District Dominoes
Tucson, Arizona. Anyone paying the slightest attention to the political blogs knows that Arizona CD-3 John Shadegg is throwing in the towel. Republicans are resigning/not running again by the dozens. In the Senate they might be setting a record with half of those up for re-election having announced they will not run. Stuffing Cheney pigs at the expense of poor children and the middle class must get old. The "I made a fortune for Halliburton, Blackwater, and Pfizer" trophy just doesn't bring that soul closer to God.The resignation sends ripples throughout the political formulas, a domino effect showing that the GOP, despite the possible nomination fiasco the Democrats may inflict on themselves, is in serious trouble. Now the Republicans must devote resources to reclaim an open CD-3 seat (best bet), unseat Harry Mitchell in CD-5 (next priority), or help Tim Bee face Gabrielle Giffords in CD-8 (futility).
Shadegg's resignation offers terrific news for Mitchell, deflecting cross-hairs from his forehead to an empty chair in terms of both opposing candidates and money. The other blogs have said plenty, so I will not duplicate. Sonoran Alliance (link to the right) posted Shadegg's press release. I close with the following observation:
With Dick Cheney no longer in office and a recession ridden populace broken and ruined, what's a pig stuffer to do? Our nation desperately needs a tsunami, a political enema, an hour of gargling Listerine and serious flossing. All of Congress should attend The Landmark Forum to complete their pasts and declare their futures.
They can skip Tuesday night.
posted by x4mr at 11:09 AM
13 Comments:
Shadegg's decision is pretty shocking, I read about yesterday in google news. You don't think this has anything to do with beating the ethics reform "cooling off" period do you?
The Landmark Forum.
I should have known. How many of their programs did you take? On second thought, are there any of their programs you did not take?
I can tell from your blog you are not a groupie.
Ah, "course leader" just got deeper. Is there a relationship between the leadership course you taught and Landmark Education? Have you led Landmark training?
You have a command of their distinctions! A dozen dots just connected. My sense of the stupidity of this town just quadrupled. They had someone like you running an institute that developed employees, and they threw it out. Oh my God.
When you led that math class, it wasn't about the math at all!! What I would give to be able to watch you lead a room.
Dammit, x4mr. Get back in front of the room!
I don't normally click links, but after eading navs comment I had to take a look. He was right, it does all come together.
Alright, someone talk about the dots that just got connected. I've never heard of The Landmark Forum before.
Nav,
Bullseye. After saying "growth" in the spring of 1993, within days I quit the math program, produced two movies, and took the Forum in Phx in June. At the Advanced Course in Phx I met the wife of the Controller of Magma Metals. He hired me.
The course I led (LDP) is infinitely deeper (4 3-day sessions over 9 months) than the Forum, but the Forum is far more personal. Also, the Forum involves 80-200 participants seated theater style.
LDP is U-shape table configuration for 20. Both use the famous high director's chair at the front and a course supervisor in the rear.
LDP has just about everything in the Forum except "empty and meaningless" (not suited for employees), but goes MUCH farther.
LDP includes the three levels of integrity (Forum does not) and the third session on communication cuts to the bone. Participants get super upset. I remember an engineer, confronted as hell and bright red, screaming at me. I smiled, "Can anyone help George out?"
I let the room lead itself for him. Ahhhh. What a moment.
I took the curriculum for living, IFLP, TMLP, Wisdom, a few seminars (lame). I led some introductions.
I have some issues with LEC in general regarding the network marketing policy, but whatever. The Forum is a great weekend. Of course I participated, but I was as much there to watch as to participate. The Forum is worth attending just to watch a real course leader at work, and the course leaders at the IFLP or TMLP weekends are probably the best on the planet.
I got to meet and in some cases know the top of the top, people like Steve Zaffron (IQ = 3000), Sandy Robbins, Nancy Zapolsky, Mark and Char Spirtoz and their daughter. At nine years old, the kid was more complete than most retirees.
Just one thing to share: In the LDP between session 3 and 4 we make participants keeps a small spiral "log of committed speaking" where every request, promise, promise to promise, decline, etc., is recorded and tracked. The first promise they write in the notebook is the promise to keep the notebook and review it once a day regarding whether the promises were kept and the requests (which result in the promises of others) were fulfilled.
PEOPLE GO BATSHIT.
The first level of integrity is doing what you say you will do.
Liza,
Just saw your question. Landmark Education offers programs springing from the same technology that the LDP course I led used.
Anyone can take the Forum. There's one in Tucson every few months. To lead the Forum REQUIRES a course leader. Like the LDP, the Forum cannot be taught. It must be led or it can't work.
In terms of material, The Forum is actually an extremely, extremely simple conversation, but it is one of the hardest courses to lead because of everything that comes up. INTENSE.
I could probably lead most of the courses, but not the Forum.
One caveat: all of my information is several years old. If you have money (something like $350 or so), the Forum is a great time. For me, just watching the leader is worth it. They are so good.
I think the way the Landmark Forum is most relevant to the political post this started with and how it's different from a lot of Self Development programs is its emphasis on making a positive difference in the world--That's what a lot of the programs are about. Here are some things Landmark graduates are doing:
http://landmarkeducationnews.info
I participated in quite a few but not all of the programs. My sentiments are probably similar to x4mr's. I loved the Advanced Course (my favorite). When they do the distinction "story" and you start telling yours to this other person, and they just look at you. I remember breaking out laughing so hard.
X4mr, I assume since you did TMLP you must have done the communication courses. Did you do any assisting? I assisted for awhile to get more of the conversation without having to spend money.
I took the curriculum also and the two communication courses. I did NOT take the leadership (IFLP or TMLP) programs. The above comment is right. People do some great things out of participating that do contribute to the world.
x4mr, I'd be interested in hearing about your assisting. My guess is you did quite a bit.
Navigator,
Good Catch! I completely forgot about assisting. Yes, did a ton of it. After participating in June in Phx and participated FULL TIME in the July Tucson Forum, and then signed up for IFLP. I went from Forum to IFLP in a month. From 93 to 95 I was probably at (for at least awhile) every Forum held in Arizona.
When I said "growth" to the powers that be, they didn't screw around.
I became a Production Supervisor (and a good one, I might add!) for numerous courses. The LDP coupled with the closure of Magma made it time to move on. I still recommend the programs to people from time to time.
Whoops - meant to say I ASSISTED full time in the July Forum.
I've never been to these things, but a quick perusal of the landmark site revealed much of the same language I've seen used around here. I don't know about X and nav, as I don't have much interest beyond passing in the esoteric.
Some of the key words that grabbed me right off the bat were "context" and "communication". It was really wierd, after hanging around this place since september '06, reading something else, and participating in a few of the conversations to finally have such a big chunk of information. Once I got it, something clicked, and it all came together, especially since I didn't have the benefit of some background knowledge that many around here seem to have.
I thought I had the big picture, but after checking out that link, the picture changed completely, I don't know how to explain it really. I think I just have a better grip on the material here than I did before.
That explains EVERYTHING.
No wonder you were phenomenal at running a customized training institute. You had all of the Landmark distinctions around conducting training events and you had the computer skills.
This makes the politicos and TREO look unbelievably stupid. Just appalling.
I think I get it completely now. Those students who acknowledged you made my eyes moist. Being moved to tears happens at Landmark all the time.
PLEASE share the three levels of integrity. I am very interested and I bet others are too.
navigator,
Bureaucracies thrive on mediocrity. That is the whole point. Stars and superstars are encouraged to go elsewhere. There is no place for them.
The politicos at TREO were unbelievably stupid, yes. Unfortunately, they are not aberrant.
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