[Sosfbay-discuss] Report on the American Citizens Summit

[Carol Brouillet]

Posted with Links and photos at- 
http://communitycurrency.org/transpartisan.html . Here's the text version-



"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln

          From February 11th to 15th , 2009, at 
the <http://www.transpartisan.net/>American 
Citizens’ Summit in Denver, people from across 
the political spectrum gathered to speak and 
identify priorities demanding attention at a time 
of converging global crises. Processes included 
meeting in circles, listening, open space, and 
innovative feedback technologies that allowed 
everyone to vote on issues, ideas, and 
positions--anonymously and instantly--and to 
reflect the information to the group.

          An interim Sunshine Cabinet--including 
Cynthia McKinney (2008- Green Party candidate for 
President), Congressman Ron Paul, Grover 
Norquist, Liberty Coalition co-founder Michael 
Ostrolenk, Barbara Marx Hubbard, humorist Steve 
Bhaerman and Committee for a Unified Independent 
Party director Jackie Salit--spoke about their 
top priorities. They included transparency, 
dismantling the national security state, a 
non-interventionist foreign policy, peace, 
justice, dignity, promoting liberty, following 
the Constitution, creating a Peace Room, and 
addressing the collapse of the economic system by 
creating a local/global sustainable economy that 
values solar energy, food, human invention and love.

          The history and evolution of the 
Transpartisan Movement was mapped. Processes, 
some of which were developed from high school 
classroom ground rules and from rules adopted at 
the first Bipartisan Congressional Retreat, were 
explained. <http://www.spiraldynamics.net/>Spiral 
Dynamics allowed everyone to understand a 
framework to help people consciously transcend 
the limits of bipartisan thinking. People were 
encouraged to leave their egos at the door and to 
be open to all points of view, deeper truths, and 
surprising synergies, so they could create space 
in which ideas or solutions drawn from the 
collective wisdom of a diverse group of people could emerge.

          <http://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/about_mark.html>Mark 
Gerzon, a pioneer in the movement, candidly 
admitted that the Stimulus Bill (which President 
Obama publicly signed into law February 18th, 
2009, in Denver), was a result of bipartisan 
thinking and give and take, creating ammunition 
for future arguments and battles between 
Republicans and Democrats. A genuine effort to 
rationally examine measurable effects of past 
efforts to improve the lives of individuals, 
communities, and regions--to meet people’s needs 
and ameliorate economic conditions--was thwarted by Congress.

          The Stimulus Bill is basically window 
dressing that does not begin to tackle the deeper 
systemic problems or the most urgent immediate 
needs of the people at a time of uncertainty and 
crisis; it is window dressing that promotes the 
“idea” that the government is “trying to do 
something” and is on top of the situation--which 
is an illusion, like the bubble wealth creation 
of the financial sector that has burst. Throwing 
money at the speculators’ black hole of 
astronomical debt will only reward and enrich the 
banksters and transfer an unpayable debt from 
them onto the shoulders of taxpayers. Rescuing 
banks has never served or helped the plight of 
populations who have seen their homes, savings, 
and businesses stolen from them by predators who already have the most wealth.

          With so many systems failing, 
prescribing “more of the same medicine” does not 
inspire confidence. Pronouncements from the World 
Economic Forum and the White House try to 
convince us that the government and corporate 
structures that have dominated the past several 
decades are going to offer genuine solutions. 
These government and corporate structures are a 
large part of what has created the problem in the 
first place. The current policies might maintain 
the veneer of structural integrity, but beneath 
the surface explosives are going off, destroying 
huge swaths of infrastructure--key columns, as 
happened in the controlled demolition of World 
Trade Center 7. The fall time is predicted by the 
laws of physics, so that those in the know can 
exit and profit as they watch from a 
distance--and calculate how to profit even more 
from the insurance money that they’ll use to build the next bubble economy.

