The mission of this publication is to work and play for an enlightened society! For that, I bow in gratitude to Waylon, his dedicated staff and all the passionate columnists who contribute.

The Wall Street Journal recently conducted a poll of it’s readers regarding a proposal from our Military to conduct low altitude training “Sorties” over a vast region of New Mexico and Colorado. Why? Ostensibly, to train for combat in Afghanistan – an undeclared war that we say we are getting out of in 2014!  The favorable response to their poll touched a nerve in me and triggered this article. How can we let this happen, it’s such a terrible waste of resources and misallocation of priorities. I’m calling all Shambhala Warriors and Goddesses for Gaia who want to give peace a chance! Not to just love peace, to actually work for it.

Sure, if we were all liberated and enlightened, we could embrace all that is arising in a pervasive mood of acceptance, without judgement. We might even allow all the wars to be waged with out any opposition, trusting there is some twisted value hidden in the mayhem. Since few of us are resting in source awareness, fully liberated in the moment, we encounter all that is apparently manifesting from our “individuated, separate selves”. We decide if things are good or bad, right or wrong.  In this case, I’m suggesting that preparing for war and engaging in every conflict we can find is down right stupid.  Attempting to resolve our differences through war is the modern day equivalent of insane behavior. Yes, I’m judging war and preparing for war as wrong headed. We can find a better way of behaving in the world . How? By consciously eliminating hatred.  How? By alleviating the root cause of fear, for starters. How? By creating an environment that addresses basic human needs, supports cooperation and cares for the well being of the whole. This is a huge topic that falls into the category of enlightened self-interest. It is as practical and pragmatic as it gets.

Ultimately, the combination of fear and a “for profit” war machine (dba, the Defense Department & Homeland Security) is a toxic cocktail, ultimately and literally deadly.

 Dwight D. Eisenhower, our only 5 Star General to serve as President warned us in 1961 that the Military Industrial Complex would threaten our democracy and bring us to our knees, if citizens were not vigilant.

Let’s be skillful and tactical about this. Why, you ask am I confronting the Wall Street Journal? Read this article and notice that their readers are favorably responding to a Yes/No question about a plan to allow the military to fly up to 3 Sorties per night lasting 5 hours each, at an altitude of 200 feet over all of the Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado Mountain communities.  The Wall Street Journal features an interview that belittles the impact of such military training, “as a minor  disturbance to animals and children” – well worth the trade off – after all, we’re in an endless war with terrorists.

We are told time and time again that fighting now in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan is what we must do to protect our freedom! Never mind the billions of dollars spent and precious lives that are lost (Afghanistan alone costs $300 million per day)- it’s all done on behalf of our National Security.  Is that really it? Or, could it be the readers of the WSJ are heavily invested in the companies that make billions profiting by perpetuating war, or worse; are they driven primarily by fear?  Let’s let them know, through compassionate action, that Elephant readers prefer peace!  Every choice, every action, every thought contributes either to conflict or harmony.

In this moment, I’m caught between earnestness and cynicism.  I’m choosing to transmute my angry response to these ill conceived plans to disturb an entire region of the Southwestern United States for war games.  I admit it, I’m having a really difficult time, it’s not easy to shift my energy into healthy action and a relaxed state of compassionate acceptance. I’m reminded of a carving I recently saw on the back of a weathered bench in the west end neighborhood of Aspen:

“It was the tension – between my restless idealism on one hand and a sense of impending doom on the other – that kept me going”

Here’s the deal, we have 3 days to raise our voices and let the Military know that we don’t want the Western United States to become a National Sacrifice Zone to perpetuate endless war. In my cynicism, I would ask, “Isn’t that why we have Nevada”? Once this process is completed, you can bet it will be quite a while before they come back around to see if any citizens are still paying attention.

I wish I could get all 314,000 Elephant Journal readers to click on this appeal for action, and then encourage them to stay vigilant.

