What issues need to be discussed at the American Citizen's Summit in February?

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Permalink Reply by Annie Loyd on October 14, 2008 at 6:29pm

Hmmm - interesting question
Drawing on my recent experiences of dealing with the complex challenge for federal immigration reform I have found that identifying people as "experts" does not always expand the dialogue - i have found people to be "worn out" from the "talking heads" - "Spouting out facts and figures"

I have heard some of the most profound suggestions from individuals that possessed no extensive knowledge about the specific details of immigration reform and yet their contribution was valued by many and brought an important dimension to the conversation/dialogue - in fact provided an essential new sail to the ship!

Helen Hoefele said:

How knowledgeable about an issue does someone need to be in order to effectively participate in a dialog about it? Clearly you'd experience a totally different conversation among people with just general knowledge of a issue compared to those who had in-depth knowledge of a issue? Would you agree?

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Permalink Reply by Sancho23 on October 15, 2008 at 7:04pm

I think the shift away from personal/civil liberties towards ever more fascistic and socialistic governmental controls is a very large issue!

Also, the prospects of social-collapse events such as peak oil and economic depressions. . .in regards to that I think how we can transition to a more sustainable culture is a big issue.

De-Regulation of the national currency to allow competing currencies and/or local currencies should be discussed as we are seeing the Fed. system failing us immensely.

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Permalink Reply by Barry Circle Tillman on October 18, 2008 at 7:36am

From January 19-27, 2009 a 200 person tipi named Grandaddy (we are arranging for a permit) to convene a summit at The Washington Monument engaging there to rally an American and a world unified consensus voice to meet with the incoming administration in the most beautiful way we can do it. The organizing body is forming. I believe what happens at this DC summit can be a precurser to what we do in February. There will be global indigenous elders there and people representing many movements and skill sets all wanting to join together to help hold the staff of this new administration. In fact, an actual staff will be gifted in this process. We hope to be ready soon to engage Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama through some leaders from Turtle Women Rising and The International Council of The Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers.

"Its a beautiful vision"
- Nina Simmons, co-founder of Bioneers who wishes to have this tipi available for Bioneers 2009.

It seems a foundation could happen there which could open a direct relationship with this new administration so that we may have continuous access to the presidential pulpit to help direct things. We can agree to stand for policies and put them in an order of importance.

We can generate from this tipi gathering the things that need to be brainstormed in detail to inform new policy.

I feel strongly we need to be in Washington on Inuaguration Day to get right up in there with Native Elders and Veterans for Peace, Sun Dancers and youth leaders, cultural creatives and of course The Transpartisan Alliance and very strong presence and we should assume that new administration is ours to direct. We are the unifying world community. We must forge a Four Year Action Plan with this administration while constantly increasing our unified voice. Obviously by generating a consensus plan with hundreds of organizations we will have the power to make this real. This is the force of the people combining. I am at Bioneers in San Rafael, California at Bioneers shaping things for January and February. I hope this makes sense and we can co-facilitate this meeting in DC together. There is no greater and more talented group of thinkers and facilitators in the world. We can be this new administration.
Sincerely, Barry Tillman for All My Relations World Leadership Community
Call me anytime. 917-239-9269

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Permalink Reply by Cameron Ely-Murdock on November 26, 2008 at 9:09pm

I think some topics discussed should include, among much else:

Money: ought to be issued by government and by extension The People rather than lent into existence by banks.

Human Responsibility: in relation to environment, looking for ways to create jobs that harmonize culture/society and infrastructure with nature.

Human Potential: Government spending and institutions more focused on research which supports and enhances LIFE rather than upon military power and ideologies born of fear.

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Permalink Reply by Walt Roberts on December 6, 2008 at 1:39pm

The ones that people want to talk about. Modified open space organizing. Practice/learning lab for transpartisan interaction an, breakthrough and skill building

The transpartisan issues in the form of questions:
What is the essence of being transpartisan? and/or
What are the core transpartisan principles?
Why do we need to be transpartisan?
What is the transpartisan vision?
What is the transpartisan movement?
What is the transpartisan movements strategic plan?
What is the role of The Tranpartisan Alliance in fomenting the movement?
What is the role and nature of the leadership emanating from Joseph McCormick as noteable figure in the Transpartisan Alliance, The Summit and the movement?
How does this grass root transpartisan movement relate to the role of the Obama Administration's interest in fostering transpartisanship in Washington?
What is the breakthrough that an individual must have to become transpartisan?
What are the core capacities of being transpartisan?
What does it take to cuase/catalyze a transpartisan breakthrough in an organization?
What are th core cultural elements in an organization that is becoming, or has become, transpartisan?

And there are more. Enough for now

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Peden on December 23, 2008 at 10:55pm

I am concerned about the Republican call to kill government especially as espoused by Grover Norquist and others. The Republicans in the CA legislature are blocking all effective moves to keep government and services alive.

IF collaboration is to occur an essential need is the willingness to participate in good faith, a basic agreement to work together for the greater good.

What do we do when others refuse to collaborate and want to end the very thing, government, that we are hoping to strengthen?

If I am to remain interested in transpartism efforts, I hope we make it clear that participation for the greater good supersedes individual and corporate interests.

TRANSPARTISM IS AN AGREEMENT. Let's make it explicit.

