Upcoming Events and More for Sharif Abdullah

Warmest Greetings

Although Sharif's work in the world is tremendously more far reaching than mine, he and I do share some things in common, and as some of you already know, everything from being born one day apart to having a passion for creating a world that works for all. What could be more important? This is why I am so appreciative for what Sharif has to offer to us all. Please consider checking out these opportunities to connect with Sharif and his work. Please also consider passing this information on to others. Thank you so much.

Peace & blessings ~ Molly

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From Sharif and Commonway Institute at http://www.commonway.org/ . . .

Commonway's goals:
1. To maximize the transformation of consciousness, as quickly and effectively as possible.
2. To catalyze the transformation of our values.
3. To bring our behavior in line with our consciousness and values.

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Upcoming Award. Sharif writes:

I was recently informed that I am to be the recipient of the “Champion of Forgiveness, Nonviolence and Peace” award, by the New Thought Center for Spiritual Living. For more information: http://www.newthoughtcsl.org/

From their flyer:

Sunday, August 2, 2009

13th Annual Celebration

The Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance (www.forgivenessalliance.org) founded the first International Forgiveness Day the first Sunday of August, 1996. Over 20 cities and 9 countries celebrated International Forgiveness Day last year. Rev Noel McInnis was a founding member.

The focus of the International Forgiveness Day is to honor those identified has Heroes and Champions of Forgiveness, Nonviolence and Peace. These people exemplify the power and benefits of the healing power and benefits of forgiveness and nonviolence. They also serve as outstanding role models, which are so desperately needed.

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Upcoming Radio Interview. Sharif shares:

I recently recorded an hour-long interview with Steve Bhaerman for his Heartland Security Radio Show. http://www.worldpuja.org/heartland-security.php

Steve has been a friend and “co-conspirator” for quite awhile. You may know his “alter ego” self – “Swami Beyondananda”. Through humor, “they” are working on the same point of awakening that is the mission of Commonway. I think you will enjoy this interview!

The Internet broadcast is Tuesday, August 4th at 11 am PT, (2 pm ET) and is re-broadcast at 6 pm PT / 9 pm PT. Give it a listen, and tell us what you think. Listen here http://www.worldpuja.org/heartland-security.php You will need to sign up, but there is no cost or obligation.

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Upcoming Tele-Seminar?? Sharif writes:

Those who were able to participate in the recent “Maestro Conference” tele-seminar reported back a very satisfactory experience with the new technology. As a presenter, it was simply amazing to be able to break people into small groups, ask for questions and actually SEE who wants to ask a question...

The Maestro Conference folks have offered the technology to me for the month of August. I am considering putting together a short tele-seminar series. I am considering one of two topics:

1. I am considering “Our Collective Shadow”, focusing on how we address issues of race, poverty/class and other sensitive issues from the perspective of inclusivity and a world for all.

2. I am also considering “The Challenges of Nonviolence”, focusing on the ongoing violence in Sri Lanka and how that violence is our challenge to evolve to a more appropriate form of humanity on our planet.Would you be interested in another “quick” tele-seminar? Which one? Let me know...

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Buy the Book!! Sharif shares:

I've heard from quite a few people that they've tried to purchase “Seven Seeds for a New Society” from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, to no avail. The “global” distribution stuff won't be completed for another month or so...

And... if you purchase through one of the multinational corporations, virtually ALL of the money benefit of the book goes to THEM. Commonway receives less than 75 cents when the book sells through Amazon or B&N. That compares with several dollars that come to Commonway when you purchase direct from our printer, www.lulu.com.

So... click on THIS LINK http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/seven-seeds-for-a-new-society/7396858 which will take you directly to my book. Thumb through a few pages... then BUY IT! Now! (Actually, buy two! One to keep, one to wave around to show your friends...)

Peace,

Sharif

(Addition Notice: If you want to be added to the Commonway mail list, click here: http://www.commonway.org/subscription_form)

New Book: Seven Seeds for a New Society

Please consider purchasing my good friend Sharif Abdullah's new book and

also spreading the word. I have so much respect and appreciation for Sharif

and the work he does in the world. This is sure to be a very important book.

Thanks! Molly

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From the website http://www.commonway.org/seven-seeds-for-a-new-society:

SEVEN SEEDS for a New Society offers a new way to approach our inner lives, our society and our spirituality. This book provides tools to help us move from a society based on fear, lack, violence and greed, to a society based on love, compassion and relationships with all beings.

