Copyrighted Materia? Secret* Pnwer, Deception and Abandonment of Freedom in America i: ; I < \ With A Compelling Foreword Ky Co< Copy rig Inter E M rooty, U.SA.F. RET. Beyond Our Consent By Robert Harris Brevig Preface We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time. T.S. Eliot The author of the present treatise was shocked out of the "American Dream" reverie and into an awareness that something was terribly wrong in this country when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. This "life transforming event" eventually led to increasingly serious investigation and research, not to mention an odyssey of adventure and intrigue in the U.S. Army's Special Forces ("Green Berets") and participation in the first "top secret" experimental "Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols", being developed in Southern Germany and whose initial mission was intelligence gathering and "combat espionage" (behind the enemy lines surveillance), the Army's equivalent to the more distinguished and reknowned Navy's Seal Teams. A parachuting accident, and the injuries resulting from a near fatal fall from twelve hundred feet, cut short my military career and launched me on another adventure across Europe and into the Middle East as a journalist during the 1967 Arab/Israeli War. Little did I know that this early training would set the tone for a life -long quest of research and revelation about what is, and long has been, transpiring in the corridors of ultimate power in my own country. I did not, however, anticipate writing a book on the nature of my discoveries, much less a series of books, at that time. As I searched and studied, I uncovered important life-influencing facets of history which had either been overlooked, omitted, covered up or even purposely distorted by some "popular" historians and by a media which, as it became increasingly clear to me, was in the grips of a biased agenda. I found myself becoming indignant and outraged toward these sources and "agencies" I had trusted and had sworn to protect and preserve under military (constitutional) oath. Along with this rising indignation and outrage, I also began to sense a growing responsibility toward my fellow countrymen and women who seemed blissfully unaware as they blindly and diligently pursued a multitude of means directed at "getting ahead" or desperately trying to maintain the "status quo" while, in reality, they were plunging headlong toward a "precipice" they did not know lay ahead of them. The realization came to me also that the world does not need yet another "doomsday chronicle" spreading more paranoia and terror. There is a great deal of well-documented and credible information available for the curious and concerned seeker to examine. History is not only written by the victors, it is also written by the victims and sometimes by those who are just casually passing through. It is simply up to us to take an interest, find it, study it, and form a new perspective on the basis of our own abilities of discernment. It is possible that the victors (the powers that be) will try to persuade us to study and believe that which will popularize their agenda in our minds, but responsibility for finding truth and creating a compatible reality is the responsibility of each and every one of us individually. If, as stated, the information is already available, why yet another book? I have pondered this question often and, even as I pondered, the questioned treatise continued to unfold. I could say this book wrote itself. It simply used me as a writing instrument. All the information, intrigue, contacts and excitement mysteriously appeared "synchronistically" when I chose to act upon the knowledge life had given me. More and more I began to "feel" as though I was "in the hands of another," yet completely myself.. .seated at the edge of two eternity's, one fading into the past and the other ever-becoming yet inseparable at the same instant. If there is one person out there who has it all, and has done it all and is suffering the doldrums of too much success. ...don't be fooled! There is more.. ..there is always more! Don't be fooled by success and fame, failure or shame! At the bottom line, they are all the same! The fellow who once was a yes-man may now be in no-man's land. Whether the text-books and reference books from which we "officially" learn our history are even remotely accurate or not we may never know, for often the "real" motivations or intentions which provoke events are not addressed or are misrepresented. We do know that what many "other" writers, researchers, observers and "unofficial" chroniclers wrote, "as they perceived it", sounds very different from what most of us were "taught". It is not my purpose herein to prove or disprove the accuracy or inaccuracy of either the "official" or "unofficial" versions of history. What is true IS true, be that as it may, and nothing can change that. In today's world, however, we can easily lose sight of what is true since it is so easily obscured simply by intentional omission. What the author is endeavoring to do here is outline and define a paradigm, and explain that it is thinking and believing "from" this paradigm that we have become what we are as individuals and as a society today. A paradigm which is outworn and perishing because it no longer serves the needs of human civilization. It should also be remembered that it is futile to judge a dying cause, condemning whatever the truth of its circumstances may be. Better that we become aware of it, evaluate it discerningly, relieve ourselves of its hold upon our minds, our lives, and begin to "consciously" create a new paradigm from which to give account to ourselves and our lives upon this earth. We must re-identify and re-define the laws and principles by which we live from what we know to be appropriate, correct and just, not from what we are told and persuaded to believe by morally inferior authorities. We should refrain from hiring or electing others to "explain" such things to us and to "enforce" them on us. Better we should "enforce" what we know is appropriate on ourselves. The term is self-discipline. Aside from our daily toil, the vast majority of we westerners contribute only moderately to the welfare and improvement of our own lives and the society of which we find ourselves a part. We seem, for the most part, enslaved to our own consumerism and pleasure-seeking habits. What exists in and of civilization as we know it is there only by the grace of a comparatively few curiously insightful and adventurously enterprising souls. The average human being would probably revert to helpless primitivism were all that modern society offers us not provided and made accessible to us by a few visionary thinkers and industrious creators. The remainder are, for the most part, simply along for the ride. We should be grateful and never take for granted these unique minds, the scientists, the inventors, the technologists, the artists, the entrepreneurs, the sociologists and leaders, who are responsible for the "progress" which has made our lives as comfortable as they are. At the same time, however, it is important to devote ourselves to gaining a deeper insight and a greater awareness of the kind of world in which this "progress" is contained, as well as the direction in which this "progress" is taking us, who may be influencing it, and why. This suggests it is the responsibility of each of us to cultivate a more penetrating view of our own lives and the influences affecting us. To put it allegorically, a perspective which will allow us to see beyond the "screen", upon which the events and experiences of our lives are "projected", and what goes on behind this "screen" and these "projections" which move and steer our life direction. We imagine ourselves to be "free and independent" beings, but it is certainly clear that this is so only within those parameters which have already been created for us by someone else. While it may be possible that many people today may only become irritated or confused by such suggestions, there is a growing number of individuals who are beginning to ponder just where their lives actually fit into this dubiously planned and pre-existing equation, that is, the establishment. To wit: why am I filled with doubts or fears about this or that? Why does this excite me or give me pleasure? Why does my life seem so ritualized and predictable? Why must I be so scheduled and over-worked in order just to survive? These and other questions are beginning to lurk on the side-roads along the "highway" of evolving awareness upon which all we humans travel. Within the following pages, it is hoped the reader will discern a "map" or set of guidelines. Though perhaps well worn, it covers a fair distance of the journey traveled by man since the first glimmerings of his intelligence to where we are now, noting along the way the many cross-roads, signals and sign posts that indicate how and why we are in our present condition. As our sub-title infers, we are examining a perishing paradigm, a non-viable mindset or framework of thought, that cannot serve our present needs and aspirations, in the hope that we may recognize the opportunity which stands glaringly before us. The opportunity to begin exploring and laying the ground work for our future a bit more responsibly, on our own initiative and volition. To accomplish this fully, we must pay attention to detail, learn to "read the fine print", and, in most cases, we must also "read between the lines" in order to derive some semblance of truth from what we have, in the past, obligingly accepted as historical fact. A number of possible destinies await mankind at this significant juncture in time. Whichever one it shall be will be determined by man's creativity and willingness (or the lack of it) to participate responsibly and enthusiastically in designing and directing his own fate. Fundamentalists will disagree at this point, for the "sheep", of course, will go on grazing in seemingly endless pastoral fields of ignorance and complacency. The "goats", will spend their austere days struggling their way up the rugged slopes of the mountain, determined eventually to take the Kingdom of Heaven by storm. This writer would like, here, to quote a wonderfully perceptive proverb by a native Hawaiian writer, who lives quietly and simply on the island of Moloka'i in the Hawaiian archipelago, an area still rich in spiritual and practical wisdom retained nobly among the few remaining Kupuna (elders), which summarizes a truth that relates to us all. It is as follows: "History, as anything else, is seen and understood by where a person stands on the mountain. All people climb the same mountain. The mountain, however, has many pathways - each with a different view. A person knows and understands only what he sees from his own pathway and, as he moves, his view will change. Only when he reaches the top of the mountain will he see and understand all the views of mankind. But who among us has reached the top of the mountain? Tomorrow, we too will see a different view. We have not yet finished growing." (See Addendum *authors note) With the reader's permission, the author will now indulge in a few words of circumspect melodrama regarding his experience of engaging this literary effort. Writing a book, I have found, is more, much more, than just a task.. ..it is a stormy affair.... full of passion and sorrow. It evokes exhilaration and depression, illumination and stupefaction, astonishment and frustration. In a word, it is intense. This is so, I believe, because, soon after one has embarked along this path of discovery and self-expression, one becomes acutely aware of being vulnerably exposed to the providential specter of responsibility. That is, being accountable for the "truth" which one is attempting to communicate by means of one's own peculiar assemblage of words and ideas. By the time one becomes aware that one is under the judicious "eye" of responsibility, one has tasted "truth", is inexorably committed to it and its attendant "extremes", and.. .alas, it is too late to draw back from the project at hand. By this time there is also the realization that there is now something stronger, more compelling than mere curiosity, "moving" one's self. Depending upon one's subject matter, one soon