly, a disturbed Tim McVeigh used a fertilizer bomb in a truck parked outside the building. More likely, McVeigh was a patsy, whose fertilizer bomb was a cover for explosives planted inside the building.
A number of experts dismissed the possibility of McVeigh's bomb producing such structural damage. For example, General Benton K. Partin, who was in charge of U.S. Air Force munitions design and testing, produced a thick report on the Murrah building bombing which concluded that the building blew up from the inside out. Gen. Partin concluded that "the pattern of damage would have been technically impossible without supplementary demolition charges at some of the reinforced concrete bases inside the building, a standard demolition technique. For a simplistic blast truck bomb, of the size and composition reported, to be able to reach out on the order of 60 feet and collapse a reinforced column base the size of column A7 is beyond credulity."Gen. Partin dismissed the official report as "a massive cover-up of immense proportions."
Of course, the general's unquestionable expertise had no bearing on the outcome. One reason is that his and other expert voices were drowned out by media pumping the official story. Another reason is that public beliefs in a democracy run counter to suspicion of government as a terrorist agent. Professor Laurie Manwell of the University of Guelph says that "false flag" operations have the advantage over truth: "research shows that people are far less willing to examine information that disputes, rather than confirms, their beliefs." Professor Steven Hoffman agrees: "Our data shows substantial support for a cognitive theory known as 'motivated reasoning,' which suggests that rather than search rationally for information that either confirms or disconfirms a particular belief, people actually seek out information that confirms what they already believe. In fact, for the most part people completely ignore contrary information." Even when hard evidence turns up, it can be discredited as a "conspiracy theory."
All that is necessary for success of "false flag" or "black ops" events is for the government to have its story ready and to have a reliable and compliant media. Once an official story is in place, thought and investigation are precluded. Any formal inquiry that is convened serves to buttress the already provided explanation.
An explanation ready-at-hand is almost a give-away that an incident is a "black ops" event. Notice how quickly the U.S. government, allegedly so totally deceived by al Qaida, provided the explanation for 9/11. When President Kennedy was assassinated, the government produced the culprit immediately. The alleged culprit was conveniently shot inside a jail by a civilian before he could be questioned. But the official story was ready, and it held.
Professors Manwell and Hoffman's research resonates with me. I remember reading in my graduate studies that the Czarist secret police set off bombs in order to create excuses to arrest their targets. My inclination was to dismiss the accounts as anti-Czarist propaganda by pro-communist historians. It was only later when Robert Conquest confirmed to me that this was indeed the practice of the Czarist secret police that the scales fell from my eyes.
Former CIA official Philip Giraldi in his article, "The Rogue Nation," makes it clear that the U.S. government has a hegemonic agenda that it is pursuing without congressional or public awareness. The agenda unfolds piecemeal as a response to "terrorism," and the big picture is not understood by the public or by most in Congress. Giraldi protests that the agenda is illegal under both U.S. and international law, but that the illegality of the agenda does not serve as a barrier. Only a naif could believe that such a government would not employ "false flag" operations that advance the agenda.
The U.S. population, it seems, is comprised of naifs whose lack of comprehension is bringing ruin to other lands.
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3/11/10
WAR SYSTEM SUCKS TAX MONEY AWAY FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION
On March 14, 2010 Dr. Tad Daley lectured to the public and UC Berkeley students on his new book "Apocalypse Never." But do college students really understand the relationship between their rising college costs and the bloated military/industrial/research war system budget of the United States with over 700 military bases around the world, and a so-called war against terror seemingly everywhere?
Do students really understand who is sucking up the majority of tax money which previously was used to provide an affordable, public college education? The obvious answer is the 700 billion dollars a year (plus or minus 50 billion dollars for black box operations) which buy bombs, bullets, rockets, guided missiles, golf courses for Pentagon generals, early retirement, Stealth bombers, jet airplanes, drones, Navy missile cruisers, and much, much more. Education and health care for Americans?
Many young people are being forced to "join the Army" in order to have a job, get health care, and sometimes, to get a college education.
Untold billions of dollars are being spent outside of America. New billion dollar embassies are being constructed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Billions of dollars to private contractors to rebuild infrastructure in these countries which the USA conveniently destroyed in the first place.
Corporations are (literally) "making a killing" in this war system, as are the smaller businesses that make uniforms, helmets, boots, and other necessities needed by a killing machine. Not to mention the doctors, nurses, consultants, spies, engineers, physicists, and other peripheral personnel used to advance and maintain the high tech war machine system.
Then of course there is the ongoing cost of death and destruction -- rebuilding disabled soldiers, demolished buildings, roads and other infrastructure destroyed by American/NATO bombs, and then having to replace these same bombs and missiles.
Yes, it's a good business -- if you believe in death and destruction.
But it's a bad business for educationand affordable health care at home. The public cannot afford to pay for constant, worldwide wars, both covert and overt, and pay for affordable education. Tough luck, students. Get the education you can't afford thanks to a war system designed to never end.
What could replace the world's war system? A world unity government -- the Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution...designed as a world peace system. Then students could be given affordable, or even free, education -- and universal health care would be a given.
-- Editor
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2/19/10 HOW THE UNPA CAMPAIGN RELATES TO THE EARTH FEDERATION'S WORLD PARLIAMENT
If European parliamentarians seek more democratic representation at the United Nations by adding a "Parliamentary Assembly," but is denied decision-making authority as is the case with the UN General Assembly, then the UNPA (and the UNGA) might consider joining the Earth Federation.
The Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution gives real democratic decision making authority to the Federation's World Parliament. This could become a real possibility since the UN Charter keeps key decision-making power in the hands of the Security Council, and limits the UN General Assembly to making "resolutions." A UN Parliamentary Assembly would most likely suffer the same fate as the General Assembly -- unless the UN Charter was dropped in favor of the Earth Constitution. -- Editor
2/12/10
WHY ESTABLISHMENT PANIC OVER THREAT OF NEW 9/11 INVESTIGATION?
An article in the Rock Creek Free Press (Feb., 2010) by Daniel Tencer reports that President Obama's appointee to head the "Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs," Cass Sunstein, proposes "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the one surrounding 9/11.
Why such panic from the Establishment?
This type of manipulation would most likely be for the goal of trying to avoid a new 9/11 investigation -- which is what the 9/11 truth movement has been demanding all along. (A demand which seems more than reasonable in view of the new factual evidence that has surfaced since the 9/11 Commission Report was shown to be fatally flawed.)
Such an obvious propaganda maneuver by the authorities is in line with the refusal of the mainstream media to allow credible researchers on the air to explain why they think a new 9/11 investigation is warranted. MSNBC, for example, despite trying to be "progressive", has repeatedly ignored requests to put 9/11 investigators on the air -- despite the fact that these researchers have blue ribbon, impeccable credentials.
In fact, no mainstream media (TV or newspaper) dares let these investigators report their findings to the public -- it would convince the public that they had been hookwinked.
The American propaganda apparatus instead attacks these researchers ad hominen -- an old propaganda trick used to avoid having to address the real issues.
Why? It is this writer's opinion that the Establishment has ordered censorship to avoid a new investigation -- precisely because the 9/11 researchers are getting too close to the type of facts that could bring down a ruling oligarchy.
One might speculate that there is a behind-the-scenes panic. 9/11 researchers are gaining more and more credibility worldwide.
But what about the so-called "mastermind" of 9/11? Won't the upcoming trial of Khalid Shikh Mohammed (KSM) put all questions to rest when he conveniently "confesses" in a public courtroom?
In reality, the fear that KSM might not "confess" the way he was "taught" by torture techniques, may be the reason that some politicians panic at the idea of a public trial, and want a military tribunal instead.
There might be a serious problem with KSM. What if he was tortured, not to get at the truth of "who done it", but to create what is known as a "patsy" in false flag operation lingo?
What if the endless series of waterboarding torture sessions failed to condition him enough to be a reliable patsy? (Hint -- if he appears to waiver from what he is "suppose to say", one might predict the possibility of an "accidental death," taking the full blame for 9/11 with him....case closed.)
-- Editor
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San Francisco Progressive Conference, like the Earth Federation, Proposes New U.S. Amendment to Take Away Corporate Personhood
Sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives (www.spiritualprogressives.org), over 500 progressive activists met in San Francisco on 2/15/10. There was much concern about the direction of the Obama administration. Expanded Pentagon budgets, corporate personhood, the health care debacle, bailing out Big Money, and much more had these progressives confessing to both emotional pain, and indeed, anger.
Similar to the recent discussion in Earth Federation ranks to pass a World Law to Prohibit Corporate Personhood, these progressives want an U.S. Constitutional Amendment to accomplish this same objective, albeit using a rather vague title: "Environmental and Ethical Responsibility Amendment."
Discussion on eliminating "corporate personhood" via an amendment recognized that, even if successful, would apply only here in the United States. Most corporations are multinational. Hence the importance of the Earth Federation's World Law proposal which will be discussed at the Provisonal World Parliament's 12th session which will be held in India in December, 2010.
The present writer was highly impressed with the level of discussion of most participants at this Conference, and the inspired leadership with such individuals as Rabbi Michael Learner, Medea Benjamin, and Marianne Williamson, and others.
There was also a proposal for a worldwide "Marshall Plan" in the belief that being kind and generous to others would be much more effective in global politics than using threats, intimidation, death and destruction. American militarization has only made our world less safe, both for Americans and for others in the world.
(The goals of this progressive group were very much in keeping with Earth Federation goals on almost all fronts -- ending war and poverty, increasing human rights, and protecting the environment. They continue, however, to think more in nationalistic terms rather than in terms of global structure change. Many do not yet grasp the critical need for democratic world federation to replace the current global war system and the inadequate and ineffective United Nations. -- Editor)
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2/6/2010
PROPOSED WORLD BILL FOR 12TH PROVISIONAL WORLD PARLIAMENT
Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Prohibition Act
Whereas, the fourth broad function of the Earth Federation is "to regulate world trade, communications, transportation, currency, standards, use of world resources, and other global and international processes" (Article 1.4);
Whereas, specific powers of the Earth Federation include the power to "define and regulate procedures for the nomination and election of members of each house of the World Parliament" (Article 4.7);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to protect the civil liberties identified in Article 12, including "freedom to vote without duress, and freedom for political organization and campaigning without censorship or recriminations" (Article 12.5);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "define standards and promote worldwide improvement in working conditions," standards of living, healthcare, sanitation, and other basic necessities for a quality of life for world citizens, including protection of the environment and the ending of war (Article 13);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "regulate and supervise supra-national trade, industry, corporations, businesses, cartels, professional services" (Article 4.14), and international communications (Article 4.13);
Whereas, in some major nations today, corporations have been granted "legal personhood," giving them all the rights and privileges of private human persons, with the exception that these corporations cannot die, that individuals operating within the corporation are protected from liability because the corporation itself is considered a collective "person," that corporations are entities without a conscience mandated solely to make a private profit for their investors, and that corporations, in spite of their vast impact on society, may claim privacy from public scrutiny, and other rights of private persons;
And whereas, within such nations, corporate personhood has given corporations the "free speech" of private persons through which they have used their vast economic resources to colonize and destroy the democratic process, engineering the election of law-makers beholden to the corporations, employing professional lobbyists for their private ends, and using a variety of means to manipulate government in the service of minority private interests;
And whereas, within the world prior to the advent of the Earth Federation, democracy has been compromised nearly everywhere by the wealth and power of the few to colonize governments and communications systems;
Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Provisional World Parliament:
Article 1.
Only flesh and blood human beings shall have the rights of legal persons as identified in Articles 12 and 13 of the Earth Constitution.
Article 2.
Private corporations under the regulative jurisdiction of the Earth Federation shall be incorporated . by the World Parliament or its designated agents with legal mandates specifically defining their functions, responsibilities, and modes of operation.
2.1. These legal mandates empowering corporations to perform certain economic operations shall be defined within a framework considering:
2.1.2. protection of democracy,
2.1.3, protection of the environment,
2.1.4 promotion of economic prosperity among people and communities effected by their operations, and, in general,
2.1.5 the common good of the citizens of the Earth Federation.
Article 3.
Private, profit-oriented corporations shall not have the right, as collective entities, to promote any candidate for election or any political cause within the Earth Federation, nor to contribute funds or campaign contributions or other economic support to candidates for office.
3.1. However, individuals working within any corporation, shall have the free and full right to participate in promoting candidates for election or any political cause they may choose,
3.2. Individuals working within any corporation shall have the right to contribute funds to political campaigns within whatever limits may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 4.
Private individuals shall have the right to promote candidates or causes of their choice within the legal criteria legislated by the World Parliament. Such criteria shall be formulated within a framework that limits the ability of wealthy individuals to unduly influence or colonize the political process.
Article 5.
Non-profit political associations of private individuals (as, for example, political parties, advocacy groups, or think tanks) shall be registered with the Earth Federation and operate within whatever legal limits, transparency, and other criteria as may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 6.
Elections conducted under the World Parliament, beginning at the First Operative Stage of the Earth Federation, shall be free, fair, and monitored by independent observers.
6.1. Each candidate shall use a government defined and paid for information booklet (which may also be electronic), of a standard size and overall format that shall be used for campaign purposes (as specified in Article 8.3.1.5 of the Earth Constitution).
6.2. Each candidate shall have equal access to public communications media (electronic or print) under limits and conditions defined by the World Parliament.
6.3. Each candidate shall have the right to use private communications media (electronic or print) as paid for by non-profit advocacy groups or contributions of private citizens under limits and conditions as defined by the World Parliament.
Article 7.
Private, profit-making communications media that are international in scope also fall under the category of corporations and agencies requiring regulation by the Earth Federation (Articles 1.4 and 4.13).
7.1. Profit-making communications corporations shall not be recognized as legal persons within the Earth Federation.
7.2. The Provisional World Parliament recognizes that profit-making communications corporations may play in important role in fostering democratic processes, the diversity of voices necessary to vigorous dialogue and debate, and disseminating information necessary to democratic decision-making.
