Sarah Palin's Candidacy

[Guest guest]

I am passing this on for anyone who might wish to participate.

Darshan

 

 

Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters:

 

We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce -- on the

part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate --that has a real possibility of becoming fact.

 

Like us, as American women, you probably share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform,environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.

 

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and altogether devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.

 

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters.

We want to disagree, publicly.

We invite you to reply here: womensaynopalin with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.

Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence.

We will post your responses on a blog called "Women Against Sarah

Palin," which we intend to publicize as widely as possible.

 

Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience -- the greater

the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.

Thank you for your time and action.

womensaynopalin

Sincerely,

Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston

New York, NY

***PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!***

 

http://womenagainstsarahpalin.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miracles happen when we choose love.

 

Check out my new website: www.changeyourselfchangetheworld.org

www.aquarianwisdom.com - www.nnmdiabetes.comblog: www.myspace.com/mydarshan

[Guest guest]

I like Deepak's perspective and

found it helpful so thought I'd pass it along.

 

Sarabjot Singh, Charlotte, NC

 

 

 

Deepak Chopra

 

Obama and the Palin Effect

 

Sometimes politics

has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody

intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that

Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she

outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her

negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her state of

Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which

reduces the job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By

comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's pluck has

been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.

 

She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and exhorting

people to obey their worst impulses. In psychological terms the shadow is that

part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue,

and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge,

violence, selfishness, and suspicion of " the other. " For millions of

Americans, Obama triggers those feelings, but they don't want to express them.He is calling for us to reach for our higher selves,

and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be

perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama

is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the

scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not

welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to

understand Palin's message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing

call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher

vision.

 

Look at what she stands for:

-- Small town values -- a

denial of America's

global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism.

-- Ignorance of world affairs --

a repudiation of the need to repair America's image abroad.

-- Family values --

a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such

strangers, being outside the family, don't need to be heeded.

-- Rigid stands on guns and abortion --

a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who

disagree.

-- Patriotism -- the

usual fallback in a failed war.

-- Reform --

an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive

spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn't fit your ideology.

 

Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been

in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and

immigrants, being different from " us " pure American types, can be

ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign

threat. The radical right marches under the banners of " I'm all right,

Jack, " and " Why change? Everything's OK as it is. " The irony, of

course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She

can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of

feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who

stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting against

their own good. The Republicans have won

multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection,

hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.

 

Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. The

shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess a shadow -- we all do. So

what comes next is a contest between the two forces of progress and

inertia. Will the shadow win again, or

has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict.

The best thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light,

which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another

Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces

that have brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting, without

disguise.

 

Get a sneak peak of our new venture at http://intent.com

 

www.intentblog.com

 

www.deepakchopra.com

 

Posted September 4,

2008 | 01:41 PM (EST)

 

 

=

 

" We can't solve

problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. " - Albert

Einstein

 

 

[Guest guest]

This partisan attack on a lovely lady is hardly appropriate for our group

message board.

 

You might say that " on paper " she is not the most qualified, but " on paper " is

not how

candidates are elected. She is, however, " on paper " , quite a bit more qualified

and

experienced than the Dems candidate for president.

 

'Nuff said.

[Guest guest]

Amazing response to a kindly shared email. Thought I would share it with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

----- Forwarded Message ----Patrick <pfearsfjessop514Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 4:19:40 PMRe:Sarah Palin's Candidacy

You have to be a real jerk to bring politics in to Yoga!

[Guest guest]

<< Patrick wrote: You have to be a real jerk to bring politics in to Yoga! >>

 

 

 

 

 

It goes like this: "If you can't see God in all, you can't see God at all." It sounds kind of cool, it rhymes, it makes sense, but the meaning is very, very deep. The thing is - God is everywhere - in the things we love the most, the activities we enjoy the most, in people we adore, yes, and God is all the other stuff, the stuff we don't like so much. God is politics, God is bad news, God is scary videos about savage hunting methods of innocent animals.

 

It's so easy to sit up on our pedastals, looking down on anyone who is engaged in an activity we personally don't appreciate and judge them as jerks. But then, that would be not seeing God in all, wouldn't it, and then we would have to question our ability to see God at all.

