In Response to the Awakening of Egypt - TZM

Poised at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, we continue to find the geopolitical landscape in upheaval. Wars, economic crises and ever encroaching consolidated national and corporate power structures are reshaping the world as we know it. In reaction to the newest set of documents now made public, a contentious debate rages within capitals and cafes worldwide, most prominently in the Middle East as of January 30th 2011, the time this statement was written. WikiLeaks’ controversial release of previously classified documents reveal one undeniable fact: the current methods of global business and public policy are on trial.

This wave of awareness in response to our current geopolitical and economic system is becoming apparent for the greater public as we are witnessing the increasingly vocal response by citizens of Tunisia, Egypt and the Greater Middle East. With the release of diplomatic cables related to growing despotism and economic inequality a new wave of individuals are standing up to demand their right to exist within a free and open society.

Not as Muslims or Christians, Atheists or Jews, but as independent human beings requesting in greater numbers, their human rights to a free and independent life.

The numbers of citizens standing up for their inalienable rights are rapidly increasing as the world is taking notice. We have seen the dire predicament the citizens of Iran suffered through in 2009 as an example, and this is happening now at a higher frequency as the global economic and political paradigm becomes more inadequate day by day.

This response in North Africa indicates that people, when given access to knowledge as to how their system truly operates, are given a choice; they can either perpetuate a morally bankrupt and economically broken world; or demand a more equitable alternative. In a world where information is digitized and ubiquitous, it is of significance to point out that it has now been confirmed that the entire Internet for Egypt has been temporarily shut down, along with high bandwidth (3G) wireless networks. If nations fundamentally operate for the benefit of the people as a primary motivating factor for public policy, what then would need to be suppressed?

Civil unrest can and will continue, as despots are replaced by slightly more benevolent or malevolent politicians depending on the collective whims of the body public. The time has come to reappraise our current paradigm.

As previously stated, the disturbing concept of an “internet kill switch” is not far from becoming a reality in North America or Western Europe. Senator Lieberman, former U.S Vice Presidential candidate has proposed such legislation and it is in the U.S congress at the time this statement has been written. This is what happens when inefficient and irresponsible political entities no longer operate for the benefit of their constituents but instead operate to perpetuate the status quo regardless of who inevitably gets trampled underfoot.

Like a wounded animal, it will do all that it can to guarantee it’s survival no matter how sick it becomes.

WikiLeaks’ supporters and detractors, in both public and private, operate with the knowledge that information is being suppressed to justify the status quo of the current geopolitical and economic climate. Both parties further assert that deception is being utilized to manufacture the consent of the world's citizens. The reports suggest that the United States has committed acts contrary to their stated political positions and has also blatantly disregarded international law.

The United States however, is not alone in that arena.

It is now confirmed that other countries including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and various states within the European Union and the Greater Middle East are involved in similar contradictions of character.

Three important questions The Zeitgeist Movement would like to ask the reader to consider:

Does any government, representing the people and acting on their behalf, have a right to operate clandestinely, and in many cases, illegally?

If such actions are condemned by the majority, what role does the press play to keep the power structure in check?

Most importantly; isn’t this conduct and behavior an indication of the fundamental problems within the system itself?

Global citizens of The Zeitgeist Movement realize that the tactics a nation chooses in order to undermine another nation, and their own people’s will, stems from economic competition and the constant battle for finite resources within the modern economic system, as well as their own systemic perpetuation. Such systems are now proven to be flawed, outdated and fundamentally corrupt. The documents released thus far have proven to define the current state of geopolitics in that regard. When interpreted in the light of modern science and technology and the enormous benefits they attribute to society, the word "geopolitical", provides no relevance in regards to quality of life.

Science and technology have been solely responsible for all improvements to the standard of living in our modern world. Understanding that important fact, The Zeitgeist Movement advocates a systems approach utilizing science and technology for the intelligent management of the Earth's resources and the social welfare of it’s population.

This concept in practice is known as a Resource Based Economy.

While neither supporting nor condemning the legality of publicizing confidential information, The Zeitgeist Movement seeks to address the issues brought to light via the numerous, previously classified media released through the WikiLeaks organization. These documents accurately define the inner workings of our system as it exists today.

We, The Zeitgeist Movement, are entering this public conversation, in order to discuss the relevance of these published documents in relation to the global monetary system.

The undermining of a rival nation's well being was the status quo of the last century when governments of the world had made it their top priority to maintain centralized power structures through the use of intimidation, violence and economic warfare. The data suggests that such systems are being extrapolated into our present era. The Zeitgeist Movement advocates the position that such actions are now obsolete and increasingly dangerous.

The global population is realizing that what happens to one will impact all.

We recognize that the current cultural climate has offered the people limited access to relevant knowledge and produces negative results. Attributes of governance such as these, undermine mature and informed decision making. Suppression of dissent, as well as the distortion of objective truth, can only have negative consequences, and thus, relevant conclusions can never be achieved.

