[Think] Jed 'Zine 10/01

[Jack Downhill]

This is a mailing i have sent out to subscribers of my email 'zine. If you
would like to recieve it., email me at jeddd@ well.com.
Namaste, jed

	Early Friday morning Septmber 21. I was sleeping in my appartment
in Fort Green, Brooklyn. At 3:10 AM I was rudely awakened by the sound of
a very loud but somewhat distant low pitched crashing sound. It lasted for
what seemed like 2-3 seconds and reverberated for several more. I was
immediately wide awake. It sounded as if something big exploded probably a
mile or two away. About as far away as Manhattan. In light of the events
just ten days previously, I was sure I had just heard the sounds of yet
another building that had been blown up by terrorists. I jumped out of bed
and hurried to the living room to turn on the television. I yelled
"Fuck!" in frustration and anger that it was now, if there had been any
doubt before (i did) a war. I turned CNN. I was sure that within moments
the news of the latest attack would be reported and it would all begin
again. The wait was excruciating. I thought of how much time it took for a
witness to phone in news of the destruction and the length of time for it
to appear or be announced as a "breaking news bulletin" to be followed by
more stoties from different sources then a live audio report from a
breathless reporter or a local person. Then later a live image provided by
a hastily scrambled camera crew. I waited. All they seemed to be showing
was the latest elaboration on the ongoing Sept 11th story. Where WAS
it? It was taking too long. 
	As I stood there listening for news of escalation of the terror I
heard another loud noise. I then recognised it not as the sound of a bomb
blowing a hole in a skyscraper, but rather the famliar rumble of thunder.

	On Oct 7 United States forces launched cruise missile and bombing
attacks on targets in Afganistan. Now the Country and the world holds it's
breath to see what will be the response of any remaining members of the
terror network still present in the US or the Taliban or the rest of the
islamic world will be. It will be some time until I can hear the sound of
thunder and not wonder if it is an explosion of a terrorist act. 

	I think it's important when deciding how to respond this tragedy
as individuals, as a country and as a worldwide community, to first stop
and reflect. The best decisions are made when one has all the information,
not in the midst of emotional turmoil, and can look at the larger
picture. It's not wise to react from a place of anger. In this regard I am
fearful that the military action that has taken place will not result in
stopping the violence but rather in escalating it. Attacking a country and
endangering perhaps thousands of innocent civilians children and women who
are themselves harshly treated by their government, will not lead
to"victory" as Governor Bush has proclaimed.. It will instead create more
anger and I fear, a counter-response which will result in a response from
the US and so on. This is exmplified by the current  sitution in Israel
very few people recall who metaforically threw the first stone.

	Instead I believe, as Depak Chopra has so eloquently suggested, we
need to look at the root cause of this and see if this can be
addressed. One reason that is clear is that there is a great deal of
resentment over the United State's presence in the middle east. This
includes The unconditional  US support of Israel. It is clear that Israel
has done things that are seen as unjust to the Palestinians, but the US
has never publically criticised it or done something to pressure them to
stop. The United States led destruction of water purification plants in
Iraq during the Gulf War in violation of the Geneva Convention and the
decade long embargo of water purification equiptment and chemicals have
led to CONSERVATIVE estimates of 500,000 deaths from infectious disease
mostly children. (These are western estimates. Iraqui estimates are closer
to a million) Another is the US military presence in Saudi Arabia. It is
this point which particularly iritates Mr. Bin Laden. Americans are seen
as incredibly wealthy compared to Arabs in non-oil producing countries and
all but a few ultra-wealthy people in the oil-producing mid-east
countries. The US is in addition seen as actively contriving to keep this
wealth from poorer countries including Arabian countries. At this point in
time it is not a simple matter of just admiting our mistakes and going
home. 

	In a less publicized portion of the Bush/Cheny Energy policy, It
is admitted that the expansion of supply which is what is believed to be
the solution to the "energy crisis" will not be accomplished solely by
increasing domestic derived supply, such as in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge.  Instead "protecting our national interests"(ie. oil) in
the middle east:, is the longer term solution. The World's supply of oil
is, however, finite. Whether you believe that the remaining supply at
CURRENT Use rates is 100 years or as more conservative (small
"C") scientists  estimate, 50 years, the implication is the same:  Long
after all US domestic suplies are exhausted, the middle east will be
sitting on top of most of the remaining and itself rapidly dwindling
supply. Then you can bet that it won't be cheap and they will protect that
interest with a ferrocity that current terrorist acts, including the
destruction of the World Trade Center only hints at.

see The Nation's October 22 Article entitled Another "Wolf at the Door"by
Kenneth S. Deffeyesor go to:

http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/18/deffeyes-k.html

	Declaring our independence from middle east oil is in the long and
short run a good idea. However let us not use this tragic event as an
excuse to drill in the US including ANWR but rather look at the long term
ramifications of our curent dependence on oil. We will never be
independent of extra-domestic or even non-middle east oil at the current
rate of use. Expanding energy production and keeping prices down will not
do anything to discourage consumption. To become truly independent of
middle east oil and the attendent political and military entanglements we
must concentrate on what can do the most to immediately decrease our
dependence: conservation. At the same time  we must develop the energy
resources we do have: solar and wind. We are like a junkie dependent on
heroin and willing to break laws to obtain our fix. We need to wean
ourselves from oil to be truly healthy as a nation

