No More Secrets: A Call for Transparency
I know the harm that solitary confinement causes to people. I was once the wife of someone who spent two and a half years in solitary confinement. Timothy Leary was a political scapegoat, like Julian Assange. His crime was broadcasting to people that no one had the right to prevent others from altering their consciousness. This happened at a time when the pressure cooker of the 50's "Mad Men" thinking had exploded into a great call for freedom. Timothy Leary was imprisoned on a charge of possession of 0.01 grams of marijuana.
Timothy, like Julian Assange, was tortured, and by that I mean solitary confinement in one of the hardest prisons in California, in the cell next to Charles Manson, a serial killer. His table and chair were bolted to the floor and a 20-watt lamp burned day and night. No right to books or any kind of media. One of the only books that reached him was " The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Julian Assange is called "a rapist." Timothy was called the most dangerous man in America, a title he most ironically shared with Daniel Ellsberg. It was also said the he killed more people than the Vietnam War, with his slogan, "turn on, tune in, drop out." I thought a lot about Assange during those ten days he was in solitary confinement, held in Victorian conditions, like Timothy Leary, for his own protection!
Timothy said in 1984 that the computer revolution would free the world. He said that the power of computers would be the next escalation of the sixties creative rebellion. He compared the Internet to the network of synapses in the human brain.
Timothy Leary was disgraced, ridiculed and tortured, named by a Senate Subcommittee an "Ideological Trafficker." Vice President Joe Biden called Julian Assange a " High Tech Terrorist." I tremble as the long arm of empire conspires to stop Wikileaks from informing "the people" of the strange and erratic machinations of those who are supposed to be servants of the people. Those in power are practiced at pushing Humpty Dumpty off the wall.
When Nixon needed a law and order front page, a few days before his second inauguration, the CIA was waiting for us at Kabul Airport, where they kidnapped Timothy and I. After four days of detaining us in the filthiest conditions, they returned us to the United States from a country, Afghanistan, that had no extradition treaty with the US. I had committed no crime in any country of the world, and still have never been arrested to this day. The shock of having been escorted half way around the world by heavily armed men, forty hours without sleep, and seeing my lover dragged away to prison still lingers till this day. This was just the beginning of an ordeal that lasted three and a half years, during which I visited Timothy in 26 different prisons and jails. For good measure the government even planted rumors that said that I had given them Timothy's whereabouts so that he could be busted. This turned the counterculture against me. People in power are very good at playing the divide to conquer game.
I have given many hours to reading the news about Wikileaks online. Government does not care about us. Big business does not care about us. We need to care about each other, this is the true revolution and it has far reaching implications.
Thanks to Julian Assange and his collaborators, the tide is turning faster.
In my view this is the blossoming of a peaceful rebellion that started long ago, a revolution of the heart, the mind, a subtle transformation of consciousness, many of us know now that our species is one body interdependent with all other life on the planet.
When Timothy was in solitary confinement and later classified insane by the government, he was transferred to a medical facility prison in Northern California. This move was a further effort by his captors to break his spirit. During our weekly visits he said true change would come from "No more Secrets." Secrecy leads to blackmail and "Dirty Tricks" are carried out in the dark.
Berthold Brecht, the Austrian playwright and poet, wrote in 1933: "It's not the people who have to change; it's the context in which they make their decisions."
Those in absolute power have built greater and greater walls of secrecy around their context since the 1970's. Since then, many of us have been expanding our awareness and in so doing dissolving the boundaries, borders and separation that are enforced by a culture of secrets.
We are all Wikileaks and when Julian Assange is attacked without been charged, tried and convicted we are all Julian Assange, all angels and rogues wrapped up in one living, breathing organism. No more family secrets, they are the backbone of the patriarchal society, no more State Secrets, they enforce the power of hierarchy. We are each other's national security, we are each others safe harbors, my heart is your country.
Join me in supporting Julian Assange not as a hero or villain but as a small piece of our collective transparency of love.
