JCT: I don't often find many columnists who have much useful to
say but I'll admit that when I was poring over my usually mournful
mail, other than for the birth of LETS around the world, this morning,
I remember seeing "Subject: Arianna's Latest Column" and thinking
"something probably good to cheer up the day."
Though she has evinced no understanding of how the poverty of
money caused by interest rates fits into it all, her heart always
seems to be in the right place and she speaks her mind.
And she does things.
During the last Republican Convention in Philadelphia, I attended
a poor people's counter-convention organized and made possible only
through her inspiration and sweat. I introduced myself to her at the
time but she couldn't have understood how The Engineer of local
currencies globally fit in her show.
But it was a great show.
What moved me the most were a choir of children whose parents
were all in jail for horrendously long sentences meted out in the
prohibition of drugs wars. I guess that back in the 1920s, they could
have had choirs of children whose parents were all in jail in the
prohibition of alcohol wars. Funny how all the warring victims stopped
when prohibition of alcohol was abolished and no one can see the truth
about how all the warring victims would stop when prohibition of drug
is abolished. Nevertheless, to laugh at humanity's silliness later.
Great anti-prohibition speeches by Gary Johnson, Governor of New
Mexico (I hope), Jesse Jackson, I might have done a report!
I honestly don't ever remember getting puked out by anything
I've had a chance to read so if she can cheer up my day in such gloomy
circumstances, I hope you find she can cheer up yours.
How to subscribe is at the bottom of her post

>Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 10:52:31 -0600
>From: arianna@... (Arianna Huffington)
>Subject: Arianna's Latest Column
>To: undisclosed-recipients:;

On Flying High And Lowered Expectations
By Arianna Huffington

Skip the appointment with Madge the Manicurist. Put the squeeze on Mr.
Whipple. Say good-bye to the Budweiser Frogs. Who needs those guys
when you've got the 43rd president of the United States as your TV
pitchman? He's got high name-recognition, comes with his own wardrobe,
and, best of all, he's willing.

Making like a star-spangled version of Paul Hogan, the president can
now be seen shilling for the U.S. travel and tourism industry in a new
TV commercial. Uncle George wants you to enlist in a home-front battle
against terrorism by shipping out on vacation. And bring the kids and
charge cards, soldier!

The 30-second spot, part of a $20 million media blitz, features
excerpts from a rousing speech the president gave in the aftermath of
the Sept. 11 attacks, intercut with shots of travel industry employees
speaking the impassioned words along with him.

"Greatness is found," the president, a waiter and a rental car agent
inform us, "when American character and American courage can overcome
American challenges." Challenges like enduring the endless lines at
Disney World's Space Mountain ride, I suppose.

So a patriotic presidential speech has now been repackaged as a
commercial come-on. Imagine FDR's "The only thing we have to fear is
fear itself" being used to tout home security systems or Winston
Churchill's "Blood, toil, tears and sweat" to sell Handi Wipes.

But it's not the unseemly blending of the political with the
profitable that's the real problem, it's the message being sent: That
the truest manifestation of patriotism is -- as the president and his
new kitchen cabinet put it in the ad -- to "enjoy America's great
destination spots."

In previous wars, sacrifice meant, well, sacrifice. Maybe even the
willingness to die for one's country. Now we're being called on to
show our willingness to fly for our country. To relax our way out of
this recession even as we are told that we must remain on "high
alert."

The president -- and the rental car agent and the waiter -- are right
when they say greatness can be found in overcoming challenges. But we
mustchallenge ourselves to overcome more than our reluctance to fly.
Indeed, isn't it irresponsible to encourage people to take non-
essential flights when the vast majority of suitcases are still not
being inspected and the vast majority of airport security workers are
still hazardously unskilled?

The truest expression of American character has always been found in
our ability to give of ourselves -- not to amuse ourselves.

I was reminded of this last week when I saw a video of "Pay It
Forward," the film featuring Haley Joel Osment as a kid who tries to
change the world by encouraging people to respond to good deeds by
"paying them forward," thereby creating a human chain letter of
compassion and service to others.

Since the film was released in October 2000, thousands of people have
taken up the "pay it forward" philosophy. "I was afraid," "Pay it
Forward" author, Catherine Ryan Hyde, told me, "that after Sept. 11,
people wouldn't want to embrace optimism. But it's been just the
opposite. People are saying we need this now more than ever." In fact,
Hyde has been on a whirlwind speaking tour, meeting thousands of
students who are longing to respond to the challenge of 9-11 with
something more substantive and lasting than a vacation or a shopping
spree.

This same spirit is evident in the Call to Service Act, introduced in
the Senate last month by Sens. John McCain and Evan Bayh. The measure
would make it possible for 250,000 volunteers a year to become part of
the AmeriCorps program -- half would assist with civil defense needs,
half would provide social services.

More than anything, though, McCain and Bayh are aiming to inspire a
generation to look beyond their narrow self-interests, much like John
Kennedy did when he proposed the Peace Corps. JFK didn't say he was
going to make it easier on us. He said it was going to be harder.

President Bush should keep that in mind the next time he takes a
commercial gig. "Ask not what your travel agent can do for you, ask
what you can do for your travel agent" isn't exactly a sentiment for
the ages.
---------------
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JCT: "Pay it forward?"
Is that some kind of new local currency?
Is it given now and collected later?
Like LETS and Timedollar systems around the world have been
permitting volunteers and others to do? Like the Faculty of Banking
Systems Engineering predicts a world-wide UNILETS would work?
Is this another good reason to support Millennium Declaration
Resolution C6 to Governments to restructure the global financial
architecture with an interest-free UNILETS alternative time-based
currency?
Anyway, Arianna didn't disappoint.
And she's rich too. Not too often I admit some rich person
actually has done something useful for the poor but she has. God'll
get her. Her reward, that is.


--
John C. "The Banking Systems Engineer" Turmel, Author of the UNILETS
interest-free time-based currency United Nations C6 recommendation to
Governments in the http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration.htm
http://www.cyberclass.net/turmel / http://www.medpot.net 613.632.2334