Raw Energy Hotline - September 2001

(212) 343-1152
RAW ENERGY HOTLINE
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 10 & 14, 2001

Hello, this is Rhio. I'd like to thank the many, many people who called and emailed us to make sure that we are ok, because they know that we live in the Tribeca area of NYC close to the disaster site. Thank you for your thoughts and blessings.

It is with a heavy and subdued heart that I write today. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 8:45 a.m. I was at my computer, poised to send out my monthly Raw Energy Hotline to my elist (after a two-month break while I was traveling). I was in a happy mood, people had been calling for the hotline and now I could deliver it. All of a sudden I heard a plane flying very low overhead and a few seconds later an unbelievably LOUD crash. Rushing to the window I saw that a plane had hit the world trade center and I immediately looked at the clock to see whether people would be in there. Almost 9 a.m. -- I started crying and screaming in despair. Funny what you think of at moments like these - I remember thinking, perhaps those people are a little late to work (like I always seem to be), perhaps they walk in at 9 sharp . . . and it's not 9 yet.

But I knew, my soul knew.

How could people escape from there? There was so much fire and smoke. Perhaps the people below the impact level could get out. Leigh came running up the stairs, he had been in the street when he also heard the plane. Then as we cried, prayed and watched, we saw the second blast and fireball -- wait, that's not even the same building -- and now through the sickening realization that this was not an accident - we knew something else. And on that long torturous day, through our windows approx. 10 blocks north and directly in front of the WTC, we saw all the horror unfold.

Everyone handles and processes terrifying events in different ways -- some people throw themselves into work and activity -- I found myself retreating into my shell, like a turtle. I took to bed with the TV on day and night. Slowly through the haze, I started hearing on the TV from the news commentators, from the government leaders, something equally as horrible. Everyone is talking of war, retaliation, revenge. The people speaking of love and peace were drowned out or ignored. I switched to the Latin station, many people were calling in, some speaking of restraint, love, peace - they were quickly cut off. I switched to the public stations, here at last a more reasoned voice, but who is listening? Even the ministers at the Washington Cathedral today said "we must guard against repaying evil with evil", "be careful that by our actions we do not become as one with those who perpetrate evil" -- (I'm paraphrasing from memory). Is anyone listening?

Where are the real statesmen? We ignore our ministers and listen to our military men strategizing war. We pray - but prepare for war. We are told that swift retaliation is the only solution. We must rout out the evil. Our people in their sorrow and emotion of the moment are being roused to support the political line. Polls say they support immediate retaliatory action -- but ask them again in a few weeks -- after they've had a chance to calm down, regroup and think clearly. Do we really want to see more innocent people killed and families changed forever? Do we really want a world war that could last for years? In the Vietnam War, the people finally forced a pull out. The people could prevent this "new war" if they would speak out. Are we to perpetuate the cycle of violence forever? Violence begets violence -- if it had ever worked differently, would we find ourselves in this position now?

What are you saying - should we all just sit around and do nothing? Don't you want the perpetrators brought to justice? The terrorists must be brought to justice, but there are other ways of doing it besides using instruments of war, which ALWAYS kill the innocent (called "collateral damage" and shrugged off). The tools for peace (and justice) are at hand -- diplomacy, negotiation, good will, intelligence strategies, plain intelligence, common sense, reason, willingness to change policies that harm, and - dare we do more than just say the word -- LOVE -- LOVE -- LOVE.

Now is also a good time for introspection. Let's find out why America is hated by so many countries (and factions) all over the world. We are told they hate us because they hate freedom and our way of life. But is this really true? Yes, we do represent freedom, but many of our policies throughout the world repress freedom for others. (In my hotline below, written before this catastrophe, I refer the reader to the situation in Jamaica and how our policies have destroyed their economy causing devastating poverty.)