One must ask their representatives:

How can undermining freedoms produce a sense of security?

Can we really expect to create different outcomes utilizing the unsuccessful approaches of the past?

Why is this planet, in one form or another, in a state of perpetual war?

For a just and reasoned society to flourish, open access to knowledge and it’s expression thereof is essential as it exists as the cornerstone of freedom.

The “Cablegate” controversy has offered the public an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of government, military and intelligence agencies. These groups have not met the expectations of a civil and reasoned society by promoting leverage of the corporate and banking structures underlying the global economic and political system. Those aforementioned groups are producing fear and distrust among many segments of the population. These agencies are currently operating within a paradigm they were created to oppose. We understand that countries acting in their self interest will go to great lengths to protect themselves from each other and any “perceived” threats, as we have seen through the documents that have been released.

The obsession for security is proving to be more detrimental to society than the potential risk any leak or act of terrorism can cause. Is the risk of losing one’s liberty a worthwhile price, and if so, what way of life is then worth defending?

The Zeitgeist Movement realizes that we the people, as one collective voice, actively seek a mature and rational environment for public and global discourse. The sole purpose of doing so allows those directly affected by the outcome, a means to arrive at reasoned and valid conclusions to solve serious issues that face the world today.

New governing mechanisms with a foundation grounded in reason, social equality and justice, rather than consolidation of government and corporate interests, must be implemented as our current system is reaching the end of its serviceable life. The documents that have been released so far have shown us, in regards to meetings among diplomats, that there is a general fear and mistrust amongst competing national economic systems which are being undermined by the very institutions that put them into place. Such policies ferment instability and chaos with a small population reaping the benefits of a dangerous world.

The problems we collectively face are the direct result of a system that relies on fierce nationalism and protection of the status quo to survive.

The only way for a free and open society to thrive, is by implementing a transparent governing mechanism. These new governing mechanisms can outgrow the dangerous and irrational world we currently live in. Without a reliable system to counteract aberrant behaviors on all levels, the well being of a nation’s constituent population will diminish. In the United States, legislation outside of and within the first amendment of the U.S Constitution, guarantees freedom of the press as well as whistle blower protection, was put into place in order to keep government fully accountable to the people for any actions it chose to engage in.

We have addressed in this public statement that the latest scandal, "Cablegate" gives credence to the old axiom “The Emperor Wears No Clothes." In other words, we all collectively understand the fundamental flaws that exist within our governing mechanism. This current system is not equipped to handle an ever increasingly complex and technologically advanced world. As we are discovering, the needs of the global population are radically different than they were centuries ago, at the birth of the economic paradigm we live in today.

The current value system, influenced by our current socioeconomic climate, has produced systemic corruption as well as a trend towards a diminishing of personal freedoms. In this current system, governments and their corporate partners are undermining both the public and themselves. It is essential that accurate information and transparency within representative governments becomes commonplace to advance the most essential aspects of freedom.

The current failures for reasonable governance speak for itself. Throughout history, policy has been dictated by unverifiable and subjective opinions. We are moving forward with the concept that to arrive at decisions which produce the most accurate and objective results possible, for the betterment of all humanity, includes absolute transparency. You will come to understand, we hold no interest in supporting or opposing entities which seek to undermine and destroy our present world, but transcend it.

The problems we have defined do not have to define us.

We invite you to look past the headlines and understand that the crimes which WikiLeaks allegedly uncovered are merely symptoms of an underlying problem endemic across the spectrum. We cannot legislate these problems away because every nation will legislate to the benefit of the corporation, the financial institutions and themselves, rather than the individual citizen. Finally, legislation cannot effect relevant change due to the inherent cultural behavior patterns integral to the current socio-economic paradigm, for, the current system cannot function without said behaviors.

It is time we redefine the world around us, understand how it operates, and construct a better alternative, using the highest levels of transparency and technical ability.

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The Zeitgeist Movement Communications Team - Official Response to Egypt and the Wikileaks Fallout-Global Politics on Trial: The Zeitgeist Movement, which currently has roughly 500,000 members worldwide, was founded in 2008 by film director Peter Joseph. The film Zeitgeist Addendum and the recently released film “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward” exists as a direct response to the documented errors prevalent in modern society which advocates the realization that the current system exists as continuation of historical baggage. The activist arm of The Venus Project, which was founded in Venus Florida by Industrial Designer and Social Engineer Jacque Fresco, The Zeitgeist Movement seeks to align modern understanding of science and technology with social design to implement what is termed “A Resource Based Economy”. An R.B.E relies on the concept that abundance for all people is a much more relevant motivator than monetary incentive; with the end result being a healthy and technologically advanced society. More information can be found at TheZeitgeistMovement.com and TheVenusProject.com.