7.3. With this possibly important role in mind, the World Parliament may wish to define legal incorporation for such entities differently from that from other profit-making corporations.
7.4. Nevertheless, the legal powers of profit-making communications corporations shall be defined within a framework directed toward maximizing the democratic powers of individual persons for participation in political processes and protecting the rights of individual persons to speech and political participation as define in Articles 12 and 13.
7.5. The framework identified in 7.4 may be fostered, for example, through anti-trust or anti-cartel laws that break up media conglomerates into a number of smaller, competing voices, or through legislation requiring the airing of opposing viewpoints.
Article 8.
When considering legislation concerning the items specified under this Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Abolition Act, the World Parliament shall seek input from each of the agencies within the Integrative Complex of the Earth Federation and from any other ministry or agency of the Federation deemed appropriate.
8.1. Since the World Boundaries and Elections Administration (Article 8.3) is responsible to define the procedures for properly democratic elections (8.3.1.5) and defines the rules for world political parties (8.3.1.6), this agency shall submit annual reports to the World Parliament regarding the successes and difficulties of democratic elections with respect to the functioning of concentrations of private wealth (wealthy individuals or profit-making corporations) and with respect to the operations of communications corporations.
8.2. These reports shall include factual assessments of the degrees to which free and fair popular democracy in the service of the majority of people is disrupted by private wealth, profit-making corporations, and/or communications corporations.
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Article 9.
Penalties for violations of this act shall be determined by the World Parliament and enforced by the world police and world courts.
9.1. All penalties shall apply to individuals and none to corporations, since it is individuals who break the law, not abstract legal entities.
9.2. The penalties and courts shall normally assess greater responsibility to those higher up in the corporate hierarchy, keeping in mind that "obeying orders" from one�s boss does not fully exonerate any individual who knowingly breaks the law.
9.3. Whistle blowers and others who report abuses with regard to this act shall be protected by this law from retaliation by their employers. It shall be the responsibility of the World Ombudsmus to monitor such situations and protect the rights of the persons involved.
2/6/10 FROM THE ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT NUMBER 78 by William Blum www.killinghope.org
(Below is an excerpt from Mr. Blum's latest article.)
The US bombing, invasion, occupation and torture in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bombing of Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, and the continuing Israeli-US genocide against the Palestinians have created an army of new anti-American terrorists. We'll be hearing from them for a terribly long time. And we'll be hearing American officials twist themselves into intellectual and moral knots as they try to avoid confronting these facts.
In his "State of the Union" address on January 27, President Obama said: "But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know." Well, ending America's many wars would free up enough money to do anything a rational, humane society would want to do. Eliminating the military budget would pay for free medical care for everyone. Free university education for everyone. Creating a government public works project that could provide millions of decently-paid jobs, like repairing the decrepit infrastructure and healing the environment to the best of our ability. You can add your own favorite projects. All covered, just by ending the damn wars. Imagine that.
(Editor's note: A belligerent nation always at war will go so deeply in debt that it will no longer be able to care for its own citizens at home. Worse yet, military and covert operation violence, death and destruction, make citizens less safe because the victims eventually seek revenge. Brutality only pacifies on the surface, underneath the victims seethe with anger and hate.)
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11/11/10
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WORLD PEACE: TREATIES ARE NOT THE ROAD TO WORLD PEACE AND JUSTICE -- ONLY A FEDERATED WORLD UNION IS REALISTIC AND PRACTICAL
Recently a world federalist sent out an impressive list of United Nations or other international treaties and conventions in various stages of consideration or acceptance by various nations.
The list included the NEW START TREATY (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT), the NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT), and conventions to ban cluster munitions and land mines. Also there are UN conventions against torture which came into force in 1987, conventions on the rights of children (1990) and the disabled (2008), and other important agreements.
By addressing these issues nations were acknowledging problems of universal concern and importance despite differences in culture and tradition, illustrating clearly that there can be universally agreed upon standards of ethics and conduct.
However, talk is cheap. Actually abiding by these types of agreements is a different story. History shows that agreements based upon treaties are built upon quicksand. Time and time again, particularly with the more powerful, treaties are ignored when seen as inconvenient with regard to national self-interest or business interests.
Smaller or weaker nations also routinely ignore these agreements but do so differently. They sneak and cheat as in the case of Israel regarding nuclear weapons, or get a powerful ally (in this case the USA) to give them protection from enforcement.
So where does the "Psychology of World Peace" enter this picture, and what does psychology have to do with treaties, conventions, and other agreements between nations?
In the current global system of treaty-based agreements, nations maintain "absolute" sovereignty. This fact means that nations are allowed to have secret operations, and choose which agreements they will abide by, or not. There is no guarantee of open inspection and investigation. Moreover, individual leaders are protected from outside criminal prosecution by their own nation.
The key psychological result of national sovereignty is one of institutionalized paranoia.
Prison gangs, like nations, operate under the paranoid dynamic. Because each gang is autonomous (i.e., sovereign), they are automatically paranoid that the other gang is arming to get the advantage. Hence, even when prison authorities do a complete, clean, prison sweep of all weapons everywhere in the prison -- the gangs within weeks rearm themselves.
The psychological effect of this dysfunctional global system is that each nation is paranoid of the other, and rightfully so. Nations, both powerful or weak, may be up to no good to get the advantage over the other.
There is only one method to end the dynamics of national paranoia. The nations must federate in a democratic world union. The Earth Constitution is designed for just that purpose.
The United Nations, consisting of sovereign nations and hence guaranteeing a constant dynamic of paranoia, must freely give way to the Earth Federation/Earth Constitution -- the latter of which has no military or economic power. Its power is in the fact that its design will eliminate once and for all the poison of paranoia which has plagued our world and brought us to the brink of destruction.
-- Editor (RK)
11/1/10
The United Nations 65th Anniversary celebration in San Francisco (October 22 -24, 2010) offered a generous portion of good feelings toward world unity and understanding to honor the signing of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco.
Events included a "Symphony for United Nations" conducted by Maestro Joseph Eger well-known for his artistic support of the UN; an inter-generational model UN session; a film festival on international issues; and some cultural performances with participants from other countries.
Although organizers of the events were successful in created a positive and constructive atmosphere, they did not shy away from discussing serious world problems. Speakers discussed worldwide poverty, sickness and diseases such as AIDS, human rights, wars and the urgent need for disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.
The prescriptions offered for solving these problems, however, tended to remain in the same United Nations paradigm emphasizing millennium goals which have been largely unsuccessful. Wars, threats of nuclear annihilation, worldwide poverty, and loss of individual human rights continue to be epidemic.
Lip service was made for the need to "strengthen the UN" and a call was put out to "rejuvenate the nuclear disarmament movement". A Stanford University professor, Dr. Hellman, presented the facts on the risks of nuclear catastrophe --
and left this observer more determined than ever to demand full nuclear disarmament the world over.
Proposed solutions by invited speakers, however, tended to remain "inside the box" regarding changes to the United Nations and the present global system. Proposed solutions relied upon treaties and international law within the present UN structure rather than a new democratic world body able to apply enforceable world laws on individuals and with a democratically elected world parliament.
There was some minor mention of the need for a "UN Peoples Assembly" to go along with the UN General Assembly, but no strong message to eliminate the Security Council with its undemocratic veto power, and no advocacy to replace or change the UN into a genuine democratic world federation which is what is ultimately needed -- the sooner the better.
The event drew together many people of goodwill, and reinforced the importance of a world body in which to discuss world problems and possible solutions. For me, the main importance of this event was that it reinforced goals which have moral and spiritual significance, and continues to maintain faith in the potential for good from our global community.
-- RK
8/31/10
WILL BIG OIL AND OTHER CORPORATIONS CASH IN WHILE THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER PAYS FIRST FOR A COMBAT MISSION, NOW FOR AN ONGOING OCCUPATION OF IRAQ?
Today the American president announced an end to the "combat mission" in Iraq. He does not discuss any plan to have an ongoing occupation using a mixture of American soldiers (now doing "training", not "combat"), and private contractors (mercenaries) to be stationed in permanent armed bases in Iraq, ready to strike if the puppet government's security forces flounder as the Iraqi people reject this arrangement.
The plan? It is my belief that the American taxpayer will get to pay for "security" while Big Oil (multinationals)& other corporations make lucrative deals for Iraqi oil and/or infrastructure projects, protected by the might of the American military, new police/military security via the State Dept., and highly paid private contractors replacing the "combat" troops along with those Iraqi's willing to join the security forces for a puppet government.
Otherwise, why an almost 1 billion dollar American embassy in Iraq, bigger than the Vatican according to various reports? It's a fortress, and the Americans along with the puppet government will be behind walls while Iraqi death/torture squads roam the land targeting dissidents. Moreover, although President Obama has stated America would not have a permanent presence in Iraq, the facts on the ground include numerous American military bases costing millions of dollars, and construction has apparently not abated.
War and occupation appears good for Big Business. Prediction: Big Oil and other corporations (e.g., Halliburton) will not pay for this protection, or the costs of maintaining a puppet government in which Iraqi officials will have ample opportunity to get rich right along with their corporate benefactors. (It will be the ordinary Iraqi citizen who will lose out.)
Another prediction: A similar fate awaits Afghanistan as Big Oil seeks a pipeline through that country. It will also require an ongoing occupation of the country coupled with a puppet government to fight off the rebellious people who reject such suppression. The American taxpayer will pay for the mixture of American soldiers and private contractors who will stay in Afghanistan (just like in Iraq) to insure a cooperating puppet government.
The Earth Federation would not accept the stealing of resources by use of military might by any nation and the use of propaganda (false information) to keep the people in fear and paranoia.
The 9/11 attack caused immense trauma and was supposedly an attack by Muslims, a pretext for the current wars. Unfortunately, the actual scientific evidence suggests otherwise -- yet the American government refuses a new investigation. If the Earth Federation were in full existence, it could do an independent investigation particularly when a nation is suspected of a cover-up. (The evidence presented by 9/11 Truth researchers points to an inside job, a highly sophisticated false flag operation which has led the American people into a "war that never ends, i.e., the war on terror.)
Speculation: There are likely to be additional "false flag operations" which falsely blame new attacks (possibly again on American soil), on "patsies" -- who "confess" their crimes after unbearable torture. These terror tactics will justify continued excessive budgets for the military/industrial complex and Homeland Security, as Americans give in to manufactured paranoia and fear.
Although American soldiers and the public are told that these wars are to bring "democracy and freedom" to whatever country is being "liberated," and to "protect" America from terrorists, the facts point in a different direction: The American government, largely dominated by corporate and banking interests, want governments who cooperate with predatory capitalism and its first cousin, privatization.
(Editor's note: KBR is one of the obvious beneficiaries of these financial arrangements having been granted large contracts for oil infrastructure work. The original oil contracts drawn up earlier in the conquest under Bremmer which locked up deals for 30 years, are being challenged by some Iraqi's who believe the deals cheat the Iraqi people. Oil deals I have learned recently, are not just for American and British oil giants, but also are being given to some other countries such as China and India. Is the Iraqi Oil Ministry getting appropriate contracts for their people, or are corrupt deals being created which redirects the profits to a handful of Iraqi officials in power in collusion with the oil companies?)
8/28/10
MEXICAN ACTIVISTS MAY JOIN THE EARTH FEDERATION MOVEMENT
Communications between the Earth Federation and activists in Mexico have started since it was learned that student and political activists in Mexico are planning a "First Model World Parliament" to be held in the actual House of Deputies of the Mexican government.
The original connection originated from a meeting with Democratic World Federalists in San Francisco who, in association with the World Alliance to Transform the United Nations, began planning meetings in San Francisco perhaps in October, 2010.
The political importance of this network of strategy discussions is that we see American, Mexican, and possibly activists from Central and South America joining together -- with a strong student involvement.
Earth Federation activists believe that the Earth Constitution is the ideal instrument which will allow the creation of a true, as opposed to a toothless, world parliament.
There are activists who would like to simply have an elected world parliament which offers resolutions in terms of solutions, rather than create a genuine new world body (new world government) to replace the present shadow world government which analysts have noted are unelected, wealthy and powerful in military might and in political corruption.
-- RK 8/28/10
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Received 6/21/10 from Gary Shepherd
Gary Shepherd's analysis is a good history lesson for proponents of democratic world government. The public and politicians may resist, and even resent, logical solutions to our world's problems -- even when the old ways have been convincingly shown to be wrong, and in current times, disastrous. -- Editor
PTOLEMY, COPERNICUS AND WORLD GOVERNMENT
By Gary Shepherd
May - June 2010 issue of United World magazine
gshepher@verizon.net
Long before the advent of the current public arguments about
evolution and global warming, the greatest controversy in the history of
science was the debate between the geocentric, or earth-centered model of the
universe described by the second century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and the
heliocentric, or sun-centered model, advocated by the 16th century Polish
astronomer Copernicus.
This battle took most of a century to resolve, and it involved some
of the most powerful political and religious leaders of its time. Today, we
have forgotten just what a mental revolution Copernicus' theory represented.
Although some Greek philosophers had speculated about a heliocentric model, the
Ptolemaic model had been almost universally accepted by astronomers for more
than a thousand years. In fact, Copernicus knew that his idea was so radical
that he didn't even have it published until after he had safely died.
It is easy to see why. The idea that the Earth is at the center of
the universe, and that the sun, moon, planets and stars revolve around it
matches our everyday experience. After all, the Earth appears immobile beneath
our feet -- it doesn't seem to move. When we look up at the sky, the heavenly
bodies seem to be moving around us. Even today, we speak of the sun rising or
setting, as if it were the sun circling around the Earth.
