Southwest Sierra #113 – The Hope Essays: #1 Part 1

(Revisiting the writings of my youth) ~ I am sharing these essays originally written in Alleghany in 1994-1995, before the age of the internet and social media. In the last installment of this series, I stated that I would be sharing approximately one Hope Essay per month, but since then I’ve found that the flow doesn’t feel quite right to insert them between other stories and historical accounts, so I’ll be plowing through them consecutively. Whether you like them or not, this will get it over with sooner.

After submitting my last article to the Mess, with what was originally shared (31 years ago) as essay #1, I came across the original hand-written copy of the first essay. As it turns out, what I later named #1 and #2 started out as a single essay. Number one was actually the second half of that first essay. Rather than working from the booklet that I self-published in 1995 I am going back to the original documents. There are a total of 8 essays and one of them was not included in the booklet. (Seven essays if the first two are counted as a single essay). My older self now thinks that this essay should have remained as #1 because it explains the spark that started the essays.

Shades of Gray

I’m going to share a lesson of mine which occurred in the summer of 1994. It is a multi-faceted lesson, and like all lessons it is a bridge to other lessons, so it continues.

It began with my discovery of Devvy Kidd. I heard the last 5 minutes of a radio talk show with her and was inspired to call a phone number given for more information. A couple of days later I received an information packet which contained a brochure telling me that Devvy was running for Congress in our district, some papers about how America could be debt free, and a booklet titled Why a Bankrupt America by Devvy Kidd.

I sat down and began to read the booklet. I’m going to give a very brief (imperfect) outline of the booklet, as well as some of my responses to it. The booklet begins by educating the reader about the Federal Reserve System. Basically, the Federal Reserve isn’t Federal and it has no reserves. It is a private corporation owned largely by international bankers. (The richest men in the world.) For every dollar they “give” us, we pay interest. This interest that we supposedly “owe” them is mostly what the National Debt is. I did not know this, and it disturbed me. I always have considered our money to be “play money” since nothing is backing it, but I always assumed it was given to us by our own government. Money is a perfect example of the power of our beliefs, we all believe that it has value, and so it does.

The booklet goes on to provide evidence claiming that the 16th amendment (income tax law) was never ratified and that most of the tax money we pay goes to pay this debt that we supposedly owe the Federal Reserve. Insult added to injury.

In Ch. 2, Devvy draws a link between the Federal Reserve Board (The Fed) and plans for a “New World Order”. It states that organizations within our government that happen to have men in them who also are part of the Fed, are working in unison with the Fed and the United Nations to bring about a sort of “forced peace” called “The New World Order” and Communism and Socialism. It was here that my conscience began to stir and a small voice inside me said: “She comes from a place of fear”. I pushed this aside and continued to read.

Next the booklet shows direct ties between the organizations previously mentioned and the mainstream media. I knew from my exposure to the alternative press that the mainstream media is controlled. At the end of the booklet Devvy offers a possible solution in the form of a petition for economic reform. (If elected she planned to introduce such legislation.) Sources and references for further research are also given.

After reading this, I began to have various thoughts and feelings. I felt outrage at the obvious injustices against the American people, but I also could see how it was our own lack of diligence that allowed these injustices to manifest. I could not perceive of any kind of “ism” as a threat, nor could I bring myself to view the United Nations as an entirely bad thing. I knew that there must be a place where Devvy’s and my view part. I was impressed by the way that she had compiled hours of research into this little booklet that explained everything in such simple terms. I could not ignore the role that Devvy was playing in exposing the injustices of our monetary system nor the fact that she had come up with a possible solution. More than anything I was feeling a great fear for the future of our country and an urgency to try and help set things right. I decided to put the issue of our differences “on the back burner” and support Devvey’s bid for Congress. I reasoned that if there is any issue that has the potential for motivating “we the people” it’s money. As the economy continues to worsen, we are all struggling to make ends meet. This is an issue that hits home for most of us.

I ordered 100 booklets (they are sold at cost by the 100) and gave them to everyone I know and even people I don’t know. I drew up a campaign flyer that showed three matches beginning to burn the US Constitution, the matches were labeled The New World Order, The Fed, and the IRS. Underneath were the words: “Does this picture scare you? Then vote Devvy Kidd for Congress” Here I was appealing directly to people’s fears! I wrote Devvy a letter explaining that I thought it was time for people of all political leanings to put their difference aside and work together to uphold the Constitution.

