11/14: Aerin Dunford - Occupy Cafe2024-03-28T20:41:38Zhttp://www.occupycafe.org/forum/topics/11-14-aerin-dunford?commentId=6451976%3AComment%3A9002&feed=yes&xn_auth=noRob,
Agree with your analysi…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-17:6451976:Comment:98002011-11-17T01:51:13.746ZLindsay Newland Bowkerhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/LindsayNewlandBowker
<p>Rob,</p>
<p> Agree with your analysis ..</p>
<p>But there are much easier routes for the 99% to take it back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Did you see the discussion on sovereign wealth funds.(eg the Alaskan fund that pays every citizen a dividend on oil revenues).</p>
<p>the post on Shapleigh Maine. whose local ordinace kept MNC Nestlee out of their water supply which could be used as model to prevnt/control extraction of other natural resources ( including on private land..as Shapleigh's law…</p>
<p>Rob,</p>
<p> Agree with your analysis ..</p>
<p>But there are much easier routes for the 99% to take it back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Did you see the discussion on sovereign wealth funds.(eg the Alaskan fund that pays every citizen a dividend on oil revenues).</p>
<p>the post on Shapleigh Maine. whose local ordinace kept MNC Nestlee out of their water supply which could be used as model to prevnt/control extraction of other natural resources ( including on private land..as Shapleigh's law did)</p>
<p>The post on "wW the People"an already exsiting national organization with an office in every state teaching people how to take control of the government back, how to become effecitively engaged, how to stay engaged. </p>
<p> There are all kinds of strategeies that have worked are working and more like that we can effect so easily starting at the local level.</p>
<p> And there are tons of good initiatives underway ..like Tammy Baldwins resolution to not grant baks immunity from their crimes; Bernie Sanders 28th ammendment to the constiution that corporations are not persons, Chellie Pingree's upcoming legislation on local organic farming ( a beginning to disaggregation of the big food giants.; Dodd -Frank as originally enacted by the legsilature and dismantled by politics.</p>
<p>We would do well to notice, get behind and hold up all the stuff that is in the works right now.</p>
<p>Where was Occupy on the Trans Canada Pipeline? </p>
<p>We have the tools and resources to take back big chunks of what has been held back and taken away. We have that right now. We need to get on board with every single major initave alrady in the works to check and dismantle the plutonomy. </p>
<p>We could start new ones..why aren't we behind a mjor camapign to not buy any bottled water of any kind ever?</p>
<p>None of the changes in MNC's were voluntary and most are PR.social resposnbility doesn't just emanate..it comes about by how buyers make choices in the market place..</p>
<p>Look forward to reading your paper and admire your long term good faith work on behalf of humanity, on behalf of the Earth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bright Blessings</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lindsay</p> Aerin.
Thanks for that furt…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-17:6451976:Comment:99852011-11-17T01:35:01.986ZLindsay Newland Bowkerhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/LindsayNewlandBowker
<p>Aerin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks for that further background of the root word "convivir". As you decsribe this root meaning it does make "conviviocracy": a better word for what we are trying to name and pount t than "democrcay"..Democracy inludes freedoms, but not equalities, not stewardship for one another or the Earth, not mutual regard, not well being for all. I referred my freind Jaime Lubin to you and to your site..he is a theologian and scholar working and living in Gudalajara and who…</p>
<p>Aerin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks for that further background of the root word "convivir". As you decsribe this root meaning it does make "conviviocracy": a better word for what we are trying to name and pount t than "democrcay"..Democracy inludes freedoms, but not equalities, not stewardship for one another or the Earth, not mutual regard, not well being for all. I referred my freind Jaime Lubin to you and to your site..he is a theologian and scholar working and living in Gudalajara and who brought me the root word "convivir" ( at a TED Conversation I am hosting "Occupying Language: A new Vocabukary for the 99% ( or something like that).</p>
<p>Did you notive the thoughts on "the commons" Alanna has brought to the discussion. I encouraged her to start a conversation on this important ancient concept and pointed her to your work at Berkana and in particular your essay "Hablamos de la Communalidad"</p>
<p>We don't need to convince the 1% of anything, persuade them of enything, ask anything of them.. We the 99% can frame what we want and they have known that always.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p> Thanks Frauke ... Happy to kn…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-17:6451976:Comment:97992011-11-17T00:40:55.626ZAerin Dunfordhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/AerinDunford
<p>Thanks Frauke ... Happy to know you were there. Hope the Art of Hosting is going GREAT! Thinking of you all!</p>
<p>I will check out your blog right now ...</p>
<p>Aerin</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks Frauke ... Happy to know you were there. Hope the Art of Hosting is going GREAT! Thinking of you all!</p>
<p>I will check out your blog right now ...</p>
<p>Aerin</p>
<p> </p> Hi Lindsay,
Thank you so much…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-17:6451976:Comment:100052011-11-17T00:35:12.092ZAerin Dunfordhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/AerinDunford
<p>Hi Lindsay,</p>
