Quotes about Jeff

 From: Michael Newell: “From a fully conscious place deep in my heart I support Initiative 300 to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission and to create this as a public acknowledgmentthat they [ETs] do exist.” – Michael Newell, Former Denver Police Officer
Michael Newell had friendly encounters with five extraterrestrial races during a 24-hour period which included September 11, 2001.  Newell is a former Army C.I.D. (Criminal Investigation Division) Agent, Viet Nam Veteran, police officer, and advisor to international clientele on management of counter-terrorism, stalking, and conflict management.  He has helped change “stalker” laws and saved lives. Michael Newell has been honored as an “Everyday Hero” by ABC TV affiliate Channel 7 – The Denver Channel.

2003 - Initiative 101, the "Safety through Peace" initiative in Denver  

Local

 From: Peter Boyles, award winning popular talk radio (www.KHOW.com) and television (KDBI) talk show host in Denver
"I want you to know I’m voting for this, I’m serious. No, I’m serious. I’m going to vote for this. I want to see what’s going to happen…Why vote this down?…When I first saw this I said I’m going to vote for this just to see what will happen…If this thing passes I want to see it happen."

From: Dr. Martha M. Urioste, Educator and Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee
"This year, we will have the opportunity to become local, regional, national, and international leaders engaged in formulating "peace efforts" that will have a long-lasting positive effect on the generations to come and our children’s future. Denver citizens can do this by voting for the Safety through Peace" Initiative on this year's November ballot. With this Safety through Peace Initiative, our city will be able to support and launch many short term and long term projects and initiatives that will impact the way we all relate to one another in a meaningful and peaceful way. Many years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori's vision was that one day, we would be interested and willing to initiate and develop a "science of peace". Mahatma Gandhi joined in by saying: "So long as there is no peace in the heart, there can be no peace outside. Only when peace comes from within the heart and is expressed through the eyes, words and actions of people can we say that peace has been established." Denver is a great city with the potential to become the safest and most positive environment for all of our people. Denver's citizens are ready for such an exciting positive challenge and our children, for generations to come, will benefit from this courageous and timely opportunity! Let's do it!"

From: Charlie Brown, Denver City Councilman: “If we could come up with something that would do this, I'd pass it.” – Councilman Charlie Brown, quoted in the Rocky Mountain News, Sept. 11, 2003

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From: Rusty Fraser, founder and former CEO of Champion Business Systems
“As a former CEO of a national software company, I can say that Denver’s Initiative 101 makes good "business sense." It forces the city government to think in terms of solutions rather than "knee jerk" reactions to the latest flare-up. What is wrong with using proven solutions to the problems that plague cities and society as a whole, and that actually save the city money? Prevention is the key here, thinking ahead, using programs that work! Initiative 101 has my solid endorsement."

National

From: Jeffrey Abramson [Tower  Construction Company and Abramson Family Foundation] The Abramson Family is one of the most enlightened and visionary business and philanthropic families in the world.
http://www.towercompanies.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tower-Companies/107747216293?v=info


“Honorable Members of the Denver City Council,

Congratulations on your well-deserved campaign victories and your commitment to public safety and economic recovery. I am writing to let you know that you have an extraordinary opportunity to immediately begin making progress in both these areas by properly evaluating the merits of the proposed ordinance, “Increasing Public Safety by Creating Peace”.

It is no surprise to hear that Jeff Peckman, the initiative’s chief proponent, is spearheading this strategic campaign to introduce a new paradigm in social science and a new approach to ensuring public safety in Denver. I have been personally acquainted with Jeff for over 20 years. He has perpetually been on the cutting edge of a number of scientifically verified and cost effective solutions for a variety a major problems, many of which you now face, including crime, healthcare and the city budget.

As supporters of new approaches to creating peace and reducing disease and stress related public safety problems, we urge you to do whatever is in your power to evaluate the merits of the proposed ordinance.

 If you can hold a public hearing, by all means do it! The public needs to be informed as well and needs to be reassured that your pledge to bring in fresh ideas and better government is sincere. 

Our family guaranteed the loan for the construction of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. We also supported a demonstration project in Washington, D.C., which reduced violent crime in the district by over 18% and total crime by over 23%. That was in 1993 -- Denver’s “summer of violence”. Given your dire financial straits and a 50% increase of violent deaths this year, I can assure you that the small amount of time needed to examine this new ordinance will bring great rewards.

Thank you for your kind consideration and good luck.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Abramson
Potomac, Maryland”

 From: Rashi Glazer, Professor, Haas School of Business, Uni. of California at Berkeley
“For someone who has spent his professional life in the fields of management and economics, it is quite apparent that the traditional, supposedly "rational" solutions to many of our social problems are in fact highly irrational-- if we judge them by objective evidence (as opposed to our pre-conceptions). This is quite clear today in the area of economics, where in a society that has apparently created an economy of abundance and real wealth, we still experience the problems associated with scarcity and economic weakness.

That’s why I believe the Denver initiative mandating the use of objective evidence is significant. The particular topic of that initiative is peace and public safety, but the strength of it is the requirement that governmental policies should be supported by academically published scientific research. This is an admirably rational process for governmental decisions—to adopt programs that have already been objectively verified to be effective and cost-effective. This science-based process could apply just as well to economics, and to any other field of governmental concern.

