Good for you, Merla, Sometimes it pays to egg one's opponents into going ballistic. Then the fence stradlers wonder "What was that all about?" and you may get a better hearing next time.
It is a position of power to be able to publicly ask, "Why do you think you can usurp my right to state my position and beliefs in public? Why can't I have my say while you sit quietly and listen? Haven't I given you similar respect? Just because you have a big penis, you don't have to wave it in public, do you? And if you feel insecure about your size, that still doesn't give you special rights, does it?" (Obviously there are few rules, so it can be fun to hit them below the belt. But you're probably a nicer person than I might be, and my advice is probably worthless, as advice usually is.) Good luck, Hugh >I got home from my east coast trip at midnight on Monday, October 14, >after my Spokane Symphony Chorale rehearsal. > >Mary Portera at River Gallery in Chattanooga took all the ceramic >animals I had and even bought a large frog with an injured eye with her >personal check. > >With an Anthroposophic Chattanooga friend, I visited Union Agricultural >Institute when Hugh was speaking in Michigan and Lorraine was at market >in Atlanta. Their apprentice, Sylvia, showed us around. I loved their >cows. I wish we could have cows, but it's not possible. > >When I got home, I found a root cellar full of apples, peppers, some >tomatoes and the tomato coldframes full of brown tomato plants. We >ended up with 25 cases of salsa. Herb and Ed had brought in the manure >for our compost pile and I got three sets compost preps and a cow horn >from Hugh Courtney at the conference. I am also going to make BC. > >On Wednesday, I attended a meeting of the new Selkirk Weed Management >Area Board which includes people from four counties, the Forest Service >and the Nature Conservancy. These are the people who will read my >report on the Rapid Lightning Weed Control Project and who decide what >projects from our area will be presented to the state for funding. I >had a chance to tell them what we had done on our road project. As soon >as I mentioned Bio-Dynamics, though, Randy, the Bonner County (my >county) Weed Committee Chair, the one who blocked my using Pfeiffer >Field Spray by inquiring whether it was registered as a soil amendment >in Idaho, started in on me in front of everyone--declaring that Pfeiffer >Field Spray was full of bad nematodes. Of course, I countered that this >was not true. When I explained that BD Preps have a spiritual component >and that this is why we don't want to subject them to the state >registration process, he said something about the separation of church >and state. He raised his voice and succeeded in taking the whole floor >and stopped my presentation. > >Even though the man is raving, he still managed to control what happened >in the meeting. What I did was close my eyes, meditate right there for >a few seconds and put myself in the most positive attitude I could >muster. When I left the meeting, I felt a lot of good vibrations, >especially from the women on the Board. I think I handled myself all >right. Time will tell. The worst possible scenario, I hope, is that >Iwill just have to demonstrate Bio-Dynamic weed control on our own >place, our private road and contiguous neighbor's properties. Randy >will probably do everything he can to block any future state grants for >our project. It will be interesting to see what the SCWMA Board does >with our report and future funding. They have to deal with many people >whose livelihood is based on the use of pesticides. Before he spoke, >there was interest in combining our work with Bio-controls. The >strategic plan of the group that was presented had all kinds of >objectives such as "Restoration of the land - keep as close to the >natural state as possible." Can you all visualize them supporting our >work and Randy having a change of heart and becoming less threatened by >people who work with natural processes? > >Thanks to everyone at the conference in Lovettsville for your presence >there. I certainly was delighted with what I learned. > >Best, > >Merla Visit our website at: www.unionag.org