NOTHING justifies terrorism against innocent people but we must look at the terrorism that the US has caused to others. As stated by Mitchel Cohen, NY mayoral candidate of the Green Party, in a recent Email:

"I remember the 'war on poverty'. I also remember the 'war on Vietnam' (2 million Vienamese murdered), the 'war on Nicaragua' (30,000 Nicaraguans killed in the mid-1980s), the 'war in El Salvador' (70,000 killed by death squads), the 'war on Drugs' (Panama/Noriega: 7,000 killed by US troops); the 'war on Iraq to defend our way of life' (250,000 killed in the first 2 months; 1 million killed in the follow-up); the 'war against hunger in Somalia' (10,000 killed by US/UN troops); the 'war in Grenada' (US wiped out the progressive forces there); 'war again against Iraq's No Fly Zones' (repeated bombings to this day); 'war against Yugoslavia' (thousands killed, ecology destroyed, water poisoned); the 'War against Sudan's pharmaceutical plant?' (hundreds killed outright) "

Some misguided people will probably accuse me (Rhio) of not being patriotic. The truth is that this (and former) administration's policies do not represent me and millions of other peace loving and peace-aspiring American people. We need a new kind of patriotism that has the courage to look at our own government's foreign policies clearly, and takes into account the effects of these policies worldwide.

It is time to change "courses of action" that never get us to where we really want to be. War will just escalate the reprisals as represented by acts of terrorism that will more frequently visit America.

I reflect upon the wisdom of teachers that I admire, Mahatma Ghandi, Albert Schweitzer, Jesus, Buddha, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others - what would they say?

The path to a peaceful world will not come through war.

REGULAR HOTLINE MESSAGE

The following message was updated on September 10th, 2001. If you are in the New York City area and would like to listen to the hotline toll-free, call (212) 343-1152, 24-hours a day.

Item #1: Victoria Boutenko and her family came to the US from Russia approximately 11 years ago. They created a few successful businesses, bought a big house and started living the American dream life. The food in American supermarkets intrigued them. They had never seen such an abundance and variety of boxes and packages and cans in their country and they set about trying them all, very soon becoming addicted to the Standard American Diet (SAD). Within a very few years, Victoria gained 100 lbs. and suffered with heart trouble, her daughter developed asthma, her husband had arthritis and many other problems, but the final straw for Victoria was when her son, only 9, was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. The doctors said he would have to inject himself with insulin for the rest of his life.

After crying "rivers of tears," Victoria decided that she was not going to accept this fate for her son. In her own unique way, Victoria set about finding out the truth about health. She started noticing that some people look much healthier than others. When she would see a person glowing with health, she overcame her embarrassment, approached them and asked them what they did to become healthy. In this fashion one day she met a person at the bank who was radiant. She asked her the question. The woman told her that the body can heal everything. She said that she had had cancer 15 years before and had recovered through eating a raw food diet. This information hit Victoria like a ton of bricks "What do you mean, everything raw?" And yet, something about this seemingly outrageous information felt right and true deep within her soul. Today the Raw Family is completely healed from all their former afflictions.

It is with great pleasure that I host Victoria Boutenko and the Raw Family in my loft on Sunday, September 23rd - There will be a fabulous raw dinner and talk, including a videotape presentation proving the damage that cooked food does. There will also be entertainment and good vibes! If you'd like to join us for this unique event, please call 212 343-1152 or 212 941-5857. $30 for the event, $50 for couples, prepaid (checks, American Express, Mastercard or Visa)

{Because of our proximity to Ground Zero, the difficulty of getting into the area as well as the asbestos pollution, our event in Tribeca is CANCELLED. Monies will be refunded. However, Victoria Boutenko will be doing presentations next week at High Vibe Health and Healing, call 212 777-6645, and Hygeia Center, call 800 525-7973.}

Next Item: Check out some new sections on my website. The Directories section lists many Raw Food Potlucks, Raw Restaurants and Raw Lifestyle Centers (and Teachers) in the US and some other countries too. The list is growing and is designed to put you in touch with the raw/live food community wherever you find yourself.

There is also a new and growing section called "Real Letters from Real People" that is very powerful precisely because it is written by real people. My articles section is growing by one article per day. Check out "Starlink Allergy not Bogus" (under Biotechnology articles).

Next Item: If at all possible, try to see a movie called "Life and Debt" playing at smaller theatres that bring in foreign or unusual films. In New York, it is currently playing at The Screening Room on Varick and Canal Streets. This movie depicts the plight of the Jamaican people and the decimation of their economy after IMF (International Monetary Fund) and WB (World Bank) loans were made to them. The film goes directly to the people that were affected, showing the ruination of their agriculture, milk and other businesses. I had been slowly educating myself as to the effects of IMF/WB policies worldwide. But when you see and hear the people themselves, it brings home the effects of these policies like no amount of intellectualizing ever does. I was very moved.

