A plethora of thoughts (just thoughts! & ideas!) this morning (10/27/2024) after an amazingly fantastic Ogallala Commons “Discovery Days” get-together of elders and energetic youth of the Commons … and just before entering into Betsy Hoffmann Martin & friends & colleagues’ Seguin Riverside Cemetery reenactments (Saints Alive!) of local historical figures (of whom I will be one) this afternoon. https://ogallalacommons.org/about/https://www.facebook.com/seguincemeterytour/
These are a few. …
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in the whole scheme of things
i am certainly not intelligent or experienced or learned
i have only been around as an human (of plus or minus 30 trillion living cells) … on this quite old Eaarth …
(McKibben’s [2010] Eaarth [starting about 10,000 years ago]
and THE Earth [from about 4.5 billion years ago]) …
a meager seventy-eight years of the maybe 14 billion years of the cosmos
neverlessless with the knowledge from …
dad & mom on a five-acre diversified hog farm, my village of devine, pope john XXIII, land grant universities, joe schaffner, a small bit of military service, david pimentel, some travels to foreign lands, four+ languages, jim hightower’s tda, oc, kol, spc, dos pueblos, honduran/mexican episcopalian vol services, & generations indigenous ways, pope francis, great friends & some amazing gurus & wonderful books
i am very, very, very hubristically knowledgeable & wise
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less is MORE!
there is far too much artificial “good” & artificial order AND artificial energy transformation on this Eaarth …
(an Eaarth of limited resources & daily free [& readily available & sustainable] solar energy)
and that is BAD
there is far too much artificial BAD on this Eaarth
and that is BAD
there is far too much artificial of this Eaarth
(of limited resources & a should be “natural” Earth)
that is BAD … TOXIC … EVIL … A MORTAL SIN … one of the worst of the original sins, following disparity & inequity … and resultant militarism & War … and enslavement!
less is MORE!!
(we must have degrowth of “good” for good … for a dynamic homeostatic symbioses, or nature, including homo sapiens for as long as possible …
STILL … I WISH I COULD KNOW GRANDKIDS WILLIAM HARVEY, ABIGAIL ELISE, AND IAN BAIN …
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hog farmer’s son, raised on a diversified five-acre place & largely formed in the mixed agricultural (good) multi-ethnic village of divine devine, texas … paul bain martin
happy from birth in nixon … to The (stockdale) Farm to devine, texas, u.s.a.
to a relatively simple & basic aggieland of eight thousand total students in 1964 …
and few locked doors & living in non-air conditioned dorms & lots of handball & much time reading old late 1800s/early- to mid-1900s “ecological” literature in the a&m library stacks …
and a gun-control presentation & a review of John Kenneth Galbraith’s book The Affluent Society* given by paul bain in aggie speech class in 1968 alongside the amazing all-around athlete from pampa, olympic champion randy matson …
and entomologist dr. joe schaffner & almost dying from aldicarb poisoning … and other adventures in usda field-14 …
to a brief time in naval air in the beautiful pensacola area
to a christmas dance in the metropolis of quihi, texas and encountering the amazing betsy hoffmann
to tom petty’s gainesville in the 1970s & (dr.) pete & david pimentel & archie carr et al.
to the lovely tifton, georgia & the coastal plain experiment station & father raynor & the folk of our divine saviour catholic church & miguel angel altieri, etc.
and three wonderful kids
to campo grande, mato grosso do sul & the beautiful people of brasil
to clean seguin, texas & lanier byrd & marvel-bobbie & tim barr & isaac horta & jim monkerud & eric-joanna et al., et al.
to austin & jim hightower & darryl birkenfield & the peggy & joe maddoxes & helene & waylon et al., et al.
to a wonderful visit to poland & the ukrainian carpathians
to eigner & olman & jordan & hilario martinez et al. of central america & mexico
and just yesterday october twelfth two thousand & twenty-four … it was wonderful joyful interactions with grandkids
yesterday it was futebol-playing lane & owen zane schaefer & piano-playing, dancing, articulate amelia wenzel martin & her equally intelligent & expressive brother landon & his concept of a perpetual motion machine
and yesterday it was landon’s dad, john alton’s relatively soft expression of his pragmatic, experienced Eaarth-view
and so many other other beleza experiences with family & dear friends
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i cannot be unhappy with my life
STILL … I WISH I COULD KNOW GRANDKIDS WILLIAM HARVEY, ABIGAIL ELISE , AND IAN BAIN!!!
