We’ve headed into the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi… and the beginning of the Hurricane Katrina devastation area… Our first stop was Pascagoula, which was hit extremely hard. For a half mile in from the coast, it looked like a war zone. Tom Caffrey, a life-long resident of Pascagoula, gave us a tour. Winds at 145 mph, a tremendous swell of water and “renegade waves” of up to 27 ft. tore houses literally apart. All that was left of many was: a concrete slab. Tom pointed to a knoll on the point here with one of those concrete slabs. “They said that house was ‘hurricane proof,'” he said. Five months later, debris (and FEMA trailers) are everywhere. Help has been everywhere as well. Tom said he was particularly moved by all the church groups, and others, who came here from across the country to clear property and help to begin to rebuild. Note: After the tour, I was interviewed on Channel 7 News here. I mentioned to the station manager before the interview that there was just no way the news media in general could relay the absolute breadth of devastation that happened here.
Whenever I’m asked about our environmental stance, I always say that we’re actually “left of the Green Party.” That is, we think sound “environmental stewardship” entails caring for the environment God has given us with the utmost respect. [St. Benedict said we should treat the environment the same way we treat the sacred vessels of the altar.] Anyway, in Citronelle, Alabama (pop. 3,720) we met with a couple who are “left of the Green Party” as well. Lisa and Craig Kalloch have established a “permaculture” on their land in the outskirts of Citronelle. (The essence of permaculture is to create as rich an environment as possible, allowing nature’s synergy to play a large part.) An example: Craig took us to a compost pile made of sawdust and “human manure” from the couple’s compost toilet. The manure and sawdust go through a two year cycle of composting to make it pathogen free. This compost, Craig explained, is then used in “sheet mulching.” This is a process that enhances the quality of the soil exponentially. A layer of compost is put down on the earth, then a layer of newspaper, then another layer of compost, then a layer of leaves… All this starts to quickly break down. And what’s more, the layering of this new material brings worms and microbes to the surface as well, further breaking everything down and making the soil that much richer. The Kalloch’s then planted an expansive garden in this region… The day we toured the Kalloch’s, there was also three people from Bellingham, Washington. One, Eric Conn, said he had had a business in Bellingham called “Food Not Lawns.” And he would cover existing lawns with sheet mulching (using all kinds of compost, etc.) to reclaim the ‘dead green,’ chemically-treated lawns for rich soil, gardens, and even “perinnial food forest systems.” That is, Conn said they would plant things like fruit trees, then friuty shrubs (blackberries, blueberries…), then patches of medicinal herbs, vegetables, and so on. The land, as a result, becomes so much more “productive and educational,” he added. Note: When you chemically treat grass, it destroys the natural mineral content in the topsoil and the toxic chemicals also leech into the groundwater. Not exactly your: “…treating the environment like the sacred vessels of the alter” orientation. It is our belief how we treat the environment is, indeed, a serious moral issue. Note 2: The threesome from Washington are sailing the country on a “Sustainability Research and Education Project.” From town to town, their boat is open for public tours and they demonstrate: wind powered propulsion, photovoltaic collectors, a solar cooker, solar shower, solar pasteurizer, solar water heater. The boat was built using scrap wood and other recycled material. The trip is 3,500 miles over six months. One of the sailors, Eric Conn, got a degree in “Sustainable Community Design” from Huxley College of the Environment, a branch of Western Washington University. He said he believes strongly we should redesign our communities in America based on the concept of: “The Five-Mile Walk.” That is, within a radius of five miles you should be able to get all the things you need — as was the case in our communities before the advent of the car. [I am just drafting a Transportation position paper that reflects some of this orientation.]
We went to breakfast at a small diner in Mobile, Alabama. Each waitress had a shirt that read: “Get your hiny to the Tiny Diny.” [Yet another “average Joe” five star dining experience.]… I was then interviewed at the Mobile Register for a political column they do each week. I said our platform called for more help for the poor in the Third World and in this country — like for the poor just up the street from the newspaper. Not more than a quarter-mile north of the Mobile Register is a group of makeshift tents that sit below the incline of a highway on-ramp. In front of one of the tents sat: a wheel chair. A poignant sight and yet another sad commentary. That is, most of the cars that travel the on ramp are sheltered in our garages. Meanwhile some of our poor, our crippled… [in every city, not just Mobile] sleep in tents, or worse, in the doorways of back alleys… Question: What would it take to convert some of these garages to apartments? Answer: Love, and a few nails. [And they will say: But Lord, when did I see you hungry, or without shelter, or…]
At a Mass in Fairhope, Alabama, a deacon commented on the state of the world by saying: “Madmen are creating (nuclear) weapons to kill us.” Apparently this deacon hasn’t been to Great Falls, Montana, where our own 2,000 nuclear missile silos are. Massive Third World starvation, rampant disease that is killing little children by the scores… and we’re spending billions and billions of dollars on our own ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ Um, spiritually speaking: Who exactly are the ‘madmen’? Note: Outside Little Flower Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama, is a sign that reads: “There are 5,250 abortions every hour (in the world). If that doesn’t give one tremendous pause…
In Panama City, I interviewed Chong Morgan who came here in 1987 from South Korea. She said she grew up during the Korean War and the common salutation among people in her neighborhood wasn’t” “Hi, how are you?” It was: “Have you eaten today?” She said there was a tremendous sense of community as people cut back and shared to make sure everyone had at least the bare essentials. Conversely, she said in America it seems many people are “self contained and we stuff ourselves at each meal.” Sad commentary… We headed into Alabama on the next leg of our Gulf Coast Tour.