becomes aware that a "realm" where truth resides, eternal and unblemished, has been entered. It is not distorted by man's excuses, guilt or cunning. It stands bare, naked and exposed. When you are privileged to stand in its presence in its natural state, you also begin to grasp what it was our forefathers had discovered which inspired them to found and establish our nation's government. The documents they drafted, under divine inspiration, shelter us "from" government... the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and our Constitution of the united States of America. Their purpose was to empower the people to keep bureaucracy in check and thwart the "inevitable" tendency of government to overpower and over-run the people, not the other way around. The American people have failed to recognize "their" right and to exercise "their" power. Thus we have what you see today, a government out of control and arrogant with power. The responsibility for communicating this truth to the American people as clearly and undistorted as our language will allow, is a serious and important one. Members of our armed forces, our domestic police agencies, and our bureaucratic administrators presently "believe" it is important to "follow the orders" of treasonous "leaders" even when it clearly violates the rights they have sworn to uphold under the Constitution and Bill of Rights. These unfortunate beings have become confounded and made fearful of authority, so they "obey" without thought of justice or future consequences. Since the very first day these concepts were placed before the "promoters" of government, in the time of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, nearly every institution fostered by our government, along with many private ones, has twisted and distorted these truths to "their" own advantage. Occasionally a president who actually "understood" and "advocated" these truths and attempted to actualize them would gain office.. .men like Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Two attempts were made on Jackson's life and, of course, Lincoln and Kennedy were assassinated. What did these men "advocate" that got them killed? To answer part of this question we might examine a few words from President Lincoln's first inaugural address made on March 4, 1861. He stated: "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember it or overthrow it." It should be clearly seen that such a position would not be popular among advocates of powerful government. Yet, to quote another presidential hopeful of later years, Adlai E. Stevenson commented in a 1954 speech at Princeton University: "All progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions." When a government seeks power over its people, rather than advocacy of its people's rights, we can expect distortion, deception and lies from that government. The people are left no recourse but to remember the advice of men like Lincoln. Let us not forget the advice of John F. Kennedy as well in his speech at Amherst College, October 26, 1963, the month before he was killed by those who chose to use government in the manner we are presently experiencing. He urged: "When power leads man to arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concerns, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment/And as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow informed us in his 1834 work, HYPERION: "Glorious indeed is the world of God around us, but more glorious the world of God within us. There lies the land of song: there lies the poet's native land." The objective of this book is to attempt to lead the reader to an awareness of this "land". Hereafter it shall be referred to as the "undiscovered country" (also the tide of the second book in this "trilogy" of guides, which the author has identified as THE ARCADIAN PRIMER). We must change our "view of the world" in order to change "the world". There are at least two essential ways in which we might serve our own best interests and, at the same time, the best interests of our society. One is by researching our past history, as our present treatise does, and surmising from our efforts, how best we might amend the old, out-worn and damaged. The other way is to apply our efforts in a forward looking manner by seeking new formulae, patterns and possibilities, as the second treatise in this series will attempt to do. There is a growing need for each of us to direct some of our undivided attention toward one or the other, or to become a "bridge" or facilitator between both. There is as much need for those who seek ways of avoiding further damage as there is for those attempting to repair the damage already done. Human growth and development is not just a whirlwind of inspired ideas. It is people participating in planning and executing their own futures. When a problem occurs in our personal lives we like to turn our back on it, thinking we may thus escape its consequences. If we would "turn on it" and meet it head on, however, and begin trimming it down to its essential qualities, we would soon recognize that our problem is the result of something previously avoided. Now it has returned to us in the form of an intensified "opportunity" to make the inevitable discomfort dissipate simply by facing and "addressing" it. A problem, then, is an "opportunity" in disguise, an opportunity to discharge positive, creative and beneficial energy. A writer, for instance, may perceive a problem and direct his talents toward it to achieve a certain desired end. There ensues a strong connection between the writer and the object of his writing. Writing is an active form of meditation.. ."contemplation objectified", as it were. The writer is a meditator who assembles and creates worlds out of his own mind-stuff, using "resources" that have come to him in the form of words, ideas, experiences and events. The words and language are pre-existing conditions. The experiences and events lie waiting in our past-life and history for interpretation. For the most part, they are speculative because our interpretation of them will be "tinged" by the attitudes and positioning of those who record them. Give two different people the same book and a "Highliter", for instance, and each will find different passages relevant and worthy of note to themselves, depending upon where they are with respect to what is presented. The choice of "assemblage", with the exception of quotes which in themselves were "interpretations" by those who made them, is the responsibility of the writer, the meaning conveyed and the vision imparted. The acceptance or rejection of the assemblage is the responsibility of the reader. The information contained on the following pages has been gleaned from many sources. The sources themselves can be confirmed easily enough, but it is up to the reader to determine the ultimate underlying truth of what is presented here, whatever its source. It would be irresponsible of the reader not to do so. It is with complete sincerity and honesty, and to the best of his ability, that the author has shared what he has learned and what he suspects may be the facts concerning both the past and the present circumstances of human society. The same is true regarding the means which he "suggests" and "believes" the adversity experienced, because of being "at the mercy" of such circumstances, might be ameliorated. The reader is advised once again, however, to question, seek and confirm for himself or herself whether any statements or suggestions presented herein are true and valid, or viable and worthwhile undertaking. It is only by so doing that any true benefit can be derived from such knowledge. What is presented here is the result of many years of observation, study and contemplation. The author "believes" it to be true, but also realizes and advises that "beliefs" are not always true. This work is here for your examination and consideration, not your persuasion and conversion. The author hopes to incite a questioning disposition and to "excite curiosity" in the mind of the reader. Rather than presuming that such disclosures are claimed to be true, we suggest it would be more prudent for the reader to accept the author's invitation to check out the facts for themselves. Determine whether our current circumstances are possibly the result of these lesser known, past circumstances and events, or whether we are simply, haphazardly, plunging into hopeless chaos without any design or intent behind it. One of our modern classical writers, Ernest Hemingway, made the statement: "Not all things are true, yet everything is truth." Such may be said of the material in this book since much of it can be found in the lesser-read annals of history (i.e.,Congressional Records, political speeches, Encyclopedic references, etc.) for those who choose to search for it. And though it may be that details seem to "connect-up" differently for different researchers, the fact that such things are recorded make them a part of the overall "truth" (and resulting paradigm) which embraces our lives in this world "as it is." Thus it behooves us, out of fair sensibility, to note it all in our awareness and apply it to who and what we are as living "executors" of causal determination, as we endeavor to improve our lot. With regard to the author's style of treating certain points of special consideration, the reader will note that on numerous occasions throughout the text special emphasis has been given to the term private. It will be emphasized with italics because it is hoped that the reader will note to whom the term most often actually applies. A pattern may be noted which reveals that we may have been conditioned (educated) to accept, or even revere, a term as if it referred to "us", the common people, as opposed (we are encouraged to imagine) to the bureaucracy, when, in fact, it seems to apply more appropriately to a particularly advantaged and secretive intellectual elite. What emerges, in reality, is somewhat different from what we were taught and urged to "believe", for it becomes conspicuously evident that the "private sector" is, in fact, a highly "select and advantaged few" who have managed to become disproportionately rewarded by the efforts of the toiling and plodding "working classes". The "private sector" then, it would seem, is more closely associated with a hidden but wealthy and powerful "guiding" elite, than it is with "us", (identified in America as the striving, working class and just above them the professional, middle class; in post revolution, Bolshevik, Russia as the struggling proletariat and above them the advantaged bourgeoisie *authors note). As long as we erroneously "believe" that we are the "private sector", however, such a "Power Elite" could go on enjoying the utmost protection achievable, even though our erroneous belief is an imaginary deception fostered in our own minds. The author encourages the reader to be alert to this interesting possibility and see whether they eventually agree or not. Commenting further on the author's style of treating certain points of "special consideration", it is his wish to state clearly from the beginning to those readers who might be offended by what may appear to be "gender biased writing" that it is not the writers intent to do so. Wherever in the text of this book, the masculine pronouns "man", "his", "he" or "him" are used, unless it is indicated that it should be understood otherwise, it is meant to include both sexes. In some cases the masculine pronoun will also be used in reference to "God" or the "Creator" and in these cases the words "He", "His" or "Him" may be used. While it has become fashionable or "politically correct" to avoid such gender references, it suits neither the writer's style nor inclination to engage in such polite redundancies. If the reader deems it necessary to be specific on these issues, I invite them to add or delete the desired gender specifies themselves as they see fit. As we finally approach the text before us, the author would like to share a thought from C.S. Lewis in his "tome", GOD IN THE DOCK: "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent busy bodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." The author has, for nearly half his life, lived and traveled throughout the remote islands of the South Pacific. During a cultural