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The Plea - Compassion and love as fundamental to the continued survival of our species

Published on 3/22/2008

By Stephen M. Apatow

We have some huge challenges on the table, but together, we can build a better future. "All We Need is Love" may be a simple phrase, but it encompasses the means through which we can heal the wounds inflicted by hate, selfishness and greed, and represents a common interfaith focus (The Ultimate Objective, Humanitarian Resource Institute): And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love:agape), I am nothing..... And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love: agape), it profiteth me nothing. -- I Corinthians 13: 2-3 As expressed by the Dalai Lama: "Compassion and love are not mere luxuries. As the source both of inner and external peace, they are fundamental to the continued survival of our species." -- The Four Immeasurables: Love, Compassion, Sympathetic joy, Rudy Harderwijk, A View on Buddhism. The soundtrack "The Plea" (MySpace Music, Artistopia) encompasses dialogue in real policy discussions associated with national and international security and the needs of our neighbors, both here in the United States and abroad. As our neighbors and the international community bleed in the midst of a global economic crisis, it is helpful to reflect upon the terrorist objective that took down the World Trade Center Buildings and hit the Pentagon: The need to make the economies of the US and its allies bleed. -- Pan-Islamic Jihadis and Economic Terrorism International Terrorism Monitor: Paper no. 49, South Asia Analysis Group, Paper no. 1779, 27. 04. 2006. One simple strategic objective in a military exercise is to exploit the vulnerability of an enemy. One such example, includes: The market for all of the side bets, called credit default swaps, exploded from $6.4 trillion in 2004 to at least $43 trillion at the end of 2007, far surpassing the total value of the debt markets, according to the Bank for International Settlements..... In a letter published in Investment Outlook, Gross, the PIMCO managing director, warned that the swaps market represents a "bank of shadows" largely because it operates without anyone watching. "Credit default swaps are perhaps the most egregious offenders" of all derivatives, Gross wrote. "Throw in an embarrassed regulatory network consisting of the Fed and Congressional watchdogs asleep at their post, and you have a recipe for credit contraction -- a run on the shadow banking system." -- Complex Financial Trades Worry Economy Watchers: Washington Post, Friday, January 25, 2008; Page D01. Bear Stearns (the 5th largest Wall Street bank that survived the Great Depression) represents the first victim of the run on the shadow banking system. How large is the problem? The U.S. Federal Reserve is said to have $800 billion at it's disposal to assist in stabilization.... It used $400 billion to rescue Bear Stearns from Collapse. The variables that caused the Bear Stearns Collapse were associated with complex financial instruments associated with this "bank of shadows" that encompasses $43 Trillion at the end of 2007. This complex scenario provides us with a glimpse of the vulnerabilities that exist, in the context of economic weapons of mass destruction. We could go on for hours regarding every dollar on the oil futures market representing an additional $100 million per week in profits for countries such as Iran (part of the so-called Axis of Evil), the capacity for this money to be leveraged in the foreign exchange markets 200:1, etc., etc.......... There is a reason why vulnerabilities in the financial markets and the mechanism for transactions are a new focus of the Department of Defense and NATO (See: U.S. Agencies Should Systematically Assess Terrorists' Use of Alternative Financing Mechanisms, GAO-04-163, November 2003). The Plea - Soundtrack Show Me, Don't Tell Me Actions speak louder then words. What is the truth and what is spin in the midst of a profit at any cost mentality (including letting people die).-- International Public Health Emergency, Pathobiologics International. Protect Me, Don't Leave Me From 2000-2008 1.5-2.0 million Americans per year were allowed to crash in bankruptcy. Leaders stood by while the sub prime crisis continued only to respond when the system blew up as a result of the abuses that were under their regulatory control. In 2002-2003, Humanitarian Resource Institute begged for a policy response when it was evident these problems were spiraling out of control (Predatory Lending: Protecting America's Families), only to be ignored. Help Me, Don't Cheat Me The world is crying out for people who care. "Do unto others as you would have other do unto you" -------------------------------------------- Stephen Michael Apatow Founder, Humanitarian Resource Institute * MySpace Music: Stephen Michael Apatow * Director of Research and Development, Humanitarian University Consortium Graduate Studies Center for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Law. "Arts Integration into Education" promoting the arts as a vehicle for solution oriented strategic planning and development across the globe. -------------------------------------------- Note: The html enhanced release was posted on MySpace Music: www.myspace.com/apatow



Article Credits and References

Humanitarian Resource Institute www.humanitarian.net Arts Integration in Education: Bridging the Gap www.humanitarian.net/university/arts MySpace Music: Humanitarian www.myspace.com/apatow

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The Plea - Compassion and love as fundamental to the continued survival of our species