In Panama City, Florida, I interviewed A. Avdette de la Pointe (who currently has the record for the person with the longest name we’ve interviewed in all our traveling.) Mr. de la Pointe describes himself as a common man “economy hobbyist.” He said he has been studying the economy on his own for years. Mr. de la Pointe said fiscal year 2004 figures in America indicate we amassed a 11.1 trillion dollar debt. He said that would be equivalent to a household making $50,000 in a year — and spending $300,000 in the same year. (This continues to reconfirm my assertion we need someone in D.C. with a calculator that works.) Mr. de la Pointe said the government continues to put more money in circulation to “chase more goods.” However, the big problem is that this is causing more and more inflation. And metaphorically, it’s as if we’re building the economy on a ‘house of cards’ at this point. As the inflation becomes runaway, and the common person isn’t able to buy the basics in food anymore… it can only lead to social unrest and political system failure, Mr. de la Pointe added. Note: The same night I interviewed Mr. de la Pointe, I gave a brief talk to a group at St. Dominic’s Church in Panama City. I said abortion is a modern day Holocaust that won’t change until churches, adoration chapels, etc., are absolutely filled with those praying for it to end. It won’t end until the papers are flooded with letters to the editor and legislators are flooded with letters, period. Protests must increase exponentially. And more comprehensive safety nets need to be built for women in crisis pregnancy. But all this takes a sustained grassroots effort by the Pro-Life masses. Yet sadly, it’s only a few of those who say they are Pro-Life who prioritize these actions on any consistent level.
We are in motion again… Our first stop was Plains, Georgia, home of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. At a stop in downtown Plains, I leafed through one of Mr. Carter’s most recent books: Our Moral Crisis. We then drove past his home, a one story ranch style home on 2.4 acres of wooded property. The home alone, I would imagine (while modest by American presidential standards) was worth at least $175,000. After just seeing the mock Third World Slum Village at Habitat for Humanity’s headquarters, I couldn’t help but wonder if Jimmy and Rosalyn had opted for, say, a $50,000 home in Plains (and there are a lot of these here), and sent the $125,000 bucks to the Third World where you can often build a quite adequate home for a fairly big family for $2,000… how many little children would be out of the slums in Calcutta. One of those: ‘Our Moral Crisis?’ (This is not to detract from all Mr. Carter does to help in the Third World through his Carter Center. But it does give one pause to question how much of a personal sacrifice of our own comfort each of us Americans are willing to make to ease the burden of our brothers and sisters in the Third World.) Note: Later in the day, we stopped at the Florida Welcome Center. While drinking some free orange juice (it continues to be a low budget campaign), the kids and I noticed clock that said: “Florida Time.” It had no hands.
Earlier in the week, I interviewed Lyn Pace who is the Director of Service Learning at Wofford College in Spartanburg, North Carolina. He and his students were at Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia, to learn about intentional Christian communtiy as part of class on the dynamics of community in America. Pace told me “individualization” has been promoted in society and the “most successful person” seems to be the one who has the most powerful job, most money, etc… So, in essence, they become the least reliant on others. Conversely, it is interdependence between people that tends to form the strongest sense of community. People needing people. What’s more, Pace pointed out that often when someone is insulated with all their stuff, so to speak, it’s easier to overlook “the man sitting on the street” because you are so far removed from his/her plight. Note: This was our last interview at Koinonia Farm.
I interviewed Millard Fuller who is the founder of Habitat for Humanity. He is now heading up The Fuller Center for Housing in Americus, Georgia. The Center focuses on building houses for people in need. “Unashamedly Christian and enthusicasitally ecumenical, The Fuller Center seeks to work as a companion to Habitat for Humanity affiliates and other low-income housing providers offering financial and other support,” explains some agency literature. Fuller explained The Center has a “Heart to Heart” Program that provides labor and/or materials for low-income home rennovation projects. While there is no obligation to repay, The Fuller Center has just instituted a “Greater Blessing Program” for the recipient of the help. The homeowner has the option (not mandatory) of paying some, or all, of the money back over time to The Fuller Center. And in return, that money will go to seed another project. The ‘greater blessing’ comes when you, in turn, give, said Fuller. And Fuller has spent his life, personally, giving. In his book: Theology of the Hammer, he writes: “We must do more than talk about faith and sing about love.” Fuller, 72, told me the reason Habitat and The Fuller Center are so successful in bringing people of all faiths and political affiliations together, is that there is an innate sense everyone deserves adequate housing. What’s more, Fuller said 10% of the money used for a Habitat House in the U.S., would often pay for a whole house in India, Uganda, Nicaragua, Peru… For more on The Fuller Center for Housing, Inc., see: www.fullercenter.org. Note: It would be someone like Mr. Fuller who we would tap for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
I interviewed Orlando and Barbara Friesen who have come to Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia, to do volunteer work the next two weeks. From Newton, Kansas, the Friesens are both in their early 80s. They are involved with the Mennonite Church’s SOOP (Service Opportunites for Older People) Program. Orlando is a retired physician and Barbara is a retired school teacher. On another SOOP trip, the Friesens worked in the Atlanta area where Barbara volunteered as an aid in a public school and Orlando volunteered at a Day Care for the chronic mentally ill. Prior to this, Orlando and Barbara worked with the government’s “Project USA.” Their work was on Native American Reservations throughout the West… Orlando said while he and Barbara had retired in a traditional sense, they hadn’t retired from “working for God.”