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*Galbraith ends the book [The Affluent Society, 1958] with another appeal to the importance and need for investment in educating people[ecological literacy, or “Positively” Ethical Applied Community Ecology/PEACEmaking]:
“Whether the problem be that of a burgeoning population and of space in which to live with peace and grace,or whether it be the depletion of the materials which nature has stocked in the earth’s crust and which have been drawn upon more heavily in this century than in all previous time together, or whether it be that of occupying minds no longer committed to the stockpiling of consumer goods, the basic demand on America will be on its resources of intelligence and education[ecological litercy].” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41589.The_Affluent_Society
(Presentations to Local Governmental Entities Concerning Upcoming Sustainable Ecological Community Discussions, 10/20 & 11/2/2024
It does distress me greatly that so many in very levels of power, and the populace, or demos, which voted them in, have so much ignorance of ecological principles & processes, & appropriate values … and thusly some of the most desperately needed policy & governmental action are totally out of their minds. [Naturally it is impossible for folk to critically think/decision-make without some foundation of knowledge of biological/ecological principles & processes.]
I was severely disappointed in my beautiful always-upbeat neighbor, our Seguin, Texas mayor’s flippant & superficial attitude toward water issues at the candidate forum recently. But what is really gut-wrenching is the total local & global mess–in our ignorance–we our leaving my wonderful seven [7] grandkids and other future humans … AND other biota!
In an ecological discussion at 2 pm on October 20th at the Seguin Columbus Hall [see the announcement below], I will stress five (5) key actions sorely needed for a better world [see relatively immediately below herein]. The one which is obviously most-needed is real & deep ecological literacy. But associated with such knowledge & wisdom is the desperate need for what renowned Rice University graduate & Texan ecological economist Herman Daly called steady-state economics, or degrowth.[Now more and more learned & astute economists, like economic anthropologist Jason Hickel are loudly calling for degrowth.]
Now … ecology is about everything related to life or quality life … and it is about local, regional, & global connections. And I can’t get into all the connections related to the ecosystem block which Mark Twain alluded to when he said “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting!” Just let me read a bit of the amazing poem [in our book “Games We Play” on pp. 215-219] by my friend &Artist in Residence at the Southwest Collection, Texas Tech U. Andy Wilkinson, “Mining the Mother Lode”. [Upon my request, Andy did a fundraiser for Teatro de Artes de Juan Seguin at the Texas Texas Theater in the past.]
[“Our” current Seguin aquifer is primarily the Carrizo Wilcox, even though we aren’t over it and have no significant aquifer under us. … My own past experiences with the Carrizo-Wilcox which pop out in my mind were: … shoveling the beautiful white crystal Carrizo sand out of a centrifugal pump-fed concrete reservoir of my Uncle Peggy near Devine, Texas in the 1950s, … listening to peanut farmer Buck Hunter of Millet, Texas talk about the amount of salt from the salt intrusion-water that went on his irrigated peanuts in the 1970s, … the Post Oak Landfill that foolishly went in very recently over part of the Carrizo-Wilcox {within feet of it}, and … my stockman/M.D. younger brother from Lee County & cousin from Wilson County with Sunko Water Corporation complaining about San Antonio sucking Carrizo-Wilcox water from their area and lowering their well water. … Of course aquifers vary and have inter & intra diversity. And I did modify Andy’s poem a bit for this reading in order for it to fit our area of Seguin. Nevertheless, world-wide–and locally__we ARE “mining the mother lode”.]
