Life's lessons

I think I've learned a valuable lesson today while posting on an internet forum. One of the contributor's did not agree with my view so he resorted to a personal attack claiming that I either have the intent of willful ignorance or plain stupidity. In response to this aggression, I felt like aggressively asserting such an attack of my own in retaliation. However, I realized that his personal attack toward me merited him no credence, and that such retaliation would merit me nothing either. So I rather tried to remain calm and replied that I would not retaliate in such a way.
Aggression breeds only more aggression.

Xmas reflection

Christmas is a celebration of God entering the human journey to be with us and to bring us into an intimate communion with him. It is a celebration of love entering the world to renew it- the ultimate act of giving. The Supreme Being, out of love for us, humbled himself and became the Suffering Servant. Such love, so pure, so perfect and divine, such love manifest in giving... that is what Christmas is about. That is the message.

I shared Christmas lunch with my grandmother and my brother. A thought occurred to me, struck me suddenly. I thought how truly fortunate I was to be where I am. At that very moment, countless persons', fellow human beings, could not participate in the feeling of belonging, of family that I had. Countless children not only did not have a meal, at that very moment, but many suffered such hunger with crippling loneliness, having no family to share such a feast with. Do they know it's Christmas, I wondered. I made a pledge to fight depravity, yet I feel that I am doing close to nothing to honour that pledge. How many have this Christmas gone without a feast, or perhaps even without a family... without a sense of connection that recognizes our humanity. A connection that celebrates our human identity. Love is born today, in the humblest of surrounds, in the human heart. And it calls, it beckons each of us to reach out to each other, to connect with other human beings and together acknowledge our humanity through that connection. I think I understand now what I am meant to do if I am to truly 'love my neighbor'... I must connect with fellow persons'. That is what my pledge to fight depravity is about. It is not merely fighting depravity in physiological needs, but is also about fighting the depravity of the heart. How? By connecting with people. For through this connection, a sense of belonging, of solidarity, of recognition is born, and it is these feelings, these connections that we share that are central to our human identity.
I hope, it is my Christmas hope, that I can practice what I preach... that I can connect to persons', regardless of race, sex or social condition, regardless of cultural barriers, in a positive way.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Love is born today and everyday and calls us to love. Love is not love until you give it away. Once more, merry Christmas to all.

9/11 Truth

There are some who claim that the 9/11 Truth momentum is a fringe social phenomenum, having little or no practical knowledge base, nor even the insight to have a credible stance on the issue.
However, this proves to be drastically incorrect as Prof. David Ray Griffin outlines in his literary work, Debunking 9/11 Debunking, in which he states that individuals insinuating that those who oppose the popular notion of truth found in the official narrative of 9/11 are 'nut-cases' with little insight on the issue would have to contend with the combined insights of, "economist Michel Chossudovsky, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, British Minister of Parliament Michael Meacher, former Assistant Treasury Secretary Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of Housing Catherine Austin Fitts, journalists Wayne Madsen and Barrie Azwicker, Institute for Policy Studies co-founded Marcus Raskin, former diplomat Peter Dale Scott, international law professors Richard Falk and Burns Weston, social philosopher John McMurty, theologians John B. Ruether, ethicists Joseph C. Hough and Douglas Strum, writer A.L. Kennedy, media critic and professor of culture Mark Crispin Miller, attorney Gerry Spence, historians Richard Horsley and Howard Zinn, and the late Rev. Williams Sloane Coffin, who after a stint in the CIA, became one of the country's leading preachers and civil rights, anti-war and anti-nuclear activists.
Furthermore, if everyone who believes the alternative conspiracy theory, rather than the official conspiracy theory, is by definition a nut, then Cockburn would have to sling that label at Philip J. Berg, a former deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania; Colonel Robert Bowman, who flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam and earned a Ph.D in aeronautics and nuclear engineering before becoming head of the "Star Wars program ...; Andreas von Bulow, formerly state secretary in the German Federal Minisity of Defense, minister of research and technology, and member of parliament, where he served on the intelligence committee; Giulietto Chiesa, an Italian member of the European parliament; Bill Christison, formerly a national intelligence officer in the CIA and the director of its Office of Religion and Political Analysis; A.K. Dewdney, emeritus professor of mathematics and computer science and long-time columnists for Scientific American; General Leonid Ivashov, formerly chief of staff of the Russian armed forces; Lt. Col. Shelton F. Lankford, former US Marine Corps fighter pilot; Captain Eric H. May, formerly an airplane accident investigation expert in the US Air Force; Colonel Ronald D. Ray, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who became deputy assistant secretary of defense during the Reagan administration; Morgan Reynolds, former director of the Criminal Justice Center at the National Center for Policy Analysis and former chief economist at the Department of Labor; Robert David Steele, who had a 25-year career in intelligence, serving both as a CIA clandestine services case officer and as a US Marine Corps intelligence officer; Captain Russ Wittenberg, a former Air Force fighter pilot with over 100 combat missions, after which he was a commercial airlines pilot for 35 years; Captain Gregory M. Zeigler, former intelligence officer in the US Army; all the member of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice, Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, Veterans for 9/11 Truth, and Pilots for 9/11 Truth; and most of the college and university professors lists under "Professors Question 9/11" on the Patriots Question 9/11 website.
Would Cockburn really want to suggest that these people are "nuts" with "no conception of evidence," no awareness of "military history," and no grasp of "common sense" and "the real world"?"
- Prof. David Ray Griffin. Debunking 9/11 Debunking.

