The Man Who Stare at Goats

Years ago I watched a movie called "Men Who Stare at Goats."   The movie was a loose adaptation of a book of the same title about efforts of the US military to use psychic abilities as a weapon. A focus of the book was Jim Channon (Bill Django in the movie ). 

 

A retired Lt. Colonel in the US Army who served in Vietnam, Jim Channon first made waves by creating the First Earth Battalion Operations Manual.  He believed that the military can be organized along "New Age" lines and with allegiance foremost to "Planet Earth."

Members of the First Earth Battalion practice yoga and meditation. They are spiritual and have paranormal abilities.

At a private party last Friday, I met Jim Channon, who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii. I didn't know until I was about to leave the party that the character of hippiyish Bill Django in the movie was patterned after Jim Channon.

The last thing that Jim said to me as we said goodbye was that The First Earth Battalion is alive and well.

He said that recently the Battalion used airplanes to drop plant seeds (instead of bombs) in an undisclosed place.  

The following gives an idea of Jim Channon's philosophy. It is an excerpt from Jim Channon's post on the website of the First Earth Battalion (firstearthbattalion.org)

WE CAN NOW BEGIN TO START WORKING
AS ONE UNIFIED WORLD AND DISCOVER THAT
Everyone can decide to grow something to eat
People can decide to network with new world web friends
College grads can gather friends and head to the country and
now help older farmers upgrade farms and build their own style of new oasis
Everyone seems to be getting more telepathic and accepting children who already are
The armies can take to the higher ground and replant smart forests and repair the water sheds
Navies can enforce fishing limits and handle the gyre plastic pollution and new hatcheries
The Marines can patrol and create protection for the corral reefs and inland waterways
Air forces will monitor biospheric pollution and air lift villages to global disasters
Retired union people refit shopping centers for new fresh food markets
Veterans camp in the cities and create green zones inside them
Churches facilitate moving used items to needy countries
ARE WE ALL PREPARED TO LIVE ANOTHER "WHOLE" WAY?

Links:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Earth_Battalion

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1baz3TkPw68

 http://www.firstearthbattalion.org/

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_Who_Stare_at_Goats_%28film%29

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYliylfFxSY

- Ariel Murphy