Bow Hunting and My Hierarchy of Values

Bow Hunting

Since moving back to Lynchburg, I've had dealings with the local Tea Party.  I've gotten to know one of the members a bit, and we've gone back and forth on Facebook on various issues.  My friend (I'll call him Abe for his moral and political Absolutism, and because I feel like giving someone a pseudonym) posted a photo recently of an albino groundhog.  Now that's very neat; like most people, I've never seen one.

Abe is an avid bow hunter, mostly hunting deer, but other game as well.  Abe asked for my support in allowing bow hunting in Lynchburg, because according to him, the city will have a fox and coyote problem in the near future, and it's currently overpopulated with deer.  Now I don't know about the fox and coyote and I haven't seen them anywhere in my years of living here, but I do know the deer are a problem.  It's not uncommon for me to run across a group of 8 of them in my neighborhood.  And they pose a major threat to cars and a minor one to gardens.

So at first I responded, Yes I will support you in bow hunting.  However, I took some time to consider it, and then changed my mind.  I replied, No, in fact I wouldn't support allowing bow hunting in Lynchburg, because I oppose killing animals if at all possible.  I'd support nonlethal trapping to remove problem animals, subsequent to a study of the problems posed, maybe done by one of the local colleges.

Abe wants the right to use his property as he wants.  Abe says the deer population has been studied and it's way too high, and I believe him because from what I've read, he knows his hunting issues.  Abe also sees several problems with trapping -- first, the animals will return, and second, it's an expense.  I understand and recognize those concerns, and they are valid.  He doesn't like legal restrictions on what he can do at his own home, and I empathize with his concerns.  I too am bothered by what I consider inappropriate and sometimes immoral restrictions on what I do on my property.

Abe also claims that if I make the case that I support a blanket ban on bow hunting everywhere in the city, on one's own property, that the same case can be made for banning all drug use on one's own property.  He claims my view on the bow hunting issue is inconsistent with my view on drug legalization, that if I want to restrict his rights on his property, he could restrict my rights on my property.

My political activism centers around marijuana legalization specifically, and drug regulation more broadly, and the core from which my passion springs is my belief that the laws denying my freedom to ingest what I choose, and sanctioning me for choosing "wrongly", are immoral.

Let me explain a bit about my values, and why, based on those values, I think the two issues are not quite analogous, can be approached differently, and treating them differently or arriving at different legal outcomes is not inconsistent with my values.

Hierarchy of Values and Freedoms

Although my beliefs and opinions are ever-evolving, my emerging feeling is that I subscribe to a hierarchy of values and freedoms.  In my experience, most people do as well.  Although some might claim to weigh all their values equally, as a practical matter it is impossible to do so.  We always have to weigh one value against another, in virtually any situation, and decide which is more important.  Our judges do this every day.

Since I don't subscribe to supernaturalism or believe in gods, I don't believe these values and freedoms are bestowed by God or a Creator, as the Founders stated in the Declaration of Independence.  Rather, I believe reason and experience, parental example and innate intuition, deductive and inductive reasoning, all provide a simple and acceptable justification for them.  For me, they all point to the same conclusions.

Here is a listing of my hierarchy of values, in descending order of their importance, each followed by a simple description of the attribute described:

• Love, Compassion, Kindness, Generosity, Respect, Peace -- Loving Being
• Freedom of Belief, Opinion, and Speech -- Mental and Verbal Being
• Freedom of Life and Self-Sovereignty -- Physical Being
• Freedom of Association and Relation -- Social Being
• Freedom of Work and Play -- Active Being
• Freedom of Property -- Self-Controlling Being

In order to secure all these values and freedoms for everyone, I include this necessary value:

• Honoring Others' Beliefs, Opinions, and Freedoms (combines Love + Social Being)

Other values important to me include:

• Expanding Knowledge Through Reason and Science (Love + Mental)
• Teaching and Demonstrating Reason and Science (Mental + Social)
• Mutual Consent (Love + Social)
• Mutual Cooperation and Collaboration (Love + Social + Active)
• Self-Sufficiency (Physical + Active + Self-Controlling)
• Preserving the Natural World (Love + Physical)

Although I hold them dearly, I hold few of these values absolutely, since they often come into conflict with each other, both in my own circumstances, and when relating to others.  Additionally, although this ordering holds true most of the time, there may be times when I hold a lower value more important than a higher one, although hopefully those cases are rare.  Even though this hierarchy suggests a framework for decision-making, I prefer making case-by-case decisions, with as much consistency as I can give, without sacrificing love, compassion, etc., which I hold as the ultimate values.