[I will read a short piece of “Mining the Mother Lode”.])
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Sustainable Applied Community Ecology (That We Should All Continually Learn, & At Which, in General, Leftists Do Better)
What is life?
Are the resources here on Eaarth and the amount of daily solar energy available on Eaarth limited? When all biota are considered, isn’t the game of life a zero sum game?
What is the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics? What does it have to do with neoliberal capitalistic-/consumer-/growth-economics … and artificialization and “Nature”?
Ecologically, morally & ethically, shouldn’t all Texans be vegetarians?
In what biome do you live?
If a very catastrophic weather event occurred which knocked out food services & electricity, etc.; a total government local/national/global government breakdown happened suddenly; or we had widespread nuclear destruction; etc. … what could you or others (perhaps) forage to eat here locally around Seguin (from the wild)?
In the immediate few square-yards of where we are sitting in this building, are we producing? or consuming? What is the impact of this immediate artificial structure … on the four (4) major ecosystem blocks?
Why is the evapotranspiration rate so very important in the Seguin area?
What is ecological community succession and why is it important to understand?
What is a common pioneer (edible) plant, or “weed” (some Mexican-Americans use the Náhuatl/“Aztec” language word “quelite” for it) growing all across Seguin during much of the year?
Explain human appropriated net primary productivity?
What is the most important ecosystem block to consider … Soil & air? Water? Biota & biodiversity including photosynthesizers? or the Sun?
Water for Seguin, Texas comes from the rainfall, the amazingly large aquifer of the Carrizo-Wilcox, the Guadalupe River (Edwards Aquifer … indirectly), and to some extent from the Trinity Aquifer. But are these sources “limitless”? Do others lust for these waters and others perhaps have just as much right to these waters, or more, than Seguin? And are there consequences from continued growth … and increased usage of these water sources?
Could the “world today” operate without fossil energy & materials?
Which is more efficient/better … a pre-WW II agrarianism producing one (1) calorie of food with 3 artificial energy inputs & with up to 60% of the folk at least more or less directly associated with that agrarianism, or our current industrial agriculture needing 10—30 calories of artificial energy to produce food and with much less than 20% of the populace involved in agriculture?
Does capital punishment or War violate the 1st Commandment?
Human beings have 46 chromosomes. Is a (human) being with 44 or 47 chromosomes, etc. a human being … or a “normal human being”?
Human beings have + or – 37 trillion cells each with 46 chromosomes (or + – 1700 trillion chromosomes). Is a one-cell zygote with 46 chromosomes a human being? Is a mass of very amorphous cells each with 46 chromosomes carried 4+ months in a woman’s womb a human being?
Is not the military an extremely socialistic system?
Could we exist without military, armaments, & War?
Should we rigidly regulate drugs? What about nicotine and the vaping of nicotine?
Ultimately, which economic system is more doable toward christian equity and abidance by the Golden Rule on an Earth of limits … Democratic Socialism, or Plutocratic Neoliberal Capitalism?
christian Golden Rule caring & sharing? Or walls, razor-sharp barbed wire, buoy-barriers, landmines, guns and tanks?
What is money and why does it matter? Does it matter?, i.e., do we have to have it? Would we be better off if we leveled the playing field regularly concerning possesion of money?
Per the Golden Rule … and the ecological principle of connectivity, do we have obligations locally AND globally … and to recent immigrants, whether they are documented or not?
Did the historical Power of and bullying from the U.S. south of the Tropic of Cancer and in the Middle East, etc. … and does the current role of the most Powerful nation in the world and its socio-political/economic (and inappropriate ecological) actions have anything to do with the plight of other nations & peoples in the world, and the influx of immigrants into the U.S.?
What is more important, Faith? Or Science?
