HEMP! For a Brighter Tomorrow.

  Happy 4:20!! Today potheads around the country are pushing for the legalization of a harmless plant that makes your face go a little numb and giggly, while giving you an incredible urge to make blueberry waffles (not that I speak from experience). I say this as a mom and a farmer in an economically depressed area, we need to legalize marijuana and hemp, especially hemp. Yes the "sticky icky" is great for a good time and there are medical uses, but first we must legalize the commercial cultivation and manufacturing of this incredibly versatile crop.
  You can NOT get high on hemp and contrary to what the feds want to whine about, anyone can easily tell the difference between hemp and pot. Hemp, grows to up to 14ft high and is very thick. Marijuana, grows like a medium sized bush. Because the THC is in the bud of the plant, the grower wants it to be smaller allowing the plant to give it's energy to make more THC, like you would with a tomato plant.
  The cultivation of hemp would be as good for the country, economically, as would a gold rush or the discovery of a major oil well.  Not only can the fibers be turned into fabrics, and rope, but paper! Just Imagine all the trees that can be saved. And in terms of CO2 sequestration, CO2 is best sequestered during the growth of a plant. Trees actually emit CO2 at the end of their life cycle and during the winter, where as a plant that uses and incredible amount of energy to get to 14 ft in a single growing season, then harvested and turned into paper, fabric, food, etc sequesters many tons of CO2 while preventing the CO2 that would be emitted by other industries such as paper. Talk about ECO FRIENDLY! Additionally, hemp is incredibly resistant to drought and pests, therefore requiring little agricultural interventions. This means no need for poisons and nitrogen fertilizers in our water, air, and soil. Because little intervention is needed this is the ultimate cash crop. Hemp oils are also incredible. Hemp oil has more Omega 3 than fish and in the past it was used for lantern oil meaning it can be easily converted into  a bio fuel. By the way America has some of  the most crop able land on the planet. Don't you think this would would turn into an awesome export?
  Several states, including Indiana, have presented bills to legalize hemp, but not surprisingly every time they get turned down, but why? Why would our legislatures keep us from a cleaner, richer future and less dependant on foreign energy? Well guess what would happen to industries like timber, cotton, agricultural chemicals, and oil if an incredible and cheep competitor came in. And who do you think has major lobbing groups taking congressmen out to dinner an golf? And here I though the free market wasn't allowed to push out a competitor.
  To conclude, hemp does not pose a threat to America, quite the opposite. In a world with legalized hemp cultivation we will experience a new era in American agriculture. With a fresh cash crop on the stage we can have a carbon sponge that gives us fuel and fiber that can be used for a world of different needs. Today let's remember to press our legislatures to get over the fear of a plant while ending the bribery from corporations who keep this mighty crop away from the American economy.

Cool Hemp Facts:

*Henry Ford experimented with hemp to build car bodies. He wanted to build and fuel cars from farm products.

*Hemp fibers are longer, stronger, more absorbent and more mildew-resistant than cotton.

*A 1938 Popular Mechanics described hemp as a "New Billion Dollar Crop." That's back when a billion was real money.

*Fabrics made of at least one-half hemp block the sun's UV rays more effectively than other fabrics.

*George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.

*Because of its importance for sails (the word "canvass" is rooted in "cannabis") and rope for ships, hemp was a required crop in the American colonies.

*Because of its low lignin content, hemp can be pulped using less chemicals than with wood. Its natural brightness can obviate the need to use chlorine bleach, which means no extremely toxic dioxin being dumped into streams. A kinder and gentler chemistry using hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine dixoide is possible with hemp fibers.

*Hemp can displace wood fiber and save forests for watershed, wildlife habitat, recreation and oxygen production, carbon sequestration (reduces global warming), and other values.

*Hemp can yield 3-8 dry tons of fiber per acre. This is four times what an average forest can yield.

*Hemp grows well in a variety of climates and soil types. It is naturally resistant to most pests, precluding the need for pesticides. It grows tightly spaced, out-competing any weeds, so herbicides are not necessary. It also leaves a weed-free field for a following crop.

*Hemp can displace cotton which is usually grown with massive amounts of chemicals harmful to people and the environment. 50% of all the world's pesticides are sprayed on cotton. 

http://naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_facts.html

"It Wins the Election, It Gives You an Erection..... Step Right Up!"

