Search the Community

My intention to wake you up is the link [between our respective dreams]. My heart wants you awake. I see you suffer in your dream and I know that you must wake up to end your woes. When you see your dream as dream, you wake up. But in your dream itself I am not interested. Enough for me to know that you must wake up. You need not bring your dream to a definite conclusion, or make it noble, or happy, or beautiful; all you need is to realize that you are dreaming. Stop imagining, stop believing. See the contradictions, the incongruities, the falsehood and the sorrow of the human state, the need to go beyond. In dream you love some and not others. On waking up you find you are love itself, embracing all. Personal love, however intense and genuine, invariably binds; love in freedom is love of all. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

He's just a Corporate Junk Science Stooge! https://www.desmogblog.com/joseph-bast Joseph Bast Credentials Joseph Bast studied Economics as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. According to Sourcewatch, he did not complete his degree. [42], [6] Background Joseph Bast co-founded the Heartland Institute in 1984 with David M. Padden (1927 - 2011) and served as Heartland's CEO until January 2018. Bast stayed on as a Director and Senior Fellow. Tim Huelskamp, a former member of Congress, succeeded Bast as Heartland's president. [43], [54], [44], [56], [89] According to Bast, the Heartland Institute “reaches more national and state elected officials, more often, than any other think tank,” having 270 policy advisors in all 50 states. [43], [54], [44] Bast's resume at Heartland notes that he has published several of Heartland’s periodicals since 1997 including School Reform News, Environment & Climate News, Health Care News, Budget & Tax News. It also notes that Bast “oversaw its growth from an annual budget in 1984 of $20,000 to a 2017 budget of $6 million and a full-time staff of 40.” [56] Bast studied economics as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several free-market books promoting free-market solutions to public policy problems including Eco-sanity: a common sense guide to environmentalism. [42] Joseph Bast & Tobacco Bast is author of “Please Don’t Poop in My Salad (and other essays opposing the war against smoking)” published by the Heartland Institute in 2006. He has also published other pro-smoking views since, including a chapter in Smoking by Laura K. Egendorf on how “Anti-smoking Policies are Unfair and Ineffective.” [14], [56] Bast later denied that he had ever dismissed concerns about the risks of smoking, then reluctantly stood by his previous stance after being read his own words. Speaking with Republic Report: [13] Republic Report: “In 1998, you wrote in a Heartland op-ed that smoking cigarettes has little to no adverse health effects,” we noted. “Do you stand by that?” “No, I never wrote that,” replied Bast. “Why would I have written something like that?” [13] Bast asked to see the op-ed, and promised to “contest” it. After reading his piece, which claimed that moderate smoking is not deadly and has “few, if any adverse health effects,” Bast said that he actually stood by those words. [57], [13] Joe bast is also mentioned in at least 50 documents on file at the tobacco industry documents library hosted at the University of San Francisco. Some samples below. July, 2002 In an edition of The Heartlander, Bast reiterated his view that tobacco companies should be allowed to advertise comparative health claims. Bast wrote: [59] “I recently attended a debate over tobacco advertising in which Matthew Meyers, head of the Coalition for Tobacco-Free Kids and a leading anti-tobacco activist, said adult smokers must be denied access to comparative health claims in order to avoid attracting children to tobacco products. Whether advertising targets teenagers or has much influence over their decisions is much disputed. (I addressed that subject back in 1996 in an essay titled 'Joe Camel is Innocent!' which you can still find on Heartland's Web site.) But more to the point, Meyers has no right to deprive smokers of information about the choices they are making.” [59] May 29, 2002 Bast wrote to Secretary Donald S. Clark of the FTC, arguing in favor of a request by the US. Smokeless Tobacco Company that they should be able to advertise smokeless tobacco as lower risk compared to cigarette smoking. Bast lamented the “chilling effect of overregulation of advertising,” and cited the First Amendment right to commercial speech as support. [60] January 2, 2002 Bast sent a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune, writing that “the legal challenges could be, and properly should be, stopped” against the tobacco industry. A copy of the letter was forwarded to Emily Sedgwick of Americans for Tax Reform, according to archived tobacco industry documents. [61] “Besides thousands of frivolous civil suits pursued by lawyers who long ago forgot the meaning of justice, the U .S . Justice Department itself wants $50 million in taxpayer dollars to pursue a legal case against the tobacco industry initiated by the Clinton administration. When will it end?” Bast asked. [61] September 23, 1999 Budget documents apparently documenting pending grants for tobacco company Phillip Morris included an official request from Joe Bast for $35,000 in funding for the Heartland Institute. Bast sent the funding request to Roy Marden, Manager of Industry Affairs and Phillip Morris, to renew funding for the Heartland institute in 1999. The letter notes that Marden's funding levels have already granted him a seat on Heartland's Board of Directors. Below is an excerpt from the letter, with emphasis added: [62] “Thank you for inviting me to request renewed general operating support for The Heartland Institute for 1999. I note that Philip Morris contributed $5,000 last August (for a Gold Table at our annual benefit) and $25,000 in October (general operating support). It also has allowed you to serve on our Board of Directors, which has produced many positive results for the entire organization. Because Heartland does many things that benefit Philip Morris' bottom line, things that no other organization does, I hope you will consider boosting your general operating support this year to $30,000 and once again reserve a Gold Table for an additional $5,000.” [62] A June 1999 document lists Philip Morris Company among Heartland's “Platinum Sponsors” who donated $40,000 or more. [63] October 1998 An archived “weekly bullet report” for Phillip Morris's “federal tobacco team” notes that at least one member of the team met with Joe Bast, while another “Met with Heartland Institute officials and JPH.” The details of the meetings are not listed. [64] June 1, 1998 Bast is the author of “Smoking Under Seige,” where he describes a “war on tobacco” that “will affect your civil and economic liberties in major ways.” [65], [66] “So whether or not you smoke, you have good reasons to oppose the lawsuits against tobacco companies as well as any proposed settlement. Please don't stand quietly by while any industry is taken down by a gang of self-serving lawyers, bureaucrats, and politicians,” Bast concluded. [65] May 30, 1997 Bast forward a memo to “Heartland Members and allies with a special interest in tobacco” announcing Heartland's new report titled “The States vs. the Tobacco Industry: Smoke and Assorted Mirrors.” [67] “I think you will find it a timely contribution to the ongoing debate over government regulation of the tobacco industry,” Bast wrote. [67] August 21, 1996 Bast wrote an article titled “Joe Camel Is Innocent!” and published via Heartland where he offers “a few words in defense of smoking.” Bast points to news pieces by Peter Jennings of ABC and columnist Garry Willis who argued that the use of the cartoon Joe Camel “somehow proves that Camels’ manufacturer, R. J. Reynolds, is targeting kids.” Bast argues that, in fact, “cartoons are used to pitch scores of products that could only be of use to adults.” [68] Bast also responded to Jennings's and Willis's claims that Republican opposition to FDA regulation could be due to campaign contributions from the tobacco industry: “With respect to smoking, there’s plenty of evidence—including a recent study by the Congressional Research Service-that sound science concerning the health effects of 'second-hand smoke' doesn’t support the claims being made by EPA and FDA,” Bast responded. [68] Heartland International Conferences on Climate Change (ICCC) Bast helped organize and introduce the First (March 2008), Second (March 2009), Third (June 2009), Fourth (May 2010), Fifth (Oct 2010), Sixth (June 2011), Seventh (May 2012), Eighth (November 2012), Ninth (July 2014), and Tenth (March 2017), Eleventh and Twelfth “International Conferences on Climate Change” (ICCCs). Stance on Climate Change May 8, 2018 The New York Times reported The Heartland Institute was one of several conservative think tanks that communicated with the Environmental Protection Agency in the past year in order to stage debates around climate change. In a statement, Bast denied that the Heartland Institute holds views outside of the mainstream of scientific consensus: [84] “Our view is that the causes and consequences of climate change are very complex and future climate conditions are probably impossible to forecast,” Joe Bast said. 2003 Bast claims that most scientists believe that human activity has no appreciable effects on the climate, citing a (since-debunked) 17,000-name petition run by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. Some of Bast's assertions include that: [1] “Most scientists do not believe human activities threaten to disrupt the Earth's climate” (This is referring to the Oregon Petition). “Our most reliable sources of temperature data show no global warming trend.” “Global climate computer models are too crude to predict future climate changes.” “The IPCC did not prove that human activities are causing global warming.” “A modest amount of global warming, should it occur, would be beneficial to the natural world and to human civilization.” “Efforts to quickly reduce human greenhouse gas emissions would be costly and would not stop Earth's climate from changing.” “The best strategy to pursue is 'no regrets.' The alternative to demands for immediate action to “stop global warming” is not to do nothing.” Key Quotes January 3, 2018 In an episode of the Heartland Institute's Daily Podcast, Bast said he believed that the Heartland Institute had been responsible for defeating cap and trade and carbon tax proposals, as well as for President Donald Trump's views on climate change: [83] “We, I think we're responsible—one of two or three groups that could genuinely claim responsibility for defeating cap and trade and carbon tax proposals at the national level for a ten year period, pretty much from 2007 until today,” Bast told H. Sterling Bernett during the podcast. “I think we're the reason President Trump discovered, or concluded that climate change is not a real problem and not a crisis facing the country, and that by running on that—by defending coal miners for example—he could appeal to a very big base in the United States. People who expected all along that global warming was junk science, that they would rather have good jobs and inexpensive energy than pursue some liberal dream of, you know, replacing all fossil fuel with wind and solar power.” “So Trump ran on that. He won, and it's been remarkable: for the last year, he's been implementing many of the promises that he made as a candidate.” (Emphasis added) November 21, 2017 Bast spoke with Michael Bastasch of The Daily Caller, declaring: [78] “Steve was an important channel for us to the White House,” Bast said. “[..] It’s changed with Steve Bannon leaving.” [78] October 2017 A leaked email from Joe Bast revealed what he viewed as key takeaway points from the Heartland Institute's closed-door meetings on the “Red Team – Blue Team exercise on climate change” proposed by Scott Pruitt's EPA. As E&E News reported, the email and notes provided “a broad look at skeptics' policy playbook under the Trump administration while exposing stark suspicions about Pruitt.” View the first of several points below: [71], [53] ”* How to effectively market our ideas was a theme of many presentations, many remarks during the panels, and conversation over meals. Among the ideas I heard offered, we should… * be briefing news reporters and news readers at Fox News. * reach the President by tweeting on the issue. * hold more congressional hearings. * simplify the issue by focusing on one or only a few arguments and images. * identify a few good spokespersons and focus on promoting them. * stop chasing the other side’s latest argument and focus instead on the benefits of CO2. * focus on the 'tuning scandal' that discredits the models. * turn debate from referring to median temperatures to high temperatures, which show no trend. * find independent funding for Roy Spencer, David Schnare, Willie Soon, Craig Idso, David Legates, etc. * push Pruitt to start a proceeding for reconsideration of the Endangerment Finding… he won’t do it without pressure. * we need to be able to say 'EPA is reconsidering whether CO2 is a pollutant.'” Bast adds: ”* Many people said 'we need a PR plan' or a 'single strategy,' otherwise we will continue to lose the battle with AGW alarmists. I (Joe Bast) observed that (a) we aren’t losing, in fact we are winning the global warming war as shown by public opinion polls, election results, scientific journals, and the agenda of the President of the United States, (b) Heartland, CEI, and other organizations and individuals in the room do have plans and strategies, (c) a marketing plan is much more than agreeing (with you) on a few slogans or spokespersons, and (d) adopting a single strategy is unrealistic and unlikely to be effective. We can always do better, and will, but we should not stop doing what is working. * The briefing revealed that Heartland, CEI, Cato, Heritage, and other groups have done a poor job communicating their STRATEGIES to people in the room. More transparency is needed. We tend to hide, or at least not advertise, our playbooks for fear the other side will use them to launch counter-offenses, which we are sure would be far better funded and more warmly received by the media than our own efforts. But we ought to find a way to communicate our plans to our friends.” March 31, 2014 Regarding the NIPCC's contradictory conclusions to the IPCC's 2014 assessment report: “How could two teams of scientists come to such obviously contradictory conclusions on seemingly every point that matters in the debate over global warming? There are many reasons why scientists disagree, the subject, by the way, of an excellent book a couple years ago titled