Organic Lawns - No Chemicals - Easier and Better

Look it's easy - you have been completely marketed, inundated and brain washed to live a certain way. As you stroll through your local Home Depot and Lowes or even garden center - there it is all around you. From the chemicals are good era of the 50's and 60's the giant firms have brain washed you into using their chemicals when natural sources, healthier and just as effective have already been provided by God.

I'm serious God has given us everything we need. Man made products either fit into the natural order of things or reign havoc on our health and food chain.

I'm not kidding please turn your nose up at Scotts 4 step program. I used it for one year. It treats the blade of grass and decimates the soil. If you want a lawn that looks like a golf course be prepared for the enormous amount of money, time and toxins golf courses dump onto the fairways. Some people have even suggested not living on or near a golf course because of the chemicals causing lymphoma. I don't know but there is an element of common sense that screams caution. I don't run barefoot on a golf course - no sir!

If you can let go of the status symbol that has been sold to you by the advertising and marketing agencies, think independently, and forge your own path you can have a green, lush and healthy lawn. And news flash there is nothing wrong with clover or divergent grasses as you get started. It's easier, less time consuming and won't kill the itty bitty criters who call your backyard home. It also won't leave that dead green nitrogen film over your local lake. That's from polluted run off courtesy of Scott's and other chemical additives like Chem Lawn - yuck, no thank you!

I use Corn Gluten as a pre-emergent in March and October and Alfalfa in between. That's it. I get the spreader out four times a year.

I have a sprinkler system that I operate manually and only water when needed. In other words don't set your sprinkler system to run automatically all the time. Weeds are lazy and love all that watering. Meanwhile grass roots will stretch down into your new, deep, dark, lush, soil and thwart any weeds attempt to take over your lawn.

I raise my lawn mower up as high as it will go because broad leaf and grass compete for sun as well as water. If you mow too short the broad leaf gets more sun and stakes out a claim on your lawn. My neighbor has a dandelion explosion every year and they do not spread into my lawn (right next door).

If you cut off the dandelion three years in a row the seeds lie dormant in the ground but will stir back to life if you dig in the area to make improvements, put in a flower bed or hard scape. so just keep mowing you'll win the broad leaf battle.

Use a mulching mower. Put that good stuff right back into the ground. The mulchers work great, no clumping and no bag to empty every ten minutes.

I also use a citrus based weed killer that works faster than round up and ortho and it is fully endorsed by the EPA. It's called Nature's Avenger. I was so impressed I bought the concentrate and mix it myself. It contains natural citrus oil and kills the weeds growing through drive way cracks and hard scape easily.

You can also use plain old household vinegar to kill weeds but it's got that vinegar stench for a few hours and needs direct sunlight to really work fast. Nature's Avenger does not.

All you need for an organic, healthy, guilt free lawn is Bradefield Organics Corn Gluten and Bradefield Organics Luscious Lawn. The only time I burned my lawn was when I applied it over top of the chemicals my neighbor had already put down and went over one spot a ridiculous amount of times to see if I could burn it.

We live near a lake but we all have run off issues. In addition to the guilt free healthy, plush, organic lawn you get beautiful top soil brown and black not dead and tan from years of chemical applications. You also get birds, birds, birds. An organic lawn has a rich top soil teaming with life and the birds will find your back yard and feast and aerate your soil naturally!

It's a win, win. I live in a deeded community with strict architectural codes and my lawn is one of the best looking on the street. It's virtually indistinguishable from my neighbor who drenches his in chem lawn. He's a lot older and is doing what he thinks is right and has been programed to do (we are not borg)and while he has no clover he also has dead top soil and birds in his feeder only.

There's a place for man made chemicals in this world but drenching our yards with them is completely unnecessary, unhealthy, wrong headed and counter intuitive. I understand farmers have to buy round up resistant seeds because they use so much round up in harvesting their food. Well they get a sickening amount of skin rash and introducing natural predators might serve their aims and ours better.

We have to get our eye back onto health and sustainability. Profit has to move from our number one priority. While you might not feel you can do battle with big agriculture (you can click here) you can at least do your civic duty by going green, literally. If everyone did the big chemical companies would get the picture. In other words you DO make a difference!

Climb out of the box big advertising and "Keeping up with the Joneses" have dropped us in to support their companies above all else, and their earnings and profit. Exercise your political prerogative to live a sensible, sustainable life with your dollars.

Here are the links to a better future - start today!

Bradefield Organics Corn Gluten
Bradefield Organics Lawn Fertilizer
Nature's Avenger Weed Killer

It's all you need....

Keep your money and go barefoot in your yard!

Paul
Author
Journey Home

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense
One of many organizations fighting big agriculture

Health Care Patient Revolution!

It cost millions of dollars to die of cancer in this country - prevention and cleaning up the environment help to reduce our risk to this expensive, life altering disease but the financial wipe out of savings even of those working and with an alleged health care plan is criminal.

After years of loyally working (being a working stiff) for big corporate america and supporting the economy health care should be a birth right.

At the end of the road a devastating wipe out from a disease foisted on us by the chemical and cigarette industry and soaked by the greedy money grab of our big pharmaceuticals, health care and insurance industries is a crime against humanity.

