By Jerry Alatalo
“I can say without the slightest hesitation, and yet in all humility, that those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means.”
– MOHANDES GANDHI (1869-1948) Hindu national leader
r. West’s keynote speech at the Green Party Convention in Houston, Texas was so extraordinarily remarkable and rare for political oratory that one becomes especially careful, and concise, when assembling any analysis and/or commentary. One senses his speech literally manifested the sacred on Earth, and that when such rare occurrences of true spiritual power are beheld the only possible reaction or response is one of highest respect and honor. Along with the unavoidable recognition that Dr. West was on sacred ground during this speech comes the certainty of knowing not to describe it in any manner diminishing that sacred aspect. In other words, when talking about Dr. West’s speech it is of highest importance to remember one is entering the arena of transcendent holy – the human spiritual dimension.
(Thank you to Stand Up at YouTube)
THE ONENESS of HUMANITY 
He’s a complete wacko.
Should stop smokin the gunja man
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Aaron,
As many men and women in America and worldwide perceive matters, an appreciation of the human qualities love, truth, decency, honesty and peace represent total sanity.
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Reblogged this on Failure to Listen.
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Thank you Angela, JoAnn and Green Road Project for sharing Dr. West’s outstanding and powerful speech.
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Reblogged this on and commented:
Cornel West preached integrity, honesty, decency, and courage at the 2016 Green Party National Convention. “What kind of human beings [do] we want to be as we participate in this movement? That’s the spiritual dimension of it.” Watch the video at Jerry’s blog…
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Reblogged this on AGR Daily News Service.
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Of course we need spirituality in politics, politics is about everything QED. Only the trick is to keep religion personal and allow spirituality to become generic and universal by its natural expression, through our individualized sense of sanctity and the sacred, Just as Black Elk advised so wisely. After all, that is the true meaning of uni-verse, moving harmoniously in profound coherence.
Cornel’s participation and endorsement is encouraging, I think the Green movement is gathering momentum and gaining real spiritual ground. Walking in a truly sacred manner. How it all pans out, given the sickening shrink-wrap garrison mentality of neocon reactionary war-mongering, remains to be seen.
Maybe it will take a Trump surprise accompanied by a Hillary demise, to really kick-start the impending crisis/great opportunity.
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David,
Mr. Trump hurt himself badly, perhaps destroying his own campaign, with the recent Supreme Court/2nd amendment comment suggesting the use of violence. Ms. Clinton’s demise might not be far behind if the range of financial/tax laws broken through the Clinton Foundation become properly addressed. Jill Stein has been clean of scandals. It’s possible spirituality, integrity, truth, decency etc. will quickly become an increasingly important factor – even coming to the forefront – in the remaining 90 days of the election. Thank you.
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Jerry:
“spirituality, integrity, truth, decency” should start at home. Why do you lie to your “commenters” about what Trump said? I heard every word and he never invoked any call for violence. The only violence here is in your words because as usual you can never invoke a debate on the merits, only on your imaginary facts!!
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Aaron,
If not mistaken Mr. Trump, after warning of a Clinton presidency where she appoints Supreme Court justices intent on gun confiscation, said something to the effect of “2nd amendment advocates might have other ways…”. You might have the exact quote which caused the controversy, but nonetheless there seemed no other way to interpret the words but as suggestive of violence. Please share the precise quote in question by Trump and your interpretation. If you can prove I lied to others (by saying Trump suggested violence) commenting here, I will be the first to apologize. Thank you.
Found the quote: “If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is,”
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A good slogan might be ‘why not’ ~ just vote Green? for Sunshine, clean Air, real Food, living Forests and healthy Oceans? Is that too much to ask?
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David,
If American voters were able to forget the personalities of the candidates and compare the party platforms, it’s likely the ideas they’d find more favorable would be those of the Green Party. Along with the worthwhile goals you mentioned, it’s hard to conceive any serious American objecting to the entirety of the Green Party’s platform and proposals – especially for Middle East peace.
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Well said Jerry. Fact is, folks are being conditioned to imagineer their way out of mature decision making, opting for a fantasy world thrown together by media spin artists who are not artists.
Other people have the creative and responsible capacity to draw upon a developed consciousness with minds worth multiple votes, while so many only react to the crap they are fed.
The problem as I see it is not just recognition of the dire effects of mismanagement on a global scale, but the unprecedented risk that annihilatory (no pun!) genocidal ordnance poses for all of humanity and every other species, their habitats and the general health of the biosphere.
Willful idiots unable to change their perceptions or shift to a higher plane of discourse, have to be skillfully offered the opportunity to rethink, presented with more reliable data than the drivel they are presently mainlining.
Cloth eared bigots may be deaf to reason, but all humans have a living core that transcends prejudice, even if they are not directly aware of it. So I think the best policy is to address the reality of life’s priorities and authentic values, not pander to the illusions that motivate and mislead so many comatose souls.
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David,
As always, fascinating and thoughtful points. The first thought was that we as humans were all at some earlier point “comatose souls”, so, as stressed in “A Course in Miracles”, forgiveness is always the wisest option. Next, thinking about the fact there are people who go through an entire lifetime and transition to the spirit world without gaining awareness of any significant measure, it surely makes one wonder (must be philosophically inclined, at the moment 🙂 ). On the remarkable, unusual 2016 election, the best strategy for the Green Party, Ms. Stein and Mr. Baraka is maximal boldness and speaking brutal truth… shifting to the highest plane of discourse, in your words. If the candidates choose to be totally transparent and bare their souls before voters, daring to reveal facts even if controversial, this seems the only way of moving from 5-6% upward significantly in the remaining 90 days. One senses this is the strategy Stein and Baraka will utilize, so it should become very interesting. The candidates are certainly aware of the risks posed by such a strategy, given the examples of JFK, MLK, RFK and many others through history in America and around the world. It’s possible people will witness the manifestation of spiritual power contained in the passage, “greater love hath no man than to give up his life for his friends”. Perhaps it’s an overly optimistic prediction, but these are two serious people. We shall see… Thanks
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Thanks Jerry. Yes very interesting, I was watching some of the Green P C videos and their entire approach is a world beyond the ‘mainstream’ electoral circus! It’s another planet…
Personally I don’t think altruism will carry the day or needs to try, as most people can understand the practical virtues of “enlightened” self-interest, creative expression, community caring and sharing, intelligent stewardship and the natural empowerment that comes from taking responsibility for our own thoughts and actions ~ to cultivate a future that can be meaningful for the generations ahead.
Perhaps another way of conceptualizing this general plan, is to describe it as a voluntary license to be human! As you suggest, the Green team are displaying those characteristics in ‘trumps…’ I’d say, that is what genuine leadership is all about.
Great post, thanks for your insight.
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Reblogged this on Harford for Obama And Bernie And Hillary.
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