[Vision2020] Argicultural, Energy Sustainability (Was Moscow's Growth Policies...)

[david sarff]

Kai, et al.
You will find that I try to speak straight, and from the heart.
My sense of entitlement was driven out long ago. I have oil on my hands and 
I have spilt much of it in my lifetime. Having tons and tons of iron the 
reduction diet I’m on will take considerable effort to get out from under.
This issue about carbon is nothing to repress .We need to raise our 
awareness, we are killing the planet. The truth is all around us. We all 
need to address this.
There are ways to use resources in a balanced way. Sustainability is about 
regenerative processes and being honest about costs. Just because a farm has 
sustained some kind of operation for any given period of time shows us very 
little about what is being leached away or building up or what subsidies it 
requires to run. I totally understand the inertia that the farmer is 
balancing… Its amazing. They also can’t change practices overnight.  I 
respect them very much but mass ditch to ditch monoculture cropping becomes 
a way of thinking just to keep the operation moving along. I’m sorry if my 
words describing  that insulted you. I literally had one guy tell me once 
“If it doesn’t grow wheat, I don’t have time for it.”  It seems developers 
often operate with the same mind set. I do honestly think one can observe 
that kid of thinking when they go about developments on the periphery of 
communities.  I see that as being single minded or monoculturalistic.
Perhaps that’s an inaccurate bias on my part, but will continue to hold that 
card for now.

Kai,
The others on this list did not get to see the response you sent me. With 
the kindest of intentions,please read care-fully.
I suspect I was maybe too accurate about your attitude. To the degree that I 
have caused pain, truly I am sorry. To the degree that I was accurate.  I’ll 
let others judge.
We put our own colors on others writing and see the words through those 
filters.
If there is such a thing as sin, it is in the action of separating oneself 
from the other. At least that is the construct that I try to keep mind of.
Just a few years ago, I was bumping elbows with some folks in Lapwai. We 
were writing up a mission statement for the cause we were considering. It 
made some romantic comment about how we were going to work in the same 
spirit as our ancestors had done together. I said, no way, my ancestors tore 
the holy living hell out of this place. And that’s the truth, nothing to be 
proud or romantic about .
  Truth is treasure as far as this person is concerned. I completely invite 
you to bring forward the heritage that you described to me in your anger on 
the side. If you look back into it, you have all the information to know 
that I might be far more accurate in my writing, than not.

  Lets all move to increased carbon sequestration ,  and step on it. You 
drive, Ted…
Dave

