Episode

Thank you. You are watching and or listening to OccupySkid Row.us, a weekly VeteransNewsNet.us feature presented every Tuesday evening from 8 to 9 p.m. Pacific time, live at SkidRowStudios.com. We invite you to join our discussion now. Call us at 1-800-893-9562 or text us at 310-266-9465. And now, here's your host, Chaplain Willis Buddy Clark, Jr. Well, thank you for joining us on Occupy Skid Row. I'm so excited that I think we have an incredible guest here tonight. They're all incredible. Oh, wow, two more incredible people just joined us. See the lady with the camera? Now, this is radio, but if you use your imagination, you can see all of us. And there's a guy over there. What happened to your hat, David? My hat is right here down here. The big conical hat of cardboard. You look like some kind of a coolie on there or something. No. No, people call me Raiden, but actually the people that know me in Venice call me the love man. The love man. Okay. Well, now, Scotty has an incredible program to tell us about, about peace. So, Scotty, start off and introduce your guest. I'm finished with your spiel. Now, Scotty, we'll talk for an hour. So, most of you might want to go to the refrigerator. Okay, Scotty, you're on. Good evening, everybody. I'm the founder of PeaceNow.com. We're a global movement using the Internet. To collect one billion signatures in support of peace departments and peace economies. Today, we have military departments and ministries of defense in most countries around the world. And it is our opinion and that of one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Rush, that we should have departments of peace. So, that's what our primary initiative. But we'll also be talking this evening about a citiesofpeace.org initiative that PeaceNow and several partners have put together to have Los Angeles become an international city of peace by September 21st, which is International Peace Day. So, that's kind of what we'll be talking about this evening. And I guess. My guest is John Viscount, who is the creator of the movie Admissions. Admissions is a short spiritual movie about forgiveness and about love. And it is the gift of peace at PeaceNow.com when you signed our petition. Admissions has won 25 international awards. John, we're going to play a little bit of your movie, okay? Okay. It's rolling. So, you can. Talk about it as we go. Look on the screen here. I think you can see it. Okay? Okay. Let's see. You were in a cafe in Tel Aviv having lunch. There was an explosion. What if you had to face every decision you've ever made? Your beliefs are no longer important. Only the truth is. And the people they affected. Are we being judged? How long would the conversation last? Say whatever you want. Then you have the rest of eternity. Admissions is a transformational tale about the journey to see the other side. We did nothing to you. No Israeli is innocent. How could you put us with this murderer? Starring Academy Award nominee James Cromwell. The past and the future don't really exist. The only thing you need to be concerned with is right now. It's a story about the way we think. If there is a hell, he should go straight there. Really? And the worlds we create. In the 20th century, man murdered over 100 people. More than 60 million of his fellow human beings. For all sorts of reasons. It's purpose is to start a conversation that heals. I do understand the pain of losing your children. John. Yes. Tell us how this came to be. I actually wrote the film as a response to 9-11. Probably within two days of that event. I wanted to put out an interpretation of life's events. Which I thought would hopefully lead people a little more easily to a path of forgiveness. So I created a situation that not only contained a terrorist attack. But the people had to face each other in the admissions room for the afterlife afterwards. And I was able to put some teachings in there that kind of enabled them to work out their differences. And I figured if they could do that after they had lost their children and actually had to move on. Maybe the people back here on earth could do it. That's why I wrote it. Now you funded this with the very many years of your life. I'm not sure if you're aware of that. But this is unusual technique. Well it's kickstarter. How many of you have ever looked at kickstarter? Only the two of us? Oh there's another one. Another one? Okay. Another one? Okay. Somebody outside just raised their hand so I think everybody's looked at kickstarter. So now for your next go around. Now that you're a very successful screenwriter and cinematographer and producer director. Where's the money coming from now? Well Sharon Stone saw admissions and asked me to write her own story. I gave her the advice that I gave her. to write one for her, which is based around cyberbullying. So that script has been completed and she's approved it to play the lead role. So we're just raising money to do that. So that's the next one. Well, Sharon Stone, the actress. Correct. Yeah, but you thought Oliver Stone? Beautiful lady. Sharon. Oliver's not a lady. No, Sharon. Oh, Sharon, okay. Scotty, it's your ballpark again. So, yeah, I've seen admissions many times and each time it is refreshed and new and the lesson that is available from John's wonderful writing hits home each time I see it. And it's not the main reason we want you to add your signature to our petition, but it is a gift that John has made available to Peace Now and it is a gift that you will enjoy and you will enjoy. So, thank you for viewing and get a lot from it. Excuse me. I was looking for a missing guest and then it dawned on me he's on the next program, which is the Norman