 

Life is a struggle. We have lots of things to help us deal with it - religion, science, spirituality, meditation, yoga, prayer...and that's only the short list. But when the tools of right action turn into self-congratulating means to lord out our judgment over everyone else - we miss the point.

 

Yoga is all about politics. God bless Amar Atma who started the list - he's a political activist and all sorts of other things.

 

Yoga is a path of truth - one of the first things you get confronted with is your own judgment. If you don't see God in all, you missed the friggin point.

 

Blessings. - Darshan

[Guest guest]

Wow, what an incredible load of horse manure! Who knew Deepak

Chopra,who has made millions telling us for years about how to be

better, was such a pompous A. Sorry some on this board apparently are

so blinded by their marxist ideals that they can't see the god in

Sarah, who comes across as being a breath of fresh Alaska air compared

to the phony world of Chicago politics.

 

In Kundalini-Yoga , <mkestin wro

>

>

>

> I like Deepak's perspective and found it helpful so thought I'd pass it

> along.

>

>

>

> Sarabjot Singh, Charlotte, NC

>

>

>

>

>

> Deepak Chopra

>

> Obama and the Palin Effect

>

> Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national

psyche

> even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated

by the

> rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in

> Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice

President Dan

> Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial

expertise in the

> complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000

> residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running

> one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering

> international figure. Palin's pluck has been admired, and her

> forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.

>

> She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his

> idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In

psychological

> terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight,

> countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are

ashamed

> to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion

of " the

> other. " For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings,

but they

> don't want to express them.He is calling for us to reach for our higher

> selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind.

> (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of

the fact

> that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use

before his

> arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of

politics

> is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a

perspective can

> be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance

speech Gov.

> Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their

resistance to

> change and a higher vision.

>

> Look at what she stands for:

> -- Small town values -- a denial of America's global role, a return to

> petty, small-minded parochialism.

> -- Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair

> America's image abroad.

> -- Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a

claim for

> social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need

to be

> heeded.

> -- Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that

these

> issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.

> -- Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war.

> -- Reform -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out

> corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who

doesn't

> fit your ideology.

>

> Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has

> been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that

> minorities and immigrants, being different from " us " pure American

types,

> can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and

globalism is a

> foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of " I'm all

> right, Jack, " and " Why change? Everything's OK as it is. " The irony, of

> course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same

time.

> She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing

forty

> years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are

millions of

> women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are

> voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple

national

> elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection,

hostility to

> change, and narrow-mindedness.

>

> Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a

vacuum. The

> shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives

possess a

> shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two

forces

> of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive

> appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about

Gov. Palin

> is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming

debate

> honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling

persona

> was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us

to the

> demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting,

without

> disguise.

>

> Get a sneak peak of our new venture at <http://intent.com/>

> http://intent.com

>

> <http://www.intentblog.com/> www.intentblog.com

>

> <http://www.deepakchopra.com/> www.deepakchopra.com

>

> Posted September 4, 2008 | 01:41 PM (EST)

>

>

>

> =

>

>

>

> " We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used

when we

> created them. " - Albert Einstein

>

[Guest guest]

Yes.

The yoga community needs to be involved! Most of us yogis today don't

live on mountaintops or in caves. Even if we did, wouldn't we want to

protect them? If our planet is decimated, where will we meditate???

If war is everywhere, where will we chant " Om Shanti " ?

 

Thank you, Sarabjot Singh, for passing along Deepak Chopra's words.

 

If the yoga community doesn't get involved in politics, that shadow

side Deepak Chopra reminds us of may loom larger and larger like the

Death Star. Seeing God in All, Sarah Palin is also God, and what her

arrival in this race has done is great- rallying those who may not

have voted to get involved. A healthy fear can be a good thing at

times like this.

I've just returned from Omega's Women & Courage Conference, where

there was some inspiring discourse on what the women in politics today

mean for feminism. One quote, retold by Elisabeth Lesser from a

political activist who for years has worked tirelessly to get a woman

in the White House: " Obama is the Girl in this race. " (To clarify:

that is a compliment and an endorsement.)

I do disagree with Chopra on one point. By no means is Palin

" reversing forty years of feminist progress. " Her presence is

rallying feminists to act. Conservative women may not yet realize

they are " voting against their own good. " That means we have not done

our job to empower and educate them.

