Magical Mystery Tour

Sixty years on Earth is a chunk of time. If your 25, it seems like forever. If your 90, you think it's young. That's the interesting thing about perspective; it all depends on which side of the fence you're on.  I've been observing my reactions, feelings, and attitudes during the past 9 months, and I'll admit they have been varied. I just finished writing an email to my 2 best friends, and realized in that composition that a theme has formed for the final 4 months of my 60th year. A Magical Mystery Tour (MMT)

Today's thoughts remind me of yesterdays. The van, as a symbol for my life, is profound. I never had one painted this way, but I did want to honor the Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" (MMT). I have had 4 vans during the past 40 years, so they have dominated my driving experiences and added to my personal MMT. My first van was a VW, much like the one pictured here. It was light green, had a stick shift, and its' engine froze in the middle lane of the northbound NJ Turnpike, somewhere between Elizabeth, Bayonne, and Newark.

My second van was a red Chevy window van and it was part of my life for 10 years; from Long Island to Princeton to Berkeley to Sedona. My friend Alan and I had magical tours in that van, visiting Vermont, listening to 8 track tapes, creating visions of that van as a big community bus; a vehicle for change and inclusiveness. "You've Got a Friend" was born in that van and someday I will write more about those days; the mid 70's deserve a post of their own.

I did illegal things in the red van, including light drugs and innocently smuggling a rabbit into Canada. Around 1980, I had it painted a strange blue color and converted it to a camper van. You can remake your ride to reflect your transformation from wandering to commitment. Many years went by before I bought another van.

In 2005, I bought the celery colored Dodge Grand Caravan in Ramona from the Russian guy for $3,000 cash. It was the best desert vehicle for my construction work. If you have ever left a hammer in the back of your pickup truck and went to grab it on a hot June day, you'll understand why a van is the right vehicle. Austin and I had all we needed in that van; it was a cash machine. Transporting merchandise from Home Depot and all of my tools, we'd pull up to someone's home, complete a project and drive away with cash. Those were good times in Borrego Springs.

That van transported me to my current location, and recently I sold it after it turned 200,000 miles. Although it wasn't the smoothest transition, I soon bought my current champagne gold 2001 Toyota Sienna Van. We drove it to Sedona a few weeks back, and if you have been following along here, you know that was a magical trip. Once again the tunes and the scenery were grand through the large windows of a van.

I have been asked many times why does an older guy drive a soccer mom's vehicle. This speaks to images in SoCal that you are supposed to have the right car. To be honest, if you look at me, really look at who I am and have been, you'd have a hard time figuring out what is the right car for Robby. Some think its a sports car, some say its a 4 door sedan, maybe something classic like an old Mercedes. I've owned an RX-7, a Jaguar, an Audi lemon, a green Volare (look it up), a 1969 red Camaro with a 396, and at least 6 other vehicles.

But my vans bring MMTs and symbolize my ride through life. The tour continues in a few weeks; back to the NW to visit my best friends and reflect on past, present and future. Anybody got a time machine?

Imagine

I don' know if I'm a dreamer as much as a restless observer, but last week I got some momentary clarity during our time in Sedona. Yes, it was part just being away from work and SoCal, yes it was part the energy of the Red Rocks, yes it was my history meeting my current reality, yes it was partially inspired by my email exchanges with Jud, and yes/but at then end of the day reflecting and packaging my thoughts here is what I do best.

I have about 50 songs on my smart phone and with the poor, but workable technology, of tethering it to the cassette player in my van, we listened to lots of Beatles, Carol King, James Taylor, and similar music from the 70's; as we drove 17 hours round trip across desert, mountains, freeways and Arizona highways last week. The words of those songs, the memories of days gone by, the freedom of the road, the meditation of the long hours staring through the windshield of my life, has me placing this summers head space, transitions, confusions, frustrations, depressions, therapy sessions .... (wow, that is a lot of "ions") in context.

Add this to my past two years of correspondence with my HS classmate Jud and it brings me to the heart of this piece. IMAGINE if we realized the kind of world Gene Roddenberry envisioned when he structured the simplistic culture on board the Enterprise, filled with the philosophies, morals, directives, and harmony in the Federation. OK, I am a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

Many of us thought the world by now would be very different. Certainly we would now be more aware than the bigotry betrayed in the book and movie "The Help." Certainly by now we would be more concerned about solutions, than about personal or financial agendas. Certainly by now we would be more evolved as a planetary kingdom; connected humans solving international conflicts with wisdom instead of guns and bombs. It is not so. I am disappointed to say the least. 

I woke up this morning uplifted, while thinking about my son's new beginning in the USD Business Masters program focusing on Global Leadership. Somehow, we have passed forward the spirit to him and he wants to be a leader and part of the transformation of human truths, actions, and cooperation. 