and educational exchange visit to the "friendly isles" of Tonga, on one occasion he happened to develop a close friendship with a Tongan Chief of some noteworthy stature. It occurred to the author to ask his chiefly friend about socio-political functions in the Polynesian chiefdom. His chiefly friend smiled with mischief and wisdom at the same time and replied: "Let me say it to you in this manner. There is a story about a palangi (foreigner) who observed one of our native fishermen carrying his basket full of fish back from the reef where he had just caught them. He noted that the fisherman had no cover on it to keep the still live fish from flip-flopping out. When he questioned the fisherman about this, the fisherman responded simply: T have not to worry. The fish on the top always keep the fish on the bottom from escaping the basket.'" If we judiciously scrutinize with genuine concern and intelligent discernment we may be surprised to discover that the shrewd sagacity of the previous allegory applies not only to the Polynesian socio-political "system", but to literally every "government" on earth. So, my friends and countrymen, the "words" that follow are simply the initial stirrings, the prophetic tremors of an ever expanding literary quest in search of truth. A contemplative narration and introspective adventure that knows not where its probe will lead or what will ultimately be found. Barely conscious of its own necessity, it begins a tenuous journey through the mysteries of life, carried forth only by a dedication to its own curiosity. This work is as life itself, as unmapped as the universe.. ..a means and an end unto itself. Aware only that nowhere is man's destiny "set in stone", it arrives where it began and, having completed its journey, will begin again, hopefully in a finer form. ...an ascending spiral of literary unfoldment ever seeking the highest good. It's purpose is born out of apparent purposelessness...yet ever slashing new footholds in its steadfast ascent upon its own experience in form and essence, order and substance. This work, as life, is simply a study of human experiences and events, influences and intentions in their persevering qualities and their transforming effects upon the lives of humanity. It has been, for the author, the living content increasingly defined, within the boundless context of life. The question of being and non-being is confronted, and responded to, only to be faced again with ever increasing awareness. This is a journey of return from the place of no-return. The author "feels" as though he has been to the "mountain-top" many times. For him it is no longer a place to go to, nor is it a place to be from. It is simply a place to BE! Each word spoken or written about it is a step away from it, not towards it. But yea, still he goes on writing, for ultimately he returns. ...weary, bruised and bleeding, but freer still.. ..to know more deeply, more intimately.... the nature of truth. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This, being my first endeavor at writing a lengthy treatise of such scope, I have rediscovered the meaning of the term "fledgling". Until I began this project I had found it easy to quip, "Been there - Done that!" What is most humbling is the realization that were it not for the people who supported, assisted and encouraged me to "see it through", I would probably be selling pencils on some street-corner instead. I am deeply indebted and grateful to Calvin and Lee Wilson, who provided much of the research material and spent so many hours in discussion, revealing insights and revelations, concerning historical events and personages with which, and whom, it had been their opportunity to have lived and experienced an intimate proximity. Their lives have been nothing less than extraordinary. Also, it was such a blessing to have such a patient, enthusiastic and capable typist as Lola "Fleet Fingers" Ledbetter, who typed, retyped and made corrections, not only in the presentation of my text, but also in my perceptions of how true Christianity manifests in a person. Not to mention that, professionally, the words fly off her fingertips like sparks off a Fourth of July sparkler. It has been my extreme privilege, as well, to share the friendship and company of some truly heroic people, of the very finest American and Hawaiian heritage, who are quietly, but steadfasdy, making history in their efforts to restore justice, freedom and a deeper sense of artistic appreciation for the qualities our respective cultures have bequeathed us. For these efforts and the inspiration they have given me, I thank Keola and Moanalani Beamer, the Beamer family, Siobhan Fox, Gerald Michaud, Barbara Price, Paul Wood, Matt Crawford, the Kahumoku family, and my very talented Web-Master, Robert Shawn Reid. And, to add a note of intrigue, this work would not appear in its present form if it were not for the advice and "fine-tuning" of the brillant couple, "Isis" and "Osiris", and a very fine and respected banker, a gentleman who, because of his circumstances has asked not to be identified. Mr. "X" you have my undying gratitude. There are many more to whom I am indebted and I would be remiss if I did not thank Col. James "Bo" Gritz for waking me out of a long slumber in time for the "Great Event". Thanks are also in order to Col. L. Fletcher Prouty for bringing clarity and understanding to what was for me an otherwise confusing and tragic period of life. Finally, I arrive at the one who has made my life bearable and this book possible. Without the constant nurturing and faith, continuing patience and support of my lovely and loving partner in life, Virginia Ka'ai, I, most probably would be selling pencils on some street-corner. As life would have it, however, if we are able to find our purpose and direction, God sends us His angels to assist us. He could not have sent a more wonderful angel to me than Virginia, and for this I am blessed. Thanks also to Mom and Dad (Hal and Nell to their friends), who "borned and raised me free" in hopes I'd have the sense to stay that way. It is my hope that this will be the "message" I convey to my readers. R.H.B. - Sui Juris DEDICATION I am caused to wonder how many Americans in this present day, because of our type of education, or perhaps it might better be said, because of its mis-application, would feel comfortably qualified to correctly use the term "great". This writer, having spent at least as many years de-educating himself as the servants of mammon have spent in their attempt to "educate" him, is making the presumption that he is at last somewhat qualified to recognize and acknowledge truly "great" attributes in others. The most valuable legacy a man can leave to posterity is his awareness of "truth". To qualify in doing this skillfully and meaningfully is a gift granted to but a few who are thus inclined. Col. L. Fletcher Prouty, is such a man. I have no doubt that Col. Prouty has a fine formal education in the institutions of man but he is also one of those rare individuals to whom our Creator has bequeathed a penetrating insight and has chosen to take him aside to educate him privately and progressively near the borders of the labyrinth of mans darkest endeavors. Col. Prouty has paid attention in class and has earned his teachers credentials with honors and, thus, it is our supreme privilege that he has chosen to share his knowledge and appreciation of truth with us. There is greatness in this, for his wisdom, should those of us who recognize it make the effort to further propagate these truths which lie behind our most important history making and civilization influencing events, will empower many to make "correct" choices for the future. A more secure future based upon true and correct information that will lead us out of certain tyranny and into a much improved world of assured freedom. Col. Prouty is a modern Olympian passing his torch of truth to a waiting generation. As a representative of that generation which follows his, this writer gratefully takes his share of that torch in hand and with it dedicates this work to him and his courageous stand in the hope that it will help awaken others to this man's much deserved place of honor and respect in the annals of history which he has helped to create and is as yet unfolding. The Author Col. Prouty is the author of two best selling books which every American must read to be truly informed, THE SECRET TEAM: "The CIA. And Its Allies In Control Of The U.S. And The World. " and J.F.K.: " The C.I.A.. Vietnam. And The Plot To Assassinate John F. Kennedy. " These books inspired the epic film "JFK" from Oliver Stone and this authors present work. Prouty is also a retired Banker, Yale Professor, top railroad and aircraft firm executive. A man of many parts, with intimate knowledge of that which he writes and speaks, he lectures tirelessly on the subjects of his books, even now in his eighth decade circumnavigating the sun. Prouty is an American without peer in our day. FOREWORD by L. Fletcher Pr outy As the Society of Mankind approaches the threshold of the Third Millennium, and ponders the prospect of the years ahead, it is marching into an uncharted wilderness during a time unlike any in history. What does this portend for us and for our common homeland, planet Earth? Will that enterprise that began in the Garden of Eden prove to be timeless, or has the day arrived when mankind must depart the garden and its boundless offerings? To bring things into focus during these trying times, just ask yourself a few basic questions, 1) How will the nation states of the world govern and protect themselves in the future? 2) If they cannot find a way to govern all events, civil, foreign and domestic, peacefully, what will be the nature of inevitable future conflicts, and are we all to become the formless serfs of a World Power Elite? Will democracy live, or will only the lure of the profit motive remain? It has been proved by the thirty years of warfare in Vietnam, 1945-1975 and in Korea, 1950-1953, that the most powerful military forces ever created and assembled by man, those of the American democracy, could not achieve true victory, in the traditional sense. There remains no way to win a modern war without a clearly defined military objective, and with the presumption of the non-use of nuclear weapons. The intensity of warfare cannot be limited. Alternatively, the unlimited employment of nuclear weapons in a "no holds barred" classic strategic struggle will assuredly bring about the end of man and the extinction of life on Earth. These are ominous questions, as we face a momentous period in our history. Until considered in depth, they may appear ridiculous; but considering the significance of the role of warfare throughout history, they must be confronted. There is no viable alternative for mankind other than to find a new way to the future. On the other hand, can there be a glorious and ever-brighter future for the Society of Mankind? We have the means. We have abundant resources and the "know-how" to use them profitably. To this we can add that we possess a strong history upon which to build, and we have the almost limitless potential of modern man that can be harnessed for good deeds both for the individual and for the masses: but these assets must be used effectively and with sincere concern. From the point of view of a national government, all of the skills, resources and know-how of its people, resources and property must be wisely and expertly channeled into the progressive and meaningful design, construction, and operation of the very finest infrastructure possible to be placed under the management control of the most skilled specialists available. Otherwise, mankind will experience the twilight of civilization as it crumbles into dust and decay. These are not simple facts. They are the fundamental steps to an understanding of the challenge of the future. Let us see what help we can get from history. It was Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of the Republic of India, 1952, who addressed the most immediate problems facing his great country, after it had gained its independence, with a program of "agrarian reform and the betterment of the masses." It was this same Nehru who, while in prison in 1932, had written to his daughter Indira, along with other letters