What is more, the geocentric model could be used to explain all the
scientific observations that could be made at that time. Because it had been
noticed that sometimes the planets seemed to stop and go backwards in their
orbits for a while, Ptolemy created smaller circles, called epicycles, within
the larger crystalline spheres in which the planets circled around the Earth,
so that they were sometimes moving in the opposite direction from the larger
circle. Using this model, one could calculate precisely where a planet would be
at any particular time -- an important consideration at the time, since most
astronomers were also astrologers, and knowledge of the locations of the
planets at the time of a person's birth was vital to casting horoscopes.
But as time went on, and observations became more precise, the
ability of the Ptolemaic model to predict planetary locations began to break
down. The model was altered by later scientists, making it more and more
complex, in an effort to make it correspond to observations of the real
universe. In fact, the Ptolemaic model became so complex, that some scientists,
in order calculate planetary movements, used the Copernican model for
mathematical purposes, even though they didn't really believe it described the
actual universe.
Eventually, partly because of the invention of the telescope, the
Copernican model achieved acceptance over its rival, and today one would have
difficulty finding an astronomer anywhere who supported the geocentric
universe.
What, one is tempted to ask, has any of this to do with the idea of
world government? Well, the parallels are quite striking. The current system of
independent nation-states, sometimes called the Westphalian system, has existed
for many centuries as the unquestioned model for the way the political world is
designed. Like the Ptolemaic model, it makes sense to us. The nations appear to
exist, they appear to be eternal, and there doesn't appear to be any logical
alternative to it. They match our everyday experience. We speak of the earth,
and humanity, as if they were both divided up into nation-states.
Like the Ptolemaic model, as time has passed the nation-state model
has had to grow more and more complex to match the real world. Treaties,
conventions, and agreements have piled up, one upon the other, to govern the
complicated relations between the different nations. For instance, the Danube
River runs through numerous different nations on its way to the sea. All of the
national governments have a say in governing the preservation of that river,
making it very difficult to come to agreement about anything. The current
system has become so complex that sometimes, in order to make it function
properly, people act as if the world were united, even though they don't really
believe it is.
Just as it was the advance of technology and science led to more
precise measurements that doomed the Ptolemaic model to extinction, advanced
technology is leading toward measurements that are threatening the viability of
the nation-state system. We have peered down at the earth's surface from our
orbital satellites and have seen that there are no borders drawn on the real
earth. We have peered into the intricacies of the human genome, and we have
found no genes for nationality.
Copernicus offered a model that was truer to the real world, and
thus eventually supplanted the older, more inaccurate model. So too must we
offer a model of society that is truer to the real world, which is more
accurate, more sustainable, and simply works better, so that it can replace the
outdated one. One day, the idea of separate nation-states will come to seem as
quaint and antiquated as the perfect crystalline spheres that were a feature of
the Ptolemaic system.
5/24/10
MODERN MODERATE MUSLIM MAN OPPOSES USE OF THREATS OR VIOLENCE TO CENSOR RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION AND FREE SPEECH
A Portland, Oregon Muslim man in a recent article (in USA Today, May 13, 2010) opposes use of threats and violence by some Muslims who have murdered, or threatened to murder, those who have used the image of Mohammed in ways for which they did not approve.
Mr. Harris Zafar is highly critical of Muslim violence used to censor free speech and states that "...Islam does not support people who violently censor free speech. The Quran guarantees freedom of speech..." Mr. Zafar goes on to cite examples from the Quran and from the life of Mohammed himself which support nonviolence.
Importantly, Mr. Zafar also condemns State sponsored blasphemy laws such as used in Saudi Arabia (apostasy potentially punishable by death), Pakistan, and Afghanistan which also may invoke prison or a death sentence.
These majority Muslim states, according to the article, suppress other religious faiths and beliefs using blasphemy laws to silence or imprison religious minorities, journalists, academicians, and dissenters.
[Use of threats or violence to prevent free speech or practice of religion violates the Earth Constitution's Bill of Human Rights.]
Attempts to censor or silence critics is not limited to extremist Muslims. Jewish Zionists in the USA go to great lengths to silence criticism of Israel but use different tactics such as applying pressure to put a newspaper out of business.
Much like Saudi Arabia gives Muslims special rights, Israel does the same for its Jewish population. In both cases, citizens of other religions are second class citizens in terms of legal rights. [Unequal treatment of citizens violates the Human Rights section of the Earth Constitution.]
There is a somewhat different but parallel issue in the United States wherein Jewish Zionists try to silence criticism of Israel's criminal actions against the Palestinians. These Jewish extremists, unlike Muslim zealots, may allow public criticism of their God (Yahweh or Jehova), but they do not allow a full public discussion of Israel's expansionistic aggression against Palestinians and have "unelected" American politicians who dared defy the Israeli Lobby.
Last but not least, we must keep in mind a large group of fundamentalist Christians who (subconsciously) are actually hoping to have Armageddon (the ultimate in violence) to prove that their interpretation of Biblical scripture is "true." These extremist Christians support and encourage Israeli expansionism in the belief that once Israel has conquered all of the so-called "Promised Land" for Jews, then Biblical conditions are fulfilled for Armageddon to occur. Jesus will return while they, the faithful, will "rapture" up to heaven.
Armageddon, with its implication of widespread death and destruction, is not a particularly wholesome or loving value. Jesus, these extremists seem to fail to see, is the Prince of Peace -- not the Prince of Death and Destruction. If Jesus were here now, he would without question condemn any Armageddon scenario -- Jesus, in this writer's opinion, would not approve of the suffering of so many innocent people, such as our children, and would go into action to prevent such a horrible event.
-- Editor
4/30/10
"EQUAL LAND FOR EQUAL PEOPLE" OFFERS A STANDARD BY WHICH TO JUDGE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS BETWEEN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
Alan Barnett, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor (San Jose State University in California, USA), a peace and social justice activist, has proposed that the path to a fair and peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine should use the standard of "Equal Land for Equal People."
This principle of equality is in keeping with the standards and inherent basic rights as stated in the Earth Federation's Constitution. It would provide an objective that treats both the Jews and Palestinians (including Christians and Muslims) with integrity and respect.
Dr. Barnett notes that at the present time Israel has 78% of the Holy Land while Palestine has only 22%, despite the fact that when one counts the actual number of Jews and Palestinians in the region (including the Palestinian refugees driven out of Israel and in refugee camps), both have a population of roughly 6 to 8 million people. Hence his notion of "Equal Land for Equal People".
Barnett points out that, under the (international) rule of "right of return" the Palestinians would need more land than they presently have in order to accommodate the many refugees who want to return to their former homes (before being forced out year after year by the Israeli's).
The advantage of "Equal Land for Equal People" according to Dr. Barnett is that "The security of the Israelis depends on the Palestinians feeling that they are being dealt with fairly."
"Peace is only possible if both Israelis and Palestinians are treated as equals," writes Barnett.
Editor's note - "Equal land for equal people" is a potentially important guideline available for mediators in establishing a lasting and productive peace between Israel and Palestine. It is consistent with the Earth Constitution. Every human being is inherently, by birth, a "citizen of Earth" with all of the rights granted in Articles 12 and 13 (Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth, and Directive Principles).
3/27/10 MOVEMENT OF BUNKER BUSTER BOMBS BY THE US AIR FORCE SUGGESTS POSSIBLE ATTACK PLANS AGAINST IRAN. ANALYST PREDICTS A "STAGED TERRORIST" ATTACK WILL BE USED FOR JUSTIFICATION.
Analyst Paul Craig Roberts reports that a Scottish newspaper, The Herald Scotland, has reported that "bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." It is claimed by the newspaper that "bunker-buster bombs are being moved to an Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. One London analyst, Dan Piesch, is quoted as saying, "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The analysts speculate to what sounds like another "shock and awe" type of devastation as was used against Iraq, with the Western media claiming the attack is for "freedom and democracy" but the real intent will be to establish a puppet government.
A false flag operation followed by a military attack and invasion would be a violation of international law. (Many investigators believe that 9/11 was a false flag operation used as a pretext for war.) Would Israel and the USA act jointly?
If Iran is attacked under false pretense, would high government officials be held accountable by the International Criminal Court for war crimes? Even if Israel alone led the attack, could President Obama or Pentagon generals be tried for an international crime of aiding and abetting?
-- RK
Expect a False Flag Terror Attack To Precede Invasion Of Iran
Paul Craig Roberts -- March 18, 2010
According to news reports, the U.S. military is shipping "bunker-buster" bombs to the U.S. Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Herald Scotland reports that experts say the bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The newspaper quotes Dan Piesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London: "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The next step will be a staged "terrorist attack," a "false flag" operation as per Operation Northwoods, for which Iran will be blamed. As Iran and its leadership have already been demonized, the "false flag" attack will suffice to obtain US and European public support for bombing Iran. The bombing will include more than the nuclear facilities and will continue until the Iranians agree to regime change and the installation of a puppet government. The corrupt American media will present the new puppet as "freedom and democracy."
If the past is a guide, Americans will fall for the deception. In the February issue of the American Behavioral Scientist, a scholarly journal, Professor Lance DeHaven-Smith writes that state crimes against democracy (SCAD) involve government officials, often in combination with private interests, that engage in covert activities in order to implement an agenda. Examples include McCarthyism or the fabrication of evidence of communist infiltration, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution based on false claims of President Johnson and Pentagon chief McNamara that North Vietnam attacked a U.S. naval vessel, the burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist in order to discredit Ellsberg (the Pentagon Papers) as "disturbed," and the falsified "intelligence" that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
There are many other examples. I have always regarded the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City as a SCAD. Allegedly, a disturbed Tim McVeigh used a fertilizer bomb in a truck parked outside the building. More likely, McVeigh was a patsy, whose fertilizer bomb was a cover for explosives planted inside the building.
A number of experts dismissed the possibility of McVeigh's bomb producing such structural damage. For example, General Benton K. Partin, who was in charge of U.S. Air Force munitions design and testing, produced a thick report on the Murrah building bombing which concluded that the building blew up from the inside out. Gen. Partin concluded that "the pattern of damage would have been technically impossible without supplementary demolition charges at some of the reinforced concrete bases inside the building, a standard demolition technique. For a simplistic blast truck bomb, of the size and composition reported, to be able to reach out on the order of 60 feet and collapse a reinforced column base the size of column A7 is beyond credulity."Gen. Partin dismissed the official report as "a massive cover-up of immense proportions."
Of course, the general's unquestionable expertise had no bearing on the outcome. One reason is that his and other expert voices were drowned out by media pumping the official story. Another reason is that public beliefs in a democracy run counter to suspicion of government as a terrorist agent. Professor Laurie Manwell of the University of Guelph says that "false flag" operations have the advantage over truth: "research shows that people are far less willing to examine information that disputes, rather than confirms, their beliefs." Professor Steven Hoffman agrees: "Our data shows substantial support for a cognitive theory known as 'motivated reasoning,' which suggests that rather than search rationally for information that either confirms or disconfirms a particular belief, people actually seek out information that confirms what they already believe. In fact, for the most part people completely ignore contrary information." Even when hard evidence turns up, it can be discredited as a "conspiracy theory."
All that is necessary for success of "false flag" or "black ops" events is for the government to have its story ready and to have a reliable and compliant media. Once an official story is in place, thought and investigation are precluded. Any formal inquiry that is convened serves to buttress the already provided explanation.
An explanation ready-at-hand is almost a give-away that an incident is a "black ops" event. Notice how quickly the U.S. government, allegedly so totally deceived by al Qaida, provided the explanation for 9/11. When President Kennedy was assassinated, the government produced the culprit immediately. The alleged culprit was conveniently shot inside a jail by a civilian before he could be questioned. But the official story was ready, and it held.
Professors Manwell and Hoffman's research resonates with me. I remember reading in my graduate studies that the Czarist secret police set off bombs in order to create excuses to arrest their targets. My inclination was to dismiss the accounts as anti-Czarist propaganda by pro-communist historians. It was only later when Robert Conquest confirmed to me that this was indeed the practice of the Czarist secret police that the scales fell from my eyes.
Former CIA official Philip Giraldi in his article, "The Rogue Nation," makes it clear that the U.S. government has a hegemonic agenda that it is pursuing without congressional or public awareness. The agenda unfolds piecemeal as a response to "terrorism," and the big picture is not understood by the public or by most in Congress. Giraldi protests that the agenda is illegal under both U.S. and international law, but that the illegality of the agenda does not serve as a barrier. Only a naif could believe that such a government would not employ "false flag" operations that advance the agenda.
The U.S. population, it seems, is comprised of naifs whose lack of comprehension is bringing ruin to other lands.
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3/11/10
WAR SYSTEM SUCKS TAX MONEY AWAY FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION
On March 14, 2010 Dr. Tad Daley lectured to the public and UC Berkeley students on his new book "Apocalypse Never." But do college students really understand the relationship between their rising college costs and the bloated military/industrial/research war system budget of the United States with over 700 military bases around the world, and a so-called war against terror seemingly everywhere?
Do students really understand who is sucking up the majority of tax money which previously was used to provide an affordable, public college education? The obvious answer is the 700 billion dollars a year (plus or minus 50 billion dollars for black box operations) which buy bombs, bullets, rockets, guided missiles, golf courses for Pentagon generals, early retirement, Stealth bombers, jet airplanes, drones, Navy missile cruisers, and much, much more. Education and health care for Americans?
Many young people are being forced to "join the Army" in order to have a job, get health care, and sometimes, to get a college education.
Untold billions of dollars are being spent outside of America. New billion dollar embassies are being constructed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Billions of dollars to private contractors to rebuild infrastructure in these countries which the USA conveniently destroyed in the first place.
Corporations are (literally) "making a killing" in this war system, as are the smaller businesses that make uniforms, helmets, boots, and other necessities needed by a killing machine. Not to mention the doctors, nurses, consultants, spies, engineers, physicists, and other peripheral personnel used to advance and maintain the high tech war machine system.
Then of course there is the ongoing cost of death and destruction -- rebuilding disabled soldiers, demolished buildings, roads and other infrastructure destroyed by American/NATO bombs, and then having to replace these same bombs and missiles.
