Like picking up someone's journal, this is an inside glimpse of what Cherry is working on. More drafts of her premises on the ecology conversation can be seen in the Book Extras section or directly from your Kindle reader. --Suzanna Stinnett
Cherry A. McClay
Premise Paper Alternatives to Activism
Draft 9, February 2011
San Rafael, California
Perspective:
First I want to tell you what I am not about. You'll see why this is so important. I am not about the debate. I do not seek to "add" my opinions to the argument. On the contrary, I see the debate as a way to avoid action and feel good about making statements before ducking back into the comforts of the lifestyle.
I am also not about activism in the classic sense. I want to further a positive outcome. Again, it may feel wholesome to shout objections to what is, but the results are sketchy at best. With the technology we now have in hand, making a scene to physically "push back" against authority seems adolescent.
[Jan 2012: Occupy Movement has two sides. Research the less-seen elements. Ask A.N. what they are planning.]
Now that I'm free for the first time in my life to take the time to think deeply and research thoroughly, I have begun to recognize a potential path for breaking through walls. In this Premise Paper, I'll talk about that path. But first, what's my objective?
[section] [Diamon has not reviewed as of 10-10-11]
What I am about
Here’s what I’m after: A clean, viable, dynamically healthy ecosystem for me and for future generations.
That's a big umbrella. I'll narrow it down, stay with me.
Scientific Magic
Here on Planet Earth we have much scientific magic. By that I mean there are biological systems that do so many good things at one time, and serve so many human needs, even frivolous ones, it makes NO SENSE to leave them lying in the ditch.
That's where our solutions wait. If you are an advocate of sensible solutions, you may have fallen in love with the multi-dimensional prowess of hemp. By hemp, I mean the industrial version of cannabis which grows with negligible "drug" aspects. Put another way, the seeds used in countries other than the U.S., France, for example, are provided by the government and they have no use as a drug. Our government and many citizens of this country seem to want you to believe otherwise.
This Medusa is where I am going, sword in hand.
Two Questions
The two questions you will see me ask unceasingly: Why and Who.
Logic Application
The smaller question is why. Why do people still believe that industrial hemp poses some danger to their children or to the moral fortitude of this country? That question is easy to answer. I'll tell you what I think. I think people inherit beliefs and this one has been in place since the 1930s. It's always easier to live life without turning over stones. It's easier to work within the status quo of your little micro culture; your family, your alma mater, your peers. As long as you don't ask questions about the structure of your culture, you'll probably do okay.
Answer: People believe this falsehood because they don't have a good enough reason to examine the issue.
Answer 2: People perpetuate this falsehood because it aligns with the world they are conditioned to see, and no one likes change.
The Big Fat Who
The other question brings us into dangerous territory. It's the question I have to ask in the face of every issue, every social challenge, every global dilemma in front of us today. It's one straw shy of an accusation, and it should make us all uncomfortable.
Who stands to gain financially?
Lets get specific here. We are going where the buck stops. Today, we can follow the crumbs, digital and otherwise. When we reach the end of the who question, we'll have a new why to consider. Are you with me?
We have in our hands two beautiful bio-solutions to our ecological problems. [many others]
One is industrial hemp, which can be used to build our cars (Henry Ford did it 100 years ago, people), to fuel our cars, to derive plastic resins for daily household items, to feed birds, provide us with our omega fats, to solve erosion, to build houses and create a myriad of textiles. For this conversation I am not addressing medical marijuana's superb appropriateness, because the issue of industrial hemp is easily overwhelmed by the very different issue of marijuana use. They absolutely must be kept separate. I've seen no evidence that pushing out these issues together benefits either.
[expand this section]
The other bio-solution is mycoremediation. That's mushrooms, which provide astonishing benefits to toxic environments.
Outcomes
This is a starting point to develop a public conversation which leads us to important discoveries. We can create a template which begins with answering the Who questions.
The specific questions again:
Who stands to gain financially from the continued suppression of industrial hemp [and knowledge of the safety and benefits of industrial hemp]?
Who stands to gain financially from the suppression of mycoremediation?
What I mean by "who"
If I had to throw out an answer in the moment, I'd say "Dupont." Naming a corporation, however, may be going down a less useful fork on our path. I think we need to know more than the name of a company. I think we need to know the names of the human beings who stand to gain financially.
[Maybe I'm wrong on that but this is me thinking on paper.]
version 17.4.19.12.
[get feedback from Jane Fine? Talk to Dr. Minor.]