Gold, the ultimate symbol of wealth, has been getting a little more attention lately since the dollar began to plummet. Investors, afraid of total economic collapse, have been placing their trust in this eternal metal, but why? After all it's just an arbitrary material that we have simply assessed a value to. Perhaps it's because gold is practically indestructible and resistant to most acids, air, and moisture unlike other metals. It shines and is highly mailable, one ounce can be beaten into 300 sq ft, and because of it's conductivity it is now used in electronics, most of all it's rare. "Gold is a relatively rare element, making up only 0.0000004% of the Earth’s crust (by mass). You would need at least 250 twenty-ton trucks full of earth in order to recover just 20 grams (just over half of one troy ounce) of gold. That’s a cube of gold with measuring less than one-half inch across! Gold is valuable simply because it’s scarce and difficult to extract."(http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/)

  Okay, so it's awesome, but why use it to back currency? The easiest answer is that it holds it's value, historically. "Between 1880 and 1914, the period when the United States was on the “classical gold standard,” inflation averaged only 0.1 percent per year."(www.econlib.org) However, according to inflationdata.com the current inflation rate of the US dollar is 2.65%. As our currency continues to fall and gas prices rise it's no wonder that people are looking for a stronger backing of our currency than just the "word" of the government. What makes a "gold standard" work is a central bank willing to raise it's bank rate, the Bank of England was one of the most exemplary banks because of their willingness to do this. "By causing other interest rates in the United Kingdom to rise as well, the rise in the bank rate was supposed to cause the holdings of inventories and other investment expenditures to decrease. These reductions would then cause a reduction in overall domestic spending and a fall in the price level. At the same time, the rise in the bank rate would stem any short-term capital outflow and attract short-term funds from abroad."(www.econlib.com) However, we continue to drop our interest rates, but banks are getting stingier with who they grant credit to.

     

   Hey! Why lie, we all want to be rich, we want our dollar to go farther. Money makes the world go round! That's not greed it's progress, yet "progressives" say this is impossible. Europe changed over their currency with little problem, by the way it's also backed by speculation and well.... But if we look at what history tells us, the years the UK and the US where under the gold standard there was stability and growth, defiantly something I think we can all agree that we are in desperate need of.

Where Are The Rebels?

 So, I feel compelled to get back on the blogging band wagon if for no other reason I think I should not only rant about the craziness of everything, but I also want to be on record.  Where to begin, it's been  well over a year since I've been here. This will be a new chapter in the development of my views and position on the planet and as an American citizen. Instead of carpet bombing my friends and loved ones with my in-your-face approach, I've decided best to stretch my wings in an arena where I give all the detail that's need for understanding the nuances of my opinions.
  This year is especially important and interesting. Many of our previously held values and views are being challenged. Under the hard pinch of a stagnating economy many of us don't feel there's much room for the idealism we once entertained. Without the opportunities of a prosperous nation many of us have been forced to experience the "social safety net". Have you ever wondered why those who would never use this "safety net" are the ones making up the rules and telling the populous the need for such programs? We all know the path to hell is paved with good intentions and in the interest to feeding the hungry, programs have been created that do feed people while stripping them of their dignity and the process is strung with suspicion and threats of prosecution.
  In addition to money woes police brutality, infringement of privacy, the TSA, propaganda staged as news, etc it seems we stand on the verge of a near annihilation of anything that resembled the free America that we were told of in school. The warning alarms are sounding, but so few of us are willing to hear them. The illusion is fading because the powers don't need it anymore and this is the most terrifying thing of all. All branches of government are now acting without shame, overtly showing themselves for what they really are, a controlling western fascist state. How many of us experience injustice and keep quiet or see injustice and remain unmoved to act?
   In this election year let's be involved in our process. Vote! Even if the news says it doesn't matter, especially if the news says it doesn't matter. Don't be manipulated into either side or any side. We are made up of a motel crew of independent rebels that may not like each other, in fact most of the time we hate each other, but we are a WE. The one thing Americans have in common is that we agree freedom, individual liberty, the democratic process, and sound currency without unfair taxation are worth revolution. Our flag is stained in the blood of rebels that stood up to an oppressive force that believed it was able to control men and women who wanted to be free. What would Washington say if the country he fought so hard to forge was full of distracted and manipulated cattle unworthy of being called citizen allowing the republic to be quietly overtaken.
   And that's where we'll start. Let's start a revolution. Guns aren't necessary for this revolution words are, thoughts are. This is important, it is real, and it's already happening.

"But Mummy, if We Take the Corn and Wheat Subsidy Money Aren't We Supporting the Government's Over Involvement in Agriculture Price Fixing" or Times when I've Been Told to Shut Up

