GRAMMA ASKS: WILL YOU RUN Us FOR PRECEDENT WITH ME?

A new idea – the Us for Precedent Campaign – will be launched at an event that also celebrates the 80th birthday of well-known community activist and teacher, Serene Stevenson.  For over four decades, Serene has studied and taught some of the “hows” of being a peaceful, happy, positive person. She feels that the problems of our times demand a vision that unites and inspires us to make the personal and community changes that acknowledge the connection and equality of ALL peoples.  
On her new BLOG, Ms. Stevenson presents her ideas as the character of a ‘Gramma’ who seeks truth with candor and humor. Gramma Sez - let us start with the old adage: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”. It’s a simple basic value agreed upon by every religion. Just imagine how different life would be using this ideal as a standard for relationships. 
The concept of Us for Precedent is about You and Me, all of Us, reaching a united state of agreement to learn to live at our highest level of consciousness. The Us for Precedent Campaign is a model for a different quality of political conversation and will suggest collective actions that will open up new ways of living together.  It encourages us to act as our own representatives and prove to ourselves and the world that as Americans, we can and will agree to realize at all levels of government the ideal of truly caring about the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for ALL citizens.  
A key element in the Us for Precedent platform is agreeing to love as motivation for all our actions. Gramma sez “If you and I can agree to model this principle in our daily lives, we can then set a precedent for a new kind of self-governing.”  It is Gramma's hope that politicians of all parties re-examine their motives for wanting to govern and commit to the Platform <http://grammasez.blogspot.com/2011/02/us-for-precedent-platform.html>  of the Us for Precedent campaign.  Because Bellingham is already on the path of transition and sustainability, it is the perfect community to demonstrate the ‘how’ of living in harmony with the earth and each other.  Our city can be a ‘precedent’ of a vibrant community by agreeing, uniting and taking collective actions to remedy problems we haven’t tackled yet.  
Gramma has just purchased an RV and is getting ready to take her campaign to neighborhoods around Bellingham and the region. She wants to answer people’s questions about the Campaign and hear their suggestions for solving problems. She also hopes to meet and interview other ‘Precedents’ who are implementing creative change.  She will be posting these videos on her BLOG and YouTube channel so others will be excited to try new ideas.
Gramma Sez – “Let our united hearts be the voice of our society.”

Wall Street Protestors

Why are the young, peaceful protestors being treated violently and arrested by the NYC police?  Each of us needs to consider the answer to this question.  What are the rest of us going to do?  The major news networks are not covering the story.  As Eisenhower warned the industrial/military complex is totally in charge. We live in an America controlled by a very greedy, power hungry 1% of our population.  A country ruled  by the wealthy is a plutocracy not a constitutional republic. Capitalism is not about profit - it is about profiteering. We are no longer citizens - we have become cloned consumers.  Gramma Sez we have some very deep soul searching to do together. We have allowed ourselves to be ruled by our own belief  in the Almighty dollar.  Our people are confuse, depressed, out of work, hungry and angry. It is time for us to remember who we are an exercise our spiritual power.  We have an extraordinary opportunity to recognize that if we value each other and choose to care and share we will meet this challenge to change our personal direction and thus change the direction of our country.

Gramma's "Love Yourself" Breath Excercises

     Finally, with the help of my friend, Emily,  I have made videos of four simple breathing exercises you can try.  They are designed to help you unlearn old, unconscious  breathing habits and bring to your awareness how easy it is to energize, soothe and calm yourself with a full breath. Practice with the videos taking a full inhale and exhale.   Now you will know how to breathe consciously "to pull yourself together" and experience your body, heart and mind in a united state of consciousness.

     These first videos will be focused on ways to accomplish the number one agreement of the Us for Precedent personal changes already listed on this blog. The idea is that by trying the suggestions that will be offered for each agreement you will test if they work . Then if you teach your friends what you've learned, we can begin a wave of change that supports the evolution of consciousness.

Why Do We Allow the Big Banks to Bilk Us?

  I received a letter from Card Member Service informing me of a change in my credit card account. My APR was being "revised" from 8.99% to 12.99%. Naturally, I wondered why since I pay the minimum required or more and am not late.. I read further and was astonished at the blatancy of the  following statement: "The change in the APR on your credit card Account was made as a result of a review of your Account and our decision was based on the net level of profitability on the Account."

 Banks can borrow money at 0%. My savings account earns .15%. The bank uses my money and offers me a credit card at 12.99%. Do the math - who is being served here? Have you noticed similar changes in your account?

