MOMENTUM SHIFT

Times of great calamity and confusion have been productive for the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace. The brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storm.   CC COLTON

It seems many people around the planet are unhappy with the actions and policies of the global financial system. The corporatocracy has successfully controlled the system for nearly 100 years, only mildly challenged by an idealistic audience over this period. The argument has to do with loans, fees, and other extractions from honest citizen's bank accounts while owners mismanage their "assets" and are rewarded with tens of billions of dollars in "bailouts" by their respective "governments" (World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Federal Reserve Bank).

They are commonly known as the 99%, although the greedy and fraudulent upper class actually represents about one tenth of one percent.

The argument is simple and just.

America represents 5% of the world's population and consumes 24% of its energy. Roughly one third of the planet's people lack access to clean water . .

Life on Earth is out of balance, yet there is hope.

There is no telling what long-term impact this movement will have, nor how long it will last. It's too early to decipher its actual size based on television and internet coverage. There have been no changes in economic policy as of yet, but the movement has been verbally acknowledged by members of the government. No doubt this uprising will be spun in all sorts of different directions during the upcoming election.

Regardless of the long-term impact of this movement, there are clear signs of unity among people around the world. Believe it or not, some media outlets are actually covering the protests objectively. As unlikely as it sounds, it seems a mainstream news outlet is actually broadcasting unfiltered reality. Do not confuse this with a blind subscription to ANY individual information source, only that from a handful of observations it seems Dylan Ratigan of MSNBC is providing a stream of common sense. In the past on the same network, there were instances when Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow had impressed me with rants of different intensities blasting BOTH sides for their willfully damaging incompetence. Ratigan is a new breed. In a media consisting of clowns from the left like Bill Maher and Anderson Cooper, and jokers from the right like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, MSNBC is the first national network I've seen placing shared blame on the corporate owned, equally ineffective American political parties.

The movement, with its many faces and ambitions, combined with breakthrough media coverage is the momentum shift. Of course we're not pretending all news outlets will now follow suit and begin telling it like it is; far from it. We're not saying "the lion sleeps no more" and the population has all at once become aware of the criminal nature of its leadership. What we're saying is that there have been a few signs of hope in a public arena. Decades have rolled by like a freight train leaving little room for questioning or detailed scrutiny by the people. Now, thanks in large part to the internet, pockets of enlightened citizens have begun joining forces to combat the injustices enacted by their leaders. Finally, retired members of our economic/intelligence apparatus and Armed Forces are coming out of the shadows to expose long kept secrets, ending years of guilt-ridden silence.

All those willing and able to tune into intuition and inner voices currently recognize early signs of a great shift on this planet. A shift that transcends politics and economics, goes beyond personal relationships and family heritage. There is a new era visible on the horizon destined to rise from the chaos of our current lifestyle and direction. The sound minds and righteous hearts are out there as far as the eye can see . .

The tide is turning worldwide.

How will we respond to this critical calling?

Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave.  MUHAMMAD

THE CONNECTION

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. BUDDAH

Last weekend, I attended a gathering at a friend of a friend's house in New England. With all the happenings in our nation, my personal life, and the world at large, my mind was wide open . .

I walked out onto the deck and noticed a German Shepard crouching near a picnic table in the backyard. I'd already met a jubilant young mutt in the house, but this one was silent and cautious. As I approached to make the animal's acquaintance, I sensed fear. My first thought was that she was a rescue or had been abused. I extended one hand, then the other, she kept her eyes on me as she sniffed each individually. After determining I could be trusted, she moved in and allowed me to scratch her back and under her collar. It's important to note that dogs and other pets will be in your debt if you scratch these two inaccessible places. I walked back up the steps to the deck and asked my friend what he knew of the dog. He informed me that "Carmen" was an expert trained guard dog imported from Deutschland several years prior. I looked back out at her and recognized she was studying our every move, crouched to avoid attracting any attention, poised to attack without hesitation if necessary.