Yes, it's a good business -- if you believe in death and destruction.
But it's a bad business for educationand affordable health care at home. The public cannot afford to pay for constant, worldwide wars, both covert and overt, and pay for affordable education. Tough luck, students. Get the education you can't afford thanks to a war system designed to never end.
What could replace the world's war system? A world unity government -- the Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution...designed as a world peace system. Then students could be given affordable, or even free, education -- and universal health care would be a given.
-- Editor
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2/19/10 HOW THE UNPA CAMPAIGN RELATES TO THE EARTH FEDERATION'S WORLD PARLIAMENT
If European parliamentarians seek more democratic representation at the United Nations by adding a "Parliamentary Assembly," but is denied decision-making authority as is the case with the UN General Assembly, then the UNPA (and the UNGA) might consider joining the Earth Federation.
The Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution gives real democratic decision making authority to the Federation's World Parliament. This could become a real possibility since the UN Charter keeps key decision-making power in the hands of the Security Council, and limits the UN General Assembly to making "resolutions." A UN Parliamentary Assembly would most likely suffer the same fate as the General Assembly -- unless the UN Charter was dropped in favor of the Earth Constitution. -- Editor
2/12/10
WHY ESTABLISHMENT PANIC OVER THREAT OF NEW 9/11 INVESTIGATION?
An article in the Rock Creek Free Press (Feb., 2010) by Daniel Tencer reports that President Obama's appointee to head the "Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs," Cass Sunstein, proposes "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the one surrounding 9/11.
Why such panic from the Establishment?
This type of manipulation would most likely be for the goal of trying to avoid a new 9/11 investigation -- which is what the 9/11 truth movement has been demanding all along. (A demand which seems more than reasonable in view of the new factual evidence that has surfaced since the 9/11 Commission Report was shown to be fatally flawed.)
Such an obvious propaganda maneuver by the authorities is in line with the refusal of the mainstream media to allow credible researchers on the air to explain why they think a new 9/11 investigation is warranted. MSNBC, for example, despite trying to be "progressive", has repeatedly ignored requests to put 9/11 investigators on the air -- despite the fact that these researchers have blue ribbon, impeccable credentials.
In fact, no mainstream media (TV or newspaper) dares let these investigators report their findings to the public -- it would convince the public that they had been hookwinked.
The American propaganda apparatus instead attacks these researchers ad hominen -- an old propaganda trick used to avoid having to address the real issues.
Why? It is this writer's opinion that the Establishment has ordered censorship to avoid a new investigation -- precisely because the 9/11 researchers are getting too close to the type of facts that could bring down a ruling oligarchy.
One might speculate that there is a behind-the-scenes panic. 9/11 researchers are gaining more and more credibility worldwide.
But what about the so-called "mastermind" of 9/11? Won't the upcoming trial of Khalid Shikh Mohammed (KSM) put all questions to rest when he conveniently "confesses" in a public courtroom?
In reality, the fear that KSM might not "confess" the way he was "taught" by torture techniques, may be the reason that some politicians panic at the idea of a public trial, and want a military tribunal instead.
There might be a serious problem with KSM. What if he was tortured, not to get at the truth of "who done it", but to create what is known as a "patsy" in false flag operation lingo?
What if the endless series of waterboarding torture sessions failed to condition him enough to be a reliable patsy? (Hint -- if he appears to waiver from what he is "suppose to say", one might predict the possibility of an "accidental death," taking the full blame for 9/11 with him....case closed.)
-- Editor
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San Francisco Progressive Conference, like the Earth Federation, Proposes New U.S. Amendment to Take Away Corporate Personhood
Sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives (www.spiritualprogressives.org), over 500 progressive activists met in San Francisco on 2/15/10. There was much concern about the direction of the Obama administration. Expanded Pentagon budgets, corporate personhood, the health care debacle, bailing out Big Money, and much more had these progressives confessing to both emotional pain, and indeed, anger.
Similar to the recent discussion in Earth Federation ranks to pass a World Law to Prohibit Corporate Personhood, these progressives want an U.S. Constitutional Amendment to accomplish this same objective, albeit using a rather vague title: "Environmental and Ethical Responsibility Amendment."
Discussion on eliminating "corporate personhood" via an amendment recognized that, even if successful, would apply only here in the United States. Most corporations are multinational. Hence the importance of the Earth Federation's World Law proposal which will be discussed at the Provisonal World Parliament's 12th session which will be held in India in December, 2010.
The present writer was highly impressed with the level of discussion of most participants at this Conference, and the inspired leadership with such individuals as Rabbi Michael Learner, Medea Benjamin, and Marianne Williamson, and others.
There was also a proposal for a worldwide "Marshall Plan" in the belief that being kind and generous to others would be much more effective in global politics than using threats, intimidation, death and destruction. American militarization has only made our world less safe, both for Americans and for others in the world.
(The goals of this progressive group were very much in keeping with Earth Federation goals on almost all fronts -- ending war and poverty, increasing human rights, and protecting the environment. They continue, however, to think more in nationalistic terms rather than in terms of global structure change. Many do not yet grasp the critical need for democratic world federation to replace the current global war system and the inadequate and ineffective United Nations. -- Editor)
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2/6/2010
PROPOSED WORLD BILL FOR 12TH PROVISIONAL WORLD PARLIAMENT
Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Prohibition Act
Whereas, the fourth broad function of the Earth Federation is "to regulate world trade, communications, transportation, currency, standards, use of world resources, and other global and international processes" (Article 1.4);
Whereas, specific powers of the Earth Federation include the power to "define and regulate procedures for the nomination and election of members of each house of the World Parliament" (Article 4.7);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to protect the civil liberties identified in Article 12, including "freedom to vote without duress, and freedom for political organization and campaigning without censorship or recriminations" (Article 12.5);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "define standards and promote worldwide improvement in working conditions," standards of living, healthcare, sanitation, and other basic necessities for a quality of life for world citizens, including protection of the environment and the ending of war (Article 13);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "regulate and supervise supra-national trade, industry, corporations, businesses, cartels, professional services" (Article 4.14), and international communications (Article 4.13);
Whereas, in some major nations today, corporations have been granted "legal personhood," giving them all the rights and privileges of private human persons, with the exception that these corporations cannot die, that individuals operating within the corporation are protected from liability because the corporation itself is considered a collective "person," that corporations are entities without a conscience mandated solely to make a private profit for their investors, and that corporations, in spite of their vast impact on society, may claim privacy from public scrutiny, and other rights of private persons;
And whereas, within such nations, corporate personhood has given corporations the "free speech" of private persons through which they have used their vast economic resources to colonize and destroy the democratic process, engineering the election of law-makers beholden to the corporations, employing professional lobbyists for their private ends, and using a variety of means to manipulate government in the service of minority private interests;
And whereas, within the world prior to the advent of the Earth Federation, democracy has been compromised nearly everywhere by the wealth and power of the few to colonize governments and communications systems;
Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Provisional World Parliament:
Article 1.
Only flesh and blood human beings shall have the rights of legal persons as identified in Articles 12 and 13 of the Earth Constitution.
Article 2.
Private corporations under the regulative jurisdiction of the Earth Federation shall be incorporated . by the World Parliament or its designated agents with legal mandates specifically defining their functions, responsibilities, and modes of operation.
2.1. These legal mandates empowering corporations to perform certain economic operations shall be defined within a framework considering:
2.1.2. protection of democracy,
2.1.3, protection of the environment,
2.1.4 promotion of economic prosperity among people and communities effected by their operations, and, in general,
2.1.5 the common good of the citizens of the Earth Federation.
Article 3.
Private, profit-oriented corporations shall not have the right, as collective entities, to promote any candidate for election or any political cause within the Earth Federation, nor to contribute funds or campaign contributions or other economic support to candidates for office.
3.1. However, individuals working within any corporation, shall have the free and full right to participate in promoting candidates for election or any political cause they may choose,
3.2. Individuals working within any corporation shall have the right to contribute funds to political campaigns within whatever limits may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 4.
Private individuals shall have the right to promote candidates or causes of their choice within the legal criteria legislated by the World Parliament. Such criteria shall be formulated within a framework that limits the ability of wealthy individuals to unduly influence or colonize the political process.
Article 5.
Non-profit political associations of private individuals (as, for example, political parties, advocacy groups, or think tanks) shall be registered with the Earth Federation and operate within whatever legal limits, transparency, and other criteria as may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 6.
Elections conducted under the World Parliament, beginning at the First Operative Stage of the Earth Federation, shall be free, fair, and monitored by independent observers.
6.1. Each candidate shall use a government defined and paid for information booklet (which may also be electronic), of a standard size and overall format that shall be used for campaign purposes (as specified in Article 8.3.1.5 of the Earth Constitution).
6.2. Each candidate shall have equal access to public communications media (electronic or print) under limits and conditions defined by the World Parliament.
6.3. Each candidate shall have the right to use private communications media (electronic or print) as paid for by non-profit advocacy groups or contributions of private citizens under limits and conditions as defined by the World Parliament.
Article 7.
Private, profit-making communications media that are international in scope also fall under the category of corporations and agencies requiring regulation by the Earth Federation (Articles 1.4 and 4.13).
7.1. Profit-making communications corporations shall not be recognized as legal persons within the Earth Federation.
7.2. The Provisional World Parliament recognizes that profit-making communications corporations may play in important role in fostering democratic processes, the diversity of voices necessary to vigorous dialogue and debate, and disseminating information necessary to democratic decision-making.
7.3. With this possibly important role in mind, the World Parliament may wish to define legal incorporation for such entities differently from that from other profit-making corporations.
7.4. Nevertheless, the legal powers of profit-making communications corporations shall be defined within a framework directed toward maximizing the democratic powers of individual persons for participation in political processes and protecting the rights of individual persons to speech and political participation as define in Articles 12 and 13.
7.5. The framework identified in 7.4 may be fostered, for example, through anti-trust or anti-cartel laws that break up media conglomerates into a number of smaller, competing voices, or through legislation requiring the airing of opposing viewpoints.
Article 8.
When considering legislation concerning the items specified under this Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Abolition Act, the World Parliament shall seek input from each of the agencies within the Integrative Complex of the Earth Federation and from any other ministry or agency of the Federation deemed appropriate.
8.1. Since the World Boundaries and Elections Administration (Article 8.3) is responsible to define the procedures for properly democratic elections (8.3.1.5) and defines the rules for world political parties (8.3.1.6), this agency shall submit annual reports to the World Parliament regarding the successes and difficulties of democratic elections with respect to the functioning of concentrations of private wealth (wealthy individuals or profit-making corporations) and with respect to the operations of communications corporations.
8.2. These reports shall include factual assessments of the degrees to which free and fair popular democracy in the service of the majority of people is disrupted by private wealth, profit-making corporations, and/or communications corporations.
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Article 9.
Penalties for violations of this act shall be determined by the World Parliament and enforced by the world police and world courts.
9.1. All penalties shall apply to individuals and none to corporations, since it is individuals who break the law, not abstract legal entities.
9.2. The penalties and courts shall normally assess greater responsibility to those higher up in the corporate hierarchy, keeping in mind that "obeying orders" from one�s boss does not fully exonerate any individual who knowingly breaks the law.
9.3. Whistle blowers and others who report abuses with regard to this act shall be protected by this law from retaliation by their employers. It shall be the responsibility of the World Ombudsmus to monitor such situations and protect the rights of the persons involved.
2/6/10 FROM THE ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT NUMBER 78 by William Blum www.killinghope.org
(Below is an excerpt from Mr. Blum's latest article.)
The US bombing, invasion, occupation and torture in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bombing of Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, and the continuing Israeli-US genocide against the Palestinians have created an army of new anti-American terrorists. We'll be hearing from them for a terribly long time. And we'll be hearing American officials twist themselves into intellectual and moral knots as they try to avoid confronting these facts.
In his "State of the Union" address on January 27, President Obama said: "But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know." Well, ending America's many wars would free up enough money to do anything a rational, humane society would want to do. Eliminating the military budget would pay for free medical care for everyone. Free university education for everyone. Creating a government public works project that could provide millions of decently-paid jobs, like repairing the decrepit infrastructure and healing the environment to the best of our ability. You can add your own favorite projects. All covered, just by ending the damn wars. Imagine that.
(Editor's note: A belligerent nation always at war will go so deeply in debt that it will no longer be able to care for its own citizens at home. Worse yet, military and covert operation violence, death and destruction, make citizens less safe because the victims eventually seek revenge. Brutality only pacifies on the surface, underneath the victims seethe with anger and hate.)
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11/11/10
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WORLD PEACE: TREATIES ARE NOT THE ROAD TO WORLD PEACE AND JUSTICE -- ONLY A FEDERATED WORLD UNION IS REALISTIC AND PRACTICAL
Recently a world federalist sent out an impressive list of United Nations or other international treaties and conventions in various stages of consideration or acceptance by various nations.
The list included the NEW START TREATY (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT), the NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT), and conventions to ban cluster munitions and land mines. Also there are UN conventions against torture which came into force in 1987, conventions on the rights of children (1990) and the disabled (2008), and other important agreements.
By addressing these issues nations were acknowledging problems of universal concern and importance despite differences in culture and tradition, illustrating clearly that there can be universally agreed upon standards of ethics and conduct.
However, talk is cheap. Actually abiding by these types of agreements is a different story. History shows that agreements based upon treaties are built upon quicksand. Time and time again, particularly with the more powerful, treaties are ignored when seen as inconvenient with regard to national self-interest or business interests.
Smaller or weaker nations also routinely ignore these agreements but do so differently. They sneak and cheat as in the case of Israel regarding nuclear weapons, or get a powerful ally (in this case the USA) to give them protection from enforcement.
So where does the "Psychology of World Peace" enter this picture, and what does psychology have to do with treaties, conventions, and other agreements between nations?