<p>Thank you so much for these thoughts. I love your new word, <em>conviviocracy</em>. <em>Convivir</em> is a term that we use a lot here in Oaxaca. There isn't much of a direct translation to English unfortunately. It would seem that it might mean "live together" or simply "co-exist" but really it is much more than that. It means to share something (a meal, a physical space, an emotion, a significant conversation) with a sense of harmony with each and every person and with…</p>
<p>Hi Lindsay,</p>
<p>Thank you so much for these thoughts. I love your new word, <em>conviviocracy</em>. <em>Convivir</em> is a term that we use a lot here in Oaxaca. There isn't much of a direct translation to English unfortunately. It would seem that it might mean "live together" or simply "co-exist" but really it is much more than that. It means to share something (a meal, a physical space, an emotion, a significant conversation) with a sense of harmony with each and every person and with an eye to the whole of the system, as well.</p>
<p>I do have a lot of questions about how to engage with the institutions that play such prominant roles in the status quo. I'm not sure that these institutions are the 1% (I have less hope that we will easily engage with or shift the perspective of this group of people unfortunately). But again, super inspired by what Stephen wrote above.</p>
<p>Many of you have probably read this already since it is quite dated now, but I think that Charles Eisenstein really expresses well some of my thoughts on this 99% - 1% divide in his blog <a href="http://www.realitysandwich.com/open_letter_occupy_movement" target="_blank">Open Letter to the Occupy Movement</a>. </p>
<p>All of the examples you share here, Lindsay, of places that are already (as we say at Berkana) living the future now, are really great. My work is to amplify, illuminate and connect these efforts.</p>
<p>With much gratitude ...</p> Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-17:6451976:Comment:101022011-11-17T00:04:40.627ZAerin Dunfordhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/AerinDunford
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<p>Hi Richard,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sorry for the late reply and I know that so much has happened in the short time since our call on Monday. I just wanted to comment that I also am not sure about the ability of the Occupy movement to have a real political impact (on the federal or more local levels). I am actually not sure about any group lacking financial resources and political sway having a…</p>
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<p>Hi Richard,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sorry for the late reply and I know that so much has happened in the short time since our call on Monday. I just wanted to comment that I also am not sure about the ability of the Occupy movement to have a real political impact (on the federal or more local levels). I am actually not sure about any group lacking financial resources and political sway having a significant impact on this system. But I am VERY heartened, as I mentioned above, by what Stephen Buckley mentioned in his post about the number of ways that there are to actually be involved. Before moving to Mexico I lived in the state of Vermont on and off for about 10 years and truly believe that the Town Meeting system can work to have an influence (at least on the state and local levels).</p>
<p>But the other thing that I want to mention is that I agree that many of these occurrences of the past month may have happened independent of the Occupy movement. I simply think that this was a catalyst in many ways, an accelerator, even for what might have taken much longer to see or unfold.</p>
<p>thanks again ... desperately trying to stay caught up on these conversations despite a heavy workload right now!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Aerin</p> This is something that I fini…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-15:6451976:Comment:94362011-11-15T16:39:52.832ZAndrew Mangoldhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/AndrewMangold
<p>This is something that I finished just after the call that explains my thoughts. I was in the 'what is our new salt and cotton?' group, and we talked much about local resilience. The video is my broader application.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgTFYTOhSC0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgTFYTOhSC0</a></p>
<p>More to come, article version soon.</p>
<p>This is something that I finished just after the call that explains my thoughts. I was in the 'what is our new salt and cotton?' group, and we talked much about local resilience. The video is my broader application.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgTFYTOhSC0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgTFYTOhSC0</a></p>
<p>More to come, article version soon.</p> Here is my paper on Instituti…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-14:6451976:Comment:91032011-11-14T22:49:18.629ZRob Wheelerhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/RobWheeler
<p>Here is my paper on Instituting a Participatory Means of Local to Global Governance and another on the ParMun Resolution for establishing a People's World Parliament. </p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Rob Wheeler</p>
<p>Here is my paper on Instituting a Participatory Means of Local to Global Governance and another on the ParMun Resolution for establishing a People's World Parliament. </p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Rob Wheeler</p> Friends,
I am responding t…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-14:6451976:Comment:90022011-11-14T22:44:08.913ZRob Wheelerhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/RobWheeler
<p>Friends, </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I am responding to the question that Aerin Dunford asked me on today's call re how we can take back our institutions and make the primary changes that are needed in our lives and to reorient society. I actually have a number of answers. For starters we need to realize that each of us has different types of things that we are personally interested in doing or contributing and that is fine. All of these things are probably needed. However all of these things can also…</p>