Report. And there's going to be a Marine on there that I think went to Skid Row surreptitiously. I made that without my upper teeth. Where do I get my teeth? So, you want to be sure and stay tuned right after this because you'll see something in here, something else. Something very interesting. Now, regarding Skid Row, this galler room making the peace sign, jewels. Yesterday, we had a meeting, the three of us, Scotty. Yeah. And both of us. So, tell us what happened. Well, yesterday I met Scotty and I heard about your project and I think we just went full force into what we decided to do, which was a bunch of murals. So, today we tackled the first one and I think it was Buddy who decided to do Gandhi on Skid Row. And, you know, I don't know, I didn't know what to expect. We just, we took Laura and Hannah and we just jumped in the car with a bunch of paint and tried to see if we could find a wall and I was hopeful that it would work out, but we got down here and it was just amazing. The first person we walked up to gave us a perfect wall in the exact location to do whatever we wanted. The size was exactly right. Then, halfway through, we got to the next building. Halfway through the day, we started to run out of paint and I was having a meltdown and all of a sudden this guy showed up with a whole car truckload of paint. On Skid Row? Yeah. Oh, we have a caller, okay? How do I operate this caller button? Oh, I guess we're on. This will be the best painting you've ever painted. Are we on the air? Yeah. And could you identify yourself? No, that's the 20-step. Hello? Hello? Yes. Hello? Yes. Who is this? I'd like to ask Jules Muck a question. Yeah, go ahead. I would like to ask Jules Muck what's the best painting she's ever painted? The best painting I ever painted was the painting that I painted today, and tomorrow, the best painting I ever painted will be that painting. I guarantee it. Can I ask Jules Muck another question? Sure. This is Phoebe Foley. Oh, hello. My nemesis, Phoebe Foley. What's the best painting you've ever painted? Oh, the best painting I ever painted was Phoebe Foley's portrait. I think that's bullshit. What about Paola Roman? Oh, oh, yes, and Paola Roman, yes. Wonderful painting. Phoebe operates my New York gallery, for those of you who are interested. Oh. That's her home. Oh, can I ask you another question? I have a question. I have a question. I know you hate detail. Oh, I don't know. Go ahead. And I, I know you hate detail, and you like to paint how you breathe, and that's what makes you so prolific. Yes. But is there, I, I saw today that you painted a picture of Gandhi, and I know that you were trying to paint a picture of like all these squares of Gandhi, and you gave up on it. Oh. Because it was too intricate. No, I finished it. Should I ask you? I finished it, but you're correct. I, at one point, I tried to paint Gandhi. Phoebe's talking about a painting that I completely forgot until this moment. But I painted Gandhi replicas, about six inches in diameter, repeating on a canvas. And it was meant to slow me down, because I was painting too many canvases too fast, and the gallerists were getting upset. So I painted like... Jules Munch is like one of the most prolific painters you'll ever meet, and her energy, and how she connects with anyone off the street is something that is of the future. And I will say that we should all just buy up all her paintings, because she will be in the Grueenheim, or the Whitney, or the MoMA. Thank you, Phoebe. Thank you. I love you so much from New York. Oh, that's so good to hear from you. Come visit. Ciao for now, baby. Ciao for now. Okay. So, nice color. Okay. Thank you so much, Phoebe. I love New York. Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. More about that later. Okay. Now, John, we were in the midst of your movie when we got a call, so let's get back to your movie, all right? What else would you like to know about it? Well, we were talking about how you were going to finance it. Of course, you mentioned about Sharon Stone. Mm-hmm. Then do you have distribution in place? What's for that? No, not for the next one. Not for the next one. No, but we deal with admissions. But the next one hasn't been shot yet, so... Okay. What's the process of becoming? I presume you go to the American film market. Not so much with this one, because it's going to be a 20-minute modern parable. Okay. So it's a little bit different market. But what we're going to build around is the social impact campaign, and Sharon's agreed to be the spokesperson for cyberbullying. So we hope to build a big campaign around. You said cyberbullying? Uh-huh. Okay. That's bullying that takes place on the Internet. Let's talk about that a little more, because I think, has anyone here never been bullied in their life? Raise your hand. We've all been... You've never been bullied? No, I've been bullied. I just saw you bullied on the street. I was love-bullying. But yeah, no, I've been bullied. You've been bullied? Well, let's talk about it a little bit, okay? Well, I think it's awesome that Sharon Stone, such a strong female figure, is talking about, you know, how many people are damaged by bullying. And I think that that's just a beautiful thing. Absolutely. It's just the actors that they gain so much insight from the characters that they portray and the labels that are put on them. Anyone else? I think that there's a lot of bullying that goes on besides the cyberbullying. And I have heard horror stories about the things that are happening on the Internet just with people releasing stuff. But I think that this is the kind of thing that has happened from the beginning of time, bullying. And it happened to