Let us not also forget families impacted by the deaths of loved ones on 9/11 and survivors such William Rodrigues who openly question the official conspiracy theory and demand a new fully independent and transparent investigation.... http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd317.htm

"The 9/11 Commission is probably the worst representation of the 9/11 Families or for that matter all the American public because it's a sham. It really is.... We had tons of different questions that we asked them to ask. They wouldn't do it. And the continuing cover-up is just beyond belief... There's just such a continuing coverup. And why don't we just let the information about 9/11 be known? And then maybe this conspiracy type of thing would go away, but it's never going to go away or I don't think it can go away because they were complicit..." - Bob Doyle. Head of the Coalition of 9/11 Families.

Michelle Little, sister of Firefighter David M. Weiss, FDNY, Rescue Company 1, Midtown Manhattan, lost his life trying to rescue others from the World Trade Center the day of the attacks. Press Conference, National Press Club 9/12/06: "I am here today to call for the facts of September 11, 2001 to be released to the American public. ... The time is now to call upon all the Americans to lobby local media to cover this story and to pressure members of Congress to support legislation by reopening this investigation. We must hold those involved accountable for this atrocious tragedy. My brother, David, and ten brothers from his unit were murdered on 9/11. For them and for all of our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles that died that day, it is imperative for their lives to know the truth."

Barry Zelman, brother of Kenneth Zelman, Oracle Corp., on assignment at Marsh & McLennan, WTC North Tower, 99th floor. Speech given at The Citizens' Commission on 9-11, 9/9/04: "I just embrace people that understand that four airplanes an hour and half between the first impact and the second impact with zero military response in the United States. It didn't happen that way. It couldn't have happened that way. You're talking about the most intelligent agencies that we have on the face of the earth. State of the art agencies ... And there was zero military response? ...It's very transparent that our own president did not want to investigate this tragedy. And I'm standing before you today for one reason. The only thing that I can give my brother is the truth. That's it."

Daniel Wallace (1984 - 2007), son of Lt. Robert Wallace, Engine 205, Ladder 118, FDNY. Speech 12/3/06: "Ever since that day, I believed the official story for all about 2 minutes. I always had my questions. My family had their questions. The government sent us the 9/11 Commission or I should say omissions, really. They sent us that. I read the whole thing. As I'm reading the whole thing; it was just incredible; the lies in this book... It hurt me to read this book....

Pro-life

The reasoning behind my pro-life stance relates to my personalist outlook. I believe that each human person is infused with innate dignity and that such dignity should be respected at all stages of the lifespan, from conception to death. To assert that an unborn child is anything less than a free human being is to discount the value and potential of human life. To assert that an unborn child is mere property is to sell-out human life. Were we not once fetuses? Did that make us the property of another? Did that mean our lives had no value that we could have been terminated? We that are born were too once unborn.

