After experiencing firsthand the arrival of Taiwan’s president in one of our most liberal cities, I had to ask myself, “Did Liberty take one on Chen in San Francisco?”
Chen, of course, is Chen Shu-Bian, the democratically elected leader of the East Asian island of Taiwan.
Not every day in the life of a driver we can be part of the escort of a diplomatic group. It was like what you might see on TV or one of these portrayals of some faction character on a DVD.
When they started bringing out the bomb-sniffing dogs and rolling those curved concave mirrors under our vehicles, we knew this was no ordinary day.
But who was Chen Shui-bian and why was his visit to San Francisco filled with so much controversy?
Apparently, the Taiwanese consulate in San Francisco had ordered about 14 vehicles to pick up their group at SFO (San Francisco International Airport). I would find out later that they don’t even have an official consulate in San Francisco. I anticipated that we might have to drive his group there, so I looked him up on the net. The building was nondescript. It seemed strange for an official site, but as I was to find out, nothing was quite as it seemed with Taiwan’s presence in the US. Again, I thought why is this?
More would be revealed.
He already had the good fortune that he would be part of only four vehicles that would go to the actual commercial track to pick up the president and his immediate party. This in itself never happens. They just don’t let our vehicles out into the general landing space. Right away, it was like wow! this is different.
Going back a bit, we got our first glimpse of the Taiwanese when we arrived at our first destination, the St. Regis hotel on 3rd st.
The St. Regis isn’t really a second cousin to the high-profile people who stay at its hotel, but this event was on another level.
Our first objective as Drivers was to find our contact. Apparently the party we were picking up at the hotel was going to drive to the airport to pick up the president’s party. This was a good time to talk to some of those associated with your group and find out what was going on.
I found a friendly and willing enough Taiwanese gentleman who spoke good English and was relatively eager to enlighten me on the climate surrounding the president’s (Taiwan) visit here.
I was also approached by a camera crew from Los Angeles who hoped I could provide some inside details about the president’s arrival.
It didn’t take much common sense to figure out that there were at least two camps there, those that were very supportive of Chen’s visit and another group that was lining up to discredit him for being here.
Apparently, Chen was loved by his followers, who were beginning to mingle. They wore green as the color of Chen’s Democratic Party in Taiwan. A second group wearing red was also present and they were also Chinese, it was not clear whether or not they were from mainland China or from the island of Taiwan, but I think they lived in San Francisco. That’s where I first learned about the One China policy. Chen’s supporters wanted autonomy from the autocratic rule of mainland China. They wanted to operate independently, perhaps even seeking their own sovereignty. It seemed reasonable to me. China is a communist regime. Taiwan wanted its freedom. They (Taiwan) were already operating as a viable and prosperous democratic model. These people in red wanted there not to be two different Chinas, they called it “two states”. affirmation. There seemed to be a deep divide. It also seemed to be complicated.
I had a humorous thought. At least they wore different colors which made it easier, like the home and away teams in sports. Red team, green team.
But in fact, my joke actually hid my own concerns, somewhat conflicted by a disturbing sense of freedom rights, and why not?
The scene at the hotel continued to gather momentum, it hadn’t really turned into the full-blown circus event that it would be several hours later. There was a kind of nervous melodramatic atmosphere and while I waited, I also noticed other things.
I got a bit distracted taking stock of my fellow drivers and what colorful characters they were. There was George, a friendly, rotund and mostly attractive guy. He had a large barrel upper torso and the girth of him meant that the tie didn’t quite reach his waist. The way the suit fit him, he kind of reminded me of those made in Italy guys in a non-literal way, but it looked like he could have been a union leader, so we called him the underboss.
Another driver was this middle-aged brother, whose ethical makeup I never knew, but English was probably not his first language. I had a feeling he was Turkish or Greek, maybe Baltic, but all I knew was that we called him Zacky. He was really harmless and nice in his own way, but his demeanor was too enthusiastic to ask questions right when you were in the middle of doing something. He taught me something about being accommodating, but his mannerisms were strange and he seemed barely aware of the limits of personal space, but he never really offended me. He got the name Wacky Zacky which made other drivers remember who he was.
Due to the really special nature of the event, we worked more as a team (drivers) and I was interested to see if any of them grasped the importance of what was going on. We were part of this journey together. It kind of helped me get some perspective, because I was having all these transcendent thoughts forming in my mind. It really seemed like we were part of the story that was being made, even if not everyone had told it that way.
I was very interested in trying to meet these Taiwanese who were our clients. I couldn’t help but notice the supporters who started arriving at the hotel location after being arrested. I had the feeling that I was getting a glimpse of the soul of Taiwan through these people.
