[Peace-discuss] How you can support Safe Haven tent community
E. Wayne Johnson
ewj at pigs.ag
Fri Jul 31 12:15:25 CDT 2009
I think the idea is inspiring.
Cooperatives could be a viable libertarian/anarchosyndicalist
alternative to the authoritarian statist-capitalism brought to you by
the Bushite-Obots. The government serves a role in
enabling/encouraging/promoting volunteerism but not
mandating/dictating/coercing into cooperatives.
Isn't that the normal role of government in America?
Cooperatives should be generally under very local control but could be
part of a much larger networks with multiple links.
There are still quite a few smallish farmer's co-ops out there, locally
there is a Midwest Buyer Co-op,
Hog Inc. in Greenfield (which is a de facto farmer-owned coop although
it is a corporation),
and Fisher Farmers Grain (Premier Grains) in Fisher which has been in
business 102 years.
Land o'Lakes is a cooperative that has some corporate growth
characteristics.
Prairie Farms is also a cooperative, as is GrowMark (FS). Some co-ops
have failed and were bought out
by corporate giants like ADM, Cargill, Smithfield, etc., and some have
been successful and retained
their friendly local service-oriented character.
The fact that co-ops can fail is actually a good thing and an advantage
of coops over government agencies.
If coops become destructive to the ends they were created to serve,
co-ops can fail. It's
a major undertaking to alter or to abolish a destructive government that
is not responsive to
needs of the people.
On 7/31/2009 6:58 AM, unionyes wrote:
> Thanks for sharing this Wayne,
> Very informative and inspiring.
> When I was a kid in the 1960's, I use to see in rural Illinois and
> Iowa, grain elevators that had signs painted on them " so and so
> county or regional cooperative " , but these signs began disappearing
> during the 1970's with the rise of the trans global agricultural
> monsters of ADM and Cargil.
> Are there any such farmers grain cooperatives still left in southern
> Illinois ?
> David Johnson
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* E. Wayne Johnson <mailto:ewj at pigs.ag>
> *To:* John W. <mailto:jbw292002 at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* peace discuss <mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> ;
> Danielle Chynoweth <mailto:chyn at ojctech.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, July 30, 2009 11:51 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Peace-discuss] How you can support Safe Haven tent
> community
>
> 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 didn't 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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