20 August 2009

QUOTES FROM RED






















''There were many women around. We all had a relationship with each other that was very strong. And all of our minds kind of hooked up. We rejected the society. We rejected marriage because we didn't like what our parents had. We looked at our parents' marriages and we said "You know, if I'm going to say I pledge my life to you till death, then I'm not going to leave." We rejected paying taxes when we didn't know where those tax dollars were going. We wanted to know what is it being used for? I know lots of young people felt that way. They wanted to know what is this war for?''

''When the circumstances are right, everything becomes a dance. And then, there's this communication that happens on earth between the animals and the people. And when you're in the woods, when you're some place like the redwoods -- when you are in the presence of a thousand year old, or three thousand year old tree that's as big as a house, it puts you in your place. When it came to animals, he wanted to know "What are you and what do you do? He didn't say those words, but more or less, he looked at each animal as an interesting creature and he wanted to know how it lived and what it was here for. And everything has that purpose, that nice, circular balance of plant life, of animal life. We have a planet that needs all the help it can get and people are not number one, you know. ''

''I wanted a courtroom. I wanted to put my people in court and let them say what they did. Bugliosi, the district attorney on the Tate-LaBianca cases, had put out a book. There were a lot of falsehoods in that book and it was a distorted view of our purposes, helter skelter and all... wanting to start a race war - that's a joke. A race war's been coming for years and years. So for them to put it all on Manson is criminal. But the other people, the other races of people know. And all that I say, with regard to that, is I believe it's natural. I believe that it is natural to like yourself, to look to others that look like you. And it's good. Other races should not be looking to white people for images.'' 

''I have no respect for people who don't have respect for what gives them life. And that's earth. You know, earth first. That's Manson's first woman. ''

''He can get right up to you and affect you in a way that maybe you've never been affected before. Because he can scare the shit out of you, turn around, walk away, and turn back and be somebody else. And he can show you a way to become connected with birds and animals and trees and things like that. He shows you by his actions. He doesn't tell you. He doesn't preach it. He wasn't a preacher. He didn't teach us these things. He just lived them . And that was more than we had seen from anyone else. And as far as leaders go, I'll go with that, you know. He didn't ask me to call him God. We thought that was really funny. You think we'd be with somebody we had to call God?''

 ''People want evil. In order for there to be a good, there has to be evil.  People want it. I don't happen to need scary things chasing me around. I don't want my dreams full of that. I want to see what's here. I want to discover the country. I want to take a look at it.'' 

''.... it was a unanimous type of a decision. And it was... we didn't vote on it or anything. We had become one mind. And it wasn't Manson's mind . We had become another, something that goes beyond the individual, I don't know what to call it. ''

''And I will explain that this way. I picked up a pair of scissors in the ranch house and I'm thinking "I don't need these" so I put them down. I walk in circles. Finally, I pick up the scissors and leave. And I get down where the movie set is and one of the girls stepped out of a saloon. She said, "Thank you". It was not abnormal for us to understand and know each other's thoughts from a distance. Then we realized this is what human beings can do. All of us, you know. And we weren't sure we were worthy of it. And we had to deal with religion and you know, were we worthy, Religions teach otherwise. Well, why not? What else would God have us be but worthy? So then, to accept this and to go on, we saw so many things that I don't talk about them. ''

''He can dance. He likes to dance. And it comes from feeling. And if he touches you, then it spreads. And then, people start behaving differently . And they become more, I guess, just poised. ''

''I think it's coming back around again. I think kids are dissatisfied and they're... they all, kids are always dissatisfied, but I think that they're coming back to natural things again, It's hard because half of it's been taken away from you already. Kids tell me all the time, "Well, you know, it may not be here by the time I'm an adult" They say, "I don't know if I'm gonna have children or not." We're a continuum. As human beings, we' re supposed to see into the future. When you hear those Indians down in Brazil talking about their kids and their grandkids, it's warming. I want them to win. I don't want them to be slaughtered. I want them to win. ''

''I was sitting behind lots and lots of people when Charlie walked into the courtroom and he was asking the judge to be able to retain his voice. He wanted to defend himself and not have someone else up there talking for him who didn't know him. And the people were wanting to see what he was about, what he had to say. They were on the edge of the seats, and the reporters were writing down things and suddenly, very suddenly, the judge banged the gavel and he said, "This is my courtroom, Mr. Manson, and I make the rules here." And it was obviously an attempt to gain back the attention of the people 'cause everybody jumped. Everybody felt like they had been reprimanded . And that's supposed to be the "big dad" up there. I'll give him that respect if he gives my land and water and air that respect. I mean, there should be judges, like Solomon, wise people to be in the middle of disputes. But don't take my attention and then just point me toward money and tell me that's the only thing that's right. ''

''I mean, when people kill, they have to be willing to be killed. And the women involved in this, and the men at the time, they were. They were. So whatever they say about Charlie, it can be a reaction to something. I don't know. They are under much more pressure than I have ever been. ''

''I just know that there are a lot of young people who want to follow him, so they follow what they read in the books. It's not right. We didn't take heroin. No way. You won't get me to touch that. Or Cocaine. And I've had to write letters to young people saying we didn't do that because they wrote me and they tell me, "Yeah, it's cool. I take these drugs and all. . . " 

''How could you let an elephant be extinct? How could we allow elephants to be taken off the earth? We can't do that. ''

''How can the social system be improved? It's a crime to smoke marijuana, a plant, but poisoning millions of people through toxic wastes is business as usual. How much will you give for the lives of your children's children, which is your self. How much are people willing to give up for air, earth, water, animals, and the coming generations? I think the answer to that is pretty clear.'' 

''Almost everything you eat or drink has water in it. No matter where it's from, most of it's polluted. Most of it's got a lot of chemicals that we have to stop producing, It's a simple thing. We don't transfer it. We don't move the poisons somewhere else. We stop producing them. We use our brains. ''

''I want clean water. I want water I could take a newborn baby down to and... you're not interested in air and water and you're gonna need it! And as it disappears from the earth, if you don't do anything about it... if you do not participate in doing whatever you can to protect your mother, your nurturer that keeps you alive, you don't get life. ''

''Rattlesnakes eat the animals that reproduce in quantity. They all have a purpose, so we need them. Since we don't know or understand the overall purpose of so many animals, it's to our advantage to let them enlighten us. Snakes serve to keep people from being unaware oafs (in the wild). If not for the need to look out for dangers around us we'd all be blundering plundering pigs. If animals didn't have a survival instinct, many more would be food to a few who'd get fat, flounder and die. End of story. Finito. No more life. Women holler and bitch to the contrary but we all live in a matriarchy and have for many many years. Women's needs have been the reason for work, war, religion and death. When in balance with the needs of the soul or patriarch (father, God, spirit, universe) this works well because the women's role has always been to make sure the young survive. When out of balance it destroys life.''

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