horrifying to hopeful

!Hola my integral compadres! Allow me to share with you several points of interest--from the horrifying to the hopeful--that I came across during my morning reading.

Bob Jones III, president of Bob Jones University, in a post election congratulatory letter to Dubya:

Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ.

Paul Hodges responding to Canadian bioethicist Peter Singer's assertion of the nearly unlimited philanthropic application of nanotechnology in third world countries:

Well I love such naiveté. It’s sweet. But it’s not logical. Frankly, of course it’s true that nanotechnology could benefit the poor, of course it’s true that there’s areas of these technologies that in terms of energy, water and so on, that could be beneficial to the poor, and maybe some day will be beneficial to the poor. But the reality is, the issues are not what it could do, it is who owns it and who controls it. And the ownership and the control of this technology is initially with the world’s largest corporations and with the military of the world’s largest countries. And their interests are not the poor, their interests are to make sure that they are able to use technologies at the nano scale to benefit themselves and to make sure that they actually can use such a pervasive technological tool to strengthen their control over marketplaces, and naturally will not help the poor.

And last, Howard Zinn on hope and the nature of socio-political evolution:

Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment (beware of such moments!) but as an endless succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society. We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don't "win," there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope.

An optimist isn't necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places--and there are so many--where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.

On the home front, last night I dreamed that I "saw" my false self--it was a muddy brown, somewhat amorphous mass which seemed to be composed of swirling sewage and festering flotsam and jetsam. I didn't have much of an emotional response to the series of images, I simply observed them in an impartial but curious way (whereas my waking self would have been so averse I'd probably have run screaming for the shower). All of a sudden the dream became lucid, and I said to myself, "Oh, you're dreaming this! How funny! It seems significant--be sure to remember it once you wake up!"

Wednesday night I had a conference call with Paul Salamone and Marco Morelli to discuss the possibility of me assuming editorial direction of the upcoming I-I and I-U newsletters.

Opening the call, I was slightly anxious, feeling on the fringe of Paul and Marco's simpatico, but as soon as I confessed my nervousness I relaxed open into curiosity about how the conversation would unfold and began relishing the simple FUN of connecting with people I'd only communicated with through email.

As of now, the plan is for the newsletter(s) to launch sometime in December (naturally, the most insane month of the year!). Marco would network a series of sources for me to solicit copy from, and after polishing the various pieces, I'd have some wiggle room for my own AQALuscious creative embellishment. Paul (who's got some serious aesthetic flair) would then take charge of the layout and artistic dimension, ensuring a presentation with panache.

I really, really liked Marco and Paul's vibe--to my perception the interchange was very warm and expansive and I felt like the communication was clear, unencumbered, and consummately enjoyable.

My dream is to eventually assume a greater number of hours with I-I so I can quit my day job as a postal whore and maybe even arrive in Boulder already hooked up with fulltime employment. Now that would be creamy. =)