      So I like to think of my mother as a great lady (who would not let me say "fart" as a child) but, when talking about not taking advantage of the government subsidy programs, that give our family farm money for doing nothing, she will down right start swearing like she just came to port on shore leave. It's hard to not say "thank you"when someone is giving you money but in this case I tend to feel like I and my family are being part of the problem by being involved in the price fixing for the corn industry.
   Okay so what is the Corn and Wheat subsidy? Well if you have a number of acres that have been assessed as able to support crops, then you can get a check twice a year for not growing anything on them. So what's wrong with that? Well, this is a major way for the government (USDA) to support the corn industry by keeping their prices high. I personally don't think that the USDA has the right or duty to support any industry. It's like "okay well how about making broccoli $10 a pound" at least actual vegetables are good for people, but high fructose corn syrup is more profitable. I guess the thing I like least about programs like these is that they aren't transparent enough, it feels like hush money. "Here's $1000 you didn't see anything" and all the farmers/ people with extra land say "Nope, you're right I am not noticing anything going on in the world of agriculture."
    So why do I take the money and run? Well, it offsets my property tax and Mom (who I so know is listening to Rush, it's the worst kept secret) does not believe in property taxes, so this is a way for us to get a huge coupon on our taxes. No joke, my mom has been putting tea bags in the envelope with her tax check since the 80's. And I agree, I don't feel the government has the right to tax my property, I mean I thought we weren't in a feudal system damn it! However, subsidies aren't the way to achieve living tax free. It's just a way to fuel the corporate machine that is strangling the country in every arena. I am happy to report that is were we agree. No one in the Hilderbrand/ Whitmill house believes in the corporate takeover of America, after all we are in the DAR and believe firmly in our complete freedom, wether it's from a government or any other entity.

    To conclude, subsidies bad, money good? Let's just say it's complicated. And I guess that's the best way for me to end this blog, It's Complicated. Everything is; in politics, environmental issues, economy, culture, blah blah blah. Once you are sure that you have the right idea on any issue, give it time cause you'll be wrong. As sure as the sun no one has the right answer and there is no one solution. If the experts were always right there wouldn't be any need for further research and advancement. Not that I would give advice, because that's the surest way to piss people off, but if you are unwilling to be flexible then you will break. Investing too much emotion into any conviction is the best way to become disillusioned once it all blows up in your face.  Is the world getting better or worst? Hell if I know, cause even though the economy is in the toilet and our CO2 problem is becoming unbearable at the same time I, a woman, am able to pursue my education and drive, something my grandmother was not allowed to do.  So even though our technological and social advancements barrel though the delicate china shop of the natural world, that just means we need to be prepared to assess the damage and repair it while trying not to do anything that can't be fixed.  This world produced Stalin and Mel Brooks so that's proof that this is a complicated place, in the last 100 years there has been huge suffering and great advances too. So   how do we proceed into the future? Carefully.
                                                                                

 p.s.

I have enjoyed the class, you haven't changed my mind on anything, but all the same.  Your attitude could have been better, but I'm sure mine could have been better too. I do believe that you show potential at being a good teacher but, you may want to ask yourself if you would want to be in your class, sometimes it was difficult. And I have liked the bloging it's been fun to fully rant about topics. So my opinion, not that it's worth much to anyone else but me, interesting class, sometimes I wanted to scream, but I did like how you formatted it. So Bravo! And best of luck!

Can You Tell Me How to Get to... Marth-topia?

             

  Welcome to paradise! I don't normally write fantasy but here it goes. I choose to pretend that the last 200 years happened in a completely different way due to the fact that fixing  the problems of the industrial revolution creates a complicated problem that no one has a real solution for.  So I will simply describe utopia as if it just worked without there being a tyrannical agency forcing people to be happy and get along. This all comes down to balance. The role of government is to defend citizens against foreign and domestic threats, provide courts to settle disputes amongst citizens, and provide services that protect citizens from social problems. The funny thing is I believe that that was the fantasy of the founders, however things have gotten a little out of whack. I will be speaking as if I were describing life in this idealized society as a citizen. We the People of Marth-topia... are so much cooler than any other utopia. Take that Thomas Moore!

 Upon arrival the first thing one realizes in Marth-topia is that there aren't any super large cities. Learning from Cholera epidemics in London, we all realized that the expense of dealing with the waste that a large population produces was simply not worth it. High population density leads to disease, pollution, and crime. To insure that people could stay spread out while experiencing economic prosperity we created market centers. Places were people come together to buy and sell, like cities however, people produce their products and live outside of these market centers. We continue to have advancements in technology, medicine, and education that are a result of our responsible management of capitalism however, we have retained a deep value in artisanship, equality, and holistic approaches. 

  Above all we value high quality and the number one way we strive to achieve a high quality of life is through education. Everyone not only achieves an academic education but, also a vocational education. There is also a lot more time for people to achieve this high level of education due to our culture not assigning time limits on education based on age but skill level. People are encouraged to achieve their personal best and if that is fourth grade for a sever autistic then they will be the best fourth grader ever. Additionally no job is lesser than any other job, so if there is someone who is an awesome janitor than no one should bring any shame on them likewise, if there is a doctor who's negligence is killing people, than our community looks down on them and they are driven out of their practice due to no one trusting them. 

