Yes We Can

Panties for Peace® and Happy Monkey and Tawanda Bee are uniting this morning to say, "Yes we can!"

Yes we can heal this nation...

Your words matter

I am cross posting on this one...

Below is the text of one of the many voicemails left at ACORN after the debates.

“Hi, I was just calling to let you all know that Barack Obama needs to get hung. He's a fucking nigger, and he's a piece of shit. You guys are fraudulent, and you need to go to hell. All the niggers on oak trees. They're gonna get all hung honeys, they're gonna get assassinated, they're gonna get killed.” (young female voice)

And then there are the automated voice messages from the Republican National Committee warning voters that Obama is associated with a terrorist, Bill Ayers. I called them to respond to this personally...

Fear based politics do nothing but increase fear... and this is outrageously appalling... and these are fellow Americans, ya know that land of the free.

Inspiration and Truth

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

Peace...

The thing about a War on Terror is that it puts the focus of all of our energy on the very thing we wish to eliminate... terror and terrorists.... and it does nothing about the underlying causes for terrorism... hatred.

Only love can eliminate hatred. Only peace can eliminate war.

As Mother Theresa said, "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

Sounds of Freedom

The poetry of Jewel moves me right down to my core and speaks the words of my heart...

Life Uncommon
Lend your voices only to sounds of freedom
No longer lend you strength to that which you wish to be free from
Fill your lives with love and bravery
And you shall lead a live uncommon

I've heard you anguish
I've heard you hearts cry out
We are tired, we are weary, but we aren't worn out
set down you chains, until only faith remains
Set down you chains

And lend your voices only to sounds of freedom
No longer lent your strength to that
which you wish to be free from
Fill you lives with love and bravery
And we shall lead a life uncommon

There are plenty of people who pray for peace
But if praying were enough it would have come to be
Let your words enslave no one and the heavens will hush themselves
To hear out voices ring out clear
with sounds of freedom
sounds of freedom

Come on you unbelievers, move out of the way
there is a new army coming and we are armed with faith
To live, we must give
To live

And lend out voices only to sounds of freedom

Taxes

I received an email - an email that tells a story of a bunch of men going to a bar on a regular basis and how much they pay for their drinks based on the American system of taxation. The gist is that the rich pay for everything, then when they get a tax break, we think it is unfair. The moral is that if we do not stop taxing the rich, then they will take their business to a foreign country and really hurt the poor.

I have thought about this for several days, and when it pops into my mind I feel sadness. The saddest thing to me is the focus we tend to put on what we do not have or may lose. This focus on scarcity brings fear and division... a vying for morsels.

I have hope that we can turn the focus to what we have and how we can be of service... one person, one day at a time. Yes we can.

Working for Meaning

If you work for meaning, then each day is full of meaning.

Peace Signs for Peace

I was reading an article the other day about a woman who has a multi-million dollar business doing faux painting. She was told by many that she could not make a living doing what she loved, and she said, "then I will work for meaning."

Well, I am here to tell you that working for meaning is the only way to go! Life justs keeps getting better and better! Just the other day, I got a call from one of my favorite folk artists who has agreed to make Peace Signs exclusively for Happy Monkey... the perfect way to add a little peace to your life! (Happy Monkey)


Today I learned that Investors Against Genocide will appear before Congress on September 10th. Their goal is to promote socially responsible investing.

Years after the genocide in Darfur was publicly acknowledged, millions of people are unknowingly and inadvertently investing in the companies that are funding this genocide. Investors entrust their family savings and pension funds to mutual fund and other investment firms, which in turn invest those savings in companies which help to fund genocide.

A broad base of major financial institutions invest in a small set of problem companies, particularly PetroChina. When confronted with this problem, these investment firms ignore the moral issue of investing in genocide.

The Investors Against Genocide have made great strides over the past several years, and today they are asking for your help... call your US Representative and let them know your views on the subject. Read more about Investors Against Genocide.

Claiming Common Ground

I recently received a newsletter from Bill Frist, MD... yes the ex-senator. The newsletter has several broad statements about the dangers of an Obama Presidency, like, "your taxes will go up," and culminates with the following:

If he is successful in his campaign to capture the White House, the U.S. Senate could very well be the Republican Party's last line of defense...We simply can’t afford the damage the Democrats could do to the War on Terror. Nor can we afford the looming prospect of a bigger and bigger federal government, nationalized health care, open borders, or huge tax increases.

I replied that I was disappointed in the negative rhetoric ... it does nothing but increase the division among Americans. I know from experience that we can claim common ground. Our strategies for achieving our common goals may be different, but if we continue to close doors and promote differences, then we cannot even have a conversation.

I like Obama's chant "Yes We Can," and I really like this musical version of his speech...

Long Winded Happy Monkey ...

I just read my last post, and yeah it was long and rambling. That seems to be how my brain works these days. Writing helps me get all the stuff out of my head so it does not live there rent free... the grief, the joy, the anger, the peace... all of it gets put on paper these days!

