More Words of Wisdom from my friend Swami Beyondananda

June 13, 2013 America's Tiananmen Square  Confronting Not-Seeism

By Steve Bhaerman      "Not-Seeism: A dangerous state of denial where, despite all of the evidence, people insist on not seeing the obvious truth." -- Swami Beyondananda's Political Dictionary The upwising continues, and the "irony curtain" is becoming more transparent than ever. The veils are being lifted on the "security state", the cancerous growth that Dwight Eisenhower warned us about more than half a century ago that has all but taken over our government and governance.   This viral photo says it all. Bush or Obama, whoever is at the helm of the American empire, is ultimately answerable to the same dark lords. Swami put it a bit more bluntly four years ago when it became apparent that Barack Obama's allegiance was with the banking industry: "The empire has a new face, but it still has the same big fat ass." So ... America is waking up left and right, even as the mainstream media continues to distract and divert, willfully ignorant that we stand at a most significant moment in modern American history. Edward Snowden stepping forward to expose the NSA's comprehensive surveillance measures is America's Tiananmen Square moment. He has had the courage to put himself in front of the biggest tank in the world -- America's military industrial complex. Naturally -- or unnaturally -- most of the pimps in the so-called "press" have either focused on Snowden's pole-dancer girlfriend or dismissed him as one of those tinfoil-wearing Ron Paul supporters. The dismissal attacks have begun, and this is how violence is done in the "soft totalitarian state" we live in now. If character assassination works, it's less messy than the other kind, right? (Of course, the other kind is still an option, just in case.) That's why the likes of Jon Stewart , Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher are so important today. By "pumping ironies" and speaking truth through humor, they are shining light on the endarkened corridors of power, and are using laughter to awaken a body politic that has hit the snooze button way too often. Interesting to remember that one of the first things Hitler did when he came to power was round up and imprison the cabaret comedians. Humor is the ultimate weapon of mass-deconstruction with the power to break any totalitarian trance. From Nazism to Not-Seeism So let's fast-forward 80 years, as the dark forces that embodied as Nazism have a new enabler ally -- "Not-seeism." My wife Trudy was born in Germany, and came to the United States at the age of three. She returned there in her late teens for a year to live and work. As she began to reacquaint herself with family members, she felt bold and comfortable enough to ask them the difficult questions: How was it that the Holocaust could happen? What had they known? What had they done? Most of them replied, "We heard rumors. We were told it was American propaganda, and frankly to believe anything else would have been unthinkable." I recall a conversation several years ago where a woman was being told about some nefarious doings on the part of our government. She got very huffy and defensive and actually said, "Well ... it may be true, but I don't believe it." And there we have it, folks. That is what is holding our current political "reality" together. It's hanging by a thread. Or actually, hanging by a "threat." Because after all, if we are on a fast-track toward totalitarianism, who wants to stand in front of a tank, right? Better to focus on the guy's pole-dancer girlfriend ... This is a tough gulp to swallow, but if you look at the direction the corporate state has been taking us -- less visibly prior to 911, more obviously since then -- it's totalitarianism. Yep ... that's the word I have purposely chosen. The powers in power (whether you consider it a nefarious conspiracy or simply an unchecked and unbalanced sociopath's playground) are determined to control every aspect of our lives and the world: Food ... energy ... health care ... the very information we receive. Evidence abounds if we look past our own "not see" tendencies: Monsanto wants to own the patent to every seed on the planet. Should their plan go forward, organic farming will still exist -- in an organic farming museum somewhere where people can marvel about how quaint and old-fashioned being in harmony with the web of life was. The oil companies have made their own plans for the future, and alternative fuels will be developed only when they are good and ready. They don't care if the general public is opposed to fracking. They've already fixed the game, so ... frack you, public. The medical industrial complex will continue to fight holistic alternatives as "quackery" or buy natural vitamin companies up. Herbal remedies have already been banned in the EU.   