We long for a mathematical certainty of political allegiance leading to higher levels of human life and culture. Right now in the political world, there is only one thing certain: our system is overrun with corruption, deception, insanity, stupidity, and, of course, shit goblins.  What is Enlightenment? Issue 38 states that we can indeed unite and evolve to a new stage of culture.  Thank goodness, because Issue 37 said we were all fucked.  There is still hope for a real authentic social movement that includes and transcends all of the problems of the postmodern pluralistic worldview and its shadow side, aka, countercultural relativistic fatalism (CRF). 

All stages of human consciousness correlate with one, or many historical worldviews. A worldview is an inner structure of consciousness that is shared by many individuals. Each person’s cultural worldview has been generated by a particular politics of a thriving, or in our case, once thriving, social and economic structure. An integral politics realizes and integrates all foundational stages of consciousness while transcending into a higher stage altogether.

Tribal communities bind together with blood relatives and neighboring families. Although useful for cooperation and survival, the tribal consciousness tends to fear, demonize, threaten, imprison, convert, or kill anyone refusing to conform to the code and rituals of the community. This level of consciousness generates a magical thinking that expresses itself as very young children, indigenous people, and many fundamentalist religions. The strongest competing tribal communities develop military might that leads to warlord states that have the power to exert their will against the hodgepodge of tribal whims. Warrior consciousness learns to bully and threaten their interests into political relevance. The warrior societies assert the individualism found in the terrible two-year olds, most notable examples: Incas, Vikings, pirates, and the Cleveland Indians.

Traditional Kingdoms grow to establish nationalist values, chivalrous codes, etiquette, and religious values. These Kingdoms establish laws and borders that are enforced by state sponsored police and military.  King Arthur, The English Empire, and the Catholic Church have expressed this level of consciousness. In recent years, Pat Buchanan and Michael Savage have championed the reestablishment of traditional consciousness in America.   

The Enlightenment of the Modern Nation State inspired democratic capitalism based on rational thinking displayed by myself and a few of my fellow Discordians. These Modern Societies brought us constitutional law, individual liberties, and expanded public education. Post-Modern Societies broaden pluralistic awareness of the inherent, often overlooked, rights of others. The Post-Modern Consciousness of the Baby Boomer Generation brings an increased sensitivity to the disenfranchised of our society: civil rights for minorities, women’s rights, gay rights, empathy for our enemies, animal rights, environmental rights, and even power to the sociopathic shit goblins. Ralph Nadar and Dennis Kucinich eloquently express the policies of post-modernism. They champion social justice, challenge corporate corruption, protect the environment, as well as encourage alternative energies, health, and lifestyles.  But, please, don’t feed the shit goblins after midnight.

The problem with each stage of political consciousness is its tendency to demonize and attack the other stages. This destroys the necessary integration required to sustain continued evolution. The success of the Modern Consciousness depended upon the hard rock might of Traditional Consciousness that protected the vanguard from the warlord bullies and tribal mobs. If we progressive ‘intellectuals’ continue using our minds to devise shrewd plans for the deconstruction of American values, then tribal consciousness will flourish and overtake our freedom of thought, speech and actions (enters things like Sharia Law; good luck with that).  Mick Zano refers to this group as ‘the bake brownies for Al-Qaeda’ folks.  The Crank refers to them as ASSHOLE LIBERTARDS!  The Crank should consider switching to decaf.

We must integrate the truths for each of these valid stages of development before we can fully evolve into a higher stage. We must respect the conclusions of sincere rational inquiry and follow its conclusions wherever they lead. We must honor the plurality and degree of validity of others’ perspectives even if those others wish to chop our heads off or arrest us for naked bungee jumping with a minor.  That’s still legal, right?

Will you come back to my cliff, bouncy, bouncy?

The most challenging aspect of the integral politician is to fully embrace the communal and traditional values of the culture and society before expanding into a unified internationalism, aka, evolve before you leap. 

