Ed Hale Transcends Iranian Conflict - Rock Star And Good Will Ambassador Will Visit Iran

by Keith Hannaleck

New York, Ny (PressExposure) February 25, 2008 --

14 delegates chosen from across the United States will be going on a Peace Delegation to the country of Iran with The Fellowship of Reconciliation (www.forusa.org) – an organization headquartered in over 40 countries worldwide and started in 1914 in Switzerland to prevent war in Europe. Transcendence lead singer Ed Hale has been chosen to be one of the 14 delegates.
Along with 10 others the group also consists of writer Larry Beinhart, best known for Wag the Dog, and Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin, Carah Lynn Ong, Policy Analyst for the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation in Washington DC, and journalist Robert Dreyfus, contributing editor and writer for The Nation, Rolling Stone, The New Republic and other publications.

The group will tour Iran for two-weeks, primarily focusing on the major cities of Tehran, Shiraz, and Qom. The group will visit schools, universities, newspapers, radio, and TV stations to foster more harmony and solidarity between the American and Iranian people. They will meet with three reigning Ayatollahs and with the former Iranian President Khatami. The Fellowship of Reconciliation is a non-religious not-for-profit organization that has been sponsoring trips such as these for over eighty years all over the world. Their primary mission is to foster peace and understanding between peoples of different cultures to prevent war.

Hale sings in the rock band Transcendence (Universal) and is also known for his outspoken human rights and peace activism and volunteer work around the world. He just returned from two weeks of home building in Africa with Habitat for Humanity and made two separate trips to the Gulf Coast last year to help rebuild homes for Hurricane Katrina victims in Biloxi, Mississippi. He and his band mates have two new albums coming out this year, The Great Mistake, and All Your Heroes Become Villains.

A sign of the times, the funds to help pay Hale's expenses were raised entirely online using social networking sites such as MySpace and something known as the ChipIn widget. Fans and friends were encouraged to post comments and donate anything they wanted to. The “widget” tracked the progress in real-time so all could log-on at anytime to see how much money had been collected and watch as the goal was reached and read comments from fans from around the world.

Hale has been keeping a blog about the trip online and will continue to post reports while he is in Iran. Upon his return he will be speaking at various events about the experience and will be available for interviews and speaking events to talk more about his experiences.

TMG Records 304 Park Avenue South, 11 th Floor, New York , NY 10010 United States. 800-827-7763 theambassador@transcendence.com http://www.edhale.com/

To learn more about the Fellowship of Reconciliation organization and how you can become involved click here http://www.forusa.org/

For more information http://edhale.chipin.com/ed-hale-goes-to-iran-with-peace-delegation

Preparation Part Two

On and on it goes. To Esfahan, more palaces, more meetings, to participate in traditional Sakris church services. A meeting with the Islamic Consultative Assembly and then Tehran University to meet with Ayatollah Amid Zanjani, Chancellor of the University. On to Qom and the World Center for Islamic Sciences, and a few more universities. Then the Research Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Most impressive to me at first glance is the fact that we will then be meeting with the Former President of Iran â?? Hojjatol Islam Khatami. A man whose name we have read about a lot in the last ten years all over the world. I will remain quiet and humble and gracious throughout and try to take it all in as best I can. We then visit the Jewish Temple â?? yes there is a Jewish Temple in Iran and in fact the largest population of Jews in the middle east live in Iran outside of Israel which many of us hadn't realized. Then we meet with Ayatollah Taskhiri, Secretary General of the World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.

To think that for the last four years I have sat for hours exhaustively studying books and documentaries about this culture, this religion, this history, these people, and will now get to experience at least a glance of it firsthand is still not an entirely real idea to me. I suppose it will not be fully until we are actually there.

Two things come to mind when I reflect on the opportunity: One, when we set our sights on something, we have the ability to achieve it. God and/or the Universe begins to shape itself around our thoughts and actions and our reality becomes shaped by it. Be careful what you think â?? it just might happen. Two, I stay in a constant state of gratitude and appreciation of the many friends and fans and family members who have contributed to this newest adventure. It keeps me on my toes. Watchful. Grateful. Blessed.

Well this isn't going to be the Bahamas...

We are less than two weeks away from this trip... not enough time to write much now. We are being bombarded by an absolute ton of information in something known as Civilian Diplomacy Training as well as the usual assortment of basic info, book and movie recommendations, and the like. I am find myself at once overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material i need to put to memory and the reality that I am actually partaking in such an adventure -- the event made all the more intriguing as dubious news pieces continue to come across our American airwaves and international news media about US/Iran relations...

I also find myself extremely humbled once i got a glance at the bios of the other American delegates who were chosen to go on this trip. Not a rocker in the bunch except for yours truly. Each of them entirely successful and well rounded individuals in numerous and various fields of activist, volunteer, philanthropic, NGO, and civilian activities. I find myself often wondering "why me?" and "How can i possibly add anything to this already stellar cast of individuals?"

I also find myself very humbled and honored by the generous donations and contributions that have been coming in from people in order to make this trip possible. I am so humbled by it, so honored, that it makes me take heed of every word i say, every thought that i notice in my mind, and every action i take, for fear of dishonoring one of those who donated for such a noble cause.

more later. i will that i will do my absolute best to do whatever it is that i am supposed to in this newest venture.