Our present society, the dominant paradigm, is toxic and terminal. That’s the bad news.
The good news: We stand on the brink of the next evolutionary leap for humankind, a leap that will transform all human societies!

At times inspiring, challenging and controversial, social-spiritual activist Sharif Abdullah articulates for us the need to transform our toxic “operating system” (how people interact in the world) to one based on love, compassion and relationship. Sharif challenges us to apply our spiritual and moral values in the world, in a practical, realistic way that can save humanity, all beings, and the Earth.

If you are concerned with ecology, sustainability, economics, social justice, politics, spirituality… if you are concerned with the fate of our world – this is your book.

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There are two futures facing the human family… only one of them is viable.

~ Sharif Abdullah

Open Secrets: Important Resource To Know Who is Funding Who

This is powerful, non-partisan, empowering. From the Open Secrets website http://www.opensecrets.org/about/index.php:

Our Mission: Inform, Empower & Advocate
Celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2008, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the organization aims to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry and a more responsive government. In short, CRP's mission is to:

- Inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives
- Empower voters and activists by providing unbiased information
- Advocate for a transparent and responsive government

We pursue our mission largely through our award-winning website, OpenSecrets.org, which is the most comprehensive resource for campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere. And for other organizations and news media, CRP's exclusive data powers their online features tracking money in politics—counting cash to make change.

Influence & Lobbying
The primary goal of much of the money that flows through U.S. politics is this: Influence. Corporations and industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations – together, they spend billions of dollars each year to gain access to decision-makers in government, all in an attempt to influence their thinking.
http://www.opensecrets.org/influence/index.php

Congress
The House of Representatives has 435 members, the Senate has 100, and OpenSecrets.org has fundraising profiles for all of them. Use the search box to the right to find the member or congressional candidate you're interested in. Some of the leaders - and the biggest fundraisers - in Congress are listed below.
110th Congress Casualty List
111th Congress House Leadership (view Senate)
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/index.php

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Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves.

But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still,

small voice says to us, 'Something is out of tune.' ~ Carl Jung

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The Roots of Violence:

Wealth without work,

Pleasure without conscience,

Knowledge without character,

Commerce without morality,

Science without humanity,

Worship without sacrifice,

Politics without principles.

~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

Important New Film: Food, Inc.

From the Hungry For Change website http://www.foodincmovie.com/:

Food, Inc. exposes America's industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, economy and workers' rights. Learn about these issues and take action through the Hungry For Change cafeteria and check out the 10 Simple Tips for making positive changes in your eating habits. Learn more about these issues and how you can take action on Takepart.com.

Kevin's Law: Foodborne Illness
In Food, Inc. we meet Barbara Kowalcyk, whose 2 year old son, Kevin, died from E.coli poisoning after eating a hamburger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million Americans are sickened, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses. Although Kevin's law is not pending in Congress right now, there are other important national food safety legislation pending now for you to support.

Diabetes and Obesity
High calorie, sugar laden processed foods coupled with our sedentary lifestyles is growing our waistlines and contributing to serious health issues like diabetes, heart ailments and cancers. One-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Tell Congress that kids should be served healthy meals, not soda and junk food.

Pesticides
Cancers, autism and neurological disorders are associated with the use of pesticides especially amongst farm workers and their communities. Learn about what pesticides are in your food and their effects.

Genetic Engineering
Some of our most important staple foods have been fundamentally altered, and genetically engineered meat and produce have already invaded our grocery stores and our kitchen pantries.

This is a very important film. Please go here for more information and to see the Food, Inc. trailer:
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2009/06/09/food-inc-opening/

Please also consider sharing this information with others. Thanks!

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Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.

Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.

~ Carl Jung

Thom Hartmann's New Book and Speaking Engagement in Portland July 27th

Warmest Greetings.