Nancy in Monterey, CA

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Permalink Reply by Joshua Mann on January 3, 2009 at 10:41pm

A topic I would like discussed is creating widespread use of alternatives to the Gross Domestic Product. Rather than placing so much emphasis on the measurement of income, I support measuring the health and well-being of people and the larger ecosystem. Imagine the health of all people becoming the new bottom line!

Related to this is the work of Manfred Max-Neef, the Chilean economist who won the Right Livelihood Award in 1983. He outlines several fundamental human needs, including subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity, and freedom.

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Permalink Reply by Carol Brouillet on February 4, 2009 at 4:26pm

Years ago at a Media and Democracy Conference, I lobbied strongly that "Global Economics" was the umbrella issue which effected every other issue, including issues of war, peace, ecological devastation, racism, the disparity between the rich and the poor, education, health, sexism, stolen elections... The heart of our global economy is a war economy; at its center is a debt based monetary system whose flaws are just beginning to be grasped by those who can see that the biggest financial heist in history, transference of wealth from the many to the few, is taking place right now. The veil has been completely ripped away in some countries where millions have been out in the streets protesting. In this country of ours, where the most heavily propagandized population in the world lives, I think we need to penetrate the camouflage, the cover stories, the lies, and look at the structural flaws of our monetary system, the exploding Ponzi scheme, the unaccountable rewarding of the the criminal architects of the latest phase and their feeble self-serving attempts to keep their crooked game going. We need to look at some structural remedies, and how we can overcome the formidable obstacles that prevent genuine reforms from being heard about, understood, and implemented.

I appreciate the points that others have made here and would like to add that, when I was trying to educate people in the 90's about the montary system, children were the most receptive to understanding quickly the basic problems. Adults were the most resistant, because they had too much to "unlearn" before they were open enough to begin to think about what money was or where it came from. At some point, I realized that to change the monetary system, one had to basically change the world's belief system. The financial crisis is doing that very quickly.

The other issue that I have spent seven years on is questioning the official story of 9/11 and the "War on Terrorism." Realization that the official story is untrue and that the government has lied, destroyed evidence, covered up the truth, used 9/11 to launch pre-emptive illegal wars, and trash our Constitution and rights could transform the country. An awakening could get us off of the imperial war path, as well as throw light on the nature of false flag/State sponsored terrorism which has taken place throughout the world, enabling a multitude of governments to label those who challenge government or corporate policies as "terrorists" and criminalize them.

I also think since we plan to announce a "sunshine cabinet" that we need to stress that "legitimate governments" serve and protect their people, and that "illegitimate governments" misappropriate power to rob, abuse and tyrannize people. The first American revolution was sparked, in part, because King George denied the states the right to create money to serve the needs of their people. Right now 46 states are facing bankruptcy, as well as many counties, cities and towns, local governments could legitimately solve their fiscal crises by exercising more sovereignty and issuing currency to meet their real needs.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Maggiora on May 28, 2009 at 1:47pm

Carol--can I assume you have read G. Edward Griffin's book The Creature from Jekyll Island--A Second Look at the Federal Reserve? If not--it's certainly a framework for the "education" and "re-education" you so aptly profess a need for. Our monetary system is truly the foundation for our social woes woven into an intricate game of deception and greed that is driven by a global web that may never be able to be overcome within the existing system.

Carol Brouillet said:

Years ago at a Media and Democracy Conference, I lobbied strongly that "Global Economics" was the umbrella issue which effected every other issue, including issues of war, peace, ecological devastation, racism, the disparity between the rich and the poor, education, health, sexism, stolen elections... The heart of our global economy is a war economy; at its center is a debt based monetary system whose flaws are just beginning to be grasped by those who can see that the biggest financial heist in history, transference of wealth from the many to the few, is taking place right now. The veil has been completely ripped away in some countries where millions have been out in the streets protesting. In this country of ours, where the most heavily propagandized population in the world lives, I think we need to penetrate the camouflage, the cover stories, the lies, and look at the structural flaws of our monetary system, the exploding Ponzi scheme, the unaccountable rewarding of the the criminal architects of the latest phase and their feeble self-serving attempts to keep their crooked game going. We need to look at some structural remedies, and how we can overcome the formidable obstacles that prevent genuine reforms from being heard about, understood, and implemented.

I appreciate the points that others have made here and would like to add that, when I was trying to educate people in the 90's about the montary system, children were the most receptive to understanding quickly the basic problems. Adults were the most resistant, because they had too much to "unlearn" before they were open enough to begin to think about what money was or where it came from. At some point, I realized that to change the monetary system, one had to basically change the world's belief system. The financial crisis is doing that very quickly.

The other issue that I have spent seven years on is questioning the official story of 9/11 and the "War on Terrorism." Realization that the official story is untrue and that the government has lied, destroyed evidence, covered up the truth, used 9/11 to launch pre-emptive illegal wars, and trash our Constitution and rights could transform the country. An awakening could get us off of the imperial war path, as well as throw light on the nature of false flag/State sponsored terrorism which has taken place throughout the world, enabling a multitude of governments to label those who challenge government or corporate policies as "terrorists" and criminalize them.

I also think since we plan to announce a "sunshine cabinet" that we need to stress that "legitimate governments" serve and protect their people, and that "illegitimate governments" misappropriate power to rob, abuse and tyrannize people. The first American revolution was sparked, in part, because King George denied the states the right to create money to serve the needs of their people. Right now 46 states are facing bankruptcy, as well as many counties, cities and towns, local governments could legitimately solve their fiscal crises by exercising more sovereignty and issuing currency to meet their real needs.

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