Monday, January 12, 2004
Legitimate or not!
I have received word that the preceding post ( What goes round comes around ! ) is nothing more than an urban legend, whether it is fictitious or not, it still serves its original intent, to inspire!
As for me, it teaches me yet again to do some research before posting!
As for me, it teaches me yet again to do some research before posting!
Sunday, January 11, 2004
What goes round comes around !
How a single gesture can reshape the future!
(Sent to me by my Father)
What goes round comes around !
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he
heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist
in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman
stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the
farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.
"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like
his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.
Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School
in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of
Penicillin.
Years later, the same nobleman's son, who was saved from the bog, was stricken with pneumonia.
What saved his life this time? Penicillin.
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name?
Sir Winston Churchill.
Someone once said: What goes around comes around.
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.
AN IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH:
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
(Sent to me by my Father)
What goes round comes around !
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he
heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist
in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman
stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the
farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.
"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like
his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.
Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School
in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of
Penicillin.
Years later, the same nobleman's son, who was saved from the bog, was stricken with pneumonia.
What saved his life this time? Penicillin.
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name?
Sir Winston Churchill.
Someone once said: What goes around comes around.
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.
AN IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH:
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Another forward (it's worthwhile though)
10 Good Things About a Bad Year
By Medea Benjamin
AlterNet
Wednesday 31 December 2003
No two ways about it, 2003 was a demoralizing year for those of us
working for peace and justice. With George Bush in the White House, Arnold
Schwarzenegger in the California State House, and Paul Bremer ruling Iraq,
it was a chore just to get out of bed each morning. But get out of bed we
did, and we spent our days educating, strategizing, organizing and
mobilizing. As we greet the new year, let's remember and celebrate some of
our hard-fought victories in a time of adversity.
1. We organized the most massive, global protests against war the world
has ever seen. On February 15 alone, over 12 million people came out on the
streets in over 700 cities in 60 countries and on every continent. So
impressive was this outpouring of anti-war sentiment that the New York
Times, not known for hyperbole, claimed there were now two superpowers: the
US and global public opinion.
2. Over the last few months, mainstream Americans have been buying
progressive books by the millions. Authors such as Michael Moore, Al
Franken, Molly Ivins, Paul Krugman and David Corn have seen their books soar
to the New York Times bestsellers list. With humor and biting exposes of the
Bush administration, these authors helped our movement gain legions of new
converts. No more preaching to the choir this year!
3. When the World Trade Organization met in Cancun in September to
promote global rules that give even greater power to transnational
corporations, they were met by well coordinated opposition from countries in
the global south, hundreds of non-governmental organizations and thousands
of activists. When our movement's sophisticated inside-outside strategy
forced the talks to collapse, there was "gloom in the suites and dancing in
the streets." And as a counter to these corporate-dominated global
institutions, the fair trade movement had a stellar year.
4. The poorest country in South America, Bolivia, proved that people
power is alive and well. Sparked by the Bolivian president's plan to
privatize and export the nation's natural gas, an astounding grassroots
movement of peasants, miners, workers, and indigenous people poured into the
streets to demand his resignation. After five weeks of intense protests and
a government crackdown that left 70 dead, Sanchez de Lozada was forced to
resign. Now that's regime change!
5. The silver lining in the budget crisis affecting the states
throughout this nation is that from Louisiana to Texas to Michigan -- and
even in Arnold Schwarzenegger's California -- state governments are cutting
prison budgets by releasing non-violent drug offenders. The year has been
marked by a steady move toward treatment instead of incarceration and a
greater understanding that drug abuse should be handled in the doctors'
office, not the prison cell.
6. For so long, celebrities have put their careers above their beliefs.
This year witnessed a "coming out" of all types of celebrities on all manner
of progressive issues. Jay-Z and Mariah Carey railed against the racist
Rockefeller drug laws, Bono and Beyonce Knowles called for the world to
fight AIDS, and a host of celebs such as Sean Penn, Susan Saradon and
Laurence Fishbourne courageously took a stand against the invasion of Iraq.
