the Feather
If you could have President Obama's ear for a few minutes, what would you say to him?
April 1, 2009
Dear Barack…Mr. President,

I offer this message with the utmost respect for your position and a deep appreciation for the challenges faced by you and your cabinet, by our country and government, by our states and communities and the people of this nation and the world at large. I salute you for your tremendous accomplishments so far and thank you for your smart, bold and inspiring leadership.

Nothing speaks louder to the difficulty of our challenges than the two main themes of your campaign: Hope and Change. I cannot agree more. When faced with problems of a seemingly insurmountable nature, hope must be the ground we walk upon and change the imperative of our first steps. It is in this spirit, I write this letter to you.

Where to begin?

I look around at the world in all directions, close and far, and I see much that is ugly, disgusting really, in terms of the way humans treat each other, discrepancies and inconsistencies in civil rights, violations against the Earth and sorry treatment of our environment.  Yet looking in the same manner, in all directions close and far, I also see much that is good and getting better all the time.

Idealist that I am, my approach is to focus the bulk of my attention on the good and go from there. So, as I see it, what is the good?

The first thing I see is all the people who support you, common folks like you and I who recognize that things have gone wrong and want to help set them right. These are the critical masses so to speak that are eager and ready, each in their own way, to help create, lead and follow a brighter future.

So what is that brighter future?

That is easy enough to see. I look around at the still vast and relatively wild lands in this country and beyond, and see a beauty completely natural and independent of man. Save our respect and preservation, this land needs nothing from us, yet by virtue of its sheer existence, it gives us all. Many people from all walks of life, from imminent scientist to common citizen, see the absolute necessity of these pristine places.

Let us protect these lands where they are still pure and make amends where human activity has spoiled them. For where there are great big swaths of wilderness---from coast to coast, mountains to plains, deserts to wetlands---there is a bright future. And let this be our first step to true recompense for the past 500 years of trespasses against the native peoples of this land.

Looking at the opposite direction of untouched wilderness, where the hand of human activity creates art and technology, I see in the best of these things a brighter future too. More to the point, let us dedicate the thrust of our genius to creative and constructive uses as opposed to violence and destructive forces. Instead of endless defense spending, let us now shift our priorities and begin investing the bulk of our money, time and energy directly into creating the good things we want---even if that bulk is only 1% more.

Along this direction, let us take at least 51% of the current military budget and put that money in other areas of technology, namely: space exploration, alternative energy innovation and a network of high-efficiency rail transportation both within and between our major cities and states.

Such a re-budgeting necessitates neither the loss of any jobs nor dismantling the so-called military-industrial complex. Rather, job titles and descriptions will change from soldier to technician, general to engineer, etc., while the focus of industry shifts its devotion from tanks to trains, heavy-artillery to light-rail and fighter planes to spaceships.

I suggest that as we reprioritize and redirect our nation’s efforts, so too we will see our economic woes diminish. Furthermore, the intangible rewards of such goodwill and beneficent effort will stretch across this country to all people and the world around.

Such a plan may sound extreme. Yet I submit that the current directive of this nation---this singular, unwavering and endless effort to root-out “the terrorists” in the world---is, by all definition, insane. It is simply not working. And yet we just keep on going, operating from these highly questionable, if not outright false assumptions that terrorism can be stopped or controlled with more (counter) terrorism and that terrorist behavior and the capacity for terrorist behavior can be isolated in certain individuals or groups.

But it’s easy enough to see that terrorism, under certain provocative conditions, can occur anytime, anywhere, and in anyone. Terrorism knows no national or racial boundaries. A quick scan of the newspaper shows that various terrorist acts occur within the borders of this country every day---on our streets, in our schools and in our homes. Why?

Is not terrorism but a symptom of a much deeper (psychological) problem? Does not this symptom spring from the absolute frustrations of inequality, injustice, oppression and exploitation? And from where do these spring if not from an unhealthy relationship dynamic---whether between groups or between individuals---whereby unilateral dominance, control and profit is the ultimate aim and end result.

This nation’s current war against terrorism is, in effect, attempting to cure skin cancer by burning the sores with acid…and when this does not work, we apply more acid.

I submit that if terrorism is to be diminished and ultimately abolished, our efforts must be refocused on a deeper understanding and accommodation of human psychology and biology and a higher standard of ethical practice, not an ever-better, ever-expanding military strategy.

Clearly, this nation’s war on drugs fairs no better. It’s a sorry state of governance that thinks it can, for very long anyway, pull the wool over the eyes of its citizens, especially its brighter young ones. History demonstrates the cost of such lies, as the trust and confidence of future generations in their leaders erodes.

Thank you for the initial steps you have taken so far to correct this nation’s drug policy. Quite bluntly, the DEA and company needs to get real. Marijuana should be readily available to anyone who wants it, sick or otherwise. Because yes, it is good medicine and yes, it is by far a safer “recreational” substance than alcohol and today’s nicotine-enhanced tobacco. In light of all current evidence, any government and medical establishment that does not recognize this direct fact offends all rationality, intelligence and sense of fair play.

This offense to common sense can only continue for so long until confidence in authority collapses and the ground of leadership falls away.

Medicine…a cash crop for farmers…paper…fiber…fuel…the benefits of marijuana and hemp go on and on. And the longer this fact is suppressed rather than worked-with, the greater is our suspicion of dirty-business going-on in Washington and beyond, until finally we know for sure complete corruption is there.

The current financial crisis only verifies the depth and extent of this corruption. Do they really believe they are that clever and we are that blind and stupid? Common folks, from all parties and all walks of life are growing ever-frustrated and filled-to-the-gills with this game. And to pump more money back into it? Again, diagnosis…insane.

I challenge, for every dollar that has now been re-invested into this sorry excuse for business, another dollar be given to “mom and pop”…the little guy…the forward-thinking entrepreneur…the ethical businessperson today and of the future…the sustainability-minded permaculture movement and so forth. And the sooner this is done the better.

I have said most of what I wish and now pass the Feather to one of my brothers. Thank you for lending me your ear Mr. President and considering my words Barack.

Peace, good will and success to you and this nation of great people you now lead.


Most sincerely,

Dean Frankmore