The media will continue to marginalize everything that stands in the way of the corporate state. How long will it be before those who oppose GMO food or fracking will be assigned the same tinfoil hats that have been given to those who have reported election stealing or who question the official 911 story? You know ... first they came for the 911 debunkers ... etc. The surveillance state will be the tip of the iceberg. The governance that was established 225 years ago to serve we the people will serve us up on a silver platter as consumer-slaves in one big Company Store. (It reminds me of the classic Twilight Zone episode I saw as a kid where ET's land and declare their purpose is to "serve mankind." Too late, earthlings realize that "To Serve Mankind" is a cookbook.) The Twilight Zone reference calls forth a moment of awakening from the same era, "Stranded In the Jungle" by the Cadets: "I smelled something cooking and I looked to see ... that's when I found out they was a-cooking me ... GREAT GOOGA-MOOGA LEMME OUTTA HERE!"  It is now time for a critical mass of the heretofore-uncritical masses to shout in unison ... " GREAT GOOGA-MOOGA LEMME OUTTA HERE!" And Now For the Good News The good news is that every bit of bad news being revealed about the "legalized lawlessness" that has become the norm is ultimately good news. It puts an otherwise anesthetized public into the more awakened state of cognitive dissonance. To quote Swami, "The truth shall upset you free." Part of the awakening is to step out of the usual left-right political conversation and take a meta-view of what is happening now. Daniel Ellsberg, who knows a thing or two about blowing the whistle on nefarious doings says it quite eloquently here: The NSA, FBI and CIA have, with the new digital technology, surveillance powers over our own citizens that the Stasi - the secret police in the former "democratic republic" of East Germany - could scarcely have dreamed of. Snowden reveals that the so-called intelligence community has become the United Stasi of America. Back when Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, he too was faced with prosecution. What saved him ultimately was that the press -- yes, we had a real one at the time -- decided to back him up and simultaneously published the papers. In recent weeks, the press has expressed concern -- outrage, even -- over those who've been spying on THEM, and now we the people must encourage their courage. How? Through three realizations. First, we must understand that the power behind the power is hell-bent on totalitarianism ... and the rest of us must be heaven-bent on freedom. Bucky Fuller anticipated this moment of choice in his book title, Utopia or Oblivion. Because there is the technological ability to try to control everything, unchecked and unbalanced power can seek to establish totalitarian control. The evolutionary alternative is to trust ourselves to govern ourselves, and recognize that our "security issues" are really "insecurity issues." Second, we must recognize that totalitarianism is anti-life, anti-nature and ultimately impossible. Of course, they will defend to our death their right to try! Knowing these insane and misguided forces CANNOT WIN will sustain our faith through times when it does indeed look like they are winning. Finally, we have the ultimate antidote -- the virtues and values that 90% of us hold in common, that the corporate state and corporate media have been trying to program out of us. As they now seek to discredit Edward Snowden, the last thing they want is for us to recognize Edward Snowden's act for what it is -- an act of profound courage. In school, we Americans learned to celebrate Patrick Henry's fabled quote, "Give me liberty or give me death." Snowden has put his ass on the line saying essentially the same thing. We must stand up with him and behind him at this key moment, and encourage the bravest members of the press and establishment to take a stand as well. Finally, the issue of the surveillance state is the perfect opportunity for awakening progressives and aware conservative libertarians to find common cause around the one issue that stands above all others -- who's in charge of who's in charge? If enough of us take this one bold step toward political maturity, the media will have no choice but to follow as WE BECOME the news. _______________________________________________ Subscribe to Notes From the Trail for free here. Help fund Notes From the Trail by subscribing here. Become a paid subscriber to Notes From the Trail, and get a free digital copy of Swami's Political Dictionary.