published in 1934, under the title GLIMPSES OF WORLD HISTORY : "Real history should deal, not with a few individuals here and there, but with the people who make up a nation, who work and by their labour produce the necessaries and luxuries of life, and who in a thousand different ways act and react on each other. Such a history of man would really be a fascinating story. It would be the story of man's struggle through the ages against Nature and the elements, against wild beasts and the jungle and, last and most difficult of all, against some of his own kind who have tried to keep him down and to exploit him for their own benefits. It is the story of man's struggle for a living. And because, in order to live, certain things, like food and shelter and clothing in cold climates, are necessary, those who have controlled these necessities have lorded it over man. The rulers and the bosses have had the authority because they owned or controlled some essential of livelihood, and this control gave them the power to starve people into submission. And so we see the strange sight of large masses being exploited by the comparatively few; of some who earn without working at all, and of vast numbers who work but earn very little. "All over the world there is trouble and change. Indeed, all over the world, the old system totters and threatens to collapse. Countries talk of disarmament, but look suspiciously at each other and keep armed to the teeth. It is the twilight of Capitalism, which has lorded it for so long over the world. And when it goes, as go it must, it will take many an evil thing with it." These words and ideas from Nehru are even more important today than they were when written. The developments of the last 200 years have shown us how man can construct the greatest man-made "Wonder of the World" in the 300,000 mile railway network that provided the backbone of commerce and inter-communication for the sparsely settled North American continent, and they have also proven that left to the ways of the financiers our money system and its uncontrolled and devastating usury system has deprived the citizens of this great nation the benefits of their hard won birthright, while encouraging the growth of an overwhelming "Power Elite". This "Power Elite" is not easy to identify and to define; but the fact that it exists makes itself known from time to time. Concerning the "Power Elite", R. Buckminster Fuller wrote of the "vastly ambitious individuals who have become so effectively powerful because of their ability to remain invisible while operating behind the national scenery." Fuller noted also, "Always their victories are in the name of some powerful sovereign-ruled country. The real power structures are always the invisible ones behind the visible sovereign powers." This "Power Elite" is not a group from one nation or even of one alliance of nations. It operates throughout the world and no doubt has done so for many, many centuries. These leaders are influenced by the persuasion of the greatest propaganda schemes ever put forth by man: 1 .) The concept of "real property", a function of "colonialism" that began with the circumnavigation of Earth by Magellan's ships in 1520. This "doctrine of discovery and rights of conquest" was described by John Locke in his philosophy of natural law. 2.) The population theory of Malthus. 3.) Darwin's theory of evolution, as enhanced by the concept of the survival of the fittest. 4.) Heisenberg's theory of indeterminacy, that is, that God throws the dice, and similar barriers to the meaningful advancement of science and technology today. All history is firmly rooted in philosophy. In one of the greatest philosophical history books of all time, "The Muqaddimah" written by Ibn Khaldun in 1337, we find this basic and undeniable description of warfare and the methods of waging war as practiced by the various nations of the emerging eras of our civilization: "Wars and different kinds of fighting have always occurred in the world since God created it. The origin of war is the desire of certain human beings to take revenge on others. Each party is supported by the people sharing in its group feeling. When they have sufficiently excited each other for the purpose and the two parties confront each other, one seeking revenge and the other trying to defend itself, there is war. It is something natural among human beings. No nation and no race is free from it." Khaldun then goes on to list four kinds of war: "1) This war usually occurs between neighboring tribes and competing families. "2) War— caused by hostility— is usually found among savage nations living in the desert, such as the Arabs, the Turks, the Turkomen, the Kurds, and similar peoples. "3) The religious law calls this next type the Holy War. "4) Dynastic war is waged against seceders and those who refuse obedience." This is the historians' study of the past. Are these definitions still valid? Can mankind continue to live under such conditions? What is their validity in today's world? As a veteran of World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam wars followed by nine years (1955-1964) in the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Thomas Gates and Robert McNamara), in the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Gen. Lyman Lemnitzer and Gen. Maxwell Taylor) and with the Headquarters U.S. Air Force (Gen.Thomas White and Gen. Curtis LeMay). I believe that there is no way that these truths of the past can be made to apply to the situation we all share on planet Earth today. In support of this statement, I wish to make use of a quotation from a speech delivered by one of the greatest military leaders of this century, General Douglas MacArthur. This speech was given before a joint session of the Congress of the Republic of the Philippines, July 5, 1961: "But this very triumph of scientific annihilation—this very success of invention—has destroyed the possibility of war's being a medium for the practical settlement of international differences. The enormous destruction to both sides of closely matched opponents makes it impossible for the winner to translate it into anything but his own disaster.. .Global war has become a Frankenstein to destroy both sides. No longer is it a weapon of adventure— the shortcut to international power. If you lose, you are annihilated. If you win, you stand only to lose. No longer does it possess even the chance of the winner of a duel. It contains now only the germs of double suicide." Consider those words with care. General MacArthur was one of the great voices of his era. He spoke from the varied experience of a man who had been in command of elements of the most powerful force of arms ever assembled, during World War II. On top of that, as the Senior U.S. Representative of the Occupation Forces in Japan after that war, he proved himself to be as successful a nation builder as he had been its destroyer. What he said, from that podium in 1961, merits careful thought. General MacArthur spoke of warfare in the classic style of Gustavus Adolphous, of Frederick the Great, of Napoleon. To all such great warriors warfare is the absolutely unlimited, unrestrained and unharnessed maximum effort of a nation. True wars are fought for positively defined national objectives. This is what General MacArthur had in his mind when he spoke of warfare today no longer having the chance of the winner of a duel. He was underscoring that there had been no bona fide military objective in the Korean War, and that there never had been a true military commander or military objective for the Vietnam Warfare. Those were not real and "winnable" wars, because they were limited by the fact that the most powerful weapons in the nation's arsenal could not be used for fear of retaliation in kind. The generals were never actually in charge of those wars. They were always under the orders of civilians who purposefully limited their capacity to win. It is too bad that most Americans, and most others around the world did not understand the full meaning of what General MacArthur said in 1961. It was true then. It is true now. It will continue to be true in the future. But, as in all such dilemmas there are always alternatives. Today we find that there is an entirely new arsenal of weaponry, the new family of Horror Weapons. There are chemical and biological weapons, and other unconventional items such as blinding lasers, radiological weapons, and ultra-low- frequency sound wave guns. These, and others, are on hand and are being developed in an attempt to create an entirely new kind of warfare. Most national leaders recognize that the newest type of hydrogen bomb can destroy Earth and all life on it, therefore they are desperately searching for alternatives; but will these "horror weapons" really bring about victory in a future war? Once out of the "bottle" can they really be controlled? This is the great question; and if not, what is the alternative? One alternative, for limited goals, has been the "make-war" tactic as used in Indochina and in other trouble spots such as the Balkans of 1996. In Indochina, more than one million northern Vietnamese were terrorized by a special CIA "Saigon Military Mission" into leaving their ancestral homeland in the Tonkin China region to be transported by the U.S. Navy and by CIA's airline to the south. There they became a burden on the new, and troubled country South Vietnam. Homeless, with no food and no money these "foreigners" by necessity became bandits. As this situation increased they were called "Communist Inspired Insurgents" and the U.S. Armed Forces set up Counterinsurgency forces to deal with them. This created a most profitable war that overall grossed at least $570 billion for the war makers. A similar tactic is being used in Bosnia and the surrounding states of the Balkans today. A program of "Ethnic Cleansing" has caused tens of thousands of natives to be forced to move to other areas. There, they too, are starving, homeless and hopeless. They must submit to that last resort of mankind... banditry. In that role they are called the enemy, and another profit-making war is underway. These are not Earth-destroying battles; but over time they will produce massive genocidal results as the strong wipe out the weak, "for the good of mankind". This is not classic warfare; but it certainly is not peace and normalcy. It may be the wave of the future. Who can stop it? I have inserted these opening paragraphs of my contribution to this most promising manuscript, because it is a subject I know from experience, and because the reader will note that my words are intended to compliment the most effective and comprehensive material of this main work by Robert Brevig, BEYOND OUR CONSENT: A HISTORY OF SECRET POWER DECEPTION AND ABANDONMENT OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA . This work provides a most penetrating and comprehensive look at those parts of the spectrum of modern life that so many others fail to perceive. His analysis of such important aspects of the modern scene as the role of the Federal Reserve and the banking system is unmatched. Yet he is equally at home describing village life and its vitality, and the great step forward made by the discovery of agriculture. I expect the readers of this book to discover that they have been guided through significant functional areas of human effort that they have not perceived before, at least not in modern garments. My introductory work above is, of course, but one aspect of the major problems, tasks and opportunities that face mankind as we enter the Third Millennium. To be quite frank and honest, the task is going to be enormous and the future does not look too bright; but there are several more ways to look at these challenges. Such epochal periods have been faced before, and intelligent beings have not only survived; but, for the most part, have improved their lot in life. Such has been the case of the early society of the warm-water regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, who learned not only to live and thrive in their natural environment; but to explore Earth on unbelievable voyages of discovery with the aid of nothing more than water-navigation techniques that made the "Navigator" the most important man in his community. This significant role of the "Navigator" in those earliest times has been so aptly described by R. Buckminster Fuller in his book CRITICAL PATH : "When the supposedly God-ordained chieftain of those islands finds his prestige and popular credence declining, he can go to the navigator and ask him to produce a miracle. The chieftain knows naught of navigation. He thinks of the navigator as a magician or miracle-maker. All the chieftain knows is that his miracle-producer goes off to sea sailing his catamaran out of sight.. .to another far-off island where there exist items such as have never been found on the home island. He brings them home to the island king-chieftain, who displays them before the people, who spontaneously assume that the chieftain has conjured up the strange objects with his divine powers." "Generations later, prehistory's successors of the ancient navigators eventually became the high priests of Egypt, Babylon, and other great civilizations. Both their mathematical calculating ability and their navigational intuiting ultimately led to their discovery that the Earth is a circumnavigatable sphere. This knowledge made them more powerful than the physically powerful fighting kings." Mankind faces a similar future today as the new horizons of transport, communications, finance, food production, living conditions and even governmental functions and controls have expanded faster than our culture has been able to comprehend and to accommodate. A small, but important book, RISK AND OTHER FOUR LETTER WORDS , written in 1986 by Walter B. Wriston, formerly Citibank chairman and among his peers "Mr. Banker of the United States" underscores this worldwide phenomenon in words that were, at the time, prophetic and almost beyond belief: "People of all nations have long since adjusted to the grim reality that an intercontinental ballistic missile can travel from the Soviet Union, or reverse path, in about thirty minutes, carrying enough explosives to render our society unlivable. We now have a less visible but perhaps equally profound challenge to the unlimited sovereign power of nation-states in the technical reality of global communications. Satellites have made communication costs almost insensitive to distance. There has been steady elimination of economic and technical barriers to the instantaneous exchange of information among peoples. This information is not always welcome and the political implications are enormous, even though barely visible on the horizon today." This is the writing of one of the most powerful and influential men in the United States during the nuclear era. It shows clearly how far we have traveled since the earlier days of the nineteenth century, when Alexis de Tocqueville wrote: "(He) feared that the inevitable growth of democracy would also lead to despotism and militarism. While peace is peculiarly hurtful to democratic armies, war and its popular passions give them advantages which cannot fail in the end to give them the victory. The secret connection between the military character and that of democracies is the profit motive." In that day he added, "no protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic country, if only because it must increase the powers of civil government." There we see the extremes from Walter Wriston's recognition and acceptance of the Nuclear era upon warfare and the great powers; and de Tocqueville's finding that the "profit motive" was the true source of power within the democracy. We all shall have to live to see the day when the One World "solution" of the "Power Elite" has been revealed to a troubled Society of Man. It may be that Ibn Khaldun had such a thing in mind when he wrote, back there in 1337, the following: "The world is a garden, the fence of which is the dynasty. The dynasty is the authority through which life is given to proper behaviour. Proper behaviour is a policy directed by the ruler. The ruler is an institution supported by the soldiers. The soldiers are helpers who are maintained by money. Money is substance that is brought together by the subjects. The subjects are servants who are protected by justice. Justice is something familiar, and through it, the world persists. The world is a garden..." As we all have learned, the world is a garden and it was first populated by Adam and Eve. Later someone conceived of a shovel and put one together. With man's ingenuity thereafter that garden became productive through the medium of agriculture and mankind survived and thrived. Since the very beginning there have also been those whose ingenuity led them to devise more effective ways to plunder and take from those who produce and give. Yet the garden persists and in this there is hope. This is the story we turn over to Robert Brevig and his great work, BEYOND OUR CONSENT: A HISTORY OF SECRET POWER. DECEPTION AND ABANDONMENT OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA . It may be that the true situation is such that we have abandoned our own future. We shall see. L. Fletcher Prouty INTRODUCTION "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. " Edmund Burke, 1729-1797 Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents [Apr.23, 1770] WAR OF THE PARADIGMS Our Nation, our world, is experiencing a massive paradigm shift at the present time. Its effects are, perhaps, most noticeable in the realm of economics and, of course, the subsequent effects upon the relationships between men and women, and thus the family, the community, the nation, etc. We are being subjected to a cause and effect stratagem which reveals itself in a nonlinear or sequential and progressive, "domino-like", series of eventualities or results which have a design and a purpose behind them. It's source and it's aim, though hidden from our view, become self-evident as we study our history as it "actually" occurred. Most human beings, men and women alike, are not aware that this is occurring in their lives because they are not able to discern it. The required faculties of discernment have, for the most part, been "conditioned" out of them. They have been educated (or perhaps "trained" is a more correct term) into a mental state where they are perceptually impeded. They do not realize that "psychological war" has been declared on them. They are not yet aware that the financial difficulties which are rapidly overtaking them are the result of carefully orchestrated causes intended to introduce stress into their lives by means of "Keynesian" type (government controlled) economic stimuli. John Maynard Keynes introduced an economic principle and certain related experimental programs in the early 1930's, during the Roosevelt Administration, that have changed the face of world economics and at the same time become one of the newest, most effective and bloodless "invasion and conquest" strategies ever imposed on mankind in the history of our world. We do, however, see numerous small-scale "controlled- wars" continuously brewing that keep our attention focussed on the erroneous belief that conventional violence and destruction are the only means by which wars are fought and won. Yet, meanwhile, another unimaginably expansive war on our senses is being waged all around us with the objective of gaining control of our minds and our lives, and we are, for the most part, oblivious to the fact that it is happening. The strategies being engaged in this are extensive and so unique as to go beyond the ken of normal imagination, but the fact of it's existence and influence is well established and can be readily revealed to the mind that is not subject to denial and is willing to take responsibility for itself and its "host". It is not my purpose in this writing to reveal the details of this cunning "strategy" or to prove the fact of this "undeclared war." This writer has authored a daring and apocalyptic book titled BEYOND OUR CONSENT: A HISTORY OF SECRET POWER, DECEPTION AND ABANDONMENT OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA, which will leave the reader stunned with the certainty that things in the world which we live are not as they seem, but also with a sense of assured salvation, which can only be realized when truth is recognized as our only hope. It is my purpose here to first explain the intended use of the term paradigm with respect to the message the writer is endeavoring to convey. We then will address the readily observable effects, we have been discussing upon the relationships between men and women, and their causes which are not so readily discernable but become more clearly perceivable as we examine them. Like the terms quality, values, freedom and consciousness, the term paradigm can offer differing interpretations to a reader which will depend upon their understanding of the term and also upon the writer's intended usage. It is therefore felt that some clarification is due before we proceed. The term paradigm conveys a wealth of meaning when properly understood in the context it is used, but it can also easily fall prey to "trendy" word games when bandied about in pseudo-intellectual circles. To help avoid such a misunderstanding regarding its present usage the writer has chosen several sources from which to define his intended use and bring the reader to an understanding of the context in which it should be understood. The word paradigm comes form the Greek root, "paradeigma," which means "model or pattern." (Webster's). In his book POWERS OF THE MIND, Adam Smith, defines a paradigm as "a shared set of assumptions". He goes on to say: "The paradigm is the way we perceive the world; water to the fish." "When we are in the middle of a paradigm, it is hard to imagine any other paradigm." "The paradigm explains the world to us and helps us to predict its behavior." We are embraced in life by paradigms. In another book, DISCOVERING THE FUTURE: THE BUSINESS OF PARADIGMS, Futurist, Joel Barker defines a paradigm as "any set of rules or regulations that describes boundaries and tells us what to do to be successful within those boundaries." While we are in a paradigm we take it's rules and boundaries for granted. It is what we call "reality". It is like wearing color- tin ted glasses, our paradigm tinges or influences our perceptions of life. Werner Erhard, creator of THE FORUM, informs us: "Most of our notions about the world come from a set of assumptions which we take for granted, and which, for the most part, we don't examine or question. We bring these assumptions to the table with us as a given. They are so much a part of who we are that it is difficult for us to be able to talk about them. We do not think these assumptions, we think from them." (author's emphasis) In short, a paradigm is whatever conditions and perceptions we have come to accept as "reality." It may be founded in truth or in deception, so beware!!! Finally, we turn to the introduction of a fascinating little book, the KHABORIS MANUSCRIPT (previously published under the title of ENLIGHTENMENT), by the Yonan Codex Foundation. In this text we find selected passages from an ancient Siriac "New Testament" scribed in Aramaic, the language of Jesus of Nazareth. Here we also find the statement that "the Aramaic language comprehends psychology so completely, it utilizes a syntax which portrays the working relationship between mind-sets, perception, mind structures, reason, judgement, entities of mind, human attitudes, and human behavior." To more fully grasp what a paradigm is then, we must have a fairly clear understanding of the nature of language. The scholars at the Yonan Codex Foundation tell us: "A language is first spoken before it is written, so that any language may be summarized as an organized grouping of sounds which permit thought transference between minds. Thus a language is, among other functions, a vehicle for transporting the thoughts and concepts in one mind to another. From psychological studies of the mind, we find that the human mind is peculiarly adept in organizing complex thoughts or concepts so that they are keyed or cued by a particular sound, visual or other sensory symbol." (This is true with a singular cipher, a word or a completed idea.) "Perception of visual or auditory symbols to which thoughts or concepts have been keyed in a given mind causes that mind to perceive these thoughts or concepts, if the mind-set or attitude is proper." This was well known to those who spoke and wrote