For example, when deciding an issue that pits the Freedom of Property against the Natural World, I'm very likely to side with the Natural World, because I value the Freedom of Life for more than just me, humans, or even animals, over the Freedom of Property.  That's not to say I would always side with the Natural World, as I also value Reason and Science, and Freedom of Work, so I support a law that allows one to cultivate any plant on one's property, even though that might violate Preserving the Natural World in some ways.  Despite violating one of my values, and perhaps negatively affecting it in some ways, using Love and Reason helps guide me to what I consider the best decision.  It is wise to strive for consistency in one's decisions, and consistency can indicate well-made decisions.  But consistency is not a goal in and of itself; decisions can and should be revisited in light of new information or beliefs; they shouldn't be considered etched in stone simply for consistency's sake.

So in Abe's example of allowing bow hunting in the city, since I value Love and Freedom of Life (for animals) higher than Freedom of Action or Property (for people), I would say no, let's not allow it.  Abe doesn't say that there are diseases spread by these animals that threaten Life.  He doesn't say that these animals threaten Property.  He simply wants the freedom to kill these animals to control their population, to remove a nuisance.  I believe there are methods which do not threaten animal life (e.g. deterrence, trapping), which can and should be used in place of methods that take life.  However, since I do value Reason, and I'm not an absolutist, I would also say that there's room for reasonable discussion of the wisdom of my approach, room to consider all alternatives, and room to reach an arrangement acceptable to everyone.  I don't say that animal life always comes before human life, or vice versa, but rather I try to consider each issue case-by-case, applying my values in a rational, and hopefully loving way, according to my hierarchy.

How does this relate to my views on drugs and drug legalization?  Well, in my view the Freedom of Self-Sovereignty dictates that I have the freedom to eat, drink, and smoke whatever I choose to.  I have the freedom, and thus the right, to treat my mind and body as I wish, whether that's with tattoos, piercings, hairstyle, clothing, music, meditation, prayer, drugs, or suicide.  Abe claims that if I make the argument that bow hunting shouldn't be allowed on one's own property, that my argument that drug use should be allowed on my property can't be supported.  I disagree -- I place Freedom of Self-Sovereignty higher than Freedom of Property.  Although the Freedoms of Action and Property suggest that laws restricting private use of property are improper and invalid, I don't believe those Freedoms are absolute, so I don't support a blanket freedom to any action whatsoever on one's property.  However, I believe that the Freedom of Self-Sovereignty applies to one's body only, regardless of where one is; it isn't contingent on being on one's property or at home.  Clearly though, it applies especially on one's own property, although of course subject to reasonable discussion, as always.  But it's conceivable that if I were on someone else's property, and the owner didn't want me using drugs there, that I might support his Freedom of Property over my Freedom of Self-Sovereignty, and support a law allowing him to restrict my fundamental right of Self-Sovereignty.  Nevertheless, following the ultimate values of Love and Respect, I would prefer exercising my values of Mutual Consent and Cooperation, and coming to an agreement to the satisfaction of all without a law, in an arrangement where I can exercise my Freedom, and the other owner can exercise his.  If we can't reach such an agreement, than the values of Love and Respect tell me that I should honor his values as well, and voluntarily give up my freedom in this case.

You might wonder how this would apply to abortion, since I'm pro-choice.  How can that be if I place such a high value on Life?  Well, on a fundamental level I do not think abortion is a good thing, because it terminates a pregnancy, a fetus, a life, a pre-life, or whatever you want to call it.  No one should make that decision cavalierly.  Nevertheless, I value Love and Compassion towards existing beings even more highly, and in this case since the life is wholly contained within another's body, I have to respect and honor that woman's decision.  I have to give up my desire to maintain all life, in order to maintain a loving and respectful relationship with the life-bearer.  I do wish fewer abortions were performed, and I'd support voluntary measures that helped reduce them, such as increased access to education and contraception.  But I cannot respond to abortion the same as I would to murder, since the lives are very, very different in many ways, and treating a fetus's life the same as a child's would result in unbearable legal and moral complications and contradictions.