(Some of these do have a relatively absolute answer. However, most do cry for answers which are scientifically-based, but are also, “simply” thought-provoking.)
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Key folk who impacted me in my ca. 78 years and with what …
My dad Alton Martin (Master Sargeant, U.S. Marines WW II) who was ecologically literate & who had a “Less Is More” set of ecological values (in a largely agrarian ecological community of a relatively low population density & of a relative equity void of walls & locked doors. [Also, in that ecological community, my first friends were chicanos, and for most of my formative years, my co-workers were mostly browns & black. I was saved in a feed-mill accident by an African-American who is a most beautiful person but who could be edgy as a result of racism in community.])
Dr. Joe Schaffner, Texas A&M University entomologist who was the first to truly introduced me to biological science and biocontrol. Dr. Schaffner’s scientific physiological teachings of insect hormones opened my mind to complexities of (sex) chromosome, gene, protein, biological messaging, & hormones and manifestations of sex, sexual organs, gender, & sexual persuasion differences in humans.
Dr. David Pimentel of Cornell University who infused me with the concept of sustainable ecological communities and an Eaarth which is energetically sound (a neo-Earth)
My wife Betsy Hoffmann Martin who allowed me lots of room & opportunities in which to developmy efforts for a systematic, systems changing of Eaarth to a neo-Earth of quality life for all, including other species
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Needed changes in vocabulary and ways of thinking …
Instead of capitalistic “jobs” we must have sustainable ecological “sustainable livelihoods” which change the Eaarth to one of caring & sharing toward socio-ecological justice
Rather than worshipping “technology”, think “appropriate technology”
Critically think & analyze in “kilocalories” rather than “dollars””
Think “We” & “diverse community in solidarity” rather than “Me”!
Recognize that “all education is ecological education”.
And as Lyndon Baines Johnson said, “The only thing worth being is a teacher, preacher, or a politician.” … We are all teachers, preachers, & politicians. Let’s be good, moral, & ethical ones!
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Major Truths on Eaarth, 2024 …
Overshoot of carrying capacity by human and associated domesticated species
Drawdown of the natural resource base, or Nature
Disparity, and therefore War!
All peoples and all biota are connected
Non-adherence to the Golden Rule
Ignorance of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics & other ecological principles
Not abiding by the Precautionary Principle
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Actions sorely needed …
Broad sweeping ecological literacy & appropriate values for applied community ecology
Nuclear disarmament & demilitarization … AND de-weaponization
Degrowth& a humanity weaned of fossil energy & high inputs/throughputs of artificial energy in ecological community (Growth is the “elephant in the room” causing great problems for ecological communities. And inherent in this addiction-problem of growth are energy issues. Life is “simply MATTERorganized through transformation of ENERGY“; therefore rampant high-energy transformation is of utmost concern in ecological communities when the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is considered.)
Resilient, sustainable agrarian global economy that is “quasi-matriarchal” society
Equity for all including populations of other species
These are Truthfully our major/key needs and should basically be our goals
(However, the devil is always in the details & obviously all of this will take time & much, much critical thinking, discussion/communication, strategic planning//goal-setting/monitoring/evaluation/analysis/& replanning, and much diplomacy. Nevertheless, such MUST be undertaken!!!)
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Humanity is headed over the proverbial cliff because of possible (probable) actual realization of life-terminating global War and nuclear holocaust, overshoot of, and toxic pollution & loss of, the natural resource base/human life-essential Nature, and/or global climate change to one intolerable of human life. (The science of ecology informs us that all of life is connected, and that all of the above horrific scenarios are intra- & inter-connected.)