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The Unstoppable Tide of Inevitable Change Keeps Rising!

Padang Timur, Petaling Jaya, 25 May 2013, around 6:45PM

As dusk fell so did a gentle rain...

... but the crowd came prepared & stayed put!

Enterprising young man does a brisk trade with rally paraphernalia

Does the sign read "Reformasi" in Chinese?

Alongside the festive atmosphere, a grim determination to reclaim the nation

Student leader Safwan Anang in training for a promising career

What a neo-Nazi criminal regime fears most: a Malaysian Spring of hope!

Election Commission heads MUST roll!

Badrul Hisham Shaharin @ Chegubard: an inspiring reformer

Never before have Malaysians been so united...

... against the real enemy of the people, a corrupt kleptocratic elite!

Most stayed till late to welcome Ambiga, Tian Chua, Haris & Anwar

Before the rally dispersed, the floodlights dimmed...

... turning the event into a beautiful manifestation of hope, optimism & light!

LIVE REPORTS

11.45pm -  After seven hours, the Suara Rakyat 505 rally came to a close with everyone singing Negaraku. Prior to that, emcee Badrul Hisham Shaharin says he needs 500,000 volunteers for an event he called "March to EC", hinting that there are far bigger rallies being planned.

11.20pm - In a show of humility, Anwar Ibrahim tells the crowd that he is sorry that Pakatan Rakyat was not able to form the federal government.

"So some of our plans can't be implemented because of that," he said.

Regardless, Anwar (left) says that Pakatan will never give up and that it was BN who should be accepting defeat.

He says that the White House had congratulated Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak with a condition: That the polls must be free and fair.

"That's why the EC must resign now! Now! Now!" he said.

He said that Monday is the last day for the public to lodge police reports on electoral fraud and urge them to do so, particularly over the fact that "indelible ink" was removable.

He added that there will be a few more Black 505 rallies left.

"Do we go on or stop here?" he asks, to which the crowd replied "Go on!".

He then promises that any mobilisation of the people will be done peacefully.

11.05pm - Emcee Badrul Hisham Shaharin has called for the Dataran PJ floodlamps to be switched off and for rally participants to whip out their phones and lighters to light up the venue.

The idea is to celebrate the release of Adam Adli, a student activist accused by the state of sedition. He is Penang now to visit his ailing mother.

"We will shine a path for democracy," he said, while estimating that the crowd size has now swelled to 70,000.

The crowd oblige and the wave their electronic devices. Looks like a swarm of fireflies.

10.45pm - Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar (left) says that the Election Commission must pay for their "crimes".

"You can never escape the clutches of the law," she said.

She said Pakatan had scored a moral victory on May 5 but the coalition and their supporters still have much to do.

"Tough times don't last. Tough people do," she said.

She adds that Pakatan will continue to mobilise the public to ensure that BN doesn't get its way when the electoral boundaries are re-drawn.

10.40pm - Haris Ibrahim urges the crowd to boycott media organisations that are lopsided or aligned to BN.

Following this, he announced that the Asalkan Bukan Umno group has prepared a video clip to show how BN had cheated during the general election.

"We want you to bring this video to the rural areas, to show how they were being cheated by BN," said Haris.

10.30pm - After sharing a cell in Jinjang, Tian Chua (left) and Haris Ibrahim share the stage together.

"Don't think that these arrests will scare the people. We will not be cowed.

"It is not us that are afraid. It is they, for they are holding to power without legitimacy," said Chua.

10.20pm - Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan says she was not scheduled to speak today but  the recent arrest of Adam Adli, Tian Chua, Haris Ibrahim and Tamrin Ghaffar had moved her to do so.

He urges those with evidence of electoral fraud to approach Bersih's people's tribunal.

"If the EC has any dignity left, they must resign now. (The failure of the) indelible ink is reason enough," she said.

10.15pm - In a strange move, Kuala Kerai MP Dr Hatta Ramli and Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul decided to speak at the same time.

But it was Hatta who stole the show with his wisecracks.

He said that BN was no so worried about a certain word and have asked the Multimedia and Communication Commission (MCMC) to investigate politicians who mention it.

"What is the word? The word is musim bunga. I dare not utter the word in English.

"What I got my car fixed, I couldn't tell the foreman to change my suspension. I had to say 'Please help me to change my musim bunga'," he quipped.

9.45pm - Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli (left) says there would not be enough jails for the government to incarcerate all those who voice out against electoral fraud.

Rafizi, who chairs Pakatan's committee to probe electoral fraud, says that people have lost confidence in the EC because the have broken their vows.

"If the rakyat says there is fraud, isn't it their duty to investigate?" asks Rafizi. He says that Pakatan will be filing about 29 election petitions and strongly hinted that Bersih 4.0 might involve occupying Dataran Merdeka.

9.30pm - The Dataran PJ field has now reached saturation point. Emcee Badrul Hisham Shaharin (right) announces that there are 50,000 people in attendance.