Do you know the profits of the "poor" banks that we bailed out? Here is one example: Bank of America received a  $1.9 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, although it made $4.4 billion in profits and received a bailout from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department of nearly $1 trillion.  The question we all have to  ask is: Why do we put up with a banking system that is so clearly "taking us to the cleaners"? What are your ideas for change? I'm looking at my credit card habit.

"The Freedom Riders"

Fifty years ago the “Freedom Riders” boarded busses to Mississippi as a first step to stop segregation in transportation and lavatories. It was a small group of black and white young people trained in non-violence who risked their lives and forced the Kennedy administration to take action about segregation.

On May 17^th a documentary film commemorating their bravery will be aired on PBS’s program “The American Experience.” Even if you know about the “Freedom Riders,” watch this film. It is deeply moving to witness the sacrifices they made to overcome deep-seated racial hatred and violence.

Young peaceful protesters in many Middle Eastern Countries are in the streets, crying out for freedom from oppressive dictators. Many have already given their lives. Americans are again on the march also. Protests to protect their right to collective  bargaining, to make choices about their own bodies, the treatment of immigrants, profiteering corporations and other infringements of rights and freedom. Change comes with commitment, action and love. Gramma Sez “let our united hearts be the voice of our society.”

 The film premiers on PBS on May 16th at 9pm/8pm central. Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/ for more information.

Grandmother Revolution

What fun to tune into Patch Adams again and find out that he is urging us to make the same change that Gramma Sez is needed! We all know what the problems are and they are painful. What I love is Patch's emphasis on the 'how' of making the change. As a woman I know there is nothing more joyful than helping people to solve their problems and find happiness. Our world won't survive unless we become more loving and willing to share and care about each other. Let's join Patch in living this dream together.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF 'PRECEDENT'?

Be a Model   Take the Lead   Be First
YOU CAN DO IT - BE A PRECEDENT

 A Precedent makes changes in one’s own life and is a model citizen. Precedents are leaders in their communities with new ideas about how to participate in self-governing.

There is a demand by people all over the world to change  to more  democratic governments. Their revolutions are being televised and we are witnessing violence an civil wars as part of the changes.

America had its revolution and a Civil War. Now in our country the President can't make the many changes he says he wants to make. The Congress is stalemated. The Supreme Court has a business bias. The corporations, billionaires and millionaires are really in charge. We’ve been asleep, apathetic, depressed and/or just plain cloned by advertising in the media to be good consumers and workers rather than vocal, active citizens.  Gramma Sez it's time for an evolution - a make-over instead of a take-over.  We can begin by insisting that sharing and caring about our welfare be the major role of  local, state and federal governments. This evolution will be "internalized." We can communicate and come to agreements because of the technology we have now and then act together to make the changes we want. We can form a companion government based on a new idea for Us being involved.

Who is going to make this happen??? Why you and me – Us –  by first acting collectively  to change our own attitudes toward one another. We can learn to participate in governing  besides just voting and expecting others to make it happen.    

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Gramma Announces She is Running Us For Precedent!

Last week our President, Barack Obama, announced that he is beginning his campaign for re-election.  His campaign chest is purported to become $1,000,000,000 - one billion dollars!  The Republicans also have several possible candidates, some of whom are very wealthy. We don’t need money to be the determinant of who runs for office, who runs our government or who runs our lives. We also don’t need vitriolic attacks based on making an opponent look bad when power is the real goal and not the welfare of the people. That’s why I’ve decided that now is the time to announce the launching of a new kind of campaign called - Us for Precedent. 

This campaign is a model for a different quality of political conversations and actions that acknowledge the connectedness and equality of all human beings without regard to age, sex, ethnicity, religion, education, class or sexual persuasion.We must immediately act as our own representatives to prove to ourselves and the world that as Americans we can agree to realize the ideal of a government that truly cares about the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of ALL its citizens.  Every major religion in the world says the same thing in different words - that we must do unto others, as we would have others do unto us.  Imagine 2012 State and Federal budgets based on this universal principle!

If you and I can agree to model this principle in our daily lives, then we can set a precedent for a new kind of self-governing society that is truly democratic.  It is Gramma's hope that politicians of all parties will re-examine their motives for wanting to govern and commit to the Platform of the Us for Precedent campaign.

To join the Us for Precedent campaign add your email to my mailing list in the column to the right of this posting or follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Let Us be the change to realize the American dream.

Am I the Best Person I Can Be?

The process of personal change begins the moment you recognize that you want  to change and are willing to take an action or actions to find out if the "doing"  you've decided to try works. The first of the Us for Precedent goals asks "Do I feel good about Myself?" and "Do I feel good about You?".   On this blog I'm going to make some suggestions  that you can practice to see if your answer to both questions can remain yes.  The actions described are simple and practical.  Watch and learn from the instructional videos and become your own model or precedent for change.