In the current global system of treaty-based agreements, nations maintain "absolute" sovereignty. This fact means that nations are allowed to have secret operations, and choose which agreements they will abide by, or not. There is no guarantee of open inspection and investigation. Moreover, individual leaders are protected from outside criminal prosecution by their own nation.
The key psychological result of national sovereignty is one of institutionalized paranoia.
Prison gangs, like nations, operate under the paranoid dynamic. Because each gang is autonomous (i.e., sovereign), they are automatically paranoid that the other gang is arming to get the advantage. Hence, even when prison authorities do a complete, clean, prison sweep of all weapons everywhere in the prison -- the gangs within weeks rearm themselves.
The psychological effect of this dysfunctional global system is that each nation is paranoid of the other, and rightfully so. Nations, both powerful or weak, may be up to no good to get the advantage over the other.
There is only one method to end the dynamics of national paranoia. The nations must federate in a democratic world union. The Earth Constitution is designed for just that purpose.
The United Nations, consisting of sovereign nations and hence guaranteeing a constant dynamic of paranoia, must freely give way to the Earth Federation/Earth Constitution -- the latter of which has no military or economic power. Its power is in the fact that its design will eliminate once and for all the poison of paranoia which has plagued our world and brought us to the brink of destruction.
-- Editor (RK)
11/1/10
The United Nations 65th Anniversary celebration in San Francisco (October 22 -24, 2010) offered a generous portion of good feelings toward world unity and understanding to honor the signing of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco.
Events included a "Symphony for United Nations" conducted by Maestro Joseph Eger well-known for his artistic support of the UN; an inter-generational model UN session; a film festival on international issues; and some cultural performances with participants from other countries.
Although organizers of the events were successful in created a positive and constructive atmosphere, they did not shy away from discussing serious world problems. Speakers discussed worldwide poverty, sickness and diseases such as AIDS, human rights, wars and the urgent need for disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.
The prescriptions offered for solving these problems, however, tended to remain in the same United Nations paradigm emphasizing millennium goals which have been largely unsuccessful. Wars, threats of nuclear annihilation, worldwide poverty, and loss of individual human rights continue to be epidemic.
Lip service was made for the need to "strengthen the UN" and a call was put out to "rejuvenate the nuclear disarmament movement". A Stanford University professor, Dr. Hellman, presented the facts on the risks of nuclear catastrophe --
and left this observer more determined than ever to demand full nuclear disarmament the world over.
Proposed solutions by invited speakers, however, tended to remain "inside the box" regarding changes to the United Nations and the present global system. Proposed solutions relied upon treaties and international law within the present UN structure rather than a new democratic world body able to apply enforceable world laws on individuals and with a democratically elected world parliament.
There was some minor mention of the need for a "UN Peoples Assembly" to go along with the UN General Assembly, but no strong message to eliminate the Security Council with its undemocratic veto power, and no advocacy to replace or change the UN into a genuine democratic world federation which is what is ultimately needed -- the sooner the better.
The event drew together many people of goodwill, and reinforced the importance of a world body in which to discuss world problems and possible solutions. For me, the main importance of this event was that it reinforced goals which have moral and spiritual significance, and continues to maintain faith in the potential for good from our global community.
-- RK
8/31/10
WILL BIG OIL AND OTHER CORPORATIONS CASH IN WHILE THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER PAYS FIRST FOR A COMBAT MISSION, NOW FOR AN ONGOING OCCUPATION OF IRAQ?
Today the American president announced an end to the "combat mission" in Iraq. He does not discuss any plan to have an ongoing occupation using a mixture of American soldiers (now doing "training", not "combat"), and private contractors (mercenaries) to be stationed in permanent armed bases in Iraq, ready to strike if the puppet government's security forces flounder as the Iraqi people reject this arrangement.
The plan? It is my belief that the American taxpayer will get to pay for "security" while Big Oil (multinationals)& other corporations make lucrative deals for Iraqi oil and/or infrastructure projects, protected by the might of the American military, new police/military security via the State Dept., and highly paid private contractors replacing the "combat" troops along with those Iraqi's willing to join the security forces for a puppet government.
Otherwise, why an almost 1 billion dollar American embassy in Iraq, bigger than the Vatican according to various reports? It's a fortress, and the Americans along with the puppet government will be behind walls while Iraqi death/torture squads roam the land targeting dissidents. Moreover, although President Obama has stated America would not have a permanent presence in Iraq, the facts on the ground include numerous American military bases costing millions of dollars, and construction has apparently not abated.
War and occupation appears good for Big Business. Prediction: Big Oil and other corporations (e.g., Halliburton) will not pay for this protection, or the costs of maintaining a puppet government in which Iraqi officials will have ample opportunity to get rich right along with their corporate benefactors. (It will be the ordinary Iraqi citizen who will lose out.)
Another prediction: A similar fate awaits Afghanistan as Big Oil seeks a pipeline through that country. It will also require an ongoing occupation of the country coupled with a puppet government to fight off the rebellious people who reject such suppression. The American taxpayer will pay for the mixture of American soldiers and private contractors who will stay in Afghanistan (just like in Iraq) to insure a cooperating puppet government.
The Earth Federation would not accept the stealing of resources by use of military might by any nation and the use of propaganda (false information) to keep the people in fear and paranoia.
The 9/11 attack caused immense trauma and was supposedly an attack by Muslims, a pretext for the current wars. Unfortunately, the actual scientific evidence suggests otherwise -- yet the American government refuses a new investigation. If the Earth Federation were in full existence, it could do an independent investigation particularly when a nation is suspected of a cover-up. (The evidence presented by 9/11 Truth researchers points to an inside job, a highly sophisticated false flag operation which has led the American people into a "war that never ends, i.e., the war on terror.)
Speculation: There are likely to be additional "false flag operations" which falsely blame new attacks (possibly again on American soil), on "patsies" -- who "confess" their crimes after unbearable torture. These terror tactics will justify continued excessive budgets for the military/industrial complex and Homeland Security, as Americans give in to manufactured paranoia and fear.
Although American soldiers and the public are told that these wars are to bring "democracy and freedom" to whatever country is being "liberated," and to "protect" America from terrorists, the facts point in a different direction: The American government, largely dominated by corporate and banking interests, want governments who cooperate with predatory capitalism and its first cousin, privatization.
(Editor's note: KBR is one of the obvious beneficiaries of these financial arrangements having been granted large contracts for oil infrastructure work. The original oil contracts drawn up earlier in the conquest under Bremmer which locked up deals for 30 years, are being challenged by some Iraqi's who believe the deals cheat the Iraqi people. Oil deals I have learned recently, are not just for American and British oil giants, but also are being given to some other countries such as China and India. Is the Iraqi Oil Ministry getting appropriate contracts for their people, or are corrupt deals being created which redirects the profits to a handful of Iraqi officials in power in collusion with the oil companies?)
8/28/10
MEXICAN ACTIVISTS MAY JOIN THE EARTH FEDERATION MOVEMENT
Communications between the Earth Federation and activists in Mexico have started since it was learned that student and political activists in Mexico are planning a "First Model World Parliament" to be held in the actual House of Deputies of the Mexican government.
The original connection originated from a meeting with Democratic World Federalists in San Francisco who, in association with the World Alliance to Transform the United Nations, began planning meetings in San Francisco perhaps in October, 2010.
The political importance of this network of strategy discussions is that we see American, Mexican, and possibly activists from Central and South America joining together -- with a strong student involvement.
Earth Federation activists believe that the Earth Constitution is the ideal instrument which will allow the creation of a true, as opposed to a toothless, world parliament.
There are activists who would like to simply have an elected world parliament which offers resolutions in terms of solutions, rather than create a genuine new world body (new world government) to replace the present shadow world government which analysts have noted are unelected, wealthy and powerful in military might and in political corruption.
-- RK 8/28/10
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Received 6/21/10 from Gary Shepherd
Gary Shepherd's analysis is a good history lesson for proponents of democratic world government. The public and politicians may resist, and even resent, logical solutions to our world's problems -- even when the old ways have been convincingly shown to be wrong, and in current times, disastrous. -- Editor
PTOLEMY, COPERNICUS AND WORLD GOVERNMENT
By Gary Shepherd
May - June 2010 issue of United World magazine
gshepher@verizon.net
Long before the advent of the current public arguments about
evolution and global warming, the greatest controversy in the history of
science was the debate between the geocentric, or earth-centered model of the
universe described by the second century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and the
heliocentric, or sun-centered model, advocated by the 16th century Polish
astronomer Copernicus.
This battle took most of a century to resolve, and it involved some
of the most powerful political and religious leaders of its time. Today, we
have forgotten just what a mental revolution Copernicus' theory represented.
Although some Greek philosophers had speculated about a heliocentric model, the
Ptolemaic model had been almost universally accepted by astronomers for more
than a thousand years. In fact, Copernicus knew that his idea was so radical
that he didn't even have it published until after he had safely died.
It is easy to see why. The idea that the Earth is at the center of
the universe, and that the sun, moon, planets and stars revolve around it
matches our everyday experience. After all, the Earth appears immobile beneath
our feet -- it doesn't seem to move. When we look up at the sky, the heavenly
bodies seem to be moving around us. Even today, we speak of the sun rising or
setting, as if it were the sun circling around the Earth.
What is more, the geocentric model could be used to explain all the
scientific observations that could be made at that time. Because it had been
noticed that sometimes the planets seemed to stop and go backwards in their
orbits for a while, Ptolemy created smaller circles, called epicycles, within
the larger crystalline spheres in which the planets circled around the Earth,
so that they were sometimes moving in the opposite direction from the larger
circle. Using this model, one could calculate precisely where a planet would be
at any particular time -- an important consideration at the time, since most
astronomers were also astrologers, and knowledge of the locations of the
planets at the time of a person's birth was vital to casting horoscopes.
But as time went on, and observations became more precise, the
ability of the Ptolemaic model to predict planetary locations began to break
down. The model was altered by later scientists, making it more and more
complex, in an effort to make it correspond to observations of the real
universe. In fact, the Ptolemaic model became so complex, that some scientists,
in order calculate planetary movements, used the Copernican model for
mathematical purposes, even though they didn't really believe it described the
actual universe.
Eventually, partly because of the invention of the telescope, the
Copernican model achieved acceptance over its rival, and today one would have
difficulty finding an astronomer anywhere who supported the geocentric
universe.
What, one is tempted to ask, has any of this to do with the idea of
world government? Well, the parallels are quite striking. The current system of
independent nation-states, sometimes called the Westphalian system, has existed
for many centuries as the unquestioned model for the way the political world is
designed. Like the Ptolemaic model, it makes sense to us. The nations appear to
exist, they appear to be eternal, and there doesn't appear to be any logical
alternative to it. They match our everyday experience. We speak of the earth,
and humanity, as if they were both divided up into nation-states.
Like the Ptolemaic model, as time has passed the nation-state model
has had to grow more and more complex to match the real world. Treaties,
conventions, and agreements have piled up, one upon the other, to govern the
complicated relations between the different nations. For instance, the Danube
River runs through numerous different nations on its way to the sea. All of the
national governments have a say in governing the preservation of that river,
making it very difficult to come to agreement about anything. The current
system has become so complex that sometimes, in order to make it function
properly, people act as if the world were united, even though they don't really
believe it is.
Just as it was the advance of technology and science led to more
precise measurements that doomed the Ptolemaic model to extinction, advanced
technology is leading toward measurements that are threatening the viability of
the nation-state system. We have peered down at the earth's surface from our
orbital satellites and have seen that there are no borders drawn on the real
earth. We have peered into the intricacies of the human genome, and we have
found no genes for nationality.
Copernicus offered a model that was truer to the real world, and
thus eventually supplanted the older, more inaccurate model. So too must we
offer a model of society that is truer to the real world, which is more
accurate, more sustainable, and simply works better, so that it can replace the
outdated one. One day, the idea of separate nation-states will come to seem as
quaint and antiquated as the perfect crystalline spheres that were a feature of
the Ptolemaic system.
5/24/10
MODERN MODERATE MUSLIM MAN OPPOSES USE OF THREATS OR VIOLENCE TO CENSOR RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION AND FREE SPEECH
A Portland, Oregon Muslim man in a recent article (in USA Today, May 13, 2010) opposes use of threats and violence by some Muslims who have murdered, or threatened to murder, those who have used the image of Mohammed in ways for which they did not approve.
Mr. Harris Zafar is highly critical of Muslim violence used to censor free speech and states that "...Islam does not support people who violently censor free speech. The Quran guarantees freedom of speech..." Mr. Zafar goes on to cite examples from the Quran and from the life of Mohammed himself which support nonviolence.
Importantly, Mr. Zafar also condemns State sponsored blasphemy laws such as used in Saudi Arabia (apostasy potentially punishable by death), Pakistan, and Afghanistan which also may invoke prison or a death sentence.
These majority Muslim states, according to the article, suppress other religious faiths and beliefs using blasphemy laws to silence or imprison religious minorities, journalists, academicians, and dissenters.
[Use of threats or violence to prevent free speech or practice of religion violates the Earth Constitution's Bill of Human Rights.]
Attempts to censor or silence critics is not limited to extremist Muslims. Jewish Zionists in the USA go to great lengths to silence criticism of Israel but use different tactics such as applying pressure to put a newspaper out of business.
Much like Saudi Arabia gives Muslims special rights, Israel does the same for its Jewish population. In both cases, citizens of other religions are second class citizens in terms of legal rights. [Unequal treatment of citizens violates the Human Rights section of the Earth Constitution.]
There is a somewhat different but parallel issue in the United States wherein Jewish Zionists try to silence criticism of Israel's criminal actions against the Palestinians. These Jewish extremists, unlike Muslim zealots, may allow public criticism of their God (Yahweh or Jehova), but they do not allow a full public discussion of Israel's expansionistic aggression against Palestinians and have "unelected" American politicians who dared defy the Israeli Lobby.
