And Man Shall Have Dominion

Tisdale - September 21, 1999
By: Timothy W. Shire

we have a gracious need to work with each other for the betterment of all
In the Hebrew/Christian world, the assumption that humans are to accept the mantel and responsibility of making use of this our home, our little rock drifting around an obscure star we call "Sole", we often fail to understand that as individuals our prime directive is not to dominate this planet ourselves, but we have a gracious need to work with each other for the betterment of all. Though the simplicity of working together should be cinch with only a brief amount of contemplation we immediately discover that we do better dealing with other species then with each other.

one must question what sort of life form are we
Today the resource ministers of the provincial governments of this country and the Federal Minister of the environment, are meeting to discuss a law that will provide some protection for animals and habitats of those species who have reached critically small enough numbers to be threatened with extinction. To be sure this is a noble cause, after all four billion years of this planet's life, so many life forms have come and gone, and if we can take some action that will preserve a few, it seems like a good idea. However, when it comes to our own species, we can look over a world map and point to place after place where humans are attempting to exterminate subgroups of our own kind. Though we all know of East Timor and Kosovo there are so many such situations that at this time, the end of the Twentieth Century, that one must question what sort of life form are we.

First Nations and racial hatred in the United States pushes the limit of what we can call civilised
I feel some how reduced in value as a living being, by knowing, that in my short life time, Germany attempted to remove from the planet all Jews and Gypsies. The slaughter in East Africa perhaps even tops the numbers killed by the Germans, India in various locations has vicious ethnic problems, Russia during the 1920s and now on its Southern border is involved in distressing situations. Then there is Tibet and the foolishness in Northern Ireland and who knows what will happen in South Africa. Even in our own continent we have little to be proud of with regard to the First Nations and racial hatred in the United States pushes the limit of what we can call civilised. Integration in the United States did not occur until only fifty years ago.

wealth and resources of the planet are being used by fewer and fewer, more and more each passing year
As the spread between the rich and the poor widens in our own country, that gap is exponentially developing between the developed countries and the so-called "third world". The wealth and resources of the planet are being used by fewer and fewer, more and more each passing year. As I squint at the blazing late day sun and realise that all people no matter where they live, look up and see the same light streaming down on them, the bounty in the fields around me, the failed attempt for agricultural people to work together to both feed the world and have enough return to sustain themselves, all seems to be so simple. Is it childish idealism that suggests that we must find ways to work together for the good of all?

we can make sense out of our immediate situation and bring some order and fairness
Communism, when translated into political action, became an unworkable monster that self destructed, while capitalism which is little more then the "law of the jungle" in economic terms, expands at such an alarming rate that political, social and humanitarian structures are crumbling as the nation state ceases to be of real importance. The idea of the nation state was that we can not control the world but we can make sense out of our immediate situation and bring some order and fairness into things. The United Nations demonstrates almost on a daily basis how ineffectual it is in doing the same thing on a planetary basis. Is there no alternative to the sickening and overwhelming spread of commercialism to all facets of life?

The real power, the actual force that can change things is in your hands
If you have read through this, by now you have realised that without some changes, things are going to get much worse before they get better. The solution to making things work and achieving a higher level of fairness and equality does not rely upon the good will of corporate management, the President of the United States or the head of the United Nations. The real power, the actual force that can change things is in your hands. In fact it always has been and we were simply not aware of our power.

I very much am convinced that people, individual men and women are good and when presented with information they will invariably act appropriately. Let me show you some examples:

Example 1 - Viet Nam

John Foster Dullas, Secretary of State for the United States accurately predicted that intrusions by China and Russia in Asia would lead to the domination of the whole region unless a counter to their actions was taken. The result was a series of conflicts which we now know as the Vietnam War. Though politically and strategically correct this conflict did not meet with the approval of the people who would have to pay for it. With the advent of television and electronic media gathering what was that war was brought to the homes of every American taxpayer and the battle casualties tended to be those who were lower class and predominantly black. The American public stopped this conflict, not the politicians but the public through their action and influence.

Example 2- Somalia

The obscure struggle in East Africa had not economic or social connection with North American society yet information and especially pictures by journalists made it absolutely imperative that the United States, Canada and others send a military force to that place to feed the perceived starving people. When our do-good troops suddenly became military targets we abandoned them and our forces embarrassed us.

Example 3 - Kosovo

The news gathering agencies, particularly television showed us what was going on and even though military experts warned against involvement the public demanded military action be taken. The leadership knowing about example 2 decided to limit the involvement to mechanised aviation attacks but eventually, after the loss of countless civilians through "ethnic cleansing" a land force was inserted. Kosovo has not economic influence on Northern Europe or North America.

Freedom of speech and freedom to information is not a nicety it is an ultimate survival necessity
The responsibility for the improvement to our society and our species rests with the individual. What he or she knows, or believes, and based upon that, the individual will act, or demand resolution to perceived problems. Therefore we had better start paying much closer attention to how and what information is being presented. There is an old axiom that says "he that controls the information that people need controls those people". If ever there was an argument that bolsters the need for the CBC, the BBC and public broadcasting this is it. With the technology available in information gathering and broadcasting we have to free the Third Estate from the control of corporations, government and interest groups. Freedom of speech and freedom to information is not a nicety it is an ultimate survival necessity.


