Questions And Answers With Green Party Congressional Candidate, Carol Brouillet

Questions And Answers With Green Party Congressional Candidate, Carol Brouillet

Questions by Jon Gold.

Carol Brouillet is someone I've always heard about, but unfortunately, because I live on the "right coast", and she lives on the "left coast", our paths have never crossed. Finally, in Chicago, that was rectified. I got the chance to see her speak on Saturday Morning, and it was really a treat. She and I also watched some of "Who Killed John O'Neill" together, and that was a lot of fun. Thank you Carol for taking the time from your busy schedule to do this, and thank you for what you do.

1. How did you become associated with Bill Moyer?

In 1993, there was a conference in Santa Cruz entitled "Non-Violence in a Violent World" that I attended. At the time, I was working on changing the monetary system, and in Santa Cruz, I met Jeff Smith, working on land reform, and Bill Moyer, who was doing the Social Movement Empowerment Project. Later, I heard about a workshop Bill was giving called "Building Equality in Relationships" and thought, "Oooh! That's what I want- more equality." I dragged my husband to the workshop- which was outstanding. It was actually, "enlightenment in disguise" and transformed my life, my relationship with my husband, and our relationship with our kids.

Bill had been working with men convicted of being violent towards their wives and families. He recognized that there was a similar pattern between these men and the violence exercised by governments towards people. I can't remember the exact percentages, but about 3% of the violence was physical, about 40% verbal, and the rest psychological. Women sometimes said that even when the physical violence that their husbands directed towards them was stopped, that the verbal and psychological violence was sometimes worse. Bill taught us that these men unconsciously tried to control people through violence, and other coercive means because those people threatened their view of themselves or their view of the world. They believed that they were "defending" themselves. Most people do this "unconsciously." He taught us to observe ourselves, and recognize that burst of energy we feel when people challenge us or our worldview. He termed it a moment of "fatal peril" and taught us to take a deep breath, ground ourselves, and remind ourselves that our "happiness and well being" was not contingent upon someone else sharing our view of ourselves or the world, but to think of what we heard from them as "important information" that another being was offering to share about "their view of the world." This would permit us to engage in a healthy dialogue and to not fall into the "unconscious dominator mode" so prevalent in modern society.

Since my husband and I have very different political beliefs and worldviews, the workshop helped us to live together harmoniously without forcing our beliefs upon one another. It also helped us to raise our kids in a "cooperative" household, where everyone's needs are considered, and we adapt to trying to find win/win solutions to the everyday decisions that effect all of us, rather than a tyranny, dictated by the adults.

Over the years, I have asked Bill to speak, and do workshops at the conferences that I have organized. When his book came out, I helped to organize opportunities for him to speak, and give workshops. He had so much insight to offer to help individuals transform themselves, as well as insights into how social movements work, and the larger picture of nurturing the evolution of humanity.

2. Are there any other books of his you would recommend?

Sadly, I believe Doing Democracy, The MAP Model for Organizing Social Movements, was his first book, he should have written more, except he succumbed to liver cancer in the fall of 2002. His co-author, Mary Lou Finley is working on a sequel to Doing Democracy, but I don't think it has been published, yet.

3. What first made you question the official story of 9/11?

I remember vividly the day it happened and the surreal quality of seeing events unfold upon television, and the silencing of the air traffic. What scared me more than the events was the spin of the media, the drums for war. I had been planning a trip to DC to protest the IMF, the World Bank, the Bush policies, and those protests were cancelled. Half of my "affinity group" (which had been discussing whether we should get the gas masks with or without sequins prior to 9-11) couldn't go to DC because the DC airport was closed. I decided to go, and soon learned that the impending war on Afghanistan had nothing to do with "catching terrorists."

I started getting lots of e-mail and the most damning stuff, I thought, was Jared Israel's articles on the failure of the planes to scramble, and Bush's odd behavior during the attacks, and the Secret Service's failure to whisk him away to safety. Michel Chossudovsky's articles on "Who is Osama bin Laden?" and his article on Lt. General Mahmoud Ahmad, the head of Pakistan's I.S.I.'s having $100,000 sent to Mohammed Atta, and his visit to DC from September 3rd through the 13th, where he met with top US officials was the "smoking gun" to me. That's when I asked for a meeting with my Senators' staffs and began compiling questions. On January 8th, 2002 I organized a rally, march, and meeting at Senator Feinstein's San Francisco office, and we demanded a congressional investigation of 9/11.