          Facilitator Peggy Holman, author of 
<http://thechangehandbook.com/>The Change Handbook, wrote:

“Systems call forth different aspects of 
intelligence, as needed. When everything is 
working fine, people who have answers are 
rewarded and the pioneers and questioners are 
pushed to the fringe. When shifts begin to happen 
rapidly and systems begin failing, smart people 
and institutions start pulling in those who are 
effective at challenging the status quo and 
asking and pursuing powerful questions. What was fringe becomes central
” >

          In creating room for dialogue and 
compassionate listening, respect for diverse 
points of view, awareness of the “triggers” that 
push our buttons and how to overcome reactions 
and “stay present,” the Citizens’ Summit created 
a space for surprising insights, ideas, 
synergies, and solutions to emerge in powerful ways.

          The Citizens’ Summit identified the 
values we held in common: the top ones were 
respect, listening, integrity, transparency, 
taking action, building trust, compassion, and 
love. Joseph McCormick, primary organizer of the 
Citizens’ Summit and co-founder of Reuniting 
America, deliberately chose the bicentennial of 
Abraham Lincoln’s birthday as the date of the 
conference to draw together people with the 
"courage to cooperate" across traditional 
ideological barriers. He voiced his concern about 
the increasing polarization taking place within 
the country. He showed a map delineating 
Republican and Democrat counties in 2006 and 2008 
that highlighted how the red areas were becoming 
redder and the blue areas bluer, with very little purple.

          Michael Andregg, in his book 
<http://www.gzmn.org/causes.htm>On the Causes of 
War, explains that wars arise when there are two 
distinct narratives to explain “a common event.” 
Pitting right against left allows the top to 
control the bottom. The summit was an attempt to 
bring people from across the political landscape 
together, and we all experienced the challenges 
of this attempt. For example, the processes were 
too “communistic or touchy/feely” for some 
participants who came to advocate their 
particular issues. There were some very 
passionate advocates for radical reforms, but 
some of them had learned over decades that the 
best way to persuade people about these issues 
involved the softer approach of compassionate 
listening and thoughtful, honest, deliberative dialogue.

          There seemed to be many “leaders, 
authors, presidents, politicians, and founders of 
various organizations” at the summit, and few 
“followers.” There was a healthy gender balance 
but a distinct lack of ethnic and income 
diversity. The registration fee to attend the 
summit and the hotel costs were beyond the price 
range of struggling activists and those who have 
to “earn a living.” The organizers had approached 
the conference with a strong vision and had gone 
out on a limb to try to pull off a conference in 
the middle of February in Colorado. A poster 
session focused on endowing the Transpartisan 
Alliance, paying off the debt, and advancing the work.

          I was drawn to the summit when I 
learned that Cynthia McKinney and David Ray 
Griffin were invited speakers. I had hopes that 
the issues that I have worked on for years would 
be addressed and I was intrigued to try the new 
processes. The Northern California 9/11 Truth 
Alliance voted to sponsor a booth at the summit 
and send Ken Jenkins, Richard Gage, and me as 
delegates. Fran Shure of 
<http://colorado911visibility.org/>Colorado 911 
Truth Visibility offered to host us and help us 
with a 9/11 Truth booth. Jennifer Parisi, also 
active with Colorado 911 Truth Visibility helped 
at our booth. Jonathan Elinoff brought his laptop 
and shared excerpts from his new film 
"<http://www.coreofcorruption.com/>Core of 
Corruption” which includes dramatic new footage 
on 9/11. We are Change Colorado had a booth. In 
addition to attending the summit, Richard Gage, 
AIA, founder of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 
Truth, spoke at a local bookstore to a full 
house, which also drew people from the summit. 
Even though our poster sessions on 9/11 Truth 
were lightly attended, when polled over 70% of 
the participants on Sunday indicated that they 
believed the US government either allowed 9/11 to happen or made it happen.

