John Hagelin in high-weirdness mode

If you attended or were watching today's news conference, with Bob Roth, John Hagelin, David Lynch, a bunch of other movement dead-enders, and a bunch of people who should know better, and came away from it thinking, gee, these guys are kind of weird... yeah, they're more than kinda weird.

The TM movement that Lynch was promoting today actually calls itself the "Global Government of World Peace."

And when the people who run this toy government get together, they call each other "Raja" and dress like this:

This is Raja John Hagelin, from a photo taken at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's funeral, available here.

And if you're thinking, gee, that looks like a Burger King crown on his head... we certainly agree.

Press Conference on TM in Schools

One can certainly NOT fault the publicity arm of the Transcendental Movement. I received these two notices about a press conference to be held Friday, April 3, in New York. The first is a form letter "certified governors" are supposed to use to gin up local support. The second appears to be a press release announcing the press conference.

As readers may know, there will be a free Web Event Thursday, April 2, 8:30 pm EDT to discuss and protest what appears to be a clear-cut violation of the separation of Church and State: Teaching the religiously-based Transcendental Meditation technique in public schools. For more information and to register for the free event, click here.

Here are the two announcements:

Dear Certified Governors,

The letter below is for discussion during today's conference call with Bob Roth.

It is not for distribution.

JAI GURU DEV

Communication Office
Raja Hagelin's Administration
for an Invincible America


"Beatle Concert” in New York to raise funds
for 1000 at-risk youth in to meditate

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr news conference
to be webcast live on April 3, 12 noon (EDT)

Dear ___________________,

So much has happened since the Beatles, Donovan, Mike Love, and Paul Horn traveled to India in 1968 to study the Transcendental Meditation® technique with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Since then millions of people have learned to meditate, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $24 million to investigate the benefits of the TM® technique for cardiovascular disease, business leaders provide it to their employees as a company-sponsored wellness program, and perhaps most interestingly, a growing number of principals are offering it to their students and teachers to help quell the stress and violence that pervade so many of America’s schools.

On Friday, April 3, at 12 noon (EDT) Paul McCartney, Ringo, Starr, David Lynch, Russell Simmons, and others will hold a news conference (DavidLynchFoundation.org) to launch a global initiative teach one million at-risk kids to meditate, including 1000 kids in the area. Then, the next evening, April 4, they will hold the “Change Begins Within” benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York to raise the funds to teach the million young people.

I would like to invite you to cover this news, including how these scholarship funds will be used in to help young people overcome stress and improve their academic achievement. If time allows, you could come to our Transcendental Meditation Program Center at

to watch the live global webcast—and meet some of the meditating school teachers, business professionals, and other members of the community who practice the TM technique—and who enthusiastically support the effort of Paul and Ringo to bring meditation to at-risk youth in our city.

I will give you a call to discuss the idea further.

With best wishes,




®Transcendental Meditation and TM are registered trademarks licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization.

"Urgent" TMer Viral Email Organizes against DailyKos Diary

Just got a copy of a "viral" email being spread in the TM community suggesting action online against "one of the Internet's biggest anti-TM cheerleaders."

I'm not sure the emailer realizes that DailyKos diaries scroll off the new list within an hour and typically aren't read after that.

Or that the poll in my diary is more of a device to increase interaction than it is to produce meaningful results.

But I do appreciate their efforts to publicize the diary. The more who read, the better!

And I think this is information that Paul and Ringo should have. They're adults. They can choose for themselves any action that they feel is appropriate about the McCartney/Lynch benefit concert to raise funds to teach Transcendental Meditation in the public schools.

Apparently the email author doesn't trust his audience to choose "right" under their own power. He feels it's necessary which poll answer to pick!

If you're interested in reading the diary TMers feel so desperate to mobilize against, click here.

And I'd be happy to see your participation in the poll -- no matter what answer you choose for yourself!

Dear John,
As you can see from this e-mail, people are told what to vote in the poll. In my father's and grandfather's day, churchgoers were told from the pulpit by the priest during his homily which party to vote for
(this was in Canada), and the congregation were expected to comply. This does not seem any different and is precisely why CHurch and State separation gives people the freedom to vote as they see fit, free of pressure, intimidation, coercion and undue influence.

From: Larry Decter
Date: Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 6:28 PM
Subject: FW: urgent: daily kos, PLEASE VOTE
To: larry54@gmail.com


One of the Internet's biggest anti-TM cheerleaders is doing his best to smear the Movement in advance of the upcoming David Lynch benefit concert. There is concern from the organizers of the concert that some of his slander may get reported to Paul and Ringo. Please click on the following link, then scroll down a couple of screens to the Poll, select the first option as indicated below, and click Submit.

Then, please forward this to all your friends in the Movement. Thank you.

PLEASE VOTE:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/3/6/12045/65504/403/705389

Clear Church/State Violation: TM in Public School (Poll) Poll

Are you concerned about TM being taught in public schools?
I am concerned about Churh/State issues, but think TM in schools is
okay


Anyone can vote without signing in.

Blog Offers Details on TM Global Benefit Concert

Additional artists have been announced for Paul McCartney's April 4th concert at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. The gig, which the former Beatle will headline, is a fundraiser for the David Lynch Foundation's initiative for Transcendental Meditation (TM) education. Joining McCartney will be Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Moby, Donovan, and renowned jazz flutist Paul Horn.

Full post here.

J.

I'm Up to No Good -- Wanna Play?

I'm thinking of a response to the upcoming McCartney concert. I have a subscription to a webinar service. It would be fairly simple to schedule a webinar for just before or just after the concert to which we invite the public and the press. (I can handle up to 1000 attendees.)

Without becoming wrathful or enraged, I imagine we might get some coverage for a cool, unemotional presentation on the dangers of the TM Org for schoolchildren.

We could have presentations by educators, research experts, people with personal stories of harm at the hands of the TM Org, and more.

If anyone would like to help me organize such an event, please contact me directly at jmknapp53@gmail.com.

We can accomplish a lot using asymmetrical power to our advantage.