Wrong by David H. Freedman. A big reason is IPCC is producing what academics call “post-normal science” while NIPCC is producing old-fashioned “real science.” [10] March 26, 2014 Leading up to the Heartland Institute's Ninth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC-9) in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 7-9, 2014, Jim Lakely and Joseph Bast publish a press release in which Bast is quoted: “The scientists Heartland works with demanded we host a ninth conference this year to foster a much-needed frank, honest, and open discussion of the current state of climate science and we just couldn’t refuse. The public, the press, and the scientific community will all benefit from learning about the latest research and observational data that indicate climate science is anything but ‘settled.’” [17] September 19, 2013 “The IPCC – and all the mainstream media and environmental extremists who cite it uncritically — really have become a joke in the scientific community.” [8] In reference to the Chinese Academy of Sciences' rebuttal of the IPCC's assessment, just months before COP19 in Warsaw, Poland, Bast said: “This is a historic moment in the global debate about climate change… The translation and publication of a comprehensive critique of the IPPC’s alarmist reports by a leading national academy of sciences is one more sign of the trend toward skepticism and away from alarmism.” [7] “The benefits of a modest warming would outweigh the costs – by $8.4 billion a year in 1990 dollars by the year 2060, according to Robert Mendelsohn at Yale University – thanks to longer growing seasons, more wood fiber production, lower construction costs, lower mortality rates, and lower rates of morbidity (illness).” [2] July 1998 In an opinion piece in The Heartlander, Bast claimed: [57] “Exposure to small amounts of a toxic substance is often benign because the human body has a natural ability to repair itself.” ”[…] The fact that smoking in moderation has few, if any, adverse health effects has astounding importance in the tobacco debate.” Key Deeds August 7, 2018 Bast spoke at the Heartland Institute's “America First Energy Conference” (AFEC 2018) in New Orleans, Louisiana. [85] “The purpose of this event is to promote and expand energy freedom in the United States, as outlined in President Donald Trump’s bold America First Energy Plan, a proposal first released during the 2016 presidential campaign. The president’s plan marks a decisive change in direction from the Obama administration’s 'war on fossil fuels' and focus on the theory of catastrophic man-caused climate change,” the conference description reads. [86] Bast spoke on a panel titled “CAFE Standards: Why they need to go.” [87] January 3, 2018 Bast appeared on an episode of the Heartland Institute's Daily Podcast with H. Sterling Burnett to discuss the past and future of the Heartland Institute including his stepping down as President and CEO and his planned departure from the organization. Bast outlined some of the Institute's early work on climate change: [83] [8:10] HSB: “You mentioned climate. Let's get to that. Under your leadership, the Heartland Institute became a leader and has been recognized as such in the realm of climate science, economics, and policy. Why did the Heartland Institute become so deeply involved in this one issue? What did you see that others didn't about the importance of climate change as an issue, and what impact has Heartland's efforts had?” JB: “Well, Heartland started addressing climate actually way back, ah, 1994…1995. We did our first book that had a chapter on climate change in it. We addressed it primarily from an economic perspective, arguing that the cost of reducing emissions was really high compared to the sketchy evidence that we had about the cost of harms and offsetting benefits. Nobody listened to us. We did three, four, or five I thought really good policy studies on this topic looking specifically for example, at a carbon tax on agriculture, and the studies got almost no attention. “It turns out the reason they got no attention is because people were afraid of catastrophic climate change. When the building is on fire, people don't argue or negotiate the price of fire extinguishers; they're all too busy running for the doors, and so we concluded that we had to put the fire out before we can get a reasonable conversation to take place here. We've go to address this underlying fear of catastrophic climate change. So we did a deep dive in 2007; we said, where is this fear coming from? Is it based on sound science? Who are the scientists who are in this debate? Do they need our help? Why aren't they getting a better hearing? And why aren't Cato, and Heritage, and AEI, and other think tanks engaged in this part of the debate? “And what we learned was that virtually none of the free market think tanks were addressing the science. They weren't doing that because they felt it wasn't their job. They're mostly economists and lawyers and they didn't want to start getting into the physics of climate change. I respect that. But the result was a gap: there was no free market voice on the climate science debate that was taking place, and that was a critical error on the part of free market activists. Unless we address the science, we are going to lose this debate. “So we recruited scientists from all around the country. We ended up producing the series called Climate Change Reconsidered for the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change. We had a tremendous impact. I mean, it's quite remarkable. That book, that series of books, has been cited over 100 times in peer-reviewed articles. The Chinese Academy of Sciences thought so highly of it that it translated it into Chinese and published a condensed volume of Climate Change Reconsidered. Bast also claimed credit to the Heartland Institute for both defeating cap and trade proposals, and for President Donald Trump's views on climate change: [83] “We, I think we're responsible—one of two or three groups that could genuinely claim responsibility for defeating cap and trade and carbon tax proposals at the national level for a ten year period, pretty much from 2007 until today. I think we're the reason President Trump discovered, or concluded that climate change is not a real problem and not a crisis facing the country, and that by running on that—by defending coal miners for example—he could appeal to a very big base in the United States. People who expected all along that global warming was junk science, that they would rather have good jobs and inexpensive energy than pursue some liberal dream of, you know, replacing all fossil fuel with wind and solar power.” “So Trump ran on that. He won, and it's been remarkable: for the last year, he's been implementing many of the promises that he made as a candidate.” [83] Bast said he was “anxious about the future” given the possibility that Hillary Clinton could have won the election, but that Trump's victory gave the country “a second chance at freedom”: “Now Donald Trump wasn't the first choice for most of us. He might not even have been the final choice, but the alternative was truly scary. You know, Hillary Clinton was committed to finishing what Barack Obama started, and that was pretty much destroying the local decentralized education system in America—replacing it with a centralized curriculum. Destroying the decentralized health care system that used to depend primarily on private insurance companies and doctors in private practice. So replacing that with Obamacare, destroying the financial sector. “I mean all the commanding heights of a free society, President Obama targeted and did major damage for eight years, and for whatever reasons Congress and the courts didn't seem able to stop him. Hillary Clinton was committed to waging that war for another four years. I'm not sure we could have recovered from that. So we got a second chance at freedom with the election of Donald Trump. Incidentally I decided to step down, now, before the election of Donald Trump, so if anyone is wondering if that influenced my decision it didn't. But it was a second chance we probably didn't deserve to preserve freedom in America. It's very precarious. It is perched on an edge. And so I'm very anxious about the future of freedom,” Bast said. Finally, Bast said that the Institute needs more money to grow: [83] “What will Heartland Institute's role be in that? I am optimistic. I think Heartland is going to grow. There's a much bigger niche for what we do than what I was able to raise money for to fill. You know, I raised about six million dollars a year for the Heartland Institute. We should be at eight or ten. We should have twenty, twenty five guys working in our, just in our government relations office working with state legislators, giving them the information that they need, testifying when they need testimony, helping them draft legislation. I mean, this is all exciting stuff that they're asking us to do and we don't have the staff to do it. So I think under Tim Huelskamp's leadership we're going to raise that money. We're going to expand the staff and fill that niche. So Heartland should be doing well in future years. I only hope and pray that freedom in the United States is going to continue rising while the Heartland Institute is performing its job.” December 27, 2017 Writing at The Heartland Institute's blog, Bast made a number of “corrections” to a story written by Neela Banerjee at Inside Climate News titled “How Big Oil Lost Control of Its Climate Misinformation Machine.” Firstly, according to Bast, the billboard campaign Heartland released in 2012 featuring an image of Ted Kaczynski and the text “I still believe in Global Warming. Do You?” was actually a success. [79], [80] When Heartland introduced the campaign in 2012, their release included with the following statement: [81] “The people who still believe in man-made global warming are mostly on the radical fringe of society. This is why the most prominent advocates of global warming aren't scientists. They are murderers, tyrants, and madmen.” Heartland pulled the billboard after an outcry from supporters and opponents alike. It had run for “exactly 24 hours.” “This provocative billboard was always intended to be an experiment. And after just 24 hours the results are in: It got people’s attention,” Bast wrote in the 2012 Heartland press release announcing the cancellation of the billboard. [82] “We know that our billboard angered and disappointed many of Heartland’s friends and supporters, but we hope they understand what we were trying to do with this experiment. We do not apologize for running the ad, and we will continue to experiment with ways to communicate the ‘realist’ message on the climate,” Bast wrote in 2012. [82] Following the campaign, a number of corporations began to cut their ties with Heartland, and numerous critics denounced Heartland. Shortly after, at the Heartland's 2012 International Conference on Climate Change, Joe Bast announced that Heartland would not be holding any more conferences and was struggling to pay its bills. Heartland has held several more ICCCs since then. [12], [11] Writing in 2017, Bast claimed the billboard had actually been a success: “The billboard hit its target hard, as good satire does. It broke a news blackout that environmentalists and the legacy media had imposed on Heartland and other groups that challenged the Gore-Obama dogma on global warming. Far from hurting Heartland, as Banerjee claims, it saved us: 2012 was a breakthrough year for us with record funds raised, record media attention, and record attendance at our events.” [79] “That year also marked the moment Heartland’s views on climate change moved from marginal to mainstream.” [79] Bast also claimed that Banerjee's statement “isn't true” that “Hundreds of millions of dollars from corporations such as ExxonMobil and wealthy individuals such as the billionaires Charles and David Koch have supported the development of a sprawling network, which includes Heartland and other think tanks, advocacy groups and political operatives.” [79] “ExxonMobil did contribute around $50,000 a year to Heartland for about a decade,” Bast added, but it was “never more than 5% of our annual budget.” [79] November 21, 2017 Bast spoke with Michael Bastasch of The Daily Caller, followingThe Washington Post's reporting on Heartland's closed-door meeting in Houston, Texas. [78], [77] Bastasch said that Jim Lakely, Heartland's communication director, had claimed the article was an effort to delegetimize Heartland and its work. [78] “The tone of it is that the climate realist right isn’t happy with Trump’s progress,” Lakely told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” [78] Bast had similar comments, saying “the left demonizes us” while pointing to the publishing of Heartland's leaked 2012 budget documents as an example. According to Bast, Heartland also never specifically told the EPA who to pick as part of a climate “Red Team.” [78] “I have never met Scott Pruitt,” Bast said. “We’ve always tried to remain arm’s length from politics. It’s never been a priority for us to engage in politics.” [78] “The real way we measure our impact is through public opinion surveys,” Bast said, referring to Heartland's surveys on public global warming attitudes. [78] However, Bast did admit to a relationship with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, telling Bastasch that he talked frequently with Bannon regarding orders to combat climate policies, like urging Trump to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. [78] “Steve was an important channel for us to the White House,” Bast said. “[..] It’s changed with Steve Bannon leaving.” [78] Bast also said that Heartland's new president, Tim Huelskamp, “has been invaluable to finding new allies in the administration,” Bastasch wrote. [78] November 9, 2017 Joe Bast was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's “America First Energy Conference” at the Marriott Hotel in Houston, Texas. [75] The original event description read as follows: [47] “At the America First Energy Conference, we plan to examine—one year and one day after Trump’s shocking Election Day victory—the following: “Where does Trump’s America First Energy Plan stand? “How much progress has been made in implementing it, and what remains to be done? “What scientific and economic evidence is there that the plan is putting the nation on the right path for economic growth, environmental protection, or both?” In a fundraising letter obtained by DeSmog before the conference, Fred Palmer had promoted the event as having the goal to “review the scientific and economic evidence that exposes the fraud inherent in the Obama-era regulation regime” while discussing “the overwhelming benefits of fossil fuels to us all.” [48] Many