[Posted March 6, 2008]

The Great American Export: Faux Freedom

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Wake up! The American Dream isn't real.

New York Times Mar 4, 2008 - ADAM LIPTAK

A Wave of the Watch List, and Speech Disappears

Steve Marshall is an English travel agent. He lives in Spain, and he sells trips to Europeans who want to go to sunny places, including Cuba. In October, about 80 of his Web sites stopped working, thanks to the United States government.

The sites, in English, French and Spanish, had been online since 1998. Some, like www.cuba-hemingway.com, were literary. Others, like www.cuba-havanacity.com, discussed Cuban history and culture. Still others — www.ciaocuba.com and www.bonjourcuba.com — were purely commercial sites aimed at Italian and French tourists.

"I came to work in the morning, and we had no reservations at all," Mr. Marshall said on the phone from the Canary Islands. "We thought it was a technical problem."

It turned out, though, that Mr. Marshall's Web sites had been put on a Treasury Department blacklist and, as a consequence, his American domain name registrar, eNom Inc., had disabled them. Mr. Marshall said eNom told him it did so after a call from the Treasury Department; the company, based in Bellevue, Wash., says it learned that the sites were on the blacklist through a blog.

Either way, there is no dispute that eNom shut down Mr. Marshall's sites without notifying him and has refused to release the domain names to him. In effect, Mr. Marshall said, eNom has taken his property and interfered with his business. go to story

The Bhaktivedantas World Sankirtan Party and Inside Nam Hatta are hosted by Hansadutta das, a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada and trustee of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Participate or learn more about World Sankirtan Party.

Fool's Paradise

Fools Elected by Fools Hansadutta das
And then the Americans came. How did they come? "Oh, you should have democracy. You can vote." Vote for what? [laughing] Two men are running for office, and ten million people are voting. So what is the big choice? Both of them are rogues. [laughter] Fool's paradise. The people are foolish, and they are given the right to vote. "You vote." So amongst all the fools, they select one grand fool. [laughter] And he will lead them. It's a fool's paradise. That's what it is. Democracy means fool's paradise. People are foolish. They say, "Yes, you vote." And they pick one. "Okay, yes." He's a fool, the greatest fool, and the others are following. So fool's paradise. more

Completely under control of the material nature

excerpt from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Paris, June 11, 1974

So this is going on. [laughs] A dog in the park is jumping very fast, walking. But as soon as the master, "Come one. Come one," immediately, "Yes, sir." "Give me your neck." "Yes, sir." Chain. Chain. He's thinking that he's very free, but as soon as the master calls, immediately he has to submit. This is our position. We are very busy, but the master is the material nature. Daivi hy esha gunamayi mama maya duraty... [Bhagavad-gita 7.14]. The fact is that we are under the stringent laws of material nature. We have no freedom. That we do not know. We are struggling so much. War has been waged in, all over the world, especially in Europe, for freedom. You have got that freedom statue. And in America also, there is freedom. But where is freedom, sir? That they do not know. Why? Apashyatam atma-tattvam [Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.2]. They do not know what is freedom and whose freedom. That they do not know. Therefore they have created so many newspapers for freedom. The so-called freedom. But there is no freedom. Even big, big leaders, they have no freedom. What we are?

Therefore Krishna points out in the Bhagavad-gita that real freedom is when you get freedom from four different problems. What is that? Janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-doshanudarshanam [Bg. 13.9]. If you get freedom from these four things—no more death, no more birth, no more old age, old age, and no more disease—that is freedom. But where is that freedom? The so-called scientists, big, big scientists, they have very scientifically advanced, but they had no freedom from death. They had to die on a fixed-up date. Professor Einstein or any other big, big scientist, they could not manufacture any scientific instrument and keep it in the custody of his student, that "As soon as I die, you just apply this machine. I shall come alive again." Where is that freedom? So this so-called scientific improvement, advancement in civilization, it is just like jumping like the dog. That's all. It has no value. Real value is to understand atma-tattvam, "What I am? Why death is imposed upon me? I do not wish to die. Why old age is imposed upon me? I do not wish to become old man or old woman. I wish to remain a beautiful young..." "No, sir, that is not possible." Then where is your freedom? What for you are jumping so much? As soon as the master will call "Yes, sir. Bind me..." So you are completely under the nature's control. Daivi hy esha gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14: "This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it."].

prakriteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvashah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]

"The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature."

Prakriteh, prakriti, nature, is pulling by the ear, "Come here." "Yes, sir." "Come here." "Yes, sir." And he's freedom. Prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvashah. He is completely under the control of the modes of material nature. Prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani, ahankara-vimudhatma. This is called false egotism: "I am something." "I am Napoleon Bonaparte," "I am Mussolini," "I am Hitler." This is ahankara-vimudhatma. Fool, rascal. They are thinking like that. "No freedom, sir. No freedom."

prakriteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvashah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]

Being puffed-up with false prestige, he's thinking, "I am something. I can do something, I am..." This is the disease.

So for them, these newspapers are very useful. But one who is fixed up in atma-tattvam, Bhagavata-dharma, "I am Brahman. I am not anything of this material world," for them, there is no need of this so-called news of newspaper. There is no... Simply, they should try to understand Krishna. That is the only business. There is no other business. And as soon as you understand Krishna, Krishna assures, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9].

Sri Guru and Gauranga