7. Progressives now have a powerful new tool for organizing: the
Internet. E-activism through venues such as MoveOn, Working Assets and
Meetup.com have allowed ordinary people to challenge big money and powerful
institutions. We raised millions of dollars to run ads, we've confronted
corporate-dominated institutions like the Federal Communications Commission,
and e-activism has allowed an anti-war candidate, Howard Dean, to become a
frontrunner in the 2004 elections.
8. In an unprecedented outpouring of local opposition to the assault on
our civil liberties, over 200 cities, towns, counties and states across the
country have passed resolutions against the Patriot Act. In fact, the outcry
has been so profound that plans for a successor act, dubbed Patriot Act II,
that would further broaden federal investigatory powers, have been scuttled.
9. While eclipsed by the war in Iraq, the corporate scandals that
topped the headlines in 2002 continued in 2003, with indefatigable New York
State Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer exposing the trading abuses in the
mutual funds industry. The Enron, WorldCom and accounting scandals produced
some positive legislation against corporate crime and forced institutional
investors like pension funds to become more active. And anti-corporate
crusaders joined with peace activists to expose the obscene war profiteering
of Halliburton and Bechtel, with more exposes to come in 2004!
10. Despite the conservative takeover of the courts, this year produced
several landmark rulings we can be proud of. The Supreme Court upheld
affirmative action, giving a sweeping victory to the University of Michigan
and colleges all over the country. It struck down sodomy laws criminalizing
gay sex, affirming the constitutional right to privacy. The Massachusetts
Supreme Court ruled that gays should be able to marry. The Appeals Court
ruled that the US military could not detain American citizen Jose Padilla as
an "enemy combatant", and in an even more significant decision, found that
all 600 detainees at Guantanamo Bay should be granted access to lawyers.
There are many more -- the immigrants' freedom march that crisscrossed
the nation to counter the anti-immigrant backlash, the amazing youth
movement that is bringing new culture and vibrancy to organizing, the
renewed women's activism through groups like Code Pink, the awarding of the
Nobel Peace Prize to an Iranian woman, Shirin Ebadi. And each one of us
could add to the list.
So while we lament the present state of the world and the present
occupant in the White House, just remember that even in the gloomiest days
of 2003, we kept slugging away-and sometimes even winning. Now let's move on
to score the big victory in 2004 by sending George Bush back to Crawford.
By Medea Benjamin
AlterNet
Wednesday 31 December 2003
No two ways about it, 2003 was a demoralizing year for those of us
working for peace and justice. With George Bush in the White House, Arnold
Schwarzenegger in the California State House, and Paul Bremer ruling Iraq,
it was a chore just to get out of bed each morning. But get out of bed we
did, and we spent our days educating, strategizing, organizing and
mobilizing. As we greet the new year, let's remember and celebrate some of
our hard-fought victories in a time of adversity.
1. We organized the most massive, global protests against war the world
has ever seen. On February 15 alone, over 12 million people came out on the
streets in over 700 cities in 60 countries and on every continent. So
impressive was this outpouring of anti-war sentiment that the New York
Times, not known for hyperbole, claimed there were now two superpowers: the
US and global public opinion.
2. Over the last few months, mainstream Americans have been buying
progressive books by the millions. Authors such as Michael Moore, Al
Franken, Molly Ivins, Paul Krugman and David Corn have seen their books soar
to the New York Times bestsellers list. With humor and biting exposes of the
Bush administration, these authors helped our movement gain legions of new
converts. No more preaching to the choir this year!
3. When the World Trade Organization met in Cancun in September to
promote global rules that give even greater power to transnational
corporations, they were met by well coordinated opposition from countries in
the global south, hundreds of non-governmental organizations and thousands
of activists. When our movement's sophisticated inside-outside strategy
forced the talks to collapse, there was "gloom in the suites and dancing in
the streets." And as a counter to these corporate-dominated global
institutions, the fair trade movement had a stellar year.