          Evan Ravitz, activist and webmaster of 
<http://www.vote.org>www.vote.org, who is a 
passionate advocate for national ballot 
initiatives, offered us an idea to improve our 
outreach to the public. Observing the popularity 
of the homemade cookies that we gave away at our 
booth as well as at some of the poster sessions, 
he suggested making a large banner saying “9/11 
Truth and Cookies” and using that name to create 
yet another 9/11 Truth group, with perhaps 
greater appeal than the many 
<http://ae911truth.org>Architects and Engineers, 
<http://www.pilotsfor911truth.org/>Pilots, 
<http://mp911truth.org/>Medical Professionals, 
<http://www.v911t.org/>Veterans, 
<http://firefightersfor911truth.org/>Fire 
Fighters, <http://stj911.org/>Scholars
 for 
<http://www911Truth.org>9/11 Truth groups. He 
also suggested putting the cookie recipes on the website.

          As publisher of the 
<http://www.deceptiondollar.com>Deception 
Dollars, I had been planning to print a new bill 
that would be an evolution of the 
“<http://communitycurrency.org/conception.html>Conception 
Dollar” published in August 2007 that pointed 
towards solutions. While attending the summit I 
volunteered to publish a “Perception Dollar,” or 
“Transpartisan Dollar,” in collaboration with 
others at the summit, to further the 
Transpartisan Movement and identify the values, 
processes, and solutions that citizens were 
coming up with in response to the massive 
problems generated by corporations, militarism, 
and the corruption and abuse of power so 
prevalent in the institutions that seek to dominate our country and the world.

          Frankly, I’m not sure what the next 
step will be for those of us who came to the 
summit, were transformed, and have committed to 
work together during this time of crisis. I was 
surprised to learn that Obama chose to sign the 
Stimulus Bill in Denver, in the wake of the 
citizens’ summit. Obama was elected because 
people wanted “change,” but he has surrounded 
himself with those who engineered the economic 
crisis. Obama and Congress have supported the 
bailout and permitted the largest transference of 
wealth in history and the biggest financial crime ever.

          Prior to 9/11, my main issue--after I 
became aware of the extremely destructive nature 
of the debt-based monetary system--was 
<http://communitycurrency.org/reweaveWeb.html>money/monetary 
reform, or global economics (the global power 
structure). Although I had inherited some wealth, 
after I realized what was behind our monetary 
system I literally gave away all my money in the 
90’s to change the system, to promote local 
currencies, and to educate people about money--a 
major blind spot of civilization. I had been 
expecting a financial collapse for a long time 
and felt that the system held up only due to the 
smoke and mirrors of the mainstream media--which 
hid the criminal fraud of the system itself and 
of the most powerful players on the world 
stage--as well as due to the lack of an 
“alternative system.” I realized that to change 
the monetary system required changing the belief 
system of Americans and the world.

          In some ways, 9/11 created a unique 
opportunity to expose “the curtain” and “those 
behind the curtain” who create “events” or 
“psychological operations--black 
operations--terrorist attacks” to manipulate 
public opinion and trick populations into 
supporting wars and allowing the construction of 
a police state.... Despite the powerful 
psychological obstacles to looking at the facts 
about 9/11, it turned out to be easier to help 
people understand the events of 9/11 than to 
educate them about how money is created and how 
global economics works. (An excellent resource on 
both issues is Michel Chossudovsky’s website, 
<http://www.globalresearch.ca>www.globalresearch.ca.)

          At a poster session on 
“<http://transpartisan.wikispaces.com/Session+A-2>Transpartisan 
Economics” there was a very friendly, respectful 
discussion regarding numerous approaches to tax 
reform, land reform, and monetary reform, which 
recognized that there is no silver bullet 
solution to quickly solve and retool our economic 
system. Wendell Fitzgerald, president of the 
Henry George School of San Francisco 
(<http://www.henrygeorgesf.org>www.henrygeorgesf.org), 
and Steven Shafarman, author of 
<http://www.tendrilpress.com/node/7>Peaceful, 
Positive Revolution: Economic Security for Every 
American, advocated for a guaranteed basic 
income, together with tax and monetary 
reformists, agreed that we need “an honest, 
above-board participatory economic system valuing 
community in the creation of money, land value 
and tax policy to serve our individual and common 
needs, creating income security for all, and not 
passing down debt and loss to the final consumer or future inhabitant.”

