My Solution

Part of my intention for this blog was help shape a positive future.

I haven't been doing much of that, hung up on the van and assorted mechanical problems, and for that I apologize.

But now I am free to go in search of my Green Valley.
I believe that after attitude, community is the most critical factor to survival.

I need to find my Tribe.

I want to be far away from the cities. I want to leave this culture of fear and death and poisons.

I want to greet the dawn with the birds, smell dew on the grass, and feel the plants and the forests living around me.
I want to let the sun shine on my face every day, and give thanks.

I will no longer sign contracts I don't understand.
I will no longer be a wage slave.
I will no longer pay taxes.
I will no longer buy useless crap.
I will no longer be a victim of circumstance.
I will not take water or food for granted.
I will not take my life for granted.
I will not take my freedom for granted.

I will take resposibility for my life and its direction.
I will raise much of my own food.
I will generate my own electricity.
I will grow my own fuel.
I will cultivate community with honest, hard working people.
I will cultivate a local barter economy with my neighbors.

I am opting out.
If I no longer feed the beast system, it will get weaker.

I'm fortunate to have found a few groups of like minded people who've already got a good start on opting out.
Sorry, I can't tell where.
Everybody has to find the community that is right for them.
Or cultivate the community they are already a part of.

We need each other to survive successfully. And we need RESPECT to survive as a group. We need RESPECT to survive within our ecosystem.

We must live the future we seek.

I'm off to find a better way.

End Game

I'm reading End Game by Derrick Jenson. Wow.
This book makes me horrified and angry beyond words. It makes even someone as comitted to surviving as I am consider doing the planet a favor by offing themselves.
(I only briefly thought about it.)
Everything I saw last night made me angry.
I was watching Modern Marvels on the History channel (Bulletproof) and an ad for the logging show Axe Men came on. I can't watch that show. It hurts me to watch the hills around my Green Valley be stripped of life, and to watch the process be glorified.
I said as much, and the Ex said "As long as they replant, it's OK. Without lumber we have no new houses, no growth." This is precisely the kind of attitude Derrick Jensen rails against.
"Maybe we shouldn't be growing anymore."

It was obvious he didn't understand. Didn't WANT to understand. He kept arguing, I kept grunting non-commitally.
Then Modern Marvels 'The Lumberyard' came on. More death. I went away. I couldn't watch it.
I looked at the internet, and saw an article about regulating banks, and how there should be worldwide standards and a Global Oversight Committee. Global Bank?

"This is it. We've reached the border. This is it. The New World Order."
Clutch - "Juggernaut"

Then the Dark Lord came on the TeeVee. Wow, he's letting real people like you and I ask questions in a "town hall" forum. Our government really DOES care about the little people. I feel so warm and fuzzy inside. Obammy GOOD......
NOT!
Don't think for a minute all those people weren't selected beforehand, so they could only ask questions that continue to distract us from the real issue.

NO MORE GROWTH!!!

WE ARE KILLING THE PLANET!!!

THERE WILL NOT BE ANYTHING LEFT FOR OUR CHILDREN BUT SLAVERY AND SOYLENT GREEN AND MANUFACTURED "AIR"!!!

Oh wait, I forgot. That is exactly what TPTB want.
No more Salmon, or lobsters, or trees, or clear trout streams. No more tigers, or bees, or apples, or whales, or pumpkins.

Will our children be as blind to the horror of their existance as we are to ours? Will they just accept that "it's the way things are?"
If I live to see it, I WILL off myself. And I'll take out as many of the murderers as I can along with me. Death by cop anyone?

I'm glad the economy is in the toilet. It slows the "progress" a little bit.
This civilization has got to go. We need to throw it out and start over. Yes, lots of people will probably die. It is necessary. I just hope it's TPTB that go first.
Come on Mother Nature, little help here?
I know you're pissed. I know you've got it in you to take this shit OUT.

One passage in End Game really helped me quit worrying about my own story;

"All of this has to stop. The truth is I am going to die someday. That's life. And if I die in the population reduction that takes place as a corrective to our having overshot carrying capacity, well, that's life too. Finally, if my death comes as part of something that serves the larger community, that helps stabilize and enrich the landbase of which I'm a part, so much the better."