4. The poorest country in South America, Bolivia, proved that people
power is alive and well. Sparked by the Bolivian president's plan to
privatize and export the nation's natural gas, an astounding grassroots
movement of peasants, miners, workers, and indigenous people poured into the
streets to demand his resignation. After five weeks of intense protests and
a government crackdown that left 70 dead, Sanchez de Lozada was forced to
resign. Now that's regime change!
5. The silver lining in the budget crisis affecting the states
throughout this nation is that from Louisiana to Texas to Michigan -- and
even in Arnold Schwarzenegger's California -- state governments are cutting
prison budgets by releasing non-violent drug offenders. The year has been
marked by a steady move toward treatment instead of incarceration and a
greater understanding that drug abuse should be handled in the doctors'
office, not the prison cell.
6. For so long, celebrities have put their careers above their beliefs.
This year witnessed a "coming out" of all types of celebrities on all manner
of progressive issues. Jay-Z and Mariah Carey railed against the racist
Rockefeller drug laws, Bono and Beyonce Knowles called for the world to
fight AIDS, and a host of celebs such as Sean Penn, Susan Saradon and
Laurence Fishbourne courageously took a stand against the invasion of Iraq.
7. Progressives now have a powerful new tool for organizing: the
Internet. E-activism through venues such as MoveOn, Working Assets and
Meetup.com have allowed ordinary people to challenge big money and powerful
institutions. We raised millions of dollars to run ads, we've confronted
corporate-dominated institutions like the Federal Communications Commission,
and e-activism has allowed an anti-war candidate, Howard Dean, to become a
frontrunner in the 2004 elections.
8. In an unprecedented outpouring of local opposition to the assault on
our civil liberties, over 200 cities, towns, counties and states across the
country have passed resolutions against the Patriot Act. In fact, the outcry
has been so profound that plans for a successor act, dubbed Patriot Act II,
that would further broaden federal investigatory powers, have been scuttled.
9. While eclipsed by the war in Iraq, the corporate scandals that
topped the headlines in 2002 continued in 2003, with indefatigable New York
State Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer exposing the trading abuses in the
mutual funds industry. The Enron, WorldCom and accounting scandals produced
some positive legislation against corporate crime and forced institutional
investors like pension funds to become more active. And anti-corporate
crusaders joined with peace activists to expose the obscene war profiteering
of Halliburton and Bechtel, with more exposes to come in 2004!
10. Despite the conservative takeover of the courts, this year produced
several landmark rulings we can be proud of. The Supreme Court upheld
affirmative action, giving a sweeping victory to the University of Michigan
and colleges all over the country. It struck down sodomy laws criminalizing
gay sex, affirming the constitutional right to privacy. The Massachusetts
Supreme Court ruled that gays should be able to marry. The Appeals Court
ruled that the US military could not detain American citizen Jose Padilla as
an "enemy combatant", and in an even more significant decision, found that
all 600 detainees at Guantanamo Bay should be granted access to lawyers.
There are many more -- the immigrants' freedom march that crisscrossed
the nation to counter the anti-immigrant backlash, the amazing youth
movement that is bringing new culture and vibrancy to organizing, the
renewed women's activism through groups like Code Pink, the awarding of the
Nobel Peace Prize to an Iranian woman, Shirin Ebadi. And each one of us
could add to the list.
So while we lament the present state of the world and the present
occupant in the White House, just remember that even in the gloomiest days
of 2003, we kept slugging away-and sometimes even winning. Now let's move on
to score the big victory in 2004 by sending George Bush back to Crawford.
Monday, January 05, 2004
2004
As this year unfolds, this blog will endeavor to bring to light the virtues of the Simultaneous Policy!
At times, present day events will be highlighted in order show the scope of the problem that is eroding the very fabric of society!
The solution:- Through one single vote you can provide your Children and theirs, proper Healthcare and Educational Standards, a cleaner Enviroment, plus a life free from oppression. A gift we are all capable of giving!
At times, present day events will be highlighted in order show the scope of the problem that is eroding the very fabric of society!
