394 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
394 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
M A N I F E S T O / H I S T O R Y O F I d E A L O R D E R
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IdEAL ORDER was founded in 1982 as an outlet for anarchic/artistic
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activism by Elsie Russell and Jeffrey Harrington. The intent was twofold:
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to create collaborative and issue-oriented art which was designed to provoke
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a chaotic zen consciousness in the viewer and to create an awareness of the
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telepathic activism of Jeffrey Harrington. Disappointed with the usual
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formats of political art (the poster, the tabloidal text-based format, i.e.)
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they began experimenting with new techniques employing subliminal messages;
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loading images with beautifully chaotic texts and setting them in unusual
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public situations/contexts.
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The initial works of IdEAL ORDER were displayed in the subways and
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streets of NY City in 1982 and 1983. First there were a series of heads of
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the Greek gods pasted on the streets of NY. The intent was to take graceful
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beauty out of the museum and back to the streets, hoping to provoke sudden
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bursts of deep aesthetic appreciation in the unsuspecting public. The second
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project was called "The Seven Seals." It was designed as a series of
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pseudo-religious confrontational rubber stamp image/text formations stamped
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on the street and in the white spaces of subway placards. Their largest
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installation to date was at the infamous School Book Depository in the lower
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west side docks of Manhattan. (Closed by a police action in July 1983).
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During the same period while Jeffrey was employed at Liberty Audio/Video
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he had begun experimenting with a capability developed as an offshoot to his
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Zen meditative practices. He discovered that he could cause broadcasting
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television camera lenses to glow. He began using this luminescent effect as
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a tool to harass media and politicians. The process is called IdEAL ORDER
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Psychic TV. Unfortunately, instead of achieving an artistic notoriety and
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provoking discussion, a frenzy of celebrity/saint hysteria was created. This
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attracted the attention of right-wing Islamic fundamentalists which quickly
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became life-threatening. Because of Jeffrey's ability to produce
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luminescent effects and because of the imagery employed by IdEAL ORDER
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(they had begun using a stamp of an angel with a Saracen sword) they had
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come to see Jeffrey and Elsie as demons; as agents against Khomeini whom
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they considered "The Light of the World." After fleeing NY in 1983 because
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of death threats IdEAL ORDER regrouped in Montana and later New Orleans
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and continued the telepathic activism on a continual basis. In 1984 IdEAL
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ORDER Psychic TV began a nightly zapping of the CBS Evening News and
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the McNeil/Lehrer News Hour and constant telepathic harassment of the
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Reagan administration during televised news conferences and news show
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appearances. IdEAL ORDER also began networking their works through the
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European, American, and Japanese mail art network. Since 1989 IdEAL
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ORDER has operated primarily through the computer networks. Images are
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digitized, processed and then distributed over the InterNet computer
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networks, GEnie, CompuServe, and local BBS's. In November 1991 IdEAL
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ORDER Psychic TV began focussing on a once a week disruption of the CBS
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Evening News so that skeptical viewers might be able to compare the
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illuminated with the non-illuminated broadcasts. The project continues every
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Thursday night.
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(Since Connie Chung joined Dan Rather on CBS, I've moved the bulk of the
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zapping back to CBS and am doing the Thursday zap on ABC).
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In 1992, IdEAL ORDER Psychic TV successfully
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disrupted all three presidential debates, intending to prevent the re-election
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of George Bush.
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*****************************************************************
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EXPANDED HISTORY OF THE IdEAL ORDER PSYCHIC TV PHENOMENON
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There is _no_ connection between the rock group Psychic TV, i.e. Mr. Orridge's
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"product" and this process! (Except for the fact that they probably named
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their group after my phenomenon ;)
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In 1982 I was employed as a salesman at an audio/video store in New York
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City and I would sit and stare at a bank of television sets. I have been
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involved with Zen meditation for over 20 years and while in a state of no-
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mind (at work) I discovered that the people on television were responding to
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fluctuations in my mental state. I was later to learn that I was producing a
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spot of bright light in the lens of the broadcasting television camera.
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Since 1983 I've been using this luminescent effect to wreak havoc in the
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incipient mind of the media/state. I have learned to control the effect
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so that I can induce more eye blinking, more stammering, etc. by changing
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the brightness and location of the spot of light which I cause to appear in
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the broadcasting TV camera.
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In 1991 I decided to create an experiment which would be verifiable to
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the public at large, so that I might prove the existence of the phenomenon
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to the skeptical community. So, I came up with the Thursday test. Every
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Thursday I illuminate the cameras of the ABC Evening News. Watchers of
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the show can do various things to prove the veracity of my claims. They
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can count the number of times Peter Jennings blinks on Thursday as compared
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with Friday or Wednesday. They can measure the reflected luminosity of
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the spot of light on Peter's eyeballs or they can count the number of
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mis-speaks.