the Aramaic language and especially to Jesus, who spoke in Aramaic parables (paradigms) that still influence the lives of humanity to this day. A paradigm, or mind-set, does not include reasoning, judgement or action which result from a properly educated rational mind. It becomes clear now that paradigms, to which we are all subject, influence all we perceive, discover and do. We should also be aware that some paradigms are less desirable and real than others and it is our own responsibility to exercise discernment and extricate ourselves from the hold they have upon our minds when they are, perhaps, detrimental to our well-being. As stated before, it is the purpose of this introduction and the following text, authored by this writer, to assist the reader in recognizing what may have a hold upon their mind and accomplishing a means of extricating their mind from it. We are especially concerned here with addressing the readily observable effects such a paradigm is having upon the basic unit, that is, relationships between men and women, and also identifying the strategy (cause) behind it. It is hoped that once it is perceived how this "basic unit" is effected by "Keynesian" (surreptitiously) introduced economic stresses, it will be more easily seen for oneself how these extenuating circumstances inevitably effect our family unit, our community, our society, etc., in a "nonlinear", domino-like fashion. Let us first, however, create an analogy which explains, what a "nonlinear" effect actually is. (Small input, large output.) For simplicities sake, let us imagine a prodigious row of dominos lined up in proverbial fashion from Moscow, in Russia, to the "State of New Columbia" (Washington, D.C.). To grasp the "nonlinear" aspect of this analogy, we must also imagine that each successive domino, in this line of progression is being increased in size by approximately one-tenth of one percent more than its predecessor. Then let us suppose that it requires about five grams of pressure to topple the first domino and launch this immense cascade of gradually increasing potential. Just imagine the amount of energy that is released by the time the last domino in the "State of New Columbia" (Washington, D.C.), which at this point, perhaps, may be twice the height of the Washington Monument, is collapsed. Anyone can see that this small amount of input at the "causative" end will result in rather devastating "effects" at the receiving end. By analogy, this is the very problem which is presently collapsing our "society". Our Machiavellian governments vainly attempt to control the contrived "effects" which are set in motion ("caused") by it's own crafty agents inventing and enforcing laws and legislation that are designed to restrain, or contain, the "effect" end of the process, when in fact, the actual problem exists at the "causative" or beginning end of the process. We should now begin to see more clearly that this is nought but political diversion. History has shown us repeatedly that governments do not regulate themselves, but rather, those they feign to serve. Thus, it would stand to reason that if we are to avoid becoming a totalitarian, "Fascist-Type", state we must rely upon ourselves, our own individual initiative, faculties of self-discipline resources at hand, and not our government's perennial mis-direction and imposition of more and more coercive regulations and laws. This writer realizes that the ensuing discourse will possibly have become incomprehensible to those who are in a mental state of denial or unable to take a responsible position with regard to reality in their lives. To these lost and unfortunate souls I extend my heartfelt sympathies. There are, however, another breed of Americans, and other Citizens of the World, rapidly emerging on the scene as their awareness increases and, fortunately, they are individually stronger and more effective than a hundred, even a thousand, of those who remain "lost in the fog of denial", as it were. These individuals are men and women who have recognized the real enemy in their midst. Under the threat of painful consequences, they have dared to remove their tinted spectacles and discovered that, lo, it is NOT an "Emerald City" that they reside in after all. They are not constrained by the conventions and delusions that drain and obstruct natural human growth and flowering within the ever weakening fabric of falsely imposed orthodoxy, and the unfortunate relationships governed by such. To quote once again the inimitable Edmund Burke: "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing. " We may wish to note that the future of our society is presently at stake. Only time will tell what destiny awaits us. PROLOGUE THE SINKING OF THE PISCES by Robert Harris Brevig Our ship, the PISCES, was beating an uncomfortable course through raging seas. The night was bitterly cold and laced with icy squalls of rain. Beset by storm after storm since our voyage began, our condition was causing apprehension among the passengers. There was longing for a port. Any port would suit most. The PISCES was an old ship and she'd seen hard use, which was even more apparent in the midst of the storm. It was interesting to note, however, that we had all booked passage and boarded in full knowledge that violent storm warnings had been issued prior to our departure. Many of the passengers were intent upon blaming the ship's Captain or the shipping line for our predicament. Many of us had also chosen the PISCES because a reduced fare had been offered, due to her less than luxurious condition. All things considered, each of us was right where we deserved to be by our own choice, but no one wanted to admit it. As far as I was concerned, the whole escapade seemed tragically humorous. I couldn't even recall why my wife, Veronica, and I had decided upon taking this particular cruise in the first place. We were about to get up from our seats in the lounge and retire to the bar for an encouraging drink, when a very lovely girl with a guitar came in. I hadn't seen her among the passengers before. She had a calm grace that seemed to permeate the room as she entered. She was slender and plainly dressed, but her beauty was clearly evident, mystical more than physical. My desire for a drink was quenched in her presence so I held my seat. Some of the others noticed her also, but remained immersed in their nervous banter. She seated herself in an unimposing part of the lounge, not too close yet not too far from the nucleus of prevailing misery that had gathered there. Very quietly and composedly, without taking particular notice of anyone, she began strumming a relaxed tune. The tense buzzing eased a bit, though some glared angrily at her unruffled calm. When the voices finally trailed off into silence, she began humming an ethereal ballad that filled the gyrating ship's lounge with a mystical cushion for the nerves. Somewhere in the sweetly ensuing melody, her humming became words. Words that did not seem to require understanding for, as they entered my ears, they became a part of my being. I suddenly had the strange feeling that this was why we had embarked upon this voyage. The violent storm was another factor, something that would inevitably run its course to the finish. But this being, this lovely personage, was my sole reason for having boarded this ship. The fragrant tones of her voice suddenly succumbed to a waft of doubt as I recalled an old sailor's tale of sirens met at sea. Remembering that I had not yet had that drink, I shouldn't let my imagination to intoxicate me. Once again I allowed the pleasant magic of her voice engulf me. It was quite encouraging to let myself relax amidst the turmoil of nature and men's minds. I cannot say whether she sang one lengthy song or several short ones, for it all seemed to flow together. But, after a long while she rose and moved across the floor in my direction. As she approached, I could feel an unusually pleasant sensation growing within me. Just a few steps away her eyes caught mine and something akin to an explosion took place. It was silent, yet it seemed to resonate throughout the universe. I could sense no damage, but the structure of all existence had suddenly altered profoundly. It took me a few moments to relate even to the fact that she smiled as she passed. The being that I called myself seemed, cell by cell, drawn into the wake of her passing presence, and yet I was powerless to follow. All I was left with was the absolute knowledge that we had shared that explosion, and that was all that mattered. Suddenly I felt a serpent writhing inside of me and I looked at Veronica. Though nothing was said, a silent rage burned in her eyes and I felt ashamed. The tension crept stealthily back into the lounge so we retired to our quarters for the night. Sleep came with difficulty as the old ship strained her way through the massive seas. Sometime around the hour of two AM, I had managed to lodge myself semi-comfortably between waking and sleeping. Suddenly there was a rather nondescript lurch in the huge vessel that only momentarily interrupted the monotonous surge we had been experiencing. I might have drifted off again had it not been accompanied by a vague but sickening groan that shuddered throughout the whole ship. Sensing the worst, I leapt out of our berth and whispered urgently to Veronica to get dressed quickly. Instead, she gasped and pulled the covers around her as though dressing would be an admission of danger. Angrily, I pulled the bed covers away and demanded that she dress. Soon we were making our way through the passage to the decks above, Veronica in near hysteria behind me. Some of the other passengers were poking bewildered, sleepy-eyed faces out of their quarters. A few were moving out into the passage already, also. It appeared quite obvious that the ship was in difficulty, but no alarm came. Everybody seemed to be waiting for the alarm to make it official. Veronica was clawing at my back by this time, frantically demanding to know what was the matter. "The ship is sinking!" I shouted at her and she stopped dead in her tracks, horrified. "You're mad!" she screamed. "It's not!, it's not!" I suggested that we get up on deck to make sure. I was convinced I was right, but could not understand why no alarm was sounded. We passed an open elevator and darted into a stairwell instead. No sense getting caught in a mobile coffin. Once on deck Veronica's babbling seemed to blend in with the howling wind and the babbling of others who were already topside. There was a sudden increase in the groaning and the ship seemed to stop its forward motion for an instant. Everybody on deck was forced to take a few steps because of the inertia. As we recovered, and a few frightened screams subsided, the deck didn't seem quite the same. It was a bit too easy going one direction and not easy enough going the other. "My God!", shrieked Veronica, and then she collapsed in a heap on the deck. "This is impossible!" I scooped her up and forced her along the deck not knowing for sure where I was going. Suddenly I felt an overpowering pang of anguish inside of me and I began to search the gathering crowd for someone I desperately wanted to be safe. Why was no one taking any responsibility? No alarm, no crew, no responsibility. It was unreal. Ships don't sink this way. People were sitting and waving their arms and crying hysterically. Then I saw her, braced against the rail by a life boat stall, looking straight at me. Veronica was more than I could manage by this time, so I sat her down beside an old man who was smiling as he prayed. I made my way to the railing. The decks were getting steeper by the moment. I reached her side. She was stern but still fairly calm. She said, "Look!", and her eyes directed mine out to the broiling seas, where I caught a glimpse of a beautiful white ocean liner passing in the night. I looked back at her in disbelief and she managed a smile that filled me with new strength. She said, "I was watching the ship and I saw them putting out life boats". "A ship!" I shouted at the others, but no one seemed to hear me. I struggled back to where Veronica was clinging and told her I'd seen a ship and that we would be saved. All she could do was flail her fists at me and scream. "We're not sinking, you fool, you've gone mad! I saw you talking