of the other speakers have regularly spoken at the Heartland Institute's past ICCCs. Notable speaker included Joe Bast, Fred Palmer, Roger Bezdek, H. Sterling Burnett, Hal Doiron, Paul Driessen, John Dale Dunn, Myron Ebell, Heartland's new President Tim Huelskamp, Craig Idso, David Legates, Jay Lehr, Anthony Lupo, Ross McKitrick, Steve Milloy, Todd Myers, John Nothdurt, David Schnare, and numerous others. [49] As reported at the Houston Chronicle, speakers notably included two Trump Administration officials: Richard W. Westerdale II of the State Department and Vincent DeVito of the Department of Interior. David Bernhardt, deputy secretary of the Interior Department, was also formerly listed as a Heartland conference speaker, but apparently withdrew. [73] Scott Pruitt also addressed the conference in a recorded video, personally thanking Heartland for “what you're doing to advance energy” and “for what you're doing to advance natural resources. [76] The Climate Investigations Center put up a parody of the America First Energy conference website, complete with profiles on the individual speakers and highlighting their corporate funding and ties to groups such as the Cooler Heads Coalition (CHC). [74] October 12, 2017 Bast commented on President Donald Trump's appointment of Kathleen Hartnett-White as chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), pending approval. Bast was quoted in a October 13 Heartland Institute newsletter: [50] “With his nomination of Kathleen Hartnett White, President Trump continues to make excellent choices for his nominations in the areas of environmental protection and energy. White is an outstanding candidate for this important position. Her past service as a chairman and commissioner of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality gives her the proper experience, and her work before and after that with private-sector groups engaged in environment and energy policy shows a deep familiarity with the issues and trade-offs involved. Best of all, White’s writing and public speaking make it clear she is committed to reversing the intense politicization of science and policy that occurred under President Obama and that started even before then,” Bast said, adding, “We finally will have a head of CEQ who genuinely understands the science and economics of energy policy, and who will resist efforts to debase and ‘weaponize’ it in support of a political agenda.” [51] Hartnett-White has a history of representing fossil fuel interests. During her tenure as chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), appointed by then-governor Rick Perry, the TCEQ was found to “not consistently ensure violators are held accountable.” According to a 2003 Texas State Audit, polluters “often have economic benefits that exceed their penalties, which could reduce their incentive to comply.” [52] As head of the CEQ, Hartnett-White would be in charge of coordinating interagency science, climate, and environmental policy and oversee things such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process and agency compliance with that law. [50] “Though CEQ oversees the NEPA process, it remains unclear how seriously Hartnett-White will take the NEPA review process, for decades seen as a bedrock of U.S. environmental regulation since NEPA became law in 1970,” DeSmog's Steve Horn reported. [50] September 28, 2017 According to leaked emails, The Heartland Institute held closed door meetings to identify candidates for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's “red team” exercise on climate change. As E&E News reported, Bast's email, which includes his notes of one of the meetings, provided “a broad look at skeptics' policy playbook under the Trump administration while exposing stark suspicions about Pruitt.” [53] “EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's proposal for a Red Team-Blue Team exercise is vague, probably would not be effective, and is unlikely to come about,” Bast wrote in the email. “More likely to occur is a similar exercise directed by the head of another department (NASA, NOAA, or OSTP) with more interest than Pruitt has shown in the scientific debate and more likely to stick around to see the results.” One of Bast's key points in the email is to “find independent funding for Roy Spencer, David Schnare, Willie Soon, Craig Idso, David Legates, etc.” E&E News notes that Idso, who heads the Center for Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, “has long promoted the benefits of carbon dioxide” and “Idso's work has been supported by Heartland as well as energy companies.” [72] View Bast's complete email below: Document Pages Text Zoom Loading Loading Loading Loading Loading Loading « Page 1 of 6 » According to the notes, those present at the meeting included David Shnare who “described how policy can be changed from 'inside the swamp' via seven 'legal points of entry' such as legal challenges under the Information Quality Act and violations of peer review,” Heartland president Tim Huelskamp, David Legates, Harry MacDougald, and Jim Lakely. Jim Lakely, Heartland's Communications Director, later called HuffPost's reporting on the leaked email “fake news” and said that the names listed were initially slated to attend an EPA “science integrity” meeting and not necessarily for the Red Team. [78] June 1, 2017 The Illinois Review reported that Joe Bast was seated in the Rose Garden, by invitation, when Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement: [38] “Although The Heartland Institute has been subject to many attacks from so-called global alarmists, after Joe Bast’s presence was spotted in the Rose Garden an effort was made to harm President Trump by attacking Heartland’s Joe Bast,” The Illinois Review wrote. [38] Bast, writing at the Heartland Institute's blog, said “I was honored to be invited, and view it as a sign that our efforts for the past 20 years on the climate change issue have not gone unnoticed. But the left noticed my attendance as well, and so this week they tried to hurt President Trump by attacking me.” [39] In the article, Bast also penned a response to four U.S. senators who had mailed U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos asking for correspondence between the Heartland Institute and her department. Bast's June 8 letter reads: [40], [41] “For the record, The Heartland Institute has contacted nearly all members of the Trump cabinet. We have sent extensive information to more than 100 members of the administration explaining who we are, enclosing multiple publications (including books, policy studies, and videos) of most relevance to their positions, and offering to make our extensive network of some 370 policy experts available to provide further assistance. Some have gotten back to us.” [41] May 26, 2017 Writing at the Heartland Institute's blog Somewhat Reasonable, Bast makes a few recommendations on “good short references to the climate debate to share with family and friends over the Memorial Day holiday.” Bast's article, titled “Happy Memorial Day, You Stupid, Arrogant, Liberal Global Warming Alarmist!” [37] Bast points to an outdated 1922 article on Artic ice as a good “conversation starter” and “a good way to poke a stick in the eye of your global warming alarmist friends.” [37] “Global warming alarmists often claim the recent Arctic warming is unprecedented or must be due to the human presence. On its face, the 1922 article makes those claims dubious. Closer study reveals they haven’t made the case,” Bast wrote. [37] Among the “short references” listed by Bast include work by by Craig Idso, Robert Carter, S. Fred Singer, Joe Bast (himself), Anthony Watts, and the Heartland Institute's newsletter. [37] May 8, 2017 Bast, representing Heartland, is a signatory to an open letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him “to withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs.” [34] DeSmog reported that the 40 groups represented in the letter, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), The Heartland Institute, and the Heritage Foundation, have received a combined total of millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, ExxonMobil, and other industry groups. [35] Analysis also showed that the groups accepted about $80 million through Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust, two groups that have been confirmed is a key financial source for key U.S-based climate change denial groups. [36] March 23, 2017 Joseph Bast presented at the Heartland-Institute's ”International Conference on Climate Change” (ICCC12), providing opening remarks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner keynotes. [32] In an interview with Mother Jones, Bast said that rescinding the EPA's endangerment finding was the “number one priority” that he sees for the EPA under Trump. “We’ve been at this for 33 years. We have a lot of people in our network, and many of these people are now in this new administration,” Bast said. He added that Transition staff and new appointees in the Trump administration “occasionally ask us for advice and names of people.” [33] Opening remarks (Breakfast Keynotes) Dinner Keynotes (Thursday) Lunch Keynotes (Friday) January 12, 2017 Joseph Bast was a signatory to a January 12, 2017 official letter of support (PDF) for Scott Pruitt, in which numerous groups, including The Heartland Institute, American Energy Alliance (AEA), and others, declared that the Senate should “swiftly approve his nomination” for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Other signatories of the letter included: [30] Thomas Pyle, American Energy Alliance Michael Needham, Heritage Action for America Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform Kent Lassman, Competitive Enterprise Institute Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks David McIntosh, Club for Growth Phil Kerpen, American Commitment Craig Richardson, Energy and Environment Action Team David Williams, Taxpayers Protection Alliance Harry Alford, National Black Chamber of Commerce Jim Martin, 60 Plus Andrew Langer, Institute for Liberty Heather Higgins, Independent Women’s Voice Independence Institute Richard Martin, Americans for Limited Government Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) Brett Healy, MacIver Institute George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom Randy Eminger, Energy Policy Network Paul Gessing, Rio Grande Foundation Mike Nasi, Balanced Energy for Texas Brent Mead, Montana Policy Institute Forest Thigpen, Mississippi Center for Public Policy July 12, 2016 Joseph Bast, representing the Heartland Institute, was a signatory to a “Coalition” open letter pushing back against what the Heartland Institute describes as an “affront to free speech.” The groups are responding to the recent Web of Denial Resolution brought up in the Senate, calling out fossil fuel industry-funded groups denying climate change. [26] According to the Climate Investigations Center, all but one of the open letter's signatory organizations have taken money (totaling at least $92 million since 1997) from the “climate denial web” including Koch Brothers' various foundations, ExxonMobil, and two “Dark Money” organizations, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund. [29] Championed by Senators Whitehouse, Markey, Schatz, Boxer, Merkley, Warren, Sanders, and Franken, the resolution condemns what they are calling the #WebOfDenial — “interconnected groups – funded by the Koch brothers, major fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal, identity-scrubbing groups like Donors Trust and Donors Capital, and their allies – developed and executed a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines.” [27] The open letter addresses the senators, calling them “tyrants”: “We hear you. Your threat is clear: There is a heavy and inconvenient cost to disagreeing with you. Calls for debate will be met with political retribution. That’s called tyranny. And, we reject it.” [28] The full list of signatories and their respective organizations is as follows: Grover Norquist — Americans for Tax Reform Lisa B. Nelson — American Legislative Exchange Council John A. Charles, Jr. — Cascade Policy Institute David Rothbard — Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow Kent Lassman — Competitive Enterprise Institute Nicole Neily — Franklin Center for Government and Policy Integrity Benita Dodd — Georgia Public Policy Foundation Bridgett Wagner — The Heritage Foundation Fred Birnbaum — Idaho Freedom Foundation Joseph Bast — The Heartland Institute J. Robert McClure III — James Madison Institute Brett Healy — The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy Kory Swanson — John Locke Foundation Dave Trabert — Kansas Policy Institute Jason Hayes — Mackinac Center for Public Policy Brent Mead — Montana Policy Institute Sharon J. Rossie — Nevada Policy Research Institute Sally Pipes — Pacific Research Institute Kevin Kane — Pelican Institute for Public Policy Paul J. Gessing — Rio Grande Foundation Lynn Taylor — Virginia Institute for Public Policy Carol Platt Liebau — Yankee Institute for Public Policy May 18, 2016 Joseph Bast was a signatory to a full page color advertisement in The New York Times titled “Abuse of Power” (PDF) sponsored by The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). The ad serves as an open letter from 43 signatories including organizations and individuals in response to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker, and the coalition of Attorneys General investigating groups denying man-made climate change. [23], [24] “Attempts to intimidate CEI and our allies and silence our policy research are unconstitutional,” said CEI president Kent Lassman. “The First Amendment protects us and everyone has a duty to respect it – even state attorneys general. CEI will continue to fight for all Americans to support the causes in which they believe.” [23] The Competitive Enterprise Institute received a subpoena from AG Walker on April 7, 2016. On April 20, CEI filed an objection to the subpoena calling it “offensive,” “un-American,” and “unlawful,” and are contending that AG Walker is “violating CEI’s First Amendment rights.” [23] The “freedom of speech” argument was echoed by ExxonMobil's legal team, as well as numerous other conservative groups including the Pacific Legal Foundation, and Heritage Foundation and the recently-formed Free Speech in Science Project, a group created by the same lawyers who defended the Competitive Enterprise Institute in the past. [25] The CEI letter lists the following signatories: Kent Lassman — President & CEO, Competitive Enterprise Institute C. Boyden Gray — Former White House Counsel Andrew C. McCarthy — Former Chief Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York Michael B. Mukasey — U.S. Attorney General, 2007-2009; U.S. District Judge, 