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I've been zapping all presidential tv appearances since late 1983. If
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you watch the first 1984 Reagan debate you will notice my efforts. I
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zapped the presidential and vice-presidential debates in 1992 - in an attempt
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to prevent the re-election of Bush/Quayle.
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Millions of people know about this phenomenon and harbor knowledge of it
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through a "cult of secrecy." There is no real conspiracy in the public,
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it is just that people do not tell others of this story unless provoked.
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There have been quite a few pop songs written in homage; these usually use
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innuendo to refer to the phenomenon.
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My intent on Internet is to inform the public of this process. My intent
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is infinite and immaculate in its beautifully chaotic illuminative
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interventions; wreaking havoc with light. Photonic agents of bliss
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infiltrating the minds of commerce and conspiracy.
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Jeff Harrington
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idealord@dorsai.dorsai.org
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People have asked me why the media (in particular the network news programs)
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have censored news coverage of the IdEAL ORDER Psychic TV phenomenon. Not
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only have they neglected mention of the ongoing Thursday Night ABC Evening
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News zap - they have censored stories regarding the zapping of Saddam Hussein,
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Reagan, Bush and other infamous public figures.
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All this in the light of numerous pop songs and movies with innuendos regarding
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the phenomenon. (Interestingly, a friend of mine at MTV says that there's a new
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story about what the REM song - "Losing My Religion" really means. ;-).
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The process is in actuality a much discussed one in private and in public,
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leading the TV viewer to ponder why the media (even the tabloids!) have
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neglected to report on this worldwide phenomenon. (The Skeptical Enquirer has
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censored this story, too - leading one to believe that they have _no_ interest
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in anything but debunking - but we knew that already didn't we?)
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In truth - I don't know. I have been told by various people at CBS and ABC
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that, "We don't discuss the stories we are presently working on." My theory
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is that the last thing the news wants is a story about the news. Regarding
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the tabloids and they're neglect of the story - hmmmm... this is a bit harder
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to explain. I have heard stories of people in the media losing their jobs
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from pushing too hard about this story (in New Orleans). And - I have had
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several print reporters interview me and prepare a story - only to have it
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dropped before it goes to press.
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Concsiously or unconsciously (if there's a difference in the news world) there
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is the perception that by covering the story a "genie" would be let out of the
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bottle. What is this "genie?"
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The genie is Zen. Fear of Zen. Fear and loathing of anarchic Zen
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consciousness spreading to the masses. Ho hum. And ultimately there is the
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fear of Jeff. Fear that he will become a cult leader. Yawn...
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The media should prepare itself. The story is getting out and now - they will
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have to justify their coverage and lack thereof.
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Whatever...
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Jeff Harrington
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idealord@dorsai.dorsai.org
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If you'd like a text file about IdEAL ORDER Psychic TV drop me a line!
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****************************************************************************
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mondo published most of the text files I've produced. here's an interview i
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did for some little cp mag who never identified themselves :).
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>
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> Here are some starter questions:
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> --------------------------------
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> * Are Khomeni's followers still after you, or do they have their hands full
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> tracking down Salman Rushdie at the present time?
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>
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Interestingly, we have received no mail or other contacts from the New York
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Islamic community since we left NYC in 1983. My impression is that the
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"apocalyptosis" which I became notorious for in the early 80's dissipated with
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the decline of the Soviet Union. The interest which the Islamic community
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showered on us back then was most likely fueled by the general messianic
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interpretation of events. Most of this messianic fervor was actually
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mis-interpreted rumor mongering by elements in the art community of New York -
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most of it jokes. The New York art community really went to town against us -
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Charles Ludlam (Ridiculous Theatre Company) even wrote a play - The
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Avant-Garde Bourgeoise - which presented me and my spouse as maniacal art
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activists. Never got to see it - but it seemed pretty funny. Much of this
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fervor against us was because we were campaigning to destroy the world art
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market through our street and subway art.
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One of the gentleman who was part of the Islamic group at the hotel did
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(coincidentally I assume) come into my workplace in 1991. I think it was
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probably just to see if I really was back in town if it was personal at all.
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> * Given your bold interference with presidential debates and press conferences,
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> I'd be surprised if the secret service hasn't taken an interest in your
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> activities. How have you managed to stay out of trouble so far?