The solution:- Through one single vote you can provide your Children and theirs, proper Healthcare and Educational Standards, a cleaner Enviroment, plus a life free from oppression. A gift we are all capable of giving!
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
The ghost of Christmas present!
Tis, the season to be jolly fa la la la..
As of tomorrow most Canadians will be winding down their pre-Christmas spending frenzy, going by last years Stats Can figures
Canadians will spend approximately 30 Billion Dollars In December alone, in retail stores, now thats a lot of giving!
"The Corporate Wolves will be salivating so much they will have to go out and purchase a new Yachts!"
Speaking of corporate wolves, our very own CPP (Canada Pension Plan) has quite graciously taken upon themselves to invest nearly 2.5 Billion Dollars over the past few years in the manufacturing of Weapons and instruments of war, just so Grandma and Grandpa can live comfortably, I dont think they would be very comfortable knowing that fact though!
Yes, theres no nicer feeling as someone opening up their present to find the latest hot gadget or that $250 pair of Nike's.
Canadians on the whole have a very good life, with a solid manufacturing base, a good stock of resources, plenty of water, relatively cheap utilities, what more could we ask for? At present, not much more, but be fore warned the corporate wolf armed with his very deep over stuffed pockets had his Tailor install more pockets! Thanks in part, to our need to give.
Corporations national and multinational alike are lasciviously eyeing the remains of our publicly run Utilities, Health care, and Education systems, nothing is sacred! With the wealth of these corporations comes power, along with backing from the WTO and other trade policies (NAFTA,FTAA,GATT etal.) our Government and others around the world are being bullied into opening the public sector to privitization. Fortunately our country is economically strong enough for now, to withstand these pressures, but others are not so lucky. Africa for instance, is a continent where many countries are burdoned by high unemployment, scarcity of food and water and the ever increasing HIV epidemic. So some countries allowed private corporations to take over and run the local utilities, only to find them jacking up the rates while providing shoddy quality control and maintenance.
There are approximately 300 million Africans lacking sustainable access to safe water, so when your passing out your share of that $30 Billion this year, just think if every Canadian took to the true meaning of giving, and rather than buying for relatives and friends, donated to a trust that could aid in the supply of HIV vaccines and clean water for those less fortunate!
That would be a Christmas to remember!
Sure it sounds like a pipe dream, true! But what if....?
Merry Christmas
Peace and Goodwill
towards ALL men!
As of tomorrow most Canadians will be winding down their pre-Christmas spending frenzy, going by last years Stats Can figures
Canadians will spend approximately 30 Billion Dollars In December alone, in retail stores, now thats a lot of giving!
"The Corporate Wolves will be salivating so much they will have to go out and purchase a new Yachts!"
Speaking of corporate wolves, our very own CPP (Canada Pension Plan) has quite graciously taken upon themselves to invest nearly 2.5 Billion Dollars over the past few years in the manufacturing of Weapons and instruments of war, just so Grandma and Grandpa can live comfortably, I dont think they would be very comfortable knowing that fact though!
Yes, theres no nicer feeling as someone opening up their present to find the latest hot gadget or that $250 pair of Nike's.
Canadians on the whole have a very good life, with a solid manufacturing base, a good stock of resources, plenty of water, relatively cheap utilities, what more could we ask for? At present, not much more, but be fore warned the corporate wolf armed with his very deep over stuffed pockets had his Tailor install more pockets! Thanks in part, to our need to give.
Corporations national and multinational alike are lasciviously eyeing the remains of our publicly run Utilities, Health care, and Education systems, nothing is sacred! With the wealth of these corporations comes power, along with backing from the WTO and other trade policies (NAFTA,FTAA,GATT etal.) our Government and others around the world are being bullied into opening the public sector to privitization. Fortunately our country is economically strong enough for now, to withstand these pressures, but others are not so lucky. Africa for instance, is a continent where many countries are burdoned by high unemployment, scarcity of food and water and the ever increasing HIV epidemic. So some countries allowed private corporations to take over and run the local utilities, only to find them jacking up the rates while providing shoddy quality control and maintenance.