1988-2006 Ross McKitrick — Professor of Economics, University of Guelph Ronald D. Rotunda — Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence, Chapman University Richard S. Lindzen — Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences, MIT William Happer — Emeritus Professor of Physics, Princeton University Jim DeMint — President, The Heritage Foundation James H. Amos, Jr. — President & CEO, National Center for Policy Analysis John A. Baden — Chairman, Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment Lisa B. Nelson — CEO, American Legislative Exchange Council Paul Driessen — Author & Energy Policy Analyst Thomas J. Pyle — President, Institute for Energy Research Steven J. Allen — Vice President & Chief Investigative Officer, Capital Research Center David Ridenour — President, National Center for Public Policy Research Steven J. Milloy — Publisher, JunkScience.com Brooke Rollins — President & CEO, Texas Public Policy Foundation Paul Gessing — President, Rio Grande Foundation Ron Arnold — Researcher & Author William Perry Pendley — President, Mountain States Legal Foundation Adam Brandon — President & CEO, FreedomWorks Hank Campbell — President, American Council on Science and Health Craig Rucker — Executive Director, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow Tom McCabe — CEO, Freedom Foundation Richard B. Belzer — Economist Heather R. Higgins — President & CEO, Independent Women's Voice Joseph G. Lehman — President, Mackinac Center for Public Policy Sabrina Schaeffer — Executive Director, Independent Women's Forum Joseph Bast — President, The Heartland Institute John C. Eastman — Founding Director, The Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence Robert Alt — President & CEO, The Buckeye Institute Michael Pack — President & CEO, The Claremont Institute Josh Blackman — Assistant Professor, South Texas College of Law Lynn Taylor — President, Tertium Quids David Rothbard — President, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow Tracie Sharp — President & CEO, State Policy Network Kenneth Haapala — President, Science and Environmental Policy Project Tim Phillips — President, Americans for Prosperity Myron Ebell — Director of the Center for Energy & Environment, Competitive Enterprise Institute George Landrith — President, Frontiers of Freedom John Tillman — CEO, Illinois Policy Institute Craig D. Idso — Chairman, Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change March, 2015 Joseph Bast is one of several climate change skeptics cc'd on an email from S. Fred Singer in hopes of countering the documentary film “Merchants of Doubt,” which exposes the network of climate change skeptics and deniers trying to delay legislative action on climate change. The October, 2014 email was leaked to journalists before the documentary was released. “Can I sue for damages?” Singer asked in the email. “Can we get an injunction against the documentary?” InsideClimate News reports in their article “Leaked Email Reveals Who's Who List of Climate Denialists,” how “Many of those copied on the email thread, such as Singer and communications specialist Steven Milloy, have financial ties to the tobacco, chemical, and oil and gas industries and have worked to defend them since the 1990s.” [18] InsideClimate News also documented all those who were cc'd on the email, including the following skeptics and groups: Ron Arnold Timothy Ball Joseph “Joe” Bast Joe Bastardi Michael Bastasch William Briggs Russell Cook Judith Curry Joe D'Aleo James Delingpole David Paul Driessen James Enstrom Steve Goddard Pierre Gosselin Greenie Watch William Happer Jim Lakely Patrick J. Michaels Steven J. Milloy Christopher Monckton Marc Morano Joanne Nova Roger Pielke Sr. (Or Roger Pielke Jr. - Unclear in Email) Thomas P. Sheahen S. Fred Singer Wei-Hock (Willie) Soon Roy Spencer James Taylor Anthony Watts DeSmog covered the emails here: “Merchants of Doubt Film Debuts, Textbook Denial Attack Campaign Led By Fred Singer Ensues” and DeSmog also archived a full copy of the Singer email thread (PDF). August 2014 Joseph Bast testified at a Travis County Texas court hearing regarding the Texas Taxpayers’ Savings Grant Programs (“TTSGP”). The court questions Bast's credibility as a witness (PDF, p. 335 - 336): “Mr. Joseph Bast, president and CEO of the Heartland Institute, testified for the Intervenors regarding the Texas Taxpayers’ Savings Grant Programs (“TTSGP”), a school voucher bill that failed in the 82nd Legislative Session. As a threshold matter, this Court finds that Mr. Bast is not a credible witness and that he did not offer reliable opinions in this matter. While Mr. Bast described himself as an economist, he holds neither undergraduate nor graduate degrees in economics, and the highest level of education he completed was high school. Mr. Bast testified that he is 100% committed to the long-term goal of getting government out of the business of educating its own voting citizens. Further, his use of inflammatory and irresponsible language regarding global warming, and his admission that the long term goal of his advocacy of vouchers is to dismantle the 'socialist' public education system further undermine his credibility with this Court.” [20] May 26, 2014 Joe Bast co-wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with Roy Spencer entitled, “The Myth of the Climate Change '97%'.” In the commentary attacking the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate science, Spencer and Bast argued that, “There is no basis for the claim that 97% of scientists believe that man-made climate change is a dangerous problem.” May 19, 2014 As Center for Media and Democracy's PR Watch reports, Joseph Bast was featured on part of a Showtime series titled “Years of Living Dangerously” profiling climate change skeptics. A preview of the interview is available here. [21], [22] May 6, 2014 Joseph Bast was interviewed by Dorothy Tucker, of CBS 2 News in Chicago, “to give the other side of [the] story about President Obama's National Climate Assessment report.” [16] 1:22-1:40 “We have always had floods, we have always had droughts … I think they [The Obama Administration] are trying to whip up public support and attention for a political agenda. He [Obama] is attempting to shut down coal generation in the United States, and in its place, heavily subsidizing wind and solar, and biofuels.” [16] April 30, 2014 At a mining conference in Denver, CO, Republic Report, cross-posted on DeSmogBlog, spoke to Heartland Institute's president, Joseph Bast, about his past support for the tobacco industry. When first asked by Republic Report, Bast denied that he had ever dismissed concerns about the risks of smoking. [13] In a report entitled, “Please Don't Poop in My Salad,” (PDF) released by Heartland and written by Bast in July of 2006, Bast was quoted on page 57 (pg. 65 in PDF format), “A fourth lie is that even moderate smoking is deadly. Several experts (including two who are very anti-smoking) have told me that smoking fewer than seven cigarettes a day does not raise a smoker's risk of lung cancer.” [14] View Basts's response below:[15]: March 31, 2014 Bast published an Op/Ed piece in Forbes the same week the IPCC released its latest report: “Working Group II Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report.” In the article, Bast states that the NIPCC's latest report, released that same day, fully addresses the IPCC's eight “reasons for concern” made in the final draft of its Summary for Policymakers. Bast asks Forbes' readers to not just wonder if man-made global warming is a crisis, but to “understand it yourself,” by “read[ing] one or a few chapters of one of the NIPCC reports, and ask if what you read is logical, factual, and relevant to the debate.” [10] March 15, 2013 Joseph Bast, alongside Walter Cunningham, Thomas Wysmuller, and Harold Doiron spoke at a panel discussion of The Right Climate Stuff (TRCS) where they explain “why they are urging government agencies to cease their ‘unbridled advocacy’ of Anthropogenic Global Warming & Return Integrity to the Scientific Method.” [19] In January 2013, TRCS issued this summary of its findings as follows , according to a press release: The science that predicts the extent of anthropogenic global warming is not settled science. There is no convincing physical evidence of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming. Computer models need to be validated before being used in critical decision-making. Because there is no immediate threat of global warming requiring swift corrective action, we have time to study global climate changes and improve our prediction accuracy. The U.S. government is over-reacting to concerns about anthropogenic global warming. A wider range of solution options should be studied for global warming or cooling threats from any credible cause. September 18, 2013 Joseph Bast and Willie Soon appeared on Fox News Channel's, “Special Report with Bret Baier” to discuss the release of “Climate Change Reconsidered II: Physical Science,” published for the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) by The Heartland Institute. [9] May 23, 2012 The Heartland Institute's Seventh “International Conference on Climate Change,” took place on May 23, 2012 in Chicago. Heartland President Joseph Bast, during his closing remarks of the conference, appealed for funding from the crowd due to lower attendence numbers and an insufficient ability to raise funds: “Please consider supporting the Heartland Institute. These conferences are expensive, and I’m not a good fundraiser so as a result I don’t raise enough money to cover them, we really scramble to make payroll as a result to cover these expenses. If you can afford to make a contribution, please do. If you know someone, if you’ve got a rich uncle or somebody in the family or somebody that you work with, please give them a call and ask them if they would consider making a tax-deductable contribution to the Heartland Institute.” [11] May 4, 2012 The Heartland Institute released a billboard campaign in Chicago featuring “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, Charles Manson and Fidel Castro. Heartland's intent with the campaign was to portray those who believe in the overwhelming evidence of man-made climate change as “radical [and] on the fringe of society.” [12] In a statement announcing the billboard campaign, Heartland explained its rationale as: [55] “Because what these murderers and madmen have said differs very little from what spokespersons for the United Nations, journalists for the “mainstream” media, and liberal politicians say about global warming…. The point is that believing in global warming is not “mainstream,” smart, or sophisticated. In fact, it is just the opposite of those things. Still believing in man-made global warming – after all the scientific discoveries and revelations that point against this theory – is more than a little nutty. In fact, some really crazy people use it to justify immoral and frightening behavior.” The billboard was immediately and widely condemned as outrageous and offensive. Bast soon issued a statement to The Washington Post, rather unapologetically stating: “We will stop running [the billboard] at 4:00 p.m. CST today. (It’s a digital billboard, so a simple phone call is all it takes.) The Heartland Institute knew this was a risk when deciding to test it, but decided it was a necessary price to make an emotional appeal to people who otherwise aren’t following the climate change debate.” [12] June 21, 2005 Testified before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on the “Cost of Greenhouse Gas Control” (PDF). August 2, 2002 Bast was signed to a letter to President Bush written by Myron Ebell and Fred L. Smith. The letter congratulated President George W. Bush for not attending the World Summit on sustainable Development in Johannesburg, and warned against a “a World Environmental Organization,” which the authors described as “the worst possible outcome at Johannesburg.” [31] 1995 Wrote and designed a series of six brochures on environmental issues for distribution to elected officials, journalists, and other audiences. [3] November 1995 Bast, representing the Heartland Institute, was a confirmed speaker at the 1995 “National Orientation Conference” hosted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), according to archived tobacco industry documents on file at the UCSF Industry Documents Library. [58], [69] 1991 Bast presented a workshop at ALEC's 1991 Washington State meeting, according to archived documents. Bast presented at a workshop titled “Controlling State Spending: How to Work With State Think Tanks” sponsored by the Heritage Foundation. [70] “This workshop will give examples of how state-level public policy 'think tanks' are contributing to policymakers' understanding of budget and spending issues—particularly structural, long-term problems—while also elevating the level of public debate against the backdrop of special interest politics and bureaucratic inertia. A directory of state-based policy research institutes will be distributed with consulting assistance outlined for ALEC members seeking to help establish institutes in states that do not yet have one,” the description read. [70] Other speakers at the workshop included: J. Stanley Marshall — President, the James Madison Institute Charles D. Baker — Director, the Pioneer Institute Massachusetts. John Carlson — President, The Washington Institute for Policy Studies Michael Sanera — Executive Director, the Barry M. Goldwater Insitute for Public Policy Research 1989 Wrote, co-directed, and co-produced a 20-minute video titled “Coming Out of the Ice.” The video covered a variety of public policy issues such as tort reform, privatization, school reform, and taxes. [3] Affiliations The Heartland Institute — Former CEO and President. Current director and senior fellow. [3], [46], [89] American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — Conference speaker. Bast is also listed in a 1987 ALEC “Personnel Directory” designed to “provide State Legislators and other members of ALEC access to information and important contacts for a broad range of public policy issues.” [58], [90] Nomos Press Inc. — Board of Directors, 1983 - 1988. [3], [46] State Policy Network — Founding Director, officer, and member of the executive committee, 1991-1997. [3], [46] Advocates for Self-Government — Board of Advisors, 2003 – current. [3], [46] Illinois Policy Institute — Board of Advisors, 2004 – current. [3], [46] Center for Medicine in the Public Interest — Board of Advisors, 2005 – current. [3], [46] American Conservative Union — Board of Directors, 2007 – current. [3], [46] Grassroot Institute of Hawaii — Board of Scholars. [4], [46] Midwest Economic Summit — Former Consultant. [88] Publications Bast is the coauthor of 12 books, including