  Our laws are simple and are based on the premise that no individual or entity shall bring harm to a citizen or their property. Additionally citizens have the right to privacy and independence. Therefore there aren't any "morality" laws such as alcohol laws or drug laws, the people are free to live as they see fit provided they do not injure anyone's body or property. Courts are used by citizens to settle disputes fairly. Fairness is not just based on the impartiality of the court but also the cost. When one brings a case before a judge they are required to pay little money since the lawyers, judge, and his/her clerks are agents of the government and are funded through taxes. 

  Our taxes are kept low due to only requiring the public to pay for the necessities of a functioning society. Our courts, education and libraries, defense (both military and domestic police), public health clinics and aid to citizens that need additional help, roads, fire departments, and administrative offices and agencies are funded through taxes. We have no public funding for offensive wars, foreign aid, aid to non citizens, programs that do not directly help citizens, or any aid to private companies. 

  Our natural landscape is a treasure that we highly value for it's beauty and utility. The dense forest provides shade and oxygen while also preventing erosion and cleaning the water. Our trees are considered a national treasure and we live in a dense canopy with a few clearings that are areas where we cultivate sun loving crops. Because we have a high value for technology that does not interfere with our ecology, we have developed agricultural practices that do not utilize caustic chemicals, including the use of high tunnels and heirloom varieties . Using high tunnels allows us to have a varied diet with out having to transport our foods over long distances or use pesticides. Heirloom seeds and root stocks also allow us to conserve water because they are naturally resistant to drought and require less fungicides since they also are naturally more resistant to plant diseases. Besides agriculture we resist the use of any caustic chemicals in any other industry. Our people would sooner take up arms than allow a company to pour poisonous into our water ways and our soil and such behavior is considered criminal. Likewise, medical practitioners try to avoid chemical treatments at all costs and only in sever cases are they used. 

  Because the foundation of our constitution is based in harm coming to none we have formed and honored treaties with the indigenous people of our land and they are allowed to remain on their land and follow their cultural practices. In fact we enjoy each others company and have learned a lot from each other. 

  Additional fun facts about Marth-topia are our national dish is balsamic glazed chicken with Brussels sprouts and garlic potatoes, national heros are Leonard Cohan, James Burke, Tina Fey, and Steven Moffit. Our national past times include camping and creative writing and our largest exports are smart ass writers and dry draft ciders. Come to Marth-topia and share in our ideals of efficient, responsible, and organic capitalism. 

Holy Sustainable Living Batman, It's Scott Russell Sanders!

   Scott Sanders is a notable writer and english professor who has taken on the task of writing "A Conservationist Manifesto"and I believe the objective of the book is to inspire and inform a technologically insulated public to preserve the earth's natural majesty. To summarize the work (so far) Mr Sanders borrows heavily from the sustainable living/homesteading genre and advocates for a more local scene, plenty of organic gardens, and social programs. He also suggests, in reference to stewardship, that ideas that divert from the secular are convoluted and damaging to the environment. I tend to disagree, "The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it." (Genesis 2:15). Now, I understand why in the modern world its fun to rag on the Bible since Christian fundamentalists have hijacked it to find credibility for their cornucopian life styles and they would give anything to have legitimacy to stone somebody, but come on can't we leave the ancient text of a people alone? Perhaps it is solely the fundamentalists that he is referring to, *deep breath* any way I digress. He goes further to reeducate us on the meaning of certain key words that often get misused in the American parlance when discussing environmental and political policies such as economy, which actually means "management of a household" instead of solely about currency. He does this to illustrate a point that the people who designed english were creating a vocabulary that would show their environmental respect, such as the Iroquois did, I'm not so sure about that, but interesting all the same.
  If I could be so bold as to give my opinion on this book it be that I don't believe he is successful in his objective to inspire me to weep at a sunset then go sort my recycling. I too am from Bloomington and have played witness to all of the local points he is making. Additionally I also worship at the temple of sustainability and advocate hard for a more natural life style (please don't hold the chicken poop on the bottom of my shoes, from my free range flock, against me). However, the flowery construction of his book is condescending at worst and just plain boring at best, I get it Walt Whitman is a big influence. It also feels like he's being a little too nostalgic for a utopian past that was never there. I wish he would instead use himself as an example of sustainable living such as Barbara Kingsolver did in "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" perhaps I'm speaking too soon and he will later on. I was inspired to refab my great grandparent's home and live along side livestock while letting go of packaged foods as a direct result of reading about others finding happiness living "the simpler life"not by being guilted into not driving because I am a party to the destruction of the natural world. I get what he's saying and I do agree with him I just think that "A Conservationist Manifesto" is an all natural alternative to Ambien.
(Ooooh was that too mean, Sorry! And I promised myself I wasn't going to be too cynical this time, oh well maybe next time.)

Oops! A Shameless Plug *teehee*

Ron Paul will visit Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana on October 25 for a speech starting at 7 pm at the IU Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.