Next Item: I also urge you to read a book by Jim Hightower, If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote, They Would Have Given Us Candidates. This book is hilarious but it also presents little known information about our political leaders and how they are financed, all their dirty little deals, and how they have sold us (the American people) out in favor of corporate interests. There is no distinction made between the two main political parties. Both are equally exposed. I haven't heard about anyone suing Hightower. You would think if all this information is wrong, incorrect or slanderous that he would have been sued by now.

Next Item: In previous hotlines, I have talked about the benefits of drinking the water from green or yellow water coconuts. These are the larger coconuts, as opposed to the Thai coconuts or the regular small brown coconuts that we usually see. While more difficult to find, these coconuts have a lot of delicious water in them. The Essex Street Market in the Delancey District in NYC has them, as well as some stores in the Hispanic sections of the city. I have seen them in Southern Florida and Puerto Rico, but in other sections of the country they are not distributed until there is a call for them.

Today, I'd like to give you some precautions. A friend of mine, while opening a small Thai coconut, missed his mark and inflicted a serious cut to the palm of his hand. As a result of this accident, he researched and found a flexible steel glove that can be put on the hand holding the coconut so as to prevent cuts or punctures or even cutting the fingers off. This has always troubled me because I learned to use a machete (usually needed to cut a hole in the big green or yellow water coconuts) after adulthood. By that I mean that it is not second nature to me (to use the machete) and as a consequence I always had a little trepidation. However, now, with the use of the steel glove, I feel the job is safer. Oh, yes, I could still probably break a bone or fracture something with a miss-hit, but at least the danger of cuts is greatly diminished. So, I'd like to tell you where you can purchase this glove if you want to, especially if you use these coconuts on a regular basis like I do.

They are called Niroflex 2000 all steel mesh glove. Designate right or left hand and size. 800 548-4273 or check out website: www.saftgard.com Not cheap - approx. $90.

Next Item: Next month, I'll cover my trip to the Portland Raw and Living Foods Festival and some surprising information I learned there.

God bless you and don't forget to stay high on Nature's powerful raw/live foods.

Rhio

FEEDBACK

Sept. 16, 2001

I'm glad you're safe.
Keep speaking. Some people are listening, and we will speak also.

Eleanor Tauber

Sept. 16, 2001

Hi Rhio,

Thank you so much for your thoughts and feelings about that day and the days following. I too am so bothered by all this war talk. War is never a solution.

Helene

Sept. 16. 2001

Thank you for your highly conscious e-mail, Rhio!!

Michele

Sept. 16, 2001

thank you for your email! We are the new patriots!

Jean

In a message dated 9/16/01 7:16:04 AM, Steven White writes:

Dear Rhio,

I read your E-mail and I agree with you 100%, We are being watched by the entire world, and our declaration of war will lower our Country to their level. You talked about great people, their is one I would like to introduce to you his name Sri Sathya Sai Baba he is a holy man from India, use any search engine to find many websites about him, you will be fascinated.

Sincerely

Steven White

In a message dated 9/16/01 6:06:14 AM, Cherie writes:

Dearest Rhio,

I am shocked to hear that you live so close to the WTC! I thought you lived far away or I would have been concerned for you - I have other friends there and, as all of us with friends in Manhattan, I did a lot of praying for their safety. I hope you are taking precautions for your breathing, since I understand the air is very toxic for the time being.

... I flew in the night before the attack, otherwise I would have been stuck in C.R. since they
closed all air traffic. While I was there I had a chance to look over your book in more depth (I have been so busy here at home, I have not had an opportunity to read anything other than my daily email.) I want to tell you how impressed I am with the work you have done. It is a true accomplishment
and I'm sure you are very pleased with the outcome. It will have a tremendous influence on lives for many years to come. Thank you for this great contribution to humanity!

Love and Blessings during this difficult time,

Cherie

Sept. 25, 2001

Thanks for your great commentary on the disaster.

Isobel Schneider, East Bay Living Foods Community, Berkeley, CA

Sept. 26, 2001

What a crucial e-mail! I just had to forward it to others. The first time I heard Bush describe the act as cowardly I wondered for a moment if America had a slightly different definition of cowardly. Thanks Rhio.

Supreme respect

Tehuti

Sept. 27, 2001

Thanks for your recollection on 9/11/01 - and your wish for peace. I share your sentiments.