Rebuilding America's Schools (1990), Why We Spend Too Much on Health Care (1992), Eco-Sanity: A Common-Sense Guide to Environmentalism (1994), and Education & Capitalism (2003). [3] He has not published any articles in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of climate change. A list of his books, publications, and policy studies is available at his archived profile at the Heartland Institute. [45] Resources Joseph Bast. “Eight Reasons Why Global Warming is a Scam” (PDF), The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2003. “Testimony by Joseph L. Bast President, The Heartland Institute to the Environment Committee of the Iowa House Monday, February 9, 2004” (PDF), The Heartland Institute. “Joseph L. Bast - 2008 Resumé.” The Heartland Institute. Archived February 20, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tyQD1 “Staff and Board Members: Joseph L. Bast,” Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Archived April 23, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hF77v “The Heartland Institute,” SourceWatch. “Joseph Bast,” SourceWatch. “Chinese Translate Climate Change Reconsidered Volumes,” The Heartland Institute, August 14, 2013. Archived August 5, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/aP5zC “Joe Bast, Willie Soon talking 'Climate Change Reconsidered' on Fox News,” The Heartland Institute, September 19, 2013. “NIPCC Climate Report Covered on 'Special Report with Bret Baier',” . YouTube video uploaded by user “The Heartland Institute,” September 17, 2013. “The IPCC's Latest Report Deliberately Excludes and Misrepresents Important Climate Science,” Forbes, March 31, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vZ2RQ “Joe Bast Announces the Death of Denial-a-Palooza at Final Heartland ICCC Conference,” DeSmogBlog, May 23, 2012. “Will Heartland Institute's Corporate Funders Tacitly Endorse Comparing Climate realists to Bin Laden and the Unabomber?” DeSmogBlog, May 4, 2012. “VIDEO: Heartland Institute Reluctantly Stands by Denial of Cigarette Smoking Risks,” Republic Report, April 30, 2014. Archived October 21, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/HtjZt Joseph Bast. “Please Don't Poop in My Salad” (PDF), Heartland Institute, July, 2006. Archived May 5, 2014. ““Heartland Institute's tobacco denial,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Evidence Squared,” April 18, 2014. “Heartland Institute President Joseph Bast on CBS 2 in Chicago Talking Climate,” HeartlandTube, May 7, 2014. Archived July 1, 2014. Jim Lakely, Joseph Bast. “International Gathering of Scientists Skeptical of Man-Caused Global Warming to Take Place in Las Vegas from July 7 to July 9,” Heartland Institute, March 26, 2014. Archived August 17, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LFJvl Katherine Bagley. “Leaked Email Reveals Who's Who List of Climate Denialists,” InsideClimate News. March 12, 2015. Jim Lakely. “Apollo 7 Astronaut Walter Cunningham to Headline 'Right Climate Stuff' Event at CPAC 2013,” The Heartland Institute, March 8, 2013. “The Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition et al. vs Williams et al. (pdf),” D-1-GN-11-003130, (District Court of Travis County Texas 2014), 335 to 336. Original also on DocumentCloud. Archived at Internet Archive, June 9, 2015. “Showtime Exposes Climate Change Deniers, like James Taylor and Joseph Bast's Heartland Institute,” PR Watch, May 19, 2014. Archived January 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/7Gk4r “Years of Living Dangerously: Episode 6,” Showtime. Archived January 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/x3Bp8 “CEI Runs “Abuse of Power” Ad In New York Times,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2016. Archived May 31, 2016. “Abuse of Power: All Americans have the right to support causes they believe in” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Steve Horn. “Exxon's Lawyer in Climate Science Probe Has History Helping Big Tobacco and NFL Defend Against Health Claims,” DeSmogBlog, May 10, 2016. Jim Lakely. “#WebOfDenial Push by Senate Dems Exposes Their Hatred of Free Speech,” Somewhat Reasonable (Heartland Institute Blog), July 12, 2016. Archived July 14, 2016. Brendan Demelle. “Senators Launch Resolution, Speech Blitz Calling Out #WebOfDenial Blocking Climate Action,” DeSmog, July 11, 2016. Coalition Letter to Senate Web of Denial Resolution (PDF). Retrieved from the Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSMogBlog. Cindy Baxter. “Front Groups Attacking #WebofDenial Senate Action Took Over $92M in Dark, Dirty Money,” Desmog, July 14, 2016. Originally posted at Climate Investigations Center. “Dear Senators,” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 12, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. “An Open Letter To President Bush About The World Summit On Sustainable Development,“ Competitive Enterprise Institute, August 2, 2002. Archived November 5, 2002. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mMFvn “International Conference on Climate Change 12,” YouTube video uploaded by user The Heartland Institute, March 23, 2017. Rebecca Weber. “Leading Global Warming Deniers Just Told Us What They Want Trump to Do: Be Afraid,” Mother Jones, March 24, 2017. Archived April 11, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0rFXj “Dear Mr. President” (PDF), retrieved from Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Graham Readfearn. “Conservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,” DeSmog, May 10, 2017. Susanne Goldberg. “Conservative groups spend up to $1bn a year to fight action on climate change,” The Guardian, December 20, 2013. Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TB2yy “Happy Memorial Day, You Stupid, Arrogant, Liberal Global Warming Alarmist!” Somewhat Reasonable, May 26, 2017. Archived May 27, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/oVnPF Nancy Thorner. “THORNER: RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS BLAME HEARTLAND INSTITUTE FOR TRUMP'S PARIS ACCORD DECISION,” Illinois Review, June 12, 2017. Archived June 19, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/5VOa9 Joe Bast. “Four Liberal U.S. Senators Attack Heartland, and We Reply,” Heartland Institute, June 9, 2017. Archived June 19, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4Ap56 “Dear Secretary DeVos,” United States Senate, June 7, 2017. Retrieved from Heartland.org. “Re: Your recent shameful conduct with regard to our communications with the Trump administration” (PDF), The Heartland Institute, June 8, 2017. “Joseph Bast,” Heartland Institute. Archived June 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/3Bne4 “ABOUT US,” The Heartland Institute. Archied June 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/9omX9 Joe Bast. “History of The Heartland Institute” (PDF), Heartland Institute, December 2016. “Joseph L. Bast - 2008 Resumé,” The Heartland Institute. Archied February 20, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tyQD1 “Joseph L. Bast: 2013 Resumé” (PDF), The Heartland Institute. “About,” America First Energy. Archived October 11, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8bTTJ October 2017 Fundraising letter by Fred Palmer. On file at Desmog. “SPEAKERS,” America First Energy. Archived October 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/OJWeX Steve Horn. “Trump Names Climate Denier Kathleen Hartnett-White to Head White House Environmental Council,” DeSmog, October 13, 2017. “Heartland Institute Experts React to Trump’s Appointment of Kathleen Hartnett White for CEQ,” The Heartland Institute. Archived newsletter .pdf on file at DeSmog. “An Audit Report on The Commission on Environmental Quality’s Enforcement and Permitting Functions for Selected Programs” (PDF), State Auditor's Office, December 2003. “Skeptics suspicious of Pruitt plan to press him on red team,” E&E News, October 16, 2017. Archived October 17, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/aolE0 “PRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE NAMES FORMER CONGRESSMAN TIM HUELSKAMP INCOMING PRESIDENT,” The Heartland Institute, June 29, 2017. Archived June 30, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mzEuW Jim Lakely. “'Do You Still Believe in Global Warming?' Billboards Hit Chicago,” The Heartland Institute, May 3, 2012. Archived November 23, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KsPdV “Joseph K. Bast: 2017 Resumé” (PDF), The Heartland Institute. Joseph L. Bast. “Five Lies about Tobacco,” The Heartlander, July 1998. “Dear ALEC Private Sector Member,” American Legislative Exchance Council, November 1995. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates No. TI10930905 “What Smokers Deserve to Know,” The Heartland Institute, July 2002. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number 5001013374-5001013388. “Dear Secretary Clark:”, May 29, 2002. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number 5001013365-5001013373. Joe Bast. “Dear Editor,” Americans for Tax Reform (forwarded email). Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number 2085235040. “Public Policy Review Committee Meeting: AGENDA,” Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number 2073204225-2073204271. “Heartland Sponsors,” The Heartland Institute. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number 2073204232-2073204245. “Weekly Bullet Report For Federal Tobacco Team” Philip Morris Companies Inc. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number 2078294765-2078294768. “Smoking Under Siege: Why It Matters to You,” UCSF Industry Documents Library. Undated. Bates No. TI10892470-TI10892471. “SMOKING UNDER SIEGE: WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU,” The Heartland Institute, June 1, 1997. Archived October 22, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/aVuWc “Memorandum - May 30, 1997” The Heartland Institute. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number 2072174262. “Joe Camel is Innocent!” A Heartland Perspective August 21, 1996. “400 Legislators Expected at ALEC '95 NOC,” American Legislative Exchange Council, November 22, 1995. Retrieved from Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number TI10930686. “This year, Washington State will serve as host to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) […],” American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved from Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number TI24220444. Joe Bast. “Friends,” The Heartland Institute, October 12, 2017. Retrieved from Natural Resources Defense Council. Chelsea Harvey and Scott Waldman. “Some groups want more CO2. Here's what that means,” E&E News, October 17, 2017. Archived October 24, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/RAvgm James Osborne. “Trump officials to appear at Houston event hosted by climate skeptics,” Houston Chronicle, November 2, 2017. Archived November 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/XPtYc “America First Energy Conference Stacked with Climate Change Deniers,” Climate Investigations Center, November 6, 2017. Archived November 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mISrd “JOSEPH BAST,” America First Energy Conference. Archived November 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0P3z2 “Scott Pruitt,” America First Energy Conference. Archived November 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/X4F6m “This group thinks Trump hasn’t done enough to unravel environmental rules. Here’s its wish list” The Washington Post, November 15, 2017. Archived November 18, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/9JPgH Michael Bastasch. “The Real Story Behind The Heartland Institute’s Role In The Trump Admin,” The Daily Caller. November 21, 2017. Archived November 28, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tCDXt Joe Bast. “Heartland Institute Responds to, Corrects Inside Climate News Story,” Heartland Institute, December 27, 2017. Archived December 28, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/3dn7q “How Big Oil Lost Control of Its Climate Misinformation Machine,” Inside Climate News, December 22, 2017. Archived December 28, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ELcwo “Our Billboards,” 7th International Conference on Climate Change. Archived May 3, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0csXJ “Heartland Institute Ends Experiment with ‘Unabomber’ Global Warming Billboard,” The Heartland Institute, May 4, 2012. Archived May 21, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/F3pc6 “JOSEPH BAST: LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD AT THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE'S TRIUMPHS AND PROSPECTS,” The Heartland Institute, January 3, 2018. Archived March 11, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YkxEe Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport. “Pruitt’s Plan for Climate Change Debates: Ask Conservative Think Tanks,” The New York Times, May 8, 2018. Archived May 14, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/onsj5 “Speakers,” America First Energy Conference 2018. Archived August 1, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/mwtga “About,” America First Energy Conference 2018. Archived July 23, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/E4Gnt “JOSEPH BAST,” America First Energy Conference 2018. Archived August 1, 2018. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/AEK4N “Midwest Economic Summit: Biographical Information,” Midwest Economic Summit, November 1984. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number TI28862864. “JOSEPH BAST,” Heartland Institute. Archived August 14, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/ab36h “ALEC Personnel Directory,” American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates number TI29571878-TI29571893. Profile image screenshot from YouTube, Joe Bast speaking at the Heartland Institute's 12th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC12). Related Posts Emails Reveal Pruitt and EPA Coordinating with Climate-Denying Heartland Institute Koch-funded Ex-GOP Congressman Tim Huelskamp to Lead Climate Science Denial Group Heartland Institute EPA Chief Pruitt’s 'Red Team' on Climate Science Is an Eight-Year-Old Talking Point Pushed by Heartland Institute VIDEO: Heartland Institute's Joe Bast Reluctantly Stands by Denial of Cigarette Smoking Risks Heartland Institute Tries To Poison Classrooms With Partisan Climate Pseudoscience Tags: Heartland Institute global warming climate change Joseph Bast desmogblog global warming blog denial industry climate skeptics conference climate change conference new york climate change denier global warming research climate misinformation smogger climate change skeptic climate denialism denial database Share 0 Tweet Reddit 0 Share 0 Share PRINT SUBSCRIBE