Since my earliest memories I've had a close connection with animals, dogs in particular. Before reading about "dark matter," or the space between all things, I was brought closer to nature by forming a kinship with canine. Relationships of back and forth, give and take, with an animal unable to communicate through the English language was a tremendous life lesson, though I didn't know it at the time. I've written of this unspoken connection before, and how it translates to human interaction. For a lifetime I've been able to get a sense of a person's attitude and intentions upon initial contact simply by opening my awareness to the micro-nuances and invisible energy shared between living things. In time it has matured into an awareness allowing me to decipher between reality and fiction in many arenas.

The weekend leading up to this encounter was crucial on several fronts. I had been observing and getting to know a number of new people, friends and family of one of my best friends. The most important connection, the inspiration for this entry, was a six-year-old boy named Keegan. I brought over the Aerobie Skylighter I had given to my friend as a house warming gift, and asked Keegan if he wanted to play catch. We threw back and forth a few dozen times under Carmen's watchful eye, before she finally snapped and engaged. She'd race over and pick up the disc anytime it hit the ground, releasing it upon my request. On the other end, when Keegan couldn't handle a throw and Carmen would scoop in, he would plead and whine for her to drop it. I explained how all he needed to do was to say her name with authority and she would release the disc. I explained how he was the boss and that Carmen was aware of this fact. It wasn't his size, age, or depth of his voice that alerted Carmen of her role; it was the projection of his energy. It was a great feeling watching Keegan's discovery of this inner power over his dog.

After Carmen's relentless pursuit of the flying disc got old, we brought her into the house. While up on the porch, people kept coming and going through the screen door. Naturally, some would pass through without sliding the door shut behind them. Keegan walked up to the doorway and slammed it shut. "I don't know why you people keep leaving this door open. We have an indoor cat that will escape if she gets the chance!" followed by a deep expressive sigh.

This young man had the greatest natural advantage of anyone at the party due to the simple fact that he's had less time on Earth than the rest. His media exposure has been so short, the shaping and manipulation of his mind so limited. His focus remains on what matters here and now. Surely the amount of information he's exposed to through technology dwarfs that of all preceding generations; perhaps dwarfing all preceding generations combined. Yet with such a short conscious time in this life, he remains tuned to nature and the reality that surrounds him. Social status, material goods, local, national, and world "news events" have not yet reached him. His mind is ripe and ready for information when offered by a trusted source, hungry for a greater understanding of how things work. What a world this would be if all children around this age were enlightened with the greatest, most valuable information at this "seed-time" for learning. If the children were made aware of their role in nature, the importance of balance, and how it can be achieved and maintained, they would be more than equipped to face all of the challenges afflicting mankind.

A second lesson was sparked from the interaction between Carmen and Keegan; it came to me in a flash. Carmen was born into this world on German soil two or three years ago. From her first days she was separated from her litter, from her mother, and trained by professionals for a very specific purpose. She is an excellent learner; a programmed animal. She is born from nature and therefore possesses ancient qualities of the heart, having the ability to show affection and loyalty.

She represents the system.

The brilliant, glowing, flying disc, gliding back and fourth across the yard represents liberty and justice. It is the honest, good-intentioned government by and for the people, built on progress, peace, and prosperity.

Keegan represents each of us.

The ultimate decision maker, unaware of his own strengths and abilities. The one with power to affect all human choices. The person who will inherit the Earth.  The boss. 

When the young boy (boss) tells the dog (system) to release what does not belong to her (all the marbles), she listens and obeys. We are responsible for our ruling class; if we no longer elect our leadership, it's our duty to find a way to reconstruct what we call democracy.  If we've lost confidence in our economic system, we have to design and implement a better one.  If we demand that corrupt leaders stand down we must prepare ourselves to fill their positions.