Although the official public comment period recently closed, I beileve it helps to keep sending a consistent message, so, please send your comments to the powers that be!  Keep your voices loud and clear, pressure everyone you know who may have any influence on such decisions – that includes everyone in congress, whether they are puppets of “defense contractors” and the Military Industrial Complex or not.

Maybe, I’m jealous that a very well written and clever article on Fake (Natural) Breasts right here on the Elephant Journal gets nearly 3,000 unique clicks, while the Cannon Air Force base near Clovis, New Mexico is planning to get approval for low flying Sorties over Santa Fe, Taos, Crestone, Durango, Pueblo, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Vail and Aspen, goes relatively undetected and literally under the radar!

I got an email earlier today from a friend with a You Tube link to a short clip… “The F’ing Hippies Were Right!”  Well, it sure triggered a deep response in me that we were right, we still are right, you can’t have it both ways, we either prepare for peace or we prepare for war – Einstein was right on that observation too!

“A country cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war. The very prevention of war requires more faith, courage and resolution than are needed to prepare for war. We must all do our share, that we may be equal to the task of peace. Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”

Albert Einstein

Here’s one for all those conservatives who align with the Patriot Act, or those who are swooned by the Tea Party and love to make  references to the Constitution and our Founding Fathers:

“NEVER has there been a good war, or a bad peace”

Benjamin Franklin

Please join with the peace lovers, send in your comments, imploring the decision makers to find some other alternative to their current plans or scrap them altogether. The Military already controls and has access to over 50% of all air space in our country! Don’t let them forget, we’ve got Nevada, sorry Las Vegas!

SEND YOUR COMMENTS HERE VIA EMAIL: [email protected]

OR CALL: (575) 784-4131  If that is easier for you.

You’ll feel great for participating and you’ll help Waylon and all of us accomplish our shared vision of an enlightened society!   Onward with Courage!

It is amazing how wonderful it feels to speak truth to power!

UPDATE NEWS ALERT:

A new public comment period runs until NOVEMBER 5, 2011 Raise your voices & ink your pens!

This is a statement from the Air Force:

Under the proposed action, a 60,700 square mile low altitude training area would be established for no more than three flights per day, for a total of approximately 688 annually. Most flights would be after dusk Monday through Friday. Special operations missions require aircrews to avoid detection, so populated areas would be deliberately avoided for the most realistic training.

Community forums will be held in Albuquerque, Taos, Espanola, Santa Fe, Alamosa, Raton, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Aspen, Durango, Montrose, Gunnison, Farmington, Santa Rosa, Las Vegas, Clayton and Tucumcari.  At the meetings, Cannon Air Force Base officials will present information, answer questions and hear public concerns regarding the Draft Environmental Assessment in a formal public comment session.  All comments received at the community forums or sent directly to the 27 SOW will be considered in preparation of the final document.

Comments may be mailed or faxed to:

27 SOW Public Affairs

110 E. Sextant Ave., Suite 1150

Cannon AFB N.M., 88103

Phone: 575-784-4131

Fax: 575-784-7412

You may also comment via email to [email protected], but please provide full contact information, to include name and address, for future updates.  For more information, visit the environmental page of the Cannon AFB website at www.cannon.af.mil/library/environment.asp.

In case you need a little encouragement, inspiration or music with a message to move you… try this!

If you’d like a lesson in Political Science from Randy Newman, you’ll appreciate his poignant & ironic song “apparently narrated” by a U.S. nationalist/patriot complaining about the ingratitude of the world toward us, especially since we “give them money”. This satirical composition was released 38 years ago on his album Sail Away.

Since our culture is nearly obsessed and more often than not, distracted by entertainment, I’ll leave you now with an appeal from a troubadour for our younger generation of peace activists and social justice champions.

Perhaps we need to sing louder! Please stay vigilant, this challenge will not go away without our engaged, aware and focused energy. We are all co-creating our future together.

POWER TO THE PEACEFUL