 

The yoga community can be a powerful force for change. I encourage

you all, whatever your political orientation, to get off your mat and

into the world with your yoga!

 

Yogi Bhajan would not have ignored the issues facing us today. By

pretending politics and yoga are separate, by doing nothing, you are

making a choice.

 

" What you do makes a difference. You have to decide what kind of

difference you want to make " -Jane Goodall

 

Peace,

Kate Lynch

 

 

Kundalini-Yoga , Darshan F Jessop

<fjessop514 wrote:

>

> << Patrick wrote: You have to be a real jerk to bring politics in to

Yoga! >>

>

>

> It goes like this: " If you can't see God in all, you can't see God

at all. " It sounds kind of cool, it rhymes, it makes sense, but the

meaning is very, very deep. The thing is - God is everywhere - in the

things we love the most, the activities we enjoy the most, in people

we adore, yes, and God is all the other stuff, the stuff we don't like

so much. God is politics, God is bad news, God is scary videos about

savage hunting methods of innocent animals.

>

> It's so easy to sit up on our pedastals, looking down on anyone who

is engaged in an activity we personally don't appreciate and judge

them as jerks. But then, that would be not seeing God in all, wouldn't

it, and then we would have to question our ability to see God at all.

>

> Life is a struggle. We have lots of things to help us deal with it -

religion, science, spirituality, meditation, yoga, prayer...and that's

only the short list. But when the tools of right action turn

into self-congratulating means to lord out our judgment over everyone

else - we miss the point.

>

> Yoga is all about politics. God bless Amar Atma who started the list

- he's a political activist and all sorts of other things.

>

> Yoga is a path of truth - one of the first things you get confronted

with is your own judgment. If you don't see God in all, you missed the

friggin point.

>

> Blessings.

> - Darshan

>

[Guest guest]

Sat nam to all,this is a very important topic and should be talked aboutTHE GURU THOUGTH, THAT human spirit could develop best,in an atmosphere of freedom and DIGNITY,and .therefore,it was an IMPERATIVE FOR A MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD,TO THINK, IN TERMS OF THE POLITICAL EMANCIPATION of the land.SO ,he told the yogis,to shake off apathy,step out of their self imposed isolation,check EROSION of the moral values,in public life,and become natural leaders of the people.IN FACT,HE wanted religion itself,to be secularised..the performance of secular duties should be regarded and should become,as A NECESSARY part of religion,and POLITICS was NOT to be an exception.from ;"GURU NANAK DEV'S VIEW OF LIFE ''.AMPLIFIEDBY NARAIN SINGH.THANK YOU .JIWAN JOT

KAUR.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

Thank you for your insightful post...

 

To anyone who thinks this conversation is inappropriate for this

exchange of opinion and information, I ask if not now when? if not

here where? If not us then who?

 

Dark and light will find balance, If we want a shift into the light we

need to sit further back on our see-saw to raise the dark to light.

in the famous words i think of Archimedes. If you have a big enough

lever and a properly positioned fulcrum the world can be moved.

 

I am so happy that there are other peaceful warriors out there with

the intention to heal our fragile and injured planet.

 

in peace, with love,

 

Arthur Klein

Arthur

www.YYogaMovie.com

 

BTW I have just completed the film Y Yoga Movie. In it Gurmukh Kaur

Khalsa along with many other Yogis and Yoginis of our time talk about

yoga and the idea of being a peaceful warrior and the ideas of Yoga

and Meditation

 

Review from LA Yoga Magazine (Sep 08 issue)

http://www.yyogamovie.com/images/YYM_LA_YOGA_Mag_Review_2008-08-25_(1080X1398_72\

dpi_RGB_8bit).jpg

 

 

 

Kundalini-Yoga , <mkestin wrote:

>

>

>

> I like Deepak's perspective and found it helpful so thought I'd pass it

> along.

>

>

>

> Sarabjot Singh, Charlotte, NC

>

>

>

>

>

> Deepak Chopra

>

> Obama and the Palin Effect

>

> Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national

psyche

> even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated

by the

> rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in

> Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice

President Dan

> Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial

expertise in the

> complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000

> residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running

> one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering

> international figure. Palin's pluck has been admired, and her

> forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.