We are constantly reminded of how balance is established and maintained simply by watching the cycles of nature.  From weather, to vegetation, to animals; natural life cycles are constantly at work, wide open for our observation.  These cycles are designed for one purpose: survival.  They have no ego, no vanity, no government, no money, no media, no technology, no distractions, and no excuses.  Our bond with nature is the greatest connection we have.  The less we recognise it, the further we separate ourselves from our living planet, the less chance we have for survival.  Nature does not care if we remain and thrive, or consume ourselves into extinction.  Mankind's impact on Earth has not been a positive one.  Extreme weather conditions are our only competition in disrupting the cycle of life on our planet. 

We must embrace our responsibility and respect the simple laws of natural order.  We have all the tools required; we must find the wisdom to use them.  The fate of the world depends on it.     

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures & the whole of nature in its beauty. ALBERT EINSTEIN

CONDOR AND EAGLE

Nearly every culture I know prophesies that in the late 1990's we entered a period of remarkable transition. At monasteries in the Himalayas, ceremonial sites in Indonesia, and indigenous reservations in North America, from the depths of the Amazon to the peaks of the Andes, and into the ancient Mayan cities of Central America, I have heard that ours is a special moment in human history, and that each of us was born at this time because we have a mission to accomplish.

The titles and the words of the prophecies differ slightly. They tell variously of a New Age, the Third Millennium, the Age of Aquarius, the Beginning of the Fifth Sun, or the end of old calendars and the commencement of new ones. Despite the varying terminologies, however, they have a great deal in common, and "The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle" is typical. It states that back in the mists of history, human societies divided and took different paths: that of the condor (representing the heart, intuitive and mystical) and that of the eagle (representing the brain, rational and material). In the 1490's, the prophesy said, the two paths would converge and the eagle would drive the condor to the verge of extinction. Then, five hundred years later, in the 1990's a new epoch would begin, one in which the condor and the eagle will have the opportunity to reunite and fly together in the same sky, along the same path. If the condor and eagle accept this opportunity, they will create a most remarkable offspring, unlike any seen before.

"The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle" can be taken at many levels — the standard interpretation is that it foretells the sharing of indigenous knowledge with the technologies of science, the balancing of yin and yang, and the bridging of northern and southern cultures. However, most powerful is the message it offers about consciousness; it says that we have entered a time when we can benefit from the many diverse ways of seeing ourselves and the world, and that we can use these as a springboard to higher levels of awareness. As human beings we can truly wake up and evolve into a more conscious species.   JOHN PERKINS

Chicago's Green Festival was held at McCormick Place in the south side four months back. I rode 3 miles along the coast through a heavy mist in a light rain jacket to get there. It cost only $5 to get in due to my eco-friendly mode of transport. I was there to meet John Perkins.

Before telling the story of the condor and eagle, he spoke of how some indigenous cultures from North America believe that each of us are born into this world with a specific purpose, or "legend". They say we are born into certain surroundings among particular people and circumstances exactly when and where intended. We are born to spend our lives working towards the achievement of whichever specific purpose we were brought here to perform.

What a clear and uncanny perspective. How contrary to so much of what we've been led to believe in western culture. By now you're well aware that thinking is not taught, and far from encouraged in our society. Assimilation is the norm. Pick an established field based first on its expected paying salary, then on its interest to you, and fall in line. What if instead we were convinced of our unlimited potential at an early age, that those who blaze their own paths rather than following crowds have historically made greater progress and led more fulfilling lives? Quite simply, positive changes would emerge and the planet would begin to mature as a whole. They've always said one should decide what he or she loves most; then find a way to make money doing it. But how many of us actually do this? How many of us earn a living and feel rewarded with our labor at the end of the day? How many of us have jobs that truly make a difference? (other than numbers on the bank statements of those at the top of the pyramid) The answer is simply not many.

Somewhere along the line, emphasis went from progress to profit. We lost our way when materials began to take precedence over ideals. The outside became more important than the inside. The goal has become to acquire and amass; human achievement has become essentially a bi-product of our efforts.

The unification of the condor and the eagle is coming.

The choices we're offered are unacceptable. Left versus right is an invalid contest. The system is broken. Our decisions and actions must soon be based upon common sense and the common good. What works best in one nation need be what works best for the entire planet. A time is coming where fake politics and the economic shell game will be a matter of life and death.