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>
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We haven't actually stayed out of trouble. Our general interpretation of the
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minor bits of harrassments has been that it was not in their interest to
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produce a "martyr." Our phones were definitely tapped between 84-92. Mail
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was mis-handled. We were quite active in the mail art circles between 84-89
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and much of the European mail was opened and tampered. Suspicious characters
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hanging around your apartment before significant news conferences, SS types
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making themselves known; these are all possibly mis-interpreted and anecdotal.
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In 1984 a black unmarked helicopter hovered over our apartment house for
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several minutes. The neighbors (who knew about us) were very freaked out.
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Black helicopters also suspiciously hovered over the house we stayed in when
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we left NYC. This is not good evidence, obviously of Secret Service activity
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but is suspicious.
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Family friends and supporters of Ronald Reagan contacted us in 1986 and
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attempted to befriend us (even though they knew of our leftist tendencies).
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Both of them told us they wanted to be spies; all they wanted to do was
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talk politics. The woman was an office assistant of mine. When we moved back
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to NY they called us to check in and when I refused to talk to her the phone
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went dead. The phone remained inoperative for 3 weeks. The phone company
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told us that someone at the main office had "mis-programmed" our account to be
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turned off. More anecdote, but that's all we have.
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After the Panamanian invasion I called CBS news to demand they do a story on
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the civilian casualty mis-count. Within hours our phone went dead. Again,
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the problem was at the office and phone repairmen were hard pressed to explain
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their inability to fix our problem.
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> * You mention Richard Gere as being against your work. To what extent does
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> the American Buddhist community support or oppose IdEAL ORDER?
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>
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I don't think Mr. Gere has focussed any attention on my work at all. I would
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guess that he's very skeptical about my "purposes." The few times that I've
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zapped him he's shown little humor at the process - this is my only
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information. My impression is that the American Buddhist community looks at me as a
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self-appointed prophet - the worse kind - egomaniacal and destined for hell.
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> * Do you have any insight into the "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" incident?
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>
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I relate it completely to my psychic TV project. I have no other information.
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> * Once the word gets out about the success of the Psychic TV phenomenon, what
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> is the next step?
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>
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Ultimately, I would like the knowledge of this phenomenon to spur debate about
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"scientific" interpretations of reality. Although I am extremely interested
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in scientific discovery I feel that mystery must have a large place in any
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modelling of our universe. Science, as Feyerabend has demonstrated, is a
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mythology.
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I would like this knowledge to encourage other people to meditate. People can
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learn to harness their minds and unleash their natural telepathic
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capabilities.
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This phenomenon is in fact the first scientific proof of the spiritual.
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My displays are not just "jamming" but are illuminative and demonstrate
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the infinite capacity of our minds.
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Jeff Harrington
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idealord@dorsai.dorsai.org
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>
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> * How do you distinguish changes in the behavior of a news anchor that are
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> caused by the Psychic TV phenomena from those just caused by chance? Is
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> it a statistical distinction, or is there a qualitative difference?
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Probably the most striking distinction between a zapped and non-zapped
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broadcast is the number of blinks blinked by the news reader. This is a
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byproduct of the camera's luminescence, not an action induced by me. By
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focussing my spot of light on alternating eyes I produce a distraction to the
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news reader which can make them blink more. By counting the blinks on the ABC
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Evening News Thursday broadcast and comparing those numbers to the number of
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blinks on the other days a statistical anomaly can be produced. The most
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striking artifact of the process besides blinking is the extra bit of
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shininess on the news reader's eyes. This is the light itself reflecting off
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of the moisture of the eyes. The most striking proof of all though is when
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the people on camera began mis-speaking and stammering from the distraction.
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The CBS coverage of the Presidential Conventions was striking in this regard.
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Mr. Rather and his cohorts were practically unable to complete sentences.
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>
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> * Have the networks taken any steps to reduce the influence you have on t
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> their broadcasts?
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>
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Probably the most interesting effort the networks took to limit my impact was
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in the case of PrimeTime Live. When the show started there was a live
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audience. People were staring in the camera practically the whole show
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instead of looking at the guests. The audience could see the luminescence.
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The studio audience was eliminated after a few of those events.
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> * Have you trained others in your meditative/telepathic technique, and if so
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> what are they doing with their abilities today?
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>
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No.
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> > I don't think Mr. Gere has focussed any attention on my work at all. I would
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> > guess that he's very skeptical about my "purposes." The few times that I've
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> > zapped him he's shown little humor at the process - this is my only
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> > information.
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>
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> How do you interpret his comments at the Academy Awards?
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> Was this just the stammering of someone who was surprised at
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> what he saw, or was there some deeper significance? Was he
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> trying to say something /to/ you or /about/ you?