to that witch! She'll destroy us all! We're not sinking! The ship is not sinking! It's impossible!" People were still trying to gain control over some helplessly dangling life boats they had tried to lower. Still, no alarm and no crew to be seen. I tried to drag Veronica, in panic, to the rail, but it was nearly impossible on the slippery deck. Somehow, I managed to move her nearer the empty life boat stall. The wind was wailing and the rain and spray were tortuous. The girl was pointing out over the side and I could see life boats quite near. I shouted at Veronica to look at the life boats, but she refused. The girl was clinging to the end of the railing at the empty life boat stall. She was reaching for me. My wife was screaming at me, "You can have your witch, you madman, let me go! We're not sinking!" With my last ounce of strength, my hand grasped the girl's as the ship made an agonizingly violent lurch. Over the side we plunged, hand in hand, into space. But it didn't matter, for suddenly I knew, in my hand I held the promise of immortality. We became two smiles traversing the limidess, smiling void of the universe. A deafening cymbal crashed somewhere in that void and a flash of light contained in an unknowable darkness. A darkness which is cold in its comfort. So this is death? Amazing! Not even a hint of fear. I felt warmth in my hand. What was it? It's my love! She must live! I struggled toward the light and finally burst out into spray filled air.. .air my love needed to live. The light seemed intense and it was surrounded by voices and hands reaching out to us. I saw a white vessel bobbing violendy in the frigid mist. A familiar word drifted off it's white surface into my consciousness. Warm hands were on us, lifting us into the life boat. We were drifting in a raging sea now, but in a warm and secure embrace with our rescuers from a passing ship. ..a ship which could no longer be seen. We were lost, and I felt horribly responsible when I remembered how I had embarked on the ridiculous voyage in the first place. We had been rowing for a long time, but still no sign of the beautiful white liner. After a time, the shape of a tiny white bird appeared in the black sky. It drew nearer while being tossed and buffeted cruelly in the torrential wind and rain. But it struggled on through the violent storm. We were shamed by the little bird's valiant courage as it refused to be beaten. We began to row again with renewed energy. On and on through the storm swept night, the little bird fed us on his undying strength, never out of sight, spurring us on to some goal. Suddenly we saw lights and, finally, a white monolithic shape appeared out of the storming mist. As we drew nearer, we heard a joyous cheer rise up from the passengers aboard her. We could see other life boats unloading their survivors. I gazed up at the ship's awesome shape and again that familiar word was reflected into my mind. "AQUARIUS!" The little bird seemed to glow with light as he made a final courageous dip, as if to salute, as he was swept away by the wind, to be seen no more. I looked into the young girl's beautiful eyes brimming with love, and an ineffable joy pervaded my being and a smile of some omniscient wisdom became etched permanently upon my lips. I somehow managed a short prayer. "God bless you, Jonathan Livingston Seagull!" TO THE STATES To the States or any one of them, or any city of the States, Resist much, obey little, Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved, Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city, of this earth, ever afterward resumes its liberty. Walt Whitman LEAVES OF GRASS, 1860 CHAPTER ONE BEYOND OUR CONSENT Is there an all important question concerning the destiny of human kind that we should be addressing at present? Is there an all pervading "something" which influences and directs our lives from just beyond our awareness, control and consent? Wouldn't it be tragic if each of us, every man, woman and child were unwittingly accomplices to the most insidious and far reaching crime of the millennia? When we examine various literary, philosophical and scriptural correspondences from the past, we quite often find references to a vast conspiracy, a Great Deception or, as in biblical prophecy, Mystery Babylon, The Great. These writings are found to be quite insistent that, by whatever name it is called, it does exist, that it has prevailed for centuries, perhaps for millennia, that it embraces and enslaves every human being on the planet, and that its secret is guarded and maintained by what the eminent British statesman, Sir Winston Churchill, referred to as the "High Cabal". The distinguished China scholar, Dr. Joseph Needham of Cambridge University, referred to this entity as the "gentry" and the prominent R. Buckminster Fuller in his important book, CRITICAL PATH , makes reference to them as the "Power Elite". Fuller also writes: "Great battles ensued - waged under the flags of England, France and Spain - to determine who would become supreme master of the world's high-seas lines of supply. These great nations were simply the operating fronts of behind the scenes, vastly ambitious, individuals who had become so effectively powerful because of their ability to remain invisible while operating behind the national scenery. Always their victories were in the name of some powerful sovereign-ruled country. The real power structures were always the invisible ones behind the sovereign powers." The agencies of this "Power Elite" in modern times have been variously referred to as the "Club of Rome", the "Bilderburgers", the "Internationalists", the "Bavarian Illuminati", etc., and their influence manifests under many guises such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Federal Reserve System, the Chartered Institute of Transport in London, the European Economic Community, the United Nations, the New World Order, etc. It is said there is no escape from the overwhelming influence of this "High Cabal", who change their robes and their titles as time passes and fashion dictates. Their calling seems to foster a mindset and perpetuate a belief system in mankind which allows them to keep us subdued and under control so that their aims may be realized. Georg Wilhelm Frederich Hegel defined a philosophy which has become known as "Hegelianism" which, according to Webster's Dictionary, holds that every existent idea or fact belongs to an "all embracing mind" in which each idea or situation (thesis) evokes its opposite (antithesis) and these two result in a unified whole (synthesis) which in turn becomes a new thesis. This philosophy might appear to be rooted in Truth except, in their ambition for power, the "Power Elite" have appointed themselves as the "all embracing mind". The most recent "thesis" they have orchestrated for us is the New World Order, which has necessarily "synthesized" out of world Bi-Polarism. We presently seem to be emerging from this in the wake of the apparent collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the demise of the "Cold War". It must be realized that this Bi-Polarism, and the accompanying "Cold War" it caused, were also the fabrications of this "Power Elite" by means of clandestine organizations like the American CIA, the Russian KGB, the Israeli Mossad, the Vatican P2 and the British M-I6. These organizations engaged in decades of secret operations in many places around the world. These led to the instigation of many small scale "controlled wars" for which we (and the Russians) were able to produce and supply the necessary war materiel. In turn, this facilitated the basis and cause of our own socio-economic "advancement". Let us quickly review the recent Bi-Polar "Cold War" period, which now seems to be fading into the past: At the outset of this period the American O.S.S. (Office of Strategic Services, eventually to become the CIA), the Russian KGB, the Israeli, Mossad, the Vatican P2 and the British M-I6, were to become the "doorways" that this "Power Elite" constructed into the chambers of the highest levels of our respective governments. Through these "doorways" they have been able to influence and erode their honorable and traditional purposes and functions by way of secret operations and schemes that deceive and misrepresent the people on whose behalf they purportedly act. In fact, they serve only to further the questionable aims of this "Power Elite" at the expense of each of us. Ponder these lines by Thomas MacCawley written to H.S. Randall in 1857: "Either some Caesar or Napoleon will seize the reins of government with a strong hand or your republic (America) will be as fearfully plundered and laid waste by barbarians in the Twentieth Century as the Roman Empire was in the Fifth; with the difference that the Huns and Vandals who ravaged the Roman Empire came from without , and your Huns and Vandals will have been engendered within your own country by your own institutions." Sound prophetic? Since the "apparent" politico-economic collapse in Russia, the CIA now seems to stand alone as the greatest threat to the security and well-being of the world. Consider the words of the eminent British historian and "friend" of America, Arnold Toynbee, as they appeared in the New York Times on May 7, 1971: "To most Europeans, I guess, America now looks like the most dangerous country in the world. Since America is unquestionably the most powerful country, the transformation of America's image within the last thirty years is very frightening for the great majority of the human race who are neither European nor North Americans, but are Latin Americans, Asians and Africans. They, I imagine, feel even more insecure than we feel. They feel that, at any moment, America may intervene in their internal affairs with the same appalling consequences as have followed from the American intervention in South East Asia (Indo-China). For the world as a whole, the CIA has now become the bogey that communism has been for America. Whenever there is trouble, violence, suffering, tragedy, the rest of us are now quick to suspect the CIA had a hand in it. Our phobia about the CIA is, no doubt, as fantastically excessive as America's phobia about world communism; but in this case too, there is just enough convincing guidance to make the phobia genuine. In fact, the roles of America and Russia have been reversed in the worlds eyes. Today, America is the nightmare." While this may be true, we must examine circumstances a bit more closely to identify who and what has inspired America to deviate from its role as champion of the free world. There was a time when we thought we were a democracy. This is not true. There is no such thing as a true democracy in existence as yet. We pretend to be a republic, which is similarly structured to a democracy, with the exception that we are governed by our representatives under law. This is fine if our representatives truly have our best interests at heart. However, if this is not the case, then, in time, we unwittingly become exploited and enslaved by our own elected authorities as similarly happens in a feudal state. In fact, the only difference is that it is accomplished by deception instead of force. Either way, however, it is a tyranny and enslavement. How is this achieved and why does it seem to be happening? The conditions are introduced to the populace gradually over the period of a generation or longer. The symptoms eventually begin to be felt in various ways that lead, inevitably, to a Fascist form of government which is usually characterized by a rigid, one party dictatorship that forcibly suppresses opposition and places private economic enterprises under centralized governmental control (Websters). In actuality, we in America have a one- party system with two faces which keeps us divided against ourselves, yet seems to pacify and distract the rebellious elements while accomplishing the same ends as the one-party system.. Study the symptoms of growing Fascism and one will see: Inordinate increases in taxation and the forcible collection thereof; legislation which stifles the operation of free enterprise; an obvious increase in self-interest and corruption among government officials; increased governmental seizures and control of property; a bureaucracy noted for licentious abuse of authority and expenditure of public