etcetera: October 2004 Archives

from yesterday's e-mail for the Wal-Mart campaign (which is quickly turning into a more general concern about big box stores):

In Thursday, October 14?s Commercial News, a front page story covered a proposal from Menards to Fabius Township for rezoning of property west of 131 and south of Millard for a store even larger than the one Wal-Mart has proposed. Also, on the front page of the October 26 paper was a story about the school board voting to sell the Johnnycake Preschool property to Wal-Mart. This confirms my conviction that we need a cohesive, forward-thinking vision for what we?d like to see our city become if we ever hope to be more than another characterless cluster of chain stores. My hope is that the Menard?s proposal will cause Fabius decision-makers to seriously consider the pattern that would be established for the future if they begin rezoning land for big box store development.

We have not abandoned the work to critically examine Wal-Mart?s potential impact on the Three Rivers area; in fact, we?re distributing Wal-Mart-related information and statistics to the Fabius Township Board and the Three Rivers City Commission, since these groups stand to be the front-line decision-makers, now and in the future. Unfortunately, the city commissioners who are up for election next week seem to be apathetic at best as to whether Wal-Mart and the like would make a good addition to the community (see below for an article in which Wendell Berry has some choice words for such people). The prevailing attitude is that we can?t fight ?em, so we might as well join ?em. However, I?m convinced that we can do better than to lie down and let the highest bidder buy our dreams for the future of our city.

Of course surrendering to the whims of the free market is easier and less time-consuming than putting up a fight on principle. But we must seriously consider that we?re in the position to decide for the generations to come whether Three Rivers will be a soulless city that uncritically prostitutes itself for easy gain or a willful city committed to long-term, sustainable growth built on what history has shown us is truly valuable, which includes relationships and a sense of community that no amount of money can buy. Though it?s contrary to our instincts, seeking growth with wisdom and discernment means that sometimes, we may have to say ?no? to short-term gain because the big picture shows us all that we stand to lose in the long-run.

I sense that my voice in opposition to big box developments in Three Rivers is a very lonely one and that they will come in the end, not because their coming is unavoidably inevitable, as so many claim, but because too few of us were willing to ask critical questions and take an unpopular stand. However, I?m hopeful that even though I?m entering the conversation at a late stage, I can connect with people who are asking similar questions and who also have an interest in the long-term well-being of Three Rivers. I hope that together, we can build a vibrant, unique community that serves our citizens in all their wonderful diversity with excellent places to live, work and play.

access the referenced Wendell Berry article here.

last night, a group of ten Three Rivers folks headed to Grand Rapids to attend the third annual Cup of Justice conference sponsored by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. it was a fantastic opportunity. we heard from one of the founders of the only 100% fair trade coffee roaster in Michigan and he translated for two coffee farmers from Chiapas, Mexico.

as indigenous Mayans, Jose and Macario shared their story of struggling for a livelihood amid violent oppression. many people from their communities were wiped out in a massacre in 1997, but as these farmers are able to sustain themselves by growing a traditional crop using organic means, they are overcoming a system that seeks to quietly destroy them. here are some of the numbers:

• $.41-the price per pound of organic coffee at the height of the market glut in 2001 (even while businesses like Starbucks were booming)


• $1.00-the price per pound needed for a coffee farmer to break even


• $1.26-the guaranteed price per pound for fair trade coffee


• $1.41-the guaranteed price per pound for organic fair trade coffee

some would say that guaranteeing a (sometimes) artifically inflated price for coffee beans interferes with the natural fluctuation of the market and does harm in the longrun because it's not sustainable. however, in hearing the stories of the real people who suffer when the market dips, i'm left with the question, "Is there any justifiable excuse for Christians to purchase anything but fair trade coffee?" it's a question i'll be considering for a more extended piece that will appear in the "Odd One Out" issue of catapult on November 19.

our housemate, Jeff, made an interesting connection on the way home. the night before, we all attended a potluck for our CSA group. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new concept whereby people in both urban and rural communities pay in advance for a weekly share of a local farmer's produce during the growing season. so we pay $250 (or so) in February for a half share, head out to our church every Wednesday in the following summer and early fall, and receive a box overflowing with fresh, organic produce personally delivered by Farmer Dale. anyway, at the potluck, Farmer Dale had the opportunity to thank, face-to-face, the people who make his livelihood possible, just like the coffee farmers last night had the opportunity to thank fair trade coffee drinkers in person for choosing to stand with them in solidarity. it all gives me a sense of "the way things should be"...and perhaps the way things WILL be.

I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. I find both parties lacking in many and various respects, so I won't align myself with either. Neither party accurately represents, in full, Kingdom values of peace and justice as I've come to perceive them.

I'm posting this list of links mostly because I'm deeply saddened by the state we find ourselves in regarding war and I'm worn down by human brokenness. Though there are certainly partisan implications to some of these links, I'm not particularly interested in these items for political reasons.

• The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War is a documentary project that is interviewing soldiers involved in Iraq and Afghanistan. "This project is an opportunity to hear and see the soldiers experience and treatment in the military, and upon returning home." It seems unthinkable, but soldiers' voices are too often lost in the din of war. I haven't seen the film yet, but I think its work is vitally important if we are to understand the true and horrific nature of war.


• Retiring Nebraska Representative Doug Bereuter, a Republican, recently wrote a letter to his constituents in which he admits that he now thinks going to Iraq was a mistake. "The toll in American military casualties and those of civilians, physical damages caused, financial resources spent, and the damage to the support and image of the United States abroad, all demand [an] assessment and accounting." I'm interested in this article mostly because Bereuter is stepping out to realistically assess the situation in Iraq and to acknowledge his complicity in the decision to invade. There aren't many politicians in our deeply divided country who are willing to abandon ideological allegiances (though Zell Miller comes to mind), particularly to acknowledge and take responsibility for perceived mistakes.


• Wall Street Journal reporter Farnaz Fassihi's view from Iraq paints a grim picture.

paul griffiths argues his reasons for not voting in the upcoming election in commonweal. convincing, but not convincing at the same time.

i suppose i don't have anything against thursday, per se, but this year thursdays are particularly difficult. i've got classes in the morning and a night class, which means i get to stay on goshen's campus from 9:30 in the morning until 9:30 at night.

you're probably thinking, "why don't you go home in between classes?" well, i've only got four hours between classes and it takes about an hour (45 minutes on a good day) to get from three rivers to goshen, so i'd only be able to spend about two hours at home. instead, i've opted to use that time for studying.

having said that, though, doesn't make a 12-hour day of classes and studying any easier. i find myself completely exhausted the next day and it usually takes me a weekend to recover. of course, i rarely force myself to stop working, even on weekends, so i rarely feel fully rested. i know and understand the concept of sabbath, yet i find it increasingly difficult to actually put sabbath into practice.

basically, i need to figure out a way to do life better. i can't keep working and studying every waking hour of every day; it's simply not good for me.