There are big changes afoot.
#1 I am about to change the name of my work to Love Revolution. Shortly I will have a new "Love Revolution" website at www.livingloverev.com. I will convert my blog, video, and website ASAP and my newsletter for Oct will be under the new name.
#2 I am struggling with health issues due to the fact that I have 3 (not one as I originally thought) hernias and need a specific (laparoscopic via robotic arms) surgery.The hernias were a side effect of having such a large incision for my full hysterectomy and subsequent massive amounts of scar tissue. I do not have health insurance. I make too much to receive DSHS or get on WA basic health. My previous experience with cancer, and the fact that I am "morbidly obese" have prevented me from obtaining insurance. I do have a 100% charity from Swedish Hospital for the hospitalization side of expenses until Dec 31st 2008. I am looking for a surgeon who works or will work at Swedish and will give me both a discount and a payment plan. I am meeting with Dr Jedediah Kaufman from the general surgery Dept. at Swedish Tuesday Sept 30th at 9:15am in the hopes that he will be the surgeon to help me. Please send me healing energy, love and life force so I can retain a surgeon and receive this operation ASAP. thanks.
#3 Okay, I really want you to join the "Next Step Together" as it is the most realistic and ambitious plan I have helped create to move us toward world peace starting NOW. I have chosen to stop being resigned and cynical and start acting powerfully. To any of you who want to participate in self-governance this is the social experiment for you. I am printing the letter below and in an attachment so you can send it on to others too.
Blessings,
Teri D. Ciacchi MSW
"Love Revolution: clear explicit information about love, sex and relationships"
An Invitation to Join the Next Step Together
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. --Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dear Friends, Community Organizers, Visionaries, Superheroes, and everyone who loves life:
This letter has four parts:
What's Going On?
What's In It for Us?
What Do I Do?
What's the Plan?
What's Going On: We're all aware of the political, economic, and environmental events converging at this historical crossroads. Even though most of us know that we could solve every solvable problem on the planet for 10% of what we spend on the world's military, the world seems stuck. Like so many of you, we've wondered for years how a revitalized democracy or a nonviolent mass movement or even love itself could ever take hold.
But during this past year, hope for a brighter future has surprised and shocked and sometimes even frightened us.
A very improved consensus governance system called Dynamic Self-Governance, or Sociocracy is a missing puzzle piece, a catalyst that will enable us to effectively and efficiently work together. Every week one of us sees a new application of Sociocracy, a new project,a new way to bring humanity together.
And we have created an exciting, elegant, plan for a sustainable future. It's based on the nerve-like, deeply interwoven network of life and friendship in which we all move. The human body politic has been suffering in its sleeping, but it starts waking now with you.
It's time to take a massive Next Step Together. That step is to powerfully connect everyone who chooses a sustainable future for the planet into a cohesive global decision-making structure—starting with the people you already know.
This is the next evolutionary step. We might never take it. Or we might take it after we've killed billions more people and wrecked essential planetary life support systems. Or we might take it now.
We've combined the most essential and practical strategies for building a sustainable, just earth. Now let's implement them. Really.
What's In It For Us?
A life.
A practical alternative to empire, terrorism, corporatism, racism, classism, pollution, starvation, poverty, war, violence, rape, neglect, madness, disease, isolation, fear and powerlessness
Safety in numbers Fun Community Meaning Security
Freedom Sustainability HOPE
Your fair share of power -- the deepest democracy imaginable
An honest shot at creating and relaxing in a just world -- No kidding!
The knowledge that you acted powerfully when you were called to do so.
What Do I Do?
a) Learn more about the Next Step Together at: http://nextsteptogether.net
b) Join the Next Step Together group on Facebook.
Then, using this letter, invite everybody you know to do the same. (Got issues with Facebook? See below.) We'd like a million people in the Facebook group by October 8. (Call the person who sent you this letter if you need support accessing Facebook!)
c) Get involved with the Implementation Circle process.We need local organizers, web designers, programmers, economists, event planners, activists, donors, thinkers, writers.Everyone. You have needed skills, resources and people to bring into the circle.Call or write us!
What's The Plan?
a) Gather massive numbers of already connected people in the Next Step Together Group on Facebook.
b)Implement a sociocratic governance system, connecting every Friend Group into an elegant, organic decision making structure, creating a super-majority of people who are willing to focus their power for the greatest good. Each of us will govern with equal power.
c)Once we have critical mass, we'll collectively consent to our next, efficient, giant steps using all the creativity, innovation and skill we have. We'll act together, nonviolently, in overwhelming numbers, and make pivotal, systemic change quickly.
This is the fastest way we know of to create the world we want.
It seems wildly optimistic, because the human family is drowsy, just waking up. But, in their hearts, everybody really wants a safe, fun, fair world. Everybody. At least 20% of us are already ready, eager, and gathering for this. 60% of the population will join us quickly if the 20% of us with active hope and vision act powerfully now. The 80% will then offer the remaining 20% consideration and kindness no sane person could refuse, because, in sociocracy, everyone must consent to every major policy.
Welcome to the beginning of giant, fast, smart love power!
We look forward to seeing your wonderful face in the Next Step Together group!
Very hopefully,
Tim Anderson, Teri D. Ciacchi, Bradley K. Ehrlich, Robyn Lynn & Jenifer Stambaugh
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. -Mahatma Gandhi
* Facebook has tipped. It's no longer primarily for teens: It has become the world's most popular social networking site, after overtaking MySpace. Everybody is joining. Your page will only be available to your friends and you can see and connect with them easily. We're finding old friends there and even prefer doing email on Facebook -- there are pictures and daily updates and tons of fun-looking stuff you don't have time to try. There is, however, little doubt that Facebook is owned by hyper-capitalist neocons -- http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook. They will make even more money if you buy the products they advertise. Don't.
And, though your privacy is not guaranteed on Facebook, the Next Step Together will never have anything to hide: We will win the world over with love and happiness.The sooner everyone knows that, the better for us all.
Finally, we will start our own, nonprofit, ethical social networking site and database, asap. But, Facebook is what is now, and every day we waste reinventing the wheel is another day 50,000 people unnecessarily die of poverty.