	These are challenging times. I was afraid that there would be
chaotic times ahead as the world finds that the current global financial
system comes to grip with the reality that it is not equitable or
sustainable. I didn't think it would be so soon. It's not likely that the
United States will allow middle eastern countries to make their own way
sitting on top of what in a few decades will be the only source of the
form of energy to which we are addicted. 
	People ask why this was possible. It is not that as the President
has said "They hate our freedom". It is that we have an interest there
that we have demonstrated we are willing to use force to secure for
ourselves and that we build the majority of the weapons that have been
used to kill Palestinians Lebanese, Sudanese and Iraquis, Of course what
has been done is unimaginably horrible. There can NEVER be  a
justification for killing thousands of defenseless civilians. It's not
however a mystery why people hate the US and it is naive or deceitful to
be or seem puzzled.
	I support bringing justice to those responsible but let us not
take revenge on an entire region or people for a "random or senseless" act
but rather learn why it happened, address these problems and perhaps
eliminate the desire for terrorist acts in the future. 

This article by Depak Chopra was sent to me by e-mail shortly after Sept
11. I want to pass it on

"A Deeper Wounding"

Posted by Deepak Chopra, M.D. on Wednesday, Sep-12-01 at
05:19 PM (EST) on the Institute of Noetic Sciences website
discussion board about the attack.

As fate would have it, I was leaving New York on a jet
flight that took off 45 minutes before the unthinkable
happened. By the time we landed in Detroit, chaos had
broken out. When I grasped the fact that American security
had broken down so tragically, I couldn't respond at first.
My wife and son were also in the air on separate flights,
one to Los Angeles, one to San Diego. My body went
absolutely rigid with fear. All I could think about was
their safety, and it took several hours before I found out
that their flights had been diverted and both were safe.
Strangely, when the good news came, my body still felt that
it had been hit by a truck. Of its own accord it seemed to
feel a far greater trauma that reached out to the thousands
who would not survive and the tens of thousands who would
survive only to live through months and years of hell.

           And I asked myself,
           Why didn't I feel this way last week?
Why didn't my body go stiff during the bombing of Iraq or
Bosnia? Around the world my horror and worry are experienced every
day. Mothers weep over horrendous loss, civilians are
bombed mercilessly, refugees are ripped from any sense of
home or homeland.
Why did I not feel their anguish enough to call a halt to it?
As we hear the calls for tightened American security and a
fierce military response to terrorism, it is obvious that
none of us has any answers. However, we feel compelled to
ask some questions. Everything has a cause, so we have to ask,

           What was the root cause of this evil?

We must find out not superficially but at the deepest level.
There is no doubt that such evil is alive all around the
world and is even celebrated.
Does this evil grow from the suffering and anguish felt by
people we don't know and therefore ignore?
Have they lived in this condition for a long time?
One assumes that whoever did this attack feels implacable
hatred for America. Why were we selected to be the focus of
suffering around the world?
All this hatred and anguish seems to have religion at its basis.
Isn't something terribly wrong when jihads and wars develop
in the name of God?
Isn't God invoked with hatred in Ireland, Sri Lanka, India,
Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, and even among the intolerant
sects of America?
Can any military response make the slightest difference in
the underlying cause?
Is there not a deep wound at the heart of humanity?
If there is a deep wound, doesn't it affect everyone?
When generations of suffering respond with bombs, suicidal
attacks, and biological warfare,
Who first developed these weapons?
Who sells them?
Who gave birth to the satanic technologies now being
turned against us?
If all of us are wounded, will revenge work?
Will punishment in any form toward anyone solve the wound
or aggravate it?
Will an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and limb for a
limb, leave us all blind, toothless and crippled?
Tribal warfare has been going on for two thousand years and
has now been magnified globally. Can tribal warfare be
brought to an end?
Is patriotism and nationalism even relevant anymore, or is
this another form of tribalism?
What are you and I as persons going to do about what is
happening?
Can we afford to let the deeper wound fester any longer?
Everyone is calling this an attack on America, but is it
not a rift in our collective soul?
Isn't this an attack on civilization from without that is
also from within?
When we have secured our safety once more and cared for the
wounded, after the period of shock and mourning is over, it
will be time for soul searching. I only hope that these
questions are confronted with the deepest spiritual intent.
us will feel safe again behind the shield of
military might and stockpiled arsenals.
There can be no safety until the root cause is faced.
In this moment of shock I don't think anyone of us has the
answers. It is imperative that we pray and offer solace and
help to each other.
But if you and I are having a single thought of violence or
hatred against anyone in the world at this moment, we are
contributing to the wounding of the world.

Love,

Deepak Chopra, M.D.


I would also like to direct you to an article by Michael Lerner: WHERE THE
VIOLENCE COMES FROM Newer version of A World out of Touch  dated
09.16.2001 It offers a cogent analysis of our current predicament and a
vision of a possible solution. it is from TIKKUN online: tikkun.org

I have been on a bit of a hiatus from my 'zine I hope to have a new issue
out soon, but i wanted to address the recent events since most things have
changed since then and this seems like a new starting point.

Namaste, jed