At this time, I had a telephone conversation with a left-wing friend of mine. I asked her what she thought of Devvy Kidd. Her response was a flood of negative remarks that boiled down to: “She’s a right-wing fascist”. When I pressed the issue of economic reform she suggested that I question Devvy about where she stands on people issues like homosexuality and abortion. As I hung up the phone, I suddenly felt unsure of myself and the term “jumping on the band wagon” came to mind. I flashed on that prodding of my conscience the first time that I read the booklet. I was also aware of a very high level of intolerance and hatred between certain factions of left and right for the first time.

During the next couple of weeks I expressed my misgivings about Devvy to some of the people I’d given booklets to. Most made remarks like: “As long as she wants to abolish the IRS I don’t care what else she stand for.” A few made remarks supporting my growing feeling that the important issues are the ones that left and right can see eye to eye on. I talked to Devvy and she clearly stated that she’s against both homosexuality and abortion but that she believes these are 10th amendment issues and do not fall under the jurisdiction of the government. I agree that these are personal and not legal issues. I drew a picture of “the bird of freedom” and I labeled its wings right and left.

Still, every time I envisioned the ideal scenario of “we the people” rising in unison and demanding economic reform, all I could see was resistance coming up against resistance. At this time, I had a phone conversation with Devvy in which she implied that there is a faction of the military that is willing to rise up against the Fed if it comes to that. (Her husband is a retired Colonel.) The thought of this, no matter how remote made my heart ache. My heart spoke up loud and clear: “It is time to break the chain of pain”. This was one of the circumstances that got me started on this series of articles.

A couple of days later I sat down to read a back issue of “The Gerson Institute News.” The Gerson Institute works with healing disease through diet. The title of the issue I had ordered was “Bread, Lies, and Propaganda”. I thought that it was going to be about bread. Several of the healing diets that I have come across forbid bread and I was hoping to learn more about this. As it turned out the entire issue was about how the American Medical Association used propaganda to debunk the work of Max Gerson in the 1940’s. (His work threatened the entire medical establishment with its industry ties.) In the article the author used quotes from the book New World Revisited by Aldous Huxly (Harper & Row) to educate the reader about how to tell the difference between positive (rational) propaganda and negative (irrational) propaganda. One of the hallmarks of negative propaganda is that everything is painted in black and white. Things are either good or bad with no in-between. This helped me draw the conclusion that in her booklet Devvy uses positive propaganda, (supported by facts and evidence) but her conclusion does not allow for any “shades of gray”. It does not allow for the possibility that there is anything good about any of the organizations or individuals involved in the “New World Order”. The conclusion is that it’s “us” against “them”.

I do believe that Devvy is sincere in her concern for our country and that she should be admired for exposing many of the injustices of our system, and for taking such a strong stand against these injustices. By maintaining the attitude of a beginner, I was led in a circle of learning that brought me back to the original prodding of my heart. The attitude of a beginner is one of not holding onto pre-conceived ideas or opinions, keeping your eyes and ears open, and “letting your conscience be your guide”. As beginners we feel vulnerable and this is not a comfortable feeling, but it is the only appropriate way to respond to the winds of change. I realize that many people are not willing or able to let go of the old “them against us” mentality, but I also know that many people are ready to implement a new way of viewing our problems (as challenges) and that the time is ripe for a new way of responding.

The goal is social transformation through individual response-ability. Our society and our leaders are a reflection of ourselves. Rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. Part of the reason our rights are eroding is because we keep putting more and more of our personal responsibilities off onto the government. Another reason that our government is growing more and more repressive is because of our fear of change. It is our own resistance to change that keeps “the powers that wish to keep us in our place” in power. The price of freedom is responsibility. Freedom from responsibility translates to no freedom.

Just as we are conditioned to look outside of ourselves for the source of our problems, so we are also conditioned to look without for leaders and heroes. The only leader worthy of guiding you is your own heart or conscience. If you are looking for a hero look in the mirror and say “yes”!