1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:03,785 The Zeitgeist Movement Communications Team 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:09,000 Global Politics on Trial 3 00:00:09,750 --> 00:00:12,800 Poised at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century 4 00:00:12,900 --> 00:00:16,000 we continue to find the geopolitical landscape in upheaval. 5 00:00:16,500 --> 00:00:18,900 Wars, economic crises 6 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,000 and ever encroaching consolidated 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,100 national and corporate power structures 8 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,000 are re-shaping the world as we know it. 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,000 In reaction to the newest set of documents now made public 10 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,000 a contentious debate rages within capitals and cafes worldwide. 11 00:00:33,300 --> 00:00:38,000 Most prominently in the Middle East as of January 30th 2011 12 00:00:38,300 --> 00:00:40,000 the time this statement was written. 13 00:00:40,500 --> 00:00:42,600 WikiLeaks’ controversial release 14 00:00:42,700 --> 00:00:44,500 of previously classified documents 15 00:00:44,750 --> 00:00:47,000 reveal one undeniable fact: 16 00:00:47,300 --> 00:00:50,500 the current methods of global business and public policy 17 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,400 are on trial. 18 00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:54,400 This wave of awareness in response to 19 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,000 our current geopolitical and economic system 20 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,500 is becoming apparent for the greater public 21 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:02,500 as we are witnessing the increasingly vocal response 22 00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:06,700 by citizens of Tunisia, Egypt in the greater Middle East. 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,600 With the release of diplomatic cables 24 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,000 related to growing despotism and economic inequality 25 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,600 a new wave of individuals are standing up 26 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,100 to demand their right to exist within a free and open society. 27 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,500 Not as Muslims or Christians, Atheists or Jews 28 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,700 but as independent human beings requesting in greater numbers 29 00:01:24,700 --> 00:01:28,000 their human rights to a free and independent life. 30 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000 The numbers of citizens standing up for their inalienable rights 31 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,100 are rapidly increasing as the world is taking notice. 32 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,600 We have seen the dire predicament the citizens of Iran 33 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,500 suffered through in 2009 as an example 34 00:01:39,500 --> 00:01:41,750 and this is happening now at a higher frequency 35 00:01:41,750 --> 00:01:44,200 as the global economic and political paradigm 36 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,000 becomes more inadequate day by day. 37 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,900 This response in North Africa indicates that people 38 00:01:49,900 --> 00:01:53,600 when given access to knowledge as to how their system truly operates 39 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:55,000 are given a choice. 40 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,500 they can either perpetuate a morally bankrupt 41 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:00,300 and economically broken world 42 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,000 or demand a more equitable alternative. 43 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,300 In a world where information is digitized and ubiquitous 44 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,300 it is of significance to point out that it has now been confirmed 45 00:02:10,500 --> 00:02:15,200 that the entire Internet for Egypt has been temporarily shut down 46 00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:19,000 along with high bandwidth (3G) wireless networks. 47 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,950 If nations fundamentally operate for the benefit of the people 48 00:02:22,950 --> 00:02:26,000 as a primary motivating factor for public policy 49 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,500 what then would need to be suppressed? 50 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:32,100 Civil unrest can and will continue 51 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,800 as despots are replaced by slightly more benevolent 52 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,600 or malevolent politicians 53 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,550 depending on the collective whims of the body public. 54 00:02:42,650 --> 00:02:46,350 The time has come to reappraise our current paradigm. 55 00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:50,500 As previously stated, the disturbing concept of an “internet kill switch” 56 00:02:50,500 --> 00:02:54,550 is not far from becoming a reality in North America or Western Europe. 57 00:02:54,650 --> 00:02:57,900 Senator Lieberman, former U.S Vice Presidential candidate 58 00:02:57,900 --> 00:02:59,600 has proposed such legislation 59 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,300 and it is in the U.S congress at the time this statement is being written. 60 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:05,200 This is what happens when inefficient 61 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,100 and irresponsible political entities 62 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,000 no longer operate for the benefit of their constituents 63 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,150 but instead operate to perpetuate the status quo 64 00:03:13,150 --> 00:03:16,300 regardless of who inevitably gets trampled underfoot. 65 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,800 Like a wounded animal, it will do all that it can to guarantee its survival 66 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,200 no matter how sick it becomes. 67 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,100 Wikileaks' supporters and detractors, in both public and private 68 00:03:26,100 --> 00:03:29,300 operate with the knowledge, that information is being suppressed 69 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:31,200 to justify the status quo 70 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,600 of the current geopolitical and economic climate. 