me, and it's probably happened to every child that ever became an adult, and a lot of adults. And the only really way to beat bullying is not actually to try to stop it, but when you really want to make something powerless, you completely take away its effects on you, and you accept it, and you laugh at it, and you make it into more of a joke. And the thing about bullying is only the way you let it hit you. And I have... Let me tell you, I have a lot of stuff out on the Internet that would make a normal person cringe. And the fact is, I don't freaking care. I really don't care. Great, you know? I know you don't. The more negative, the same thing is positive to me. It's all in and out. And anything I do, I have people that say terrible things about it and people that say wonderful things about it. And I get to decide how I feel. And I don't mind. I don't mind. I'm not going to let it get me. I'm not going to let it get me down. And for a long time in my life, I was the kid in the wrong country with the wrong accent. I got locked in the outhouse in England and they sang Yankee Doodle Dandy. And you know what? I'm over it. I'm okay. Bring it. I had a guy stab my paintings and tell me they were worth $5. I had him in the back of a cop car and he PayPal me $5,000 a painting to get out of that situation. So you know what? Bring it. You know, what are you going to do to me? I've already had it all happen to me. So maybe... I mean, true. I'm sure there's many worse things. There's still things to come. Bullying. Yeah. I got jumped on a bikini by a jealous artist, you know, and her boyfriend beating me up. But these things happen. I grew up in graffiti crews. You know, the best you can do is try to protect yourself physically. But with the talk and stuff, you just you kind of can't let them know you get a guy you. You just got to be like, yeah, that's what's happening. Be proud of yourself no matter what. Like you got to live without regret at some point. I don't think you'll get bullied about your Gandhi painting today. I was so amazed that 24 hours, more or less after we spoke, you had completed this mural, which was just showcase of your talent for me. And, you know, I just knew about you a few weeks ago when Buddy told me about you. And of course, I looked at your paintings online, but to have you just step up and take action. And that's what I think really is probably as wrong with the world as anything, that there's so much that we're distracted from that we don't take action. We say, oh, that's a shame. Or if I could do something, I would. You jumped in yesterday, said, I'm going to be a part of peace now. And 24 hours later, we are blessed with your talent in this. And Los Angeles is blessed with a beautiful mural. Thank you. Thank you. I mean, I was really inspired by what you guys had to say. And I don't want to misquote anything. But everything that you brought to me, the information that you imparted to me is what I put into that mural. And you supercharged me to go out and do it. And that's what I like to do when it's. I want to take the impression of my mind and my heart and bring it to the wall. And I thank you for including me in your project. And, you know, there's not a lot I can do. I'm not a political figure. I'm not of any substantial wealth. What I can do is bring the paint to the street and I can make an image that can hopefully empower your cause. And that's only for a cause that I believe in. We are getting ready to. Go to Korea. In September 17th to the 19th. And that will be a big occasion. For talking about peace and what we're doing. Now, I'm such a crazy fool. And I know I'm going to take you there and you're going to paint. All right. Now, don't ask me how I know. But you're going to go. All right. I'm down. You're down. All right. Rose, you've been awfully quiet. Oh, well. You know, I was going to add this to your bullying, what you were talking about. I have an artist that I really like. Her name is Energy Artist Julia. And she designs jewelry. And it's all positive and to bring more enlightenment, healing, all different types of work that she does. And she was recently kicked out of an art studio for her beliefs on Buddhism and New Age thinking. Yeah. She was banned. She was banned from it. And she quotes, just like Buddha did under the Bodhi tree, project love back at negativity and you will defuse it. That's her take on it. So I really, you know, she has to deal with. And I have to be careful here because I don't want to offend anyone. But there are a lot of Christians because I am a Christian. But please don't put me in that category of the ones who. cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier Let's have a shout out for her name, right? Okay. All right. Energy artist, Julia. And her email is energyartjulia at gmail.com. You know, I wanted to mention while I was researching some of the Gandhi stuff, one of his major quotes is God has no religion. Mm-hmm. So that kind of applies to this. Mm-hmm. Well, she quotes here, since this happened, I've had a huge outpouring from the many Christian fans, now I would be in this category, and collectors who support my work saying that true followers believe in tolerance, non-judgment, compassion, and love. And that's the category I'm in. Well, interestingly enough, John and I were having that discussion because I'm a Christian church chaplain. Mm-hmm. And so I thought maybe we could have a picture of Jesus there. And then we got to talking about it and saying, you know, that might polarize people, that might offend some people, and might think people, they think that the only person I believe is in Jesus. Well, I believe for me and my lifestyle, I