Now initially when I began thinking about this blog post dealing with our sustainablity discussions coming up on October 20th and November 2nd of this year of 2024, I was thinking MAGAism & libertarian survivalism vs. minimalist applied ecology. And I was to a large extent putting Republicans & Libertarians and Democrats all in the same pot, because they all basically bow to the Gods of libertarian capitalism & consumerism (obviously involving economic growth) and militarism. But as I developed this introduction material, I did recognize some glaring differences in Republicans and Libertarians and Democrats. And excuse me please, but when considering stances concerning immigration and basic human rights (and women’s rights), when holistically considering right to life and socio-ecological justice and protection of top soil, quality air and water, climax communities & biodiversity, when considering attempts at sustainable & efficient capture/transforming of daily solar energy, when considering efforts toward sustainable agriculture, and especially when considering respect for good basic and applied science and therefrom the existential threats from climate change and the need for realizing ecological literacy as well as efforts to attain equity for all, I had to give the better marks to the Democratic Party! For my grandchildren and theirs, for all of our progeny … and profoundly & holistically for all of local & global humanity for the short and long term, I could not avoid recognizing that the policies and actions of the Democrats are best for changing this chaotic Eaarth to a neo-Earth with humans of sustianble livelihoods working in concert with Nature.
(When we compare historical legislation, policy, and actions of the Democratic & Republican Parties, Yes!, the Democratic party is well in front of the Republican Party. Think … the 19th Amendment, social security and minimum wage, the Marshall Plan, the G.I. Bill, Civil & Voting Rights Acts, the Peace Corps, Medicare & Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, Head Start and the school lunch programs, the recent Inflation Reduction Act … and on & on!)
Some More About Who/What Is To Blame for the Very Real 2024 Existential Threats? Shoving us over the cliff are the likes of Trump and his MAGAs, yes! But also, all neoliberal conspicuous consumers and the transnational corporations that provide the very compelling propaganda to addictively purchase stuff, i.e., guns & other armaments, big unnecessary pickup trucks & cars, all sorts of useless & unnecessary plastic, glamor, gadgets, high input/fossil energy intensive recreation, celebratory, & holiday paraphenalia, unnecessary pharmaceuticals & excessive air-conditioning & water-usage, synthetic fertilizers & pesticides, energy inefficient (production, processing, packaging, & transportation) foods (and fiber & shelter materials), … leaf blowers, etc. Simply stated, WE DO WAY TOO MUCH ENERGY TRANSFORMATION!!!
(I must add again that the Republican Party in general is not, and has not been, right in terms of policy and actions, and has been very considerable worse than the Democratic Party, in the essential arenas of policy & actions toward ecology across the curricula & campuses of all human organizational entities, goals of socio-ecological justice & equity for all, or effective firearms regulation … and the Republican Party has not contributed, especially in recent administrations, to efforts of degrowth, nuclear disarmament, demilitarization, or resilient sustainable agriculture.
Moreover MAGAism in it’s emphasis on “America, Great, and GreatAgain” has not been in keeping with say a Jesus of Nazareth-humility. It arrogantly does not recognize America as Central, South AND North America or that America is Latin America, etc. Finally, with initial processes and institutions of indigenous extermination/indoctrination and slavery and the taking of other peoples Lands and of the Monroe Doctrine, Manifest Destiny, Yankee Imperialism and then Jackson’s Indian Removal Act & the Trail of Tears, and the U.S.’s deportation of almost a million legal citizens of Mexican descent back to Mexico to supposedly protect white workers, and Republican Eisenhower’s Operation Wetback which trucked a million Mexican laborers back to Mexico, and current hate rhetoric against recent immigrants … how could the U.S. be labeled as great in the past or in such efforts in the present???
When in the hell was & is the U.S.A. so damn great?
