[Peace-discuss] How you can support Safe Haven tent community

[E. Wayne Johnson]

On 7/30/2009 10:29 PM, John W. wrote:
> That sounds fabulous, Wayne.  You start.
>
> John Wason
This comment and point is very well taken, John.

I did start thinking about it some time back.  I pointed out to the 
Urbana City Council
how ridiculous it is to spend Millions on bicycle paths and widening 
Windsor road east of Meijer,
and other cosmetic niceties in the face of a major economic depression 
and many real physical
needs for basic food shelter clothing among our residents.

***
I have been thinking about cooperatives.

I spent a couple of weeks in rural southern IL recently, in one of the 
most remote rural areas.
They didn't get electricity there until 1947.  It's 12 miles to the 
nearest town.
Presently electrical energy is provided by the Southeastern Illinois 
Electric Cooperative (SEIEC),
which is a true co-op owned by the users of the electricity,
and run by a board of directors from among the local users.  Their cost of
electric energy is something like about half what we are paying for the 
same service provided by Ameren.

Ameren produces electricity for the benefit of its stockholders.  Ameren 
is considered to be a good investment stock.
SEIEC produces electricity of the benefit of those who use the 
electricity, and since it is user-owned, their
margin of income above cost is used to improve the quality of service 
and reduce costs.

They didn't get telephone service there until the early 1960's.
That is provided by a local telephone cooperative.  The cooperative is 
managed similarly
to the electric co-op model, and indeed originated from the same 
system.   They return a portion
of their profits to the users every year about Christmas time.  They 
dont have 911 service.  Their
voters rejected 911 service by a tremendous margin.  They dont need 
911.  They call their
neighbors when they are in trouble.  Most of the time they dont want the 
police and/or an ambulance.

The co-op started to offer dial-up internet service in 1994.  Now they 
have installed a fiber-optic network for
internet service that reaches all the way to the "lost 80".  We have no 
such thing going on
in Champaign county even though the population is nearly 20 times that 
of rural Hamilton County.

One might imagine that the technological superiority of the backward 
people in rural Hamilton County
is because they are smarter and more affluent than the hicks and 
flatland hillbillies of Champaign County,
but it would be fairly difficult to demonstrate such a conclusion by any 
sort of interferential stats.

AT&T and GTE didnt find that there was anything worth stealing in rural 
southern IL so they were unwilling
to do business there.  Finally the locals organized themselves and put 
in their own service.

Why not some sort of cooperative housing for the homeless?  Government 
programs don't seem to work and are characterized
by stupid rules and evil authoritarians rolling up their sleeves to beat 
people into compliance with the rules.
A cooperative system could provide independent super-local governance, 
some guaranteed freedom from goofy zoners, regulators,
and tax-eaters,  protection from predatory construction guilds, all in 
the name of getting a roof over peoples heads.