Susy

In Sept. 2001, I (Rhio) received the following commentary written by Jerry Knowles. It was sent to me by Mary Katherine.

The following Commentary is by Jerry Knowles

I have received alot of emails and engaged in many conversations about the attack on the US and what the US should do about it. I want to share some of my thinking, not so as to argue or counter point, but to hopefully make some contrilbution to the clarification of the dimensions of the current problem and what the US might do.

THE NECESSITY FOR DEFENSE AGAINST ENEMIES AND OUTER FORCES.

The US Constitution and its founders indicated that a critical role of our government is to defend us against our enemies.

Unfortunately, the laws and values that are integral to our democracy may not be enough to use as an interface between the US and its enemies. Social theorists upon social theorist make this point- (possibly ignoring the concept that we become what we do - a real dilemma). I have personally accepted the necessity of Truman's use of the atomic bomb, not as a tool of revenge, but as the only mechanism available to stop an uncompromising foreign entity and the only way to save both Japanese and American lives in the long run.

The assessment of the power of evil and the resources needed to overcome and stop it brings a nation to the cross roads of either deciding on prevailing or just giving up. In the end, the lesser evil must be the route to take. The assessment of which path to take is complicated and difficult. Revenge should not be a factor in the equation - revenge and uncontrolled violence ultimately hurts the innocent and leaves the perpetrators unscathed. Unfortunately, some US leaders have expressed revenge as a motive as part of the response in the current crises.

Passive resistance as used by Gandhi and King would not seem to make any sense in response to the problem.

The world threat by Adolph Hitler and the operation of the death camps during World War II could not be stopped by negotiation nor by ignoring that the evil existed. Irrational and ill-willed individuals are not subject to fair play nor reason. Many US men lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy in order to end the Nazi regime. If the regime had prevailed, how much suffering would have occurred in the last 55 years at the hands of the Nazis? Jewish people, handicapped, etc. would all be exterminated by now. Those who forget world history are bound to repeat it. Evil expressed through man appears throughout all history. The ideal of peace should always be the prize and the focus in the terrible dynamic of man against man, but, as exemplified by Neville Chamberlain's statement in 1940's, "Peace in our time," (in reference to England's "truce" with Adolph Hitler), denial and naivete only unleashed the most horrible suffering upon England and the rest of the world.

Any error, injustice and lack of empathy in US policy toward middle eastern groups and nations that may or may not have contributed to the rage that has motivated terrorism must be dealt with separately and can not be used as their justification for the murder of so many innocent people.

John F. Kennedy once said that "life isn't fair." The world is replete with enormous suffering, whether it be on the African continent or, as it was, in Yugoslavia. As a "free" people, we must do all we can to relieve and prevent such suffering, but we must also assure that we protect ourselves and remain free -- or do we want to turn over the care and welfare of the world over to Sadam Hussein and other individuals like him?

The US government must act to protect us against our enemies. For better or worse, our current elected leadership must make the decisions about how to do this.

I can not complain about our weaknesses if I did not petition these leaders to strengthen our intelligence capabilities, to adopt all-contingencies strategies to protect against such attacks, nor to discuss and speak out to friends and colleagues about what is needed.I might not have thought about the greater good and directions that our country should take because of getting caught up in the passionate political nonsense games about issues that have no real importance to our general welfare, nor the defense of our country nor the expansion of our American way of life. There may be many people like me that deplore the imperfections of our political system, but, like Roosevelt said, (something to the effect) that our system may be lousy, but it is the best on the planet right now. My son is Major Gregory Knowles - US Army. I am very proud of him and I totally support the Commander and Chief if he determines that Gregory must be put in harm's way in some foreign land -if such force is the only reasonable option. I would go in his place if I could. Americans can not hide in the sand and assume that evil does not exist.

I also hope and pray that the incidents against Arabic-Americans cease as they are just as much an American as my Irish relatives or any one else. The inumberable sad stories about what happened to Japanese-Americans during WWII should not be repeated.

It is important that I engage in public deliberations, that I express my opinions to political leaders, and that I express positive affection to everyone every chance I get -whether it be a smile, a joke or a "have a nice day" to the clerk at Wal Marts or whatever. I truly believe that it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Someone once mentioned that the flutter of butterfly's wings over the Atlantic could cause a typhoon in the Pacific.