This discussion is probably confusing to many, seemingly inconsistent, and possibly self-serving and unreasonable.  I understand those criticisms and welcome feedback.  But I can't be any different than I am; I simply strive to understand myself, act in accordance with my principles, but above all to improve my treatment of others and to act with Love as much as I can.

Ultimately, I'm not losing any sleep on bow hunting being allowed, banned, encouraged, discouraged, or whatever.  I'd prefer the varmints not get killed or injured.  If it were my decision, I'd say no.  But I'm not going to make much of a fuss about it one way or another.

My Light-Centered Enlightenment

A few years ago I experienced an enlightenment of mind and soul.  Even though it might seem cheesy, "enlightenment" is the most accurate word, because it involved both watching light and being light.  It's been one of the most influential in my spiritual life.

In 2009 for Thanksgiving I made a trip to the East Coast, to work and visit family.  My trip was refreshing -- I finally took time to read a lengthy book, something I'd neglected for too long, and I managed to meet up with two of my close friends in DC.  Spending relaxed time reading, walking along the creek at the end of my family's street, experiencing a true Virginia fall, and reconnecting with friends, all combined to make my trip rewarding and emotionally uplifting.

When I returned to Los Angeles, where I lived at the time, I felt better than I had in a long time.  I'd been battling depression for several years at least, and it isn't a pleasant battle.  The positive experiences on my trip served to lift my spirits and give me new energy.

The night after I got back, I smoked an entire joint (of some high-quality outdoor Headband x Afgoo).  Smoking the entire joint was a bit much.  Usually I smoke about half, tamp it out, then later pick it up and finish.  This joint, though, was so delicious and enjoyable I just plowed through the whole thing.  Meanwhile the screensaver called Electric Sheep had started up.

The Electric Sheep screensaver is special -- it's a "networked" screensaver, something I've never encountered before.  It displays "sheep" -- shifting fractal patterns of colored light.  Each computer running the screensaver participates in rendering one frame of each "sheep"; each frame is one fractal image.  Recall that fractals are geometric shapes which exhibit self-similarity; at any level of zoom, the structure and pattern is the same.  These shapes are ubiquitous in nature: galactic filaments, coastlines, mountains, clouds, snowflakes, shells, and flowers.  When your computer finishes rendering that fractal frame, it sends it to the "sheep server", which pastes together all the frames it has received from all the computers running Electric Sheep.  The server then distributes those "sheep" for everyone to download and enjoy.  And the cycle continues.  The Electric Sheep live on.

The special feature is that you can vote on the designs -- press Up if you like it, Down if you don't.  The screensaver then communicates with all the other computers running it and uses those votes to adjust the designs, using a genetic algorithm to mutate and breed the best "sheep" (designs) to create new sheep.  Additionally, users can consciously create their own sheep and upload them to the service.  The flock evolves and we enjoy the evolution and new variations.  These sheep often resemble the solar system, living cells, and other mesmerizingly dazzling natural designs.

My enlightenment occurred while staring entranced at the shapes, colors, and lines, of the Electric Sheep. I realized that I am connected to all the other people who are watching the sheep at the same time, around the world.  We are all watching the light patterns that we all helped to create.  We influence the outcome by our votes.  Just as many religions teach, we are One with each other, and with God.  God is Energy, and Energy is God.  Mass is Energy, and Energy is Mass.  E=MC2.  This was my revelation, that what some term God, I term Energy.  They are one and the same, infinite, magnificent, and I am literally the same stuff as Him.  The computer runs on energy, the sheep are composed of light.  My matter is energy, and if energy can be light waves, then my matter can be as well.  So in both a metaphysical and the most basic physical sense, I and everyone are purely creatures of light, which is to say, creatures of God.

In the beginning and the end, all the particles in the universe are from the same original energy of the Big Bang.  All was once unimaginable energy, and then transformed to matter, which is simply a denser form of that energy.  We all will eventually return to that energy, as our bodies are cremated or decay, the matter converted to energy used in other natural processes.