>

> She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his

> idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In

psychological

> terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight,

> countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are

ashamed

> to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion

of " the

> other. " For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings,

but they

> don't want to express them.He is calling for us to reach for our higher

> selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind.

> (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of

the fact

> that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use

before his

> arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of

politics

> is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a

perspective can

> be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance

speech Gov.

> Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their

resistance to

> change and a higher vision.

>

> Look at what she stands for:

> -- Small town values -- a denial of America's global role, a return to

> petty, small-minded parochialism.

> -- Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair

> America's image abroad.

> -- Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a

claim for

> social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need

to be

> heeded.

> -- Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that

these

> issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.

> -- Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war.

> -- Reform -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out

> corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who

doesn't

> fit your ideology.

>

> Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has

> been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that

> minorities and immigrants, being different from " us " pure American

types,

> can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and

globalism is a

> foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of " I'm all

> right, Jack, " and " Why change? Everything's OK as it is. " The irony, of

> course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same

time.

> She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing

forty

> years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are

millions of

> women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are

> voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple

national

> elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection,

hostility to

> change, and narrow-mindedness.

>

> Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a

vacuum. The

> shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives

possess a

> shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two

forces

> of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive

> appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about

Gov. Palin

> is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming

debate

> honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling

persona

> was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us

to the

> demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting,

without

> disguise.

>

> Get a sneak peak of our new venture at <http://intent.com/>

> http://intent.com

>

> <http://www.intentblog.com/> www.intentblog.com

>

> <http://www.deepakchopra.com/> www.deepakchopra.com

>

> Posted September 4, 2008 | 01:41 PM (EST)

>

>

>

> =

>

>

>

> " We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used

when we

> created them. " - Albert Einstein

>

[Guest guest]

" You have to be a real jerk to bring politics in to Yoga! "

 

Wow. That is an amazing response. If we don't bring our yoga practice into all

aspects of our lives - especially where important decisions and policies have to

be made - what's the point? Kundalini Yoga is a yoga for householders. . .

tools to strengthen us so we can take care of each other and create beautiful

communities. We're not meant to go into a cave on a mountain and meditate and

chant all day long, hiding from the " world out there. "

It's one thing whether you agree or disagree with Deepak's message, but not to

bring politics into yoga? Politics can be another form of yoga! In fact, I'd

go so far as to say, unless politics is practiced as a form of yoga (with wisdom

and compassion), whether it's called that or not, it's just going to create more

misery for people.

Ardas Singh

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam, Beautiful People,

 

Do you think it's possible that, as we discuss current issues and events

which seem by their nature to provoke emotional/commotional responses --

that WE could refrain from using words and descriptions such as " jerk " ,

" load of horse manure " , and " pompous A " ?

 

I think our exchanges would be much more beneficial and accurate if we

could stay in neutral mind with non-inflamatory speech.

 

I am NOT criticizing or condemning anyone's position or opinion on any

issue or person, or saying those should not be expressed. I'm just

asking for more considered and considerate language in communication.

 

Nirvair Kaur

 

 

Kundalini-Yoga , " ramneetkaurflorida " <nrross

wrote:

>

> Wow, what an incredible load of horse manure! Who knew Deepak

> Chopra,who has made millions telling us for years about how to be

> better, was such a pompous A. Sorry some on this board apparently are

> so blinded by their marxist ideals that they can't see the god in

> Sarah, who comes across as being a breath of fresh Alaska air compared

> to the phony world of Chicago politics.

>

> In Kundalini-Yoga , mkestin@ wro

> >

> >

> >

> > I like Deepak's perspective and found it helpful so thought I'd pass

it

> > along.

> >

> >

> >

> > Sarabjot Singh, Charlotte, NC

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Deepak Chopra

> >

> > Obama and the Palin Effect

> >

> > Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national

> psyche

> > even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated

> by the

> > rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican

convention in

> > Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice

> President Dan

> > Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial

> expertise in the

> > complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than

700,000

> > residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running

> > one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a

towering

> > international figure. Palin's pluck has been admired, and her

> > forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.