can follow his life. I could have just as easily been a Catholic, a Buddhist, or, God forbid, an atheist. cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier but people think this world is incredibly complicated in my view there's really only one of two things that's ever happening people either expressing love or they're crying out for love so the perfect response every time in every situation is just to be loving and then you're done well john when i went through um psychotherapy as a psychologist we began to quickly realize that the people who were the most upset the angriest and the hardest to get along with were the people who needed love the most and it's like when we're walking down the street coming through here this guy approached david out of the blue i don't know what was going on but oh i guess because it doesn't matter but so i just walked up and put and put my arms around him on him now what he didn't know is that's a perfect judo technique if i need it he's out of there well he was offended by my skirt offended by your skirt because i'm a man yeah i'm a man who will wear a skirt well that's your prerogative and it's you know it's a sign of courage let me tell you because uh there's so many people here on this planet who are not loved for who they love and they're not loved for who how they want to present themselves it they might have been born a man they might feel like they feel the best way that they can live their life and show love in this world is as a as a as a cross-dressing woman and one of the things you learn in venice is that's a place where that's accepted and i've learned on skid row that that's even accepted the interesting thing about what happened today was is i've gone i've lived off and on skid row for about six years and worn my skirts down there many times and i do it to stand up for people who who don't have a choice they have to be who they are and they're willing to risk their life and limb for that and i'll stand with them and if somebody wants to pick on me if they want to pick on somebody for wearing a skirt they can pick on me because i'm a man um but this fellow i think he saw us as a group of prosperous people with maybe some money and because i don't usually get uh troubled by homeless people on skid row even if i'm walking around skid row wearing a skirt it's only when they see money and i think that that's a comment about where the root of so much violence is the love of money as they say the root of all evil well scotty you had on the jackets but it looks like you got money but he definitely needed some help and and more than of course money and love both as we all do we've been talking about buddha and we've been talking about christ off and on i do want to point out that peace now is uh has no religious affiliations and uh but yet supports all views and all religions and uh as well as atheists the same thing with politics if you're from your left or from your right we don't care in fact we're going to uh buddy you know is a religious leaders conference uh it's about it's a peace conference and they're bringing uh leaders from all religions uh to seoul and uh i've been invited to speak at that for peace now and so uh if uh you're religious or non-religious if you're political or apolitical it doesn't matter if you're a peace lover uh we want your signature and support uh i want to go back to the international cities of peace for a second if i can buddy i'd like to actually read the resolution that uh not only the peace now worked on this but some people with the rotary international rotary district 5280 in canada which has a standing committee for peace helped put this together as well but the organization that uh is behind this is the international cities of peace based in dayton ohio where the bosnia peace treaty was signed at the end of that war but this is what we're asking the city of los angeles to pass approve and adopt whereas the city of los angeles supports providing a safe and nurturing environment and embraces diversity and fosters peace by encouraging and inspiring understanding goodwill and compassionate actions and whereas the city of los angeles is an international city that is striving to create a balance of prosperity justice and hope that nurtures peace within its communities through dialogue and cooperation and whereas los angeles citizens have helped create and are helping to develop los angeles as an international city of peace as part of a global social movement through the development of peace initiatives that support a culture of peace and whereas the united nations has designated 21 september of each year to be the international day of peace devoted to commen commemorating and sowing and nurturing the seeds of peace and inspiring citizens to commit to practice peaceful we're going to take him one minute break pretty quick okay passionate compassion behavior for the rest of the year and thus living the ideas of peace therefore be it resolved the city of los angeles council and mayor proclaims the city of los angeles california to be a city of peace and perpetuality and be it further resolved the city of los angeles council and mayor designates 21 september of each year to be the los angeles day of peace in perpetuality and be it further resolved that the city of los angeles council and mayor support the development of policies procedures and practices that promote establishing peace in our city in perpetuality thank you scotty um i'm going to take about a minute break here that reminds me that you'll be listening to the music from my daughter lydia who's a singer composer and so forth and um she composed something called welcome to the city we'll