          Last September, when the financial 
crisis made headlines and the bailout was 
proposed, a huge majority of people suddenly 
could see that they were being ripped off and 
that the crooks who were most responsible were 
being rewarded. The time for monetary reform is 
ripe. Knowing the importance of this issue, I 
actually tried to get those advocating monetary 
reform to attend the Citizens’ Summit--including 
Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who last October 
introduced H. R. 7260 
(<http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-7260>Transparency 
in the Creation of Wealth Act of 2008), which 
demanded transparency in the Federal Reserve; 
Stephen Zarlenga, founder of 
<http://www.monetary.org/>The American Monetary 
Institute and author of The 
<http://www.monetary.org/lostscienceofmoney.html>Lost 
Science of Money: The Mythology of Money, The 
Story of Power; and Richard Cook, author of 
<http://www.tendrilpress.com/we-hold-these-truths>We 
Hold These Truths: The Hope of Monetary Reform.

          Congressman Ron Paul, who also proposed 
legislation to 
“<http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul504.html>end 
the Federal Reserve,” did not speak directly 
about the issue at the summit, but indirectly and 
more broadly suggested that we promote liberty as 
a unifier, as well as honoring the Constitution. 
His supporters were passionately advocating a 
return to silver and gold backed currency. I took 
the workshop on “overcoming triggers” just so 
that I could dialogue with the hard money 
advocates without immediately falling into debate 
mode. At the circles addressing economics issues, 
we realized that most of the work we had to do 
was in the realm of public education--overcoming 
myths that entrench a dysfunctional system that 
maintains and exacerbates the disparities between 
the rich and the poor and decimates the middle class.

          These are the top issues that emerged 
from the collective whole, framed as questions:

How do we give everyone access to affordable, quality healthcare?
How do we create a system for quality education 
that respects the individual, encourages the 
desire to learn, and develops critical thinking skills?
How do we achieve transparency in all government 
transactions including taxes and the Federal Reserve?
How do we develop an alternative energy economy 
that provides jobs, protects our environment and creates energy independence?
Enhancing local role in decision making:
How do we deepen the quality of engagement 
between Americans and their government?
All people are authentically engaged in the 
creation of all public decisions and policy. 
America's government is termed a Republic:
How do we achieve a truly representative Republic 
- a truly representative Democracy?
How do we create economic policies that provide 
the basic needs and opportunities for every American?
How do we create healthy, safe, vital, sustainable local communities?

          Establishing common ground and trust in 
shared values and goals seemed to be the first 
step in working together through the more gnarled 
strategies and steps necessary to realize them. 
On the first day, a long presentation on spiral 
dynamics looked at the evolution of thought 
processes and how increasingly complex problems 
and crises demand new ways of thinking--first for 
tribes, then nations, and finally for 
civilizations to adapt and survive. Many have not survived.

          Sometimes the most personal stories are 
the most universal, when someone has the courage 
to bare their soul, removing whatever façade they 
might wear to protect themselves, and exposing 
their weaknesses, their vulnerabilities, their 
heart. The revelations we offer one another--and 
the sensitive listening, reciprocity, and 
respect--are the essential first steps toward 
developing trust and overcoming stereotypes and 
prejudice based on appearances.

          I was surprised at the summit by the 
revelations I heard. I was also told directly by 
several people that Ken, Richard, Fran, Jennifer 
and I broke “the crazy conspiracy theorist” 
stereotype for people who otherwise would not 
have doubted or questioned the official 9/11 story.