Can We Truly Change the System? ¡Si Se Puede! We could make a change from the current chaotic overly-artificial world of excessive (mis) information, neoliberal capitalistic/militaristic conspicuous consumption and worship at the altar of economic growth, and of human population & domestic species population growth if we had the moral & ethical knowledge, values, and fortitude in our minds, hearts & souls. We could, and should, rapidly but relatively smoothly transition to a largely matriarchal, global low energy-input/-throughput agrarian society living sustainable livelihoods based on using mostly daily solar energy from “natural photosynthesizers relatively close to being ‘perpetual'”. This is the preferred route rather than pursuing high-input/-throughput, chaotic, mechanistic, electronic/EM, robotic, plastic/cement & asphalt jobs dependent on unsustainable inputs of fossil energy & materials and nuclear energy (involving high up-front inputs of energy & resources and eons of toxic & other dangers), and or “Nature”-threatening excessive-hydro- or geothermal power (or excess of any energy source, including all so-called “renewable energies”).
The short answer to whether we can make systematic system change rapidly is that we must change! Or over the cliff we go!!! (Herein this blog post I placed “up-front” a rough, crude draft of a mural I propose to illustrate where we could go as humanity, or where we might likely go.)
A Bit of a “Final Roman Catholic ‘Confession'” … and Then a Plea. Now I will readily admit that I am romantically indoctrinated by a largely low-input agrarian life style in my youth AND to some extent by the solid science of an holistic local and global ecology I “crudely” acquired in my almost 78 years of life. Therefore, I am certain in my mind, heart, and soul, from my upbringing and my ecological scientific learning, that we have overshot the natural resource base–and that we are now rapidly drawing down on the natural resource base of topsoil, quality air, quality water, adequate photosynthesizers and necessary biodiversity (related to the Precautionary Principle), and ability to efficiently and effectively capture and utilize daily solar energy. Morover, I realize that there is tremendous disparity on Eaarth (McKibben, 2010) and that such disparity leads to perpetual War, and in these “modern” days and times … eventually to nuclear holocaust. In drastic addition, the dependence of humanity, on this overshot-Eaarth, on fossil energy is leading to an Eaarthly climate intolerable of human life.
In spite of these knowledge of precarious doom & gloom, I also know from my low-input, -throughput upbringing by my parents, great teachers, and the rural south Texas village of Devine, that we can live comfortable, happy lives in relative concert with Nature in a global minimalist agrarian society. In fact, for resilient, sustainable local, global ecological community, it is necessary for us to transition to such a minimalist agrarian society which I believe should be largely matriarchal.
Moreover, this resilient, sustainable ecological community could better fulfill moral & ethical goals of abiding by the Golden Rule of profoundly & holistically sharing & caring (with the inclusion of all biota), abiding by the Second Lasw of Thermodynamics and leaving more of Nature “Natural”, and being more truly pacifists.
My plea to those who truly care about their grandchildren and their neighbor’s granchildren, and the grandchildren of these grandchildren, is to choose roads and routes to a minimalist mostly-matriarchal agrarian ecological community rather than a most certainly soon-to-be-doomed messy, polluted, natural resource-depleted, hot and getting hotter, chaotic Eaarth.
Finally, while teaching, preaching, and politicking (suggested by from LBJ of Texas to be the only things worth doing) ecological literacy … also make rigorous, concerted efforts of advocacy, protesting, and letters to editors and legislators and presidents and other movers-and-shakers … and of diplomacy, etc. toward nuclear bans and bans of all other armaments and militarism.
Too Much Lie-Filled Propaganda and Mis- & Dis-Information (Or Information Period! Rather Than Knowledge, Wisdom, & Prudence). What I have detailed thus far is very difficult to swallow with all of the seductive, head-spinning energy intensive information aroudn us . I do know this! Nevertheless, the five (5) basic & life-saving needs to be met in order to avoid the existential threat to quality life & continuation of humanity are the essense of my FACTUAL story today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life, which must be realized. And I must (mostly, because I am always learning) morally & ethically stick to it.
