Hunger Strike to Support UFO Disclosure - Day 16
by Grant Cameron [email protected]
"Got a few more calls today, one from an abductee who just could not stop saying thank you, and wishing well. One from someone who apologized for not giving his name -- just wanted to say thank you and that he was in the military and all that the disclosure project witnesses say is true, and much more, and he just wanted to share his appreciation. Someone else from Atlanta -- 'thank you' and so on.... Very nice people, chatted with all of them, and all very concerned about my health, but also very appreciative.." Partial report by Lara on Day 13
On July 26, 2001 Lara Johnstone, a 35 year old woman from Oakland wrote a letter to President George Bush in support of 400 UFO Disclosure Witnesses who had come forward to tell of their involvement in the cover-up of the UFO story by the government. Lara stated in her letter that she would support her request for disclosure with a hunger strike. Now, two and a half weeks later there is still no reply from President Bush, or any one else at the White House. There is not even an acknowledgment that the letter arrived.
This author E-mailed to President Bush, the first article in this series "Are You Ready for the Revolution <newsrevol1.html>," detailing Lara Johnstone’s hunger strike for UFO Disclosure. Moments later the automatic E-mail responder at the White House sent back a reply. "Thank-you for writing President Bush. He is not able to read all his mail . . . thanks for your ideas . . . yada, yada."
The fact that there was a response was good news. It meant that Bush was still there, and maybe Lara might still get a response. Neither rogue North Korean terrorists, nor Al Gore forces had overrun the White House. Bush was still in charge.
On July 28, two days after Lara sent her letter to the President, and exactly one year after President-elect George Bush promised UFO researcher Charles Huffer he would reveal the UFO truth to the world, Lara began her hunger strike.
It is now August 12, sixteen days into the hunger strike. George Bush is on holidays at his Texas ranch, probably enjoying the occasional home ground Texas steak. Lara on the other hand is at home, living only on water, vegetable and fruit juices, and vitamins. She is concentrating on her perceived mission, and planning what action to take next.
While she waits for the President to answer, Lara is writing a second letter to President Bush. She is also working on a web page she has set up to inform people about her mission
http://www.amandla.org/ufo/. She calls the site "The Bush/UFO Disclosure Request". It is a web site detailing the "Hungerstrike Requesting President Bush to honor his agreement to tell the American people the truth, by supporting the Disclosure Project witnesses to testify about their extensive knowledge of UFO's." In days the site is up and running, without all the "under construction" signs that are so common with new web pages.
The web site Lara has developed has a section where the original letter of protest to President Bush can be read. There is a section that relates news, and articles that have been written about the hunger strike. There is a direct link to Dr. Steven Greer Disclosure Project web site. There is a section on upcoming events. Finally, Lara has included a section that displays some of the letters of support she has received. She has some strong supporters. Among the many letters she has received are the following examples:
? Ron Eastwood, a former bodyguard for Martin Luther King’s wife and children following his assassination wrote. Eastwood detailed a hunger strike he had participated in with United Farm Workers Union organizer Caesar Chavez. He told Lara, "My own congestive heart failure, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure prevent me from taking the drastic measures you have chosen (namely hunger strike) but be assured I shall make my ability to write a sword of words to rattle the cages of as many of our recalcitrant and cowardly public servants as possible on this cause for total public disclosure. With your permission may I send a copy of this message to my local news media and government officials alone with the attached copy of the notice which informed me of your awesome undertaking."
? Larry Bryant, a UFO researcher and long time crusader for total disclosure of the UFO story by the government wrote, "As an old semi-street warrior myself, (having taken part in the anti-UFO-secrecy demonstrations that the now defunct Operation Right to Know mounted some years ago at the White House, the Washington Post Building, the Pentagon (there only indirectly. Since I was still employed there), and the GAO building in Washington), I get a vicarious thrill knowing that a young woman has taken this bold lead in a renewed knock on officialdom’s UFOdoor."
? Tom Buyea from Miami Florida wrote, "I just read about you and forwarded the email to about 3,000 people on all my UFO & government conspiracy etc. email lists. What else can we do to help you?"
? Hi there, I just read about you, I am the International Director of P.R.I.S.M. International Paranormal Research Investigation Services & Monitoring International here in Adelaide, South Australia, I am starting "Operation Recovery" which is the Sister to Project Disclosure, & I have people coming forward, all though I would not like to say if the Extraterrestrial Agenda is good or bad, how ever like you I believe in the uncovering of the truth behind it all. You are a brave lady, I admire you very much, I Love you very much too :) I hope one day I can meet you & give you a big hug, cause your my hero Lara, & everyone else's too, thank you for being there for us, if I can help you somehow, please ask how!, take care Lara, from all your friends in Australia
Lara spends time talking to people from all over the world (calls from as far away as the UK and Australia) who have phoned to offer support. She counsels with a small group over what to do next, and E-mails people who have written with questions or comments about her actions. She also watches and comments on the many messages being posted on the many Internet discussion boards that are discussing her Hunger Strike.
There have been ups and downs, even though after talking to Lara, one comes away with the impression that for Lara it is all good. She is a strong tree in the windy storm. Usually, it is Lara who provides the support for the many concerned people who see a looming disaster, and who have called her and expressed concern for her well-being. An example is Lara’s answer to one concerned person who asked her about the pain of being hungry all the time. Lara’s response, "You are only hungry for the first three days. I promise."
Despite Lara’s steadfast optimism there have been downs over the first 16 days of the hunger strike. The main down would be the weight. Lara is down 13 pounds. To most this would seems like an ensuing disaster. Lara, however, says, "I have a few pounds I can lose."