Balance is what's required. Balance between light and dark, masculine and feminine, left and right, mind and heart.

The prophesy must come to pass; all other outcomes lead to failure.

Each time we choose a new way to deal with the challenges of life, our solution contributes to the diversity of human will that ensures our survival. As one of us pioneers a new creative solution to the seemingly small challenges of our individual lives, we become a living bridge for the next person who finds himself or herself faced with the same challenge, and the next, and so on. Each time one of us faces the condition that others have faced in the past, we have more options from our collective response to draw from. Relatively few individuals may create possibilities that become choices for the whole.  GREGG BRADEN

SYSTEM CHECK

Since the beginning, I've never needed to coax myself into logging a Smog Chronicle. Issues have simply sprung fourth, caught my attention, then been placed under fire. Much of the content published over the past few years has been personal venting over some of the vexing circumstances we endure and how they are misunderstood by much of the population. Two years back I moved to a point on the map directly between the two greatest concentrations of those close to me. Face to face conversation gone; telephone communications cut drastically. For years I'd been reading between the lines and sharing my thoughts freely with friends eager to listen. I had people readily available to absorb some steam that needed blowing off while in Los Angeles. Moving to Chicago with my one and only; I couldn't expect her to carry what had previously been spread amongst many . .

After years of thought and preparation, The Smog Chronicles were born.

Since inception late last year, Cloud City Sessions have provided another vehicle for my perspective. They've proven a more encouraging forum for my expression. Though the music contains a powerful message; listening can also be used to motivate production. Whether driving, working out, or thinking creatively; music can be transformed from sound to work. Taking a step back from focusing on manufactured news reports and contrived conflict, I've been working to explore and ingest as many musical forms and stylings as possible to provide the best possible radio.

My love for baseball has also found a groove with High & Tight; another healthy outlet of late. I've long credited MLB as my distraction of choice, my focus on it now yields an hour of discussion each week. Thanks to those of you who've taken time out to listen to my programing.

Balance is the key to all things; mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As involved as I may get into these distractions; they will not sway me from my true calling. Balance is the goal. Focus on discipline; constructive thinking and action. As natural earth events, international political and economic activity continue to unravel, an increase in creative thought and action is required to maintain balance. While I've leaned heavily towards audio of late; events have naturally drawn me right back to the soul of The Smog Chronicles.


In intelligence parlance a legend is defined as the complete cover story developed for an under or deep-cover operative. A trail or record has to be put in place over a long period to establish credibility matching the operative's assigned cover.

The Osama bin Laden that was killed yesterday was a straw man who, among other things, gave a significant boost to Barack Obama's 2012 re-election hopes. But I sense there is much more to the story than this. The first step in assessing the theater surrounding last night's late announcement is to not fall into the trap of analyzing it as if it were the truth.

Killing a legend made of lies requires an entire new set of lies, which present new, well-chosen options to control and influence public opinion. The second step is to not yield to the instinctive desire to find immediate explanations. It took me three years of totally dedicated research to conclude, argue and state that Dick Cheney and the United States government orchestrated and executed the attacks of September 11th as a pretext to seize oil reserves in the Middle East.

When a legend fabricated from lies dies the only way to kill that legend is to tell more lies, all in furtherance of a (perhaps new) specific agenda.
Michael C. Ruppert 5/2/11


Society has once again been served an assimilating event on which to hang it's hat. Though it's too early to dissect and determine the exact motive for this story and its construction; some components are obvious straight out of the gate.