The most important revelations in my life have come when I was very afraid of dying. Each time, I was able to let go of that fear. If I die, then I die. C'est la vie.
Not too many things feel as FREE as releasing your fear.

So I'm not afraid anymore.
Now I'm just ANGRY.

"I have suffered/ for your sins. But now is when/ the fun begins!"

Right to Eat (HR875)

This is reposted from Tom over at American Preppers Network.

http://americanpreppersnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/03/looking-more-into-hr-875.html

Looking more into HR875
For those who think gardens and small farms are safe under this bill, you need to keep reading deeper into the bill....They've purposely made it so long and boring, that you miss the important parts. Therefore, I've taken out just one small but very important part for you to read.

First of all, "food production facilities" ARE regulated. Sure, Food production facilities are excluded from the same regulation as Food establishments, but fall under separate regulation under section 206. Now, as in the definitions: food production facility' means **any** farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation. That is so broad that it could include hobby farms and even gardens. Let's say you have a couple rows of grapes. Can that be a vineyard under their definition? Lets say you have 5 goats and a horse on a 5 acre piece of land. can that be considered a farm? Now go to section 206 Here is just a small part of it. This is where it gets scary....

I've highlighted my comments in Blue

SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.
(a) AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out the duties of the Administrator and the purposes of this Act, the Administrator shall have the authority, with respect to food production facilities, to—
(1) visit and inspect food production facilities in the United States and in foreign countries (overstepping their bounds a little eh?)to determine if they are operating in compliance with the requirements of the food safety law;
2) review food safety records (are you good at record keeping?) as required to be
kept by the Administrator under section 210 and for other food safety purposes;
(3) set good practice standards to protect the
public and animal health and promote food safety;

***Notice this part***

(4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate; and
5) collect and maintain information relevant to public health and farm practices.
(b) INSPECTION OF RECORDS.—A food production
facility shall permit the Administrator upon presentation of appropriate credentials and at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, to have access to and ability to copy all records maintained by or on behalf of such food production establishment (Look at this one, I highlighted it in Green, these guys are so STUPID that they are intermingling 2 different defined terms "food establishment" and "food production facility" taking it into context I'm assuming they are talking about a food production facility) in any format (including paper or electronic) and at any location, that are necessary to assist the Administrator— (You want government prying in your personal life more than they already are?)

Plus there's tons more very restrictive legislation. This is an evil bill Co-sponsored by the wife of someone who works for Monsanto

Not to mention, even if it did specifically exclude gardens, hobby farms and organic farms, which it does not, the cost would be so enormous that our already high food prices would go through the roof....If Monsanto favors this bill, it cant be good.

Now, there are those people out there that think this is a good bill because it "protects us", or those that feel small farms and gardens are safe. But some of the problems are 1) They appoint industry leaders as experts. Who do you think will get to be the "expert" a small organic farmer or the CEO of a major corporate farm? 2) The wording is so broad that it's open to interpretation. 3) They appoint "food police" to enforce these regulations. Now, when the food police come to your "farm" and fine you. You know what they will say? "Sorry, I don't interpret the law, I enforce the law" Can you afford an uphill legal battle to protect your farm, garden, vineyard, orchard, or livestock?

Here's The petition to fight this bill

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26714

Sign, copy and email this petition to everyone you know. Drop a comment and let the world know you've done your part

Here's my personal declaration to fight this bill
http://americanpreppersnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/03/hr-875.html

**Note, Please copy and forward this article to everyone you know and re-post it to your own websites, just make sure there is a link back to this site so we can get more people involved in fighting this bill

************************
I'm so pissed off about this bill I can't even talk right now.
I am very concerned when government intereferes with the second amendment. But as a grower of plants, this is hitting one of my most basic, God Given rights to even exist.

Aaaauuughhhhhh!!!!!
Stop the insanity!!!!!!!!!
Just LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dog Gumbo

No, this isn't a recipe (that might come later) just some thoughts on post collapse city life VS post collapse country life. I consider myself fortunate to have experienced Hurricane Katrina. It allowed me to see firsthand how quickly the thin veneer of civilization can dissolve when people start to get desperate.