On 9/11

Views on the tragic events of September the 11th, 2001, and what caused them to transpire vary greatly. There is the official conspiracy theory formulated by high levels of the US government and other official agencies which have repeatedly spewed epic lies and have clearly used this crisis for the furtherance of a political agenda; or the alternative theory which has its roots in valid skepticism arising from omissions and distortions indicative of a cover-up in the official narrative. The alternative theory raises the uncomfortable possibility and the confronting and unpopular notion that criminal elements within high levels of power, at the very least, allowed this crisis to occur in order to advance a political agenda, of which they apply to the definition of terrorism as the use of terror to enforce ones own political agenda, or, the even more disturbing thought that this crime syndicate engineered the 9/11 crisis as a false-flag operation for the same purpose.
Given the history of either direct or indirect state-sponsored terrorism as a form of mass 'shock therapy' to disorientate the population for systematic manipulation and the advancement of an agenda- the politics of fear, and the fact that the Helegian principle of Problem, Reaction, Solution was even considered as liable means of justifying wars as indicated by the Northwoods document, to question the authenticity, credibility and validity of the official conspiracy theory is certainly not beyond the realm of reason.
Regardless of your views on 9/11, whether it was a real or state-synthesized terror crisis, one thing remains abundantly clear... that elite figures within high positions of power have utilized this crisis as a pretext and catalyst for:

• Launching a series of economically and interpersonally costly wars which reap huge profits for the military-industrial complex, notably arms manufacturers and the banks responsible for financing the wars. To ordinary people war may be bloodshed, but to these, its big business.
• Accessing and securing for the West an increasingly scarce commodity - oil.
• Relinquishing civil liberties under the patriotic cloak of homeland security and thereby granting the state greater power over the person, ultimately contributing to the incremental consolidation and centralization of power and the progressive formation of a Big Brother state control-grid.
• Obtaining for the American state a key strategic geopolitical foothold in the Middle-east.

If the alternative theories regarding 9/11, suggesting government complicity, are at the very least, even plausible, then we are obliged to act. Ignorance is bliss because it implies being unaware and therefore not being responsible for one's actions. Being aware and informed implies an obligation to act appropriately on one's consciousness. If even plausible, we must focus our energies in seeking truth, asking questions and demanding accountability and justice for the victims, their families and the world.
In an age of misinformation, it is critical to seek truth amid deception, to seek clarity amid distortion, and to think outside the square of the corporate media box and to see the bigger picture. As George Orwell fittingly stated, "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Sacrificing liberty

"Those that would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

When one surrenders liberty, it does not disappear into nothingness, into the air. When one surrenders liberty, in effect, they give someone else a greater degree of control, of power over their own life. At present, this is occurring internationally, the global consolidation and centralization of power, under the guise of security.

Some valuable reading

To whomever may be interested, I would highly recommend reading David Ray Griffin's book, Debunking 9/11 Debunking, and The 9/11 Conspiracy edited by James H. Fetzer. These two literary compositions offer a great depth of insight into alternative theories of the 9/11 conspiracy, providing provocative insights and evidence, and dramatically diminish the credibility of the official conspiracy theory. David Ray Griffin's work also debunks popular 'debunking' publications and places the notion of 'conspiracy theory' into perspective, outlining the fact that the official narrative found in the 9/11 Commission Report is itself a conspiracy theory.
The corporate media tends to use 'conspiracy theorist' as a derogatory term, carrying a negative connotation, and denoting someone with seemingly 'fringe' beliefs. However, the corporate media does not tend to acknowledge that in generic terms, we are all conspiracy theorists.
Myth, whether or not true, if perceived true, acts as a mobilizing agent for a people, directing their actions towards particular ideas. Griffin highlights this, stating the a myth can serve as "an orienting and mobilizing story for a people" and relates this to 9/11, without saying, in the sense that it mobilizes and orients the public towards a particular political agenda.

On abortion

Distinguished academic scientist Albert Einstein once said, "There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Which do we choose, the former or the latter? Do we choose to acknowledge the miracle of human life, or, do we choose to blind ourselves to its wonder?
Life is precious, and certainly worthy of preserving, of protecting, especially when it is vulnerable. Is it not worthy of a voice in the discussion? Do we choose to acknowledge the innate dignity of the human person, or, do we degrade human life as an asset or property, liable to disposal at connivence? How can we claim to value the miracle of human life if objectify it as property, subject to ownership?
Our inner moral compass of conscience obliges us to not remain silent to this injustice- to speak-out about it. To preserve and protect the miracle of human life that is the unborn, a free human person infused with innate dignity.
As a former fetus, having experienced the status of being unborn myself, I stand against abortion.
I pray for the courage to speak-out against it appropriately, confronting my own fear of speaking-out.