Many Post-Modern Progressives overlook the insights of history, the heritage of constitutional law, and the tools of logic. If we Progressives really wish to continue evolving then we can’t keep attacking and deconstructing the necessary foundational stages of consciousness. The residue of unresolved traditional values slithers through our nation’s psyche and threatens to corrode the very fabric of our union.   

That’s my job!

Those politically on the right tend to ignore the core truths of transcendence. The mind is not limited to the brain. Human nature is not limited by its history. The possibilities of the future are infinite and as our consciousness transforms. So, too, does the surrounding world transform.  They also tend to borrow from lower perspectives and demonize anything unfamiliar.  Don’t knock naked bungee jumping until you’ve tried it. 

Those on the left tend to ignore the core truths of nationalism. If the country is not rooted in its history and heritage it will collapse, just as the molecule which fails to embrace the atom will collapse.

Now we must join all of these valid truths while modifying the inconsistencies, transcending into a higher ‘integral’ perspective. Pat Buchanan and Michael Savage are correct: 1.) our country cannot survive without clear definable borders and the will and ability to enforce them, and 2.) there is a real problem with certain Islamic sects who assert their will to kill or assimilate anybody beyond the terrible twos. But the traditionalists must be careful not to act out of anger and humiliate the radical Islamists or we will make the problem worse not better. Humiliation is the emotion that sparked this radical machismo, woman-squelching, bomb-dropping, suicide-wishing mentality in the first place. Let’s not intentionally stir up the hornets nest without a clear exit strategy.          

Kucinich is right; the Bush administration has compromised our country’s integrity, and alienated and misdirected our resources from our most pressing problems, but let’s not throw out the Buchanian baby with the Bushian bathwater. Yes, Buchanan sounds like your crazy old uncle, but we must recognize and root with our country’s foundation before we can evolve to a world where there is no war, hunger, or Sean Hannity. And let’s not forget, Hillary Clinton is right about, well, I’ll get back to you.

We must transcend the left and the right by recognizing the validity at each stage and all perspectives, well, except, of course, for the shit goblins, who MUST DIE!

Real men are integral men.  Meditation increases blood flow to the brain, thickens the cerebral cortex, boosts immunity, lessens stress, promotes better sex, and promotes better everything, frankly.  In response to your ‘tribute to Cheney’ article, and other slams on yours truly, the John Wayne’s of the world have had their time.  Whereas I can commiserate with your touch of nostalgia; Bush’s cowboy brand of justice is out of style.  That is not to say aspects of this perspective aren’t sometimes necessary, but the people you champion consistently place personalities before principles (very consistently).

Begrudgingly I admit my own error on Sept 12^th, 2001 when I said under my breath, “I’m glad a Republican is in office.”

See, I am fallible. I knew, even then, that aspects of green (liberal pluralism) would not work horribly well against red (tribalism) and amber (fundamentalism).  Al Gore may well have hid under his desk, as my mother-in-law asserts.  Who knows?  Regardless, we must elect government officials who function higher along the consciousness spectrum, if we hope to survive as a country.

Bush and Cheney championed a level of consciousness popular in a pre-modern world, and we’ve seen how effective a John Wayne-esque hero performs amidst a flattening/shrinking global community.  George Bush played John Wayne for eight years, which would have been fine circa 1800-1808, but he tried it in 2000-2008.  All-or-none thinking has no place at the top tier of the U.S. government.  There are more choices than war/appeasement, good guy/bad guy, or friend/enemy.  If you can not see shades of grey, fine, but do the world a favor and stay out of public office.

As for finances, my 401K speaks for itself; it says, “cash me in and by an imported keg.”

As for safety, forgive some of us for having reached the point when we feel that our own safety is not worth the cost of millions of other “outsiders.”   In a flat world we will never be secure with short-sighted policies.  In fact, we will never be safe as long as we are mind numbingly self-serving.  Your view champions a brand of economic exploitation and cruelty that have followed us through human history since the late Cambrian Trilobite uprising. I believe Hiraldo covered that.

