Comments on: Survival Tools: Farming, Stories, Poetry, Writing, and Leaning http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: cj http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12816 cj Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:38:04 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12816 This is not a description of sustainable agriculture. This is a yuppie professors hobby farm/ poetry circle. He would not be able to do this without extremely high tax supported income from the university. We pay extremely generous tax support to the academic community to provide creative and usable solutions to the significant problems our communities and world face. Academics are protected by tax support and tenure from the real world competition the rest of us face. He has chosen to take the extremely generous freebies society has given him and run off to dreamland leaving the rest of us to support him. Real agriculture is hard work even with machinery. Hand agriculture on a level which supports life is grueling and does not provide time or energy to set up drum circles and poetry readings. Ask the handful of people still around who lived in those days. This is absurd and he should be required to pay back in full his academic salary for abandoning his part of the bargain to provide real intellectual effort to support our society not slurp the cream and abandon it . This is not a description of sustainable agriculture. This is a yuppie professors hobby farm/ poetry circle. He would not be able to do this without extremely high tax supported income from the university. We pay extremely generous tax support to the academic community to provide creative and usable solutions to the significant problems our communities and world face. Academics are protected by tax support and tenure from the real world competition the rest of us face. He has chosen to take the extremely generous freebies society has given him and run off to dreamland leaving the rest of us to support him. Real agriculture is hard work even with machinery. Hand agriculture on a level which supports life is grueling and does not provide time or energy to set up drum circles and poetry readings. Ask the handful of people still around who lived in those days. This is absurd and he should be required to pay back in full his academic salary for abandoning his part of the bargain to provide real intellectual effort to support our society not slurp the cream and abandon it .

]]> By: AJ Nasreddin http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12733 AJ Nasreddin Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:35:02 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12733 Dave, why not get together with some friends a start your own commune? I had some friends who did that years ago - pooled their cash together and went out to New Mexico, bought a big piece of land and built their own community. Just remember: Location, location, location. My friends commune fell apart after a few years because it was really out in the middle of nowhere. And the New Mexican desert, although spiritually rich, does not support too much agriculture. Dave, why not get together with some friends a start your own commune? I had some friends who did that years ago – pooled their cash together and went out to New Mexico, bought a big piece of land and built their own community.

Just remember: Location, location, location. My friends commune fell apart after a few years because it was really out in the middle of nowhere. And the New Mexican desert, although spiritually rich, does not support too much agriculture.

]]> By: Dave http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12595 Dave Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:45:23 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12595 Great piece of writing. Not to appear ungrateful, but what are people who can't afford to buy a large farm in the wilderness supposed to do? I suspect that Mr. Bliss' blissful existence will be shattered by not-so-friendly visits from the "have-nots" when TSHTF. Great piece of writing. Not to appear ungrateful, but what are people who can’t afford to buy a large farm in the wilderness supposed to do? I suspect that Mr. Bliss’ blissful existence will be shattered by not-so-friendly visits from the “have-nots” when TSHTF.

]]> By: AJ Nasreddin http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12535 AJ Nasreddin Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:36:24 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12535 Yes, very well written indeed. I suppose being away from disconnected flashes of information of the technological age can help you compose your thoughts better. Between the lines I can sense the slowness of life - as I once had the opportunity a decade ago to just slow down and live a bit, not having to worry about business meetings, deadlines, answering emails in a "timely" manner (usually the boss means "immediately"). I just have one question for Shepherd: When can I come and visit? Yes, very well written indeed. I suppose being away from disconnected flashes of information of the technological age can help you compose your thoughts better.

Between the lines I can sense the slowness of life – as I once had the opportunity a decade ago to just slow down and live a bit, not having to worry about business meetings, deadlines, answering emails in a “timely” manner (usually the boss means “immediately”).

I just have one question for Shepherd: When can I come and visit?

]]> By: Gary Corseri http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12525 Gary Corseri Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:26:45 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/survival-tools-farming-stories-poetry-writing-and-leaning/#comment-12525 Beautifully written, beautifully thought. Shepherd Bliss is an inspiration. His experiences--dark and light--, his reading and observations, friends, music, nature have deepened him so that he is now a natural teacher--animated and able to respond to the spontaneity of life, while nurturing the taproots. He weaves the teaching of others into a Navaho blanket, a European tapestry, a Chinese/Japanese silk hanging. Through him we perceive the richness of diversity, the unity of scythe and grass, redwood and cedar, leaning and support, the fine art of balancing. Mille Grazie. Domo Arigato. Muchas Gracias. Merci. Much thanks. Beautifully written, beautifully thought.

Shepherd Bliss is an inspiration. His experiences–dark and light–, his reading and observations, friends, music, nature have deepened him so that he is now a natural teacher–animated and able to respond to the spontaneity of life, while nurturing the taproots.

He weaves the teaching of others into a Navaho blanket, a European tapestry, a Chinese/Japanese silk hanging. Through him we perceive the richness of diversity, the unity of scythe and grass, redwood and cedar, leaning and support, the fine art of balancing.

Mille Grazie. Domo Arigato. Muchas Gracias. Merci. Much thanks.

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