What do I feel? Is it guilt... or remorse, or some form of sympathy? Please explain is to me because I can't seem to find the right words, least not now. I am so fortunate, yet do I take it all for granted? Am I just a spoilt-brat? At the moment, it feels that way. It feels as though I'm not doing enough. As though I'm advocating materialism and consumerism in my actions rather than the personalism I advocate in words. Am I a hypocrite? One of my most extravagant purchases this year was a new iPod. Not with money I earned, but with my parents'. I hope to use it as a visual tool to create digital flashcards for memorizing information. Yet, with the same amount of money, a child's needs could have been met for a single year, possibly. I'm confused now. Confused as to whether my actions mirror my own personal philosophy. Questioning whether I do the right thing or unintentionally advocate other ideas. I apologize if this post makes no sense to you, the reader, but my mind is clouded with these ideas and a fear of contradicting myself and so on and on. Please forgive me if I have proven hypocritical. Perhaps my New Year's resolution should be to actively apply the philosophy of personalism, or perhaps to be more involved in the search for 911 Truth.

First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. - Mahatma Gandhi

From the humble beginnings of the 911 truth movement, many, particularly those in the corporate media have at first ignored the movement, considering it to be on the fringe with little to zero influence and voice. Next, seeing the momentum of the movement, they were forced to analyze, on a superficial level, its ideas and valid skepitism. They laughed, portraying any theory alternative to the official conspiracy theory as the product of crack-pot conspiracy theorists. Of course, it would be ludicrous to suggest anything alternative to the official narrative or to speak in condemnation of it. Now, seeing that this movement is not 'on the fringe' but rather real, some within the mass media have blatantly attacked it, calling it 'anti-American' or 'unpatriotic.' Since when is it ever unpatriotic to question one's government or the received reality of events? Since when is it unpatriotic to think for oneself, to think outside the box of corporate television, confining one's view to a limited, controlled and regulated flow of information? Of course, make's complete sense. In this line of thinking, being unpatriotic is tantamount to going against the tide of conforming to popular notions of truth.

911 Conspiracy theories

Views on the tragic events of 911, 2001 and what caused them to transpire vary greatly. There is the official conspiracy theory formulated by high levels of the US government and other official agencies which have repeatedly spewed epic lies and have clearly used this crisis for the furtherance of a political agenda; or the alternative theory which has its roots in valid skepticism arising from omissions and distortions indicative of a cover-up in the official narrative. The alternative theory raises the uncomfortable possibility and the confronting and unpopular notion that criminal elements within high levels of power, at the very least, allowed this crisis to occur in order to advance a political agenda, of which they apply to the definition of terrorism as the use of terror to enforce ones own political agenda, or, the even more disturbing thought that this crime syndicate engineered the 911 crisis as a false-flag operation for the same purpose.

My view on education is that schools must facilitate teaching a very important skill. A skill that has liberated many minds and resulted in various contributions- proactive thinking.
Think outside the square and see the bigger picture. The iceberg has hidden depths.

No voice

I was reading a highly emotive article on the internet about abortion. One of the highlights of the article was the fact that almost in all, if not all instances, the unborn child had no voice in the matter. This free human person, residing in its first home in the world- the womb, was reduced to the status of property, disposable if inconvineient. Yet another example how human life is being sold off, piece by piece, degraded in dignity. This is a human person we are talking about, not property, a real human life, arguably in its most vulnerable state. Is human life not worth protecting? Does it have no value that, if incapable of speaking for itself, it can be disposed of by the choice of another? So much for innate human dignity.
We must affirm the value of human life and the person by speaking for the vulnerable, in this case, the unborn, who otherwise, have no voice but ours. We must use our inner moral compass of conscience to navigate towards the truth amid such deception, towards clarity amid such distortion, especially now in an age of misinformation.

Do you ever get the feeling that you have so much to say, to speak-out about, to discuss and to communicate... but you find it difficult to synthesize all this information in a meaningful way? That's a bit like how I feel at the moment. I have something to discuss and to communicate ideas, but words escape me, and I can't think of how to synthesize the ideas ... sounds weird, right? I guess I have to be patient. Good things come with time. And besides, the most important thing is that I'm trying to think outside the square, rather then within the confines of it.
Tomorrow I hope to read part-way of Dr. David Ray Griffin's literary work Debunking 911 Debunking, probably at Borders. I'll be in the city since it's Jackie's birthday tomorrow.

Change...