There are approximately 300 million Africans lacking sustainable access to safe water, so when your passing out your share of that $30 Billion this year, just think if every Canadian took to the true meaning of giving, and rather than buying for relatives and friends, donated to a trust that could aid in the supply of HIV vaccines and clean water for those less fortunate!
That would be a Christmas to remember!
Sure it sounds like a pipe dream, true! But what if....?
Merry Christmas
Peace and Goodwill
towards ALL men!
Sunday, December 21, 2003
Introducing SP
I happen to be reading John's 2002 Schumacher lecture as I face this empty blog entry window. It's a very accessible presentation of the why, what and how of SP. Halfway through, this quote jumps out as one of those sayings that capture some of the essence of SP:
". . . global problems require global - and simultaneous - solutions."
SP is a "globalization from below" initiative to do just that, i.e., globalization of human values, by humans, not of market values by multinational corporations, investors and their political subordinates.
It's not that there's anything wrong with trade and commerce; without them our lives would be awfully crude, if not impossible. And we'd have to learn, somehow, to survive without blogs - a true humanitarian catastrophe.
The problem, as John puts it in the same Schumacher lecture, is that in the global economy that has evolved over the past couple of decades, "capital and corporations operate beyond the framework of governance of the nation state and are now running out of any democratic political control." People and small local businesses may have to answer to laws and community standards of behaviour. But big, transnationally mobile companies can go wherever the laws are leanest - or use that capability as leverage - a "threat," even - to get local and national communities and governments to literally rewrite the laws in the corporations' favour (to keep them from leaving).
But SP isn't just about righting the wrongs of economic/corporate globalization. It's about democratically addressing any and all of the global problems that beset us in an internationally cooperative and "simultaneous" way; and that includes such things as global warming, environmental destruction, hunger and poverty, and international security. It is, as I like to call it, a "killer political app" that could allow we the people of the world to take control of our own collective destiny.
Syd Baumel
Winnipeg
". . . global problems require global - and simultaneous - solutions."
SP is a "globalization from below" initiative to do just that, i.e., globalization of human values, by humans, not of market values by multinational corporations, investors and their political subordinates.
It's not that there's anything wrong with trade and commerce; without them our lives would be awfully crude, if not impossible. And we'd have to learn, somehow, to survive without blogs - a true humanitarian catastrophe.
The problem, as John puts it in the same Schumacher lecture, is that in the global economy that has evolved over the past couple of decades, "capital and corporations operate beyond the framework of governance of the nation state and are now running out of any democratic political control." People and small local businesses may have to answer to laws and community standards of behaviour. But big, transnationally mobile companies can go wherever the laws are leanest - or use that capability as leverage - a "threat," even - to get local and national communities and governments to literally rewrite the laws in the corporations' favour (to keep them from leaving).
But SP isn't just about righting the wrongs of economic/corporate globalization. It's about democratically addressing any and all of the global problems that beset us in an internationally cooperative and "simultaneous" way; and that includes such things as global warming, environmental destruction, hunger and poverty, and international security. It is, as I like to call it, a "killer political app" that could allow we the people of the world to take control of our own collective destiny.
Syd Baumel
Winnipeg
Welcome to Simultaneous Policy (SP)!
As the Simultaneous Policy (SP) concept has developed since the day late in 1998 when the idea first occured to me, Canadians have been amongst the quickest to take the idea up. So I am hopeful that Simpol-Canada will incorporate soon and set an example to the citizens of other countries who want to 'Take Back the World'.
To introduce those not familiar with SP to its ideas and concept, I'd like to quote two items below. The first was a speech I made at the World Trade Organisation in 2001. The second is an extremely brief summary of what SP is about.
WTO Symposium
ISSUES CONFRONTING THE WORLD'S TRADING SYSTEM
Work Session V – The WTO and Civil Society
6th and 7th July 2001
I would like to thank the WTO for the opportunity of addressing and participating in this Symposium and in this work session.
