Money, Money, Money

In Moliere’s play, The Miser, the miser ponders whether man lives to eat or eats to live. In our contemporary world the question is whether one lives to make money or does one need money to live. Money is the new God, the dominant power that is worshipped, as well as the source that is blamed for many of the converging crises which are creating havoc throughout the world. There is a growing outrage over those who create money, the bankers, who are becoming richer during the financial crisis, while ordinary people are losing their homes, their jobs, and facing hunger.

Will Greece have to sell off its islands? Will governments be forced to sell their assets? Is the war in Afghanistan really about controlling the heroine traffic and the cash which props up the zombie banks to keep the global casino wheels spinning?

Back in the early nineties I was shocked to learn about how the monetary system worked, outraged. As a media activist, I realized that one couldn’t even begin to talk or teach about the problems with money before educating people about global economics or what we named “corporate globalization.” I organized a few conferences on “Strategies to Transform the Global Economy” with a focus on money. I was convinced the financial system was doomed and advocated “local currencies” to raise consciousness about money and help us to shift from a “war economy” to a “peace economy.” I must admit, I felt a bit guilty to have always had money, to have had a generous trust fund and to have inherited a substantial amount which I gave away to change the system, in hopes of helping to create a better future for my children and all children. I was expecting the financial crisis to hit us much sooner, but I think the smokescreen of the corporate media, rewriting the rules of the game to permit and encourage financial fraud, the orchestration of new wars and assaults upon civil rights everywhere prolonged the realization that humanity was being robbed.

In the wake of 9/11, I organized the first rally/march demanding an investigation of 9/11. I was surprised by the strength of the attacks against just questioning the official story and the extreme censorship about the most basic, disturbing facts surrounding the events. In cooperation with the Canadian artist Blaine Machan, to overcome media censorship, we began publishing the Deception Dollars, a humorous fake bill with social commentary and many of the key websites questioning the official 9/11 story. The popularity of the bills helped fund the budding Truth Movement. I joked that I was rich, having made (literally) millions of dollars. They were so much fun to give away in the streets, at anti-war rallies, at events. Over the years, we published 11 issues, including Media Deception, Election Deception dollars, and in 2007 we made the first "Conception Dollars” focusing on hopeful solutions, to help us shift from empire towards community, to challenge the dominant narrative and inspire “HOPE” which was written in bold on the backside, instead of the traditional “ONE.” That was before Obama used that word for his campaign.

Witnessing the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center buildings and the economy, I was inspired to create a new Deception Dollar to educate people about “Continuity of Government” and the masks used to further corporate globalization/militarization regardless of political party. Fortunately, a growing number of people no longer trust nor believe the spin and are redirecting their time and energy from the dying institutions towards budding efforts to save, heal, nurture, meet the needs of their consciences, their families, communities, humanity, nature, those in dire need. A shift in consciousness is taking place as systems fail, trust is broken, doors clos,e and new doors and possibilities are being discovered.

Critics of the monetary system were ignored and marginalized back in the 90’s; few people were willing to look at a subject which was so closely entwined with their personal sense of identity. In the wake of the gross bank bailouts, foreclosures, bankruptcies, suddenly people want to know and understand what is happening around them, as their lives are buffeted by powerful forces that seem beyond their control.

I host a new weekly radio show on the Progressive Radio Network entitled“Community Currency” which is archived online, and we have done shows on creating a new state bank in California (based on the North Dakota model) to solve California’s fiscal crisis with Green Party candidate for governor, Laura Wells, and Ellen Brown, author of The Web of Debt- The Shocking Truth About Our Money System - The Sleight of Hand That Has Trapped Us in Debt And How We Can Break Free, on the idea of “public banking” with Michael Sauvante. The upcoming shows will feature Mike Nickerson, author of Life, Money & Illusion- Living on Earth as if we want to stay on Thursday, March 18th (2-3 pm Pacific Time) and Charles Eisenstein, author of The Ascent of Humanity- The Age of Separation, the Age of Reunion, and the convergence of crises that is birthing the transition on Thursday, March 25th, both authors have profound insights into the evolution of our sense of self and human civilization.

When I first tried to teach people about money, it was extremely difficult because there was so much information to be “unlearned.” The people who grasped it most quickly were the first graders in my son’s class. He is now a senior, majoring in Economics. This weekend he called me to ask for the best questions to pose to Edward F. McKelvey, VP & Senior Economist at Goldman Sachs who will be having lunch and speaking to students at Oberlin College. Goldman Sachs played a major role in the collapse of the Mexican, Russian, and now the American economy, much to the detriment of the people in those countries, and to the enrichment of Goldman Sachs management, who have been in the revolving door controlling policy through the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury Department. I hope that my son and his classmates will pose the tough questions to McKelvey, whom I suspect was an accomplice in the largest financial heist in history, judging by his resume alone.

The very recent publication of the Perception Dollars and the new Deception Dollars, including Trillion Dollar notes, has kept me busy, boxing and shipping the new bills all over the US and Canada, in hopes that they will be liberally distributed at the upcoming anti-war rallies and marches this weekend in Washington DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The theme of the marches is “Money 4 People, Not for War;” the Perception Dollars have 4’s in the corners- For Truth, For Peace, For Justice, For Ecological Wisdom.

In January, Ellen Brown and I were invited to participate in a panel discussion on Money at the Society of Christian Ethics annual conference organized by George Crowell, whom I met at theAmerican Monetary Institute’s Monetary Reform Conference last September. Prior to the panel discussion, George’s beautiful daughter, Sarah Crowell, organized a dance/theatrical performance by The Destiny Arts Center students entitled, “Money, Money, Money.” Through music, movement, hip hop, spoken word, the students gave an outstanding performance which exposed the problems, myths of the monetary system and pointed towards how we could reinvent money to serve people and life. The Destiny Arts Center will include the “Money, Money, Money” piece into their big annual show which opens this Friday, March 19th- through Saturday March 27th at the Laney College Theatre in Oakland. The annual show is appropriately entitled "ASYLUM" and is a dance/ theatre/ martial arts performance about finding your own power. The show should appeal to young and old who are trying to make sense of the “crazy” times that we are living in and trying to chart a new course for their lives.

San Francisco will also be hosting a conference on “The Future of Money and Technology” Monday, April 26th all day at the Hotel Kabuki which will bring together a wide range of people who have thought about money, and how it could be transformed through various technologies and our understanding of what money is an how we can change the rules of the “Money Game.”

Does money define your life or limit your choices? Can you define money and use it in accordance with your deepest values and purpose? Consciously or unconsciously our lives reflect our understanding and beliefs of ourselves and the world and our life’s purpose.