THE GOOD NEWS PANEL

Tom Cooper: Good evening. This is Tom Cooper with the 9:30 News, all the news which is fitting. Today, the universe performed all functions beautifully and accurately as it has for eternity. Simultaneous accounts from throughout the universe confirm previous reports that billions of planets and suns are perfectly orbiting on schedule. And all is well. 

Linda Joyce: As of 4:00 PM Sunday, over 18 trillion units of energy were converted to form and over 18 trillion units of form were converted to energy. 

Tom: As of 6:00 PM this evening, everything changed. And everything remained the same. 

Carol (?): On the local scene, the planet Earth delivered 24 trillion blades of grass, 11,000,000 new leaves and 24,000 babies within the last seven time units. 

Linda: As many listeners may be aware, we focus on the planet Earth periodically, because the only malfunctioning species within the universe, the human being, resides there. 

Tom: Our picture of the Earth since last report has changed drastically. Let’s go to affiliate David Smith of World Good News Network for an update. David. 

David L. Smith: Yes, Tom, I’m on location here—clearly. I’m calling in from planet Earth. We have to report here a most startling thing tonight: over 400 people are convening to celebrate their love for the planet and the universe. Although their official report has not yet been presented, inside sources have informed me that the report will make the following points. First, the planet already has initiative. It is human beings who need a Bunsen burner under their bunsens. And second, all malfunctions on planet Earth relate to human irresponsibility. And third, an increasing number of human beings are willing to take responsibility for aligning with the remainder of the universe. 

Tom: Thank you, David. Would it be possible to get into the sessions possibly, and interview some of the delegates live? 
David: I believe it would—cause this microphone working? It is working indeed. I hope you have a clear picture of this. I realize we’re translating or transmitting from a great distance here. But I do have delegates with me, and I’d like to present them. So what is your name? 

Lewis Simon: Lewis Simon (Delegate from India).

David: Could you stand up please? Would you tell us about this planetary Congress and your part please?

Lewis: Well, 22 years ago I heard a message from the prison in London. That was from one of the greatest thinkers the earth had ever produced—Bertrand Russell. He said, from the prison mind you, it is the individual’s responsibility to create a new earth because all art, culture, civilization, poetry, music which made this world beautiful, has been the creation of individuals. If you want and you would, it is again the responsibility of the young people all over the world. So today there are some people in the world, planning to create a new educational system in which young people can be promoted and encourage to look around the world, experience the world, study for themselves. And that system is called Friends World College in New York City. 

Planetary Initiatives is one of the ways to make planetary citizens—world citizens? So I think the time has come for individuals to accept the responsibility. And not cooperate with many power structures which produce weapons and wars. And cooperate with this power structure, which would create a new music, new art, which will be of human beings. 

David: Very nice. Thank you very much. Would you stand up please? And what is your name and where you’re from? 

Asafo Adai: My name is Asafo Adai. I come from Ghana. 

David: What do you think about this planetary Congress and specifically, what is your part in it?

Asafo: Well, I think it’s very beautiful. Well, all along what I’ve noticed is the sharing of love, you see, because if it wasn’t for love, I couldn’t have been here. And I personally. I’m very, very grateful for the Belgium community for making it possible for me to be here. And all that long, as I’ve been here, I’ve seen real love being shared, and I think this will be a very good experience if it will not be just an idea wonder but will be pursued further for the interests of the world. This is my question. 

David: And when you go home, what are you going to do? 

Asafo: Well, I think I’ll have to work hard, you know, to translate this impression to my people who I think are, need to be aware of these activities—for active participation, because we really need them to, you know? 

David: Wonderful. Thank you very much. Would you stand up please? And what is your name? 

Libby Cook: My name is Libby Cook.

David: Okay, and what do you think about the Congress? 

Libby: I’d like to bring the other half over here. Alright, the other half. Would you join us, please? I know we’re running against the tight deadline here on schedule, but this is well worth it. 

Tom: We’re fascinated, David. We read you loud and clear. Thank you. Very good.

 
Dan Deen: What is your name? My name is Dan Dean. 

David: Okay Dan, what about this Congress? And what what’s your part? 
Dan: Well, last September we started in a sailboat from Seattle, visiting the local PI groups around the world but didn’t quite get clear around but it was an almost circumnavigation, visiting local PI groups in Honolulu, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Cape Town, always with the heading of culminating here at the Planetary Congress. 

Tom: Excuse me, David, our cameras are having a little challenge picking these people up. I wonder if they could face your audience there and that would put them toward our cameras?

David: Alright, very fine. Let’s do that little turnabout. How’s that? 

Tom: Thank you. That’s clear. 

Dan: Our intention, or the intention of the voyage was to use our boat in the voyage as a stage or backdrop for local groups to have access to the to their media. And it worked in each area—in mainstream radio, newspaper and television we got local PI activities in the news and also Planetary Initiative ideals. And we met good news people throughout the world, they’re extremely cooperative. 

David: Okay, very good. You want to add anything to that?