>
> On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 6:28 AM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag 
> <mailto:ewj at pigs.ag>> wrote:
>
>     A fellow went to see his therapist.
>
>     "Doc, I've been having these nightmares.
>     Sometimes I dream that I'm a Wigwam.
>     Other times I dream that I'm a Tipi.
>     What's this all about?"
>
>     "Your problem is Obvious.
>     You're Two Tents."
>
>     *****
>
>     Passing out doses of Librium might help everyone to develop a
>     successful
>     long-term strategy for housing the "domestically challenged".
>
>     One has to decide what is really going on and what is really at
>     stake here (no more puns, please.)
>
>     There IS a practical issue of health and safety.  Modern native
>     Americans, most of whose ancestors
>     recently traversed the east big pond or its contralateral larger
>     equivalent, don't really know much about
>     long term dwelling in tent communities.   Phantasmagoric concerns
>     about ceeohtwo induced hyperthermic
>     cataclysm cast aside, no one is going to short-term overcome the
>     fact that Central Illinois is a nassty place to camp for the
>     winter even in the confines of a permanent-type dwelling.
>     As a campsite, the local cityscape really blows.  It's not like
>     camping in the
>     shelter of woods along the Sangamon River, wrapped up with the
>     family all huddled up in nice warm
>     relatively repellent animal skins with a fire burning in the tipi
>     and an supper of squash, corn and roasted venison digesting
>     pleasantly in the belly.
>
>
> I suppose there are parts of Crystal Lake Park where it might be 
> pleasant to camp.  What about Busey Woods?  Possibly also some UIUC land.
>
>     Camping is fun.  No doubt a tent city in West Urbana will attract
>     people from all over who want
>     to drop out, drop by, and hang out and toke out around the
>     bonfire.  Hallelujah.
>
>     But, Modern native Americans are typically "numbskulls" as Max
>     Keiser has so delicately observed.
>     Modern native Americans are likely to die from exposure,
>     pneumonia, carbon monoxide toxicosis,
>     involuntary immolation, and diseases of general filth, because
>     they aren't Good Campers,whether happy or not.
>     Our modern native hosts are unfamiliar with the technology of
>     successful camping.
>
>     Rather than trying to cram the "right to camp" down the collective
>     throats of the genteel ruling class of West Urbana,
>     and fight with the paramilitary thugs that pass for ministers of
>     the rule of law in that community of
>     wise minds and tender hearts, why not address the primary core
>     issues of sustainable and unsustainable housing?
>
>
> That sounds fabulous, Wayne.  You start.
>
> John Wason
>
>
>
>     On 7/29/2009 8:28 AM, Danielle Chynoweth wrote:
>>     ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>     From: *Tent Community* <cu.tentcommunity at gmail.com
>>     <mailto:cu.tentcommunity at gmail.com>>
>>     Date: Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 6:42 AM
>>     Subject: updates and upcoming events
>>
>>     Hello supporters and friends,
>>
>>     We had a wonderful open house on Saturday!  Thank you to so many
>>     of you for making the day a positive experience for all involved.
>>
>>     There are a few events on the horizon:
>>
>>     1.  Zoning Board of Appeals Public Hearing, Thursday, July 30 at
>>     4:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers
>>
>>     This meeting is public, and we would love to have your support at
>>     the meeting; however, please understand that the appeal is going
>>     to be overturned.  The appeals process was simply a way to buy us
>>     time, and our appeal will not stand because it is not the
>>     appropriate process to follow to achieve our goals.  Instead, we
>>     are working along the appropriate channels by meeting with City
>>     Council members, who do have the authority to change the zoning
>>     laws.  We ask that if you come to support us, that the support be
>>     offered in a positive and understanding manner to the City Staff.
>>      Their hands are tied by the zoning code at this point, and what
>>     we can do is continue to engage the City Council to get that
>>     zoning code modified.
>>
>>     2.  Moving!
>>
>>     We will be moving from the Catholic Worker House very soon,
>>     perhaps as soon as Thursday evening.  We believe that we have a
>>     site lined up, but will wait to announce the location until the
>>     final "okay."  Upon moving, we will find ourselves with fewer
>>     resources/amenities than at the current site, particularly food
>>     and transportation.  Donations of money for bus passes would be
>>     much appreciated.
>>
>>     3.  Meeting for supporters
>>
>>     We are planning a meeting for supporters to present and
>>     brainstorm ways that you all can get involved in this
>>     project/campaign.  We have not set a date for the meeting yet,
>>     with the uncertainty of moving, but will do so as soon as
>>     possible.  We are planning for this meeting to probably take
>>     place sometime late next week.  We'll keep you posted!
>>
>>     4.  Meetings with City Council members
>>
>>     We have begun engaging the city council with our proposal for the
>>     future.  We ask that you reach out to the city council members
>>     individually with letters of support for Safe Haven and for
>>     them--we believe that the City will need to save face with this
>>     conflict, and advance praise for their support of Safe Haven can
>>     only help that cause.
>>
>>     5.  Website
>>
>>     With luck and a lot of elbow grease, we should have our website
>>     up and running in the near future.  On the website, you'll be
>>     able to find the proposal we have presented to the city, as well
>>     as other documents and information about Safe Haven.  We'll be in
>>     touch with the domain name.
>>
>>     Thank you for your continued support!
>>
>>     Safe Haven
>
>

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