--Santa Fe, December 23, 2010
Joanna Harcourt Smith is the producer and interviewer of the podcasting website futureprimitive.org.
Tweet
- 12-23-10
- Joanna Harcourt-Smith's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
Comments
inspired
The Power of Transparency
Propaganda Anonymous
Thanks for posting this!
Leary was a real American Hero in my eyes
Despite the constant railroading by the mainstream press about his importance as a social philosopher and cultural icon, his message makes it through the muck.
I was greatly inspired by his clarification about Transparency when I first read about it a number of years ago.
"Communication can only take place between two equals"
(as Robert Anton Wilson used to say)
And as long as someone, or some institution, is relying on coercive authority, then real communication cannot take place.
The goal is Communion through Communication making us all better humans.
I hope Wikileaks is bringing us closer to that
Thank You Joanna
Our Time, Tim
Bradley Manning
tune in
tune in, turn on, drop out in 67 I listened to the universe at 17 nothing made any sense to me when Tim Leary spoke that multilevel metaphor something awoke in my mind a signal through the darkness of the world around me a calling was coming through, a voice that smiled it came as a suggestion, a pause, a recognition there is intelligence in the universe, something sending out a vibration, a communication, a simple acknowledgement, something needs to change things cannot remain the way they are, something is so very wrong with history, in order to evolve a lot of people are going to have to question authority a lot of information is going have to be released from the belly of the beast, a high priest, a trickster, a cheer leader for change, is banging on the cosmic bongos hey, it is not just about LSD, and if it was maybe the 60's would of tripped over the 70's 80' 90's the message was one of revolution, but it was seeing into the future, a distant intelligence is coming the kind of "tune in" that is the real intelligence agency, the innate poetic justice that is inherent in the human spirit, and if it is not "turned on" then it has been forced turned off...and if we who are listening to the current above the static of all that clamoring tumult of the mass media, if we "drop out" of the all that low bleeding noise of the dead end of mindless conformity...then there will continue that, which seeks to reveal the real quest of the human operating nervous system...to banish forever.... that which cloaks our minds with cognitive dissonance with programed ignorance, with blind faith, with dumb down infotainment.
we all are in a kind of solitary confinement, the secrets of the governments hold lies that are like invisible bindings that keep us all in the dark.There is a light that shines through that dark and it is called transparency, it is called love, it is called peace it is called truth by any other word that is spoken freely it is the meaning of evolved consciousness, and all that tripping that happened once upon a time on a planet called earth.
Here Really Now
thank you Joanna
I loved following your and Tim's adventures through numerous different books years ago - I am thrilled you have made this connection between Tim and Julian - but more importantly I believe it is the connection between Tim and social media - a humanized approach to using computer technology - which is what Tim called for more than anything - social media, especially Openness and Transparency are to me really legacy of Tim Leary's philosophy as well as his prophetic insight as a futurist.
What the 21st century has proven is that Tim Leary was certainly on to something!
Cuts both ways
Atmosphere
turn on
Poetry-prose-poetry
says it all
Not so fast...
Hi Joanna,
...Love your podcasts and articles here at RS. While I'm familiar with the "love" that radiates from you and I continuously cultivate the same vibe myself, I still redefine reality for myself every day. Which means that I play the "devil's advocate" with everything I experience, constantly excavating the appearance of reality in search of its essence.
Yesterday, I was further enlightened after reading the following .PDF article featured in KOSMOS Magazine. I invite all RS participants to give it an open-minded read. Make sure after reading it that you read the author's bio also.