71 00:03:34,877 --> 00:03:36,650 Both parties further assert that 72 00:03:36,650 --> 00:03:41,800 deception is being utilized to manufacture the consent of the world's citizens. 73 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,000 The reports suggest that the United States 74 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,700 has committed acts contrary to their stated political positions 75 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,650 and has also blatantly disregarded international law. 76 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,056 The United States, however, is not alone in that arena 77 00:03:55,056 --> 00:03:57,056 it is now confirmed that other countries 78 00:03:57,100 --> 00:04:00,350 including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia 79 00:04:00,350 --> 00:04:04,200 and various states within the European Union and the greater Middle East 80 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,734 are involved in similar contradictions of character. 81 00:04:07,734 --> 00:04:09,250 Three important questions 82 00:04:09,250 --> 00:04:12,750 The Zeitgeist Movement would like to ask the listener to consider: 83 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,100 Does any government representing the people 84 00:04:15,100 --> 00:04:16,700 and acting on their behalf 85 00:04:16,700 --> 00:04:19,019 have a right to operate clandestinely 86 00:04:19,019 --> 00:04:21,400 and in many cases, illegally? 87 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,500 If such actions are condemned by the majority 88 00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:28,600 then what role does the press have in keeping the power structure in check? 89 00:04:28,700 --> 00:04:32,200 Most importantly, isn’t this conduct and behavior 90 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,900 an indication of the fundamental problems within the system itself? 91 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,000 Global citizens of The Zeitgeist Movement 92 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,350 realize that the tactics a nation chooses 93 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,400 in order to undermine another nation, and their own people’s will 94 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,002 stems from the economic competition 95 00:04:45,002 --> 00:04:49,500 and constant battles for finite resources within the modern economic system 96 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,700 as well as their own systemic perpetuation. 97 00:04:52,900 --> 00:04:55,200 Such systems are now proven to be flawed 98 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,900 outdated and fundamentally corrupt. 99 00:04:58,100 --> 00:04:59,750 The documents released thus far 100 00:04:59,750 --> 00:05:03,700 have proven to define the current state of geopolitics in that regard. 101 00:05:03,900 --> 00:05:06,900 When interpreted in the light of modern science and technology 102 00:05:06,900 --> 00:05:09,600 and the enormous benefits they attribute to society 103 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:11,500 the word "geopolitical" 104 00:05:11,500 --> 00:05:14,800 provides no relevance in regards to quality of life. 105 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,250 Science and technology have been solely responsible 106 00:05:17,250 --> 00:05:20,500 for all improvements to the standard of living in our modern world. 107 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:22,400 Understanding that important fact 108 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,900 The Zeitgeist Movement advocates a systems approach 109 00:05:24,900 --> 00:05:26,850 utilizing science and technology 110 00:05:26,850 --> 00:05:30,200 for the intelligent management of the Earth's resources 111 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,700 and the social welfare of its population. 112 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:33,900 This concept in practice 113 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:35,900 is known as a Resource-Based Economy. 114 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,059 While neither supporting nor condemning 115 00:05:38,059 --> 00:05:41,496 the legality of publicizing confidential information 116 00:05:41,496 --> 00:05:43,934 The Zeitgeist Movement seeks to address the issues 117 00:05:43,934 --> 00:05:46,953 brought to light via the numerous, previously classified 118 00:05:46,953 --> 00:05:50,200 media released through the Wikileaks organization. 119 00:05:50,300 --> 00:05:52,967 These documents accurately define the inner workings 120 00:05:52,967 --> 00:05:55,200 of our system as it exists today. 121 00:05:55,300 --> 00:05:58,493 We, The Zeitgeist Movement, are entering this public conversation 122 00:05:58,493 --> 00:06:00,000 in order to discuss the relevance 123 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,372 of these published documents 124 00:06:01,372 --> 00:06:04,100 in relation to the global monetary system. 125 00:06:04,300 --> 00:06:07,000 The undermining of a rival nation's well-being 126 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,400 was the status quo of the last century 127 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,000 when governments of the world had made it their top priority 128 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,000 to maintain centralized power structures 129 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:15,900 through the use of intimidation 130 00:06:15,900 --> 00:06:17,900 violence and economic warfare. 131 00:06:17,900 --> 00:06:19,900 The data suggests that such systems 132 00:06:19,900 --> 00:06:22,500 are being exploited into our present era. 133 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:24,600 The Zeitgeist Movement advocates the position 134 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,000 that such actions are now obsolete and increasingly dangerous. 135 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,100 The global population is realizing 136 00:06:30,100 --> 00:06:32,600 that what happens to one will impact all. 137 00:06:32,700 --> 00:06:34,800 We recognize that the current cultural climate 138 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,000 has offered the people limited access to relevant knowledge 139 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,000 and produces negative results. 140 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,900 Attributes of governance such as these 141 00:06:41,900 --> 00:06:44,900 undermine mature and informed decision-making. 142 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:46,200 Suppression of dissent 143 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,800 as well as the distortion of objective truth 144 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:50,598 can only have negative consequences 145 00:06:50,598 --> 00:06:54,100 and thus, relevant conclusions can never be achieved. 