Jeffrey Smith – A Highest Flying Activist’s Hidden Scientific Beliefs?
By Alex Avery
Jeffrey Smith has been a dedicated activist against agricultural biotechnology at least since 2003, when he released his first self-published anti-biotech book Seeds of Deception. His second book, Genetic Roulette, was released in 2007, complete with a forward by former UK Environment Minister Michael Meacher. We wonder if Mr. Meacher knows who he has involved himself with.
Smith has received some favorable coverage for his new book, even in such respectable outlets as the Irish Medical News. Yet in all of the press coverage, almost none has informed readers of Smith’s unconventional belief that he can fly (yogic-ly) or that he has publicly claimed that there are “500 studies” demonstrating that yogic flying and Transcendental Meditation reduce crime and increase IQs and social harmony.
Smith is clearly a devoted follower of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (the Beatles former guru) and lives in Fairfield, Iowa – the small mid-west town that is home to Maharishi University, Maharishi Vedic City (where only organic food is allowed for sale), and the Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Institute. That’s Genetic Roulette author Jeffrey Smith in a tie demonstrating “yogic flying” at a press conference for a Maharishi Natural Law Party senate candidate in 1996. (The banner says: Natural Law Party, problem free government)
Smith’s bio on the website for his new book states only that he is “the director of the Institute for Responsible Technology” and that he “ran for U.S. Congress in his home state of Iowa to raise public awareness of the health and environmental dangers of GM foods.” No mention that he ran under the banner of the Maharishi Natural Law Party or that the Institute for Responsible Technology was founded in 2003 by Smith to promote his first self-published book. At least it admits that he is “a master story teller,” as his book is a collection of tall tales.
While Smith’s new book supposedly “shatters” the myth that biotech foods are safe, it fails to provide any credible evidence of any risks that aren’t overly accounted for by the current onerous and unscientific regulatory regimes in place around the world. Even Smith’s most high-profile GM food scares have collapsed under scientific scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control. (see this New York Times story as but one example)
The media’s lack of interest in Mr. Smith’s religious beliefs is surprising, as Mr. Smith has openly demonstrated his “yogic flying” skills to the press while he was a top aid to a Natural Law Party political candidate in 1996. The pictures to the left and below are from a 1996 press event (Smith is wearing the tie!) and below all is the full text of a news article covering the event from the Daily Illini, the independent student newspaper for the University of Illinois. Portions of the article regarding Mr. Smith are in bold for easy identification.
Enjoy!
The Daily Illini
October 28, 1996
Page 04
Third-party conference illustrates ‘yogic flying’
That’s transcendental: Natural Law Party candidate holds ‘unusual’ press conference at the Illini Union
News Story by Kris Kudenholdt
It was an unusual campaign appearance, with a press conference by a U.S. Senate candidate combined with a demonstration of transcendental meditation. But that was the point.
James Davis spoke Wednesday afternoon at the Illini Union about the Natural Law Party, outlining the general tenets of the party and his campaign.
Davis said the fact two major candidates were debating handgun control underlined what he feels is the problem in American politics.
“Ultimately, it’s not the gun that’s the problem, and it’s not just the hand that holds the gun,” Davis said. “It’s the mind, and actually, the rage and anger that drive the mind that drives the hand that holds the gun.”
Davis highlighted his proposals to reduce crime, one being reducing the anger and sponsoring societal coherence through “yogic flyers.”
After his introduction and an explanation by a campaign aide about the idea of yogic flying, Davis sat down and watched three yogic flyers on four white mats laid out in front of a table bearing a multicolored banner that read: “Natural Law Party: Problem Free Government.”
The yogic flyers, after sitting motionless for a few minutes began to hop around the mats with their legs crossed.
Jeffrey Smith, a Davis aide and one of the three flyers, explained the idea and effects of yogic flying, which relies on practicing transcendental meditation, to the small crowd.
Smith presented charts with evidence of a correlation between the presence of yogic flyers and an increase in the quality of life and a decrease in crime. Smith cited limited yogic flying programs in Washington D.C. and near the Middle East that resulted in less crime and more harmony.
“(This is why) Jim Davis as the Senate candidate for the Natural Law Party believes that any city that has a group of say 7,000 yogic flyers practicing together will not only generate great coherence and cleansing effect for the nation and the entire world, but will enjoy a dramatic reduction in crime rate within the city,” Smith said.
“The simplest explanation of this technology is based on the concept of collective consciousness. We’ve all had the experience of walking into a home and feeling very good in the home instantly. We’ve had the other experience of walking into a home and feeling very uncomfortable, maybe tense, maybe angry. …
“What we’re experiencing is the collective consciousness. On the level of the home, it’s the collective consciousness of the family.
“So at the simplest level, what this yogic flying technique does is it reduces the stress in collective consciousness, increases the purity and harmony in that collective consciousness, and everyone within that collective consciousness is influenced.”
Noting that the idea of radio and a heliocentric model of the solar system had once been scoffed at, Smith said more than 500 studies have shown transcendental meditation has its benefits including more creativity, intelligence and energy, better health and higher IQ over the long term.
On a wider scale, Smith said the minds of yogic flyers act like radio transmitters that radiate a positive influence, resonating through the surrounding the mental environment. Smith estimated that a corps of about 7,000 yogic flyers could help relieve stress and the problems associated with it around the world.
That a U.S. Senate candidate would affiliate himself with such an out-of-the-mainstream concept seems to run contrary to conventional political wisdom. Davis said that is the underlying theme to the Natural Law Party – endorsing proven ideas that fall far outside the usual paradigms.
“It’s not based on belief, but on research that we advocate this program as the Natural Law Party,” Davis said. “The motto of the party is bringing the light of science into politics and one of the things that we feel must be done for good policy-making is that we need to look at what works – proven solutions.
“The Natural Law Party believes that government should function with the same efficiency and orderliness and effectiveness that Nature functions with – that is without waste. We are a party which advocates human development, human potential and the development of consciousness and education as central to good policy.”
On economics, Davis said the party is pro-growth and in favor of low taxes and would reduce the cost of government by using preventative measures, such as in the area of health care. Davis said the party promotes the protection of the environment, specifically proposing a ban on genetic engineering until the technology is proven to be safe – a key campaign issue. After the press briefing, Davis said genetic engineering was not proven scientifically, and was polluting the gene pool, adding its long-term effects on the environment could be the equivalent of a hole in the ozone layer.
Davis, a Westmont resident, also said his party advocates strong education to develop the creativity, intelligence and higher moral reasoning of the nation’s citizens.