> >

> > She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding

his

> > idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In

> psychological

> > terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight,

> > countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are

> ashamed

> > to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion

> of " the

> > other. " For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings,

> but they

> > don't want to express them.He is calling for us to reach for our

higher

> > selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory

kind.

> > (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of

> the fact

> > that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use

> before his

> > arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of

> politics

> > is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a

> perspective can

> > be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance

> speech Gov.

> > Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their

> resistance to

> > change and a higher vision.

> >

> > Look at what she stands for:

> > -- Small town values -- a denial of America's global role, a return

to

> > petty, small-minded parochialism.

> > -- Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair

> > America's image abroad.

> > -- Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a

> claim for

> > social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need

> to be

> > heeded.

> > -- Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that

> these

> > issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.

> > -- Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war.

> > -- Reform -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out

> > corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who

> doesn't

> > fit your ideology.

> >

> > Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which

has

> > been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical,

that

> > minorities and immigrants, being different from " us " pure American

> types,

> > can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and

> globalism is a

> > foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of " I'm

all

> > right, Jack, " and " Why change? Everything's OK as it is. " The irony,

of

> > course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same

> time.

> > She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing

> forty

> > years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are

> millions of

> > women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they

are

> > voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple

> national

> > elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection,

> hostility to

> > change, and narrow-mindedness.

> >

> > Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a

> vacuum. The

> > shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives

> possess a

> > shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two

> forces

> > of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its

furtive

> > appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about

> Gov. Palin

> > is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming

> debate

> > honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling

> persona

> > was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us

> to the

> > demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting,

> without

> > disguise.

> >

> > Get a sneak peak of our new venture at <http://intent.com/>

> > http://intent.com

> >

> > <http://www.intentblog.com/> www.intentblog.com

> >

> > <http://www.deepakchopra.com/> www.deepakchopra.com

> >

> > Posted September 4, 2008 | 01:41 PM (EST)

> >

> >

> >

> > =

> >

> >

> >

> > " We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used

> when we

> > created them. " - Albert Einstein

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Sat nam

 

We are householders and as such, we need to make informed

decisions. I will admit that she has the most " experience " . As a

the only Pres. or VP candidate running (Rep. or Dem.), she is the

only one with any experience in the " executive " branch. However, all

3 candidates tower over her on knowledge of issues and in government

experience and in judgement. As an advocate of teaching creationism

in public schools, she clearly out in right field, in the stands.

 

GuruBandhu

 

Kundalini-Yoga , " ramneetkaurflorida "

<nrross wrote:

>

> This partisan attack on a lovely lady is hardly appropriate for our

group message board.

>

> You might say that " on paper " she is not the most qualified, but

" on paper " is not how

> candidates are elected. She is, however, " on paper " , quite a bit

more qualified and

> experienced than the Dems candidate for president.

>

> 'Nuff said.

>

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam,

 

I appreciated Deepak's message very much, as well as the writings of

Yogi Bhajan about abortion. This video will probably make you laugh,

but also makes a few good points:

 

" Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton " on Saturday Night LIve

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/

656281/

 

Simran

[Guest guest]

oops,should I also print the chapter where THE GURU talks about the .."ism"like marxism ,capitalism...etcism...sorry ,no time ...but who is talking about that is not quite in touch with the teachings of GURU NANAK.slow down and reflect.j.j.k

[Guest guest]

I agree with Nirvair that the smug attitude of yogis around Ms. Palin has got to stop. Now I'll speak for the libertarian yogis, not the conservatives or (modern) liberals.Some of you are Statists from the Left, and some of you are Statists from the Right. The correct position for the yogi is neither. Freedom (mukunday) is our position, and this knowledge stems from the earliest of humans.From 2700 BC, we have the Vedas preaching:1. Live and let live (both McCain and Obama want to interfere with our lives);2. Liberty is the ideal (neither candidate supports liberty);3. Any interference with liberty is slavery (both candidates offer plenty of slavery, then);4. and Opposing Tyranny is righteous (at both GOP and Democrat conventions, dissidents' Rights to