Last but not least, we must keep in mind a large group of fundamentalist Christians who (subconsciously) are actually hoping to have Armageddon (the ultimate in violence) to prove that their interpretation of Biblical scripture is "true." These extremist Christians support and encourage Israeli expansionism in the belief that once Israel has conquered all of the so-called "Promised Land" for Jews, then Biblical conditions are fulfilled for Armageddon to occur. Jesus will return while they, the faithful, will "rapture" up to heaven.
Armageddon, with its implication of widespread death and destruction, is not a particularly wholesome or loving value. Jesus, these extremists seem to fail to see, is the Prince of Peace -- not the Prince of Death and Destruction. If Jesus were here now, he would without question condemn any Armageddon scenario -- Jesus, in this writer's opinion, would not approve of the suffering of so many innocent people, such as our children, and would go into action to prevent such a horrible event.
-- Editor
4/30/10
"EQUAL LAND FOR EQUAL PEOPLE" OFFERS A STANDARD BY WHICH TO JUDGE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS BETWEEN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
Alan Barnett, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor (San Jose State University in California, USA), a peace and social justice activist, has proposed that the path to a fair and peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine should use the standard of "Equal Land for Equal People."
This principle of equality is in keeping with the standards and inherent basic rights as stated in the Earth Federation's Constitution. It would provide an objective that treats both the Jews and Palestinians (including Christians and Muslims) with integrity and respect.
Dr. Barnett notes that at the present time Israel has 78% of the Holy Land while Palestine has only 22%, despite the fact that when one counts the actual number of Jews and Palestinians in the region (including the Palestinian refugees driven out of Israel and in refugee camps), both have a population of roughly 6 to 8 million people. Hence his notion of "Equal Land for Equal People".
Barnett points out that, under the (international) rule of "right of return" the Palestinians would need more land than they presently have in order to accommodate the many refugees who want to return to their former homes (before being forced out year after year by the Israeli's).
The advantage of "Equal Land for Equal People" according to Dr. Barnett is that "The security of the Israelis depends on the Palestinians feeling that they are being dealt with fairly."
"Peace is only possible if both Israelis and Palestinians are treated as equals," writes Barnett.
Editor's note - "Equal land for equal people" is a potentially important guideline available for mediators in establishing a lasting and productive peace between Israel and Palestine. It is consistent with the Earth Constitution. Every human being is inherently, by birth, a "citizen of Earth" with all of the rights granted in Articles 12 and 13 (Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth, and Directive Principles).
3/27/10 MOVEMENT OF BUNKER BUSTER BOMBS BY THE US AIR FORCE SUGGESTS POSSIBLE ATTACK PLANS AGAINST IRAN. ANALYST PREDICTS A "STAGED TERRORIST" ATTACK WILL BE USED FOR JUSTIFICATION.
Analyst Paul Craig Roberts reports that a Scottish newspaper, The Herald Scotland, has reported that "bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." It is claimed by the newspaper that "bunker-buster bombs are being moved to an Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. One London analyst, Dan Piesch, is quoted as saying, "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The analysts speculate to what sounds like another "shock and awe" type of devastation as was used against Iraq, with the Western media claiming the attack is for "freedom and democracy" but the real intent will be to establish a puppet government.
A false flag operation followed by a military attack and invasion would be a violation of international law. (Many investigators believe that 9/11 was a false flag operation used as a pretext for war.) Would Israel and the USA act jointly?
If Iran is attacked under false pretense, would high government officials be held accountable by the International Criminal Court for war crimes? Even if Israel alone led the attack, could President Obama or Pentagon generals be tried for an international crime of aiding and abetting?
-- RK
Expect a False Flag Terror Attack To Precede Invasion Of Iran
Paul Craig Roberts -- March 18, 2010
According to news reports, the U.S. military is shipping "bunker-buster" bombs to the U.S. Air Force base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Herald Scotland reports that experts say the bombs are being assembled for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The newspaper quotes Dan Piesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London: "They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran."
The next step will be a staged "terrorist attack," a "false flag" operation as per Operation Northwoods, for which Iran will be blamed. As Iran and its leadership have already been demonized, the "false flag" attack will suffice to obtain US and European public support for bombing Iran. The bombing will include more than the nuclear facilities and will continue until the Iranians agree to regime change and the installation of a puppet government. The corrupt American media will present the new puppet as "freedom and democracy."
If the past is a guide, Americans will fall for the deception. In the February issue of the American Behavioral Scientist, a scholarly journal, Professor Lance DeHaven-Smith writes that state crimes against democracy (SCAD) involve government officials, often in combination with private interests, that engage in covert activities in order to implement an agenda. Examples include McCarthyism or the fabrication of evidence of communist infiltration, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution based on false claims of President Johnson and Pentagon chief McNamara that North Vietnam attacked a U.S. naval vessel, the burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist in order to discredit Ellsberg (the Pentagon Papers) as "disturbed," and the falsified "intelligence" that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
There are many other examples. I have always regarded the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City as a SCAD. Allegedly, a disturbed Tim McVeigh used a fertilizer bomb in a truck parked outside the building. More likely, McVeigh was a patsy, whose fertilizer bomb was a cover for explosives planted inside the building.
A number of experts dismissed the possibility of McVeigh's bomb producing such structural damage. For example, General Benton K. Partin, who was in charge of U.S. Air Force munitions design and testing, produced a thick report on the Murrah building bombing which concluded that the building blew up from the inside out. Gen. Partin concluded that "the pattern of damage would have been technically impossible without supplementary demolition charges at some of the reinforced concrete bases inside the building, a standard demolition technique. For a simplistic blast truck bomb, of the size and composition reported, to be able to reach out on the order of 60 feet and collapse a reinforced column base the size of column A7 is beyond credulity."Gen. Partin dismissed the official report as "a massive cover-up of immense proportions."
Of course, the general's unquestionable expertise had no bearing on the outcome. One reason is that his and other expert voices were drowned out by media pumping the official story. Another reason is that public beliefs in a democracy run counter to suspicion of government as a terrorist agent. Professor Laurie Manwell of the University of Guelph says that "false flag" operations have the advantage over truth: "research shows that people are far less willing to examine information that disputes, rather than confirms, their beliefs." Professor Steven Hoffman agrees: "Our data shows substantial support for a cognitive theory known as 'motivated reasoning,' which suggests that rather than search rationally for information that either confirms or disconfirms a particular belief, people actually seek out information that confirms what they already believe. In fact, for the most part people completely ignore contrary information." Even when hard evidence turns up, it can be discredited as a "conspiracy theory."
All that is necessary for success of "false flag" or "black ops" events is for the government to have its story ready and to have a reliable and compliant media. Once an official story is in place, thought and investigation are precluded. Any formal inquiry that is convened serves to buttress the already provided explanation.
An explanation ready-at-hand is almost a give-away that an incident is a "black ops" event. Notice how quickly the U.S. government, allegedly so totally deceived by al Qaida, provided the explanation for 9/11. When President Kennedy was assassinated, the government produced the culprit immediately. The alleged culprit was conveniently shot inside a jail by a civilian before he could be questioned. But the official story was ready, and it held.
Professors Manwell and Hoffman's research resonates with me. I remember reading in my graduate studies that the Czarist secret police set off bombs in order to create excuses to arrest their targets. My inclination was to dismiss the accounts as anti-Czarist propaganda by pro-communist historians. It was only later when Robert Conquest confirmed to me that this was indeed the practice of the Czarist secret police that the scales fell from my eyes.
Former CIA official Philip Giraldi in his article, "The Rogue Nation," makes it clear that the U.S. government has a hegemonic agenda that it is pursuing without congressional or public awareness. The agenda unfolds piecemeal as a response to "terrorism," and the big picture is not understood by the public or by most in Congress. Giraldi protests that the agenda is illegal under both U.S. and international law, but that the illegality of the agenda does not serve as a barrier. Only a naif could believe that such a government would not employ "false flag" operations that advance the agenda.
The U.S. population, it seems, is comprised of naifs whose lack of comprehension is bringing ruin to other lands.
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3/11/10
WAR SYSTEM SUCKS TAX MONEY AWAY FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION
On March 14, 2010 Dr. Tad Daley lectured to the public and UC Berkeley students on his new book "Apocalypse Never." But do college students really understand the relationship between their rising college costs and the bloated military/industrial/research war system budget of the United States with over 700 military bases around the world, and a so-called war against terror seemingly everywhere?
Do students really understand who is sucking up the majority of tax money which previously was used to provide an affordable, public college education? The obvious answer is the 700 billion dollars a year (plus or minus 50 billion dollars for black box operations) which buy bombs, bullets, rockets, guided missiles, golf courses for Pentagon generals, early retirement, Stealth bombers, jet airplanes, drones, Navy missile cruisers, and much, much more. Education and health care for Americans?
Many young people are being forced to "join the Army" in order to have a job, get health care, and sometimes, to get a college education.
Untold billions of dollars are being spent outside of America. New billion dollar embassies are being constructed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Billions of dollars to private contractors to rebuild infrastructure in these countries which the USA conveniently destroyed in the first place.
Corporations are (literally) "making a killing" in this war system, as are the smaller businesses that make uniforms, helmets, boots, and other necessities needed by a killing machine. Not to mention the doctors, nurses, consultants, spies, engineers, physicists, and other peripheral personnel used to advance and maintain the high tech war machine system.
Then of course there is the ongoing cost of death and destruction -- rebuilding disabled soldiers, demolished buildings, roads and other infrastructure destroyed by American/NATO bombs, and then having to replace these same bombs and missiles.
Yes, it's a good business -- if you believe in death and destruction.
But it's a bad business for educationand affordable health care at home. The public cannot afford to pay for constant, worldwide wars, both covert and overt, and pay for affordable education. Tough luck, students. Get the education you can't afford thanks to a war system designed to never end.
What could replace the world's war system? A world unity government -- the Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution...designed as a world peace system. Then students could be given affordable, or even free, education -- and universal health care would be a given.
-- Editor
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2/19/10 HOW THE UNPA CAMPAIGN RELATES TO THE EARTH FEDERATION'S WORLD PARLIAMENT
If European parliamentarians seek more democratic representation at the United Nations by adding a "Parliamentary Assembly," but is denied decision-making authority as is the case with the UN General Assembly, then the UNPA (and the UNGA) might consider joining the Earth Federation.
The Earth Federation under the Earth Constitution gives real democratic decision making authority to the Federation's World Parliament. This could become a real possibility since the UN Charter keeps key decision-making power in the hands of the Security Council, and limits the UN General Assembly to making "resolutions." A UN Parliamentary Assembly would most likely suffer the same fate as the General Assembly -- unless the UN Charter was dropped in favor of the Earth Constitution. -- Editor
2/12/10
WHY ESTABLISHMENT PANIC OVER THREAT OF NEW 9/11 INVESTIGATION?
An article in the Rock Creek Free Press (Feb., 2010) by Daniel Tencer reports that President Obama's appointee to head the "Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs," Cass Sunstein, proposes "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the one surrounding 9/11.
Why such panic from the Establishment?
This type of manipulation would most likely be for the goal of trying to avoid a new 9/11 investigation -- which is what the 9/11 truth movement has been demanding all along. (A demand which seems more than reasonable in view of the new factual evidence that has surfaced since the 9/11 Commission Report was shown to be fatally flawed.)
Such an obvious propaganda maneuver by the authorities is in line with the refusal of the mainstream media to allow credible researchers on the air to explain why they think a new 9/11 investigation is warranted. MSNBC, for example, despite trying to be "progressive", has repeatedly ignored requests to put 9/11 investigators on the air -- despite the fact that these researchers have blue ribbon, impeccable credentials.
In fact, no mainstream media (TV or newspaper) dares let these investigators report their findings to the public -- it would convince the public that they had been hookwinked.
The American propaganda apparatus instead attacks these researchers ad hominen -- an old propaganda trick used to avoid having to address the real issues.
Why? It is this writer's opinion that the Establishment has ordered censorship to avoid a new investigation -- precisely because the 9/11 researchers are getting too close to the type of facts that could bring down a ruling oligarchy.
One might speculate that there is a behind-the-scenes panic. 9/11 researchers are gaining more and more credibility worldwide.
But what about the so-called "mastermind" of 9/11? Won't the upcoming trial of Khalid Shikh Mohammed (KSM) put all questions to rest when he conveniently "confesses" in a public courtroom?
In reality, the fear that KSM might not "confess" the way he was "taught" by torture techniques, may be the reason that some politicians panic at the idea of a public trial, and want a military tribunal instead.
There might be a serious problem with KSM. What if he was tortured, not to get at the truth of "who done it", but to create what is known as a "patsy" in false flag operation lingo?
What if the endless series of waterboarding torture sessions failed to condition him enough to be a reliable patsy? (Hint -- if he appears to waiver from what he is "suppose to say", one might predict the possibility of an "accidental death," taking the full blame for 9/11 with him....case closed.)
-- Editor
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San Francisco Progressive Conference, like the Earth Federation, Proposes New U.S. Amendment to Take Away Corporate Personhood
Sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives (www.spiritualprogressives.org), over 500 progressive activists met in San Francisco on 2/15/10. There was much concern about the direction of the Obama administration. Expanded Pentagon budgets, corporate personhood, the health care debacle, bailing out Big Money, and much more had these progressives confessing to both emotional pain, and indeed, anger.
Similar to the recent discussion in Earth Federation ranks to pass a World Law to Prohibit Corporate Personhood, these progressives want an U.S. Constitutional Amendment to accomplish this same objective, albeit using a rather vague title: "Environmental and Ethical Responsibility Amendment."
Discussion on eliminating "corporate personhood" via an amendment recognized that, even if successful, would apply only here in the United States. Most corporations are multinational. Hence the importance of the Earth Federation's World Law proposal which will be discussed at the Provisonal World Parliament's 12th session which will be held in India in December, 2010.