try to play it maybe next week but not not this week so right now we're just going to take a minute break and we'll be right back after this you are watching and or listening to occupy skid row.us a weekly veterans news net.us feature presented every tuesday evening from 8 to 9 p.m pacific time live at skid row studios.com we invite you to join our discussion now call us at skid row.us and we'll see you next week on the skid row.us at 1-800-893-9562 or text us at 310-266-9465 and now here's your host chaplain willis buddy clark jr we are back okay i hope you didn't go anywhere hope you're still with us because there's more to come now jules would you introduce your crew because i'd like to hear from the crew well uh today i'm working with laura who is the documentary director filmmaker, and Hannah, and I'll let you guys introduce yourselves and what your kind of involvement is in the current art situation and everything else that's going on. Well, hello there. My name is Hannah. I love to learn and try new things, so I'm always following Jules around and priming stuff up or carrying paint and tripping over shit and stuff. But today you did something new, right? Yeah, today I spray painted. I don't know how to use this. You're fine. Yeah, today I helped fill in some colorful boxes with you. It was very exciting and new. Oh, great. And I feel very talented for it. Thank you. Cool. Glad to pass it on. Yeah. I am Laura Rudich, and I've been following Jules around for about a year documenting all the work that she has done. And she called me up this morning and said, hey, come with me downtown. I'm going to paint the wall. I'm going to paint Gandhi on Skid Row. And it was beautiful. It was a beautiful experience. Met some beautiful people. Great. Thanks. We were a little nervous, and I kind of thought it was better to travel in numbers. Didn't know what to expect. Didn't know you were going to get all that paint. I know. What a gift. You come down there and you get showered with gifts. Yeah, that was pretty cool. That was great. Yeah. You made it happen. Yeah. Gandhi. Thanks. Okay, Scotty, you're on again. Well, I think that when we get Jules to Korea, I'm just amazed at what wall we might... get over there and what the next image might be. But I think they'll be astonished, and it'll be a new venue and a different place that should be exciting. And we might even check and see if Seoul is an international city of peace and try to plant some seeds with some people there. Although we can't take that on. Each city around the world, their citizens have to want their... their city to be a city of peace. Scotty, I can share this with you regarding the Koreans. About a year and a half ago, Rose, when we went to Camp Pendleton, and they gave the Marines who had been in Korea peace medals. Peace medals. They're beautiful. So I think the people that gave us the peace medals would be willing to finance us to go and also work through them to set up the wall so we could do that. So that's a good connection. cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier us so it's like uh what i was so astonished about what you did jules is that uh you know you didn't say yeah i'm gonna do a mural get a hold of me when you're ready you know it's like uh you know grab that can put my pink boots on i'm gonna kick some ass you know yeah you got you got to take initiative i think that's true with everything and i think peace has to happen on like a very personal level and and it totally spreads even just energetically never mind you you being nice to the person who's next door to you it does help in the overall scheme of things if everyone were to do that but also putting that kind of energy out is it's like a ripple effect and i believe we're operating as a collective conscience and if we want to have that happen universally it has to start at home it has to start within us right no i agree and peace now is about taking action now we've been talking about peace so long and as you look around the world there's so much uh pain and suffering that now is the time for peace uh i also want to do a quick shout out that some of the other organizations that have uh signed this letter of intent that uh will is the uh underlying foundation of organizations and peace of the people that uh are supporting this uh buddy you were second on the with the veterans news network i've always wanted to be first in the chow line i've never made it we also have uh uh the playa vista sunrise rotary club that uh immediately signed on also many of you out there in los angeles know mama hill mama hills help uh dot org she taught in public schools and then decided that she had estimated 2 000 of her kids had either died in without becoming adults in the process of just drugs and violence and she started this wonderful home where kids can come and study and get some love and some support and then finally uh she's a true hero in los angeles angel oh she's a marvelous woman and stephen fisk who is the producer of peace sunday they're having a big event june 21st i mean september 21st international peace day and as well as peace now right on venice walk we're going to have a day of music on uh as that as well so there's lots of things going on uh peace wise and trying to get people to come and see what's going on in the world and i think that's a really important thing to do and i think that's a really important thing to do and i think that's a really important thing to do and i think that's a really important thing to do well people listening to this show if they belong to a local rotary or kiwanis or toastmasters group can sign on and become co-sponsors for the international day of peace