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Re: Holding steady under fire/Harassed Permies


In a message dated 1/17/97 1:01:46 PM, Bridgman wrote:

>Dan, how can you mention working for Martin Luther King, and suggest violent
retaliation
>in the same breath.  What made Dr. King so powerful was his strength and
courage
>not to lower his movement to that level.  Yes he's dead and the maggots have
had
>their fill, but what an inspiring legacy he left for all of us. These
"Rednecks"
>won't change if you throw hand granades at them, and don't forget you end up
living
>next to them, with an air of paranoia and fear.  What do you do when you
bump into
>them in the grocery store? As you both turn away in shame for your stupid
actions?
>And... as for your somewhat arrogant comment that I don't know anything
about these
>things, I have experienced this in another way.  My wife and I bought a
house across
>the street from a major Crack house in Berkeley... Reverse Urban Rednecks?
We didn't
>know it at the time. They soon became quite hostile towards us, swearing at
us
>, throwing bottles at our house, smearing dog shit on a door. These were
pathetic
>people, I couldn't bring myself  to respond like that. A lot of other nasty
stuff
>was going on. And these were dangerous people, guns, you bet.
>Anyway what finally happened was the whole neighbor hood rallied together
and we
>let them know we weren't going to take it anymore. We raised the standard of
the
>neighborhood, which was happpening anyway.  One day a U-Haul showed up and
they
>were gone.  
>My point is, I could not act like an idiot, just because they were
confronting
>me that way. Patience helped alot. Dan think about it. Did the civil rights
movement
>go right over your head so you thought you'd give permaculture a go ?
>Apologies to the list for going off subject a bit...


In a message dated 1/17/97 1:01:46 PM, you wrote:

>Dan, how can you mention working for Martin Luther King, and suggest violent
retaliation
>in the same breath.  What made Dr. King so powerful was his strength and
courage
>not to lower his movement to that level.  Yes he's dead and the maggots have
had
>their fill, but what an inspiring legacy he left for all of us. These
"Rednecks"
>won't change if you throw hand granades at them, and don't forget you end up
living
>next to them, with an air of paranoia and fear.  What do you do when you
bump into
>them in the grocery store? As you both turn away in shame for your stupid
actions?
>And... as for your somewhat arrogant comment that I don't know anything
about these
>things, I have experienced this in another way.  My wife and I bought a
house across
>the street from a major Crack house in Berkeley... Reverse Urban Rednecks?
We didn't
>know it at the time. They soon became quite hostile towards us, swearing at
us
>, throwing bottles at our house, smearing dog shit on a door. These were
pathetic
>people, I couldn't bring myself  to respond like that. A lot of other nasty
stuff
>was going on. And these were dangerous people, guns, you bet.
>Anyway what finally happened was the whole neighbor hood rallied together
and we
>let them know we weren't going to take it anymore. We raised the standard of
the
>neighborhood, which was happpening anyway.  One day a U-Haul showed up and
they
>were gone.  
>My point is, I could not act like an idiot, just because they were
confronting
>me that way. Patience helped alot. Dan think about it. Did the civil rights
movement
>go right over your head so you thought you'd give permaculture a go ?
>Apologies to the list for going off subject a bit...

You have a remarkable talent for missing the point.  Or is it deliberate.
 There are many kinds of violence and yours is leaking through in your post.

My point is that there is a time to turn the other cheek and a time to defend
yourself.  I put my ass on the line to defend a nonviolent strategy.  I don't
think that should be special, everyone should be willing to share the risks
to defend our rights, but obviously everyone wasnt there beside us.  I had a
wife and a newborn and this was not a trivial decision.  I will not put up
with some idiot demeaning it.  

If you want to talk reason to people while they beat you into the ground, go
ahead. Wise people will just shake their heads and walk away muttering about
natural selection.  No go pester someone else.  

For Mother Earth, Dan Hemenway, Yankee Permaculture Publications (since
1982), Elfin Permaculture workshops, lectures, Permaculture Design Courses,
consulting and permaculture designs (since 1981), and now correspondence
permaculture training by email. Copyright, 1996, Dan & Cynthia Hemenway, P.O.
Box 2052, Ocala FL 34478 USA  YankeePerm@aol.com  

We don't have time to rush.