I am so excited to hear that Thom Hartmann will soon be speaking again in Portland. And I am excited to hear about Thom's new book. I have five of his books on my shelf thus far and each one has truly moved and informed and changed me. Besides sharing some things in common - such as being the same age and growing up in Michigan - what most draws me to this prolific author, passionate and caring activist, and deeply respectful and informed radio host is his commitment to truth-telling - putting principles before personalities - and his contribution toward helping create a world that works for all. I have the deepest respect and appreciation for Thom Hartmann. I will be in Michigan for my 40th high school class reunion this time when Thom speaks, but am still moved to share this event - and new book - in the hope that some of you will be able to attend and/or will pass the word on. Thanks! Or just get Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture or any of his other books! Thanks more! And as Thom says, "Tag, you're it!" Peace ~ Molly

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Monday, July 27

Powell's Books presents…

THOM HARTMANN

Author of THRESHOLD and Air America radio host

7 p.m. $5 advance & day of at the Bagdad, Crystal or Ticketmaster.com

All ages welcome

In Threshold, writer and Air America host Thom Hartmann looks at the deteriorating state of our planet, where the dynamics of environmental, economic, and population change are boiling over the limits within which society can function. In clear and impassioned prose, Hartmann busts the myths and ideologies of religious fundamentalism, capitalism run amok, male domination, and militarism that are draining our world of its natural and human resources and engendering the suffering of millions for the benefit of the few.

Radical in its scope and boldness but simple in its commonsense logic, Threshold illustrates the mistakes we have made -- as a culture, as a country, and as individuals -- and provides the inspiration and motivation readers are looking for to build a better, more sustainable world for all. Readers of Jared Diamond, Thomas Friedman, and Paul Hawken will see in Threshold the wake-up call our society so badly needs.

Please note: Tickets are available at the Bagdad Theater box office, the Crystal Ballroom box office, Ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets.

Please go here for the information I quote above and other resources:

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=9&id=1117&eventid=72114

http://www.amazon.com/Threshold-Western-Culture-Thom-Hartmann/dp/0670020915

http://www.thomhartmann.com/2009/02/28/about-thom-hartmann/

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Who are these people who want to undermine the middle class? They often call themselves 'conservatives,' but these people are not true conservatives. They don't want to 'conserve' or protect the America the Founders gave us. I call them 'cons' because they are conning America. My dad was a staunch Republican all his life, but he didn't believe that a small elite should rule America. He was glad the government provided safety nets like Social Security and Medicare and made unionization possible. My dad, and most other real conservatives I have known, believed in the middle class and believed in democracy. ~ Thom Hartmann

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

July 18th: Invitation to "ART FROM OUR HEARTS'' Fundraising Art Fair

This will be wonderful & is such an important event. I hope you can go

or will help spread the word. Thanks! Peace & blessings ~ Molly

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You are invited to the SECOND ANNUAL COMMUNITY

"ART FROM OUR HEARTS" FUNDRAISING ART FAIR

From Julie Doll

HI All:

Last year, the "Art from the Heart" series raised over $2000 for the construction of Afghan schools. With your continued help and support, we hope to make an equally significant contribution this year.

In addition to making beautiful, hand-crafted art available for sale, we're adding a new component this year: we're asking people who stop by to join us in a conversation about hope. Come share with us what is joyful, inspiring, and uplifting in your life, so that we can celebrate -- and grow -- what is good and positive! Be part of the chain of people sharing how we can lift up those around us, give back to our planet, create beauty, develop meaning, and in other ways be catalysts for HOPE as part of our intricately connected global web!

We'd be grateful for your help in spreading word of the "Art from the Heart" initiative by circulating the attached flyer widely among your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you July 18th!

Thank you.

Julie Doll

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The SECOND ANNUAL COMMUNITY
"ART FROM OUR HEARTS" FUNDRAISING ART FAIR
July 18 from 11:00 to 4:00

The Art Fair will feature **new** cards and prints by Wendy, Olivia, and Marsha,

a special "Soul Sisters" card selection, photos by Julie Doll,

Manifesting Diva's glass pendants, and more!

The location is the garden at 8960 SW Washington Drive (Wendy's home).

For information and directions call (503) 245-3485

or email at: createhealth@msn.com.

Preview selections at www.artfromourhearts.org
. (We will be adding selections throughout July so check back.)

As with last year, the proceeds from the art fair will go to the Central Asia Institute

(Three Cups of Tea) to help build schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Thanks to all your generosity, we raised $2000 last year (!) to send to the CAI

and we hope to raise even more this year for this important project.

This year's art fair is a celebration of "HOPE."
We are all faced with many challenges right now and also much hope.

As part of the art fair we are inviting eveyone to help assemble a community collage

of HOPE with images, pictures, poetry, words whatever means "HOPE" to you.

