Please join us and Keynote speakers, Bob Henricksen, Global Consultant for American Civil and Religious Liberties, and Scott Edwards, Assistant Director for Liberty of Conscience Preservation Council, next Thursday night, January 7, for a public disclosure of how the economic future of America will restructure the present financial markets, thus impacting your rights to international trade. DATE: Thursday, January 7 TIME: 6:00 p.m. LOCATION: State Capitol Columbia Room - 416 Sid Snyder Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98504 CONTACT: Liberty of Conscience Preservation Council PHONE: 360.402.1154 Follow-up seminar: DATE: Saturday, January 9 TIME: 2:00 p.m. LOCATION: Olympia Timberland Library conference room We look forward to seeing each one of you next Thursday night for an eye-opening experience that will reveal how your economic future is soon to be restructured by America.

I am just now listening to the adjournment of the City Council Meeting. I went to the meeting earlier tonight hoping to speak to the Council and City Staff about my bad experience being harassed by a member of the OPD a couple weeks ago. I didn't get to speak because there were 19 people signed up to speak, and I left the meeting early because I needed to run a couple errands. First off, let me say that I am a little bit ticked off, because it took me some finagling convincing to even be able to get signed up to speak. I arrived at about 7:15 or 7:30, and the public comment registration sheet had already been pulled. The City Clerk, who is a very nice person, told me that the sheet was pulled at 7:05. I don't know why registration wouldn't be kept open until the end of the meeting. I hope the new City Council changes this policy. Because closing it so early seems to demonstrate an attitude of disregard for the public comment process.

But anyway, at the end of the meeting, Mayor Mah mentioned that there were still 5 people who wished to speak, all of whom were signed up to speak on behalf of Shelly Bell, regarding the City lay-off decision. But I should also have been mentioned, and I was not there to speak about Shelly Bell. Maybe there was some confusion. I was there to speak about Public Safety. And I wish the Mayor would have recognized me.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 @ 7:00 p.m. Tuttle Hall 5831 Mullen Rd SE Lacey, WA 98503 (Successive meetings to follow on Saturday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. Thereafter, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. through November 21) Come and discover how today's top news stories and increasing global crises are setting the stage for an unprecedented crisis in America that will result in the enforcement of the "mark of the beast" legislation, affecting every citizen in this country, and eventually those around the world. You will come away from these phenomenal Scriptural-based Keynote presentations clearly understanding how you can face this coming crisis unafraid and with absolute confidence. You will experience how this topic and others - Armageddon, The Rapture, Israel in Prophecy, The Antichrist - will personally affect you and those whom you love...because everything is not as it seems. CONTACT: Liberty of Conscience Preservation Council @ 360-402-1154 or libertyofconscience@gmail.com

I am always astounded to learn about the massive disparity in wealth between people. Astounding!

According to the information on these cards, the top 20% of people with the most income account for 82% of global income. The bottom 20% of people - those with the least income, account for less than 2% of global income. I can only imagine that the disparity is even more severe when considering over-all wealth (separate from yearly income.)

I believe that much of this inequality is related to, and depends on, destructive competition over resources (including but not limited to war itself), and results in disease, poverty, domestic violence, and a multitude of other social ills and environmental degradations.

Will a law mandating a "National Day of Rest" stabilize the global economy and restore quality time for families across this nation and the world? Maybe you've never heard of such a bill, this "National Day of Rest." Maybe you might think it would be a welcome relief by having a day off from work once a week. Some of you may have heard of this soon coming legislation and are thinking, "There's no way that kind of legislation will pass. It would violate too many of our constitutional liberties. Well, before we're quick to jump onto either of those bandwagons, let us consider how quickly laws, such as the "Patriot Act" (and others) went into effect because of the unprecedented crisis of September 11, 2001. Many of us watched in almost disbelief and horror as those two planes crashed into the World Trade Center destroying them and thousands of lives. Many of us watching probably could never have dreamed that the events of that magnitude would have ever taken place in this country. You might have thought, as many did that day, "What is going on in this country? What is going to happen next?" So, before we're quick to say that a "National Day of Rest" bill could never pass in this union, I'd like to ask you to consider the events of "9-11" and the "Patriot Act" again in your minds.

Will the "National Day of Rest" bill stabilize this economy and restore "quality time" for families across this nation and the world? Have you still not heard of this proposed legislation, yet? Will it be a positive change for our families, this country and the global economy? Will our personal liberties have to be sacrificed in the interest of national security in order to sanction it? Come to this free public seminar to understand how today's increasing global crises are setting the stage for this very piece of legislation to soon become law, affecting every citizen of the United States and eventually the world. DATE: August 22 LOCATION: Lacey Timberland Library (conference room) TIME: 2 to 4:30 p.m. CONTACT: Liberty of Conscience Ministries PHONE: 360.402.1154 EMAIL: libertyofconscience@gmail.com

I was alerted to this Derrick Jensen article in Orion Magazine by a post on the Envirotalk listserve (which is part of SPEECH and South Sound Green Pages.)

I think it's an important article because it breaks up some of the prevailing and problematic thinking about how to get out of this economic/ecological/environmental/sociological mess that we are in. Instead of laying the blame at the feet of individuals (for not bicycling, or growing their own food, for example), Jensen lays the blame squarely where it is due - at the feet of decision-makers.

So, here's a link and a couple of excerpts from this lucid, rational, and well-written article. Thanks to Jerry for passing it on.

Forget the Shorter Shower | by Derrick Jensen | Orion Magazine

WOULD ANY SANE PERSON think dumpster diving would have stopped Hitler, or that composting would have ended slavery or brought about the eight-hour workday, or that chopping wood and carrying water would have gotten people out of Tsarist prisons, or that dancing naked around a fire would have helped put in place the Voting Rights Act of 1957 or the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Then why now, with all the world at stake, do so many people retreat into these entirely personal “solutions”?

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Is Global Trade Sustainable? If so, how much? And for whom? Should some people be allowed to trade freely, and not others?

Global economic trade has some positives, and some negatives. Do some people benefit more than other people? If so, who benefits more?

Are there any groups of people that are harmed by global trade? If so, who are they and how are they harmed?

Does global trade cause environmental degradation? If, so, what kind, and where does it show up?

Are some types of environmental degradation (e.g. global warming, extinction of species, or water/earth/air pollution) acceptable, while others are not? Who decides?

What role do we (both in terms of you and I, and as a society) play in enabling harmful/destructive economic activities? What role do we, or can we, play in working against harmful/destructive economic activities?

What does "progress" mean to you? (How do you define "progress"? Progress being a somewhat nebulous term: moving forward {whether it is socially, economically, politically, or etc.} can take on multiple different meanings.)

Do you have a vision of progress for Olympia? If so, what is it?

I ask these questions in the hope that people will want to, (and will feel comfortable to,) share their vision(s). In that spirit, I ask for people to refrain from engaging in criticism of each others' visions. The idea is for everyone to feel comfortable expressing their self without worry over being attacked.

Additionally, maybe we can inspire each other into thinking about creating, and forging, a common vision.

What does progress mean to you? Do you have a vision of progress for Olympia?

The Real News Network sits down with Retired Auto Workers to discuss the state of the economy and fiscal policy. 4 part video series:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4: