Let's Toast to Ten Good Things About 2006 by Medea Benjamin

As we close this year on the low of a devastating conflict in Iraq and a President contemplating sending yet more troops to fight and die in an unwinnable war, let us not forget that it was a year of many positive gains for the progressive movement. Here are just ten.

1. First, of course, is the November elections, when voters gave Republicans an “electoral thumpin’”. From California’s Jerry McNerney to Ohio’s Sherrod Brown to Minnesota’s Keith Ellison—Democrats all over the country won elections by slamming Bush’s war. The collapse of one-party rule in Washington reflected a spectacular repudiation of George Bush and handed Congress a mandate to get out of Iraq.

2. Latino communities throughout the United States took center stage in the spring of 2006, putting May Day back on the map as a day of grassroots mobilizing. From high school students to union members to community organizers, the spirit and energy of millions of immigrants demanding to be treated with dignity and respect took the nation by surprise. Immigrants not only carved out new political space, but in the age of e-activism, they breathed new life into the importance of “street heat.”

3. After decades of dictating the rules of the global economy, World Trade Organization talks fell flat on their face in 2006. Activists the world over celebrated its collapse after years of work to sink this titanic tool of empire. The work to derail corporate-dominated trade policies is far from over, with bilateral free trade agreements taking the place of the WTO. But the WTO and its model of globalization have been exposed as a dismal failure and opposition continues to grow worldwide.

4 George Bush opened 2006 with a State of the Union Address bemoaning our “addiction to oil”; 86 prominent Evangelicals called global warming a moral issue; Al Gore educated millions with his film, An Inconvenient Truth; and Time magazine declared the Earth is at a tipping point with melting ice, drought, wind, disease, and fires raging out of control. Historians may one day look back on 2006 as the “tipping-point” year when human societies—including the United States as the major superpower and the major polluter—woke up to the precarious state of our world and decided it was time to find solutions.

5. As a clear indicator of the shift from debating global warming to doing something about it, this year California passed the nation’s toughest legislation to curb greenhouse gases. The groundbreaking bill would require the state to cut back its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020—a reduction of approximately 25 percent. A smart politico, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saw the green writing on the wall and joined the state’s Democrats in setting a new environmental standard for the rest of the nation to follow.

6. In a year when Enron executives were found guilty of cooking the books, Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for proving that poor people can be more reliable money managers than rich ones. Yunus’ “microcredit movement” that started out giving small loans to poor Bangladeshis, mostly women, mushroomed into a worldwide movement that has extended small loans to millions of the world’s poor. By awarding Yunus the Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee not only recognized the credit-worthiness of the poor but acknowledged that poverty is a threat to peace. As Yunus said in his acceptance speech, “I believe that putting resources into improving the lives of the poor people is a better strategy [for combating terrorism] than spending it on guns.”

7. While the fighting between Israel and Lebanon left over 1,000 dead, mostly Lebanese, a ceasefire was achieved after only 34 days. When the violence threatened to spiral out of control, the United Nations, the Arab League and individual governments stepped forward to insist on negotiations, to hammer out a ceasefire agreement and to provide international peacekeeping forces to serve as monitors. What could have been a prolonged conflict with devastating consequences for the entire region was halted. The lessons that SHOULD have been learned when the powerful Israeli military was unable to “win” the conflict through force are that military aggression will not solve the deep-seated problems in the region, and that negotiations and peace processes can work.

8. Speaking of dialogue, Jimmy Carter, with his new book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, took on the greatest taboo in US politics: the gross violation of Palestinian rights and the unqualified US government support for the Israeli government. Likening Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories to the racist white rule in South Africa, Carter has raised a firestorm of controversy. But finally, FINALLY, someone with the credentials of a statesman, a peacemaker and a friend of Israel is crying out against Israel’s hellish treatment of Palestinians. The public is embracing his views: his book quickly became a bestseller and he has been greeted by enthusiastic crowds at appearances around the country. Hopefully, our elected officials will start listening as well.

