Since I haven't researched it enought to get a real grasp of it yet, the basic impression I got was that "passive" meant something not noticed or felt on land or in one region but has an effect in other locations where it may be felt. Kind of like if I pressed a button to set off an explosion in a remote place, I would be the trigger but the event would occur elsewhere. Blaming the USA on the tsunami is as crazy imo as blaming the USA for Mt. St. Helen's (no, Bush did not plant a nuke in the volcano to make it active to rid the USA of park land for secret testing sites or something). I just can't fathom thinking like that. Not that governments around the world don't do unethical things at times. They all do. But the tsunami belief just dropped off the edge of reason to me.
I wish I understood the earth's tectonic plates and fault lines, seismic areas etc. more to explain it better but it is fascinating to me and I will explore it further. That is what is great about the internet to me.
Regarding how things can get carried on, as long as people know where I come from then I don't care where someone takes it to according to their beliefs, I just wanted to be clear I wasn't spiritualizing what was a rare event.
I sure don't believe the US orchestrated the tsunami via manipulation. I am amazed when people believe that. It reminds me of the big alien abduction craze. But, to each his or her own.

> Oh, believe me I know what you're saying. I
> have started what I thought were innocuous,
> as in harmless, messages only to have them
> turned into chaos. Of course, I'll bear the
> blame for this to some extent since I made a
> joke about it.

> What does the geologist mean by
> "passive events?" Could it be
> linked to oil drilling, for example? I
> thought about that.