With some skill, luck, and a more integral approach to these issues, America can navigate these rough waters.  Ever since McCarthyism, when the fear of nuclear annihilation hijacked the zeitgeist, our government has suffered from what eastern thought designates as samara, which can be summed up as greed, hatred, and delusion.  This can most easily be applied to gentleman Dick: greed (Haliburton), hatred (torture policies), and delusion (we’re making America safe). In my view, integral leadership will embrace human dignity, mutual respect, and mutual interest.  You will increasingly here these concepts as we move forward into the new millennia.  Unless, of course, one of your peeps gets the nod, in which case it’s naked pyramid time (NPT).

“Go away?  Get over it?”  Goomis, Goomis. Whenever we think the basement has been reached new evidence is revealed.

In a recent Washington Post article, Karen DeYoung and Peter Finn asserted: “The previous administration a) tortured detainees, making it harder to prosecute dangerous terrorists; b) released bad guys while detaining good guys; and c) neglected to keep comprehensive files on possible terrorists who’ve been in U.S. custody for several years.”

Even if you support a more empire-esque approach to battling the heathens, how is this helping?   In an attempt to head you off at the all-or-none pass—no, everyone against torture is not against interrogations of any kind. Nor do we all believe that detainees should all be released with a nice fruit basket and an apology letter.  There are ways to keep us safe without losing who we are or the rule of law.

Channel 4 News (BBC) two weeks ago broke the story how the Bush Administration threatened the British Government if allocations of torture were made public in the case of British detainee Binyam Mohamed (then part of Bush’s top secret: Operation Scrotal Electrode). The U.S. State Department warned that any release of torture evidence during the trial would “result in serious damage to US national security and could harm intelligence information sharing arrangements between our two governments.” Bush and Co. were quite willing to give up intelligence gathering with our staunchest ally, further endangering our troops as well as homeland security, to cover for their own war crimes.  Your ‘heroes’ went on to say the release of any torture allegation in court might cause “serious and lasting damage to the US-UK intelligence sharing relationship, and thus the national security of the UK.”

Real men are apparently traitors.  I think profiting off of the death of U.S. soldiers is treasoness as well, but at this point who’s counting? Oh yeah…ME!

On a side note, I have consistently asserted that Tony Blair will be the only one to remain silent.  Blair probably despises Bush more than anyone, but his legacy is too intertwined with Bush’s to ever come clean. I pity him. He was far, far shrewder than Bush ever was, and he deserved better.

The crime is Bush, and the cover up is Hannity.  My self-righteous ire stems from Hannity’s miserable and futile attempt to rewrite history.  Bush will forever wallow in the bottom tier of American presidents and only if no other shred of damnable data emerges (not bloody likely).  Bush and his minions will likely sink to the level of ‘worst ever.’   People who think his legacy is salvageable are dead wrong, as they have been wrong all along about nearly everything.

Your point about my self-righteous ventings is well taken. After all, human bravery starts with self-knowledge and each challenge must be shifted into the bodhi (sorry, another vocab word).  Appointing blame has little to do with an integral practice.  Essentially you are right with your mirror analogy.  Bush is a reflection, but not of me.  He is the reflection of a sick collective, fraught with fear, addictions, and psychotropic medications.  Instead of damning or championing these events, we should be shifting toward common support for this new administration to better align ourselves with the Tibetan’s pawo, the Toltec’s warrior’s path, or the Ghetto Shaman’s Naked Midget Reiki.

You stated in your article, “I don’t like anything I see.”

Er…while you were still cheering on the ‘War on Error’ that was my position in 2002. Welcome aboard the S.S. Disillusioned (better late than never).

You are afraid of the do-gooders of the world and any projects designed to correct problems on a governmental level, yet you didn’t support Ron Paul?  If you recall, he was my pick for the Republican ticket.  Over the last eight years Republicans ditched fiscal responsibility and small government and then, the moment the Dems get in, it’s “oooh, oooh, there they are under the table.”

You backed the fascist and now you are lecturing others on fascism?  Yes, the liberal media sucks, but why do you still support the Washington Talking Points Network?  The Discord’s Integral Media segments have rated both Republicans and Democrats harshly.