We are all tiny pieces of a 7 billion human puzzle and that is why I named this Blog "1 of 7 billion humans." DUH!  I will be 60 in December but I still want to join/form a pack of doers and scheme to lead a village toward more awareness, accountability, and a conscious future.

From potential life threatening hurricanes and earthquakes, to overthrowing dictators like Gaddafi, so much more is unexpectedly happening on Earth and now more than ever I am seeing the need to "think globally, act locally." 

"Imagine all the people, living life in peace."

Sedona

Sedona, Arizona is named for Sedona Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness. During our vacation in Sedona this past week, we constantly remarked about the friendliness of the residents and the obvious commitment by everyone living there, to making sure the spirit of Sedona lives.

Unfortunately, the other lingering feeling deposited in my soul from this visit to one of the most beautiful places on Earth, is the truth about the Native peoples departure from this land (their home) in the Verde Valley of Central Arizona. In 1876, the Yavapai and Apache tribes were forcibly removed from the area to the San Carlos Indian Reservation, 180 miles southeast. 1500 people were marched, in midwinter, to San Carlos. Several hundred lost their lives. 

Sedona's main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, aka the "Red Rocks". The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. Juxtaposed with the vibrant green vegetation and the clear blue sky, it is no wonder that this breathtaking landscape "moves" millions of travelers from all over the world, who believe they are experiencing a spiritual force beyond nature.

Our favorite part of the trip was our visit to 2 Native American historical sites, Palatki and Hanaki. These cliff dwelling ruins, and the pictographs on the walls of their canyons, are mostly from the "Sinagua" circa 650-1250 AD, while some of the abstract symbols and drawings date back 3000-6000 years from the "Archaic" native cultures. The history (always remembering these are just interpretations and partial truths assumed by archeologists based on the remains pottery chards and fossils), brings alive a time when the weather was different, wild animals were abundant, and peoples were experimenting with farming. 

My spirit is raised when I go to Sedona and I was reminded again of the first time I arrived there in the early 80's and realized I was HOME. (HOME is an acronym I created in 1975 for Heart-Open-Mind-Eternal.) Living in Sedona in simpler times found us part of a small community of like-minded people who were determined to build a foundation for the Sedona of today. You cannot miss the beauty of the architecture and the control of the development, amidst the inevitability of the expansion in America over the past 30 years. Sedona is a tourist mecca in harmony with itself ......... still one of this planet's must see locations.

By the People, For the People

Open minded folks around the country are trying to get their heads around the incredible instability of the economy. History will report that the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of 8 years of Bush and Cheney. The Iraq War and deregulation in the financial sector were at the root of our collapse. 


But I am past the anger of how we got here, and attempting to join a positive movement seeking a path out of this maze. The most important question is: "What do we do about it now?"


Two good friends have offered up 2 significant ideas. The first proposal is "by the people." When the collective focus of spirit and intention by hundreds of thousands of people is brought to a crescendo on a given day, it will raise the consciousness of all 7 billion humans. This concept is rooted in the beliefs of authors and national speakers suggesting that if enough people pray and meditate on world peace, their combined energy will heal and inspire humanity.


The second idea is that the only path to real change in Washington DC is to add a terms limits amendment to our Constitution. In addition to limiting length of service, this amendment would reduce the financial benefits awarded to public servants, thereby turning over our Capital offices to citizens governing "for the people."


Will enough people get behind this movement? If you read through the following simple list of ideas for change, you probably will agree that this would alter the landscape and we would find a completely different kind of person wanting to serve. Holding a political position would be a privilege, not a career:


1. A two term limit - 2 years each


2. The salary is limited to basic housing and living expenses.


3. While in office, you get medical benefits and when you leave office you are eligible for nothing more than standard Social Security and Medicare


There are a number of non-profit organizations on the Web promoting a term limits amendment. I am researching their roots, and if I find one that I believe is worthy of your support, I will pass it forward.


In the meantime, a growing threat to the stability of our government is the Tea Party. Take a few minutes to read the following article. It will fuel you belief that this movement is ill advised.

The Right's delusions of world-historical grandeur

By Greg Sargent

Is the Tea Party movement comparable to the abolitionist, civil rights and women's suffrage movements?

As I've noted here before, it often seems like some on the right are suffering from what you might call a world-historical inferiority complex. They're so desperate to imagine themselves as actors in an ongoing drama that rivals the most momentous struggles in human history that they simply play-act the part, pumping up their own situation into something comically out of proportion with historical reality.