funds; noticeable increases in homelessness, substance abuse, and crime; breakdown of the family, child abuse and disillusionment; loss of respect, values and dignity among the nation's youth; etc. Its possible that a slight suspicion might be raised in even the least concerned citizen, that something of the above nature might be affecting the quality of life in our society at present. Only the most pronounced case of denial and self deception would fail to see this. The more astute citizen who is readily able to recognize these conditions growing in our midst and happened to be around on a day back in 1963, will remember when a government sanctioned agency took it upon itself to murder its respected president, John F. Kennedy. It then was able to take over the reins of government for the purpose of perpetuating an unpopular war which it had created, that it might go on profiting its masters in this "Power Elite" and committing genocide in the "interests of human welfare." They then, very clumsily, attempted to rewrite history so future generations would never know the truth.... that their nation had suffered a coup d'etat. We must ask ourselves at this point whether this is still a country that is controlled by its people, or even by their elected representatives. I think not. It would seem, instead, that our legislators no longer have any meaningful purpose as our representatives in government. Their only reason for being there is to serve as buffers, as actors and players on a stage upon which they "strut and fret" in roles scripted for them by invisible writers, producers and directors, all intended to distract and deceive the masses from their dire purposes. Is it possible that the very context in which we (society) live is a fabrication of the powerful and devious minds of an invisible group of survivalists, a "Power Elite", who hold the destiny of the nations in their hands? I am caused to wonder. To realize how this may have come to pass, we must examine certain historic events and principles which could have been causative factors. To begin with we can assume from many historical references that these "High Cabals" and hidden governments have probably existed in one form or another since time immemorial. However, this is, the first time in known history that their influence has had the opportunity and capability to embrace all the peoples of the world. For our purposes of the present we must look back at least to the year 1 521, when the great voyager, Magellan, who was killed by natives in the Philippines, but his ship, Victoria and its crew successfully completed the first known circumnavigation of the world. This was a major revelation, because it proved to the great merchants, statesmen and financiers of that time that the world was truly round and not endlessly flat as they had believed. What this told this "High Cabal" was that the world was finite and controllable. This knowledge gave rise in the minds of the already rich, powerful and ambitious, the concept of "property ownership" and expansionism. This concept brought about the creation of the "East India Companies". Thus began the age of European colonialism by missionary influence or invasion and conquest. The precept that "might is right", justified their actions to themselves. The key thought here is that the victors claimed the right to "own the property and lives" of the vanquished. Would it not be interesting if this same thought still prevailed in the minds of some invisible "High Cabal"? We must now move ahead to some time around the end of the Eighteenth Century when Thomas Robert Malthus, a British political economist, shook the "establishment" with his theory that the population of the world tends to increase faster than the food supply, and that war, famine and disease serve as natural restrictions on this increase. (Websters) This has become known as the "Malthusian Theory" and is one more of the main influences governing the mind-set of this "Power Elite". (Our modern "High Cabal". *Author's note) Another key factor influencing the thinking of the modern "Power Elite" is the contribution made by Charles Robert Darwin about the middle of the Nineteenth Century. This English naturalist and physician came up with the "theory of evolution", which holds that all species of plants and animals developed from earlier forms by hereditary transmission of slight variations in successive generations, and that the forms which survive are those that are best adapted to the environment. (Natural Selection) (Websters) This has become popularly referred to as "survival of the fittest." Since it would appear that the "Power Elite" are able to control the economic conditions upon which we are all dependent and also by way of "planned wars", (who lives and who dies) it would also follow that they must deem themselves to be the fittest. We must now move further ahead to the early part of the Twentieth Century when Werner Karl Heisenburg, a German theoretical and nuclear physicist, appeared on the scene with his "Uncertainty Principle", or acausal indeterminacy. The "Uncertainty Principle" says, in effect, that "God throws the dice" and we take it from there. What this means is that "what we observe is not nature itself, but rather, nature exposed to our method of questioning." To explain a bit further, we do not see nature as it really is. We tend to change it simply by defining or interpreting it. Thus, a small group of unimaginably wealthy and powerful men may have initiated "great schemes" in which we, "the cattle", are herded along to the destiny which they have envisaged. The four previously mentioned theories make up the body of the greatest propaganda scheme ever devised by men on earth. (*See Addendum) These precepts influence our "systems" of civilized life in every facet of its existence.. .culture, politics, religion, economics, education, ethics, enterprise, etc. In essence, whatever our cultural background might be, we will still find these principles, as guided by the "Power Elite", influencing our lives, livelihoods and lifestyles. It is said that we are mere puppets living within the limits of our own complacency and ignorance of the "system" which has been designed and imposed upon us by this "Power Elite". Their invisibility, it seems, assures them the security of a guaranteed position of power over humanity and sustained control over the destiny of the world. Apparently, they have been instigating and perpetuating the conditions of war between and within nations for centuries for the purpose of profit and population control (Genocide). To accomplish this in present times, they have created a vast military/industrial complex that provides all the needed weaponry and war materiel to the factions they have induced to war with each other. The inducement, of course, is provided by secret agencies with specially trained personnel who engage in insidious clandestine operations intended to facilitate these intended purposes. This, in turn, provides them with returns of unlimited wealth with which to maintain their invisible power structure and serves the "benign" necessity of removing the threat of overpopulation by hundreds of thousands, often millions, of lives in a given theater of operations. Thus, it would seem that this "Power Elite" is able, through the manipulation of ideologies, media propaganda, psychological conditioning, warfare training, technical and material assistance, to guarantee their absolute control over the destiny of the peoples of the world. Are we born with the desire to kill each other and destroy each other's homes, or is it a learned trait? Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, in a speech regarding the bombing of Pearl Harbor: "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, it was planned that way." Was Pearl Harbor political? Was Korea?. ..Vietnam?. ..Ireland?. ..the Balkan nations? Who will be next? If we are to believe that these possibilities might exist, then we all must, of course, be accomplices in this dubious enterprise by virtue of our passive ignorance and our willingness to subjugate ourselves and cooperate within this man-made "system". Ultimately we, the "manipulated", are as guilty as they, the "manipulators", because, as our suspicions and awareness grows regarding the position they have placed us in, so does our responsibility to do something about it. Perhaps the idea of conspiracy might be more correctly replaced with "consensus by acquiescence." We must suppose it is possible, at least, that by gaining control over our news and entertainment media and our educational system the "Power Elite" might, by long term propagandizing and induced conditioning, be able to fragment the American psyche ideologically and divide us against ourselves. Divide and conquer, so to speak. This could be accomplished by encouraging excessive competitiveness rather than cooperation and making it appear fashionable to profit at other's expense rather than fair exchange, and by simply eliminating the teaching of values, ethics and the building of character from the educational institutions. In the foreword to his classic novel BRAVE NEW WORLD , Aldous Huxley had this to say: "The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished not by doing something, but by refraining from doing. Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth." It takes the span of a single generation in this manner to bewilder, overpower and enslave a great nation. Might we assume, at least for those readers who are willing to ponder a bit further the possibilities that are presented here, that questions may now arise in their minds, such as: Is there anything we can do about this? If so, what will we do about it? It should be understood at the outset that we, either as individual citizens, or even as citizens groups, cannot effectively fight the "system". It is too well entrenched and all embracing and, besides, as we have pointed out, it is designed to "feed on fight". It is inspired and guided by expert makers of war. To regain control over our lives and defeat this man-made monstrosity, this Great Babylon, we may wish to borrow advice from two sources. Firstly from the Bible which says: "Resist not evil." Perhaps this will begin to make sense now. Secondly, from the great American naturalist and author of the literary classic, WALDEN . Henry David Thoreau who said this: "Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!" And, then, he undertook to do just that. It might seem prudent, then, to establish a mindset to remove oneself from such a "system" in stages. The first stage would be to cultivate an awareness of the truth of one's present circumstances. Make every attempt to find out whether any of what is presented here is true. I will call this the RECOGNITION stage. If one finds, beyond reasonable doubt, that it is true, then we must move on to the second requirement, which is to acknowledge the reality of one's own present circumstances. I shall call this the ACCEPTANCE stage. Thirdly, one must sincerely examine, evaluate and take responsibility for one's priorities and allegiances within these circumstances. This very important stage shall be called the RESPONSIBILITY stage. Finally, one must decide whether one is to remain in, or to remove oneself from, these circumstances. This most difficult undertaking shall be called the CHOICE stage, and, of course, from this point the path divides. For those who cannot or will not decide beyond the first or second stage, the outcome is inevitable and obvious. They remain oblivious to and ensnared within the circumstances which their self-limited perceptions regiments them to. Their inability to choose becomes their choice and they are unconsciously swept along by this juggernaut destined for... What? More need not be said concerning this choice. The choice we are concerned with here is the choice to remove oneself from these circumstances. However, before we can confidently consider what will be the appropriate measures to be taken, we might be wise to first cultivate in ourselves an attitude of sincere desire and intelligent discernment when examining our "position" in the life we are living at the behest's of such a "system". If we are able to do this honestly and objectively, then the strategies and disciplines required of us to effectively dea