4. Who were your major influences within the movement?

Michel Chossudovsky, Michael Ruppert, Blaine Machan, Barrie Zwicker, Ken Jenkins, Joyce Lynn, Nafeez Ahmed, Paul Thompson...There are so many people who have made a huge difference. I really think we need a leaderful movement. We can't overlook the fact that the 9/11 Truth Movement is a facet of a much larger movement for Global Justice.

5. How did you come up with the concept for the Deception Dollar?

Blaine Machan created the artwork for the Deception Dollar, as well as some other great images, lots of satirical movie posters, plus the Reichstag Fire/Hitler & World Trade Center/Bush image. I was tabling in the streets and passing out flyers at the anti-war rallies and asked Blaine, if I could use his images for my flyers, because it made them much easier to give away. I suggested that he do a back side for the Deception Dollar to pass out at the anti-war rallies. He figured out how to include the various websites.

The first 10,000 bills cost me $600- which was all the money I had made from tabling Global Outlooks, and Nafeez's first book- The War on Freedom, How and Why America was Attacked, September 11, 2001. They were printed in green only, but they were so popular that we soon gave them all away. John Leonard, Nafeez's publisher, sponsored the second printing of 100,000 which were done in a duotone- green and black and were, again, so popular that we ran out of them before the next big anti-war march. By that time, we realized that people would actually buy them. I raised the extraordinary, huge, amount of $5000 to have 500,000 printed. The demand for them was so great that we realized the funds we raised, selling them by the case, could help finance the 9/11 Truth Movement. They kept the wonderful CooperativeResearch.org website alive during a critical period when they were really struggling financially.

End Part I

6. Please, name for me some of the events you've organized, taken part in, and supported since your journey into 9/11 Truth began.

I did organize some educational events, rallies, a teach-in, marches in 2002.

In 2002, we also started the 9/11 Truth Alliance, which was a network of 9/11 websites; we also had lots of long telephone conference calls. We held the first physical meetings on the same day in New York and in San Francisco with the goal of creating a People's 9-11 Truth Commission. I was frustrated by the phone calls, and decided I could accomplish more by doing local grassroots organizing.

I co-founded the Northern California 9-11 Truth Alliance, and we still meet twice a month, and have put on lots of events, produced lots of educational materials, and organized lots of rallies.

Our first really big events were the premieres of Guerrilla News Network's Aftermath- Unanswered Questions from 9-11 at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. Blaine did the art for the posters, the handbills, the videos. We flew out Barrie Zwicker to be the moderator and had a panel discussion after the film with Michael Ruppert, Peter Dale Scott, Riva Enteen, and Guerrilla News Network. We made thousands of huge movie posters with the questions emblazoned upon them- to put up at the opera, the Herbst Theater, City Box Office, all over town. We did it in less than 4 weeks and miraculously filled the Theater (930) and had to turn 300 people away. We also held a similar event, with the addition of Richard Heinberg, author of The Party's Over, Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial Societies, the next day, which was Earth Day, at my son's high school, in Palo Alto.

Those events helped create the space for public dialogue on a "taboo topic." We were ignored by the mainstream press, but they helped people to bring up the 9/11 topic in peace groups. Eventually, more screenings of Aftermath, did get some coverage in the press.

Later, I organized the San Francisco International Inquiry into 9/11 (which was the first big American event to bring together the top researchers and activists, and birth the 9/11 truth movement) and the comedy/benefits- Behind Every Terrorist- There is a Bush. I couldn't have attempted to do those events without the talents and help of Blaine Machan and Ken Jenkins and other people who volunteered and pitched in, but they were a tremendous amount of work. We were able to get a newspaper, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and KPFA, on board as sponsors, as well as a number of different peace organizations, including Veteran's for Peace, who have been some of my staunchest allies.

We've had rallies and marches every year on the anniversary of September 11th, plus we've organized 9-11 film festivals, and an art contest with the theme- "9/11 Truth for Peace and Justice."

