\nand Change We Can Believe In! <\/span><\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/exopolitics.org\/images\/obama-change.jpg\")
President-Elect
\nBarack Obama elicits a range of responses by observers of U.S. politics.
\nAt one end of the spectrum are his supporters who view him as the harbinger
\nof great changes in the U.S. that will wipe away eight years of mismanagement
\nunder the Bush administration. His supporters view his political appointments
\nas pragmatic choices that will overturn Bush administration policies
\non a range of issues such as the economy, energy, environment, health
\ncare, and a disastrous Iraq war. Supporters point to him as the physical
\nembodiment of the kind of change called for by Martin Luther King where
\npeople are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content
\nof their character. For many of Obama's supporters, he physically embodies
\na profound change in U.S. society and politics. They implicitly view
\nhim as a supporter of the deeper policy changes desired by social progressives
\nin a range of areas. Obama instills in his supporters a sense of hope
\nas perhaps no U.S. President before him has done. <\/p>\n
At the other end of the spectrum are those that view Obama as a creature
\nof corporate interests that pulled him out of obscurity to make him
\na media sensation. They claim that key phrases used in his Presidential
\ncampaign, 'hope' and 'change', are empty political slogans used to mask
\nthe reality that he will simply enact the policies of his corporate
\nmasters. Critics view internet driven scandals of Obama as evidence
\nthat he will be controlled behind the scenes by those with the ability
\nto manipulate such scandals to their advantage. Furthermore, Obama's
\ncritics point to his senior advisors as tainted political figures from
\nearlier Presidential administrations whose loyalties lies in the corporations
\nthat have previously employed or funded them. The oil and armaments
\nindustries are regularly cited as among the most powerful lobby groups
\nthat routinely sway Presidential administrations to support military
\nsolutions to international problems. For Obama's critics, there is little
\nprospect of any real change by an Obama administration.<\/p>\n
How does one reconcile these disparate responses to President Obama
\ninto a coherent understanding of the kind of changes to be ushered in
\nby his upcoming Presidential administration? What I propose is a simple
\ndistinction in how we perceive the kind of changes that an Obama administration
\nwill introduce. We need to distinguish between "policy change"
\nand "consciousness change". <\/p>\n
As far as policy change is concerned, an Obama administration cannot
\nbe expected to depart too drastically from current and previous presidential
\nadministrations in a number of key policy areas. While there might be
\nincremental policy changes in areas such as science, the environment,
\neducation and health, the underlying way in which Washington does business
\nwill remain the same. Powerful lobbyists will sway political representatives
\nto vote consistently on a range of policies that favor major corporate
\ninterests. As far as national security is concerned, an Obama administration
\nwill continue to be swayed by the same alliance of corporations, militant
\nlobby groups and nations that supported the Iraq war, and pushed aggressively
\nfor a new war against Iran. <\/p>\n
Taking a more aggressive military stance in Afghanistan seems to be
\nthe way Obama has decided to compromise for the moment with such an
\nalliance of pro-war interest groups. However, a military build-up in
\nAfghanistan will only continue to stoke tensions in the region. Renewed
\ncalls for a war against Iran will emerge and it remains to be seen how
\nObama will react to a concerted effort by pro-war interest groups in
\nfavor of militant policies. So in that sense, Obama's critics have reason
\nto be pessimistic about the prospects of any real change by his administration
\nin key policy areas. <\/p>\n
What needs to be considered, however, is the consciousness change that
\nan Obama Presidential administration will usher in to the U.S. political
\nsystem, and how this impacts on the policy process. Obama physically
\nembodies the kind of racial equality that has long been a dream of the
\ncivil rights movement in the U.S. and more generally around the planet.
\nIn that sense, the mere inauguration of the first African American President
\nwill do much to reconcile historic racial animosities, and change the
\nway Americans perceive themselves. Obama may or may not make any grand
\nofficial gesture of racial reconciliation or apology for past injustices
\nagainst African Americans. Nevertheless, his Presidency and the different
\nminorities that comprise his Cabinet constitute a fundamental change
\nin public attitudes towards minorities. For many civil rights supporters,
\nan Obama Presidency symbolizes a fundamental consciousness change in
\nthe U.S. body politic where merit determines one's suitability for leadership
\nroles. That will inspire countless talented individuals in the U.S.