146 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,900 One must ask their representatives: 147 00:06:56,900 --> 00:07:00,400 "How can undermining freedoms produce a sense of security?" 148 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:02,700 Can we really expect to create different outcomes 149 00:07:02,700 --> 00:07:05,800 utilizing the unsuccessful approaches of the past? 150 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,000 Why is this planet, in one form or another 151 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,500 in a state of perpetual war? 152 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,800 For a just and reasoned society to flourish 153 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,700 open access to knowledge and its expression thereof 154 00:07:16,700 --> 00:07:21,000 is essential as it exists as the cornerstone of freedom. 155 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,400 The “Cablegate” controversy has offered the public 156 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:27,500 an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of government 157 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:30,200 military and intelligence agencies. 158 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,800 These groups have not met the expectations 159 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:34,900 of a civil and reasoned society 160 00:07:34,900 --> 00:07:38,300 by promoting leverage of the corporate and banking structure 161 00:07:38,300 --> 00:07:41,700 underlying the global economic and political system. 162 00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:45,200 Those aforementioned groups are producing fear and distrust 163 00:07:45,300 --> 00:07:48,000 among many segments of the population. 164 00:07:48,100 --> 00:07:51,400 These agencies are currently operating within a paradigm 165 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,600 they were created to oppose. 166 00:07:53,700 --> 00:07:57,500 We understand that countries acting in their own self-interest 167 00:07:57,500 --> 00:08:00,000 will go to great lengths to protect themselves 168 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,900 from each other and any “perceived” threats 169 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:05,900 as we have seen through the documents that have been released. 170 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:07,900 The obsession for security 171 00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:10,400 is proving to be more detrimental to society 172 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:15,400 than the potential risk any leak or act of terrorism can cause. 173 00:08:16,700 --> 00:08:19,800 Is the risk of losing one’s liberty a worthwhile price 174 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:23,900 and if so, what way of life is then worth defending? 175 00:08:24,100 --> 00:08:27,200 The Zeitgeist Movement realizes that we, the people 176 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:28,500 as one collective voice 177 00:08:28,500 --> 00:08:31,164 actively seek a mature and rational environment 178 00:08:31,164 --> 00:08:33,450 for public and global discourse. 179 00:08:33,500 --> 00:08:35,000 The sole purpose of doing so 180 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,014 allows those directly affected by the outcome 181 00:08:38,014 --> 00:08:41,500 a means to arrive at reasoned and valid conclusions 182 00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:45,000 to solve serious issues that face the world today. 183 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:46,800 New governing mechanisms 184 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:49,000 with a foundation grounded in reason 185 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,700 social equality and justice 186 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:55,600 rather than consolidation of government and corporate interests 187 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:57,844 must be implemented as our current system 188 00:08:57,844 --> 00:09:00,900 is reaching the end of its serviceable life. 189 00:09:01,100 --> 00:09:03,900 The documents that have been released so far have shown us 190 00:09:03,900 --> 00:09:06,500 in regards to meetings among diplomats 191 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,900 that there is a general fear and mistrust 192 00:09:08,900 --> 00:09:11,400 amongst competing national economic systems 193 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:12,800 which are being undermined 194 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:16,000 by the very institutions that put them into place. 195 00:09:16,100 --> 00:09:19,300 Such policies ferment instability and chaos 196 00:09:19,300 --> 00:09:23,200 with a small population reaping the benefits of a dangerous world. 197 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,200 The problems we collectively face 198 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,800 are the direct result of a system that relies on 199 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:32,300 fierce nationalism and protection of the status quo to survive. 200 00:09:32,500 --> 00:09:35,200 These new governing mechanisms can outgrow 201 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,200 the dangerous and irrational world we currently live in. 202 00:09:38,300 --> 00:09:42,800 Without a reliable system to counteract aberrant behaviors on all levels 203 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:47,200 the well-being of a nation’s constituent population will diminish. 204 00:09:47,300 --> 00:09:50,800 In the United States, legislation outside of and within 205 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,400 the first amendment of the U.S Constitution 206 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:55,000 guarantees freedom of the press 207 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,200 as well as whistle blower protection 208 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,200 put into place in order to keep government 209 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,200 fully accountable to the people 210 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,300 for any actions it chose to engage in. 211 00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:05,600 We have addressed in this public statement 212 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:07,900 that the latest scandal, "Cablegate" 213 00:10:07,900 --> 00:10:09,800 gives credence to the old axiom 214 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:11,600 “The Emperor Wears No Clothes." 