My name is John Bunzl and I am the founder of the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (I.S.P.O. – or ‘ISPO’ for short). ISPO’s principal objective is to bring about a sustainable global economy by promoting economic, environmental and social co-operation amongst all nations. Such co-operation would restore a greater measure of genuine democratic control to the people of each nation but within a global and democratic framework; a synthesis of global unity and national diversity. It hopes to achieve this through a range of measures which are, together, known as the Simultaneous Policy. Amongst other things, the measures of the Simultaneous Policy will likely include the re-regulation of capital markets and transnational corporations; the restoration to democratic control of the creation of money; the imposition of global taxes on markets, corporations and resources and the redistribution of the revenue generated to fund sustainable development in the poorest countries on a debt-free basis. These and other such measures are to be defined through a process of collaboration with all organisations concerned with sustainable development.
The Simultaneous Policy is being adopted gradually by people around the world as I speak. But only when support is sufficient to persuade governments in all, or virtually all, countries to adopt it, will it be implemented by all nations simultaneously.
And why should it be necessary for all nations to implement these measures simultaneously? Quite simply, because in today’s world where capital and corporations are internationally mobile, implementation unilaterally – or by a single group of nations – would invite capital and corporate flight, inflation, unemployment for any nation or group of nations seeking to do so. But if all nations act simultaneously, no such adverse effects could arise. It is therefore on this basis that global co-operation can occur in a secure and responsible way.
Without such a basis, we remain – I’m afraid – irrevocably locked in the current paradigm of global competition in which all nations of the world are forced to compete with one another for capital and jobs to the benefit of market speculators and transnational corporations who play one country off against another. But this is a vicious circle which serves only to benefit the few to the detriment of the vast majority of society and the environment; a vicious circle which ultimately no one can win and all must lose. For even the rich and powerful who benefit in the short term have children who need clean air to breath and fresh water to drink; they too will come to realise that a wholesale transition from global competition to global co-operation is vital if spaceship Earth, all of its passengers and their off-spring are to expect a civilised and sustainable future.
We should be clear that the current tacit acceptance of today’s paradigm of global competition as ‘natural’, ‘irreversible’ or ‘inevitable’ can never lead to policies which are beneficial to society or the environment. For this mind-set inevitably leads to the false notion that ‘becoming more competitive’ is somehow synonymous with poverty reduction; that somehow competition can make us all richer; or as the institutions who uphold the Washington Consensus like to put it: “Short-term pain for long-term gain.” But as many amongst the NGO community have recognised, Structural Adjustment Programs have shown - and the Comprehensive Development Framework or PRSPs will also doubtless show - that such a mind-set is inherently flawed. For in case after case, there has proved to be minimal if any long-term gain.
Indeed it should be obvious to all but the most blind that competition cannot produce only winners. For today’s unfettered competition is also producing losers – millions and millions of them in rich and poor countries alike. Indeed, competition is not about social justice, economic or environmental security – indeed not; competition, my friends, is about winning! That is why nothing less than a total rejection of the competition paradigm will be required by all the multi-lateral institutions and their member nations if the universal human need for social justice, economic and environmental security is ever to be met.
Albert Einstein said: "No problem can be solved with the same thinking that created it". That is why, ladies and gentlemen, any engagement by Civil Society with any multi-lateral institution whose policies are predicated on a continuation of the existing competition paradigm can never provide lasting answers to current global problems. It is also why any Civil Society Organisation accepting that flawed paradigm – tacitly or otherwise – risks finding itself subverted and co-opted to the prevailing competition mind-set which serves only to perpetuate and exacerbate the current sorry state of affairs - even when it thinks it is helping to solve it.
The Simultaneous Policy, by contrast, offers a boldly different means by which politicians, voters, and civil society activists can work together to reverse the self-destructive economic policies pursued by those multi-lateral institutions and their member countries who uphold the Washington Consensus – a process for change that has already aroused interest among economists, ecologists, journalists, NGOs - and even some politicians. I therefore hope there might be time to debate such radical new propositions. But if not, I cordially invite you to find out more about the Simultaneous Policy. My colleagues and I working on this project in many countries around the world will be pleased to welcome your enquiries and your active collaboration.