I have long commented on the current state of America being comparable with the final days of Rome, but never before did I fully appreciate why I've been making this comparison. This is a MUST read for all realists among us:
http://www.kosmosjournal.org/kjo2/bm~doc/kosmos-fw2010-vlahos-part-2.pdf
P.S. The "Part 1" companion to the above article (which I am just now reading) can be found here:
http://www.kosmosjournal.org/kjo2/bm~doc/kosmos-ss2010-vlahos-part-1.pdf
(I don't know why one pasted as a link and the other one didn't)
Return of the Sun Morning
On Fear
Hi again,
I love to quote others when they seem to encapsulate so well the essence of a particular thought. On occasion, the same essence happens to occur to me for some reason. So this time I'll offer you one of my own: "The purpose of life is to Love; to act out of Love and not to react out of Fear. Fear is always a reaction. The only pure action is Love."
Peace to you, Joanna.
More Information
incremental but unstoppable
Hi Joanna,
Thank you for this article and your responses. As controversial as Tim could be, he is sorely missed and your post here on RS helps keep his spirit vividly alive.
Among the great luck I've had in my life, having been able to spend time with Tim here in Lawrence, Kansas when he came to visit our friend William Burroughs was without parallel. The clarion confidence those two shared, which came from their utterly uncompromising, fearless struggle to seek and speak the truth in both pragmatic and visionary metaphysical matters continues to be an inspiration.
What's more, William and all of us in William's community always had a lot of fun when Tim came to town -for all of the serious matters they engaged and provoked.
Things are pretty dark right now, so the hope that comes from remembering Tim and paying attention to the struggle he had with "the long arm of empire" as it is reflected in Assange's struggle is especially powerful.
You might enjoy seeing a portrait photograph I made of Tim and William on the front porch of William's house early one spring morning (Friday March 13th, 1987) as Tim was headed to the airport after a particularly lively visit. In this photograph you can see the humor and camaraderie that the two shared, and that seemed to give them the strength to forge ahead against the fierce opposition they faced. You can find it on my website. It is the closing image of the portrait section.
www.philipheying.com
It seems that the egregious abuse of power and pillaging of the planet by the corporate parasite has become so brazen and rapacious that no sane person can support it. In a recent interview, Assange astutely pointed out the different organizing speeds of government (rapid) and mass opposition (incremental but unstoppable). Your article is a remarkable contribution to the incremental but unstoppable force of opposition to corruption that must take form and bring into effect a fair, sustainable course for the human endeavor. I hope to read more from you.
Tumbling into each other
Who Is Behind WikiLeaks??
"Wikileaks has enlisted the architects of media disinformation to fight media disinformation: An incongruous and self-defeating procedure."
Wikileaks is not a typical alternative media initiative. The New York Times, the Guardian and Der Spiegel are directly involved in the editing and selection of leaked documents. The London Economist has also played an important role. While the project and its editor Julian Assange reveal a commitment and concern for truth in media, the recent Wikileaks releases of embassy cables have been carefully "redacted" by the mainstream media in liaison with the US government. (See Interview with David E. Sanger, Fresh Air, PBS, December 8, 2010)
This collaboration between Wikileaks and selected mainstream media is not fortuitous; it was part of an agreement between several major US and European newspapers and Wikileaks' editor Julian Assange. The important question is who controls and oversees the selection, distribution and editing of released documents to the broader public? What US foreign policy objectives are being served through this redacting process? Is Wikileaks part of an awakening of public opinion, of a battle against the lies and fabrications which appear daily in the print media and on network TV? If so, how can this battle against media disinformation be waged with the participation and collaboration of the corporate architects of media disinformation? Wikileaks has enlisted the architects of media disinformation to fight media disinformation: An incongruous and self-defeating procedure.
To read the entire article please click the following link. http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=22389 I'm curious what everyone here thinks after reading this?
-Nano
cargocollective.com/pinkelephantcollective
Google Nano Thermite 911, Building 7
"An Elephant Never Forgets...."
Denmark
I read somewhere that the entire embassy cables data set has reached a newspaper in Denmark in its original form. This is an opportunity for someone else to release the information in a different format.
Now that the entire file has leaked out (as we should have expected it to) to one location, we should now expect it to eventually leak out to many other locations. Eventually, it will find its way in original form to those not connected in any way to the media, and hopefully it'll find its way to the rest of us.