9. In 2006 we managed to stop the next war from starting! With the US bogged down in Iraq and the public sick of war, it has been impossible for the Bush administration to launch an attack against another country like Iran or North Korea. The army doesn’t have enough recruits to fight a new war and the politicians know it would be political suicide to reinstate the draft. Two major warmongers—Donald Rumsfeld and John Bolton—were forced out of power. And with Bush obligated to appoint a new ambassador to the United Nations, perhaps diplomacy will come back into fashion.

10. Across Latin America, elections have continued to bring a wave of progressive leadership to power. With the victories of Daniel Ortega and Rafael Correa, Nicaragua and Ecuador join Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile and Brazil as governments committed to improving the lives of the majority. As a sign of the radical changes in the region, Bolivia’s Evo Morales marked May 1 by nationalizing the country’s oil and gas resources. “After today,” he declared, “the hydrocarbons will belong to all Bolivians. Never again will they be in the hands of transnational corporations. Today the country--la patria--stands up.”

So here’s a toast to nations standing up to greedy transnationals, to people standing up to leaders who abuse their power, to humanity standing up to save the planet we inhabit—and to bringing our troops home in 2007!

On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic, unmistakable mandate for peace. Now it's time for action. Join CODEPINK and many others in a national march to D.C. on January 27-29, to send a strong, clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration: The people of this country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and we want the troops home now! Click here to learn how you can participate-
www.codepink4peace.org/article.php

Medea Benjamin (medea@globalexchange.org) is cofounder of CODEPINK (www.codepinkalert.org ) and Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org).

Gore Vidal-The Throat of the Republic

Hey friends-I just produced this film with Gore Vidal and wanted to share a clip of it.-
click on www.youtube.com/watch

Sorry for the film quality-I had to shrink it down for You Tube and it lost a lot of its elements. Anyway-his message is the most important and inspiring part about it. Viva Le Revolution and please sign the Give Peace A Vote Petition at www.democracyinaction.org/dia/o...on.jsp

A Message from Willie Nelson

I was at a concert this weekend in California to raise money for the National Veterans Foundation. I'm an Air Force veteran, and I have great respect for the military. I like to support the soldiers whenever I can. But I don't support this war in Iraq.
I was against the war before it started. I always thought it was a terrible decision, badly thought out, badly planned, and then horribly executed.
I want to see our troops come home right away, and so do most Americans. Unfortunately, too many politicians in both parties refuse to listen.
So when will the troops come home? When we won't put up with it anymore-when we change our government. And how will we do that? By voting the bastards out! On November 7, you should vote for anyone who's against the war and vote against anyone who's for the war. It's that simple.
When I wrote the song "Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth" at Christmastime in 2003, a lot of people were for the war, a lot of people didn't know the facts or the truth. But people are waking up now. They're learning that they were lied to about the war. They're feeling lied to about this Mark Foley scandal in terms of who knew what and when. They're questioning the leadership in this country.
And that gives us new possibilities for November 7th. If we all go out and vote for peace candidates and get our friends to vote, and if our votes are really counted, it's no contest. There'll be a change in the Congress, and then we'll just have to keep building so we can get a president who won't send our soldiers to fight a war based on lies.
We should have thrown the bastards out years ago. Let's do it now! Give Peace A Vote! (please sign the Give Peace A Vote petition at www.democracyinaction.org/dia/o...on.jsp

Willie Nelson

Code Pink Petition for Peace-To go to Washinton! Please Sign!

Dear friend,

Aren't you ready to let the politicians know that we, the majority of Americans, want an end to the ongoing war in Iraq? Then please join me, along with Yoko Ono, Susan Sarandon, Alice Walker, Dolores Huerta, Cornell West, my friends at CODEPINK, and MANY MORE in signing Give Peace a Vote.