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>
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One of the reasons I zap awards ceremonies is to get this live response to the
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phenomenon. Many people during presentations have said relevant things. It's
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just so annoying to be up there and getting distracted in front of your peers
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that people often will say things as an excuse for their lack of
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professionalism. Richard Gere's comments were a comment on the phenomenon.
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> > I would like this knowledge to encourage other people to meditate. People
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> > can learn to harness their minds and unleash their natural telepathic
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> > capabilities.
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>
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> Most of the zen and ch'an meditation that I'm familiar with
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> does not train the meditator to do any sort of telepathic
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> activity. Is telepathy a well-known skill in the zen community
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> that is being hidden from the uninitiated, or is it more of
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> a repressed heresy that is unwelcome outside of the more esoteric
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> Buddhist traditions?
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>
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> > This phenomenon is in fact the first scientific proof of the spiritual.
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The Buddhist tradition of meditation is futile if there is any intention to
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achieve. Meditation itself must be the intention. The side-effects which can
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be achieved by accomplished practitioners are usually regarded as dangerous
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and a distraction to the perfection of the practice but they happen
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nonetheless. I'm concerned that people intentionally begin meditation to
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achieve this power and searching for power inside of one's minds can only lead
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to madness. Meditation is dangerous.
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My attainment of psychic powers is a side effect to my achievement of no-mind.
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I've always had extraordinary psychic abilities and the meditation has
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allowed me to focus these capabilities. When I attempt to "zap" someone, that
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is, actually sit down in front of my TV set and focus my attention - the
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effects are very weak. It is only when I focus my mind on itself and lose my
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ego that the luminescence becomes striking.
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The esoteric Buddhist traditions are filled with information on magical
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capabilities attainable by those who have harnessed their minds. Stories of
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flying monks, of being able to "swim" through matter, read other's thoughts,
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cause the appearance of luminescent phenomenon in the sky, and summoning
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celestial beings are rife in the Tibetan literature. In the Zen tradition
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these stories are looked at as evidence of heresy. There are many stories of
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monks using their powers and of the priests mocking them. The meaningless of
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activity itself is something realized through Zen meditation. Why would
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someone want to attain extra-physical attainment. What would this accomplish?
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As I've taken no vows and am not interested in teaching Zen I consider my
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efforts to be in the realm of the Zen troublemaker or "crazy cloud." My
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actions are meant to disturb and enlighten in an absurd ego-less context.
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> > My displays are not just "jamming" but are illuminative and demonstrate
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> > the infinite capacity of our minds.
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>
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> The displays are certainly far outside of what most people
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> in the scientific-paradigm world can accept as being part
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> of their reality. So there is liable to be some resistance
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> to believing that they even exist. Since I don't watch
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> television, I haven't had an opportunity to see these displays
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> first-hand, and have had to rely on your accounts. This
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> presents some problems of course, since on the surface there
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> is little that separates your accounts of the Psychic TV
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> phenomenon from commonly discredited paranoid or schizophrenic
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> hallucinations. What is being done to enhance the visibility
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> and/or credibility of the phenomena among those in majority
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> consensus reality?
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The only way in which this story is being spread before the recent articles
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about it has been by word of mouth. I established the Thursday zap of ABC
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Evening News in order to establish a control - so that people who did not have
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friends in the broadcast television world could prove to themselves that the
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process was operative. The recent Mondo 2000 article happened only after I
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zapped rusirius on the Donahue show and then bragged about it on the
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alt.cyberpunk InterNet news group. Before this, the print and broadcast media
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have been ignoring the phenomenon. There have been a few articles which gave
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"hommage" to it. These are loosely disguised as commentaries on the "weird."
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but without a verifiable connection to my phenomenon,
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My sense is that the story now has become so widely known - that is, a
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critical mass of people now know about it and it is so interesting that the
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media is being forced to cover the story. Especially in the segments of
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society interested in extra-mundane phenomenon, their media are being forced
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to do stories or admit a less than exhaustive approach or even "censorship"
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in the face of widespread, although underground knowledge.
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The possibility that I suffer from paranoia or schizophrenia and that the
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story is a personal delusion is discounted by the liveliness of the rumor mill
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which has evolved around this phenomenon. Without continuous and active
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verification of the story it would have never grown to current proportions and
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would have remained another story of delusion.
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Paranoid and schizophrenic delusions have always been something I've been very
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interested in because they evidence the structure of the mind. I find it
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extremely fascinating that this feeling of connectedness to the people on TV
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is a common drug user delusion. I believe that all people, all beings are
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telepathic and that it is possible that feelings of these psychic connections
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may be enhanced under artificial or real schizophrenic states.
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Jeff Harrington
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idealord@dorsai.dorsai.org
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