Assemble and Speak were disparaged by the Police).From 6th century BC, we have Taoist founder Lao-Tsu saying:1. Get rid of the sage and the rule, and the people will be in harmony (whereas with modern Americans, the idea of self-government means anarchy)2. The more laws that are passed, the poorer the people will be (both leading Parties advocate govt solutions for every imagined problem)From the Bible we have the Samuels story, wherein the Israelis petition God for a king. Yahweh warns the Jews that all a King would do is steal their crops in the form of taxes, and impress their kids in the beaucracy or kill 'em in War. Still the Israelites want a king. God says "why??!!" "Because," the Israelites insist, "everyone else has one". This type of shallow reasoning dominates even modern discourse.Two hundred years before Jefferson said the only role of government was to protect our Property

Rights in our lives, liberty and pursuit of happiness, from fraud or force, the Sikhs had a de facto libertarian government. Besides a religious authority called the Akal Takt keeping the Gurus' lessons pure, entrepreneurs were free to volutarily exchange goods and services with consumers - with no govt interference. And all men were equal, including women! (Of course, the Mughal political leaders, and their Hindu court apologists, did what they could to wipe out the Sikhs, but they lost).There are many other examples in history of liberty rising above the general sordidness of Statism, and its collusion with Oligarchy (control by Big Business).Thus, in my opinion, the correct politics for the Aquarian yogi is libertarianism, not support for either Right Statist McCain/Palin, or Left Statist Obama/Biden. Ron Paul was the only candidate worth supporting this year, for example. With his defeat, since only 15%

of us understand liberty, the correct position is to follow Lao-Tsu's admonition to be "quiet," to meditate, and become lighthouses for the Remnant, that class of people that understands that Oligopoly and its mainstream apologists offer nothing of value.For those desiring an education in truth, start reading daily the following blogs:http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/http://www.rense.com/http://www.reason.com/blog/http://www.prisonplanet.com/Sat nam,Amar Atma Charles D. Frohman202-536-4346 (W)202-258-8027 (M)* My Blog: http://dcflow.gaia.com/blog* My Bio and Consultancy: www.cfrohman.com* Charter School where I

teach: http://www.iapcs.com/* Friend Me at Facebook or LinkedIn

[Guest guest]

Sat Naam Readers,

 

Rarely do I comment on political discussions.

 

I grew up in Washington, DC and that is all everyone ever talks about.

 

My concern is that taking a " neutral " position on critique of the candidates

(which I support 100%) should not be confused with NOT VOTING.

 

Even if you are a) voting for one because you are against the other, or b)

voting for whomever you consider to be the lesser of 2 evils, or c)

considering both the pres and VP candidates (what if pres dies and VP

becomes pres), d) another scenario whatever that is.

 

We are in AMERICA and we have the right to vote, the privilege to vote and

the responsibility to vote.

 

Go through your Negative Mind and your Positive Mind and arrive at your

Neutral mind. Let your emotions stay neutral ( don't let your passions get

the better of you). Keep all of them and the whole country in your prayers.

And keep you criticisms (remember you are putting that negativity in the

acacic record around you) to yourself.

 

Peace to all.

 

Sat Naam,

 

Baldev Kaur Khalsa

[Guest guest]

Kundalini-Yoga , " Charles D. Frohman "

<cfroh wrote:

>

> I agree with Nirvair that the smug attitude of yogis around Ms.

Palin has got to stop.

 

Nice response, but, sigh, someone is going to get elected, and

that person is going to affect our lives. So as householders, we need

to weigh our options carefully. I was very offended by Deepak Chopra's

condescension and snobbery, especially the line about " smalltown

parochial values " . You never raise yourself up by putting others down.

He is wrong about his discussion of the shadow, and I had to dust off

my copy of " Man and His Symbols " by Carl Jung to pinpoint exactly why.

So if you are not interested in why he is wrong, stop reading now.

 

" Man and his symbols " is a fascinating, must read book if you have

any interest in the ego, the subconscious, dreams, (from the western

psychological standpoint as opposed to YB's) or what ole Deepak was

talking about. Here's a great quick example of the shadow from this book:

 

" For over five years this man has been chasing around Europe like a

madman in search of something he could set on fire. Unfortunately he

again and again finds hirelings who open the gates of their country to

this international incendiary. " This is Adolf Hitler, talking about

Winston Churchill in a speech! So " Rather than face our own defects as

revealed by the shadow, we project them on to others- for instance, on

to our political enemies....If people observe their own unconscious

tendencies in other people, this is called a projection. Political

agitation in all countries is full of such projections, just as much

as the back-yard gossip of little groups and individuals. Projections

of all kinds obscure our view of our fellow men, spoiling its

objectivity, and thus spoiling all possibility of genuine human

relationships " (pp172-173).

