permaculture

[Bob Howard <rmhoward@omninet.net.au>]

Gawd! what a week - even my cat's pissed off with me! She got locked in
the car and I almost drove off with her... I mean it's not even my car
and it's only because it's so damn cold and rainy that I borrowed the car
off my partner instead of riding my pushbike.

As well as that Ive been called a "bigot" , "bitter" and an "avid flamer" and been treated to lectures about non-violent communication -all because I made a flippant remark about the education system of the U.S.A. and the resulting ignorance of some of it's citizens. I never said anything about it's people as a whole. I used the word Amerikan in the same way that I might use the word Australian - to describe the state or it's cultural manifestations.

I actually think the real problem is that people were offended by my spelling but they chose (with one query as an aside) not to question this, preferring instead to engage in name calling and to somehow imply that I had suggested that there was some racial trait that made Amerikan's dumb.

The reason I spell Amerikan this way is because I used to spell it this way until the end of the Vietnam War as a way of not insulting the other people who live on the continent since there is no other easy adjective to use. With the recurrence of hostilities I've resumed this spelling. It's probably an old habit, by an old sixties draft dodger, but not one I'm going to change until the War on "Terrorism" is over.

Everyday for the last 30 years I have worked alongside Aboriginal people in Australia - the other day one them said to me "Oh your an honorary Noongar, Bob" It was a nice copmliment but I demurred, I've never pretended to be anything other than what I am, the great great grandson of British and Anglo-Irish migrants. Every time I meet a new person in the Noongar community I have to prove my worth all over again, demonstrate that I'm not like all the rest of them, those wadjilas who simply don't or can't make the effort to understand. I've lost more white friends that I can count because I insist upon this work.

My partner is pissed of because this week I started back again once more, doing books,  finding money, repairing buildings etc. etc. and generally stressing myself out.

It's Wednesday night and I'm really tired and I've got a busy day tomorrow but I'm sitting here typing because I think some people owe me an apology for their cruel and careless name calling.

Thinking up creative ways to respond to these tirades so as not too inflame passions any more has taken up valuable sleeping time as I've lain in bed at night. But I care about what I do and I care about people's opinions and I don't think that I have all the answers.

I spent today, Wordl Environment Day, handing out a leaflet urging the timber industry to tranpsort it's woodchips by rail instead of by road. This is after the local timber company tried to take out a slap writ on me for comments I made in the local paper. They called me "intemperate" and "mischevious" but I can't afford to sue them. And it takes all my courage just to risk printing a leaflet in the face of their threats.

I think that a lot of people are suffering from a severe lack of a sense of humour. It's understandable, might has proved itself to be right and a mouse daren't squeak in the face of such a 'victory'.

But people, the world still turns, the sun still rises and right will prevail once more... this is more than a prayer it's a safe bet.

Bob