and the billion signatures for peace and i thought it was so beautiful as well what you said that that everybody's contributing ideas you have your website where people can email i was thinking when we get to this point down the road where we get close to that billion signatures what kind of huge celebrations are we all going to have because we're all going to be able to have said we contributed to this and to celebrate it and to really when we get to that billion signatures have such a more clear picture of the tree the peace training programs peace education the economies of peace and this is why we're on this show talking about this is because this is everybody who's hearing this and who's excited and dreaming about peace and even homeless people like myself we can get involved in this well david talking about homeless people like yourself now when i first met david which is a few years ago i thought here is a real air head a real air head this guy has all this education he speaks the streets perfectly upon the tongue and all those good things and yet he's out here in the streets and he's homeless by choice no No, it's not a choice. Oh, really? No, it's a dilemma. To me, a choice, look, anybody who says that homelessness is a choice has never been homeless. Okay. You know, you are homeless because your landlord said you're out of here today. You're homeless because your spouse beat you up or your mother or your stepfather kicked you out of the house. And what are you going to do? You know, choice is chocolate, strawberry, vanilla. Which one do you want? They're all goods. Those are choices. And homeless people, we don't have a choice. There's not enough housing in Los Angeles. A quarter million people every year experience homelessness in Los Angeles. These are dilemmas. Where am I going to sleep tonight? Is it going to be in my car? Is it going to be on the sidewalk? Is it going to be in a mission where they're going to force me to listen to a song? A sermon just so that I can get some right, some food. And if I don't walk down the aisle, does that mean they're not going to feed me? These are dilemmas. And, you know, sometimes the thing that I found in my experience after going through four different shelter programs is they get you to that point where you have been trained. You might even have a job, but there's no housing in Los Angeles. And it's a point where we need to fill up the sidewalks until they start building some affordable housing. And I'll leave. I'll leave it at that for now. I think it should be noted that not that there is no structural housing. There is no access to a lot of. So true. Facilities that remain empty. Empty buildings all over Los Angeles. But our economic system is so geared for making people compete and want to go to war that we don't recognize that we're here to give one another housing. We're here to love one another. We're not going to war. Also, a lot of red tape and bureaucracy involved. In using certain facilities that, you know, maybe would be preferential to the sidewalk, even if it is not up to some substandard like passing inspection situation. And I think there needs to be allowances for that kind of thing. Well, you know, if I were a politician, I would say to you reply when I say this is my choice and you say this is my dilemma. I would say, well, let me explain myself. I don't have to explain myself. You know who I am. Now I feel. So forth. So don't explain. You. I am so grateful that you put that out there because it needs to be answered. Thank you so much. OK, John, you've been awfully quiet for a while. What are you planning? What am I planning? I just want to say a little bit thing about peace now that we have a lot of different things we're working on. Thank goodness with Scottie's leadership and creating peace departments is one way. Peace education is another way. Creating economies of peace. But overall, what it really comes down is creating the muscles of peace in the world. And we're going to have to work on that at multiple different levels. So in the tug of war for our future, the muscles of peace will have more strength. So we're not saying we're going to cure war tomorrow. But if we start building up the awareness and building up the ways that we can build bridges between disparate groups and get rid of all the us versus them scenarios and really start creating common ground, that's when we're going to get a lot further in our goals. Because it's common ground and shared interests, which is really the foundation of global peace. John, I've got something I'd like you to address. I want to ask you a question. I know we've had a petition and we want departments of peace. But the global resolution that you help author, would you talk about what that document is? It's not just three lines, is it? And it's not just about what our vision was. It was about a shared vision. Yeah, it actually came out of the culture of peace working groups of the United Nations. And they saw my film. And I started working with them. And I also started working with another group called the Global Alliance for Ministries of Peace. And I originally got in line with them because when I finished my film, I wanted to find a peace organization where if anyone was inspired by my film, they could take their energy. And I researched all these different places. And they were actually creating structural change in government. And I thought that was a lot more real than just a lot of woo-woo good words. So I reached out to them. And it just turned out three weeks after we finished our film that they were having their global summit in South Africa. So admissions actually premiered at their global summit. And