9.25pm - Blues singer Ito, from the Blues Gang fame, belts out "Ubah Sekarang" to which the crowd responds by waving their hands in unison.

9.20pm - Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh (left in photo) is speaking now and she said that the Election Commission chairperson Abdul Aziz Yusoff is living off public funds.

She says that his wages will not be "halal" if the EC continues to disregard public opinion.

9.10pm: Badrul Hisham Shaharin, aka Chegubard, takes over as the emcee and introduces DAP's Ronnie Liu onto the stage.

"We need to reform the electoral system. If not, we won't make it to Putrajaya.

"I believe it is time we launch Bersih 4.0!" he said, to the crowd's approval.

9pm: As the rally continues, the crowd size had doubled to approximately 20,000.

8.15pm - The sky is threatening to open up on the crowd and is serving up a slight drizzle. Many people are sporting umbrellas.

7.30pm - Crowd size has grown to 10,000, which is much smaller than anticipated by the organisers.

7.15pm - Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin, better known as Chegubard, takes the stage and urge participants to call on their friends to join the rally.

"Tonight, we will be joined by the reformasi 'tank' - Tian Chua! Then there's another person, whom before we had a chance to invite him told us that he will join us - Haris Ibrahim!" announced Badrul Hisham.

Chua, Haris and Tamrin Abdul Ghaffar are being investigated for making seditious speeches during a forum on May 13. Another speaker at the forum, Adam Adli, has already been charged for sedition. All four are expected to speak tonight.

Badrul Hisham (left), who is believed to be wanted by the police for making "seditious speeches" alongside the abovementioned group, also announced that PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli will be presenting a slideshow later to show examples of electoral fraud.

Meanwhile, Badrul Hisham said the main objective of the rally is to campaign for reform in the electoral system.

After Badrul Shaharin spoke, there is a short break for mahgrib prayers.

6.45pm - Student activist KS Bawani (right), of the "Listen, listen, listen" fame, urges participants to "incite" their friends and relatives to join the rally.

“We had said before the general election that if the EC cheats, we will go down the street, this is the right of the people.

“We don't want to talk anymore. We've had enough. The people are not stupid, we don't want to wait for another five years.

“We don't have much time, we need to incite more people. Please tell your uncles and aunties to come to Amcorp Mall,” she says.

[Photos & report courtesy of Malaysiakini]

Najib doesn't need a new cabinet.

What he needs is a gigantic CLOSET...

... to keep all of UMNO's skeletons in!

THIS IS THE LAST STRAW, BN... GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR WAY!

Rally @ Kelana Jaya Stadium, 8 May 2013, to demand that Najib concede to Pakatan Rakyat's electoral victory

Malaysians In Black to mourn the death of clean & fair elections - the only democratic process
available to Malaysians once every five years, and yet they keep cheating!

Overview of the traffic jam at the Kelana Jaya toll

People Power in action. We're thoroughly fed up of BN's misrule by fear & misrule by law!

A carload of "racist Chinese" waving a PAS flag on the way to the rally

This is what the Body Politic looks like on the ground - a bunch of decent humans who value justice

Anwar Ibrahim, icon of Reformasi, hitches a ride to the stadium

Like day & night, the difference between Pakatan Rakyat & Barisan Nazional.
Nobody was paid to attend, no food was served, people freely donated.

This is where Najib Razak belongs. 

[Photos courtesy of Curi-Curi Wang Malaysia]

LAIN KALI LAH? NO FUCKING WAY!
WE WANT THE CROOKS
OUT OF PUTRAKAYA!

Okay, Dr M, you have 5 weeks to plan your escape.
If you stop denying, denying, denying
& indulging in gutter politics...
you might even get another 5 months.

Oy, Najib! Is this how you plan to rule the country?

AT GUNPOINT.....?

How long before your hand gets tired?

You won't get any sleep at night...

You'll be much too stressed to service your voracious wife.

She'll soon be sending for some toy boys...

Isn't this a much nicer and healthier option? You have enough cash stashed away to live in the lap of luxury the rest of your lives... far, far from your political foes in Malaysia!

[First published 16 March 2009]