There was a quality of peace about them. It was also interesting how the group we were picking up moved gracefully amidst all the activity and protests coming their way.
There was no sense of pretentiousness about them; they were quite nice, they even despised themselves. They seemed different in a sense from other Asian cultures I’ve been to. It might be hard to put into terms, but there was a lack of anxiety in their auras. They had a quality, a subtle, self-confident, comforting nature and a sense of appreciation towards life.
It may not be something tangible, but I intuitively felt that they had a racial consciousness associated with freedom. It was a flame, a real measurable energy that expressed itself through them. It was something that I realized through the contrast of being in Russia that pervades people living in a culture of freedom. There is a joy that accompanies freedom and that is breathed in the personality of people. It is also a quality of the soul.
In fact, I felt that by coming to San Francisco, these people from Taiwan had brought the reminder of the fire of Freedom that has to live, reside and express itself in the people for a country and its people to prosper and be free.
Compared to these people, I felt that Freedom in American had softened. A kind of heavy, paunchy, self-sufficient democracy. We’re supposed to be champions of freedom in the world, and instead we’re turning into a puffy, bland look in the middle of our fiery destiny. What a wake up call!
It looked like a little Taiwan, it had the banner of freedom and it was brought to America as a gift and we had to help them defend it.
In my own heart I began to think of Saint Germain and the sponsorship of Freedom for the earth. I also thought that these Taiwanese were very dear souls, souls that had a great light within them.
I came across a teaching from Saint Germain extolling the qualities of people of light that made me think about the potential of America and the critical battle to keep Taiwan a land of Freedom.
Saint Germain’s teaching was delivered to Guy Ballard in the 1930’s and revived through observations of actual contacts with the record of that time and life. From “Revealed Mysteries”. referring to a golden age civilization 70,000 years ago:
“This civilization,” he continued, reached its peak seventy thousand years ago. “We entered the city and felt an unusual rhythmic activity that gave me a strange sense of lightness as I walked. All these people moved with great ease and grace.” (Sound familiar?) I asked Saint Germain the reason for this and he replied:
“These people remembered their Source and knew themselves as Sons of God, therefore, they were the possessors and operators of power and wisdom that, to you, may seem miraculous and superhuman. to the Law and what seems miraculous to the current concept of humanity, is nothing more than the result of the application of laws to which the current consciousness of humanity is not accustomed, and it seems so strange and unusual”.
Some of these teachings began to make me consider the similar characteristics of some of the souls I met in Taiwan and the circumstances in modern America. Furthermore, all of the event sequences we were witnessing seemed to be a living social studies lesson, except with some rather cosmic perspectives.
I myself began to evaluate my own role and purpose for being here in San Francisco during this visit. Somehow he knew that the causes of Liberty were at stake. I hardly hid the understanding that Liberty is asleep in America. What we take for granted as freedom is not that, it is more like being able to do whatever you want. That’s what most people think, but maybe we’re missing the point.
I started seeing these banners pop up that really got me thinking how many Americans have no idea of Liberty’s responsibility. I first saw him in Napa, California and he said, “Freedom ain’t free!”
I thought to myself, well, “I’m not this black tie and black suit sitting watching this Cosmic Civics class unfold before me. I have a role! I have something to learn here, and just like that I felt my whole being surge with more than an ordinary sense of understanding. It is a living, pulsating activating energy. It is also a consciousness, and it is our job to enliven it, to give it devotion.” Freedom is a principle. We cannot become passive and see how all aspects of the freedom disintegrate from our culture, our society and our country. It will always be the Chinese of the world and the oppressions of communism who wish to devour the bastions of freedoms, the lands of freedoms and the hearts of the people who wish to be free!
From then on, at that moment, I decided that I was going to be the representative of Freedom on the scene and I was going to invoke the cosmic quality of Saint Germain’s Freedom to be above all those present willing to defend Freedom.
If I could have, I would have run to the laundry room and stripped off my chauffeur’s uniform underneath to reveal the freedom cape I was wearing with the words “Freedom Fighter” emblazoned across my chest. But hey, this is not a cartoon and I just made an inner change and realized that what better way than to walk among the people to be willing to radiate the power of freedom that I could attract around every soul present. . So that’s what I did, I just relaxed and focused that I could be a point of contact for the fire of freedoms on earth right here in San Francisco at this very moment. That’s what I decided to do.
I really ended up getting fired up about Freedoms causes that day. In fact, he hasn’t cooled down much, and before the end of that day, on January 8, 2007, he got a lot more toasty.