The Venus Project: Bright Future or Dark Cult?

By: Alexandria Addesso

The current state of our planet can be quite alarming. From politics to environmental activism to social justice movements to various religions, everyone is trying to propose a better way. Yet the promise of a better life with less suffering has been an age old appeal as well as a way to manipulate the masses. The Venus Project is a modern-day organization that promises such ideals, yet is it any different from other escape routes of the past?



The Venus Project is the brainchild of architect and self-taught social engineer Jacque Fresco. According to its official website, the Venus Project “proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization.” The project calls for the use of technology to better human existence, keeping the planet’s resources as a common heritage for all, an end to nationalism and other prejudices, as well as an end to the monetary system to give birth to a global resource-based economy. The central idea of the project is the global resource-based economy, all else is meant to flow from it.

On the surface such ideals seem like the basis of a utopian-like society. But what exactly is a global resource-based economy? The project’s official website states that most if not all of human suffering comes from our failed monetary system, an argument that definitely holds some validity.

“In a Resource Based Economy all goods and services are available to all people without the need for means of exchange such as money, credits, barter or any other means,” claims Fresco on the official website.



While the claim is that this is a system that has never existed before, humans that lived in community from the beginning of the species have lived like this. Also, in the political world which was created and currently reigns supreme, this idea has already been carried out in the form of socialism. Followers of the project will quickly dispel this claim because the movement seems to be apolitical, and does not believe that politicians are not technologically savvy enough to be in power, instead Fresco believes the most technologically-minded people should be. But a state is a state, no matter if it is global or one of many, and a ruler is a ruler no matter how intelligent.

The ideals of the Venus Project come from technocracy, which means that the government or social control should be in the hands of the elites of the technological industry. Basically handing power from one small group to another. The project’s website calls this the “New World Civilization” which definitely raises red flags in the minds of anyone admittedly against the new world order.

If you think that the Venus Project is just one man’s small idea and nothing to worry about then wrap your mind around this, there is currently a 20-acre research center in central Florida where the ideals of the project are being tested and carried out. Visitors are welcomed to come every Saturday for lectures and information sessions. Furthermore, in 2007 one of the followers of the project named Peter Joseph created a movie called Zeitgeist, the first of a three part series that vehemently denounced religion, particularly Christianity, the federal reserve and claimed 9/11 was an inside job. The movie, though poorly produced and with little to no sources to back up its claims, became a hit among skeptical youth and thus thrusted many of its viewers into support of the Venus Project.



Another red flag that can be found on the Venus Project’s website is in the list of 18 semi-reasonable goals of the organization that states the need to assist in stabilizing the world’s population through “voluntary birth control”. There is nothing inherently evil in choosing not to reproduce, nature actually does this for us by rendering some individuals infertile. But for it to be on a list of goals that are necessary for this new world civilization to take place should be highly thought provoking.

All that glitters are not gold, but don’t just take my word for it, visit the website (thevenusproject.com) for yourself. Stay curious.

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Are Planet Aid Yellow Clothes Donation Boxes Funding A Cult?

By: Alexandria Addesso.

Depending on where you live you may have came into contact with a large yellow clothing donation drop box labelled Planet Aid. They seem to be everywhere and are the most common of clothing drop boxes. If you consider yourself a charitable person you may have even dropped old clothing in one of these boxes before. You feel good for doing a good deed, not throwing used clothes away, and someone in need can make good use of them. But is this assumption correct? Could you be funding a criminal enterprise?

Although its name may seem to suggest that the donated goods received go to the needy, Planet Aid states on their official website that nearly all goods are sold.

“Every day we load the bales into trailers for domestic buyers or in shipping containers for overseas customers. These loads may be sold to a sorting house or "grader"—a business that will go through the individual items and sort them according to type and quality.

Approximately half of the clothes are sent to recycling centers where non-wearable items can be repurposed into new things. The other half is in good enough condition to sell again.”



The organization goes on to state that it is better that the used clothes are sold rather than being thrown away and creating more waste, which is plausible statement. But they also say that the clothes aren’t given away for free because the demand for used clothes in the U.S. is not high enough and that donating them to developing countries would do more harm than good. Both former reasons are more than debatable.

Planet Aid has been scrutinized by several charitable watchdogs for its practice of selling the donated goods as well as the large profits it brings in annually. According to CharityWatch.org, Planetary Aid grossed $41 million in 2014 from sales. While these are good reasons to be more than weary of Planet Aid, there is an even more sinister side.

Funding from Planet Aid profits go to a group called Tvind or The Teachers Group, which is considered by former members and its other adversaries as a mind controlling cult.



“I would say it is a cult, it's a political organization, even a charitable organization. It's a chameleon. And at the same time they grow bigger and bigger," said Danish journalist Thomas Stockholm, who has made several in-depth documentaries on Tvind.

Tvind also receives funds from Humana People-to-People, the Gaia Movement Trust, UFF, DAPP and even grants from the U.S. government.

“The US government has also spent more than a $130 million on Planet Aid. If you're paying taxes, you're contributing, through some very special grant programs run by the US Department of Agriculture,” said Al Letson from the Center for Investigative Reporting on a Reveal Radio broadcast.

In 2002 the charismatic guru-like founder and leader of Tvind, Mogens Amdi Petersen, was arrested in Los Angeles, California after having been in hiding for 22 years. He was extradited to Denmark for charges that amounted to $24 million in fraud. But in 2007 Petersen fled Denmark and has been a fugitive wanted by Interpol ever since. It is alleged that currently Tvind has 140 offshore companies and bank accounts.



In the grand scheme of things this story should not lead the reader to become uncharitable but to definitely research the organization they are donating to. A good way to donate used clothes and goods are to small houses of worship, homeless shelters and missions, or directly to those in need in your own area, community, or family. The best resource we can give is our own time, work, and love.

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