Here's another perfect example of this. "Tea Party Review," the first national magazine for Tea Partyers, is making its debut this week, and one of its founders explained the idea driving it by comparing the Tea Party to the most important movements in American history:

"People are weary of the distorted version of the Tea Party movement that we see in most of the media," said Katrina Pierson, a member of the Dallas Tea Party and the "national grassroots director" for the new magazine.

"Throughout American history, successful movements -- abolitionists, women's suffragists, the civil rights movement, the conservative movement, et cetera -- all had their own print publications."

I think it's a bit too soon to say whether the Tea Party deserves a place alongside those movements. Abolitionism and the civil rights movement, taken together, spanned more than a century, beginning with the founding of abolitionist societies in the early 1800s and culminating in the 1960s with the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts. The abolitionists helped liberate millions of people who had been held captive under a deeply entrenched economic system -- the Slave Power -- that could only be overturned by decades of committed political activism, superhuman perseverance, and untold amounts of bloodshed.

Publishers of abolitionist newspapers routinely had their printing presses broken up by angry white mobs, a fate that is unlikely to meet the publishers of the new Tea Party magazine. Yet despite the fact that the threat and reality of violence against them was ubiquitous, the abolitionists envisioned and helped put the nation on a path to the first interracial democracy in human history, and the civil rights movement took major steps to codify that vision into federal law, one of the greatest historical feats of all time.

By contrast, the Tea Party can't boast that level of accomplishment yet. Federal cash from the stimulus, which originally sparked the Tea Party uprising, continues to flow. And the jury is out on whether the Tea Party movement will even accomplish what has become its primary goal: Liberating millions of Americans from the tyranny of Obamacare and the individual mandate. It's true that the Tea Party has elected a few dozen representatives to Congress. But Tea Party leaders -- Michele Bachmann, Steve King, Rand Paul, etc. -- have yet to attain the historical stature of great abolitionists and civil rights figures like Senator Charles Sumner, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, or great suffragettes like Susan B. Anthony.

But, hey, we can play make believe!

Plain Talk

Summarizing the facts without letting individual biases enter into the picture is an art. Completely neutral; responsibility properly explained .... neither anti-republican or anti-democrat








545 vs. 300,000,000 People
by Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan .....

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.


Politician's Prayer



Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened?

Pass it Forward

Paralyzed

I usually have a lot to say about what's happening ..... but the past few weeks have been filled with a cascading series of events that have paralyzed my brain. Then I snapped at work; my temper got the best of me and I lashed out at a friend who has a very different view of the truth about the causes of the discord, financial reality, and the kinds of changes needed on Earth.

But, this weekend was relaxing around the house, as we planned our vacation to Sedona in late August. When we ventured out, we made pretend we were San Diego tourists and wandered around Coronado. This summer has turned into a series of weekend day trips; simply enjoying the beauty of the beaches, villages, cafes, mountains, and weather of SoCal.

Trying to maintain my composure, invest in my relationship, read the books that give me peace and escape, go to movies that take me away to altered states, and making new friends, have all been successful endeavors. Admitting that part of my brain is agitated and that there are serious consequences ahead for the path the world is on, keeps me partially sane. I have written a lot this year and I am taking this moment to acknowledge it has been revealing and healing. It has reconnected me to old acquaintances and has deepened my connection to new friends.

There is a possible book in a file on my laptop and I am wondering if anyone else out there wants to join together and collaborate on the expansion of this project. Zoey works tirelessly on painting, marketing, husbanding, parenting, earning, and supporting his cause. Jud is working on his book, Gabrielle continues to expand Ragananda's reach, and Kayvon is building momentum for Sparksyou.

If you have talent and time; if you paint, write, take photographs, or animate, write a comment below (or send me an email) and let's talk about joining forces to turn lemons into lemonade.

I'd also like to hear how your summer has been. Let's communicate a little more. I fear that Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and text messaging has replaced email as a form of direct communication. It wasn't that long ago that I was lamenting that email had replaced phone calls and letter writing. Sure we have access to more people. Yes, we now know how to find and share photos with old friends, classmates, athletes, and entertainers, but we seem to have less direct communication with everyone.

Reaching More People Faster

Thanks Jud for passing this along to me. If you have a website and/or Facebook, LinkedIn, or just a big email list, Pass This Forward. Something has to change in this country; we are sliding deeper into the abyss. We need a 28th Amendment ASAP

The 26th Amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified!  Why?  Simple!  The people demanded it.  That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took 1 year or less to become the law of the land .... all because of public pressure.

Proposed Congressional Reform Act of 2011

 

1. Term Limits. 12 years only, one of the possible options below..

  A. Two Six-year Senate terms
  B. Six Two-year House terms
  C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms




2.  No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.




3.  Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
 All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately.  All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.




4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.




5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.  Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.




6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.




7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.




8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 10-1-11




The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.  Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

 
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career.  The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.