SilviaStaggCollegePublished

Monday, February 27, 2012

Egalitarian Newspaper

Houston Community College

April 22-1992

Features

Yoga For A Healthier Life!

By Silvia Stagg

John Coon, a native Houstonian and director of the Yoga Center of Houston, began his yoga studies at the age of 17, after acquiring his black belt in karate.

"yoga is not unlike martial arts. As martial arts is the child, and yoga is the mother, martial arts comes from yoga, "Coon said, "In martial arts one moves into and out of postures, for the most part quite rapidly without a lot of holding."

Finding yoga physically challenging, Coon developing a respect for the discipline and became engrossed in studying and practicing yoga and martial arts concurrently.

In his late twenties, Coon discovered that he had been born with polycystic kidney disease, which manifests as a gradual shutting down of the kidney function. At the age of 29, Coon was faced with two options, either lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant. Coon chose to have a kidney transplant. During the course of Coon's treatment, his doctors were amazed that other than the associated fatigue and bruising, he did not suffer from coma or brain death. The doctors surmised that it must be a result of his regular martial arts and yoga practices that enabled his body to adapt to such a high level of toxicity. Once Coon had the kidney transplant he recovered quickly and shortly thereafter, returned to work teaching martial arts.

Approximately five and a half years ago, after beating the odds so to speak, one of Coon's outspoken yoga teachers, Yoga Bhajan wrote and encouraged him to open a school solely devoted to the teaching of yoga.

"The ultimate goal of all forms of yoga, though yoga is not a religion, is to united one with what their real purpose of existence really is," Coon said. "The truths that bind us are more pervasive than the barriers which separate us." In Sanskrit the goal of yoga is, as Coon described it, "Atma Pratishta. Atma meaning the soul or spirit and Pratishta meaning to stand up, to let the spirit stand up."

Coon went on to explain the importance of proper diet. "Yoga goes hand in hand with a science called Ayurveda. Ayus means life. Veda means knowledge. They are sister sciences. One is not really separate from the other. In fact, there is a trinity of practice in traditional yogic terminology. Ayurveda deals with the body: Tantra deals with the mind; and Yoga deals with the spirit."

Though Coon is against the use of labels and he primarily teaches Hatha and Kundalini yoga, when asked to explain the various types of yoga, Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of devotion. Hatha Yoga is the yoga of the sun and moon; it is called the yoga of the Force, as it delves into the application of this living field of energy and how we can tap into it. Jnana Yoga is the yoga of the intellect. Karma Yoga is the yoga of work, good action and service to others," said Coon. Traditionally it has been the teacher's job to observe the student and see what their level of evolution is at the beginning and assign the correct practices to help them evolve from where they are onward, not to just arbitrarily say everyone is going to do Hatha yoga or Jnana Yoga or Bhakti."

When asked to explain the role of breathing and postures in Hatha Yoga, Coon said, "The ancients realized that by practicing certain breathing techniques, that one could harness this energy (prana, in Sanskrit, means an energy field which penetrates all of creation) in the body and direct it in certain ways to facilitate increased energy levels, and so these various techniques are called Pranayama. There are two primary methods by which human beings can influence the Prana in their bodies. One is through specific breathing methods; this is the Pranayama practice. The other is by the quality of food and liquid taken into the body." When Pranayama is combined with the Asanas, (Asana means seat or position) in other words, "you strike a particular pose in yoga and hold it for a long period of time. That position of the body becomes the dwelling place for the Atma (the soul)," he explained.

Coon is a firm believer that yoga should be mainstreamed into every day life, including the public school systems. "I think it would increase their (the children's) ability to concentrate in class. I honestly believe that if children could develop this one-pointedness called Ekagra that the teachers would not have such a hard time with discipline, because the students would be more focused," Coon said.

Coon offers yoga classes that address stress management, and he is often referred pain patients from Herman Hospital. He feels that yoga is unmatched in the benefits that it offers in alleviating these common problems (and others) that are so prevalent in our society today. "Typically, if a student comes to my school two or three times a week, they will see some type of positive change in a month's time," said Coon.

Coon was fortunate to have studied and spent personal time with the Dalai Lama in 1990 and 1991. "The Dalai Lama is a very simple, wonderful human being. It is very difficult to squeeze him into a box and define who he is," said Coon. "He is someone without a second agenda, meaning some people talk one thing and walk another."