Tisdale - September 21, 1999 By: Timothy W. Shire
we have a gracious need to work with each other for the betterment of all	In the Hebrew/Christian world, the assumption that humans are to accept the mantel and responsibility of making use of this our home, our little rock drifting around an obscure star we call "Sole", we often fail to understand that as individuals our prime directive is not to dominate this planet ourselves, but we have a gracious need to work with each other for the betterment of all. Though the simplicity of working together should be cinch with only a brief amount of contemplation we immediately discover that we do better dealing with other species then with each other.

one must question what sort of life form are we	Today the resource ministers of the provincial governments of this country and the Federal Minister of the environment, are meeting to discuss a law that will provide some protection for animals and habitats of those species who have reached critically small enough numbers to be threatened with extinction. To be sure this is a noble cause, after all four billion years of this planet's life, so many life forms have come and gone, and if we can take some action that will preserve a few, it seems like a good idea. However, when it comes to our own species, we can look over a world map and point to place after place where humans are attempting to exterminate subgroups of our own kind. Though we all know of East Timor and Kosovo there are so many such situations that at this time, the end of the Twentieth Century, that one must question what sort of life form are we.

First Nations and racial hatred in the United States pushes the limit of what we can call civilised	I feel some how reduced in value as a living being, by knowing, that in my short life time, Germany attempted to remove from the planet all Jews and Gypsies. The slaughter in East Africa perhaps even tops the numbers killed by the Germans, India in various locations has vicious ethnic problems, Russia during the 1920s and now on its Southern border is involved in distressing situations. Then there is Tibet and the foolishness in Northern Ireland and who knows what will happen in South Africa. Even in our own continent we have little to be proud of with regard to the First Nations and racial hatred in the United States pushes the limit of what we can call civilised. Integration in the United States did not occur until only fifty years ago.

wealth and resources of the planet are being used by fewer and fewer, more and more each passing year	As the spread between the rich and the poor widens in our own country, that gap is exponentially developing between the developed countries and the so-called "third world". The wealth and resources of the planet are being used by fewer and fewer, more and more each passing year. As I squint at the blazing late day sun and realise that all people no matter where they live, look up and see the same light streaming down on them, the bounty in the fields around me, the failed attempt for agricultural people to work together to both feed the world and have enough return to sustain themselves, all seems to be so simple. Is it childish idealism that suggests that we must find ways to work together for the good of all?

we can make sense out of our immediate situation and bring some order and fairness	Communism, when translated into political action, became an unworkable monster that self destructed, while capitalism which is little more then the "law of the jungle" in economic terms, expands at such an alarming rate that political, social and humanitarian structures are crumbling as the nation state ceases to be of real importance. The idea of the nation state was that we can not control the world but we can make sense out of our immediate situation and bring some order and fairness into things. The United Nations demonstrates almost on a daily basis how ineffectual it is in doing the same thing on a planetary basis. Is there no alternative to the sickening and overwhelming spread of commercialism to all facets of life?

The real power, the actual force that can change things is in your hands	If you have read through this, by now you have realised that without some changes, things are going to get much worse before they get better. The solution to making things work and achieving a higher level of fairness and equality does not rely upon the good will of corporate management, the President of the United States or the head of the United Nations. The real power, the actual force that can change things is in your hands. In fact it always has been and we were simply not aware of our power.

	I very much am convinced that people, individual men and women are good and when presented with information they will invariably act appropriately. Let me show you some examples: Example 1 - Viet Nam John Foster Dullas, Secretary of State for the United States accurately predicted that intrusions by China and Russia in Asia would lead to the domination of the whole region unless a counter to their actions was taken. The result was a series of conflicts which we now know as the Vietnam War. Though politically and strategically correct this conflict did not meet with the approval of the people who would have to pay for it. With the advent of television and electronic media gathering what was that war was brought to the homes of every American taxpayer and the battle casualties tended to be those who were lower class and predominantly black. The American public stopped this conflict, not the politicians but the public through their action and influence. Example 2- Somalia The obscure struggle in East Africa had not economic or social connection with North American society yet information and especially pictures by journalists made it absolutely imperative that the United States, Canada and others send a military force to that place to feed the perceived starving people. When our do-good troops suddenly became military targets we abandoned them and our forces embarrassed us. Example 3 - Kosovo The news gathering agencies, particularly television showed us what was going on and even though military experts warned against involvement the public demanded military action be taken. The leadership knowing about example 2 decided to limit the involvement to mechanised aviation attacks but eventually, after the loss of countless civilians through "ethnic cleansing" a land force was inserted. Kosovo has not economic influence on Northern Europe or North America.

Freedom of speech and freedom to information is not a nicety it is an ultimate survival necessity	The responsibility for the improvement to our society and our species rests with the individual. What he or she knows, or believes, and based upon that, the individual will act, or demand resolution to perceived problems. Therefore we had better start paying much closer attention to how and what information is being presented. There is an old axiom that says "he that controls the information that people need controls those people". If ever there was an argument that bolsters the need for the CBC, the BBC and public broadcasting this is it. With the technology available in information gathering and broadcasting we have to free the Third Estate from the control of corporations, government and interest groups. Freedom of speech and freedom to information is not a nicety it is an ultimate survival necessity.