The young white "crowds" featured on Sunday night and Monday morning celebrating the alleged killing were clearly assembled by the same agency responsible for generating "crowds" protesting the US and it's military action in Pakistan. This same agency invented the so-called "Al Qaeda" classification and has once again invented threats against the US and produced similar contrived "crowds" of bin Laden sympathizers for the news cameras to capture. Concentrated, televised groups (made to look like masses) serving the same agenda though separated by thousands of miles and international borders. Note the fresh-out-of-the-package American flags waived by our smiling youth on the streets of NY and DC; while burned at the same time by their screaming counterpart in the Middle East. Note the playing to the camera and stretching to fill the frame by all. Mr. John Perkins, the self-dubbed "Economic Hitman" has spoken and written extensively about this technique and it's use over the past half-century.

Those in charge acknowledged the power of media, the vulnerability of the people and how easily they could be manipulated long ago.

The story told thus far is based exclusively on hearsay via the White House and national media. No first hand accounts, no witnesses, and only a rumor of photographic evidence support the legend. More "information" is uncovered with each passing hour, much like the days following 9/11. The scene, the compound, the special forces team and it's accolades, the plan reportedly initiated by the president, the intelligence gathered leading up to the mission, what's been uncovered at the site, stories with new details released throughout the day. The script of "what happened" will continue to be written in the weeks ahead. I expect in the end an "official" timeline will be agreed upon and logged like The 9/11 Commission Report; the most insulting book in American history.

I implore you to find the courage to think independently, use your intuition and rational mind as your senses are barraged with details of this fable as it continues to unfold. We are living in a time of radically advanced thinking, learning, and accessibility to information. The history books our grandchildren inherit must contain the true accounts of events that unfolded creating the Earth they experience. Integrity is the most important lesson children can be taught, it is required that we lead by example.

The time is now.

INTERFACE

"You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here, you're beginning to believe that the tube is reality and your own lives are unreal. You do. Why, whatever the tube tells you: you dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God's name, you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion."  
 -HOWARD BEALE, UBS; 1976

The line dividing Internet from television is so fine at this point it's barely visible.  This same line separates computers from telephones.  The "tube" is now a High Definition video screen, or handheld touch screen.  

Does our modern digital access to the people we care about strengthen our connections with them?  Do we better understand our friends based on words and photographic updates on their social networking sites?  There's no right answer to this question, but it's well deserving of our attention.  

Imagine a polar graph; concentric circles each at a uniformed distance from a central zero point.  The center represents face to face human interaction, the original form of personal communication.  The first ring from center represents telecommunications; either traditional telephone or "skype" style video conference calls.  The next represents a hand written letter personally delivered by the postal service.  The 3rd ring represents computer generated e-mail's and cell phone text messages.  The 4th and final ring represents communications via Facebook, Twitter, and the like.  The further you get from the center, the less personal the connection.  It feels like the further your message is broken down to ones and zeros, the less heart-based emotive is transferred.    

Society's addiction to personal communication devices has been well documented here; the way in which a screen becomes an entity held on the same plateau as a living person.  In many cases, these devices take precedence over physical human presence.  Do you ever engage in drawn-out text message dialogues?  Do you feel a certain protective "shield" provided by having a conversation in such a fashion?  Have you experienced any changes in the fabric of relationships with family members or friends by moving communications further towards the outer rings of our polar graph? 

Most of us have access to computers at home and at our places of work.  It's amazing when you step back and take inventory of the people in your field of view focused on phone in hand; in the city it hovers around 50%.  I understand the comfort humankind finds in its handheld communication and GPS systems, but what if some outside force, perhaps in the form of solar storms were to disrupt the operation of satellites responsible for this personal guiding light?

Several years ago I had a conversation about the impending age when our telephones will contain all information and media that make us.  Our entire music and movie collections, rentals, internet, books, magazines, and cable television.  Facebook like interfaces, or "dashboards" become the operating system of this "all-in-one."  All of our preferences, tastes, and property will compile a personality profile.  All of our web activity, purchases, and general consumption will be monitored and calculated to paint a clear definition of us.  Like the scene in Minority Report when Tom Cruise's character walks through the mall barraged with holographic advertisements making sales pitches directly at him based on his shopping history and habits.  This happens currently in the virtual arena.  The web monitors sites you've seen and literally caters its ads to places you've been.  An obvious example of this is Facebook advertising, generated uniquely for you based on your "likes" and your friends.