>
>Personal attacks?
>I asked two questions...... two.
>I knew nothing about Dave, his ag background or anything. He went off on me
>for questioning him about his claim that farmers don't care about
>sustainabilty of their ground.
>He had the unmitigated gall to all but accuse me of being racist with his
>little tirade and his  "And you know, not much seems to have changed,
>including people with attitudes like yours." comment.
>Attitude for what, questioning? How dare someone question his statement,
>"The ag community needs to break its monoculturalistic thinking and adopt
>sustainability principles.", given that he gave no clue to his backround?
>Heck, for all I know he could have been a street artist in in San Fransico
>who couldn't tell the differene between wheat and barley.
>I don't think there is a competent farmer out there that doesn't realize 
>the
>value of taking care of the land.
>
>
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
>[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Ted Moffett
>   Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 12:34 PM
>   To: david sarff; Vision2020
>   Subject: [Vision2020] Argicultural,Energy Sustainability (Was Moscow's
>Growth Policies...)
>
>
>
>   Dave et. al.
>
>   I pondered a post to counter what seemed like "personal" attacks against
>your suggestions on sustainability, but after reading your response, why
>bother?
>
>   What a great post, Dave!
>
>   Now if only we can attain energy sustainability coupled with 
>environmental
>sanity, via stopping or slowing development based on a fossil fuel/CO2
>emitting powered model, that will wreck havoc on the biosphere on a global
>scale, as non-renewable fossil fuel resources are depleted.  I am part of
>the problem with my driving habits, and good jobs and wealth are
>wonderful... But the writing is on the wall!
>
>   I am amazed at the growth advocates who don't appear to consider the
>frightening impacts of the fact that the USA per capita contributes more
>tonnage of CO2 to the atmosphere than any other nation on Earth, while they
>advocate that we continue development and expansion based on this
>inefficient and non-sustainable fossil fuel powered model of life style,
>industry and consumerism.  Efforts are being made for improvements in
>efficiency and CO2 neutral energy sources, but the bottom line remains that
>absolute levels of CO2 emitted by the US economy continue to increase, as 
>we
>glut on a resource that will be rendered scarce for future generations
>
>   Till this reality is addressed aggressively, economic expansion based on
>massive CO2 output will only place the extreme costs of climate change onto
>the next generation, or sooner, while the lifestyle based on cheap fossil
>fuels will be in jeopardy due to fossil fuel depletion, if sustainable
>affordable energy alternatives and technologies on a massive scale are not
>implemented.
>
>   Millions of people on the planet will pay the price for our fossil 
>fueled
>powered wealth and success, mostly in the poorer nations, due to
>catastrophic climate change.
>
>   Of course, China and India will soon surpass the US in fossil fuel use 
>and
>thus CO2 output... And if the US is not addressing the problem 
>aggressively,
>what convincing argument can be made that they should also?
>
>   Ted Moffett, dumping 3 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year with 
>my
>below average contribution for a US driver.
>
>
>   On 1/15/07, david sarff <davesway at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>     Hello Kai,
>     Some years ago, during the great terrorism scare of the late 1800's ,
>when
>     Chief Joseph and Looking Glass were on the rampage and the locals were
>     engaged in practicing homeland security. My Great, Great, Grandparents
>had
>     come up the river earlier because congress told the public that the
>property
>     of the west was open to them. Not to long after they built along the
>river
>     the family was brought into Colfax for their protection. They were 
>very
>     frightened about the situation as the US Army tended to there usual
>work,
>     doing their jobs, representing the country and unfortunately chasing
>around
>     and killing a bunch of really quite innocent folks, and calling it a
>war.
>     After the Army got things all nice and secure , setting up some forts
>here
>     and there. The US citizens and my family continued to go about their
>     business and exploit the resources as they were led to believe that
>     everything was on the up n up.  And you know, not much seems to have
>     changed, including people with attitudes like yours.
>     My local family stomping grounds runs up the river from the ocean to
>about
>     Palouse falls, then up to Sandpoint and back down to the North Fork.
>There
>     are a couple homesteads underwater and one under PFI. If you haven't
>     noticed, the fishing has been real bad for a considerable period of 
>time
>and
>     the eels are completely gone. The soil has gotten damp enough that the
>few
>     fish left swim over it.
>     Four generations have been in Moscow proper. If you get buried in any
>     cemetery in Latah county, you can thank one of my granddads, Clarence
>Jenks,
>     for setting up the county districts. He was a Moscow Chamber pres and
>     printer for the Daily Star and Queen city printing,  If you meet, I'm
>     certain you'll get along with him quite well…His better half is simply
>     wonderful.
>     He said that the "City with a Smile" slogan was rues. I see that the
>signs
>     have been removed. Kind of metaphorical, really.
>
>     I grew up in town and got side tracked by my very good high school ag
>     instructor, Kirk Rush. He helped me acquire my first full time job for
>     Moscow Implement, selling parts. That was my first serious infusion 
>into
>the
>     ag community. After that I went to collage at LCSC. Out of that went 
>to
>work
>     for State Tractor with Gary Crabtree. Not much real ag stuff going on
>there,
>     but some( and it gets him in the story). Durring the 80's I had and 
>auto
>     repair shop in town. Some of the customers were farmers as well as
>freands.
>     They always need some kind of help, particularly at harvest time.
>     In the 90's I worked four years at Columbia Tractor.
>     I can repair and operate just about anything you can think of and have
>     worked for a handful of farmers in a variety of different capacities.
>Over
>     the years I've had plenty of experience with the ag community. They 
>have
>one
>     hell of a hard row to hoe and I have seen it up close and personal.
>     My present volunteer activities include native plant regeneration with
>the
>     Palouse Prairie Foundation.
>     With that group I sometimes volunteer work to do preservation work 
>with
>the
>     local endangered native plant community ( and the Great White Worm).
>There
>     are farmers that attend that group. We talk about dirt...
>     There is a member in the group named Maynard Fosberg who is a retired
>soil
>     scientist. I'm confident that he has the kind of authority your 
>looking
>for.
>     As far as my ears and eyes can tell, soil conditions are continuing to
>     decline and if you want a good description of soil health in just 
>about
>any
>     region of the world, then I'm certain he'd love to bend your ear a 
>bit,
>if
>     you were to look for him.
>     Almost all farms are *Not* operating their land sustainably and its 
>not
>     entirely their fault. The soils are completely addicted to chemicals 
>and
>the
>     crops to gene pool juggling.
>     If you want a good definition and read that reflects my idea of just
>what
>     constitutes sustainability,  I recommend reading the works of Bill
>Mollison.
>     Speaking of Coyote stories, the Nez Perce Nation has been here a bit
>longer
>     than any settlers family you can find.
>     I  accept their ideas about how the land (and the rivers) should
>sustainably
>     treated.
>     Maybe will see you at the spring Pow Wow. We can talk about the land 
>and
>     supporting property rights.
>     Dave
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>     >
>     >Dave said "The ag community needs to break its monoculturalistic
>thinking
>     >and adopt sustainability principles."
>     >Ummmm, Dave, many of the farms in this area have been in production 
>and
>     >passed down through 3 generations at this point. That's about 100 
>years
>of
>     >sustainability. There is a saying that farmers have, "Take care of 
>the
>     >ground and it'll take care of you."
>     >Please name any other family owned businesses that have been here 
>that
>     >long.
>     >And please tell us how much time you've spent on a farm or other ag
>     >operation.
>     >
>     >

_________________________________________________________________
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