Most of the comments have been supportive but unfortunately there have been some real shots taken at her. Lara has after all, chosen to involve herself in the world of Ufology where primitive tribal warfare is often the norm. One example of the very few attacks on Lara came from Jack Sarfatti, a physicist who hosts a very small UFO/zero point energy chat group (made up mainly of theoretical physicists, and "bump in the night" intelligence types). Sarfatti is a big supporter of space-based weapons. Perhaps it Lara’s open opposition to space based weapons that led Sarfatti to post a vile attack on Lara on the Internet.
Laura is a typical clueless New Ager brainwashed by Macroshift psycho-babble with no ability to discriminate between real science and Cargo Cult superstition posing as science. This poor woman is obviously in need of psychiatric help.
Where the normal UFO response would be to counter-punch, Lara was calm and collected in her response to Sarfatti. Perhaps this is a result of the fact that Lara had absolutely no background in Ufology before beginning the hunger strike. She took the attack as an opportunity to repeat the goals of the hunger strike.
I appreciate your comments, and, I am okay with you saying whatever you like -- I know that your definition of who I am or what I do is not 'who I am' ;-), only your imagination! ;-) And a very vivid one at that! ;-) I want the truth, I want the light of the truth to shine where the darkness of secrecy, fear and hate currently reigns and makes us more afraid of one another, so that we call them names, whatever name we wish to denigrate them by. I apologize but I do not wish to do that, and that is not my quest or my purpose. I shall continue my search for truth, and I support you in continuing yours. Mine is a request to President Bush to honor his agreement with Charles Huffer and the American people. I imagine that includes you! ;-), unless you already have been informed about the 'secret' truth!, and are trying to deflect the issue to me!
Another temporary down was the lack of support or contact from people that would have been expected to race to Lara’s aid. Again the ever-positive Lara understood. She told this author,
I imagine they are a little unsure as to what to do -- should they endorse, and then it goes down the drain, and damages all the work they have done . . . My focus - I want to keep on Pres. Bush -- it was his agreement (made twice) with Huffer (and therefore the people) that I want him to keep, or at the very least re-negotiate -- which is what anyone who makes an agreement has to do, if they can no longer keep it!... So, I am going to attempt to keep my focus there . . .They need to keep their 'professionalism' -- and not be seen as 'activist' and they have worked hard at that... I can support them, and appreciate their work, without them having to 'endorse' me. They are not responsible for my actions; only I am, just as only bush is for his! ;-)
To avoid confusion and to keep the lines of communication lines open Lara E-mailed one of the groups on August 9th.
I am writing because I would like to keep an open line of communication . . . to keep you informed. I imagine disclosure and knowledge on your part of my actions would be more helpful than silence and surprise.
As the third week of the hunger strike began Lara received two new indications that her efforts were not in vein. In addition to all the people who had been motivated by he action, it was learned that Charles Huffer, whose original contact with George bush had motivated Lara, was now motivated by Lara’s action to press again for his own answer from the White House.
On the August 11 "Strange days . . .Indeed" radio show broadcast out of Toronto radio station CFRB, Lara appeared to update the listening audience on how the hunger strike was progressing. While on the air she received positive encouragement from Washington D.C. UFO lobbyist Steven Bassett who was also a guest on the show. Bassett had been closely connected to the Disclosure movement, and his words came as a comfort that the Disclosure movement had come to grips with Lara’s form of public protest. Bassett spoke about Lara and the hunger strike.
I had talked with Lara at length (2 hours). What I think about this is really straightforward. When the government looks out the window, what it needs to see - particularly now in an ever increasing degree - is a relentless public coming at them from every different direction, very clearly not going to give up, not going to go away. That means pacts, lobbyists, hunger strikes, marches, and protests like we used to have. It means political initiatives, press conferences, and the whole nine yards. The more it sees that the more it will start to realize that there is simply no where to go but toward us, with the disclosure and with the truth.
Lara is adding another piece to that mosaic, and she knows what she is doing. She’s good at it. I knew this would happen, and I think it’s coming from a person that can do well. I have indicated to her that when she gets a little further along, because as you know these things tend to go for 60-80 days if you’re really serious, in which case Lara will be getting requests to rant modeling in New York. In a little while when she is a little further down the line I have every intention and every capability to bring this to the attention of the entire congress, as well as the political press here, and to the next level of awareness.
It’s her show, not mine. I will stay in the background. Getting into the public is very easy. Whether she gets onto any of the shows like Art Bell or Jeff Rense - well that’s up to them. For now it needs to build a little slowly. I think that’s appropriate. It’s timing is excellent. The strategy is wonderful. Tying it to the Bush statement, so that it can be a matter between her and George Bush is wonderful. It’s logical. It’s something that people know about. Huffer was there. It has all been documented. The effect of it will be to bring new attention to the Huffer event, which as you know came and went. It is out on the net but in large is not news to the press anymore, unless of course something like this happens. So all of this works very nicely, and the timing is great as well . . .if I’m Washington looking outside the beltway, I’m seeing this stuff happening. Clearly I’m going to be getting a clear impression that I can play deaf, dumb, and stupid, and this is going to go away.
Upcoming Events
On Monday Day 17, Lara takes her hunger strike to the steps of the federal courthouse in Oakland, to petition her Congress woman Barbara Lee to write a letter to President Bush sharing Lara’s request for UFO Disclosure.
On Monday Day 17, Lara will be interviewed by the South African News Service out of Washington.
Lara will be interviewed by host Adam Clark on the Wake Up America website. Listen live at 8:00 p.m. Central Wednesday August 17 at
http://wakeupusa.netfirms.com/
"It takes two to speak the truth -- one to speak, and another to
hear."
---Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)