"Spending that much time with someone of that evolution spiritually is an incredible lesson in itself," said Coon. "It makes one really reflect on one's issues and motivations and gives one a very clear perspective of what one needs to work on."

The Yoga Center has morning and evening classes Monday through Saturday. the center is located at 2438A South Blvd. off of Kirby Drive. the telephone number is 524-4572.

End of Article by Silvia Stagg

Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama - 7:39 AM - Public

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Wins the 2012 Templeton Prize

The Templeton Foundation's statement said - "The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader whose long-standing engagement with multiple dimensions of science and with people far beyond his own religious traditions has made him an incomparable global voice for universal ethics, nonviolence, and harmony among world religions, has won the 2012 Templeton Prize." The statement further said, the Dalai Lama " has vigorously focused on the connections between the investigative traditions of science and Buddhism as a way to better understand and advance what both disciplines might offer the world." http://dalaila.ma/HjPfgA

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Egalitarian Newspaper

Houston Community College

May 5-1993

Government Tyranny Invading Constitutional Rights?

By Silvia Stagg

On Saturday, April 24, five days after the Branch Davidian Compound went up in flames, approximately 70 people peacefully assembled and protested the Waco fiasco, under the watchful eye of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) a branch of the IRS falling under the domain of the Treasury Department, Department of Public Safety (DPS) and local police of Waco. The protestors were kept far from the site of the Davidian ranch, with the DPS screening each passing vehicle while state and federal officials continued their secret investigations of the remains of Mount Carmel.

Later that day, this writer had the opportunity to interview, via the telephone, ruth Mosher, the mother of Shery Jewel age 43, a Davidian follower who died at the complex. Mosher expressed outrage that she was continually denied access to her daughter by the FBI even after traveling to the compound on March 11 for her daughter's birthday. According to Mosher, Jewel was a teacher, very devout in her bible studies, and had been affiliated with the Davidians for nearly five years. It was approximately one year ago that she made the final move to the Mount Carmel commune. Mosher believes that had the family members been allowed in to visit the Davidians, the Waco tragedy might have been avoided.

Never complaining about David Koresh, Jewel, according to her mother, was very comfortable with the family-like atmosphere at the Davidian ranch and had said that members were free to come and go as they wished. Mosher also denied allegations that children were taught how to commit suicide. She admitted having prior knowledge of Koresh's multiple wives and numerous children, and said that though children were spanked, they were never abused. Mosher also were never abused. Mosher also denied prior knowledge of any guns or munitions. She added that although she does not condone any wrong doings by Koresh, she still holds the government responsible for her daughter's death.

In this writer's opinion, it is not an open and shut case that the Davidians were a fanatical cult group, stockpiling guns and munitions and endangering their community, thus necessitating federal agents to raid their home. The heart of this matter lies in answering the unnerving question of whether or not our federal and state governments are abiding by the Constitution and Bill of Rights as set forth; or have they devised an effective methodology of usurping one's constitutional rights upon their determination that a particular group or individual is a threat to their survival, to their brand of social order? For such a methodology to be effective it mus have at least two components: a) the belief by the government that is is omnipotent and that it has the power to enforce what it deems is just regardless of one's constitutional rights and b) the general public's complacency with such actions.

The government's argument that they believed Koresh to be a fanatical cult leader, possibly endangered children, his followers and his community, seems on the surface a legitimate one for storming the so-called "compound." Though, the right to keep and bear arms is protected by both the 2nd and 9th amendment, our government, nonetheless, frowns upon anyone exercising this right as possibly being a threat to their idea of social order.

The government has proven that it has neither respect for the law nor the lives of innocent people, especially the 17 children and two pregnant women inside the compound on the day of the final attack. Neither did they have the expertise or patience required to diffuse a potentially violent confrontation. Their total disregard for the right of due process or for the lives of the Davidians is a direct result of the unconstitutional drug laws Congress has passed, which allows the search and seizure of all private property, without a person having an involvement with drugs or violating other federal laws. As a result of the government's assault on the constitutional rights of individuals, it is quite obvious that there is virtually nothing protecting the average citizen from immediate governmental excessive use of force, except perhaps the right to keep and bear arms--a right our founding fathers vigorously sought to protect and which has been under constant attack by those in government. The rights of the press were violated as well, when a few journalists, one with the Houston Chronicle, were arrested because they dared to get closer to the compound.