The present writer was highly impressed with the level of discussion of most participants at this Conference, and the inspired leadership with such individuals as Rabbi Michael Learner, Medea Benjamin, and Marianne Williamson, and others.
There was also a proposal for a worldwide "Marshall Plan" in the belief that being kind and generous to others would be much more effective in global politics than using threats, intimidation, death and destruction. American militarization has only made our world less safe, both for Americans and for others in the world.
(The goals of this progressive group were very much in keeping with Earth Federation goals on almost all fronts -- ending war and poverty, increasing human rights, and protecting the environment. They continue, however, to think more in nationalistic terms rather than in terms of global structure change. Many do not yet grasp the critical need for democratic world federation to replace the current global war system and the inadequate and ineffective United Nations. -- Editor)
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2/6/2010
PROPOSED WORLD BILL FOR 12TH PROVISIONAL WORLD PARLIAMENT
Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Prohibition Act
Whereas, the fourth broad function of the Earth Federation is "to regulate world trade, communications, transportation, currency, standards, use of world resources, and other global and international processes" (Article 1.4);
Whereas, specific powers of the Earth Federation include the power to "define and regulate procedures for the nomination and election of members of each house of the World Parliament" (Article 4.7);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to protect the civil liberties identified in Article 12, including "freedom to vote without duress, and freedom for political organization and campaigning without censorship or recriminations" (Article 12.5);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "define standards and promote worldwide improvement in working conditions," standards of living, healthcare, sanitation, and other basic necessities for a quality of life for world citizens, including protection of the environment and the ending of war (Article 13);
Whereas, the Earth Federation is responsible to "regulate and supervise supra-national trade, industry, corporations, businesses, cartels, professional services" (Article 4.14), and international communications (Article 4.13);
Whereas, in some major nations today, corporations have been granted "legal personhood," giving them all the rights and privileges of private human persons, with the exception that these corporations cannot die, that individuals operating within the corporation are protected from liability because the corporation itself is considered a collective "person," that corporations are entities without a conscience mandated solely to make a private profit for their investors, and that corporations, in spite of their vast impact on society, may claim privacy from public scrutiny, and other rights of private persons;
And whereas, within such nations, corporate personhood has given corporations the "free speech" of private persons through which they have used their vast economic resources to colonize and destroy the democratic process, engineering the election of law-makers beholden to the corporations, employing professional lobbyists for their private ends, and using a variety of means to manipulate government in the service of minority private interests;
And whereas, within the world prior to the advent of the Earth Federation, democracy has been compromised nearly everywhere by the wealth and power of the few to colonize governments and communications systems;
Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Provisional World Parliament:
Article 1.
Only flesh and blood human beings shall have the rights of legal persons as identified in Articles 12 and 13 of the Earth Constitution.
Article 2.
Private corporations under the regulative jurisdiction of the Earth Federation shall be incorporated . by the World Parliament or its designated agents with legal mandates specifically defining their functions, responsibilities, and modes of operation.
2.1. These legal mandates empowering corporations to perform certain economic operations shall be defined within a framework considering:
2.1.2. protection of democracy,
2.1.3, protection of the environment,
2.1.4 promotion of economic prosperity among people and communities effected by their operations, and, in general,
2.1.5 the common good of the citizens of the Earth Federation.
Article 3.
Private, profit-oriented corporations shall not have the right, as collective entities, to promote any candidate for election or any political cause within the Earth Federation, nor to contribute funds or campaign contributions or other economic support to candidates for office.
3.1. However, individuals working within any corporation, shall have the free and full right to participate in promoting candidates for election or any political cause they may choose,
3.2. Individuals working within any corporation shall have the right to contribute funds to political campaigns within whatever limits may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 4.
Private individuals shall have the right to promote candidates or causes of their choice within the legal criteria legislated by the World Parliament. Such criteria shall be formulated within a framework that limits the ability of wealthy individuals to unduly influence or colonize the political process.
Article 5.
Non-profit political associations of private individuals (as, for example, political parties, advocacy groups, or think tanks) shall be registered with the Earth Federation and operate within whatever legal limits, transparency, and other criteria as may be defined by subsequent legislation of the World Parliament.
Article 6.
Elections conducted under the World Parliament, beginning at the First Operative Stage of the Earth Federation, shall be free, fair, and monitored by independent observers.
6.1. Each candidate shall use a government defined and paid for information booklet (which may also be electronic), of a standard size and overall format that shall be used for campaign purposes (as specified in Article 8.3.1.5 of the Earth Constitution).
6.2. Each candidate shall have equal access to public communications media (electronic or print) under limits and conditions defined by the World Parliament.
6.3. Each candidate shall have the right to use private communications media (electronic or print) as paid for by non-profit advocacy groups or contributions of private citizens under limits and conditions as defined by the World Parliament.
Article 7.
Private, profit-making communications media that are international in scope also fall under the category of corporations and agencies requiring regulation by the Earth Federation (Articles 1.4 and 4.13).
7.1. Profit-making communications corporations shall not be recognized as legal persons within the Earth Federation.
7.2. The Provisional World Parliament recognizes that profit-making communications corporations may play in important role in fostering democratic processes, the diversity of voices necessary to vigorous dialogue and debate, and disseminating information necessary to democratic decision-making.
7.3. With this possibly important role in mind, the World Parliament may wish to define legal incorporation for such entities differently from that from other profit-making corporations.
7.4. Nevertheless, the legal powers of profit-making communications corporations shall be defined within a framework directed toward maximizing the democratic powers of individual persons for participation in political processes and protecting the rights of individual persons to speech and political participation as define in Articles 12 and 13.
7.5. The framework identified in 7.4 may be fostered, for example, through anti-trust or anti-cartel laws that break up media conglomerates into a number of smaller, competing voices, or through legislation requiring the airing of opposing viewpoints.
Article 8.
When considering legislation concerning the items specified under this Democracy Enhancement and Corporate Personhood Abolition Act, the World Parliament shall seek input from each of the agencies within the Integrative Complex of the Earth Federation and from any other ministry or agency of the Federation deemed appropriate.
8.1. Since the World Boundaries and Elections Administration (Article 8.3) is responsible to define the procedures for properly democratic elections (8.3.1.5) and defines the rules for world political parties (8.3.1.6), this agency shall submit annual reports to the World Parliament regarding the successes and difficulties of democratic elections with respect to the functioning of concentrations of private wealth (wealthy individuals or profit-making corporations) and with respect to the operations of communications corporations.
8.2. These reports shall include factual assessments of the degrees to which free and fair popular democracy in the service of the majority of people is disrupted by private wealth, profit-making corporations, and/or communications corporations.
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Article 9.
Penalties for violations of this act shall be determined by the World Parliament and enforced by the world police and world courts.
9.1. All penalties shall apply to individuals and none to corporations, since it is individuals who break the law, not abstract legal entities.
9.2. The penalties and courts shall normally assess greater responsibility to those higher up in the corporate hierarchy, keeping in mind that "obeying orders" from one�s boss does not fully exonerate any individual who knowingly breaks the law.
9.3. Whistle blowers and others who report abuses with regard to this act shall be protected by this law from retaliation by their employers. It shall be the responsibility of the World Ombudsmus to monitor such situations and protect the rights of the persons involved.
2/6/10 FROM THE ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT NUMBER 78 by William Blum www.killinghope.org
(Below is an excerpt from Mr. Blum's latest article.)
The US bombing, invasion, occupation and torture in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bombing of Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, and the continuing Israeli-US genocide against the Palestinians have created an army of new anti-American terrorists. We'll be hearing from them for a terribly long time. And we'll be hearing American officials twist themselves into intellectual and moral knots as they try to avoid confronting these facts.
In his "State of the Union" address on January 27, President Obama said: "But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know." Well, ending America's many wars would free up enough money to do anything a rational, humane society would want to do. Eliminating the military budget would pay for free medical care for everyone. Free university education for everyone. Creating a government public works project that could provide millions of decently-paid jobs, like repairing the decrepit infrastructure and healing the environment to the best of our ability. You can add your own favorite projects. All covered, just by ending the damn wars. Imagine that.
(Editor's note: A belligerent nation always at war will go so deeply in debt that it will no longer be able to care for its own citizens at home. Worse yet, military and covert operation violence, death and destruction, make citizens less safe because the victims eventually seek revenge. Brutality only pacifies on the surface, underneath the victims seethe with anger and hate.)
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1/31/2010
WILL THE PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS JOIN THE EARTH FEDERATION GOAL OF DISARMAGEDDON?
Representatives of the Parliament of the World's Religions will be contacted soon to propose that the Earth Federation's goal of "Disarmageddon" (world peace without the Armageddon death and destruction scenario)be considered as a goal for this world body of religious representatives. Upwards of 170 religions have been reported to participate in this religious world parliament.
The Earth Federation believes that it is imperative that world peace be achieved without the death and destruction scenario predicted by some religious groups, and prodded on by some of these same religious faiths who predict, or require, an "Armageddon" before there can be a successful peaceful world.
The belief that we are in "the End times" may have led some religious extremists to actively support the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, with the belief that there must first be an Armageddon before the Savior can make His appearance.
The question to the Parliament of World's Religions: Is an Armageddon really all that necessary or desirable in terms of sacred scriptures? Can world spiritual leaders find a means to restrain those zealots who would actually cheer for Armageddon???
-- editor
1/24/10
1000 WORLD ELECTORAL DISTRICTS?
Activists such as those in the Peoples Congress have been contacted by the present writer to consider adopting the Earth Constitution's requirement that "1000 World Electoral Districts" be established for the "House of Peoples" in the Provisional World Parliament.
The Earth Constitution's founders believed that 1000 elected representatives would be a workable number to represent the 5 to 6 billion people in the world.
The proposed Earth Federation electoral districts have been drawn up for all parts of the world, but may be modified when a newer population census is available --possibly this year, according to Eugenia Almand, Provisional World Parliament Secretary.
The Earth Constitution calls for the the Earth Federation's World Parliament to also include a "House of Nations" and a "House of Counselors." This structure is a tricameral model, different from the USA which is bicameral (two houses), or some nations with only a single national parliament.
-- RK
1/15/2010SIGN THAT A MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION IS TAKING A PRINCIPLED, MORAL STAND AGAINST A SUPERPOWER
The world public can take hope from the fact that Google Corporation actually took a public stand resisting censorship and snooping by superpower China against human rights advocates. Too good to be true? Multinational corporations are not exactly known for principled, ethical positions when it comes to making money. (Profit seems all too important to many CEO's even if it means violating ethical principles.)
In the present situation, if Google's concerns turn out to be factual, then China is in violation of at least three sections of Article XII (Bill of Rights) in the Earth Constitution. The Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth #3 requires "freedom of writing, communication, publication..." and #5 grants "freedom from censorship" and #18 prohibits "surveillance as a means of political control."
Article XIII #3 grants "Full access to information and to the accumulated knowledge of the human race."
Under the Earth Constitution, government authorities (in this case any Chinese official responsible for the alleged action) can be held accountable as an individual if their actions are found to be unlawful after due process proceedings by the judiciary.
Google Corporation is to be congratulated for speaking out on behalf of the world public interest. The Earth Federation would fully support Google in this case because openness to information advances democratic processes -- a top priority for the Federation.
-- Editor 1/15/10
1/9/2010
AUTHENTIC DEMOCRACY IS A BETTER DEAL FOR "WE, THE PEOPLE" THAN A WORLD GOVERNED BY SHADOW ELITES
The alarm went out many years ago when some California grassroots activists began to investigate the Bohemian Club which consisted of the rich and/or powerful -- CEO's, former Presidents, Senators, heads of covert agencies, the wealthy, owners of media, etc. It became obvious that there was an "old boys network" which greased the wheels of fortune both in , and out, of government and pretty much controlled outcomes in their own favor.
While many people from other countries have understood who "runs the show" so to speak, Americans have been slow to acknowledge that their own fate was more in the hands of shadowy elites than under their own control. Authentic democracy was more a fantasy than a fact argues Professor Glen Martin, whom I have described as the "most important man in America."
Dr. Martin, from a small university back east and unknown to the public, shows covincingly in "Triumph of Civilization" that we in America as well as elsewhere do not have authentic democracy or full freedoms. People with money have much more "freedom of speech" since they are the ones who can afford to buy media time and who own the main media outlets.
Dr. Martin's importance is that he has gone beyond identifying the key problems, he has also actively proposed powerful new solutions which he is helping to implement.
We must replace the shadow world government with authentic democracy Martin would argue -- and that's where the Earth Federation enters the picture. Through the Earth Federation movement under the inspiring Earth Constitution, "we, the people" can begin to regain democratic control of our country, and world.
Currently we can see that even President Obama, a former community activist, is dominated by wealthy and powerful private interests -- banking, insurance, multinational corporate, and military/industrial. Most of these players are unknown to the people who continue to carry the belief that their America is "free" and "democratic", a fantasy myth which serves private interests well as they recruit young Americans to unwittingly die for oil and other profit-producing interests.
The sad fact is that politicians in America and many other nations are rather obviously bought and paid for by private interests. This same Big Money cabal owns all major media outlets -- hence has control of the messag which helps to manipulate our perceptions in their favor as economist J.W. Smith ("Economic Democracy") has so eloquently explained.
It comes down to "we, the people": Do we want to continue being governed undemocratically in the shadowy hands of private interests, or do we want to stand up for true democracy?
Dr. Martin believes that the time is ripe for "we, the people" to replace the destructive and undemocratic "new world order" with the emerging Earth Federation's "democratic world order"
-- Editor 1/9/2010
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12/13/09
NATIONS RUINED BY PREDATORY PRACTICES OF MULTINATIONALS
Multinational corporations, according to John Perkins in his new book titled HOODWINKED, have replaced nations as the driving force behind geopolitics.
