An Exopolitics Christmas Message: President-Elect Obama
and Change We Can Believe In!
President-Elect
Barack Obama elicits a range of responses by observers of U.S. politics.
At one end of the spectrum are his supporters who view him as the harbinger
of great changes in the U.S. that will wipe away eight years of mismanagement
under the Bush administration. His supporters view his political appointments
as pragmatic choices that will overturn Bush administration policies
on a range of issues such as the economy, energy, environment, health
care, and a disastrous Iraq war. Supporters point to him as the physical
embodiment of the kind of change called for by Martin Luther King where
people are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content
of their character. For many of Obama's supporters, he physically embodies
a profound change in U.S. society and politics. They implicitly view
him as a supporter of the deeper policy changes desired by social progressives
in a range of areas. Obama instills in his supporters a sense of hope
as perhaps no U.S. President before him has done.
At the other end of the spectrum are those that view Obama as a creature
of corporate interests that pulled him out of obscurity to make him
a media sensation. They claim that key phrases used in his Presidential
campaign, 'hope' and 'change', are empty political slogans used to mask
the reality that he will simply enact the policies of his corporate
masters. Critics view internet driven scandals of Obama as evidence
that he will be controlled behind the scenes by those with the ability
to manipulate such scandals to their advantage. Furthermore, Obama's
critics point to his senior advisors as tainted political figures from
earlier Presidential administrations whose loyalties lies in the corporations
that have previously employed or funded them. The oil and armaments
industries are regularly cited as among the most powerful lobby groups
that routinely sway Presidential administrations to support military
solutions to international problems. For Obama's critics, there is little
prospect of any real change by an Obama administration.
How does one reconcile these disparate responses to President Obama
into a coherent understanding of the kind of changes to be ushered in
by his upcoming Presidential administration? What I propose is a simple
distinction in how we perceive the kind of changes that an Obama administration
will introduce. We need to distinguish between "policy change"
and "consciousness change".
As far as policy change is concerned, an Obama administration cannot
be expected to depart too drastically from current and previous presidential
administrations in a number of key policy areas. While there might be
incremental policy changes in areas such as science, the environment,
education and health, the underlying way in which Washington does business
will remain the same. Powerful lobbyists will sway political representatives
to vote consistently on a range of policies that favor major corporate
interests. As far as national security is concerned, an Obama administration
will continue to be swayed by the same alliance of corporations, militant
lobby groups and nations that supported the Iraq war, and pushed aggressively
for a new war against Iran.
Taking a more aggressive military stance in Afghanistan seems to be
the way Obama has decided to compromise for the moment with such an
alliance of pro-war interest groups. However, a military build-up in
Afghanistan will only continue to stoke tensions in the region. Renewed
calls for a war against Iran will emerge and it remains to be seen how
Obama will react to a concerted effort by pro-war interest groups in
favor of militant policies. So in that sense, Obama's critics have reason
to be pessimistic about the prospects of any real change by his administration
in key policy areas.
What needs to be considered, however, is the consciousness change that
an Obama Presidential administration will usher in to the U.S. political
system, and how this impacts on the policy process. Obama physically
embodies the kind of racial equality that has long been a dream of the
civil rights movement in the U.S. and more generally around the planet.
In that sense, the mere inauguration of the first African American President
will do much to reconcile historic racial animosities, and change the
way Americans perceive themselves. Obama may or may not make any grand
official gesture of racial reconciliation or apology for past injustices
against African Americans. Nevertheless, his Presidency and the different
minorities that comprise his Cabinet constitute a fundamental change
in public attitudes towards minorities. For many civil rights supporters,
an Obama Presidency symbolizes a fundamental consciousness change in
the U.S. body politic where merit determines one's suitability for leadership
roles. That will inspire countless talented individuals in the U.S.
and around the world to believe in themselves and their ability to reach
their fullest potential.
President-Elect Obama has taken initiatives to have his administration
become the most open and responsive to public interests than any previous
Presidential administration. His transition website, Change.Gov, has
adopted a number of social networking internet tools. Individuals can
now give their opinions on a range of policy issues; vote on key questions
they would like the administration to prioritize; make available many
documents discussed in meetings with outside interest groups. Change.Gov
even gives each individual their own webpage where they can track their
opinions, votes, and dialogue concerning the Obama administration. The
Obama transition team's use of the social networking tools will give
a younger generation of Americans a real sense that the Presidency is
Open and responsive to its citizen's concerns.
The above are some of the concrete consciousness changes that will
be ushered in by an Obama Presidency. At this point, I would like to
offer a brief overview of how consciousness change occurs at a global
level and how this relates to an Obama administration.