 

So Deepak is revealing something about himself with his rather snide

comments. And it reminds me a bit of what YB said about remembering

that you are the other guy!

[Guest guest]

Absolutely, Ardas, I concur.

 

This is a complex world filled with much darkness as we are ending

one yuga and entering another...We must fight with our hearts for

light all around us and for those souls who wish to bring more light

to our poor, very tired planet. Study human history and you will

understand the cadence and rhythm of the earth and the universe. We

have a short, difficult life for our bodies and minds but our souls

can transcend and can find the light we each bring with us from

heaven. This light is what blesses us and our progeny forever.

 

There is much work to be done with our entire physical, mental and

spiritual energies to make this a better world.. and as long as we

live, we have dharma and the enormous responsibility that accompanies

our life on this planet. An amazing opportunity.

 

 

Kundalini-Yoga , Ezekiel Gruen <spikycork

wrote:

>

> " You have to be a real jerk to bring politics in to Yoga! "

>

> Wow. That is an amazing response. If we don't bring our yoga

practice into all aspects of our lives - especially where important

decisions and policies have to be made - what's the point? Kundalini

Yoga is a yoga for householders. . . tools to strengthen us so we can

take care of each other and create beautiful communities. We're not

meant to go into a cave on a mountain and meditate and chant all day

long, hiding from the " world out there. "

> It's one thing whether you agree or disagree with Deepak's message,

but not to bring politics into yoga? Politics can be another form of

yoga! In fact, I'd go so far as to say, unless politics is practiced

as a form of yoga (with wisdom and compassion), whether it's called

that or not, it's just going to create more misery for people.

> Ardas Singh

>

[Guest guest]

Yogiji said that there is no more political area of life than

spirituality. Rather than getting caught up in the karma of political

arguments and emotions, I think that the human race has suffered

instead from heading to the mountains to meditate, leaving the

practical matters of the world to those whose path is karma.

 

It hasn't been like this always. The world is full of cultures with a

history of philosophical debate on just rulership, and these debates

have just as much spirituality in them. Confucius's teachings are a

good example of this.

 

What I wonder, however, is how we get caught up in the maya of

someone's outer appearance in attempting to judge what a person's

motivations are. Whether someone is a woman, black, white, short in

stature, whatever - these seem to be the things people vote for,

rather than issues that matter to humanity. We are facing an

incredible crisis with war, global warming and world starvation while

Wall Street prepares for the next great depression, and it's both

political parties that have prepared the table for disaster. Obama can

preach as much as he likes that we're in a financial crisis, but his

top economic adviser was the treasury secretary who, under Clinton,

repealed the Glass-Steigel act that made the current financial crisis

possible.

 

Repealing 40 years of feminist progress is quite literally a drop in

the bucket compared to repealing 80 years of financial regulation

designed to prevent another 1929. How is it that we get so sidetracked

on people's secondary sexual characteristics and lose sight of issues

like global warming, which both candidates are in total denial over?

" There's no solar bullet for our energy problems " Obama says, as he

and McCain draw in millions of dollars from the nuclear industry, and

Sarah Palin covers up her efforts to keep polar bears off the

endangered species' list and repress science on warming ice. With this

context, isn't it pure maya to be discussing whether someone is a

woman or black? Isn't our intuition serving us enough to see beyond

appearances to the real issues? And how do we come up with the

reaction that politics is no place for the spirituality that purifies

us enough to see beyond the veil?