As a social scientist (who has served as reviewer, associate editor and editor of several prestigious journals), it seems only obvious that, in any situation where good scientific evidence is available—evidence that has been replicated several times and accepted for academic publication through the peer-review process—that evidence should be used as a guide for governmental decisions. Whenever possible, that is, governmental policies should not be based on opinions or personal bias, but on the best scientific data. For this reason, I strongly encourage the people of Denver to give this initiative on Safety through Peace the most careful consideration.”

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From: Gary P. Kaplan, MD, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Neurophysiology, North Shore University Hospital; Associate Professor of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine

 “I am writing to recommend that the Denver government and Denver citizens give careful attention to the initiative on peace and public safety through stress reduction. In my view this initiative combines two important ideas:

1.      Social violence (crime, terrorism, war, etc.) is fueled by society-wide stress and tension, and

2.      Any stress reduction program scientifically verified to reduce crime, terrorism and war (and shown to do so in a cost-effective manner) should be adopted by the Denver government.

As a doctor I am aware that stress and tension leads to a wide variety of ills in the individual – from headaches to heart disease. That is why medical science has now accepted meditation and other stress reduction programs as an important modality for improving health.

Now a recent body of research has indicated that stress in the collective consciousness of society as a whole leads to a wide variety of types of violence in that society – from assault and homicide to terrorism and open warfare.

This opens the possibility for an effective program for public safety.  If techniques can be used to reduce stress in society as a whole, and if those techniques can be verified scientifically to reduce crime, terrorism, and war, then public safety could be measurably improved. In that case, it could be argued, any government would be under a moral obligation to adopt such proven programs. Otherwise, they would be consigning their citizenry to needless suffering from violence that could have been prevented.

For these reasons, I recommend to the people and the leaders of Denver a reasoned perusal of this initiative and, assuming its passage, a careful search for scientifically verified programs that can increase peacefulness and public safety.”

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International

 From: Maj. General Kulwant Singh, May 15, 2002 [Maj. General Singh was formerly the top counter-terrorism expert in India. He was going to present what he considered to be the best defense against terrorism and war, in a press conference on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. See Press Release from Sept. 10, 2001.]

“Dear Peckman,

Jai Guru Dev

Thank you for detail progress on the peace ballot initiative. It is informative and encouraging to see the efforts of H.E. John Hagelin succeeding in achieving the super radiance effect. I have read the ordinance in detail and passing on the entire correspondence to all Regional Directors (Generals and Brigadiers) in each Indian state as well as to the Deputy Defence Ministers in each continent for wide circulation.

I shall look forward to further progress, not necessarily every month, but whenever you think some thing important has happened in achieving Maharishi Ji’s aim of – Permanent peace – consciousness-Based, as all other means have been failure.

Section 24 – Declaration of finding and intent is worded very well. Thank you once again for information communication.

Maj. General Kulwant Singh”

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2002 - Measure 27 – Oregon

June 2002 – e-mail action alert for signature-gathering for Oregon ballot initiative created by Jeff Peckman who also recruited support from stake-holder organizations and endorsements for Measure 27

“The advisory board includes: (I’m also on the advisory board) Craig Winters – Head of the National Campaign against GE foods
Kimberly Wilson – Greenpeace leader
Ronnie Cummins – Head of the Organic Consumers Association and world’s foremost expert on GE
Wild Oats Health Food Stores

Both Kimberly Wilson and Ronnie Cummins have stated that this is the most important campaign in the world right now!”
 - Michael Polidori – Raleigh, North Carolina Citizens Alliance for Safe Foods

 July 2001 - Organic Consumers Association newsletter [regarding a Colorado version of what later became Measure 27 in Oregon that made it on the ballot.]

 "The success of the Denver effort in raising the level of debate over Frankenfoods in Colorado has inspired the Organic Consumers Association and a number of Green Party activists to discuss joining efforts with local activists (and national networks such as the Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods) to get city council resolutions and initiatives on the ballot all across the U.S." – Organic Consumers Association, 150,000 members.

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2004 - Campaign for Colorado House District 2 

“I endorse Jeff Peckman for House District 2 because he truly is a man for all the People. His solutions to help our community and the state are sensible and affordable. He is a unifier and not a divider. We need him in the state capitol to help the two major parties work together and do their job better.” – Veronica Barela, Executive Director, NEWSED

“Jeff Peckman would make a good state representative for all citizens of Colorado” –  Former State Senator Don Sandoval (Democrat – Denver)

“All children and students deserve the best that educational systems have to offer: food quality, health education, and consistent exercise for optimal well-being; these priorities assist and increase the necessary intellectual development. With Jeff Peckman, we can be assured that our children will be supported appropriately!”   – Dr. Martha M. Urioste, Educator, Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, 2000.

 “After meeting Mr. Peckman I am impressed with him and his ideas for the betterment of all aspects of Colorado life.” –  Anna Flores, Civic Activist

“As a Democratic candidate in the recent primary for House District 2, and after many conversations with Jeff Peckman I have decided to wholeheartedly throw my full support to Mr. Peckman. As an unaffiliated, independent, he is in a position to vote for what is right and not be influenced by vested interest groups and lobbyists.” – Waldo Benavidez, Executive Director, Auraria Community Center

“I support Jeff Peckman for House District 2 because he is not bought and sold by special interest groups. He has the good of the community as his first priority” – Raymond Willy Montoya, Education Director, Auraria Community Center