This is a Voters Pledge that we will only vote for candidates who publicly call for a speedy withdrawal from Iraq and will keep us from engaging in future unjustified wars. Let's send a clear message this November and beyond, that we believe in international law and diplomacy over aggression.

Please sign the Voters Pledge and ask at least 10 of your friends to sign as well. With millions of peace voters, we can elect leaders who will Give Peace a Chance. That's all we are saying.

Simply copy and paste this url in the address bar of your web browser to sign up NOW: www.democracyinaction.org/dia/o...on.jsp

Thank you for taking action!

Mystic Bond

Today was a challenging day. I saw x-rays of my spine this morning and learned that I have a great amount of healing to do. I won’t get into the details, but this galactic traveler is going to do some galactic sitting for quite some time. It’s a challenge, but at the same time I see it as a blessing because it’s going to keep me in one place for a little longer than usual. Last year I knew that my travels would temporarily come to a close because of necessary healing and now I’m doing it.

I called my mom to let her know the news and she told me how years ago when she had a tumor that she would sit in the hospital and visualize her healing. She said how she imagined herself in a castle and that my dad was a knight in shinning armor. She pictured him waiting outside and every time she would think negatively about the tumor, the knight, or my dad, would attack and stop it from entering the castle walls.

Her doctor at Sloan Kettering, one of the leading cancer research centers in the world, said that he had never seen such a fast recovery.

I believe that the mind can heal anything, because what else is there? It’s all in the mind, isn’t it?

I was so happy to hear this story because my mom has never shared anything like this in the past. I asked her why she’s been holding out on me with stories like this and she said that she feared her own insanity.

HA! I assured her that if she’s crazy, than so am I because stories like this have become my everyday experience here on earth. I told her how I have conversations like this with my friends all the time and how I’m totally surrounded with this type of spiritual support.

It was a complete breakthrough for both of us. She reminded me of how I can heal myself with positive thoughts, and I reminded her of how she’s not alone.

I shared a couple of my own mystical experiences with her, and then she told me how when she was a little girl living in Greenwich Village she heard a voice while playing on the street outside her house. The voice said that she would live to see the greatest miracle of the world and that the shift is coming.

Again, she ended her story with how she has always felt crazy for hearing and envisioning things like this. Again, I told her how my friends and I talk about this on a regular basis and if she wants to be surrounded by people with the same vision, all she has to do is ask.

This was one of the most beautiful moments that I’ve ever shared with my mom. I, being an external reflection of her inner thoughts, helped her to shift vice versa.

I am thankful for times like these. I am thankful for being a tiny sparkle in this great universe, and for all of you to share this with.

Ascension Time

Dear Spirits of the Human Experience-

I received a powerful message that was loud and clear. Now is the time on good ol' gaia that we are filled with high manifestation, and that never before this moment have we been able to manifest so much in such a clear way. This is beautiful and so delicious. It's a time to be conscious of even the smallest things that are being said, and this specifically applied to our global state and the idea of 2012.

2012 is another verbal tag of evolution, enlightenment, or whatever term you prefer, but we don't have to wait for a marking of time, an illusion, for this dream to happen. We must live 2012 or 'enlightenment' today, or we may have a hell of a time waiting for its arrival. Even the highest vibrations of spirit, have to change 'the end of times' 'apocalyptic talk', because guess what — We don't have to go down before we go up. We can just go up from here, and I urge you to remember this. I sometimes catch myself saying, "oh yeah, the last dip into darkness before we go up", but it doesn't have to be this way. I, a reflection of you and messenger of spirit, ask all of you reflections of me to take a brief moment everyday and visualize this world surrounded in light, and how the evolution is happening now. Visualize, visualize, visualize!!! This takes no effort; it's our magic, and all we have to do to turn things around.