Although marijuana was not the source of my enlightenment, it certainly was a catalyst for my new sight, knowledge, and spirit.  That is one of the main reasons I enjoy cannabis as much as I do -- it provides a way for the mind to see new things, or old things in a new way.  In my case, it allowed my mind to transcend the present moment, to connect the present moment with remote moments and all moments, to connect the present place with remote places and all places.  To connect my matter and my energy with all matter and all energy.  It is a link between the natural, the technical, and the spiritual.  And I am forever grateful for what it helped me see.

Lynchburg Grows

I started volunteering at Lynchburg Grows last fall, shortly after I moved back to Lynchburg.  My parents mentioned it to me, I checked out the website, and thought, Wow!  an urban farm in town, with 9 huge greenhouses!  How did I grow up going to the City Stadium, and never notice those structures behind?  Turns out very few people knew.

View from the rear of Lynchburg Grows

I went over and said I wanted to volunteer.  For some time I've wanted to work in a greenhouse, so this worked out perfectly.  It couldn't have been easier -- they told me to just show up any day, and they'd have something for me to do, whether it's weeding, planting, cutting, trimming, or any of the other innumerable chores a farm imposes.

Crops

When I started in the fall, the main crops were lettuce mixes (spring mix, arugula), swiss chard, beets, radishes, spinach, and roses.  Over the summer they grew carrots, green peppers, basil, cucumbers, and others.  The contrast in the interior between low winter greens and upright summertime peppers was marked:

Wintertime lowriding spinach

Wintertime beets line the raised bed

Summertime peppers bust out tall

The seasonal difference in heat is also severe; in winter they are a mild 50, but in summer those glass ovens scorch at 120 degrees and higher.

Residents

Plants aren't the only things living on the farm.  Princess is the resident goat.  She spends her days hanging out in her pen with her close friend Lucky the Duck.  Sometimes she's hunkered down in her wooden hut; other times she's perched on a log or her huge cable spool, just enjoying standing around.

Princess reclines on her spool

Not too far from her pen live the chickens.  They enjoy a nesting hut with individual nest boxes, as well as a decent-sized yard and a tree.  They get fed corn meal and lots of vegetable and plant scraps.

Chickens socializing

Greenhouse #9

Several months in, I asked the guys for a longer-term project.  They told me, "Take Greenhouse #9 and upgrade it so we can host events.  Do what you can, however you want."  Whoa, what a cool opportunity!

Greenhouse #9, summer 2012

What are the plans for #9, you ask?  Well, get rid of unsightly messes like this, for starters:

Greenhouse #9, in suboptimal condition

The idea is to create a welcoming space for events such as wedding rehearsals, meetings, and receptions.  A couple of weddings or receptions have already been held here, but to really make it a great spot for the community, it needs a lot of work.  Steam pipes are being cut out, beds cleaned up, weeds pulled, and before anything else, about 80 panes of glass need to be replaced.  The budget is tight, so we've raised about half what we need for the glass.

Some ideas for the space include herbs, a water feature, benches, green end walls, carts with planters, and a better floor.

Aquaponics

This year's principal capital improvement project has been the aquaponics system, in Greenhouse #7.  Micha laid a beautiful stone walkway through the entire greenhouse.  Throughout the spring and summer the beds were cleared and frames erected over the beds.  By August they had started running water through the first two aquaponics systems.

The plan is to stock the bottom bed with fish (probably catfish or tilapia), then grow various crops in the upper troughs.  Some students from the Lynchburg College environmental program are helping design and set up the system.

Composting

These days I'm not going over as much as I was last fall, but I'm helping in other ways.  For example, they maintain a worm composting bin in the main greenhouse.  I thought it deserved a poster or sign explaining how it works, since quite a few school groups and other visitors come through, so I found a poster online:

Worm Composting Educational Poster

In addition, the City of Lynchburg drops off a good portion of the leaves it collects in the fall at the Grows, for a source of compost.  As you might imagine, all those plants generate tons of scraps, which are either fed to the residents, or stuffed into the large compost bin.

The Grows offers a CSA program, as well as onsite sales of its produce.  They hope to offer rose bushes, starter plants, and more crops as they evolve.

Working in the greenhouse is grounding and satisfying.  I get dirty, even got poison ivy from clearing out some of the leftover overgrowth from one greenhouse, and I love it.  Cutting my own chard and sauteeing it up minutes later; eating arugula straight from the plant; helping develop a local agricultural and community destination; these are all great reasons to work at Lynchburg Grows.