Attempts to wake before our time are often punished, especially by those who love us most. Because they, bless them, are asleep. They think anyone who wakes up, or who, still asleep, realizes that what is taken to be real is a ‘dream’ is going crazy. R. D. Laing

Also from one of my e-book journals: 3rd October 2012 Thusness told me that the stream of wisdom will penetrate into the three states eventually, many years ago. For example if you keep chanting something, or if you keep playing computer games, then in the dream these things will appear. Likewise when you get acquinted with wisdom, this appears into dream and deep sleep as well. This is the flow of dependent origination – ignorance flows, wisdom also flows. This is another dream that Thusness told me to wrote down. It happened last night. In my dream, I was contemplating something that the Buddha said: 531 "Bhikkhus, when ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge has arisen in a bhikkhu, then with the fading away of ignorance and the arising of true knowledge he no longer clings to sensual pleasures, no longer clings to views, no longer clings to rules and observances, no longer clings to a doctrine of self.[11] When he does not cling, he is not agitated. When he is not agitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being." (MN11: Cula-sihanada Sutta) As I contemplated this in my dream, I saw how when there is craving, when there is agitation, when there is clinging, I could project consciousness out of my body into another place, into the sky, into another realm, into another lifetime. I saw that this is how rebirth works - craving drives the entire process of becoming! And then I stopped this craving-conceiving-projecting, and I was back where I was - on my bed. But I am still sleeping. And I instantly entered into this incredible bliss again (this happened a few times so far) - it was sooo blissful like the last time. But this time, it lasted much longer. I can feel my entire being, even my face, is of this intense blissful vibration. After some time which felt longer than the last time (it was quite long and I began to wonder how long it will last), then as thoughts arise, the bliss begin to lessen until I woke up from the blissful sleep samadhi. May all beings put an end to becoming and attain the highest bliss of Nirvana. p.s. THIS is well said ---> 29. “So it was with reference to this that it was said: ‘One should not neglect wisdom, should preserve truth, should cultivate relinquishment, and should train for peace.’ 30. “‘The tides of conceiving do not sweep over one who stands upon these [foundations], and when the tides of conceiving no longer sweep over him he is called a sage at peace.’ So it was said. And with reference to what was this said? 31. “Bhikkhu, ‘I am’ is a conceiving; ‘I am this’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall not be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be possessed of form’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be formless’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be percipient’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be non-percipient’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be neither-percipient-nor-non-percipient’ is a conceiving. Conceiving is a disease, conceiving is a tumour, conceiving is a dart. By overcoming all conceivings, bhikkhu, one is called a sage at peace. And the sage at peace is not born, does not age, does not die; he is not shaken and is not agitated. For there is nothing present in him by which he might be born. Not being born, how could he age? Not ageing, how could he die? Not dying, how could he be shaken? Not being shaken, why should he be agitated? 532 32. “So it was with reference to this that it was said: ‘The tides of conceiving do not sweep over one who stands upon these [foundations], and when the tides of conceiving no longer sweep over him he is called a sage at peace.’ Bhikkhu, bear in mind this brief exposition of the six elements.” (Buddha, MN 140 Dhātuvibhanga Sutta)