You should fear the libetards but don’t fear integral leadership.  Ultimately, whereas your version of leadership will affect me quite negatively, my version of leadership will not affect you, well, not negatively anyway.  You can go on to rant in your columns.  Unfortunately champions of your level will impose their own level onto others.

Since this is ‘world gone wild’ time, and, sadly, I’m not talking about perky spring breakers; it’s time to meditate or medicate.  There are fewer and fewer choices in between these days as we become a psychotropic nation.

Alas, trying to convince the Bin Ladens of the world that blowing up innocents is not what Allah had in mind, or trying to convince the Pat Robertsons of the world that there are many ways to enlightenment, or trying to convince the Bill Kristols of the world that a free market is not the only God, well, as Ken Wilber asserts, there are better ways to spend a Saturday night.

The debate in question is an on-going one, waged over the past six years, between myself and fellow Discordian, Pokey McDooris.  Here and now I hope to land the knock-out punch.  Recently our rants have shifted to the societal collapse lurking at the edge of the collective psyche—a phenomenon I call the Scheisstgeist.  Our late night debates typically include our wasteland warrior mission statement (which is still in progress).  We also wonder, as integral warlord hopefuls, whether or not owning sex slaves will impede our chances for enlightenment.  Most importantly, we contemplate the logistics of brewing beer from bread and gobs of our own spittle.  In other words, we both agree America is in trouble, but we fundamentally disagree on how we, as a nation, got here.

Pokey, champions Ken Wilber’s Boomeritis theory, which, in a nut shell, blames liberal pluralism. Common worldcentric thinking is a relatively high level of human development, but, according to Wilber, a nefarious shadow-side lurks within this world view.  These potentially unhinged liberals—or green meanies as our own anthropologist Dr. Sterling Hogbein calls them—are not willing to repair the current system, but are working diligently toward its’ demise.  They are not interested in including and transcending, so much as starting from scratch.  What they tend to ignore are all those pesky transition periods, wherein people from historically lower perspectives ultimately force them to toil rigorously in the field by day and toil rigorously in the sack by night.  Some of the folks keeping this shadow side of pluralism in check are: FOX News, AM radio, and Senior Discord Analyst Pokey McDooris.

Look no further than Europe to see how a policy of appeasement is working out.  These wonderful cultures are being absorbed by immigrants unwilling to assimilate (IUAs).  Here in the US, extreme political correctness (EPC) is spawning a type of ‘nice police,’ which actually endangers our freedom of speech.  From this perspective, appropriate non-offensive language is often deemed more important than the truth.  ‘I’m OK, you’re OK’ (even if you are off of the boat, off of your meds, and, by all accounts, off of your rocker).  In counseling, this is often called enabling.  Sometimes it’s healthier to say, ‘I’m OK, but I’m really not so sure about you, suck wad.’ Suck wad is a clinical designation found in the DSM-IV (Homeboy Edition).

How can easygoing progressive thinking impact our first amendment rights?  Just ask Don Imus or Michael Savage.  Even Barak Obama called Don Imus’ rants ‘hateful speech’ but was far more lenient when his own pastor’s antics surfaced (until it cost him too many votes).

An anti-American movement certainly thrived within this country pre 9/11, so in this respect I agree with my colleague.  The recent Reverend Wright controversy opened a scab of one such problem festering within our society (other than my friend Shag).  For some, change means giving up their well cultivated hatred.  I agree that there are many people looking for reasons to tear down our systems, however, there is another side to this story—my side. I feel that the last seven years have been much more damaging to this country than any underground, nebulous threat from the—not in any remote position of power—green meanies.