\nand around the world to believe in themselves and their ability to reach
\ntheir fullest potential. <\/p>\n
President-Elect Obama has taken initiatives to have his administration
\nbecome the most open and responsive to public interests than any previous
\nPresidential administration. His transition website, Change.Gov, has
\nadopted a number of social networking internet tools. Individuals can
\nnow give their opinions on a range of policy issues; vote on key questions
\nthey would like the administration to prioritize; make available many
\ndocuments discussed in meetings with outside interest groups. Change.Gov
\neven gives each individual their own webpage where they can track their
\nopinions, votes, and dialogue concerning the Obama administration. The
\nObama transition team's use of the social networking tools will give
\na younger generation of Americans a real sense that the Presidency is
\nOpen and responsive to its citizen's concerns. <\/p>\n
The above are some of the concrete consciousness changes that will
\nbe ushered in by an Obama Presidency. At this point, I would like to
\noffer a brief overview of how consciousness change occurs at a global
\nlevel and how this relates to an Obama administration.<\/p>\n
The best source for understanding the concept of 'global consciousness'
\nand how it affects the evolution of life on Earth is Tielhard de Chardin
\nand his concept of the 'noosphere'. The noosphere was an evolving composite
\nof humanity's thoughts, feelings and social relationships that evolved
\nsteadily upward towards a fuller manifestation of human potential. De
\nChardin's thoughts on a 'global consciousness' were independently supported
\nby theorists such as Carl Jung who discovered archetypes of the 'collective
\nunconscious' of humanity. More recently, popular researchers such as
\nGregg Bradden and Lyn McTaggart have cited scientific evidence for the
\nexistence of a unified global consciousness grid around the planet.\n<\/p>\n
Scientific support for the idea of a global consciousness is provided So how does the idea of a global consciousness relate to the Obama An Obama administration is likely to take a number of highly symbolic Another way that global consciousness relates to the upcoming Obama Obama's critics might be willing to concede that he does instill genuine Such criticisms are short sighted insofar as they profoundly underestimate In the modern era, an idea whose time has come is that of the reality The infusion of new ideas, relationships and ways of looking at the
\nby a Project at Princeton University. The Global
\nConsciousness Project <\/a>has tracked major global events and how they
\nimpact on the 'collective consciousness' of humanity. Global events
\nsuch as the deaths of Princes Dianna and Mother Theresa; the 911 attack;
\nthe opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games; and even the November
\n4, 2008 election of Barack Obama have all had a measurable impact on
\nglobal consciousness.<\/p>\n
\nadministration? The first is the hope of racial equality that his presidency
\nembodies by nature of Obama's own ethnic background. His father was
\na black Kenyan citizen of Muslim heritage that married his white mother
\nfrom Kansas with a Christian background. Obama also spent four formative
\nyears in Indonesia where he was schooled with local Indonesians who
\nwere largely Muslim. Perceptions of racial inequality and domination
\nby European peoples and their descendents is still a pervasive legacy
\nof colonialism around the planet. Perhaps nowhere was Obama's election
\ncelebrated more than in African and Muslim nations that could easily
\nidentify with his background. <\/p>\n
\nsteps to reconcile the U.S. with the international community. Among
\nthese is anticipated to be a major policy speech in an important Muslim
\nnation. This will do much to address deep grievances against recent
\nU.S. policies in the Muslim world. Furthermore, the symbolism and policy
\nchanges in such speeches will do much to reconcile historic and contemporary
\nanimosities between the developed world, and many nations in the undeveloped
\nworld. <\/p>\n
\nadministration is through the social networks that he is establishing
\nwith U.S. citizens through the internet. The concept of a global consciousness
\nis physically represented through the communications infrastructure
\nof the internet. The internet probably more than anything else physically
\nsymbolizes the noosphere or 'global consciousness' that Chardin was
\narguing to be a critical factor in the evolution of humanity. The social
\nnetworking that the Obama administration has initiated through its Change.Gov
\nsight will significantly impact on the development of a more unified
\nglobal consciousness. This will facilitate the free exchange of ideas
\nand establishment of relationships that will accelerate consciousness
\nchange in a range of key policy areas.<\/p>\n
\nhope of profound social changes for many around the world, and does
\nfacilitate greater networking between U.S. government and citizens.
\nThese benefits, according to his critics, pale in significance to the
\nstranglehold on policy created by corporate interests that control key
\npersonnel in his administration. The hope for a positive future and
\nsocial networking induced by the Obama administration are seen as the
\nproverbial velvet glove covering the steel fist of corporate capitalism
\nthat will ultimately crush the hopes of many in the U.S. and around
\nthe world. <\/p>\n
\nthe impact that consciousness change has on the policy making process.
\nMany historical events provide evidence of how changes in consciousness
\nled to profound policy changes despite the opposition of powerful interest
\ngroups. Historic social movements such as anti-slavery, women's suffrage,
\ncivil rights, environment, peace, etc., all arose from consciousness
\nchanges among citizens the world over on key political ideas. These
\nideas had been in place for centuries and led to official policies that
\nwere staunchly defended by those who saw them as part of the natural
\norder of society. The consciousness changes ultimately led to private
\ncitizens mobilizing to force political elites to shift their support
\naway from outdated ideas and policies. As Victor Hugo, the celebrated
\nFrench once said: "Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time
\nhas come." <\/p>\n
\nof extraterrestrial life and the public policy implications of a government
\ncover up of this reality. After Obama's election, a campaign began to
\nhave a million faxes or letters sent to President-Elect Obama asking
\nfor him to release classified information concerning UFOs and extraterrestrial
\nlife. The Million Fax on Washington
\n<\/a> campaign is one of the many initiatives that are part of the rapidly
\ngrowing exopolitics movement that is focused on the public policy implications
\nof extraterrestrial life. The cover up of such life has for long been
\na major concern for most interested in the reality of the UFO phenomenon
\nand the extraterrestrial hypothesis. Obama's appointment of John Podesta
\nas Co-chair of the Presidential Transition Team, an open advocate for
\nthe release of files concerning UFOs, signals a profound shift in official
\npolicy on evidence concerning UFOs and extraterrestrial life is on the
\nhorizon. <\/p>\n
\nworld does ultimately bring about profound policy changes. Insofar as
\nPresident-Elect Obama embodies and facilitates profound consciousness
\nchange in the U.S. and around the world, he does ultimately represent
\nchange we can believe in. For those of us in the exopolitics movement,
\nthis leads to growing optimism that the resulting policy changes will
\nfinally reveal the truth about extraterrestrial life, and the advanced
\nknowledge and technology they bring. Have a Merry Christmas. \n<\/p>\n