We are now on the dawn of this "personal pod" era.  With the invention of the "iPad" and exponential advancement in digital technology, within a few years our cell phones will be the epicenter of individual existence.  

Imagine a dock at home, in your car, and at work.  Plug in at home to set your lighting and heating preferences, your music or television, movies or sports.  You're driving down the highway with your phone plugged in, the advertising on the radio, the billboards you drive past changing as you move along; catered to your preferences.  Every thing you buy, every word you say or type placed into a database designed to make you a perfectly predictable consumer.  Of course the device is also a telephone and video camera, easily activated when deemed necessary.  Think of the scenes in The Dark Knight when Bruce Wayne hands Luscious Fox a comprehensive digital map of Gotham, created by harnessing every phone receiver and using the sound to build a sonar grid of the city.

This example is no longer far-fetched or science fiction.  It's simply an example of the possibilities we face in our world of ever increasing technological advancement.  My dialogue on the "pod" topic was more mathematical than imaginative.  Most trends can be predicted with a quick study of history matched with popular culture.  The big brother scenario has evolved from fear of privacy in our homes, to fear of willingly turning ourselves into open books; predictable humanoid consumption units.  

This is not intended to be a lecture on technological dependence, but a commentary on social evolution.  The question is are we better off with our modern tools of communication?  Are our relationships more complete and fulfilling with the abundance of access we currently enjoy?

I will continue to reach out through this medium, but know if I had my choice, I'd prefer to keep it in the center of the graph.

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

Are people out there evolving and learning to read between the lines? Is the media still operating at it's same old speed, up to its same old tricks? Does it seem like people are beginning to come around on the reality of our circumstance? Have you felt a weakening in the official story? Is there hope that people will learn to start brushing away the clouds created to distort their vision?

Though news stories and mass media continue to guide public perspective, times like these encourage people to reconsider the ancient laws of nature and common sense. As political, economic, and military movement continue down their dark path, people have started their transition back into classical, rational lines of thinking. I'm not speaking of the population represented in print and television interviews/surveys . . nor the hoards of people moving through the streets and popular trends like a flock of sheep.

I'm speaking of the people I meet.

More often than not, the people I meet are already halfway to understanding. Those who are oblivious to the information I share with them are almost without exception open and eager to learn more. The common response, which brings me great comfort, is the question of what can we do about it, and how can the word be spread most successfully . .

It's funny how easily people gravitate to truth when it's made available. It's almost like a secret handshake, a symbol of belonging to the group on the just side, not yet able to go public with it.

What a look of relief on the faces of like minded individuals presented with grounded perspective . .
Eyes wide open; freedom found within, unlike anything they've ever felt . .

The mental conflict experienced when people are presented with evidence that their beliefs or assumptions are wrong is known as cognitive dissonance.

On Columbus' first landing in the new world awestruck natives inquired how he and his men traveled to their land, they gestured to their fleet of ships.  The natives looked out on the water, squinted, adjusted their vision; all the while looking directly out at the ships. The natives were looking exactly where advised, ships plainly in sight, but invisible to them. The concept of such tremendous vessels, traveling across such a mass of water, was so foreign to these people, their minds could not translate what was directly in front of them.

Many souls exist under these same conditions today . . seemingly impossible to register reality as it unfolds . .

Recognition = Cognitive Dissonance.

It's only a phase.

An uncomfortable state of limbo between two roads.

One road has been traveled by the overwhelming masses since the dawn of the age. The other is uncertain; yet rich with opportunity clamoring for discovery.

Understanding a problem is halfway to its solution.

The road less traveled has plenty of room for travelers; fresh air and water, no traffic, no deception or confusion, no destination; just the promise of a peaceful future . . a balanced, fruitful age of clarity and growth . .

. . and transition.



I have lived on the lip of insanity
Wanting to know reasons
Knocking on a door, it opens
I have been knocking from the inside!
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī