Our Choices Determine Our Future

It never ceases to amaze me how easily manipulated we humans are. Here in the United States, we go back and forth between issues like gun control, racism, and gay marriage all within the blink of an eye. Most of us have opinions on these issues and more, so it becomes easy to get us all enmeshed in this battle or that battle, depending on what the media presents to us on that particular day.

The bright light that has sustained me for the past week and a half is the actions of the people of Charleston in reaction to the church shooting there. In a time of tragedy, these people have chosen to not act on the hype. They have not allowed a racially motivated shooting to put them into a state of fear and fighting. They speak of love and forgiveness. They have joined hand in hand with their fellow Americans and proclaimed, "We are ONE!" They have even been able to dispel potential trouble that was brought in from outside sources to try to create a riot in the name of racism!!! This is nothing short of a miracle in my book as I look at similar racial tensions in other parts of the United States (Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD more specifically) and the results in those places.

Does Charleston still have problems? You bet! Those pockets of racism that existed before the incident have not gone away. This is true everywhere in the country (and even in the rest of the world). They still have our human flaws.

It is not belief that makes the people of Charleston different from those in the rest of the country or even the rest of the world. The difference is their choice!!! They could have chosen to follow the guidance of the media and fight with their fellow humans over race. They could have protested the biogtry. They could have allowed violence to erupt. They could have gotten all hot and bothered over the media's use of the Confederate flag to draw out more hate. After it was all said and done, they still chose love, peace and forgiveness.

This is the choice that every one of us must now make!!! It is time to recognize the many ways we are led into battle with each other, and it is time to resist!!! Resist the temptation to debate why gay marriage is "right" or "wrong". Defy the media when they promote stories on gun control.  Refuse to engage in the battle!!! Don't allow them to separate us from one another!!!

We stand at the edge of a precipice. We can choose to step out into the nothingness and into our own deaths, or we can begin building a bridge that will lead us to the paradise that awaits us on the other side. Each time we seek out love, each time we seek out peace, each time we seek out unity, we build that bridge that leads to the promised land.

It is not our beliefs that determine our future. It is our choices. Choose with intention.

~CSE

Recognizing the Pattern

I have a dear friend that grew up in Chile. In 1970, Chileans elected a popular socialist, Salvador Allende, to become president. The United States government (in reality transnational corporate interests) feared the proposed state takeover of certain Chilean industries, particularly Chile's copper industry. (You can read more about US intervention in the situation at this US government history website.) My friend was young and married at the time. Her husband was an activist who was extremely supportive of Allende and his proposed changes.

My friend has told me on numerous occasions how popular Allende's agenda was because it thought to give control of Chile's resources back to the people who actually lived there. Behind the scenes, however, they could see the intervention of the US government, who used CIA operatives to destabilize the country. One of the main things they did was pay people to start riots. My friend said it was obvious to them all how outside influences were working to destabilize the popularly elected president, but nothing they did was able to stop it. Destabilizing the country allowed the military to rise up to try to get things under control. The coup happened in 1973. After the dust settled, a general by the name of Augusto Pinochet came to power. My friend's activist husband was placed into prison for several years. When he was finally freed, the young couple fled to Spain to begin a new life not under the dictator's control.

The thing that bothers me so much about this story is the subtle way the US government worked to destabilize someone else's government. Yes, it had to do with capitalism, but the fact of the matter is the US was not fighting for freedom or what was best for the people of Chile. It was destabilizing another country to make sure that the interests of transnational corporations were being maintained.

Why do I have a problem with that? What is good for the rich man is not good for the poor man. Poor people in countries like Chile end up becoming the slave labor force, working for pennies on the dollar for an extremely meager subsistence way of life. Why should they not benefit more from the resources their country has to offer? Mother Earth does not charge anyone for living here, but gives all her resources freely (even to her own destruction). This is why Allende had been elected in the first place--to actually help his people get more from the price for their labor.

The United States military is not here to serve and protect the interests of the American people. It is here to serve the interests of their corporate masters. How can I say that when I know they are fighting terrorism around the world so that we remain free? Because I understand the pattern of manipulation that takes place so we believe our military is necessary to tame chaos around the world.
Fact of the matter is, they use this pattern of manipulation right here in the United States itself in order to pass laws that cement their agenda.

Look at the stuff taking place in Charleston right now! A white, high school dropout from the state capital of Columbia with a very racist outlook on life just happens to pick out a black church in Charleston that has a history of being associated with a slave revolt. (Question: How does a poor, white high school dropout know this history?) He enters the church, sits through a prayer meeting and then proceeds to shoot nine people to death. Interestingly enough, the pastor, Clementa Pinckney, also happens to be a South Carolina state senator. How coincidental is that?

Now look at what has happened in the week since the incident has taken place. They identified the shooter and caught him in the small town of Shelby, North Carolina. The people of Charleston and of South Carolina decided that unity and working together was a better answer to the racially motivated killings. The families of the slain spoke of pain at their losses, but also of forgiveness. Even though race and religion were both tossed out repeatedly by the media as reasons for the slayings, no one chose to manifest their feelings in violent or destructive ways.

Less than one week after the tragedy (and no violence manifested), a group of unknown protesters decides to make a scene at the memorial site just outside of the Emmanuel AME Church, where the shootings took place. They said things like "arm yourself or harm yourself" and "never forget, never forgive". (For full coverage of the story click on link here.) At this point, we have to ask ourselves who sent them. They obviously wanted to start trouble with slogans like that. Ironically, the good people of Charleston managed to overcome the violence through speaking of love and asking the protesters to leave the city.

Let's look at the pattern. A highly coincidental shooting takes place at a historic African American church. Even though the media draws out the ideas that the act was racially motivated, no racial violence or chaos ensues. The media then draws attention to the flying of the Confederate flag at the state capital in Columbia and tries to engage the country in the racist symbolism it implies (which actually works better than the shootings did to create racial tension). As a last ditch attempt to create violence in Charleston, some unknown force sends in a group of protesters to try to promote chaos (which also does not work).

Why would the powers that be intentionally create such a situation? Perhaps it is better to see what else is going on in the country that happened when we were focused on the events in Charleston. Involving people in fighting among themselves is a great distraction for passing legislation that you don't want people to particularly understand or focus on.

While the country has been engaged in debates on racism and the Confederate flag, the US Senate managed to form an almost unheard of consensus of senators on both sides of the aisle to pass the fast-tracking of a new trade agreement know as the TPP, or Trans-Pacific Partnership. In a nutshell, this treaty will give world powers authority to override the rights of our constitution in favor of (you guessed it) corporations!!! If other countries refuse certain corporate goods, those corporations will be able to sue and override those actions. Other parts of this law include the ability to regulate the internet through the use of taxes, fines and imprisonment. It is most definitely a bad thing for America, so bad that legislators have told We the People that we are not allowed to know what is in it before they vote on it!!! We only know because of revelations by Wikileaks!!!

If you understand the pattern and what they do to create disruptions and distractions to manipulate us, you can begin to identify those actions they take to harm us. Don't be fooled. Our freedom ultimately depends on us being able to see beyond the lies.

~CSE

Questions, Conspiracy, and Charleston

Once again my thoughts are running to the good people of Charleston, who have had their world turned upside down through a cold and calculated event. Looking at some of the evidence now coming out, my mind comes up with many more questions than answers.

My mind first turns to the agenda points of this story. Racist white man enters a black church and opens fire. The President, of course, comes out almost immediately and talks about the need to better control guns. He also talks about the attack in terms of racism and religion. Gun control. Two politically divisive hotpoints: race and religion.

Next, my mind immediately goes to the killer, Dylann Roof. Evidence does seem to indicate he had white supremacist leanings. Extreme views are a definite weakness that would make one more vulnerable and open to violence. I wondered about potential drug use. Very quickly the information came out that he had a drug record. He was caught in possession of a drug known as suboxone, which is used to help people get off harder illegal drugs. It is also associated with violence. This is all stuff that would make Roof more likely to be influenced to commit a violent act.

My next thoughts question if he had any direct contact with someone with government agency ties. The FBI has been known to set people up to commit violence. They've helped "terrorists" come up with plans to bomb bridges and commit other destructive acts (then, of course, they would catch these "terrorists" to make themselves look good). Nothing. Yet.

Another immediate question I had was about the victims/potential targets at the church. The church itself, Emmanuel AME church, was extremely symbolic. It had been started by slaves who later tried to lead a revolt and were hanged for it. Then there was the pastor, Clementa Pinckney, who was not only a religious leader but also happened to be a South Carolina state senator. Political ties. What didn't they like about this man?

This is where the mind of a conspiracy theorist wanders. This is also where I would exercise a word of caution. In recent years, the imaginations of conspiracy theorists have wandered dramatically. I've seen many postings about faking incidents--many of which do seem to have some basis in fact. However, I do believe the powers that be have mixed it up a bit. Not everything is totally faked or totally real. They do this with intention because it makes people follow up on wild goose chases and makes them look ridiculous. Very easy to point out someone who has made these sort of mistakes and discredit them.

I will say this about Charleston. I believe the deaths to be very real, as I have a good many friends in South Carolina. One of them knew the Reverend Pinckney personally.

I'm sure that much more information will come up in the days ahead. Make sure to follow your heart for guidance and clues that will lead you toward truth!!! Discernment is key in the treacherous waters we currently find ourselves in. Stay aware.

~CSE