Bring your own or select something when you come.

Please help us get the word out through your networks.
See the attached flyer to download and share.

SEE YOU THERE!

The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right

I've recently heard this author interviewed several times about his latest book. This is very dark, but important, and I am moved to do this post. Please note that I am quoting below extensively from both David Neiwert and Sara Robinson and the blog they share at http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2009/04/far-rights-first-100-days-shifting-into.html.... May we all seek in our own ways to embrace, heal, and transform that which keeps us living within the belief systems of separation and that there is an "us" versus a "them".

Namaste ~ Molly

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David Neiwert, an award-winning journalist and blogger at Orcinus and of late, at Crooks and Liars, has focused for years on that fine, scary line where heated rhetoric gives way to pure hate speech, and where fantasies of inflicting violence morph into the real thing. Neiwert links the proliferation of radical conservative ideas in the political mainstream to the looming specter of eliminationism, an ideology rejecting dialogue and debate in favor of the pursuit of outright elimination of the opposing side, either through suppression, exile, and eviction, or extermination.

Eliminationism has taken many forms in American history, from the attitudes of early settlers toward the Native Americans they displaced and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan to the establishment of Sundown Towns that banned nonwhite residents and the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. In recent years, the eliminationist urge, articulated by conservative fringe groups associated with the Christian Patriot movement, has emerged in talk radio, news networks and national press outlets providing a platform for attacks on immigrants, Muslims, homosexuals and liberals. In these efforts, the author discerns a nascent American fascism, an argument that is by turns frightening and overwrought.

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Eliminationist Quotes from Conservative Voices:

"I tell people don't kill all the liberals. Leave enough so we can have two on every campus -- living fossils -- so we will never forget what these people stood for." -- Rush Limbaugh

"I would have no problem with [New York Times editor Bill Keller] being sent to the gas chamber." -- Melanie Morgan

""[T]he day will come when unpleasant things are going to happen to a bunch of stupid liberals and it's going to be very amusing to watch." -- Lee Rogers

"And if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead." -- Bill O'Reilly

"Howard Dean should be arrested and hung for treason or put in a hole until the end of the Iraq war!"-- Michael Reagan

"Let's start with the following New York Times reporters and editors: Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr. , Bill Keller, Eric Lichtblau, and James Risen. Do you have an idea where they live? Go hunt them down and do America a favor. Get their photo, street address, where their kids go to school, anything you can dig up, and send it to the link above. This is your chance to be famous -- grab for the golden ring." -- "The Political Insight"

Ann Coulter
"Some liberals have become even too crazy for Texas to execute, which is a damn shame. They're always saying -- we're oppressed, we're oppressed so let's do it. Let's oppress them." -- Ann Coulter
"We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee. ... That's just a joke, for you in the media." -- Ann Coulter
LINDA VESTER (host): You say you'd rather not talk to liberals at all?
COULTER: I think a baseball bat is the most effective way these days.
"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."
"We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed too."
"They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of America's self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant. Fifty years of treason hasn't slowed them down."
"I have to say I'm all for public flogging."
"I think [women] should be armed but should not [be allowed to] vote."
"Liberals hate America, they hate flag-wavers, they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam, post 9/11. Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like liberals do. They don't have the energy. If they had that much energy, they'd have indoor plumbing by now."
"My libertarian friends are probably getting a little upset now but I think that's because they never appreciate the benefits of local fascism."
"In this recurring nightmare of a presidency, we have a national debate about whether he [Clinton] 'did it,' even though all sentient people know he did. Otherwise there would be debates only about whether to impeach or assassinate."

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Eliminationism is defined as a politics and a culture that shuns dialogue and the democratic exchange of ideas in favor of the pursuit of outright elimination of the opposing side, either through suppression, exile, and ejection, or extermination. Fascism is passionate nationalism, allied to a conspiratorial dualism and a crude Social Darwinism, voiced with resentment toward the forces, or conditions, that restrain "the chosen people."

The far right wing has been laying the groundwork for violent action for decades. Long before they turn dangerous, political and religious groups take their first step down that road by adopting a worldview that justifies eventual violent action. The particulars of the narrative vary, but the basic themes are always the same. First: their story is apocalyptic, insisting that the end of the world as we've known it is near.