 

with respect,

-Baba Singh

[Guest guest]

In terms of bringing politics into yoga and reading this discussion I

cannot help but be reminded of the day of Yogi Bhajan's ceremony

honoring his life after he passed. My husband and I thought we would

watch a little on the internet and, thankfully, spent all day in front

of our laptop watching all the testimonials. In my eyes Yogi Bhajan

worked for world peace, he knew other yogis like Swami Satchidanda

from Integral, he knew other leaders like the Pope and he knew

politicians from both sides. Both Clinton and Bush had sent messages

which were read that day and the politicians who spoke reminisced how

they would ask for meetings with Yogi B when they had differences and

wanted to communicate about them with " the ohter side " . Obviously our

teacher felt we should be informed about what was going on in the

world and politically, that we needed to be in the world. It is

challenging when we see things we truly believe are harming others and

when people's words, like Deepak's, hit strong chords in us. I don't

have a suggestion or answer here but feel it is better to be for

something than against another, though that is truly challenging. I

have been for Obama all along and feel if we are too critical of the

other side we do then become like them. That does not mean that their

beliefs and actions do not scare me. And ultimately it is frustrating

when those we truly believe will make the better leader for all does

not get into office.

 

Sat Nam

Amrita

[Guest guest]

Do you remember ?THAT ego always fight its way to win .!J.j.k

[Guest guest]

Dear Baba Singh,

While I agree with you in general, and was appalled at Obama's

reference to nuclear power and 'clean coal'(what is that??) in his

acceptance speech, please note your words:

" Repealing 40 years of feminist progress is quite literally a drop in

the bucket compared to repealing 80 years of financial regulation "

 

Being a woman is not just about outer appearances. Throwing around

the word Maya to describe some Maya and not others is questionable.

Of course it is all Maya. The economic crisis and polar bears are

Maya just as much as the discussion of gender and race.

 

YB spent so much of his energy empowering women, and said:

" In order to get to peace on this earth, we have to give the power

back to women. "

This is happening in grassroots ways worldwide, and I pray it will

continue to happen. Please note, I love men, too, and the

contributions many of them have made to the Maya we call society. It

is just that balance needs to be renewed. Maybe our country needs a

little humility, to lose some of its wealth. How are we to know what

will come of this?

 

I just hope that yogis will vote with their hearts in November.

 

Peace,

Kate Lynch

 

 

Kundalini-Yoga , " Baba " <baba_sf wrote:

>

> Yogiji said that there is no more political area of life than

> spirituality. Rather than getting caught up in the karma of political

> arguments and emotions, I think that the human race has suffered

> instead from heading to the mountains to meditate, leaving the

> practical matters of the world to those whose path is karma.

>

> It hasn't been like this always. The world is full of cultures with a

> history of philosophical debate on just rulership, and these debates

> have just as much spirituality in them. Confucius's teachings are a

> good example of this.

>

> What I wonder, however, is how we get caught up in the maya of

> someone's outer appearance in attempting to judge what a person's

> motivations are. Whether someone is a woman, black, white, short in

> stature, whatever - these seem to be the things people vote for,

> rather than issues that matter to humanity. We are facing an

> incredible crisis with war, global warming and world starvation while

> Wall Street prepares for the next great depression, and it's both

> political parties that have prepared the table for disaster. Obama can

> preach as much as he likes that we're in a financial crisis, but his

> top economic adviser was the treasury secretary who, under Clinton,

> repealed the Glass-Steigel act that made the current financial crisis

> possible.

>

> Repealing 40 years of feminist progress is quite literally a drop in

> the bucket compared to repealing 80 years of financial regulation

> designed to prevent another 1929. How is it that we get so sidetracked

> on people's secondary sexual characteristics and lose sight of issues

> like global warming, which both candidates are in total denial over?

> " There's no solar bullet for our energy problems " Obama says, as he

> and McCain draw in millions of dollars from the nuclear industry, and

> Sarah Palin covers up her efforts to keep polar bears off the

> endangered species' list and repress science on warming ice. With this

> context, isn't it pure maya to be discussing whether someone is a

> woman or black? Isn't our intuition serving us enough to see beyond

> appearances to the real issues? And how do we come up with the

> reaction that politics is no place for the spirituality that purifies

> us enough to see beyond the veil?

>

> with respect,

> -Baba Singh

>

[Guest guest]

Kate,Yes, that's a good point. My only intention was to communicate that any civil rights issues, feminism included, can hardly advance a step if our economy is in dire straits. "Before women could be feminists, they had to eat" was one quote I read about how 1929 impacted 1st wave feminism.My apologies for straying from a yogic subject; but I think it's important to clarify.sat nam,-Baba