“Common sense” observations and soft and hard science tell us …
o Ignorance is bliss but dangerous. That ignorance is very dangerous is particularly true when dealing with lack of profoundly holistic ecological knowledge. We must begin to have principles, processes, and values of applied ecology across curricula and campuses of all human organizational entities.
o Global climate change is an existential threat to quality life for humans and associated biota exists and even theatens the existenceof humna life itself.
o We arelosing precious top soil, massive quantities of quality water, climax ecological communities (which along with ecological communities in processes of succession have been important for the net primary productivity of a very diverse global photosynthesizing community), and efficient and sustainable daily capture of solar energy in the absence of energy inputs from direct or indirect transformation of dangerous fossil or nuclear energy.
I sincerely believe that all should enjoy the comforts of their lives … their family, their wealth and capital, their food, fiber and shelter and they must enjoy music and the arts and recreation. All, rich and poor, Haves and have-nots, the Donald J. Trumps to nanobes deserve some peace and comfort.
But the Haves must not overdo it. “Less Is More”, “Small Is Beautiful”, and Steady-State Economics” must be the mantra for the rich and powerful; they must care and share with the have-nots toward equity.
However, Enjoy Some ComfortWhile Improving Quality of life for All
At the same time, I also believe real comfort and quality life for humans must also involve an individual and concerted community effort by all humans to provide a quality life for all biota for the short and long term. This is a difficult/perhaps impossible task. Nevertheless, it must occur!
Moreover, we are innately a political species. Therefore, please do not be reluctant to speak Truth to Untruth and Truth to Power and hopefully thusly effect some positive change.
We must begin to individually and collectively, in solidarity, address the existential threats to quality life listed in the first section of this piece!!!
7 Ss / VV->^^ (From our “Games We Play”, 2021 available at Amazon and at Barnes & Noble)
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(A peek at my limited & relatively weak attempts at on-going development of holistic-thinking [informed by dynamic homeostatic symbioses/Nature including humanity], strategic planning, and an accomplishment of PEACE*:
o Set goals toward having a minimalist [very diverse] agarian socio-political/economic system largely run by women & in concert with Nature.
o ASAP help accomplish a dynamic process of “‘positively’ ethical applied community ecology/PEACEmaking” across curricula & campuses of all human organizational entities!!!
o Similar to and in solidarity with the amazing efforts of “Veterans For Peace” … work, organize, advocate, protest, realize diplomacy, and take action … relentlessly and in a focused manner toward … toward pacifism & nuclear disarmament, regulating the neoliberal capitalistic [terrible human-killing] gun industry … & toward demilitarism.
o Humbly mingle, work along-side & truly get to know have-nots, poor, powerless, and disenfranchised (including other biota) locally & globally of this old Eaarth [McKibben, 2010]. “Care & share” in profound & holistic accordance with the Golden Rule.
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*”‘Positively’ Ethical Applied Community Ecology/PEACEmaking”)
“Small Is Beautiful!” (E.F. Schumacher) “Less Is More!” (Jason Hickel) “Steady-State Economics.” (Herman Daly) “Moral Human Beings and Moral Society.”(Reinhold Niebuhr)
rather than “Growth-Economics.”
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every “excessive” …
mile that you travel, especially by air or automoble or cruise ship,
number of electic or gasoline cars you own/operate,
personal recreational, private defensive, or military gun, other arm/armament, or bullet, etc. you employ directly or indirectly,
amount of home-place or home-space you utilize,
air-conditioning system,
bit of plastic you use,
cell phone, other “gadgets”, …
amount of high-input curative health management (where it could/should have been low-input preventative),
professional sports dome; bit of artificial turf, air-conditioned sports facility, very artificial golf turf you utilize to carelessly exploit Nature,
thing which is artificial or domesticated which you employ in your life …
causes additonal local/global heat for me/you
and disrupts additionally what could be a sustainable natural resource base and weather/climate and natural Earth (dynamic homeostatic symbioses/Nature including humans).
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These words herein are not besteira, BS, or caca
They are the Truth … scientific Truth!
They are based on Law!! Scientific Law!!! …
the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the other Laws of Thermodynamics.