Yet, at the same time I totally support all efforts to find and stop groups, individuals and nations that would murder innocent men, women and children with impunity-and that would destroy our society if they could.

I hope this doesn't seem preachy as I just felt that maybe some of my ideas would help in the maize of confusion, anger and fear. Love you all. JMK

Jerry Knowles
http://PassagesWest.com/Monument-Valley/People/knowles.html

Dear Mary,

Thank you for sending me this "other view" from Jerry Knowles. I read it carefully. I believe you sent it to me as a counter to my hotline statement. I always appreciate a view into how people are thinking.

I am committed to peace however, using peaceful means. Long before any violence occurs to anyone or in any country, there are always historical reasons for the violent events. If we can be honest enough as a country to look at our own history to try to understand how we are perceived, not only by middle eastern people, but by people all over this planet - then perhaps we can make some progress towards changing US policies that harm, including the wars we've waged without even declaring war. This type of introspection, of course, does not look imminent with US leaders in power right now. It looks like we're headed for a lot more terror and misery, both on foreign lands and in our own.

I choose not to focus on that perception though because I believe what you focus upon becomes a reality. Millions of people are praying and visualizing peace - I know these tools don't seem as "strong" as retaliation by war - but I believe that they could be. The common people have to make it so. People also have to speak out against war as a resolution to conflict (if that is what they believe).

There are a whole series of books by Jane Roberts - some of the titles are Seth Speaks;
The Nature of Personal Reality; The Unknown Reality, and others. There's one in particular which deals with how nations or nation states create realities in union. I don't think I hit on the title of that one (in the list above), but it outlines a very interesting view.

One of the things that I learned from some of these books is how our own fear of anything brings the object of our fears straight to us.

There are very practical reasons for not resorting to war as a resolution to conflict. The weapons that could potentially be unleashed in this day and age are beyond devastating.

biological - they could poison our water and air with biological agents; example: Anthrax

chemical weapons (same poisoned air and water)

mind control - sophisticated mind control weapons

computer controlled missile errors

depleted uranium - the same depleted uranium that we used in our missiles upon Bosnia could be used against us and poison the immediate atmosphere with radiation that not even the very best diet in the world could combat - we'd have to be in a state of grace

nuclear bombs - Pakistan, India, North Korea, Israel, England, US and other countries have these capabilities now...

cluster bombs - these are "little" nuclear bombs

landmines - these are explosives which land in enemy territory and do not explode until some time later when some innocent person or child comes walking along and steps on them

and the list goes on...

J Knowles also says that only war could have stopped Hitler, but Hitler was talking and building his movement with agreement and assistance from many countries and people for many years before he finally moved on the ideas that he was espousing. During the "espousing" period is when war could have been averted, if people and other nations would have resisted and vocally countered his ideas.

I also do not believe in the "any means to an end" philosophy. In other words, we do something horrible now, but in the end it brings benefits for the greater good. This philosophy allows us to perpetrate some unspeakable actions.

I hope that we cordially agree to disagree and continue to dialog.

Many blessings,

Rhio

September 17, 2001

Dear Rhio,

I address you by your given name because that is the only one I know. I prefer not to be called Mary. As a matter of fact, only six diehard family members call me that. One is my beloved firstborn, David, who probably gave you my name and email address (and shares your political views). Other relatives and friends call me Mary Katherine. Aquaintances address me as Miss ___________.

Clearly, you (and David) are in the 20 percent of the people in the US today who do not approve of our country's present leadership. Fine. Difference of opinion, as someone observed, makes the world go around.

Tomorrow, it will be one week. As yet I have not seen one, not even one tv visual image of the events. I do not have a tv. I have friends who have tvs, of course. I choose not to. However, I get the audio of NBC tv ... station and I have heard of the tremendous outpouring of love and compassion, devotion far beyond the call of duty, and I am comforted.

Perhaps because I have not seen the devastation first-hand or on film, it is easier for me to pray. I have had nightmares, though, and it has been so many decades since I had a nightmare, I cannot recall when or why it was. However, I was comforted when I heard from Joyce Brothers something I knew instinctively, that this is a normal response.

Perhaps it is unkind of me to wonder if you were able to arise from your bed of pain and anguish, leave the tv and walk over to ground zero with some apples or bananas or something.

Thanks for sharing.

Peace, blessings.

Mary Katherine __________