Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Almost Like Stealing

There is an ecological imperative that demands that we shift course. We need to understand that the monied interests have sewn up all of the wage increases, exploited the public domain for their benefit and relied on unimaginable subsidization. On the backs of virtually all of the worlds population, the oligarchs hold not only virtually all of the cash, but the political discourse, the media outlets and the means of production. More often than not, what passes for value in the marketplace is a capricious virtual "product", devoid of inherent worth but representing potential worth. Like a roll of the dice, but with infinitely faceted spheres, we keep betteing ever-higher stakes on what has always worked in the past. Tonight, the news was that the second of two tornadoes that ravaged parts of Oklahoma was confirmed an F-5, making it the second within two weeks. To try to get perspective, there have only been three over the past fifty years. Earth, out of balance directly relates to how the money has flowed and the concessions we give to those who hold power and control of our energy strategy, "rules of the house" regarding finance and the "direction" of political discussions. Anything we can do to wrest our living from their waste is like getting ahead at their expense.

Throughput, as I have mentioned before is considered by most industrialists, financiers and moguls to be a matter of course. Single use and disposable everything, as well as rapidly changing styles account for a tremendous influx of cash for the cash flow of our nations. Even skimming a miniscule fraction of billions of items worldwide can generate billions, but there has been a push on for decades to infiltrate every area of the planet for exploitation by half a dozen multinational "groups" of products. We see some of their names on NASCAR jackets, we see them along the F-1 circuits and we consume at their behest, after all, every dollar we spend, part ends up in the hands of their most powerful execs.

When I find detritus from these corporate welfare whores, I consider it an obligation of sorts to turn it into something of use. Re-purposing items may not be enough, I understand that when the giant corporations fail, there will be good as new junk, ready to be liberated from their use. Far too often, "resources" once accounted for leak out of businesses grasp. I have, many times, mused at the things that just fall in the trash can, go missing or left out of place long enough, just walk off. Tons of steel fall off trucks each week across our great land. Waste is the cost of development. Using this waste effectively and redistributing the wealth that is thrown away by our overlords is beyond necessity, it is a strategy to stay alive, support Starship Earth and subvert those who would kill our life support system, Mother Earth. I have seen all manner of goods created in a driveway or basement, occasionally on a back stoop that utilized waste from our industrialized waste stream to fabricate wonderful tools, functional items, energy saving devices and fashionable furniture.

Where I seem to have fallen down on the job was in failing to have a documentary approach to my experiences. A friend, living along the highway had several sheets of two inch extruded polystyrene insulation blow into the neighborhood, which he harvested. That made an amazing table that looked like an over-sized millstone, but only weighed in at about twenty pounds. Another thing he was able to make out of the same foam insulation windfall was a NERD (Northern Exoposure Refrigeration Device). My own favorite was the discarded plastic containers that are making their way into uses as rain barrels. By cutting the top out and covering it with screen to keep skeeters from breeding in the water, we can reduce the expense and impact of watering our yards. I guarantee that this was not the intention of the folks manufacturing or utilizing these vessels for profit. In fact the very existence of the waste has been paid for by the oppressor and we need to transform those resources to provide a higher standard of living than they intend to allow us.

Unlike Road Warriors we are spirits of peace and love, only wanting ecological balance. When we bring our creativity and inventiveness to the home, yard and garden, the possibilities seem endless. In the old days, my grandfather set me on a path toward this by using cast off bits of pipe to make bird feeders. In my turn I have expanded the art to make tools and money by selling both scrap and items made from junk. Ultra-low cost always translates to massive profit. One item that recently came to my workshop is a fully functional rolling bucket and it came with a broken mop wringer which needed $.35 worth of bolts to fix. Retail value is over fifty dollars. Even giving it away to someone who needs it is worth more than thirty five cents! Take from the rich and make them eat their dollars. We will see who folds first.

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