"The emerging rulers are not presidents, dictators, government officials, or politicians. The rulers are corporate CEOs, members of the corporatocracy. Like huge clouds swirling around the globe, their conglomerates reach every continent, country, and village. They are unrestricted by national borders or any particular sets of law. Although many are headquartered in the United States and call upon the U.S. military to protect their interests, they feel no sense of loyalty to any one country."
"As we have seen by Halliburton, they think nothing of relocating to places like Dubai, where they pay fewer taxes." (Editor's note: Halliburton has made millions or billions of dollars of profit from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars of occupation.)
Perkins explains that mantras like"good government is less government" and "free trade" are used to mislead the public. In reality, they are used as code phrases for deregulation and privatization all of which favor, not the public interest, but the multinationals. "...the only governments that mattered were the ones that would provide soldiers to guard oil wells, dams, mines and other corporate assets."
Mr. Perkins calls the economic methods which have ruined many developing nations, and now more advanced countries like Iceland and the United States, "predatory capitalism," and argues that it is a "virus" which must be removed.
"The guiding philosophy for this particular form of capitalism is an uncompromising belief in the privatization of resources, the granting of unfettered powers to corporate executives, and the encouragement of debt so extreme that it results in contemporary modes of enslavement-- for countries and individuals alike."
Has this predatory type of capitalism captured U.S. politicians? Perkins thinks so. He states that while working as an ECM (Economic Hit Man) he learned that when corporations "coveted" a country's resources they would "seduce, bribe, and extort their leaders into exploiting their own people..." If the leaders (of a developing nation) resisted the ECM economic plans, "...they are overthrown or assassinated by CIA-sponsored jackals." If that didn't work, then the USA would subdue the country by going to war, conquering it, and putting in a puppet government doing our (multinational corporate) bidding.
Mr. Perkins reveals to the reader how deep the greed has penetrated America: "We (economic hit men) were so successful in the Third World that our bosses directed us to implement similar strategies in the United States and across the rest of the planet."
Hence, the current economic fiasco/crisis now causing immense suffering in the USA itself.
(Editor's note: The EARTH FEDERATION, unlike the United Nations, provides a means to regulate and prevent "predatory capitalism" by multinational corporations and international investment bankers. Whereas the EARTH FEDERATION'S Earth Constitution provides structures to protect the public from predatory economic practices, the UN Charter does not -- one of the fatal flaws which renders the UN Charter too weak and undemocratic to be able to protect "we, the people" from powerful and unscrupulous special interests.)
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11/5/09
DON'T BET ON INTERNATIONAL LAW TO SAVE US
World federalists have become accustomed to the belief of some peace activists that building a real democratic world federation is too hard to accomplish, will never happen, and besides, isn't needed anyway. So why not just stick with "international law"?
The most recent foray down this path of wishful thinking is from a former Montana law professor, James Ranney, whose recent article in "The Federalist Debate" (July, 2009) argues for the idea that the gradual acceptance of customs, norms, treaties and agreements between nations (equals "international law") will prove adequate, and world federalists are wrong in insisting that only a democratic world federation making enforceable word law can do the job -- of saving the world (from wars, from the Bomb, from poverty, from torture, from climate change, and so on).
Ranney questions the warnings of world federalists who believe that history proves that laws based upon treaties are unstable and can't be trusted. To this writer, the historical facts show clearly that treaties between nations are the equivalent of living on quicksand. International "law" based upon treaties, or custom, or "norms" has deteriorated time after time as the priorities of the nation states change.
In additional to instability, another major drawback for international laws is that they are almost universally undemocratic in origin. Moreover, as the economist J.W. Smith has discovered, international laws, agreements, norms (and customs) basically provide a means for multinational corporations and international investment bankers to "legally" plunder developing nations, the poor, and even the tax paying middle classes. These types of "laws", Smith warns, favor the already wealthy and powerful -- a subtle means to maintain dominance over the majority of people in the world.
So when Ranney views the WTO, World Bank, and IMF as "milestones of International Law" he is unwittingly supporting international structures which many activists believe do more harm than good, especially for "we, the people."
Ranney's mistake is to fail to recognize that many of his so-called "milestones" of international law are actually in fact regressive, steps backward, not steps forward. If allowed to remain in place without the checks and balances of a true democratic world government structure, we will continue to flounder in terms of
resolving critical world problems and crises.
One can only imagine how dismal our world will be if we continue on the present path of dominance by the few, and we make the fatal error of keeping in place international structures (such as the United Nations) which have proved
ineffective, or in the case of the World Bank and IMF, proved harmful to "we, the people."
The EARTH FEDERATION/Earth Constitution is the path out of the swamp of the
old, new world order with its undemocratic design and its unenforceable structure -- so convenient for the few who dominate "we, the people."
"International law" has some good parts which can easily be integrated into the EARTH FEDERATION'S world legislative acts -- a democratic process already underway by the Provisional World Parliament in the form of model world laws.
-- Above commentary the opinion of Dr. Roger Kotila, and may not represent fully the position of the EARTH FEDERA
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1/15/2010
ENCOURAGING SIGN THAT A MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION IS TAKING A PRINCIPLED, MORAL STAND AGAINST A SUPERPOWER
The world public can take hope from the fact that Google Corporation actually took a public stand resisting censorship and snooping by superpower China against human rights advocates. Too good to be true? Multinational corporations are not exactly known for principled, ethical positions when it comes to making money. (Profit seems all too important to many CEO's even if it means violating ethical principles.)
In the present situation, if Google's concerns turn out to be factual, then China is in violation of at least three sections of Article XII (Bill of Rights) in the Earth Constitution. The Bill of Rights for the Citizens of Earth #3 requires "freedom of writing, communication, publication..." and #5 grants "freedom from censorship" and #18 prohibits "surveillance as a means of political control."
Article XIII #3 grants "Full access to information and to the accumulated knowledge of the human race."
Under the Earth Constitution, government authorities (in this case any Chinese official responsible for the alleged action) can be held accountable as an individual if their actions are found to be unlawful after due process proceedings by the judiciary.
Google Corporation is to be congratulated for speaking out on behalf of the world public interest. The Earth Federation would fully support Google in this case because openness to information advances democratic processes -- a top priority for the Federation.
-- Editor 1/15/10
1/9/2010
AUTHENTIC DEMOCRACY IS A BETTER DEAL FOR "WE, THE PEOPLE" THAN A WORLD GOVERNED BY SHADOW ELITES
The alarm went out many years ago when some California grassroots activists began to investigate the Bohemian Club which consisted of the rich and/or powerful -- CEO's, former Presidents, Senators, heads of covert agencies, the wealthy, owners of media, etc. It became obvious that there was an "old boys network" which greased the wheels of fortune both in , and out, of government and pretty much controlled outcomes in their own favor.
While many people from other countries have understood who "runs the show" so to speak, Americans have been slow to acknowledge that their own fate was more in the hands of shadowy elites than under their own control. Authentic democracy was more a fantasy than a fact argues Professor Glen Martin, whom I have described as the "most important man in America."
Dr. Martin, from a small university back east and unknown to the public, shows covincingly in "Triumph of Civilization" that we in America as well as elsewhere do not have authentic democracy or full freedoms. People with money have much more "freedom of speech" since they are the ones who can afford to buy media time and who own the main media outlets.
Dr. Martin's importance is that he has gone beyond identifying the key problems, he has also actively proposed powerful new solutions which he is helping to implement.
We must replace the shadow world government with authentic democracy Martin would argue -- and that's where the Earth Federation enters the picture. Through the Earth Federation movement under the inspiring Earth Constitution, "we, the people" can begin to regain democratic control of our country, and world.
Currently we can see that even President Obama, a former community activist, is dominated by wealthy and powerful private interests -- banking, insurance, multinational corporate, and military/industrial. Most of these players are unknown to the people who continue to carry the belief that their America is "free" and "democratic", a fantasy myth which serves private interests well as they recruit young Americans to unwittingly die for oil and other profit-producing interests.
The sad fact is that politicians in America and many other nations are rather obviously bought and paid for by private interests. This same Big Money cabal owns all major media outlets -- hence has control of the messag which helps to manipulate our perceptions in their favor as economist J.W. Smith ("Economic Democracy") has so eloquently explained.
It comes down to "we, the people": Do we want to continue being governed undemocratically in the shadowy hands of private interests, or do we want to stand up for true democracy?
Dr. Martin believes that the time is ripe for "we, the people" to replace the destructive and undemocratic "new world order" with the emerging Earth Federation's "democratic world order"
-- Editor 1/9/2010
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12/13/09
NATIONS RUINED BY PREDATORY PRACTICES OF MULTINATIONALS
Multinational corporations, according to John Perkins in his new book titled HOODWINKED, have replaced nations as the driving force behind geopolitics.
"The emerging rulers are not presidents, dictators, government officials, or politicians. The rulers are corporate CEOs, members of the corporatocracy. Like huge clouds swirling around the globe, their conglomerates reach every continent, country, and village. They are unrestricted by national borders or any particular sets of law. Although many are headquartered in the United States and call upon the U.S. military to protect their interests, they feel no sense of loyalty to any one country."
"As we have seen by Halliburton, they think nothing of relocating to places like Dubai, where they pay fewer taxes." (Editor's note: Halliburton has made millions or billions of dollars of profit from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars of occupation.)
Perkins explains that mantras like"good government is less government" and "free trade" are used to mislead the public. In reality, they are used as code phrases for deregulation and privatization all of which favor, not the public interest, but the multinationals. "...the only governments that mattered were the ones that would provide soldiers to guard oil wells, dams, mines and other corporate assets."
Mr. Perkins calls the economic methods which have ruined many developing nations, and now more advanced countries like Iceland and the United States, "predatory capitalism," and argues that it is a "virus" which must be removed.
"The guiding philosophy for this particular form of capitalism is an uncompromising belief in the privatization of resources, the granting of unfettered powers to corporate executives, and the encouragement of debt so extreme that it results in contemporary modes of enslavement-- for countries and individuals alike."
Has this predatory type of capitalism captured U.S. politicians? Perkins thinks so. He states that while working as an ECM (Economic Hit Man) he learned that when corporations "coveted" a country's resources they would "seduce, bribe, and extort their leaders into exploiting their own people..." If the leaders (of a developing nation) resisted the ECM economic plans, "...they are overthrown or assassinated by CIA-sponsored jackals." If that didn't work, then the USA would subdue the country by going to war, conquering it, and putting in a puppet government doing our (multinational corporate) bidding.
Mr. Perkins reveals to the reader how deep the greed has penetrated America: "We (economic hit men) were so successful in the Third World that our bosses directed us to implement similar strategies in the United States and across the rest of the planet."
Hence, the current economic fiasco/crisis now causing immense suffering in the USA itself.
(Editor's note: The EARTH FEDERATION, unlike the United Nations, provides a means to regulate and prevent "predatory capitalism" by multinational corporations and international investment bankers. Whereas the EARTH FEDERATION'S Earth Constitution provides structures to protect the public from predatory economic practices, the UN Charter does not -- one of the fatal flaws which renders the UN Charter too weak and undemocratic to be able to protect "we, the people" from powerful and unscrupulous special interests.)
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DON'T BET ON INTERNATIONAL LAW TO SAVE US
World federalists have become accustomed to the belief of some peace activists that building a real democratic world federation is too hard to accomplish, will never happen, and besides, isn't needed anyway. So why not just stick with "international law"?
lawThe most recent foray down this path of wishful thinking is from a former Montana law professor, James Ranney, whose recent article in "The Federalist Debate" (July, 2009) argues for the idea that the gradual acceptance of customs, norms, treaties and agreements between nations (equals "international law") will prove adequate, and world federalists are wrong in insisting that only a democratic world federation making enforceable word law can do the job -- of saving the world (from wars, from the Bomb, from poverty, from torture, from climate change, and so on).
Ranney questions the warnings of world federalists who believe that history proves that laws based upon treaties are unstable and can't be trusted. To this writer, the historical facts show clearly that treaties between nations are the equivalent of living on quicksand. International "law" based upon treaties, or custom, or "norms" has deteriorated time after time as the priorities of the nation states change.
In additional to instability, another major drawback for international laws is that they are almost universally undemocratic in origin. Moreover, as the economist J.W. Smith has discovered, international laws, agreements, norms (and customs) basically provide a means for multinational corporations and international investment bankers to "legally" plunder developing nations, the poor, and even the tax paying middle classes. These types of "laws", Smith warns, favor the already wealthy and powerful -- a subtle means to maintain dominance over the majority of people in the world.
So when Ranney views the WTO, World Bank, and IMF as "milestones of International Law" he is unwittingly supporting international structures which many activists believe do more harm than good, especially for "we, the people."
Ranney's mistake is to fail to recognize that many of his so-called "milestones" of international law are actually in fact regressive, steps backward, not steps forward. If allowed to remain in place without the checks and balances of a true democratic world government structure, we will continue to flounder in terms of
resolving critical world problems and crises.
One can only imagine how dismal our world will be if we continue on the present path of dominance by the few, and we make the fatal error of keeping in place international structures (such as the United Nations) which have proved
ineffective, or in the case of the World Bank and IMF, proved harmful to "we, the people."
The EARTH FEDERATION/Earth Constitution is the path out of the swamp of the
old, new world order with its undemocratic design and its unenforceable structure -- so convenient for the few who dominate "we, the people."
"International law" has some good parts which can easily be integrated into the EARTH FEDERATION'S world legislative acts -- a democratic process already underway by the Provisional World Parliament in the form of model world laws.
-- Above commentary the opinion of Dr. Roger Kotila, and may not represent fully the position of the EARTH FEDERATION.
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June 21, 2012
Rio's Earth Summit desperately needs the Earth Constitution
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development has the
right ecological principle (sustainability), is doing a good job identifying global environmental issues via the UN Environment Program, but is fatally handicapped by the obsolete UN Charter which justifies national sovereignty no matter how dangerous it is to a healthy and safe planet earth.
(click on OPINION)
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Mayor of Barcelona Calls for Public Banking