          My own natural “mistrust” of elected 
officials was challenged when I learned that one 
of the wealthier men in Congress actually 
sponsored the attendance at the summit of my 
activist friend Evan Ravitz. During a hike after 
the summit, Evan told me about 
<http://www.polisforcongress.com/>Jared Polis, a 
freshman Congressman from Colorado who used his 
entrepreneurial and Internet skills in his 
college days to help his family make a fortune 
with their greeting card company. Jared devoted 
much of his personal fortune to passing good 
legislation, improving education in Colorado, and serving the greater good.

          Mark Twain wrote:
         “It could probably be shown by facts and 
figures that there is no distinctly native criminal class except Congress.”

          I agree with Twain for the most part. I 
am embarrassed to even admit that I ran for 
Congress twice. (I usually add that I ran because 
Congress was behaving treasonably by not 
defending the Constitution and by not impeaching 
Bush and Cheney, who I considered the greatest 
threats to our nation and the world. I also knew, 
as a Green Party candidate, that my chances of 
winning were almost nil, but running allowed me 
to speak publicly about taboo issues). However, I 
have also met those with great courage and 
integrity who were in Congress and lost their 
seats because they posed a threat to the status 
quo. And under tremendous pressure, a few, 
including Representatives Ron Paul and Dennis 
Kucinich, continue to speak up and champion the 
people’s interest over corporate interests.

          9/11 truth and the monetary crisis were 
transpartisan issues in the sense that they 
transcended the limited political boxes, or hats 
that people wore, drawing people from across the 
political spectrum to question the invisible 
agreements and assumptions that permeate civic 
life and the possibility that those could and should be changed.

          On the last day of the conference, we 
were asked to stand where we felt we were in 
relation to the Transpartisan Alliance--anywhere 
from the center to the edge. Except for getting 
up from my chair, I didn’t move, because I could 
see how I could incorporate the good ideas into 
my work and help promote them, and at the same 
time try to balance my life and continue to work 
on the issues that I cared about passionately. 
However, in the last round of stating our 
commitments to the group, I found myself teamed 
up with 
<http://www.oss.net/extra/page/?id=290>Robert 
Steele, an ex-intelligence professional (can one 
actually retire from the CIA?) who has strongly 
advocated open source public intelligence 
available to all, promoting the idea of 
<http://www.oss.net/extra/news/?module_instance=1&id=2498>Collective 
Intelligence--inspired by one of my mentors and 
friends, Tom Atlee of the 
<http://www.co-intelligence.org/>Co-Intelligence 
Institute. I subsequently found myself on the funding committee.

          In an era when the volume of 
information is exploding, knowledgeable 
processing of that information can’t keep up, and 
genuine wisdom is rare and speaks so softly that 
it is hard to discern from the cacophony, my 
deepest concerns are over technology. On one 
hand, technology is incredibly empowering and 
enables us to communicate without the traditional 
gatekeepers of the mainstream media; on the other 
hand, technology can be abused and has a history 
of being used to serve elite interests and 
maintain their control over the planet. I 
struggle to process more than I can possibly 
disseminate and share in words or through art and 
actions, while balancing the demands of my 
family, my colleagues, and the world.

          I have a heartfelt desire that we move 
from the paradigm of fear toward one of courage, 
love, respect, and cooperation. My hope is that 
we can transition from the “love of power to the 
power of love,” and my fear is that every 
technological trick in the book will be used to 
deceive, frighten, and fragment people to 
maintain the dying empire. How can we nurture 
new, transparent, life serving, decentralized, 
local, state, national, international 
Transpartisan efforts to identify and solve the 
real problems that we face? Can we draw from the 
collective wisdom of the diverse many with direct 
knowledge and experience in the real world whose 
voices, concerns and insights need to be heard? 
Do we need technology to do it? Can we do it 
through face to face meetings? Like money, will 
technology tyrannize humanity? Or can we use it, 
as we might use an enlightened monetary system, 
to serve human needs? I don’t know all the 
answers, but now more than ever, we need to raise 
questions and come up with new ways to solve our 
problems. Matching processes with purpose seems like the right place to start.

By Carol Brouillet


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