In regards to Koresh, concern for its image and not with substantiating facts, federal officials publicly argued that they were acting on behalf of the public's welfare, setting the stage for what was yet to come. The demonization of Koresh and his followers was a very useful tactic. Once branding someone in this light it was easier to turn public opinion against Koresh and his followers. The illegal use of tanks against U.S. Citizens, British Citizens, innocent men, women and children should have been avoided in order to protect the good faith necessary between the government and the people. Gerald Treece, law professor at the University of Houston and constitutional expert, has suggested that the Waco siege may have violated the Davidians First Amendment rights of freedom of religion as well as their Fourth Amendment protection against illegal search and seizure. If persons are suspected of illegal behavior, do they then relinquish their constitutional rights? This writer would argue that they do not.

The American public has become used to being spoon fed information from so-called "reliable" sources and does not stop to think independently. Few question he events that led up to to the federal government marching into Texas: violating Texas sovereignty with ATF and FBI agents and tanks; isolating 112 people who were held up in their home with their children, not allowing them to leave the compound without permission. Governor Richards did not properly discharge her duties as Governor, when she handed over her responsibility to protect the safety of every Texan to the federal government. Surely, the Texas Rangers, or other such local authorities had the jurisdiction to handle this matter providing it was ever necessary.

Koresh and his followers were determined to be guilty ot every crime under the sun without due process. The public has forgotten why this country was founded, as well as the plight of many peoples who have suffered under the iron fist of a totalitarian regime. Holocaust survivors still cannot comprehend how the German population could tolerate their being dragged off to some unknown place, under the guise of a government sanctioned policy. Though, the genocide of the Holocaust has not comparison, whenever a country's citizens give up control over their thought processes, the dictates of their moral conscience, and their lives in general, allowing the "state" to make their decisions for them on a mass level, it historically sets the stage for government totalitarianism.

The ultimate responsibility, therefore, lies with the public, as to whether it will continue to allow the government to take whatever action it deems fit regardless of the price to freedom and the consequences to human life. Our founding fathers knew all to well that absolute power corrupts absolutely; that is why they produced, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, written to protect the individual from the 'state.' It is therefore, periodically necessary to assert our collective will and vigorously voice our protest when government errs, clearly defining government's role and power instead of the other way around.

The Waco tragedy is not the first instance of excessive use of force by the ATF or FBI. There have been many other instances, such as that of a family man in Idaho named Randy Weaver whom they labeled a white supremacist. In August 1992 the ATF and FBI invaded Weaver's home, killing his wife and child in an 111 day siege; all this over a misdemeanor weapons charge. Chris Struble, owner and writer for the Freedom Observer, notes in a recent article on the Waco siege that, "Because of their 'sovereign immunity' these agents cannot be held responsible [to the ordinary citizen] for such conduct in their case." That is they cannot be sued for acting in their official capacity and carrying out the orders of the government.*

Unfortunately, such forceful tactics by this government will only serve to further incite fear and distrust om the population, encouraging increased guns and munitions sales, exacerbating the situation. It is time for the U.S. government to return to its original purpose intended by our founding fathers, that being the servants of the people.

The announced investigation of the federal government's role in the Mount Carmel siege, will most likely end in a white wash, not unlike that of the investigations into the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Jane Reno's recent announcement that given all that she now knows, she would not have handled this matter differently, serves as a chilling reminder that the federal government will probably repeat the excessive use of force in the future.

If Waco continues to remain a carnival side-show for the sale of T-shirts and memorabilia, without significant protest by the public, then the use of tanks and other weapons, traditionally targeted for national defense against outside attack, will become the standard weapons of choice for Americans against their own countrymen.

(My thanks to Chris Struble who provided me with helpful insights from his latest article, 'Nightmare in McLennon County.')

End of Article by Silvia Stagg

*Note- Unknown to me at the time of the writing of this article as per US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Book 'Memoirs of Five Chiefs': The Term 'Sovereign Immunity' comes from 'English Common Law' invoked by the Royal Family limiting the rights of their Royal Subjects, which was stricken down by our US Supreme Court as unconstitutional. Though, still misused in debate or public discourse. The US Supreme Court further recognizes that any Illegal/Erroneous action is NOT an Act of Government. Government is only recognized when it is Lawful/Perfect in its day to day operations and enforcement of our US Constitution.

Silvia Stagg - Silvia Stagg For President Campaign

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