Poop, gardening, and Free
Since I stayed home today, I was able to catch up on some feeds. Here are some things I’m reading today:
Everyone Poops - As Peter Warshall used to say, the environmental movement won’t really be relevant until it’s ready to talk shit. Some academics think that agreements over how to handle waste are some of civilization’s most fundamental. A society in which human waste is mishandled is a society which threatens its citizens’ health, environmental well-being, and dignity.
There was a thread on the Derrick Jensen e-mail list about pooping recently. Points I remember: Orange peel is great as a soft, organic toilet paper (Jeremy knew this already from his summers working at Glacier); I’m sure it would go hand in hand with a composting toilet. Also, squatting is a much more natural position in which to poop - many people have found that their constipation and other issues have gone away once they stopped sitting and starting squatting. There are even handy setups you can buy to facilitate this.
Guerrilla gardening: Guerrilla gardening is the art of using a piece of land which you do not own to grow something. One step removed from actual guerrilla warfare, guerrilla gardening takes land not for the people, but for nature; returning misused or disused land and finding a purpose for it.
Free Jeff “Free” Luers: Luers has been sentenced to 22 years with no parole for burning three SUVs - $40,000 worth of damage to an SUV dealership in Eugene, Oregon. A radical activist, Luers’ stated purpose of this act was to bring attention to global warming and the increasing environmental crisis facing the world because of it. He took measures to make sure that no one would be injured as a result of his actions (an arson specialist and the night watchman later confirmed at the trial this fire did not pose a threat to human beings). I found his Sentencing Statement at the bottom of the main page really authentic and moving.
22 years!! That’s 14 years more than the average person convicted of rape or attempted murder! To top it off, the Oregon Department of Corrections has placing Luers at Security Threat Group status – a designation typically reserved for white supremacists and gang members. This sentencing shows to what insane extent society has gone in its value of property over people. (By the way, supporters of Luers are looking for respectable individuals in the progressive and social justice communities to sign on to a statement. If you’re willing to endorse this statement, go here.)