Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Phil Bunch" <pbunch@cox.net>]

You also had "Pretty Boy Floyd." A b of a Robin Hood figure but something to
think about.

-----Original Message-----
From: livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
TradingPostPaul
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 1:31 PM
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Forget oil, the new global crisis is food


In the '30s Depression you didn't have wandering hordes preying on those
who had food and other necessities. You had men riding the rails and
stopping at the back doors of marked houses asking for a sandwich - which
they often got. You had Hoovervilles where freshwater was there for the
taking, and government run camps in some places. In hard times people are
likely to work together and share. Read The Grapes of Wrath. We could learn
from those times. Now when disaster strikes or severe storm warnings go
out, supermarket shelves can be stripped in hours or minutes, and outside
help just doesn't show up when it's most needed.  

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 1/10/2008 at 1:02 PM Phil Bunch wrote:

>> But witness the explosion of fast food, huge plasma
>TVs, McMansions and Hummers and monster RVs. It's going to be really hard
>to feel sorry for them.<
>
>IMHO it's not a matter of feeling sorry for folks who don't have a clue.
>It's the practical reality of dealing with them.  These people may not go
>down without a fight and what are we prepared to do in that situation?
>Their
>fight will most likely be waged on political grounds initially. If the
>political route is not successful I think things could get ugly.
Personally
>violence is not an option. 
>
>Hence, what is compassion in this kind of difficult situation?
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
>[mailto:livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
>TradingPostPaul
>Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 8:10 AM
>To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Forget oil, the new global crisis is food
>
>
>Throughout history it seems hard times fall hardest on the poorest and
most
>vulnerable. Few would believe it but Los Angeles already has 80,000
>homeless. You mention increasing your land's productivity. For many of us
>who have a little land, that's more realistic than trying to get more
land.
>It keeps our land costs down and concentrates inputs where they'll bring
>the best return, and that's my own strategy at this point. We are going to
>have to feed more than ourselves, and what's more do it at prices most
>people can afford. That could be difficult. 
>
>The fable of the ant and the grasshopper comes to mind. But for many in my
>area, to start growing to supplement their groceries could also be
>difficult. The key is going to be getting the most out of the least
growing
>area. Because water is not abundant, and thin, dusty topsoil needs organic
>matter, it's far more productive to improve a small area than struggle on
>and on to till, water, and weed a larger area. 
>
>Yes, the country survived the Depression in the '30s but much has changed
-
>for the worse. More than half the people lived and farmed in rural
>communities then and fared better than the jobless in the cities. The Dust
>Bowl was the obvious exception, and taught us hard lessons about plowing
up
>the prairie in times of drought. 
>
>We can argue later generations have become far too self-indulgent, spoiled
>and lazy to cope with physical work and loss of our toys and constant
>entertainment. True, a lot of people still know how to do hard, skilled
>work and pinch pennies. But witness the explosion of fast food, huge
plasma
>TVs, McMansions and Hummers and monster RVs. It's going to be really hard
>to feel sorry for them. 
>



_______________________________________________
Livingontheland mailing list
Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.0/1218 - Release Date: 1/10/2008
1:32 PM