The best source for understanding the concept of 'global consciousness'
and how it affects the evolution of life on Earth is Tielhard de Chardin
and his concept of the 'noosphere'. The noosphere was an evolving composite
of humanity's thoughts, feelings and social relationships that evolved
steadily upward towards a fuller manifestation of human potential. De
Chardin's thoughts on a 'global consciousness' were independently supported
by theorists such as Carl Jung who discovered archetypes of the 'collective
unconscious' of humanity. More recently, popular researchers such as
Gregg Bradden and Lyn McTaggart have cited scientific evidence for the
existence of a unified global consciousness grid around the planet.
Scientific support for the idea of a global consciousness is provided
by a Project at Princeton University. The Global
Consciousness Project has tracked major global events and how they
impact on the 'collective consciousness' of humanity. Global events
such as the deaths of Princes Dianna and Mother Theresa; the 911 attack;
the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games; and even the November
4, 2008 election of Barack Obama have all had a measurable impact on
global consciousness.
So how does the idea of a global consciousness relate to the Obama
administration? The first is the hope of racial equality that his presidency
embodies by nature of Obama's own ethnic background. His father was
a black Kenyan citizen of Muslim heritage that married his white mother
from Kansas with a Christian background. Obama also spent four formative
years in Indonesia where he was schooled with local Indonesians who
were largely Muslim. Perceptions of racial inequality and domination
by European peoples and their descendents is still a pervasive legacy
of colonialism around the planet. Perhaps nowhere was Obama's election
celebrated more than in African and Muslim nations that could easily
identify with his background.
An Obama administration is likely to take a number of highly symbolic
steps to reconcile the U.S. with the international community. Among
these is anticipated to be a major policy speech in an important Muslim
nation. This will do much to address deep grievances against recent
U.S. policies in the Muslim world. Furthermore, the symbolism and policy
changes in such speeches will do much to reconcile historic and contemporary
animosities between the developed world, and many nations in the undeveloped
world.
Another way that global consciousness relates to the upcoming Obama
administration is through the social networks that he is establishing
with U.S. citizens through the internet. The concept of a global consciousness
is physically represented through the communications infrastructure
of the internet. The internet probably more than anything else physically
symbolizes the noosphere or 'global consciousness' that Chardin was
arguing to be a critical factor in the evolution of humanity. The social
networking that the Obama administration has initiated through its Change.Gov
sight will significantly impact on the development of a more unified
global consciousness. This will facilitate the free exchange of ideas
and establishment of relationships that will accelerate consciousness
change in a range of key policy areas.
Obama's critics might be willing to concede that he does instill genuine
hope of profound social changes for many around the world, and does
facilitate greater networking between U.S. government and citizens.
These benefits, according to his critics, pale in significance to the
stranglehold on policy created by corporate interests that control key
personnel in his administration. The hope for a positive future and
social networking induced by the Obama administration are seen as the
proverbial velvet glove covering the steel fist of corporate capitalism
that will ultimately crush the hopes of many in the U.S. and around
the world.
Such criticisms are short sighted insofar as they profoundly underestimate
the impact that consciousness change has on the policy making process.
Many historical events provide evidence of how changes in consciousness
led to profound policy changes despite the opposition of powerful interest
groups. Historic social movements such as anti-slavery, women's suffrage,
civil rights, environment, peace, etc., all arose from consciousness
changes among citizens the world over on key political ideas. These
ideas had been in place for centuries and led to official policies that
were staunchly defended by those who saw them as part of the natural
order of society. The consciousness changes ultimately led to private
citizens mobilizing to force political elites to shift their support
away from outdated ideas and policies. As Victor Hugo, the celebrated
French once said: "Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time
has come."
In the modern era, an idea whose time has come is that of the reality
of extraterrestrial life and the public policy implications of a government
cover up of this reality. After Obama's election, a campaign began to
have a million faxes or letters sent to President-Elect Obama asking
for him to release classified information concerning UFOs and extraterrestrial
life. The Million Fax on Washington
campaign is one of the many initiatives that are part of the rapidly
growing exopolitics movement that is focused on the public policy implications
of extraterrestrial life. The cover up of such life has for long been
a major concern for most interested in the reality of the UFO phenomenon
and the extraterrestrial hypothesis. Obama's appointment of John Podesta
as Co-chair of the Presidential Transition Team, an open advocate for
the release of files concerning UFOs, signals a profound shift in official
policy on evidence concerning UFOs and extraterrestrial life is on the
horizon.
The infusion of new ideas, relationships and ways of looking at the
world does ultimately bring about profound policy changes. Insofar as
President-Elect Obama embodies and facilitates profound consciousness
change in the U.S. and around the world, he does ultimately represent
change we can believe in. For those of us in the exopolitics movement,
this leads to growing optimism that the resulting policy changes will
finally reveal the truth about extraterrestrial life, and the advanced
knowledge and technology they bring. Have a Merry Christmas.
Michael
E. Salla, Ph.D
Kona, Hawaii
12/25/08
www.Exopolitics.Org
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