Every week since October 2001, I've held a "Listening Project" in downtown Palo Alto, where I ask the public three questions- What do you think/feel about the events of September 11th and the US government's response? How do you think we could defuse terrorism? How could we make a safer/better world for our children and all children? The Listening Project creates more space for public dialogue, and has been invaluable for simply organizing support for rallies, and other events, activities. It draws people together who care passionately about these issues.

Last year Veteran's for Peace and Project Censored helped co-sponsor the premieres of Barri Zwickers' The 9-11 News Special You Never Saw - The Great Conspiracy which we screened in four cities, with Webster Tarpley, Michael Kane, Barrie Zwicker and Peter Phillips. Those screenings were a great success and we raised enough money to send copies of the DVD to all the Universities and Colleges in California, and we got a 5000 word cover story in the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

This year, I've just helped others to hold big events- Janette MacKinlay organized Question 9/11- A Call to Activism, there were three David Ray Griffin events, and I pitched in to help with the Chicago rally and conference. I also managed to get on the ballot and win the primary in California on the Green Party ticket.

7. What are some of the key things you would recommend people do if they wanted to help out within the movement?

Everyone has skills and talents, recognize and develop whatever communications talents that you have. If you can sing, write, draw, make movies, create websites, do radio, make television programs, then please do so. If you can share books, videos, DVDs with a few people or any groups, then please do so. If you are shy and can only speak about this on a one to one basis, then begin there. I think we learn by doing. I certainly have learned the hard way and have made my share of mistakes. If I had had more experience and skill, perhaps Bush and Cheney would have been impeached years ago, but all we can do is try our best and not be too hard on ourselves and others. In order for the forces of war to triumph, fear must dominate and paralyze people into inaction. In order for the forces of truth, peace, justice, love to triumph, we need to find our voices and courageously raise questions, demand accountability, and give hope to those who long for a better world.

8. What makes you different from your opponent in the Congressional race?

I marched on Congresswoman Anna Eshoo in 2002 demanding a Congressional Investigation of 9-11. She supported the Patriot Act and Bush in the wake of 9-11 and the 9/11 Commission. When we marched demanding Pre-Emptive Impeachment of Bush and a repeal of the Patriot Act, and an end to the 9/11 Cover-Up, she ignored us. She proudly co-sponsored the Intelligence Transformation Act, which institutionalizes the expansion of the "National Security State" to the "Global Security State" (police state, in my opinion). She will not touch impeachment.

My reason for running is that I believe that the best hope for our country is to impeach the criminals who have hijacked this nation and are seeking to hijack the world through their false flag operations, and war. I think Congress has failed in its duties to rein in the Executive branch which is flagrantly violating the Constitution, international law, and all moral standards. I would like to see resources directed away from killing and controlling people and planet towards healing and nurturing life. I would like to challenge the bogus "National Security/Homeland Security" budget which I believe threatens the "real security" of most Americans. I believe the highest duty of any citizen is to hold their government accountable.

There is plenty of evidence that the elections were stolen in 2000 and 2004. Fake elections = fake democracy. I think we need to wake people up and get them involved. Without citizen involvement and oversight, we will continue to be plagued by a criminal regime serving the interests of the few at tremendous cost to humanity and planet. I really think we need a communications revolution, and that is happening, as more and more people are becoming disillusioned by the self-serving lies dished up by the corporate press. I believe my only hope in winning, is with the assistance of people who are media savvy enough to communicate directly to people despite the corporate press. A famous peace activist, John Galtung, was once asked what is the difference between the Russian people and the American people. He replied, "In Russia when people hear the party line, they know it is the party line. In America, they don't." We need real media literacy in this country, and help people to realize that they have the power and the responsibility to rein in our government and the corporations which threaten all of us with their blind lust for profits and power above all else.

If I can simply force "Impeachment" into the national dialogue and we an oust all the incumbents that voted for the war, the Patriot Act and won't work for impeachment; I will be content. I would like to see hundreds of candidates running on an Impeachment, 9-11 Truth, Peace platforms. I think my campaign slogan will be "Impeach the Terrorists!"

We need to reframe the issues, expose the lies, and not let the thugs terrorizing the world get away with their crimes. My hope, and I think the point of the 9-11 Truth Movement is to expose and bust "the War Game" once and for all, to rid the world of the scourge of war and state-sponsored terrorism to nurture "real security" which means healthy relationships between all people, and between people and planet.

Again, thank you Carol.