End.
So, having thus put the world - and the WTO in particular - on notice of our intentions, the following text briefly indicates how we shall achieve our objective:
"The International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (ISPO) is a growing association of citizens world-wide who use their votes in a new, co-ordinated and effective way to drive all nations to co-operate in solving our planetary crisis. Transnational citizen action is vital because global markets and corporations so comprehensively overpower individual nations that no politician dares make the first move to solve global problems for fear of competitive disadvantage.
ISPO overcomes this paralysis by bringing all nations to adopt in principle - and then to simultaneously implement - the Simultaneous Policy (SP), a range of democratically selected regulations to bring about economic justice, environmental security and peace around the world.
By adopting SP, ISPO's members pledge to vote in future elections for ANY political party or candidate - within reason - that also adopts SP. As more and more citizens act in this way, politicians will adopt it too if they wish to remain in office. Adopting SP involves no risk because simultaneous implementation removes everyone's fear of first-mover disadvantage. SP thus transcends party politics by providing a powerful tool for citizens to drive politicians and governments to deliver the measures our world so desperately needs. With SP, global citizens are replacing destructive competition with fruitful co-operation. With SP, we are together taking humanity to the next stage in our evolutionary future."
I feel sure Canada will be in the forefront of this campaign and I invite all those with whom the above resonates to adopt SP and so to join both with your fellow Canadians and with global citizens elsewhere to bring global cooperation one step closer.
with best wishes
John Bunzl - Founder
International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (ISPO)
http://www.simpol.org
Simultaneous Policy: Using Our Votes to Take Back the World
To introduce those not familiar with SP to its ideas and concept, I'd like to quote two items below. The first was a speech I made at the World Trade Organisation in 2001. The second is an extremely brief summary of what SP is about.
WTO Symposium
ISSUES CONFRONTING THE WORLD'S TRADING SYSTEM
Work Session V – The WTO and Civil Society
6th and 7th July 2001
I would like to thank the WTO for the opportunity of addressing and participating in this Symposium and in this work session.
My name is John Bunzl and I am the founder of the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (I.S.P.O. – or ‘ISPO’ for short). ISPO’s principal objective is to bring about a sustainable global economy by promoting economic, environmental and social co-operation amongst all nations. Such co-operation would restore a greater measure of genuine democratic control to the people of each nation but within a global and democratic framework; a synthesis of global unity and national diversity. It hopes to achieve this through a range of measures which are, together, known as the Simultaneous Policy. Amongst other things, the measures of the Simultaneous Policy will likely include the re-regulation of capital markets and transnational corporations; the restoration to democratic control of the creation of money; the imposition of global taxes on markets, corporations and resources and the redistribution of the revenue generated to fund sustainable development in the poorest countries on a debt-free basis. These and other such measures are to be defined through a process of collaboration with all organisations concerned with sustainable development.
The Simultaneous Policy is being adopted gradually by people around the world as I speak. But only when support is sufficient to persuade governments in all, or virtually all, countries to adopt it, will it be implemented by all nations simultaneously.
And why should it be necessary for all nations to implement these measures simultaneously? Quite simply, because in today’s world where capital and corporations are internationally mobile, implementation unilaterally – or by a single group of nations – would invite capital and corporate flight, inflation, unemployment for any nation or group of nations seeking to do so. But if all nations act simultaneously, no such adverse effects could arise. It is therefore on this basis that global co-operation can occur in a secure and responsible way.
Without such a basis, we remain – I’m afraid – irrevocably locked in the current paradigm of global competition in which all nations of the world are forced to compete with one another for capital and jobs to the benefit of market speculators and transnational corporations who play one country off against another. But this is a vicious circle which serves only to benefit the few to the detriment of the vast majority of society and the environment; a vicious circle which ultimately no one can win and all must lose. For even the rich and powerful who benefit in the short term have children who need clean air to breath and fresh water to drink; they too will come to realise that a wholesale transition from global competition to global co-operation is vital if spaceship Earth, all of its passengers and their off-spring are to expect a civilised and sustainable future.