215 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,000 In other words, we all collectively understand 216 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,850 the fundamental flaws that exist within our governing mechanism. 217 00:10:17,850 --> 00:10:19,800 This current system is not equipped to handle 218 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:21,600 an ever increasingly complex 219 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,200 and technologically advanced world. 220 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:25,400 As we are discovering 221 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:26,900 the needs of the global population 222 00:10:26,900 --> 00:10:29,300 are radically different than they were centuries ago 223 00:10:29,300 --> 00:10:32,900 at the birth of the economic paradigm we live in today. 224 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:34,250 The current value system 225 00:10:34,250 --> 00:10:37,500 influenced by our current socioeconomic climate 226 00:10:37,500 --> 00:10:38,900 has produced systemic corruption 227 00:10:38,900 --> 00:10:42,300 as well as a trend towards a diminishing of personal freedoms. 228 00:10:42,300 --> 00:10:43,800 In this current system 229 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:45,200 governments and their corporate partners 230 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,500 are undermining both the public and themselves. 231 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:49,500 It is essential that accurate information 232 00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:51,900 and transparency within representative governments 233 00:10:51,900 --> 00:10:53,400 becomes commonplace to advance 234 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:56,200 the most essential aspects of freedom. 235 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,584 The current failures for reasonable governance speak for itself. 236 00:11:01,165 --> 00:11:04,200 Throughout history, policy has been dictated 237 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,800 by unverifiable and subjective opinions. 238 00:11:07,900 --> 00:11:10,500 We are moving forward with the concept 239 00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:13,500 that to arrive at decisions which produce 240 00:11:13,500 --> 00:11:16,600 the most accurate and objective results possible 241 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,800 for the betterment of all humanity 242 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,300 includes absolute transparency. 243 00:11:22,500 --> 00:11:23,900 You will come to understand 244 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:27,500 we hold no interest in supporting or opposing entities 245 00:11:27,500 --> 00:11:28,900 which seek to undermine 246 00:11:28,900 --> 00:11:31,200 and destroy our present world 247 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,300 but transcend it. 248 00:11:33,500 --> 00:11:36,700 The problems we have defined, do not have to define us. 249 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:38,805 We invite you to look past the headlines 250 00:11:38,805 --> 00:11:40,200 and understand that the crimes 251 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,400 which WikiLeaks allegedly uncovered 252 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,100 are merely symptoms of an underlying problem 253 00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:47,300 endemic across the spectrum. 254 00:11:47,500 --> 00:11:49,600 We cannot legislate these problems away 255 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,200 because every nation will legislate to the benefit of the corporation 256 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,800 the financial institutions and themselves 257 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:57,800 rather than the individual citizen. 258 00:11:57,900 --> 00:12:01,003 Finally, legislation cannot effect relevant change 259 00:12:01,003 --> 00:12:03,600 due to the inherent cultural behavior patterns 260 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,179 integral to the current socio-economic paradigm 261 00:12:07,179 --> 00:12:10,700 for, the current system cannot function without said behaviors. 262 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,300 It is time we redefine the world around us 263 00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:15,000 understand how it operates 264 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:16,900 and construct a better alternative 265 00:12:16,900 --> 00:12:19,300 using the highest levels of transparency 266 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:21,200 and technical ability. 267 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:22,400 The Zeitgeist Movement 268 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:23,900 which currently has roughly 500,000 members worldwide 269 00:12:23,900 --> 00:12:25,400 was founded in 2008 by film director Peter Joseph. 270 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:26,900 The film Zeitgeist Addendum 271 00:12:26,900 --> 00:12:28,900 and the recently released film “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward” 272 00:12:28,900 --> 00:12:30,400 exists as a direct response to the documented errors 273 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:31,400 prevalent in modern society 274 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:33,400 which advocates the realization that the current system 275 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:34,900 exists as continuation of historical baggage. 276 00:12:36,042 --> 00:12:37,500 The activist arm of The Venus Project 277 00:12:37,500 --> 00:12:39,000 which was founded in Venus, Florida 278 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,000 by Industrial Designer and Social Engineer Jacque Fresco. 279 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,000 The Zeitgeist Movement seeks to align modern understanding 280 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,500 of science and technology with social design 281 00:12:44,500 --> 00:12:46,000 to implement what is termed “A Resource Based Economy” 282 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:47,500 An R.B.E relies on the concept that abundance for all people 283 00:12:47,500 --> 00:12:49,000 is a much more relevant motivator than monetary incentive 284 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:50,000 with the end result being a healthy 285 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:51,000 and technologically advanced society. 286 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:52,500 More information can be found at TheZeitgeistMovement.com and TheVenusProject.com 287 00:12:52,667 --> 00:12:56,893 For press inquiries contact: media@thezeitgeistmovement.com