I’m afraid a recap is necessary.  It has been all but proven that torture has been given the green light at Gitmo and Abu Ghraib by the Bush Administration.  By all accounts this development has been the greatest blow to the soft war, or what has been termed ‘the war of ideas.’   Executive power has been greatly expanded, including signing statements and a host of enhanced executive privilege (EEP) that protects the Bushies from any and all accountability. Habeas corpus, which successfully bypasses the rest of the Bill of Rights, has thankfully been zapped with a defibrillator.  But add two wars bleeding us dry, one of which is a superfluous invasion poorly managed, warrant-less wire tapping, a compromised justice department, a failing economy, out of control corporate greed, treasoness subcontracting during war time (breath), out of control oil prices, ignoring climate change, and a plummeting approval rating around the world…and you’ve most certainly lost sight of the original point of this sentence.  Shake, chill, and serve with a side order of freedom fries, and wa la, you have a collapsing super power.

Back to my colleagues’ argument: what has been the greatest force behind this home grown anti-Americanism?  You guessed it, the Bush Administration.  Bush has brought anti-Americanism into the mainstream.  He has legitimized the fringe elements of our society and has galvanized these hodge-podges of marginalized pockets into a solid movement.  He has done this at home and abroad.  He has done this as effectively in Newark as he has in Islamabad.  He is the recruitment tool for the Bin Ladens and the Farrakahns. In fact, there is even an anti-government movement within the Republican Party itself!  They’re called the Paulites, and they demand zany things like freedom and small government.  They are even talking about moving into their own gated communities, in a sense, seceding from the union. And remember kids, just having any hostile feeling toward this government is enough to get you on the Gitmo express.  Under American law, these libertarians—a branch of the Republican Party—might end up behind gates all right, but not the ones they think.

Now you can safely add every libertarian-minded individual to the Farrakhan freak show.  You can then add all of the progressives disturbed by Bush’s brand of fundamentalism to the freak show.   Add every educated person who understands the dangers of the Bushies brand of group think, all or none thinking, and a host of other cognitive distortions to the freak show.  Add everyone sick of having their patriotism questioned by the likes of Sean Hannity—a man who has endlessly cheered the crippling policies pushed by this administration—to the freak show.  Add real conservatives and everyone else who is for small government and fiscal responsibility to the freak show.  Shake, chill, and serve with a side order of freedom fries, and wa la, you have stoked and legitimized real anti-American sediment around the country and the world.

If you would like to keep score—somewhat subjectively I’m afraid—let’s put the danger from the neocon’s secrecy and incompetence at about a 9 right now (7 points of which can be attributed to Bush and Co.).  I give the ‘nice police’ and this seething anti-Americanism, which culminates in the fear of a collapse from within, as being about a 6 (2 points of which can be attributed to a reaction to Bush and Co.).  Even if the collapse does ultimately come from within our society, no matter how you do the math, far more damage has been done by the neocons.  Combined, Bush has negatively impacted these categories by nearly two thirds!  Another few years of this madness and, guess what, you can add me to the freak show.

Why is the recent Habeas Corpus Supreme Court decision so important? The writ of Habeas Corpus is the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights. Habeas Corpus is the right of any individual unlawfully placed in detention to receive legal council, a fair hearing, or Circus Peanuts. (Oh, that stale marshmellowy goodness.)

"Habeas Corpus secures every man here, alien or citizen, against everything which is not law, whatever shape it may assume."

— Thomas Jefferson (that left-wing, terrorist lover).

One can assume that Jefferson meant even if the ‘shape’ comes in the form of the aforementioned Circus Peanut.

If your government can pick you up, detain you indefinitely without trial or charges, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution are moot! In fact, if someone tries to permanently suspend Habeas Corpus, our forefather encouraged us to run around in circles, flailing our arms. While this advice has raised my metabolism considerably—allowing me to indulge on the occasional Circus Peanut—it has done nothing to restore our rights. Frankly, we’ve dressed as Indians and held wild tea parties for much less offenses. Today, just ‘offending’ the government could book someone a one way ticket on the Gitmo express.

You might be saying, “But they would never do that!”

Did you ever take a civics class, theoretical question person? Do you huff paint thinner, per chance?