Second: it divides the world into a Good-versus-Evil/Us-versus-Them dualism that encourages the group to interpret even small personal, social, or political events as major battles in a Great Cosmic Struggle -- a habit of mind that leads the group to demonize anyone who disagrees with them. This struggle also encourages members to invest everyday events with huge existential meaning, and as a result sometimes overreact wildly to very mundane stuff.

Third: this split allows for a major retreat from consensus reality and the mainstream culture. The group rejects the idea that they share a common future with the rest of society, and curls up into its own insular worldview that's impervious to the outside culture's reasoning or facts.

Fourth: insiders feel like they're a persecuted, prophetic elite who are being opposed by wicked, tyrannical forces. Left to fester, this paranoia will eventually drive the group to make concrete preparations for self-defense -- and perhaps go on the offense against their perceived persecutors. Fifth: communities following this logic will also advocate the elimination of their enemies by any means necessary, in order to purify the world for their ideology.

All these ideas have been part of the discourse on the right for decades. You can trace their genesis all the way back to the 1950s, starting with the overheated apocalypticism of the anti-Communist movement. Over time, it came to include the dualism of the John Birch Society and assorted white supremacist groups; the persecution complex of Nixon and his Silent Majority followers; the anti-liberal eliminationism that's been gathering force for the past decade; and the war on evidence-based science and reason that's always been at the heart of conservative arguments. As J. Peter Scoblic argues in Us vs. Them, narratives that justify violence have always been deeply ingrained in the right-wing belief system.

Since the Inauguration, all of these themes are being played far more loudly and openly. And somewhere between November 4 and this 100th day, the right wing has also begun to act on these beliefs in ways that push the whole process to the next level -- the level where thoughts and beliefs begin to crystallize into action.

When Sean Hannity runs a poll asking whether his viewers prefer a military coup, secession, or armed rebellion -- and armed rebellion wins -- that's evidence of this kind of shift. Right-wing talkers have built careers out of demonizing liberals; but when they start talking about what specific steps should be taken against them, that's not something we should ignore.

This chilling indictment of modern conservatism concludes that the traditional Republican Party (the author was raised in a Republican blue collar home in Idaho) has been infiltrated by a far-right movement that views liberals, gays, and minorities as un-American elements deserving to be eliminated. Neiwert, a journalist who won a National Press Club Award in 2000 for his reporting on domestic terrorism for MSNBC.com, indicts such conservative icons as Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Lou Dobbs, and Glenn Beck for inciting the lunatic fringe to remove all undesirables, much as Nazi Germany did to the Jews and Gypsies.

The cheerleaders, or "transmitters" as Neiwert calls them, of eliminationism are not limited to talk radio hosts but also include prominent politicians like onetime Senate majority leader Trent Lott and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin was "the most significant transmitter in recent years," according to the author. This account of far-right power in America concludes that domestic terrorism might increase like it did during the Clinton years now that America has its first African American president and that a fascist state is a real threat. Readers will decide for themselves just how far to the right the Republican Party has been pushed and how widespread the fanatical far right is.

More, including resources I quoted from in this post:
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2009/04/far-rights-first-100-days-shifting-into.html
http://www.amazon.com/Eliminationists-Hate-Radicalized-American-Right/dp/0981576982
http://www.commonplacebook.com/current_events/politics/eliminationist.shtm
Eliminationism in America: Appendix

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From a review of The Eliminationists:

Ultimately, Neiwert argues, both sides--liberal and conservative--need to surrender the unhelpful idea that they are the "heroes" of the American story. For in order for there to be a hero, he explains, we need a demonized other from which to "rescue" the nation. True heroism in a democracy is not killing "bad guys" or rounding up scary people or shouting fellow citizens into silence, effectively forcing them to eliminate their voices and themselves from the democratic scene. Rather, it is recognizing the human in the other, the messy nuance of competing interests and sub-cultures, honoring the ability to disagree (strongly) without wishing death or silence on one another. True heroism can look, from the outside, kind of drab and lacking in drama.... And sometimes it can lie in writing a book about a disturbing subject that makes us all take pause and pay attention to the political scene around us in a new way. --Daily Kos

Maude Barlow: The Growing Battle for the Right to Water

By Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Maude Barlow's new book about the water crisis is a call to arms

to protect a fundamental human right.