One more thing—If you're going to focus light on any geographical point right now, the Middle East needs it so learn the shapes of the countries there. It will help in your visualizations. In this region (especially Iran , Afghanistan, and Pakistan) resides the great portal that we are working to fully open. Once this is open, the rest of the world will follow. This is the center and heart pulse of Tantra and ancient mysticism, and we are all here to support it with light so the great shift can occur. If you're reading this now, it means that you have the keys to it. This is the geographical representation of the middle ground that we are working for, and it just makes sense to me that there has been so much fighting there for thousands of years. On a very material level and dimension, people say that trade of the Silk Road, Islam, fuel, terrorism have all caused the turmoil of the Middle East, but in a very deep and subconscious way, the fight is the multidimensional struggle of light and dark. The master spirits are here and are waiting for us to change our thinking now.

Right now, with Lebanon , Israel, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. the middle is going through some intense times, but we will help to find the peace there. It's coming so please remain positive.

I have more to say about the dimensional play that is happening, but I don't want to overload.

Please share and be very open right now, and be fearless. A lot of energy is sweeping the planet and you will see the unexplainable and paranormal in every step. I say this now from the strongest place within me which is God. Don't feel crazy or just realize that we're all crazy because we're all seeing the spirits, the stars, the things that you only thought that you could see in your dreams or on acid. Be vocal with others and share what you see. In sharing, you are reaffirming the shared visions, and you are activating and empowering people to forget their fears and rise.

Thank you spirits, and please honor this very open door of manifestation and dreams. Share with as many people as possible. Show that we are all the creators of our reality. If we're tired of what we see, we can change it. We just have to believe. It's really that easy.

Love is the only reality, and that is all that I have for you.

Shanti.

"If the positive innovations connect exponentially before the massive breakdowns reinforce oneanother, the system can repattern itself to a higher order of consciousness and freedom without the predicted economic, environmental, or social collapse." - Barbara Marx Hubbard

Planetary Manifestation

You, revolving in time with the dance of Mars
I am sitting here drinking my double latte with lady Venus on the corner and the manifestation of you is filling the interplanetary fabric of my soul with stars-
stars that pulsate your vibrations of light and emanate through all my densities and scars.

My awareness led me to believe that love was a black hole, but how my illusions can fail me sometimes
thoughts of the past keep clouding like the milky way in my mind.

Well honey right now is the time, I release the past
I'm uncertain of the new day,
but I listen as lady Venus points out the signs.
she starts to say "Girlfriend, step up to your place in the
interplanetary lay and get aligned with the circulation
around the sun which is the center that keeps all 9 of us spinning in time, which is really just a symbol for the source of the divine.

And then... She says, "can you truly intertwine with that beautiful spirit, that casa nova who keeps firing love at your heart with the force of a super nova"

"he's the one over there, dancing with mars, and keeps emanating through all your densities and scars"

I look to you again. Your dance with mars has turned perfectly into a galactic GROOVE of ZEN!

Are you the one? Are you really the one who's going to evolve and revolve next to me
in 360 degree trails, in accordance to the sun, the symbol for the divine-the symbol for the one, the one, the one.

Are you going to respect me, and stand strong in the intrinsic pull of gravity, while giving me the space to breath, and follow my bliss?

And as passion's comets have started to fly, my dream of this is written in the stars and my heart tonight.

update

more blog updates than I can count this week at www.galactictraveler.blogspot.com, and yes, I'm still romping around Cambodia.

Much love!

Cambodian Inspiration

Hey family,

I just updated my personal blog at www.galactictraveler.blogspot.com with an entry about one of Cambodia's leading community activists who actually started the country's first mental health program.

Be the light!
Lil'

the blog goes on-

Hey Reflections

Just writing to let you know that I recently updated my blog with an entry about what tribal villages in the jungles of Cambodia are doing to save their rain forests. Check it at

www.villagefocusinthefield.blogspot.com

I'm still in Cambodia and more blogs will be projected into this dimension soon. Much love-Liz