[permaculture] on an ethics of Mr Pittman (and the US military)

LBUZZELL at aol.com LBUZZELL at aol.com
Fri Aug 13 17:49:42 EDT 2010


Thanks, Lee. I think this is an important discussion.
 
I wonder how this might be viewed not just from the viewpoint of "we  
Americans" but by the people being occupied?  When we approach a new  
permaculture design, don't we look at the land not only from our own point of  view but 
also consider how our possible actions might be received by or impact  
other living beings who may have lived here long before we arrived?
 
It seems clear from this ongoing dialogue that there are a wide variety of  
opinions on whether or not permaculturists should or should not work for 
the US  military.  All worth considering.  Perhaps some kind of consensus will 
 emerge...
 
Linda
 
 
In a message dated 8/13/2010 12:48:22 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
leeflier at comcast.net writes:

Wow.  I go out of town and come back to find this discussion  going on.

If there's one thing I know about permaculture, it's that it  requires us 
to begin where we are.  Zone 1 starts outside our front  door.  It 
doesn't require that we wait until conditions are ideal  before we act - 
in fact, it seems to require exactly the  opposite.

Where we are now is that we have troops deployed in places  where the 
land and people are extremely fragile.  While we Americans  can certainly 
do other things at the ballot box and elsewhere to try to  change that, 
right now this is where we are.  And if there's a chance  of any lives 
being saved because our troops have some knowledge of  permaculture, then 
it should absolutely be taught.  Would you  advocate denying a soldier 
first aid training, which could save lives,  because you disapprove of 
what that soldier is doing otherwise?   Because permaculture is first and 
foremost first aid for the earth.   We as permaculturists may be 
powerless for the time being to stop the  damage of war entirely, but if 
there's any damage committed through  ignorance that we can minimize, or 
any healing of the land or people that  can be done if our troops just 
had a little knowledge, then I think it's  imperative to teach our 
soldiers if we have the opportunity, as Scott  does.  I think it's 
imperative in fact to teach anyone willing to  learn, regardless of the 
compromised circumstances under which we all have  to work.  Working to 
change the system from the inside is just as  valid a pursuit as any 
other - and maybe more thankless since we often get  flack from within 
our own  ranks.

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