Sometimes it takes the perspective of history to unmask the true genius of a person, a book or a point of view. Perhaps even more telling, the first attempt to deal with the subject of Jim Channon s First Earth Battalion was through the vehicle of comedy.
The Men Who Stare at Goats, the movie starring George Clooney did not treat the ideas at the core of the First Earth Battalion with anywhere near the attention they deserve. In fact one could say that the movie trivialized the concept through humor, and marginalized the principals as addled characters.
The true nature of the First Earth Battalion can begin to be appreciated by reading the Operations Manual. A hand illustrated work of art highlighting a new direction for not just the military but the planet as well. The fact that Jim felt the army could take the lead in this matter speaks to his own brand of practical idealism that untold numbers of corporate leaders took advantage of on his retirement from the Army.
See: http://cyber.mpnodes.info/archives/509 for the "Goats Declassified" featurette from the DVD to get the real backstory of what transpired and continues to this day.