With Harris v. Nelson (1969) the Supreme Court determined the “writ of habeas corpus is the fundamental instrument for safeguarding individual freedom against arbitrary and lawless state action.” If recent government proceedings have not been arbitrary, I don’t know what is. The ‘great writ’ has been undone by the ‘great twit.’ The fact that John McCain is complaining about the restoration of Habeas says a lot about this presumptive president and his priorities. Next he’ll be telling us he doesn’t use the Internets.

Our forefathers actually borrowed this ‘great writ’ from the Magna Carta of 1215. Such rights aren’t pre-9/11 thinking, they’re more accurately pre-1215 thinking. Do you know what happened in 1214? I don’t, but I’m reasonably sure it was before the Bushes or the Clintons held office (by a month or two). 1214, people! Even longer than Bush rolled back those EPA regulations (by a month or two).

You might be saying, “Why do enemy combatants need rights?”

Look, paint-thinner boy, your government can declare anyone an enemy combatant and is therefore no longer burdening itself with providing any pesky evidence or proof. The rule of law has not only broken down, but it has been stripped to the block and the parts sold on fucking E-bay! Can I make this any clearer? That is why this decision to restore it is so important.

It is not good enough to say, “well, our president would never abuse such powers”; the point is, no one should ever wield such power. That’s what checks and balances mean. That is why Gandalf, Galadriel, or Mr. Fabulous would not accept Sauron’s ring of power. There was a Mr. Fabulous in Middle-Earth, wasn’t there?

I’ll never forget watching C-span in my underwear with a bucket of vodka (the Monday night special) as some senator asked Alberto Gonzales, “Aren’t you concerned that these expanded powers in the wrong hands might be abused?”

He responded, “Yeah. Like I hope the next dude is, like, righteous,” or something equally inane.

You might be saying, “Well, all I can say is, it hasn’t affected my life.”

Are you serious, theoretical question person? Put down that magic marker, this instant.

Let me use an extreme example: it’s a little late when you’re on the train to Auschwitz to start tapping the SS officer on the shoulder. I’m talking to you Sean Hannity. Although, I do approve of your recent Hannity-Youth Movement. I think it’s patriotic and well-grounded in rationality. In fact, anyone would be an ‘enemy of the state’ not to join this wholesome brand of governmental programming.

To heck with waterboarding; only three countries have ever officially condoned stress positions during interrogations: the U.S., Turkey, and Nazi Germany…or—as the pharmaceutical companies call them—the Axis of Advil. I have been following Andrew Sullivan’s blog, and, like him, I believe “Sane and civilized societies do not give permission for such things. And they do not make excuses for them. And when they discover they have been done, they investigate and prosecute those who broke the law.”

Remember in the movie Cloverfield, when the monster ripped the head clear off the Statue of Liberty? I believe that was a metaphor. Clover = Bush and field = failed; erog, Bush failed. Crimson and clover, over and over. OK, it’s getting late and the hallucinations are starting again. Circus Peanuts, Circus Peanuts. Need more Circus Peanuts.

They’re coming for me again. It’s just that I’ve been in this same stress position for so long, and they don’t let me sleep anymore…

Opinions such as these have led to my being whisked away in the night, denied a lawyer, and formally charged. They even cut off my access to medical marijuana. I have pre-glaucoma in my left eye, for god’s sake! Worst of all, they keep denying my request to be waterboarded with beer. The monsters!

Come hell or high lager, glug-glug, I’m going to write my next compelling article, It’s Hard to Enjoy the Chicken Pilaf Chained Naked to the Wall, glug-glug. Oh, god, here comes the bitch with the leash. Well, this part isn’t so bad. Could someone please call the ACLU? Better wait until the bitch with the leash is finished, then call.

Signed,

Sleepless in Syria

(I think…well, I know I’m sleepless, but the Syria part is an educated guess)

Below is a Discord original recipe. Not like one of those Cindy McCain original recipes—the real thing. For god sakes, man, don’t let them get their hands on this!

The Circus Peanut:

1. One shot of Banana-Red Maddog
2. Top off with a whisper of Southern Comfort