The impetus behind my writing has changed over the last year. It has become a big part of my healing process - healing from the trauma of divorce and the death of my son.

So sometimes I ramble and let you see it...

The Iron Giant

Last night I watched the Iron Giant. I was distracted with dinner and doing all of those little things that need to be done before leaving town, and it was just a little cartoon movie… right?

Not... As the movie played, I was continually drawn to the words I was hearing.

Hogarth Hughes: I know you feel bad about the deer, but it's not your fault. Things die. That's part of life. It's bad to kill, but it's not bad to die.

The Iron Giant: You die?

Hogarth Hughes: Well, yes, someday.

The Iron Giant: I die?

Hogarth Hughes: I don't know. You're made of metal, but you have feelings, and you think about things, and that means you have a soul. And souls don't die.

The Iron Giant: Soul?

Hogarth Hughes: Mom says it's something inside of all good things, and that it goes on forever and ever.
[Hogarth leaves. The Iron Giant lies back to look at the stars]

The Iron Giant: Souls don't die.

I was captivated. This movie spoke to my heart, and before it was over, I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

The Iron Giant, reacting to the violent attack of the military, became a weapon himself. With all of his guns loaded, he defended himself brilliantly and powerfully. Nothing could stop him… except love.

Hogarth Hughes: It's bad to kill. Guns kill. And you don't have to be a gun. You are what you choose to be. You choose. Choose.

These words tell my story… choosing who I want to be in each moment. I was very aware from the intensity of my reaction, that my feelings were also about our country as a whole. Time and time again we have responded out of fear and resorted to war as the best possible solution, and the lessons not learned keep repeating themselves.

Kent: We didn't build it, and that's reason enough...to assume the worst
and blow it to kingdom come! Now, you'll tell me about this thing. You're gonna lead me to it. And we are going to destroy it before it destroys us!

I know, I know, it is just a movie. But that is the thing about art… it puts heart stuff together in a way that I can see it, feel it, hear it. It says with a story what Happy Monkey feels… Omnia vincit Amor or Love Conquers All. I will not give away the end, but I will say that it reminds me of another quote: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

Martin Luther King just popped into my head again. That happens a lot, probably because his speeches are heart boggling… the way he uses the English language never ceases to amaze me. One of my favorite passages:

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force...."

He also said, “There are those who are choosing to equate dissent with disloyalty.” I understand. I am beginning to think I am a pacifist. I usually avoid labels, because they put people in a box, and here I am giving myself one. Go Figure?

What to do when you see a mouse in your new house

There's that question again

I have been asked the question so many times, and my answer is always the same. Why did I make my Panties for Peace® in the style of the thong? Because that is what I wear!

As a child of the 60’s, I have lived through the transformation of panties, and I must say that the backless style of the thong has saved me from the creeping up, wedgy problems I suffered for years… and panty lines are no longer an issue!

The Power of Touch

This Happy Monkey loves to hold hands, so I am glad for the countless studies about the health benefits of touch. Touch, they say, triggers the release of endorphins more powerful than heroine, and if you close your eyes and sit still, you can feel the vibration.

And I think this is more than science. I think touch creates a synapse to that universal energy that lives and breathes and connects us all to each other.

I have been so blessed by watching videos from the Free Hugs Campaign . Seeing strangers all over the world accepting hugs from other strangers is absolutely amazing… I can almost feel the energy.

Last Fall, when my teenager and some friends made Free Hugs t-shirts and went to our local mall, I was a bit skeptical. I did not want the kids to get into a situation that they could not handle… but I let my fear go ...then I let her go. She came home talking 90 miles a minute about the people who wanted a free hug and those that looked on in horror. Both experiences were so powerful, in a teaching sort of way.

Go for it… reach out and touch somebody's hand, and even better, give someone a hug. You may be healing yourself in the process.

Panties for Peace

In the need to know category, we here at Happy Monkey think Richard Walker has explained the situation in Burma very well. He extols the efforts of some women in Thailand:

"One group that has found a unique, if not questionable way to embarrass the junta, is “Panties for Peace” based in Thailand. It is composed of women activists who have used the internet to encourage women worldwide to send panties to General Shwe and his colleagues. The tactic is predicated on the belief that the generals are not only superstitious but have promoted rape by their military as a tactic to silence women. The “Panties for Peace” website explains its message as follows:
“Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments – clean or dirty – will sap them of their power…..You can post, deliver or fling your panties at the closest Burmese embassy. Send early, send often.”
The site provides a long list of addresses of Burmese foreign missions across the globe and in the past year many of those missions have received packages from women. In many instances panties have been left outside “Union of Myanmar” embassies in cities like Washington DC."


If you want to participate, why not get the real Panties for Peace® and get a double whammy? We donate 50% of the profits to the Coalition to Save Darfur... and you can fling your panties at Burmese officials!