I believe that there is glory in humility,
that greatness exists in the simple things,
that ordinary people can do extraordinary things,
to make a difference,
to change the world.

On media

The media is a powerful tool that can be used to inform, to entertain, to educate and to broadcast a wide array of messages and perspectives, or in contrast, can be misused to misinform, mislead, broadcast falsehoods and condition the masses. Given the increasing role of the media in shaping public opinion, perception and attitudes, and its increasing influence in shaping young and developing minds, the use of the power and scope of the media comes with considerable responsibility.
In contemporary society, the mass media has been hijacked by corporate giants who use it as a weapon for marketing and conveying information that either directly or indirectly conditions individuals, whether or not they are aware of it, and influences public perceptions and popular notions of truth. In other words, the corporate media focuses only on a select portion of reality, quite often distorted beyond due proportion, like a small misty window which restricts one from viewing the bigger picture. By limiting the scope of reality to a select portion, the corporate media restricts, controls and regulates the flow of information. Information which is vital to establishing a clear view of the reality. Information which influences a person's attitude formation and perception of events. The abuse of media power in controlling a limited flow of information would in turn mean that public perceptions, attitudes and even behaviours are based on limited knowledge, without a general awareness of the 'bigger picture.' J.R.R. Tolkien, in his literary work, The Lord of the Rings illustrates the effect of acting on limited information. Through the mystical Palantir (representative of media) various characters see what they perceive to be reality. However, what they perceive is only a tiny portion of the 'bigger picture' and so, based on limited information the characters' draw the wrong conclusions and thereby act upon their limited knowledge resulting in disastrous consequences. For example, the chief nemesis of the narrative, Sauron, sees his adversary Aragorn through the Palantir and acts on the perceived reality that Aragorn possesses the Ring. This is not true and results in Sauron making a hasty move which ultimately contributes to his destruction. Tolkien highlights quite clearly the potential fatal consequences of acting on limited knowledge.
In his book, Propaganda, Edward L. Bernays illustrates how media can be abused as a channel for conveying various manifestations of propaganda and influencing the masses. He states that, "If we understand the the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it?" Bernays further highlights the influence of media on an audience, stating that, "We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of." As musician John Kellermann points out in his song The New Pearl Harbour, "If you get your views from television news, you'll only hear stories that corporations choose. You'll only get to see what they want to see."
Media is constantly being hijacked and used (or rather misused) as a weapon of mass deception against the public. It has been perverted into a propaganda and marketing machine for the corporate and globalist elite; actively advocating vapid consumerism and confining one's view of reality to a limited scope (or bubble) of tightly controlled information. The war is on consciousness, an information war against the people. You've heard it said, 'Don't always believe what you see on T.V.' Look beyond the confines of 'the box' and see the bigger picture. Think outside the square. Ask questions, seek truth and clarity in an age of misinformation.

Rain-drops

Seeing that my blog was open, I had to share my excitement at the moment... I just heard... raindrops on the roof. This may sound like no big deal... but when you live in Australia, in a parched land thirsting for rain from a seemingly unending drought... the mere sound of a raindrop brings you joy.
More and more are beginning to fall as I type this... I spent the day at the beach with my friends and it was exceedingly sunny and hot (fa molto caldo... I still know a bit of Italian) Rain is welcome considering the stickiness (is that even a word?) and heat of today? It's so much cooler at night.

The narrow path

I take the narrow path,
Unpopular though it may be,
I have taken it to know
What it truly means to be free.
And though many may scoff and scorn,
I stick to the narrow path,
Against the tide of conformity,
Against popular notions of truth,
I take the narrow path.

On progress

In his latest Encyclical letter Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict highlights how misguided progress can lead to dehumanization and humanity's demise. Progress is only real progress if matched in all aspects with ethical progress and human inner-growth. He makes an important point. After-all, what good is progress if it results in the destruction of human rights and the degradation of human life and the autonomy and dignity of the person? Progress must therefore be measured in all its aspects and must be guided by rational conscience and ethics, without which it would not be real progress at all.

We have all witnessed the way in which progress, in the wrong hands, can become and has indeed become a terrifying progress in evil. If technical progress is not matched by corresponding progress in man's ethical formation, in man's inner growth, then it is not progress at all, but a threat for man and for the world.

- Pope Benedict XVI. Spe Salvi

On Suffering

We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it.

- Pope Benedict XVI. Spe Salvi

Off to the beach with Sami, Lil and Ash. Fun fun =]