then about eight weeks later, they were having their global summit in South Africa. And then about eight months later, we were talking. And I was telling them what we were doing with Peace Now because I started to work with you. And I asked, do you have any documents? Because I like to get things, being a writer, I like to get a same page that the whole world can be on. And they sent me a document that had been kind of languishing in their groups and had been kind of abandoned. And those working groups went away. And they sent it to me. Being a writer, I couldn't stop fidgeting with it and start editing and stuff. And then we went back and forth. And we created a new document which has a lot of really nice parts to it. It's got all these different ways to build up the muscles of peace and the way countries can connect. I mean, you could theoretically, with a document like this and with two countries having peace departments, they could be at war. But you could still have their peace departments communicating. And as long as we're still communicating and building those bridges, then there's hope. So this document, you'd have to really go on the Peace Now site and read. It's a beautiful document. I came in at the tail end. But it's got beautiful languaging about shared interests and common ground and stuff like that. So that's now the same page we're trying to get the whole world on. And people are starting to jump on board. Yeah. And I want to reiterate that this document is the only petition, global resolution in the world that's being put forth that has already been approved by the working group at the United Nations. So this is important in that it is time for people that believe in peace to just say, peace, man. It's groovy. No. It's about solutions. And to be able to come forth with the political support and the universal resolve of a billion people to the United Nations and every government of the world separately will approach both with a document that has already been approved. That would be able to be walked in and a vote being taken on that. So that is something that we hope that we can do. Thank you. Thank you, Michael. Michael, I want to try this question that we hope that you take note of and feel strongly enough to say we want to go to peacenow.com and see what that's about. Thanks, John. Michael Van Luteke, Ku Klux Klan member of Ku Klux Klan Yep, of course. And just to point out that when you do go to Peace Now, when you sign the petition, you'll be able to watch the film for free. Michael Van Luteke, Ku Klux Klan member of Ku Klux Klan Ah, that's what I was going to ask you. Michael Van Luteke, Ku Klux Klan member of Ku Klux Klan Yeah. Michael Van Luteke, Ku Klux Klan member of Ku Klux Klan five total languages, so it covers a good amount of the globe, but not all the globe, of course. You just sign the petition. You can look at all the documentation. You can read the beautiful global resolution, and then at your convenience, you'll be able to watch the film for free, and then you can send that to anyone you want around the world, and they'll be able to do the same thing because we have the website set up to be translated in all different languages. Would we be also able to do the same thing that we did at the Herd Alps Theater, perhaps? In what sense? In the sense of perhaps getting people together to support Peace Now. You mean do another event like that? Yeah, another event like that. It's not possible. Talk about that a little bit. Well, I talked to James Cromwell, and he's definitely game. He was going to be at this event, but he was doing environmental work in Borneo, so he wasn't able to attend. But he says the next one we do, he's there. And hopefully we'll be able to get Dennis Kucinich there, too, because they worked hand-in-hand on the Peace Department stuff here in the United States. It didn't get through, but they did a lot of good work. And I think on Peace Day, International Peace Day, I'm going to be playing admissions at a center in Los Angeles, and I think Marianne Williamson might be there, and we might do a panel with that, because she was also very involved in Peace Department stuff. When Dennis ran for president, my daughter was his liaison for the state of New Mexico. That's great. During that episode going through that, the most beautiful thing I remember seeing this one Indian, American Indian, showed a film. And at the end, it was a film on inspiration, speaking, and so forth, and all the great gurus and the great chiefs, the end of the film came up with huge letters. And it said, the one you're looking for is you. So I can say that to everybody that's listening to us or looking at us today. The person you're looking for for peace is not some guru. It's you. Absolutely, because you know the song is while I do, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. Speaking of that, coming up on September the 6th is the World Pilgrim. Did I say that right? You did that. Pilgrim. World Pilgrim. When I get my teeth, I tell you. It's actually Peace Pilgrim. World Peace Pilgrim. That's coming up the 6th. And what I understand that they do, because I haven't been to it, they go up Mount Baldy, which is what, about 10,000 to 11,000 feet? At least. And so they'll start up Mount Baldy, maybe what, 1,000, 2,000 people? You know, I haven't been to them myself. There's a woman who's like the premier, she's pilgrim, and she's been out there for like 30, 40 years, and she's a great grandma, maybe even a great grandma now. I hope we get to see her there. I saw her when she was a great grandma, but I haven't seen her since she's been a great, great. We all want to go to that. It's coming up September the 6th, and what we'll do, gather at the base of the mountain, and every little climber will be there, from wheelchairs to old guys like me and what have you. Incidentally, I climbed Machu Picchu about a year and a half ago. It's setting at 17,000 feet. And I'm still here. But I chewed the leaves on the way up. Okay, so here we go. Put that on your calendar, and go to the web and take a look at it, and sign up and take a group, because each level has a different group. We'll start out at the base, we'll go to 1,000 feet, there'll be a group. 