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To fail to try to comprehend and try to abide by these scientific laws/these Truths is a violation of a deeply profound and comprehensively holistic Golden Rule.
To fail to abide by them is at least an original sin of neoliberal capitalism, or a venial sin or even a mortal sin or deadly of greed, gluttony, arrogance, pride, … .
To fail to try to abide by them is immoral and unethical.
paul bain martin ( 7 Ss / VV->^^ from Games We Play by Paul Martin Chiringa Press (2021)
My namesake, Uncle Bain was killed 21 months before I was born. However, family stories about him and his calls for peace in his letters during World War II did greatly impact me.
I am sort of “trying” to not do “this” so much (i.e., posting of the sort of very sad Truths like that in the URLs far below). …
Nevertheless, I do wish folk would truly begin to be very aware of our various processes of destruction of “a dynamic homeostatic symbioses including humans”, …
i.e., possess knowledge of our rampant human-destruction of Nature … & come to a realization of this continuing amplification of socio-ecological destruction … Truths of which a major part of the populace, my little brother Kenny, and many Republicans–and even those in other arenas of the socio-political/economic spectrum–are oblivious to and in denial of.
Trumpians, Trumpsters, and Republicans, and right-wingers (pro-Growthers, transnational corporations, conspicuous consumers, real estate developers, industrial agriculturists, militarists, and religionists) are very, very much major players in self-imposed ignorance … and lying to self and the world. But we Democrats, “Progressives”, & left-wingers … and others … are also included and share much of the blame for a plethora of apathy & complacency, ignorant actions and “denial of the Golden Rule, the Precautionary Principle, and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
… AS WELL AS denial of the desperate need for less greed & artificialization … and the desperate need for equity & pacifism & ‘positively ethical applied community ecology’ across the curricula & campuses of all human organizational entities”!!!
We must become aware … and take approprate action. And it is difficult for me to not say this … over and over and over … .
(Finally, you might turn some of the derogatory modifiers I used herein on me; nevertheless, I believe Cornel West is a better candidate than the current presumptive candidates for President of the United States.)
Passing through the agricultural area around Lamesa, Texas on our way home to Seguin, Texas from Yellow Bear Canyon, Pine Ridge Reservation & Santa Fe, NM (7/2/2024).
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More than 60 years ago, my brother Lawrence Alton and I did support work for several summers during our high school-years … in the growing, harvest, processing, & transport of southern field peas, Vigna sp. (blackeyes, purple hulls, creams, & crowders) & chinese reds on a large part of this area of the Southern Plains, Caprock, & Panhandle of Texas … for our Uncle Peggy (Lowell Curtis) Martin.
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About 47 years later I bicycled on my own across the Hill Country & Rolling Plains one beautiful spring (listening to wonderful birds & insects and seeing beautiful wildflowers & other vegetation along the way) from Seguin, Texas to the 21st Annual Southern Plains conference in Lubbock, Texas in 2010.*
This amazing conference was organized by the nonprofit Ogallala Commons and “the event focused on a famous date in environmental history [with the keynote speaker being the very knowledgable ecological historian, Don Worster].
No, it wasn’t [what was] the upcoming 40th anniversary of Earth Day, but the 75th anniversary of ‘Black Sunday’ – April 14th, 1935 – when a massive dust cloud arose from the Great Plains like a biblical vision and blew topsoil all the way to Washington, D.C., and out to sea.
It was the Dust Bowl, of course – a national calamity of epic proportions that still reverberates today. It was a ‘perfect’ storm of ecological and economic havoc. Massive tilling of prairie topsoil, abetted immensely by the introduction of diesel-powered tractors, followed by a series of unusually dry years in the early 1930s, followed by big winds put hundreds of millions of tons of fertile soil into the air.” (Courtney White)
[*With the wind at my back and up on the flat Llano Estacado, I easily made the last 100-miles of my bicycle trip in 2010 … from Big Spring through Lamesa to Lubbock … in one day!]