Take a cosmic approach to time: https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/48615-calendar/?tab=comments#comment-871552 My 'idea' for you is that your lucid 'nightmare' is a failed I Ching transition. For some reason or another you were leading yourself into the path of destruction and your life is reflected in your 'nightmare.' I recently had a lucid dream of the most joyful, and crazy, wedding ceremony that I could never have predicted. It even ended with ancient birds hanging in a cage on my me and my beloved's back porch. For some reason in my life, I want to experience this dream, I just am unable to realize it in my conscience reality.

Key word for me is 'wisdom.' Upon my confirmation as a Christian, I had a dream that a great sage came to me and asked me one attribute that I wished to have bestowed upon my character. I asked for wisdom, and I sensed, in the dream state, that the great sage thought to himself, "Oh that is different, at least it is not a "Big Dick" request.'

Maybe it is a collection of places that you have seen in real life. In dreams we usually mix up places. I have seen alot of places that resemble variious places, all mixup and mashed in together. Sometimes or usually when I remember a dream that I saw it tells a "tale" of becoming day. So I see or "emote" some of the days events in advance. One kind of precognition. Just need to translate all the symbolism from dreams. In our dreams all we see and hear is the emotions and not actual places. I have also seen myself swimming in some lakes etc. and drowned a couple of times too. I think that water symbolizes information, so you were swimming in a stream of information. Red color has its meaning as well as the mountains and buildings. One other thing I know for sure is that if one looses teeth or tooth it is an indication of stress for me atleast. Sometimes seen and felt my teeth explode in my mouth in a dream. In waking life the same or the next day had very angry feelings explosive in nature even. Also car symbolizes ones ego, and if one wrecks the car it usually means ego bruising. The bigger the car the bigger ego I think. I am not an expert, but I think that dog symbolizes some sort of a guardian, something that tells you not to pursue those "blue haired girls into the woods" or out of the woods to some trouble perhaps. Girl or woman symbolizes ones spiritual consciousness, for man that is, for woman the equivalent is obviously a man in a dream. Opposites and all. Usually that spiritual consciousness is an older and wiser person in a dream. Younger ones are likely something other, like archetypes. Anyhow, thats what I think of dreams and their symbolism.

Thanks but that's not it. My chi channels are open and usually during the early morning, around 4am to 7am, my body would complete the microcosmic orbit naturally with a radiant chi light in my third eye....while trying to sleep. In my dreams, I am rarely by myself, usually with beings shaping my perspectives and how would I behave in the dream world. Another blue color dream last night. A blue heavy backpack and a blue notebook and wearing a blue traditional Chinese clothing (think of Bruce Lee wearing blue clothing). It was Chinese New Year. Ironically, everything that has happened in my last night dream was really and clearly illusional. I dream I was back in my birth city Hong Kong and talking to my highschool friends in America. And I caught myself lying about the Hong Kong culture since I really have little knowledge about this city other than from my childhood experiences...which were unpleasant. I caught myself lying about my age and my college major....talking to my friends...hahahah....I don't lie in my dreams unless I am talking to some unpleasant entities employing various psychic attacks. However, I never like Hong Kong for various reasons...hmmmm... maybe whenever I see the blue color in my dreams, I am experiencing a moment in which I have to or I have the ability to discern the reality from illusions. There were so much BS in my last night dream about Hong Kong that I felt I have wasted my energy in dreaming it.....

Yeah I paid some money for an official meditation lesson. And boy oh boy, that dude his entire life is meditation. He lives and breaths meditation. He made an entire ceremony of my first meditation. He has countless of things about meditation. He loves nature his entire house is like the inside of a tree. He lives like an elderly elf. And how the mind drops into pure bliss consciousness. It is pretty helpful. To get very simple instructions. The dude is like elderly and he was more excited about my meditation than anything else. Holy moly. He even dreamed an entire dream of my entire future the day before my first meditation with him. He was that excited about my meditation. The dude had more energy than me. He is like a five year old in a 80 years old body. He was so excited about my meditation, and all I did was just sit and focus on mantra. And then after 20 minutes. That's it. Well done. Good work. You got this! Internally say the mantra. Whatever it might be. Blaaaaaa blaaaaa. Ohhhmmmmm. Ohmmmm. Mantaaaaa. Mantaaaaa. Taaa looooo taaa looo. Anything that has no meaning to it necessarily. They even hand out mantras. And there was even images of bliss consciousness dream like realities. Like teachers of meditation that proudly stand next to a waterfal in utter joy. Reminds me of purity and simplicity. If you have a difficult time focusing due to allot of distracting thoughts. You can even count your breath. 1... 2... 3... To occupy your mind untill the mind begins to naturally rest into thought free mode. And just listen to the sound of your own inner voice speaking the mantra internally like you would read a book. For 20 minutes untill you just enter your natural state of thought free awareness and well being health clarity returns automatically. It's so simple. But the key is consistency. So 2 times 20 minutes. Morning after waking up and before going to sleep. That is always possible to remember! So easy and takes so little of your time and the benefits are literally maxed out, 100% by just waking and before sleep 20 minute. A great balance to have in once life. A great habbit. A very good healthy habbit. Benefits health, mental health, physical health. Emotional health. And it requires so little time and the effects are jaw dropping. Especially emotionally for me it was extremely noticable. I felt better than ever. And this made me very clear of mind. Very clear! Like my mind became pure water, simply counting my breath for 20 minutes. Thats it. Or listening to my mantra. Or placing my attention on my breathing. Also just looking at the ground or water. And becoming aware of your sense of sight. Thought pops up, you place your attention gently back on to your observing your visual experience. No thought just attention of your sight experience. And eventually, poofffff.... Pfffgggggg.... Pure bliss... So easy so simple. Works all the time. Meditation is the most easy thing one can do. And it is universal to all. For everything. Wether you are in psychosis and terror, and you focu on a visual image of something that catches your attention and is completely unrelated just random, like a red alluminum. And just focus on it untill clarity pops back. Or you are simple enjoying the morning breeze as you wake up. It's all good.

Lü Dongbin's Yellow Millet Dream One night when Lü Yan was in Chang'an or Handan (邯鄲 Hándān), he dozed off as his yellow millet was cooking in a hotel. He dreamed that he took the imperial exam and excelled, and thus was awarded a prestigious office and soon promoted to the position of vice-minister (侍郎). He then married the daughter of a prosperous household and had a son and a daughter. He was promoted again to be the prime minister. However, his success and luck attracted jealousy of others, so he was accused of crimes that caused him to lose his office. His wife then betrayed him, his children were killed by bandits, and he lost all his wealth. As he was dying on the street in the dream, he woke up. Although in the dream, eighteen years had passed, the whole dream actually happened in the time it took his millet to cook. The characters from his dream were actually played by Zhongli Quan in order to make him realize that one should not put too much importance on transient glory and success. As a result, Lü went with Zhongli to discover and cultivate the Dao/Tao. This dream is known as "Dream of the Yellow Millet" (黃粱夢 Húang Líang Mèng) and is described in a writing compiled by Ma Zhiyuan (馬致遠 Mă Zhìyǔan) in Yuan Dynasty. *** Lǚ Dòngbīn is the most widely known of the group of deities known as the Eight Immortals and hence considered by some to be the de facto leader. (The formal leader is said to be Zhongli Quan or sometimes Iron-Crutch Li.)

One of my main practices is exactly this - feeling space. We work with it in several ways - feeling stillness in the body, hearing silence in the speech and sound, feeling spaciousness in the mind and heart. Working with dream and sleep also relate to this - being lucid in dream and changing the dream gives rise to more freedom for change in waking life where things generally feel so solid there is less confidence in the ability to change. Experience of awareness in dreamless sleep gives another level of depth to the experience of "feeling space." The result is to ultimately be more focused on the observer than the observed and in turn to be focused on the inseparability of the observer/observed experience. The implications relate to the very existence of the observer and the observer/observed duality that we accept as reality. I read a wonderful quote recently by Anthony Demello - Silence is not the absence of sound, it is the absence of self.

An illusory dwai, walked into an illusory tree and got an illusory broken nose. It is no different from a sleeping dream. Only thing is, we are afraid for this waking dream to end, thinking it is the end of us. It is not...when we die, we just wake up from the waking dream

I don't know what Turiya is and probably can't even pronounce it... and what I share as experience may be some other Zulu sounding word instead... so ignore me as needed. I've had this weird experience where I realize I am dreaming and watch it a while and then just tell myself to wake up and stop the dream... and I do... but after waking up, the dream continues (ie: I continue to see it play out)... and I go back to sleep and it just keeps going. I've had the opposite too: Dreaming while awake; a steady stream of visions play like a movie. Back to Turiya..