I was very fortunate to be in the 'country' a few miles outside of a one-stoplight town on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. I was prepared. I evacuated (not far) with marine batteries, 12V fans, food, water, gas, chainsaw, camping gear, xtra fuel, batteries, etc. Driving back to my house there were no street signs. They had all been blown down. I saw no other vehicles on the freeway. It occurred to me then that I was entirely on my own. No phones worked. No power anywhere. No gas stations, no grocery stores, no help. If I was to survive, it was all up to me. It was an interesting feeling. I had to stop several times, fire up the chainsaw, and clear the road to get through. Power lines and debris covered the roads.

I was very lucky. The flood was about a foot shy of getting inside my house. Once I got back to the house, I lived on the screen porch for a month with no power or running water. I would read by candlelight, or listen to the chaos in the city on my battery powered radio. After the first night, I decided I needed a gun (I didn't own one). I painted "Looters will be shot" on my plywood, and carved a big oak branch with a knot on the end. Not much good against a gun, but maybe good against someone who thought they were dealing with a unarmed female, and better than nothing. But it was good to be out in the stix. The people in my neighborhood worked to clear the roads. I brought my neighbor a tarp because a tree went through her roof, and mine was mostly OK. She hugged me and cried. I had never met her before.

A few days later, I ventured out for supplies. I procured 30 gals of gas for $95.00 after waiting in line for four hours. I showered with water left in the pressure tank at the nursery I managed, and stood naked in my store drying myself off. It was surreal.

Hurricane Katrina provided me with an invaluable snapshot of both the worst and the best sides of Humanity. It made me realize how much we take for granted, and how easy it is for all that to fall apart. It fully reinforced my notion that if you wait for help from the government, YOU WILL DIE WAITING. And it convinced a formerly pacifist hippie to arm herself to the teeth.

It really was quite an adventure.

Elephant Riders

I have had a series of very interesting personal encounters lately, so while the naval jelly is working it's chemical magic on the rust I thought I would write about them...

A few days ago I went to the grocery store to buy cat food and beer (which, aside from materials for the van constitute the bulk of my consumerism). At the checkout line there was a retarded white girl of about 8 years attended by a middle age black lady.

As soon as I put my cat food on the belt, the girl said "Want a hug?"

"Sure! I'll have a hug!" I hugged her.

"Kitty?" she said, pointing at the cat food.

"Yes. Three kitties."

At this point the black lady had completed her transaction and was trying to leave.

"Want a hug?" the girl said again.

"OK, one more hug, then you have to go."

"OK." I hugged her again, and they left.

I found myself feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and envying this retarded girl for living such a simple, pure life. She reminded me of what I was, once. Innocent. Loving. Happy to just BE.

I'm so glad for her that she is oblivious to all the dark in this world.

A day or two later, I found myself in the local bar. Just a burger and perhaps a couple pints.

A slick looking middle aged man came in with a younger chick who was obviously a stripper. They were completely loaded, and hadn't slept for 24hrs (fucking coke heads.) We had an interesting discussion about cutting grass, loving the smell, and the satisfaction of a freshly cut lawn. The stripper loved cutting grass, and knew how to clean fish. A girl after my own heart. The man, who turned out to be the owner of the strip club, would never bother to do ANYTHING he could pay somebody else to do. He could not understand the gratification of cutting grass. He had never caught or cleaned a fish, despite being raised in Bayou country.

They were so far removed from my worldview, all I could do was laugh at them.

Yesterday, a customer called to order soil. We got to talking about organic gardening, how our food system is fucked, how the economy is tanked and other such gloom and doom. We talked for about 45 minutes. Wow, an honest to god fellow survivalist. He was moving to Texas to start a homestead/organic farm. Lots of people seem to be going to Texas. I didn't really like Texas when I went through there, but I was still a naive, pacifist hippie who thought guns were BAD. Times have changed. I find myself relating better to many of the so called 'psycho' gun toting folk than to pacifist hippies or "normal" people.

That is the second customer in a week who has talked frankly to me about getting OUT.

It's a sign.

OK, back to killing rust.

"Elephant riders to the north bring news of battle.." -Clutch