There have been many theories and counter-theories regarding Wikileaks that time may need to unravel, but I think, as the saying goes, the cat is now out of the bag. There's still a good chance that we may see the opening of a new floodgate of repression by The Empire, but hopefully, Wikileaks will eventually become just an historical footnote in a new world of openness and freedom for us all.
In any case, I think it's too early to tell what effect Wikileaks will ultimately have for the progress of humanity, and for the evolution of human consciousness.
No Hiding of Information ... PERIOD
Joanna,
Excellent post! Thank you for highlighting the parallel between Tim and Julian because the players and the "story" specifics may have changed but the "big brother" is still acting in its nefarious ways!
Both incarcerations were/are trying to shut out the voice of reason and truth.
Govt. behavior will not change whether it is Nixon or Obama or Dems or Repubs ...
you are right when you say...
We need to care about each other, this is the true revolution and it has far reaching implications.
The only way is for us all to care about each other regardless of the impossibility of it ... even Govt. comprises of people.
Thank you for sharing your ordealand wisdom ...
Here's to creating a momentum of caring and true transparency !!!
Sanjiv
What is Anger
United States of the Heart
Thank you, Joanna, for your beautiful piece!
With your so well attuned heart, you have seen the archetypal correlation between these times and the late sixties...
According to Richard Tarnas:
"Potent energies that seem to happen whenever Uranus and Pluto move into alignment. Last time it happened was from 1960 to 1972. This time it goes from late 2007 until 2020.(...) There seems to be an intensification of an impulse for radical change and an empowerment of reformist forces, but also a tendency for more social and political turmoil. Technological advances are accelerated, but so also are demographic and social disruptions. Typically, there are more liberation movements and civil rights movements and feminist impulses at work..."
Together in the Heart, we can!
Keep the good work, Joanna!
"The SACRED (whatever that means) is surely related (somehow) to the BEAUTIFUL (whatever that means)..."
Gregory Bateson
Confinement for Substance Possession = Cruel and Unusual TORTURE
"Government does not care about us. Big business does not care about us. We need to care about each other."
Love it.
I recently spent 4 days in solitary confinement for 3.5 pills of ecstasy found in my car one night when I was being the SOBER, designated driver. A State Trooper was dangerously tailgating me for several miles when he decided to pull me over for "drifting" (it was very, very windy that night, and I call bullhonky on his claim - but he refused to let me see the video).
He made me get out of my car and come towards his, where he began grabbing and groping at me (I'm a female) entirely inappropriately, claiming he needed to know what all was in my pockets. He did this about 6 more times over the course of the night.
The State Trooper had me sit in his car, follow a pen with my eyes, but then didn't even have to breathalyze me to verify that I was indeed sober and had not been drinking. Yet, he told me my car smelled like alcohol and he was going to search it for open containers. I told him no. I told him no several times and that he would need a warrant. But he said that he didn't and that was gonna do it anyway.
He finally has my passengers get out of my car and he went through the whole thing, even trying to rip my console and seats out. He found my prescription pills, some marijuana, and the ecstasy. But he didn't even question the boys about it. He told me it didn't matter what I said, I was in trouble. I was his PRIZE. He arrested me, had me sit in the hard back "criminal's" seat of his cop car for many many hours, and had me locked up.
Now I'm looking at a felony drug charge and getting locked back up again for up to 500 days. They wouldn't even let me outside for fresh air the 4 days I was there. I'm an outdoorsy girl - it was pure torture!!
I have a public defender, but am not very confident in him. I've been trying to find my own lawyer but it will cost me thousands of dollars, which I don't have. The medical industry has been doing its best to keep me broke (I have pretty severe allergies, asthma, fibromyalgia, ADD). The whole thing is awful. Awful awful awful.
All for being the sober, designated driver and for a few pills that do a lot of people a lot of good.
Baby Sleep
I cannot imagine a more
I have not now..
the green vomit syndrome
Thanks