It goes back to what I call "awareness". It is the "light" which makes knowing possible. The "ultimate" reality, so to speak. Having a dream doesn't mean there isn't unbroken awareness, but rather, that the focus is on the story in the dream, so the unbroken awareness seems to be obscured. Similarly, in waking state, when actions happen, it appears to be a departure from this unbroken underlying awareness, but is only an obscuration due to focus on the actions/results etc. Likewise, in deep sleep, when nothing seems to happen, it is just that there are no objects in the awareness (if there were, it would not be deep sleep but dreaming or waking). The underlying unbroken awareness is never really "broken". It only appears to be so as a result of conditioning -- the mind wants to grasp at objects; and identification with the stories (personality, ego, etc etc). When one is stabilized in abiding as awareness, there is always a constant - awareness is awareness of being aware (or Self-awareness).

Thanks. But that does not really answer my question. What do you mean by there is unbroken awareness? If you have a dream in the first place, doesn't that simply prove that you don't have unbroken awareness, because some dream popped up? Just like if you mind runs off in some daydream during the waking state.

In the following statements, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the waking, dream, deep sleep states and Turiya from the Kashmir Shaivism point of view. His views about the waking, dream and deep sleep states are consistent with my experience and with my views on Turiya. There are states beyond the Turiya which are described as Turiyatita. Some traditions stop at the turiya level and for them awareness may be the end of the road. The vividness of objectivity that is the characteristic of the waking state (described below as jagrat) will never become that of the sleep states (swapna and sushupti) and to claim so is a myth. This is the gist of this entire thread. "The masters of the Pratyabhijñā School say that when you remain in that state where your consciousness is directed towards objectivity (bahirvṛitti) and you are no longer in your own subjective consciousness, that state is to be known as jāgrat. When you remain only in the sphere of impressions and thoughts (saṁkalpa nirmāṇa), that state is to be known as svapna. And when there is the absolute destruction of all impressions, thoughts, and consciousness (pralayopamam), when you are absolutely dead in your own self, that state is to be known as suṣupti. Abhinavagupta, the greatest master of Śaivism and the greatest philosopher the world has ever known, gives the general definition of these states so that the student will know that there is really no difference at all between the Trika Śaivite and the Pratyabhijñā points of view. He explains that when there is vividness of objectivity, that is the state of jāgrat. When the vividness of objectivity is shaky and unstable, that is svapna. When the vividness of objectivity is gone completely that is suṣupti. When super-observation is found by some observing agency, that is turya. And when that objectivity is individually dead and found full of life in totality, that is turyātīta*."

While I agree with the 'no practice' -- I call it as the state of just 'residing' in the flow or light -- is the real practice, I wouldn't discount the value of conceptual frameworks, practices or methods. You mentioned in the other thread, different practices are valuable in different states and for different practitioners. Like the sleep and dream yoga for instance. Depending on where we are in the journey, some practice or conceptual framework may be immensely helpful for us. Whatever helps or takes a person forward in their current state is the real practice for me. I never did any targeted practice with the intention to open some chakra. It just happened by divine grace. But I see lot of value in the framework for understanding. Also, not everyone is ready to appreciate the 'no practice' or contemplate the meaning of existence or ask fundamental questions about all assumptions. Zen pig mentioned he has to sit down one day and question why he is on this path and gained some insight eventually. This is beautiful and that is how it happens. But we all become ready to sit down and ask such questions when we are ready to, in our own time. I don't feel the need to rush or tell anyone to question the fundamentals. The will sit and question when it is the right thing to do for them. I am also getting an impression from some discussions that it is wiser to ask such fundamental questions and sort of inferior to talk about conceptual frameworks like chakras etc. I don't see it this way at all. When we question whether it is worthwhile to pursue enlightenment, it is also valid to question, whether it is worthwhile to raise questions to others about the value of enlightenment or to engage in lengthy discussions about this! Why do we do any of this? Something to ponder upon! In the meantime I see all of this as part of one game or projection, some see it as one dream. Whether fundamental question or chakra question, or enlightenment question/discussion all are projections of mind. Let's just float on the river and let others float and go in their own natural path. I don't see any point in convincing someone that some question is more valuable or fundamental or trying to inject our insight into their path! These are my thoughts on this subject.

I obviously can't answer for Sifu Terry, but I had the exact same problem (used to get it with breath sequences as well - really annoying to drift off in the middle and forget which breath you're on then have to start over!). I've found over time that practice allows the mind to get better at subconsciously tracking the breathing and then movement, and it rarely occurs to me anymore. On the flip side, if you want to go into deep sleep/dream-like states during Flying Phoenix, try out Basic Seated #3. I'm not sure if it's a specific function of that particular meditation, or just that it's a seated meditation with no movement and thus facilitates the most mental relaxation, but I recently spent a month or so practicing it daily and had a few times where I drifted into rather intense dream-like states, complete with sound and visuals. The content of these "dream-states" wasn't random either, but always correlated with specific health issues. I've moved on to Basic Seated #2 for now, but at one point in the future, when my practice is a bit more advanced, I'm looking forward to trying an hour long sessions of Basic Seated #3 and seeing how deep it can go

To me, this is the most interesting point. From Jonesboy’s quote... “If the level of the practitioner is highly advanced, the state of chosed may manifest and dreaming will cease. This state is different from not remembering dreams, which may be caused by lack of clarity or by temporary circumstances like too deep sleep or heavy food. When one ceases to dream, the dreams never arise again and clarity becomes manifest both in the waking state and in the state of dream.” Dreams are simply subconscious mental activity. Energy flows spilling over into the local mind space.

I very much appreciate your input and I'm feeling a bit jealous about how well traveled you are! Thank you for pointing out the value of focusing on the transitions between waking, dream, sleep, and waking. In sleep yoga, one of the core practices is to observe the gradually dissolving consciousness into the sleep state. We seem to go from awake to asleep instantaneously, and most have little or no recollection of the transition, but it's not at all like that. If we train ourselves to observe the transition it is fascinating and teaches much about the nature of consciousness and the mind-body connection. I'm occasionally able to maintain awareness through the full transition from waking into dream but never directly from waking into dreamless sleep. Lately my practice hasn't been consistent enough to expect much. For me, it takes quite a bit of time, patience, and commitment to see fruit from the practice.

In the Bön teachings, conscious and subconscious mind are all considered mind. In waking we practice mostly with the conscious mind. As meditation deepens, more of the subconscious content and workings are illuminated by consciousness. In dream yoga, we become conscious in dream and have the opportunity to practice with content that is normally subconscious. In sleep yoga, we become conscious in deep sleep, in the absence of dreams. It is a practice of recognition and stability of the Nature of Mind. The mind and body contain many layers obscuring the pure awareness that knows itself, whatever you prefer to call it. It is said that in the Bardo after Death (the Clear Light Bardo), when we no longer have a body to limit our clarity and experience of spaciousness, they are far greater than anything we can experience in life. Cultivating awareness in deep sleep is said to be the closest we come to this experience in life, as we are temporarily “free” of the body and workings of mind.

Thanks for sharing and it is certainly not a detour. I thought the benefits of lucid dreaming are limited. It is good to get a different perspective that explains there are multiple benefits and as part of dream yoga it can lead to clear light of sleep. I have practiced yoga nidra which leads to a state like the clear light state that you mentioned. But, I wonder if there is a relationship between the lucid dreaming and this clear light state. I understand both of them are part of the dream yoga. But, do you think one is a precursor to the other state, or helps to reach the other state? When I mentioned the nirvikalpa samadhi, I was thinking of the clear light state also, since both of them seem very similar to me. In my experience this also stops after a certain stage, not the samadhi itself, but the absence of functioning of the consciousness mind vanishes after a certain state.

Many years, when I was a beginner, I dreamed a lot. I dreamed of flying, running, big moon, big son, explosion， buddhisatva, dancing water, fire,etc... Now, I use dreams to exam my state. If I dream, I know I need more meditation. Because the block of the heart make me dream. It is called five covers. If I have no dream, I know I get better.

hmmmmm. sounds like a theory. All I can talk from is my own, non-awakened, non-enlightened state. First of all, from what I have seen, sleep consciousness or awareness is not that special. Most folks who have a long term day to day meditation practice will start to have lucid dreams, and sometimes experience awareness in both deep sleep, the dream state, and many times, it happens that one can be both aware in deep sleep, or the dream state, and at the same time, aware of being physically in bed, all at the same time. So not sure what the article is talking about. sounds like a belief or idea, which is fine, but in the end we all have to have our direct experience. lastly, as far as my experience goes, I cannot "make" this deep sleep/waking awareness "happen" it happens or doesn't and my intent has little to do with it. Lucid dreams are a bit different, as they seem to be a kind of exercise in intent, but that is another story for another time.

I have a signature quote on another forum for 15 years now that says, "If you love anything enough, it will talk with you." - George Washington Carver The Secret Life of Plants really affected me a lot when I was younger. Cleve Backster's experiments with polygraph and plants I find fascinating also. Some little books like Behaving as if the God in All Life Matters and The Perelandra Garden Workbook I rather enjoyed about 20 years ago when I first moved to this house. Had an interesting experience with the 'nature spirits' when rearranging a room that I still find difficult to believe. I've had a couple experiences where I was forced to experience and realize that 'space' is as subjective as 'time' which is... mind boggling. I once fell in love with a tree. I'd had a kundalini experience not long before and from heart to crown was rather overstimulated at the time which is probably why. I used to look around furtively and hug her and tell her how beautiful she was. I mourned having to move away from her! On that awesome Ayu... um, drug post that Taomeow posted (sorry it's on another page so I can't look up the spelling for either of those words) -- that was a really awesome description. It's kind of funny, because I had a dream that was so odd once but that kind of tied into the total life in the earth (not just plants) and your detail really reminded me of it. Also, I wrote a beginner novel (never published, many many years ago, but I might stick it on amazon kindle for the heck of it this year) -- paranormal, it's silly in parts -- but that has a... being/creature and an experience that is very like that, which I thought at the time I might have gotten from the dream. But hearing you describe that I suspect that is just the way it is. Lovely, thanks for sharing that. RC