We should be clear that the current tacit acceptance of today’s paradigm of global competition as ‘natural’, ‘irreversible’ or ‘inevitable’ can never lead to policies which are beneficial to society or the environment. For this mind-set inevitably leads to the false notion that ‘becoming more competitive’ is somehow synonymous with poverty reduction; that somehow competition can make us all richer; or as the institutions who uphold the Washington Consensus like to put it: “Short-term pain for long-term gain.” But as many amongst the NGO community have recognised, Structural Adjustment Programs have shown - and the Comprehensive Development Framework or PRSPs will also doubtless show - that such a mind-set is inherently flawed. For in case after case, there has proved to be minimal if any long-term gain.
Indeed it should be obvious to all but the most blind that competition cannot produce only winners. For today’s unfettered competition is also producing losers – millions and millions of them in rich and poor countries alike. Indeed, competition is not about social justice, economic or environmental security – indeed not; competition, my friends, is about winning! That is why nothing less than a total rejection of the competition paradigm will be required by all the multi-lateral institutions and their member nations if the universal human need for social justice, economic and environmental security is ever to be met.
Albert Einstein said: "No problem can be solved with the same thinking that created it". That is why, ladies and gentlemen, any engagement by Civil Society with any multi-lateral institution whose policies are predicated on a continuation of the existing competition paradigm can never provide lasting answers to current global problems. It is also why any Civil Society Organisation accepting that flawed paradigm – tacitly or otherwise – risks finding itself subverted and co-opted to the prevailing competition mind-set which serves only to perpetuate and exacerbate the current sorry state of affairs - even when it thinks it is helping to solve it.
The Simultaneous Policy, by contrast, offers a boldly different means by which politicians, voters, and civil society activists can work together to reverse the self-destructive economic policies pursued by those multi-lateral institutions and their member countries who uphold the Washington Consensus – a process for change that has already aroused interest among economists, ecologists, journalists, NGOs - and even some politicians. I therefore hope there might be time to debate such radical new propositions. But if not, I cordially invite you to find out more about the Simultaneous Policy. My colleagues and I working on this project in many countries around the world will be pleased to welcome your enquiries and your active collaboration.
End.
So, having thus put the world - and the WTO in particular - on notice of our intentions, the following text briefly indicates how we shall achieve our objective:
"The International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (ISPO) is a growing association of citizens world-wide who use their votes in a new, co-ordinated and effective way to drive all nations to co-operate in solving our planetary crisis. Transnational citizen action is vital because global markets and corporations so comprehensively overpower individual nations that no politician dares make the first move to solve global problems for fear of competitive disadvantage.
ISPO overcomes this paralysis by bringing all nations to adopt in principle - and then to simultaneously implement - the Simultaneous Policy (SP), a range of democratically selected regulations to bring about economic justice, environmental security and peace around the world.
By adopting SP, ISPO's members pledge to vote in future elections for ANY political party or candidate - within reason - that also adopts SP. As more and more citizens act in this way, politicians will adopt it too if they wish to remain in office. Adopting SP involves no risk because simultaneous implementation removes everyone's fear of first-mover disadvantage. SP thus transcends party politics by providing a powerful tool for citizens to drive politicians and governments to deliver the measures our world so desperately needs. With SP, global citizens are replacing destructive competition with fruitful co-operation. With SP, we are together taking humanity to the next stage in our evolutionary future."
I feel sure Canada will be in the forefront of this campaign and I invite all those with whom the above resonates to adopt SP and so to join both with your fellow Canadians and with global citizens elsewhere to bring global cooperation one step closer.
with best wishes
John Bunzl - Founder
International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (ISPO)
http://www.simpol.org
Simultaneous Policy: Using Our Votes to Take Back the World
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
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