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Political Philosophy

Recently a new acquaintance in the local Tea Party asked me my opinions on the following topics:

"economy, federal reserve, military, abortion, proper role of state/federal power, 2nd Amendment, 4th Amendment"

So then, some tidbits of my opinions:

Economics: I haven't studied economics much.  I understand there are various schools of economics that advise varying governmental strategies on managing national finances.  I believe in capitalism, but I support strong regulations on business to protect public health and safety.  I'm undecided on a consumption-based tax, as opposed to an income tax, but it's worth looking into.  From what I read the wealthy are gathering up a greater and greater share of the national wealth, which I find very disturbing.  I support higher taxe rates on wealthier individuals.  I don't know enough to support or reject "free trade agreements".  I support proposals that would encourage buying American-made goods.  It seems highly unlikely that the U.S. can make headway against its deficit and debt without substantially higher revenues, most likely in the form of taxes.  I disagree with those who are rabidly anti-tax -- it constrains their policy choices unreasonably.

Federal Reserve:  Don't know enough to have a reasonable opinion.  I know this is one of Ron Paul's pet issues.  I also know Carter Glass, a Senator from Lynchburg, helped create the Fed.

Military: The military is too large, and too expensive, and used to fight useless wars.  The military should be used only for defense of United States land.  No one on the planet could invade us, so really we probably don't even need much of a military.

Abortion:  Pro-choice. It doesn't concern me what another woman does with her fetus.  I couldn't stop her from doing whatever she wanted anyway.  I believe there are serious problems with considering a fetus the same as a born human being. I believe a woman does have the right to determine her own life and that of her fetus, but I don't support encouraging abortion, and I think it is a very serious decision not to be taken lightly.

Federal Vs. State Authority/Power: This is a tricky area, and somewhat abstract.  In both cases, we are talking about governments being able to coerce people.  I don't believe in "states' rights" -- in my opinion, only individuals have rights; states, nations, and other organizations have authority from people, but no "rights".  I joke that the U.S. is too large to govern effectively, and that it should be broken into regional or state-based nations, but I am halfway serious.  I believe the most local solution is often the best, but of course we must temper that with a recognition that local decisions should never violate someone's rights, and the federal government has a role in defending our rights.  I believe the federal government has a particular role to play in public health (e.g. EPA), because pollution knows no boundaries.

2nd Amendment: The latest Supreme Court interpretation of this is that it protects an individual's right to bear arms.  It also reaffirmed that restrictions on that right are constitutional.  My take on guns and public safety is highly colored by my time in Spain (and other parts of Europe), where handguns are essentially nonexistent.  I felt extremely safe everywhere I went, no matter what time of day or what part of the city, knowing virtually no one had a gun.  Most Spaniards (and Europeans) find the American fixation with guns baffling; Spain was under a dictator until 1975 and yet they don't fear their government now; note that Europe has been home to the major totalitarian regimes, World Wars, etc.  I don't agree with the idea that more guns makes a safer society, and there is mixed data on that.  Personally I would be satisfied with fewer guns in society, with stringent regulations and licensing requirements.

4th Amendment: This seems pretty straightforward.  Most of what I consider violations of this are a result of the War on Drugs, and now the War on Terror.

I may expand on these in further posts.

Update to Lynchburg NORML

Several months ago I found out we can't use the name "NORML" until there is an official chapter, so at that point I renamed the group Lynchburg Citizens for Reasonable Marijuana Laws.  It met a few times, at Drowsey Poet in Candler's Mountain shopping center.

It currently has a Facebook page.  I'm putting less effort into this group at the moment, and more effort towards Virginia NORML and my Cannabis 101 presentation.  I'm hoping this, other presentations, and other public events will help give the local group some momentum.

Beavers on Ivy Creek

There is a nice trail along Ivy Creek, at the end of my street.  This trail was made a number of years ago for the Combined Sewer Overflow project in Lynchburg, and is kept clear year-round.  At least once a week I take my dog Zulan on it, and I love finding out what's going on in Nature.

In the last few months I've started seeing beaver activity along the creek.  So far this just entails felled trees and gnaw marks on still standing trees:

 

I have been looking for their dam but damn, I can't find it.