From Chile to the Philippines to South Africa to her home country of Canada, Maude Barlow is one of a few people who truly understands the scope of the world's water woes. Her newest book, Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, details her discoveries around the globe about our diminishing water resources, the increasing privatization trend and the grassroots groups that are fighting back against corporate theft, government mismanagement and a changing climate.

If you want to know where the water is running low (including 36 U.S. states), why we haven't been able to protect it and what we can do to ensure everyone has the right to water, Barlow's book is an essential read. It is part science, part policy and part impassioned call. And the information in Blue Covenant couldn't come from a more reliable source. Barlow is the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and co-founder of the

Blue Planet Project, which is instrumental in the international community in working for the right to water for all people. She also authored Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop Corporate Theft of the World's Water with Tony Clarke. And she's the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (known as the "Alternative Nobel") for her global water justice work.

She took a moment to talk to AlterNet in between the Canadian and U.S. legs of a book tour for Blue Covenant.

Tara Lohan: This year in the U.S. there has been a whole lot press about the drought in Atlanta and the Southeast, and I think for a lot of people in the U.S. it is the first they are hearing about drought, but the crisis here in North America is really pretty extreme isn't it?

Maude Barlow: It really is, and it kind of surprises me when I hear people, for instance in Atlanta say, "We didn't know it was coming." I don't know how that could be possible, and I do have to say that I blame our political leaders. I don't understand how they could not have been reading what I've been reading and what anyone who is watching this has been reading.

I remember attending a conference in Boise, Idaho, three years ago and hearing a lot of scientists get up and say, "Read my lips, this isn't a drought, this is permanent drying out." We are overpumping the Ogallala, Lake Powell and Lake Meade. The back up systems are now being depleted. This is by no means a drought ...

The thing that I'm trying to establish with the first chapter, which is called "Where Has All the Water Gone," is that what we learned in grade five about the hydrologic cycle being a closed, fixed cycle that could never be interrupted and could never go anywhere, is not true. They weren't lying to us, but they weren't aware of the human capacity to destroy it, and the reality is that we've interrupted the hydrologic cycle in many parts of the world and the American Southwest is one of them.

TL: How is this happening?

MB: By farming in deserts and taking up water from aquifers or watersheds. Or by urbanizing -- massive urbanization causes the hydrologic cycle to not function correctly because rain needs to fall back on green stuff -- vegetation and grass -- so that the process can repeat itself. Or we are sending huge amounts of water from large watersheds to megacities and some of them are 10 to 20 million people, and if those cities are on the ocean, some of that water gets dumped into the ocean. It is not returned to the cycle.

We are massively polluting surface water, so that the water may be there, but we can't use it. And we are also mining groundwater faster than it can be replenished by nature, which means we are not allowing the cycle to renew itself. The Ogallala aquifer is one example of massive overpumping. There are bore wells in the Lake Michigan shore that go as deep into the ground as Chicago skyscrapers go into the ground and they are sucking groundwater that should be feeding the lake so hard that they are pulling up lake water now, and they are reversing the flow of water in Lake Michigan for the first time.

We are interrupting the natural cycle. And another thing we are doing is something called virtual water trade. That is where you send water out of the watershed in the form of products or agriculture. You've used the water to produce something and then you export it, and about 20 percent of water used in the world is exported out of watershed in this way, because so much of our economy is about export. In the U.S. you are sending about one-third of your water out of watersheds -- it is not sustainable.

This is not a cyclical drought. We are actually creating hot stains, as I and some scientists call them, around the world. These are parts of the world that are running out of water and will be, or are, in crisis. Which means that millions more people will be without water. I argue that this is one of the causes of global warming. We usually hear water being a result of climate change, and it is, particularly with the melting of the glaciers. But our abuse, mismanagement and treatment of water is actually one of the causes, and we have not placed that analysis at the center of our thinking about climate change and environmental destruction, and until we do, we are only addressing half the question.

Interview continued: http://www.alternet.org/water/76819

* * *

In the last 30 years we've doubled the growth of deserts in the world, and it will double again in 20 years. Well, if you are creating deserts and you've got heat rising from the earth with urban heat islands, the inability for the hydrologic cycle to be maintained because of urbanization, it makes a lot of sense. Of course that is all exacerbated by melting glaciers and the lowering of the ice packs, which protects from evaporation. It is kind of a deadly combination. I spoke at a conference about this recently in London, England, and was received by people from the climate change world, really, really well, and I thought "This is a good sign." ~ Maude Barlow