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Baring Witness to the Dalai Lama's Prediction
Today the Pulitzer Prize-winning Point Reyes Light newspaper, in West Marin County, California, published a front-page photo of a Baring Witness naked protest. Seven years ago, the paper published the first Baring Witness photograph, protesting the impending war on Iraq. This time, thirteen women (and two men) spelled out "NO WAR" with their naked bodies, in protest against the escalation of the Afghanistan War.
"We are so alarmed that President Obama would continue the lie of "War Is Peace". The only excuse for it would be that he is under threat from the military-industrial complex, as were John and Bobby Kennedy." said Donna Sheehan, who co-founded the organization with her partner, Paul Reffell. "The simple act of lying naked on the earth creates feelings of connection and peace from which all decision-makers could benefit. We encourage all our elected officials and the lobbyists who influence them to try it on the next sunny day in D.C."
Baring Witness uses the power of feminine vulnerability to express the need for peaceful social stability and frustration with violence. The public and media reaction to the original photographs was so intense and positive that it inspired Sheehan and Reffell to write a book on evolutionary behavior and gender misunderstandings, Redefining Seduction: Women Initiating Courtship, Partnership & Peace. (www.RedefiningSeduction.com)
Perhaps the book inspired the Dalai Lama, who recently said "The world will be saved by the Western woman". Sheehan hopes the Baring Witness photo, which can be seen at www.BaringWitness.org ,will encourage women (and men) to speak out against armed conflict everywhere.
For more info, contact:
Donna Sheehan, Paul
Reffell, 415.663.8058, partnership@
Photo credit: Elizabeth Fenwick
17 Comments so far
Show Allnaked non-aggression
....yes, that's nice, but back here on Planet Earth well-meaning but wacky stunts like this just serve to marginalize the peace movement even more than it already is.
Does this marginalize the peace movement? To me, no. Especially when connected to the commentary of re-establishing a human consciousness aware of humanity's organic relation with Earth. That type of connectedness would do the war against war anti-war movement proponents well to consider along with the war mongers. Not that everyone needs to lay around naked, but without a consciously aware organic relationship with the Earth there is no peace movement; this is why the anti-war self-righteous stridency predominates as opposed to coming up with anything to replace current war bahvior -- it has no truly oragnically based peace vibration. Up to this point very few people realize it, but it is why Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Peace is the way" and Jesus said, "Peace be with you".
This might bring up a good activist activity. Next summer a few thousand people get naked at the Washington monument, lay in the grass for an hour, and then go petition Congress for peace. Of course with their cloths back on! But also mantaining a true peace vibe.
Peace....and Peace be with you.....for me, I'm heading South and finding a green patch of grass to commune with.
"The simple act of lying naked on the earth creates feelings of connection and peace from which all decision-makers could benefit. We encourage all our elected officials and the lobbyists who influence them to try it on the next sunny day in D.C."
This I'd like to see. But, then again, maybe not!
AC/DC: Uncle 'Bomb and Bombo Eruption Billary first!
why do they have to be naked? I mean what is the point in that? Plus Obama just won the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE so he cannot be a war president.
"The simple act of lying naked on the earth creates feelings of connection and peace from which all decision-makers could benefit. We encourage all our elected officials and the lobbyists who influence them to try it on the next sunny day in D.C."
It's time for humanity to realize we are orgainic spiritual beings or it is time for the human experiment with Earth to end. If you look at Kirlian photos you see there is an energy field of a human body. Even if you wear organic clothing you will block the harmonious flow of creative sexual enery (no, it doesn't always have to be creative sexual energy in copulation; this is only a minimal fraction of total creative sexual energy expression). Trees vibrate at somewhere around 9 hz and the Earth 6 hz(?), so spending time naked in nature harmonizes the various vibrations of the human energy flow form.
Unless one suffers from severe neurosis the act will be one of pleasure and builds the composure of peace. Of course most of US are severely neurotic so the act can be sensed as threatening; in the most severe cases the person can go into murderous rage so take it slow in the beginning.
Appreciate the sacrifice of these women. Six inches of snow where I live today. Such a display here would be asking too much.
This, and an "Open Letter" should do the trick.
You're thinking perhaps the mighty hammer of cynicism will help?
Oh! So show Obama OUR Baracksides? Indeed.
I can't tell which party these people belong to or if they're hippies or conservatives or what, are they even American? I would join them, but I'm an independent so I like people to actually show their colors before I decide. I suppose I could do this on my own... any other independents out there want to come dot my I?
Not sure if you're attempting irony, or just glib. You want others to show their colors, because as an independent you feel you are showing your colors? Why not simply consider thinking independently?
The off-handed suggestion Obama is under some threat, should not be so off-handed. He surely was warned, and everyone should know by now the power of this Pentagon, and their affinity for using it. I would say if it isn't obvious this Pentagon is calling the shots, and Obama knows what the consequences are for fulfilling his obligation as the President. So if he knew, and if it's true, he deserves what he gets from both sides.
I see little PR-benefit in these western-centric displays of nakedness. in the global south, - particularly the regions the US is abusing, standards of modesty are somewhat higher than the west.
Are we in the global south? I think we should accept our own way as much as we accept theirs.
Now these people are Really Putting There ALL into it Aint They! And for all you folks out there who dream of a better way of life I can offer this invite:
Imagine a World where:
*Criminality & Other Hostile behaviors no longer plague Humankind…
*Humans Love, Respect & Work for Each Others Benefit. Thus Money is no longer required for Life, Liberty & Happiness…
*Disease no longer attacks the Human body…
*The creation of New Offspring no longer requires the destruction of the lovely human Female form…
*The Human Female no longer needs to endure a painful monthly ‘Curse’…
*Humans are of One basic bronze coloring. Thus eliminating any potential for Racial discord…
*The Human Male & Female form is carefully sculpted from the molecular level to ensure no deformities…
*Beautiful, Loving, Open Sex with Total Nudity is the norm of society…
*Religion no longer exists to SCAM Humankind with a False promise of mystical salvation…
*Real Science is made available for the limitless advancement of Humankind…
*Terms such as: Man, Woman, Young & Old no longer apply. Instead, Male, Female & for a time, ‘New Offspring’…
*The Human body can endure for hundreds if not Thousands of years until multiple system failures cause the system to crash…
*Male & Female Sexual equipment is enhanced for maximum pleasure & comfort…
*Every Human is Planned, Wanted, Accepted & Loved!...
This is the story of: Tomorrow’s World #1 by Steve Nelson
Just Google this book Title and Author Today! Please Enjoy!
*** I wish I could put a picture of the Nice Cover Art of my book here, but there seems to be no way to do it. So just look me up via the various Internet search engines and you'll soon arrive at my site. There you can read nice excerpts and give my story a try.
You can Dream of a better future too. Thank You, Steve Nelson