Michael Butler’s Blog

Michael,

Here are the questions. Please take your time
with this, and I’m sure you know exactly what
you’re going to say here!

Thanks!

Steven

I recall our conversation discussing how you had
lost hope once JFK was assassinated and how
you regained hope when you saw the first
performance of HAIR. It seems that with the
consistent bad news, an administration that’s out
of touch with reality and what they are there for
in the first place, as public servants—we seem to
have come to a point in time where enraged
groups of people have lost hope in a future. But
there seems to be an overpopulation of public
apathy today, where in the 1960’s it seemed
that people were eager to become active and
activists.
What happened?
And/or what didn’t happen?

We did not know how to control the system and lost the hope of the movement through going too extreme thus creating fear. The prime example was the Yippie Riots during the Democratic Convention of 1968 in Chicago that crippled the Cook County sheriff. Not knowing how to control the negative energy brought on by government violence produced both fear, and an almost Hammurabic resort to violent reactions. Despite the later coalescing of factions, such as exemplified by the D.C. Moratorium, fear is what elected Nixon and Agnew, who had us gassed in 1971. Kent State murders in May of 1970 had me summoned to the White House to explain the actions of the Youth. That meeting resulted in my making the ‘Nixon Enemies List’. I was the only person listed twice (Oak Brook and Los Angeles)

How do we get rid of the apathy? What needs to
occur?

Long term: The values of Freedom, Peace and Love are eternally within the human spirit. They were then, and as HAIR and its music communicated and legitimized these values, they became the dominant theme for young and adult alike; in Red states and Blue states. What is there that can refute freedom, peace and love? Nothing, if and when these values are allowed to take root and form, continuously. Having everyone realize how important these simple words are in and to themselves and to others, must be the long term goal to overcome apathy and mobilize effective dissent.

Short term: That is the tougher question, but it may be even more within our grasp than we realize. The public education/communication necessary to coalesce a national will to alter the Military powers and policies of our government to bring them more in line with Freedom, Peace and Love, are instead increasingly being converted by government to support its unpopular wars.The void between what should be and what is to maintain government policies. Either we must wait for the inevitable major disaster to awaken everyone, or those fragments of dissent must a) find within themselves the values needed to reform public expression, and b) come together to do so. When you consider the events of the last 12 months it is both frightening and potentially encouraging. These catastrophes are Godsends in that they are reconstituting the best of human instincts to help others overcome personal disasters. Cohese all these negatives and give them direction and you have a most formidable potential.
The Love, Peace and Freedom needed in the world today is alive and well. But it needs to be channeled to prevent the greatest catastrophes of them all.

How do we choose candidates that can best
serve the public? Is it inappropriate to state
that it’s not about “us and them” that instead,
“It’s about us—we’re all here together!”

Before we choose our candidates, we need to crystalize/catalyze the issues they must address. Nature itself has put the necessary issues before us. For example, who has yet come up with the acceleration of Global Warming contributed by the war against Terrorism, in order to control the planet’s last great oil deposits? When some would say we must get out the vote. Concentrate on the young. I would make voting mandatory and the date a holiday. Concentrate on local elections. In particular who is going to be the local Secretary of State. Look at what they did in Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004!
Long term: Education

A few years ago, celebrities were being
somewhat blacklisted and put down for taking
stands against the War and in our administration,
but now it’s seemed to turn around. Why do you
think this has occurred?

Because more people are beginning to learn how much trouble we are in and how betrayed we have been by our government. Just in three areas oil, theocracy, and the financial deficit. I am reading Kevin Philip’s book, “American Theocracy” right now. He was one of Reagan’s architects. He declares Bush has betrayed the GOP.

Looking at our entertainment media today, it
mostly seems like the media is being created to
sell products and services, not to inform. Our
television networks have decided to accept
product placements in news programs. Product
placements are prevail in our motion
pictures. While it is important for box office
results to be successful, what can you say about
big businesses involvement in show business and
their lack of accountability regarding how
entertainment media affects our culture?

One of our greatest problems is the growth of the media conglomerates mostly by the fiscal ends not the creative. Thus independence and originality are sacrificed to the bottom line. Our corporate controlled world has become more into making money than things, more into making news showise and theatre reduced to the lowest, thus largest common denominator. These bemoths are susceptible to government influence and control.
Lessening are the watchdogs of freedom, telling us what is happening. Also becoming of less influence is the quality of the product. Give us the independents.
We need the competition of yore.

While we didn’t know each other 40 years ago, it
appears to me that you are just as active today
as you were in the 1960’s. What motivates you
on a daily basis to be an activist—to share your
opinions, your thoughts and beliefs with the
world?

I have a son who is married to one I love and they have a child I adore. I have siblings I am in touch with daily. In addition I am blessed with an extended family of great and close friends all over the world. They are enough motivation for me to acquaint them with thoughts of great concern as to where we are headed. They will make their own decisions but I need to lay some propositions in front of them.
I am certain that we are approaching a threshold, as in 1968 that will make 2008 (four decades later) a critical turning point.
What more can I do for those I love?
I am certain each of you will resonate to this message.

How would you let people know that they can
make a difference—that it’s okay to utilize their
thoughts towards positive action in the world—-
and to not be a bunch of lazy couch
potatoes!!!!????

Communicate! While we have freedom of the Internet before they take it away. Activate with any groups you feel at home with. Give the young an increasing voice in the affairs of the world
Protect Spirituality from the State.

And remember my prize wining political slogan,
“We All Have The Same Problems.”

Thanks my friend!
I look forward to your answers!

Steven
973 228 4450

You recently forwarded me a story about religion
and how most wars were being fought in the
name of God. While I agree with you on this, we
can also look at wars being fought in the name of
money and greed and territory. Most recently
the USA has decided to put up a great wall
between the USA and Mexico.
Looking back in history, aren’t we being a little
crazy here, as this land does not even belong to
us—it belongs to the Native Americans that we
took it from…