Libby: I’d like to thank the people that we did meet around the world for their wonderful response with the PI process, and also the media. They aren’t the devils that we think they are. There’s a lot of them out there that are really on our same wavelength. 

David: Thank you. Wonderful. Thank you very much. Could I ask you to stand up, please? And what is your name? 

Michael Bastine: Michael Bastine

David: Where are you from, Michael? 

Michael: I’m from the Six Nations area in New York State.

David: Okay, let’s turn around here to face the camera. What do you think of this planetary Congress?

Michael: This is fantastic. And the message that I bring from the Six Nations, and not just from them, but from all Indian nations on the North American and South American continent, is that we have a little prayer that we say every time we get in the council like this. And it starts like this, we say: ‘At this time, let us now put our minds together as one.’ And through that, we’ve found that we’ve been able to overcome and solve many of our differences, and we dropped the petty, everyday things that we carry with us. And I’d like to thank everybody that’s here and thank you for inviting me. Thank you very much. 

David: Is Stan Phillips here. Stan, would you rise please? We’d like to get your impression of this Congress. 

Stan Phillips: Well, anybody didn’t think it was terrific would not be, would not have what you would call world consciousness, they would probably not have any consciousness. It’s a great pleasure to be here. I come on behalf the Bahai community of Canada, which is one of 135 national communities in the world, and what I wanted to say particularly to the convention and this Congress, I suppose would be better term, is our concern of the last few days, that we perhaps were not representative of the world’s feelings because we did not have as many representatives from the different cultures and nations of the world as we wanted, does not mean that the peoples of the world are not sensitive and not aware of the great need for the establishment of the unity of mankind.

The Bahai community exists in some 20,000 communities around the world, and largely these communities are established in what we call third world countries and are made-up by of indigenous people who had has been demonstrated, have the greatest sensitivity and the greatest potential for understanding the wholeness and completeness of the human race. And I say to the Congress today that it is certainly not alone in its feeling of wanting to have the world a single planet. There are millions of people around the world, of all nationalities, of all races, who are participating in the building of a world community made-up of people of different nationalities, different races, different backgrounds, all of whom are trying as best they can in their lives to inculcate this world consciousness, which has become evident as the ideal of this Congress and certainly is the hope and purpose of Bahai’s around the world who I think would want me to say on their behalf, if I might be presumptuous for a moment and try and do so, to express their praise of this initiative, their acknowledgement of the success of this Congress, and there the feeling of oneness with you all.

David: Thank you very much. 

Tom: We have these stories beamed up now on monitor three. I’ll read the first. In Seaside Oregon, exactly one month ago, Chris and Joe Oates, Steve Jones and Mike Russell mounted bicycles to travel to Toronto for the Planetary Initiative Congress. During the marathon outing, they swam every river they encountered, including the Columbia, the Mississippi and the Missouri, and each of the Great Lakes. 

Carol: In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Janice Bowden has announced the organization of peace and global education courses designed for educators.

Linda: And Doctor Lewis Simon of India, currently of Long Island, has broadened the World Friends College to a curriculum which is transnational and transdisciplinary. 

Tom: In Boulder, Colorado today, Carolyn Creamer and the Planetary Initiative are helping the Transportation District officials plan local transportation services. Rather than complaining about transportation, they’re working toward positive change. 

Linda: At the San Francisco State University, Al Share is beginning a television program, Planetary Neighbors, which is one of over 100 new positive media productions to be aired locally in the 1983 fall season. 

Tom: Steven Belts and Laurie Fitzpatrick have given themselves wholeheartedly as a gift to the entire Planetary Congress. Hugh (?) of Toronto has taken full initiative to make certain that ultimately, a tree will be planted for every child. 

Carol: And there are over 190 other good news reports from delegates to the Planetary Initiative Congress. 

Tom: (Rising, he walks through the audience) It occurred to me that, even a reporter could allow a change to come in himself. When I was a child, I always wondered if Walter Cronkite had feet or a back to his head? Or a heart that could open, or who could walk among the people without any technology in between? Or be with children and people of all races and all backgrounds? And I wondered if what you see from the heart kingdom is without a script or without a table in between separating you from the audience. I wondered if, as a person, I could say so—if it was alright if I didn’t have to suck up to the boss—if I didn’t have to pretend to be somebody other than who I was, if I didn’t have to play hard-to-get so the ratings would go up, if I didn’t have to compete. I wondered if it was alright just to—be me.

Linda: And now back to our lead story tonight, David L. Smith in Convocation Hall, Toronto, Canada. David, take it away. 

David: Thank you, Linda. Apparently, there is a great deal of action going on here and it appears that there is some possibility that the malfunctioning species on Earth, the human being, is beginning to take initiative for being caretakers of their planet. As always, the other trillions of suns, planets and galaxies move in harmony to absolute perfection. It very much looks like the peoples of Earth, taking full responsibility for the world, will bring the energy of the entire universe back into 100% full functioning. 

Linda: That’s good news.

Tom: That’s the way it really is, June 20th, 1983.