<p>Friends, </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I am responding to the question that Aerin Dunford asked me on today's call re how we can take back our institutions and make the primary changes that are needed in our lives and to reorient society. I actually have a number of answers. For starters we need to realize that each of us has different types of things that we are personally interested in doing or contributing and that is fine. All of these things are probably needed. However all of these things can also be woven together to support one another in making the emerging societal shifts in a more effective manner; and if we can each include a focus on consciously supporting this collaborative effort and the inter-weaving as we increasingly recognize that we are all an important part of this emerging whole, so much the better. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, first we need to realize that there are already many people within our institutions that do get it and do want to do what is needed to support the good of the whole. For example, many large and multi-national corporations are already showing leadership in adopting more sustainable practices. And within each of these businesses there are also people that would like to take this as far as possible. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Similarly, in almost every sector we have friends and allies; and even the United Nations is engaging with millions of people around the world in supporting transformative change. So, we can work with and within these institutional processes to create change. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>However a more direct response to institutional change is to Reclaim our electoral and political systems. We all know that money currently has an undue influence within our political system, particularly in the US, and that this thus must be changed. We also know that we must find ways to get behind the partisan divides that are blocking both societal and institutional change. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>This thus calls us to focus on developing three things: A) a unified Educational Advocacy and Action Campaign that includes and embraces the primary institutional changes that are needed across all sectors of society, B) electoral and political reforms that return the power to the people as a whole, C) processes that bring people together across political divides such as are being explored in the Occupy Cafe "Occupy Your Neighborhood" group. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In addition, we may have to create a new money and economic system if we wish the make the changes that are needed, especially given that 95% of the land and natural resources (in pretty much every country) are owned and controlled by 5% of the people. And these very resources are thus used to continue to consolidate and maintain their power, rather than to serve the well-being of the people and planet as a whole. There are many things that could be done to deal more responsibly and effectively with this situation. One of the most important would be to change our taxes - thus taking taxes off of labor and putting them instead on the ownership of land and natural resources - thus returning a much larger share of the profits to the people who create this wealth in the first place. This will also provide an excellent incentive for shifting to more sustainable practices and society. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Similarly, we could create a new alternative monetary system that initially sits alongside our current system. There is a wonderful proposal for doing this making use of Gradidos and VitaMoney. It is a global scheme with thousands of people already registered to support the transition. You can see how the VitaMoney system could be structured and works by going to: <a href="http://gradido.net/en/Academy" target="_blank">http://gradido.net/en/Academy</a>. This scheme is designed and set up so as to be able to return our economic and money systems to the people and to fund the transition to a sustainable economy and society.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, if we wish to take back the power and reform our primary societal institutions, we need to develop the means to participate more effectively in governmental and intergovernmental decision making processes. I would thus suggest that the Occupy General Assembly processes offer a good model for how we could create a much more participatory model of governance at the local to global levels and at the very least begin to give more effective input into governmental and intergovernmental decision making processes along with developing consensual based common position statements and proposals for solving our common local to global problems, etc. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Indeed I drafted a paper a couple of years ago that describes how this could work based upon local assemblies, linking with regional and global assemblies, linking with substantive sectorially based working group processes. I would be happy to send this paper to anyone that is interested. <span>(Actually I was able to post it in the next file below along with the ParMun proposal)</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I am also the Chairperson of the World Alliance to Transform the UN, which supports the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly or Peoples House at the UN thus directly representing and including the people in intergovernmental decision making processes. We have even developed a proposal called ParMun which could easily begin to institute such a Peoples World Parliament based on a model quite similar to the Occupy General Assemblies process that is emerging. Again I can provide more information about ParMun (Parlemento Mundial) to anyone that is interested. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rob Wheeler</p>
<p>Chair, World Alliance to Transform the UN</p>
