invitation to balance and exhault the human/tobacco relationship

Dear Friends,

Tobacco is one of the most popular plant allies, and is much maligned, managed, loved and misunderstood.

Have you ever wondered if the official propaganda that we hear about Tobacco is not essentailly factual, righteous or true?

I have. The truth is that the government and anti-smoking advocates aren't giving us a whole or accurate picture. I can rightly say that responsible, spiritually beneficial Tobacco use is possible. The best example I can think of are Tobacco shamans in the Amazon who chain smoke and cure people of phychosomatic disease with magick.

Many people smoke, yet few DIY it. Tobacco seed is hard to come by after all. It's an f-ing government controlled substance! Yet I have some seed for Nicotiana rustica, of the cultivar which Cherokee native people evolved with in Katuah/Southern Appalachian region. I grew some this summer, and smoking a blunt rolled up in a mullein leaf was one of the most amazing rituals I've ever done. I smoked once a week for two months and there was a mutual exchange of TLC between the plants and I. So this isn't hearsay, folks, it's a treasured part of my story. I'm planning togrow another round of this Cherokee variety in the coming months.

Now I have a lead for gettting some SHAWNEE variety, the kind of tobacco that the original peoples of the Cincinnati area grew and smoked. If you are interested in chasing down this seed with me, you will be embarking on an incredible journey of self/other discovery that will probably culminate in a series of workshops, rituals and debaucherous, sultry summer evenings.

Contact werebrock@riseup.net for information on joining the fun.

Yours in loving anarchy,

Badger

invitation to that MI event

come share a free meal and scheme with good dreams

WHAT: merry making time for scheming our revolution. Deliciously prepared local
conversation and food to be served.

HOW: format is "by mutual information" to keep babbling extroverts like maself from
dominating the conversation. "In Mutual Invitation, the facilitator speaks first. Upon
finishing, the facilitator invites the next person to speak. That person has the opportunity
to speak or to pass or to pass for the moment. Whatever the person chooses, she has the
opportunity to invite the next person to speak. The process continues until everyone has
had a chance to speak." Particularly useful in dealing with folks of other social priviledge
levels; patterns of inheritted, alienation-isms deserve conscious attention to phase out.

WHO: people who RSVP, aka you and the person or 2 you might bring along and as-yet-
unidentified co-conspirators. Hosted by Nancy Sullivan and Badger Johnson.

WHEN: this Saturday, food serving, mumbling and mingling starting at 11am (a bit before
the sun reaches its zenith), with the structured conversation beginning @ 11:30ish.

WHERE: 534 Enright Ave., Cincy OH 45205. Specifically on Price Hill, situated Occidentally
above the mouth of the Mackateewa River.

WHY: We are scheming with headlines of agroforestry, networks of mutual aid, edible
landscaping, progressive/radical/libertarian/egalitarian/green/anarchist affinity, forest
gardening,mycology, get the drift? Let's break bread and gobble manna together.

love,

BBJ

RNC 2008: Call to Action

------------please forward widely------------

Every four years, in two very lucky cities, big money gets thrown around
while look-alikes from opposite ends of a closed circle step up to their
podiums and spout nonsense. RNC. DNC. Whatever. The point is that
once the conventions are over, once November is come and gone, once the
inauguration is only an unpleasant memory, people across this stolen
land find themselves in pretty much the same place as before: a bad one.

And we’d like to offer up a movement- some real, tangible change.
Unfortunately, the reality is that we’re rundown at best, hopeless at
worst, and though we see liberation shining off in the distance, we
don’t know how to get there.

But we want justice, and we want freedom, for life everywhere. And
we’re tired of spinning our wheels in this rut.

From September 1st through 4th, 2008, the Republican National
Convention will be held in St. Paul, MN. You can expect the usual:
sign-holding, protest marches, rhythm-less chants, false raid scares at
the convergence space.

But damned if the resistance stops there.

As residents of the Twin Cities, as anti-authoritarians and anarchists,
we, the RNC Welcoming Committee invite folks from all over the country
to show up and make something happen. Pull this movement out of its
rut, or start something new. Let the up-tops know that we could give a
shit about their suits, their speeches, their money. Bring your
(A)-game, cause 2008 is ours.

We’re calling for:

1. Whatever skills you’ve got: medical, food-prep, legal, soapboxing,
circus tricks. You name it, we wanna see it.
2. Intelligence gathering. Seriously.
3. Big numbers: your presence makes a difference, even if you aren’t
doing anything but sending good vibes our way and bad vibes to the RNC.
4. Decentralized actions: both coordinated and independent; these cities
are a playground, and you wouldn’t want to miss all the fun.
5. Surprises: Republicans, cops, starry-eyed youth- everyone likes a
surprise.

These are the rules:

1. Know the area. Come early, come often. Or if you can’t do that,
study up from home (Al Gore invented the Internet for a reason).
2. Respect local communities, develop your knowledge of local
background, and remember that, good or bad, the effects of your actions
endure long after you’ve left town.
3. Strategize: Be smart. Be creative. Get a sense of what other
organizing is going on.
4. Take initiative.
5. Keep your privilege in check. Recognize socialized systems of
domination, and work to undermine them.
6. Respect. Respect. Respect. Where it’s due. But no capitulation, and
do what you have to do.
7. Keep the bullshit to a minimum. Elitism is not security culture. No
vanguardism, no unnecessary infighting, no loose lips.

Questions? Want to participate? Want to sign on to this call? Contact
the RNC Welcoming Committee: rnc08 (a) riseup.net