2,000 feet, another group. And 4,000, another feet. And when you get up to about 10,000 feet, the group gets smaller and smaller. Because some people cannot handle the height and or the altitude. So, come and join us for that. Now, something coming up this Saturday. This Saturday, we're having an event at the Gladys Park on 6th and Gladys, downtown, and it's a park where the homeless gather, and we're having a big food event there on Saturday, where we feed the homeless and feed ourselves. We all work together. There'll be plenty of people, and we'll be there, and also plenty of gifts. But it'll be a time for any of you listening to our voice to begin starting peace now, because if there's any place that needs peace on this earth, the only reason they're there is because we don't have peace. So, I've finished my sermon. Who's next? Scotty, you're next. I just want to remind people that Jules' mural is just a block from that park. So, if they come down and participate, with that feeding, what time is that, buddy? It will start, actually, at 6 o'clock in the morning on Saturday. Okay. And go till probably 4 o'clock. If you get there in that beautiful morning light, the mural will be just, those long rays will make it even more attractive. So, if you get a chance, come down there and look for Gandhi. And, Rose, did you want to do a shout-out? You said you were on some... Oh, yes. Thank you. I have three shout-outs. We'll start out with a good friend of mine who is an author and a writer. He writes a lot about California history. His name is Lionel Frederick Menuhin Rolfe. That's a mouthful. His uncle, his mother's brother, was Yehudi Menuhin, who was a classical violinist. He was like the Mozart of his day. And, go to Boreana Books, and if you're searching for any kind of a book, Boreana Books will, be able to help you out. And, also check out Lionel F.M. Rolfe, R-O-L-F-E, on Facebook. Also, go to Penelope Sudrow.com. Penelope Sudrow.com. She was a child star. Her last movie was Nightmare on Elm Street 3. She's a beautiful person inside and out. She's starting her own non-profit for emotional abuse. Her page, is Word. Okay, Rose, you've got 30 seconds and someone else is going to go wrong, okay? Okay. And, Lionel's daughter, Hyla, she has her website at hylaart, H-Y-L-A-A-R-T dot com. Check out her page, her music, and hopefully next week we can play her song. Okay, who else has shout-outs that want to promote somebody, their business, anything? I just want to give another shout-out to Jules Mural. And, what a historic day this is. For Los Angeles. To me, it's just so profound that up in Malibu, a lot of people might know this, we actually have Gandhi's ashes. The rich people up in Malibu have a park up there, a beautiful park. It's put up by the Self-Realization Fellowship. And, they have a sarcophagus with Gandhi's ashes there. This great man of peace. But, here on Skid Row, because of Jules today, and because of the Signatures for Peace, and because of this effort of us, we now have Gandhi's smile on his face. And, it's a beautiful smile that you painted. So, this is another shout-out. And, David, also, he's missing his teeth like me. Yeah. He looks like all of us on Skid Row. And, what a lesson that is. Who was it who brought peace to India? It was a man who looked like Skid Row. Last shout-out I want to give to is, I'm hoping to come back in a few weeks or so, but I'm going to give a shout-out because in Louisiana, for the last six months, a bunch of signs have been popping up all over town. Nobody really knows who's putting them up, but they say one simple thing. They say, love. And, they're just appearing all over the city of New Orleans. Okay, we've got time for maybe two quick ones. I just wanted to say that I'm interested in doing more of these peace murals, and anyone can facilitate that by helping with either photographs, and we can decide on who else to paint. Also, we're taking paint donations, helper donations, anything. Please contact me at julesmuck at gmail.com. If you want to pay, Paul, any donations for paint, you can do so at that address also. Anything else you have input with, feel free to email me. My website's also julesmuck.com. And I'd love if you'd follow me on Instagram at muckrock, M-U-C-K-R-O-C-K. Thanks. Okay, we're getting ready to wrap here. And if you will, cue the music, and we're out of here. ... Well, we've been on this road for a long, long time. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier cier ... ... ... ... for joining us. It's a brand new day. Brand new day. We need to find a way to be better every day. Come on and turn us on. It's time to pray. It's a brand new day. Brand new day. Brand new day. Well, we've been on this road for a long, long time. And what I've heard is we can turn the tide. There are lots of folks here that have heard the call to bring about the changes. And that ain't all. We got faith, love, and hope. This is gonna come. It's inside each one of us. You gotta sing it. Sing it. Shout it. Shout it. Ain't no doubt. It's a brand new day. Brand new day. Brand new day. Come on, it's a brand new day. It's a brand new day.