This newsletter is entitled...

The Point of No Return

We have finally reached THE POINT OF NO RETURN where the drums for peace are now louder than the drums for war.

Despite this administrations efforts to institute its own right wing agenda on this nation ~ and deliberately and arrogantly flaunt its " supposed " mandate from the last two elections ~ the majority of Americans are deeply disturbed by the current direction of this administration and are taking to the streets and cyberspace in vast numbers.

Despite this administrations efforts to institute its own right wing agenda in the middle east , under the guise of disarming Iraq, and in the process declaring the United Nations irrelevant ~ the United Nations has been empowered to finally speak with one voice and make a stand for peace.

Dr Robert Muller, former assistant secretary general of the United Nations , recently was in San Francisco to be honored for his service to the world through the U.N. Here is a synopsis of his pertinent remarks :

" I'm so honored to be here, " he said. " I'm so honored to be alive at such a miraculous time in history . I'm so moved by what's going on in the world today ." " Never before in the history of the world has there been a global, visible, public, viable, open dialogue and conversation about the very legitimacy of war . "

All of this , he noted, is taking place in the context of the the United Nations Security Council ~ the body that was established in 1949 for exactly this reason. Dr Muller was almost in tears in recognition of the fulfillment of his dream ~ " We are not at war , " he kept saying. " We , the world community, are WAGING PEACE. It is difficult, hard work . It is constant and we must not let up . It is working and it is an historic milestone of immense proportions. It has never happened before - never in human history - and it is happening NOW ."

Dr Muller also made reference to a recent New York Times article that pointed out that up until now there has been just one superpower ~ the United States , and that this has created a kind of blindness in the vision of the U.S. But now, Dr Muller asserts, " there are two superpowers : The United States and the merging, surging voice of the people of the world. "

President Bush ignores this merging, surging voice at his own political peril. In his relentless push towards war he has forgotten the democratic spiritual underpinings of this nation.

He has forgotten the words of Thomas Paine :

" Never had a country so many openings to happiness as this.
Her cause was good.
Her principles just and liberal.
Her temper serene and firm.
Her conduct regulated by the nicest steps , and everything about her wore the mark of honor.
It is not every country that can boast so fair an origin

He has forgotten the words of Patrick Henry . America has lighted a candle to all the world.

He has forgotten the words of Benjamin Franklin . Wise and good men are, in my opinion, the strength of the state ~ much more so than riches and arms.

He has forgotten the words of Carl Sandburg . For we know that when a nation goes down and never comes back, when a society or a civilization perishes ~ one condition may always be found ~ they forgot where they came from . They lost sight of what broughr them along.

It was Robert Hutchins who wrote ; " The death of a Democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush ~ it will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference and undernourishment .

I am shocked by the actions of this administration . I love this country and protected it as a Navy carrier pilot for 3 years on the South China Sea. I do not appreciate being spun and manipulated by fear to the extent that I no longer believe anything that the White House proclaims . I feel this country is in danger of losing its soul and with it its spiritual moorings . It's like watching someone you love separate from their heart and retreat into their head and ego ~ and there is nothing you can seemingly do about it .

I do not like the fact that Congress broke the delicate framework of checks and balances between the Executive branch and Congress by voting for the " War Authorization Act " giving the president the power to declare war ~ without the authorization from congress. In effect , the people no longer have a voice for peace or war.

If we unilaterally and preemptively attack Iraq , without authorization from the united Nations , every Congressman and Senator who voted for this Act will have blood on their hands. And do remember that 50% of the population of Iraq is under 15 years old.

The current terror alerts , saber rattling and slow evaporation of civil liberties remind me of a quote from Herman Goering , who served as Adolph Hitler's second-in-command in World War 2 and founded the Gestapo. Months before his death , during a break from the Nuremburg trials, he sadly said something to a german- speaking psychologist that rings eerily true today :

" Of course the people don't want war .. but after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along ~ whether it is a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy , all you have to do is tell them that they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for a lack of patriotism and exposing the country to greater danger . It works the same in every country ."

We cannot afford to have it work the same here for we have finally reached THE POINT OF NO RETURN where the drums for peace and the urge to unite are louder than the drums for war and the urge to separate. And you can only hear them clearly ~ when you participate in this great coming together of mankind.

ONLY LOVE HEALS

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