Update! — 2 peace-liberty organizations use logos with a similar theme — a natural? See their sources in the link above.
Local food freedom vs centralized supply
On top of the economic crises, new federal laws would make growing local food harder.
Instead of top-down controls, we need freedom to produce and exchange in our communities, to avoid mass disruptions or widespread food contamination caused by centralized supply. This article details the urgency of this problem and tells how to be effective, here.
Archive for March, 2009
Local Food vs Federal Control
March 28th, 2009A bountiful food garden for every home
March 19th, 2009
Strong, Healthy, Independent Resilience Each of us can insure that our families, our communities are provided with food through the toughest of times. Look what this family has achieved on an ordinary urban lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCPEBM5ol0Q
When we have whole neighborhoods doing this, we’ll be a much stronger nation of independent and resilient people who can cope with bad times and flourish in good times.
L.A. residents give private shelters to homeless
March 11th, 2009
Everyone Deserves A Roof One man had an idea and made it happen.
Peter Samuelson came up with an idea for cheap private shelters for homeless people; as a movie producer, he knew how to make things happen. No waiting for a slow bureaucracy to crank into motion and, months or years later, put some homeless people into a poorly-managed stadium, or wasteful FEMA trailers.
Samuelson biked through L.A. and talked with homeless people — 62 in all. He listened to their needs, what they wanted most. That’s how he came up with the idea for EDAR, which stands for Everyone Deserves A Roof.
“It’s like your own home, your own apartment, your own room,” says Brenda Gardenhire, beaming at her 7′ long living space on wheels. “No one can come in here but me.” For the full story by Ted Rowlands and Wayne Drash, CNN.Com click the link below:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/10/homeless.tents/index.html
To get a job done fast and well, we must do it ourselves.As state and federal agencies go bankrupt, we should remember that people are the source of ideas and productivity.
Elkhart, Indiana has the worst unemployment rate in the nation, 18.3% in January. President Obama visited the town to rally support for his $800 billion bailout, but after the photo ops and the bailout passed, Elkhart still suffers the fastest-growing unemployment due to the collapse of its main industry, RV manufacturing. Nationally, retiree pension funds and savings have dwindled or disappeared, so no one’s buying those luxurious recreational vehicles.
Maybe some relief will eventually trickle to Elkhart from the bailout; but warm-hearted Americans didn’t wait, they immediately sprang into action delivering food and survival goods. Feed the Children worked with the community yesterday to feed 5,200 hungry families. The nonprofit relief organization ’s “Feeding American Emergency Caravan” is visiting small cities and towns across America.
“What we want people to know,” Larry Jones, founder and president of Feed the Children said, “is that in this time of despair, there is hope. People haven’t forgotten you.”
Before times get any harder we all need to be busy producing food and shelter and supplies to secure our families and help those in need. To read the MSNBC.com Elkhart story by Truth Staff, click: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29617742 And anyone interested in helping Feed the Children may contact:
http://www.feedthechildren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=org_us_programs
Keep our rights to produce and purchase the healthiest foods for our families
March 8th, 2009
FDA legislation benefits Big Farming and harms small farmers and consumers.
Industrial farming grows foods lacking the nutritional quality of food grown by small sustainable farming that keeps soil and animals healthy and fertile.
As a result, consumers suffer poorer health and outbreaks of food poisoning from products grown and processed in giant factory farms, slaughter houses, and packaging plants. Local farm foods are fresher and more nutritious, but we see constant harassment and restrictions of small farmers by federal agencies.
The Department of Agriculture has proposed that all farm animals be tagged and registered into a federal database. The burdensome work and expense of this program will put more farmers out of business. Those that stay will have to charge us extra to cover compliance costs. And the bureaucratic program will increase our taxes.
Shamefully, charges already have beenmade against farmers who refuse to comply with wasteful, out-of-control legislation. Such as Immanuel Miller, a Wisconsin Amish farmer who follows the traditions of his faith and his farming forbearers.
To see how you can help keep healthy foods and more farming jobs in our economy, click this link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26665
Availability of pure water and food — up to us
March 7th, 2009
How to Obtain Water If Supply Is Contaminated Or Cut Off In An Emergency
WikiHow is a great source of everyday know-how. Here is one technique we all should know since water is the most urgent of needs in an emergency situation:
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Emergency-Drinking-Water-from-a-Water-Heater
And How to Catch Rainwater — For Use Right Now
Simple, efficient. Here’s the link.
The Right To Grow And Purchase Local Organic Food Depends On Us
We talk a lot on this site about local food production for our own health and the health of our communities. Besides the economic crisis which may disrupt food supplies, the film trailer at the following link explains the growing threat to food sources by corporate giants granted patents and government-enforced monopolies on seed production, harvesting, and use. http://www.mercola.com/future-of-food/index.htm Our rights to produce and purchase local, organic foods depends on all of us refusing to accept products of monopoly corporations, and rejecting legislation that limits our choices.