<p>UN Representative, Global Ecovillage Network, Commons Action for the UN, & CCC-UN</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.watun.org" target="_blank">www.watun.org</a>, <a href="http://www.ecovillage.org" target="_blank">www.ecovillage.org</a>, <a href="http://www.cccun.net" target="_blank">www.cccun.net</a></p>
<p>Skype: robineagle333</p>
<p>robwheeler22 @ gmail.com</p>
<p> </p> Stephen ... thank you so very…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-14:6451976:Comment:87392011-11-14T21:16:54.171ZAerin Dunfordhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/AerinDunford
<p>Stephen ... thank you so very much for these comments. As I said on the call, I am really heartened to hear that there are so many ways to influence the federal governments (and probably at the state and local levels as well).</p>
<p>I actually do believe that it is necessary to both begin living in a way that will increase everyone's quality of life (and the planet's quality of life too) and to do everything possible to effectively influence the current systems. I guess part of the reason…</p>
<p>Stephen ... thank you so very much for these comments. As I said on the call, I am really heartened to hear that there are so many ways to influence the federal governments (and probably at the state and local levels as well).</p>
<p>I actually do believe that it is necessary to both begin living in a way that will increase everyone's quality of life (and the planet's quality of life too) and to do everything possible to effectively influence the current systems. I guess part of the reason that I feel "stumped" is that I am just more passionate about the building of the new than I am about the other fundamental role of influencing the status quo.</p>
<p>But there are many people who ARE passionate about this kind of work and probably one of the most important things that all of us can do is just what you've done here, Stephen, clearly communicate to more and more people about these kinds of opportunites. One challenge is information overload - how do we share these opportunities in a way that helps it stand out amidst the constant influx of quite useless info that we (or at least I) am mired in?</p>
<p>As a U.S. American living abroad I also need to reflect a bit what kind of role I might want to play in this work. I will be following you on twitter, Stephen, and would love to know more about these different avenues and vehicles ... even if my role is just to spread the word!</p>
<p>Thanks again,</p>
<p>Aerin</p> Hi Aerin,
Missed your call b…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-14:6451976:Comment:88092011-11-14T20:00:42.092ZLindsay Newland Bowkerhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/LindsayNewlandBowker
<p>Hi Aerin,</p>
<p> Missed your call but have been harvesting from your posts here at the Cafe and also at the Berkana Institute Site in many many ways..Your name, reference and links to your Berkana site, quotes from your wonderful essay Hablamos De La Communalidad are seeded all through our member discussion here at the Cafe on the Heart of Sustainable Economy..also at various TED Conversations visiting these issues. </p>
<p>You inspired my invention of the word "conviviocracy" when…</p>
<p>Hi Aerin,</p>
<p> Missed your call but have been harvesting from your posts here at the Cafe and also at the Berkana Institute Site in many many ways..Your name, reference and links to your Berkana site, quotes from your wonderful essay Hablamos De La Communalidad are seeded all through our member discussion here at the Cafe on the Heart of Sustainable Economy..also at various TED Conversations visiting these issues. </p>
<p>You inspired my invention of the word "conviviocracy" when through dialog here at the cafe and also at TED we realized that democacry in all hisory has never addressed itself to income inequality or the the "common ground" you point to in the ancient ways. "Conviviocracy" envisions democracy that does address itself to stewardship for one another; stewardship for the planet, now and in the future ; commits itself to that.</p>
<p>A poster here reported that you wondered how to actually take back control from the 1%. I think we have very powerful opportunities at our disposal..starting from our neighborhoods, our tiny villages. See for example my posts on little Shapleigh Maine who fended off powerful MNC Nestle..kept them out of the town's water supply ( or any private water access in Shapleigh) through a beautiful little ordinance any village could pass and apply to resources other than water..including oil, silver, gold, precious minerals etc..</p>
<p>Also at the individual level we can just stop "feeding the tapeworm" en masse..reduce debt, avoid bottled water, avoid plastics, by local, organic and fair trade only, refuse to indluge in consumerism etc. etc. In a post earlier replying to David we talked about having a "Personal Energy Plan"</p>
<p>We don't need to wait for Federal Law to change; we don't need to wait forthe whole 99% to catch on all at once, to get behind any one idea.The power is ours. Itis immediately available.</p>
<p> Village by village, growing from discussions at dining room tables and pot luck suppers at grange halls and church basements we can give rise to change emulating litte Shapleigh Maine..one by one taking our towns and villages out from under the" obnoxico" ( Buckie Fuller's word) ecnomy of the 1% into the "whoslitca" ( Davids( here at Occupy word) economy of the 99%.</p>
<p>Another great example, also from Maine, the Island of Vinal Haven voted to collectively buy and install a wind generator..they have already reduced costs per household for electricity by 30%-40% ( I have to check exact number) Any town in America can do that or similar..we don't need to wait for a national energy plan,,we can have local energy plans...Co-heaetedly, collectively, any town or village can work to go as much off the grid as possible.</p>
<p> Hablamos De LaCommunalidad!!!</p>
<p>That is where our power begins.</p>
<p>Thanks Aerin you are an inspiration.</p>