The system of get em sick and then bill em is bringing down our economy. Nobody planned it that way (I hope for their sake) but in affect that is what we are doing to ourselves and our employees and captains of industry. It's bass akwards to say the least. People need to take a step back and look at the big picture in order to fix it.

We are operating at cross hairs and until we reduce our toxins introduced into the environment and industry and the government puts the patient first we will continue to cripple our economy, soak the sick of their hard earned savings and leave nothing for the spouses and children of our deceased and devastated loved ones. It is a crime, a rip off, and a fleecing on a massive scale.

Abortion and the Secular State

Abortion a private matter between a woman, and her doctor has been turned into a public, confrontational political football and side show. As a political football it is meant to stir up the public, divide and win elections. A lot of thought went into the pro-life moniker and the Pro-Choice moniker wasn't just happenstance. But in reality the only people who aren't pro-life are the give em the electric chair crowd.

However, the every sperm is sacred crowd needs to realize what country they are in.

If you want a religious theocracy - move. And if the meeting of the sperm and egg are sacred then both the sperm and egg are sacred and wet dreams immoral. Why would God give us wet dreams if it was against his/her sacred wishes that every sperm is sacred? The righteous righters and absolutist rebel rousers better stop playing with themselves.

Tongue in check digression here but that is the logic.

If you follow the logic all the way out we are back to the repressed days of masturbation not only being morally wrong but if the far,far,right get their wish - illegal. It would have to be - if the meeting of the egg and sperm is sacred - you need both to create life. Self pleasure is a waste of the elixir of life and teenage boys and, men should be put in jail with all the abortion Dr's, nurses and pregnant women seeking abortions. So essentially the entire population of mankind except the non-masturbating (all zero of them) need to get behind bars. It can't be any other way if abortion is to be illegal. Those sperms are sacred keep them in your body or go to jail - turn yourself in after a wet dream - ridiculous ehh - that's where the logic of the pro-lifers takes you.

They forget apparently for all eternity that mutual masturbation is a fine way to enjoy each other and express love, lust and passion without the risk of getting pregnant and avoiding abortions. That is what they are after by seeking to make it illegal? Mutual masturbation is available to all risk free of pregnancy if for some unknown reason you haven't been educated about or know where to get the many forms of contraception, legal and at your local pharmacy. So whack each other away guilt free knowing outlawing masturbation might not serve the pro-choicers agenda. I guess sperm after all isn't that sacred - there's so much of it!

More to the point the USA is a Secular Country with a non-denominational belief in a higher creative force commonly and generically referred to as "God" because everyone knows man didn't create this world. The "God" refereed to is not aligned with any national or international organization or so called church. The pro-lifers need to stop trying to change that. The founding fathers knew from un-distracted experience the result of Tyranny and the evaporation of freedom, and liberty.

Women have that freedom and the power of reproduction and it is theirs alone. A process (9 months of severe body adjustment, biologically, physically, emotionally and the hardship of the birthing process, chemically, biologically and physically)that they alone have to go through. You can't take that process off the table or underestimate it when talking about starting a family - or what happens next. It is their choice!

Freedom of choice remember that - (see Founding Father documents and History). If their conscience is squared with abortion and they believe (for a multitude of reasons) that birthing and family should be delayed or avoided that's their choice based on their circumstances, beliefs, thoughts, free will, and personal religion.

There is no place for men in this argument. If a potential father hasn't squared his views with his partners it's his own problem for not bringing up "getting pregnant" before the deed has been done.

Just like Dick Cheney's daughter being gay politicians are hypocrites. First in line for an abortion if their little Susie gets knocked up, but campaigning against it to get elected depending on their district. In a public rest room tapping shoes looking for gay sex in the unholiest of places (a public restroom at an airport) but espousing anti-gay sentiments and legislation publicly.

This is the very reason the Framers and the Supreme Court supported The Separation of Church and State.

The non-compromising absoluters are free to practice their beliefs, and hell bent on taking that liberty away from anyone who disagrees with them. They are decidedly un-American.

I hope they take complete control of the Republican party. It was sold out to them a long time ago.

Marriage, Divorce and Children

No matter what divorce is still tough on the kids. You could be perfectly calm and together and accommodate each other and think of the kids first, but it's still going to be rough on the children. They know inherently it's all gummed up and that no one can take the place of Mom or Dad.

Even if the parents partner up with great new step moms and dads it's still going to be hard on the kids...the DNA is not going to be in sync, and that matters and has an affect and effect in regards to personality, behavior, synergy, communication, understanding, and cohesiveness.

I think the lesson here is to take your time before getting married, make sure your partner is your friend, and think long and hard before having children. They aren't furniture or new window dressings, toys or dolls, pets to coo over, or as a temporary dodge to personal responsibility.

And we need to guard against falling to easily into supposed norms just because, and stop with the pressure on our daughters to get married and have children.

We have to recognize the cultural box we try and cram everyone into, and that it isn't a one size fits all world. Maybe then we would cut down on unwise marriage decisions born out of fatigue, loneliness, or the easy way out.

Being able to have children and raising them are two vastly different things.

All this being said sometimes things just turn out bad, booze, gambling, drugs, infidelity, theft, violence, jealousy, employment issues, money, home life and surroundings all of it factors in and a new start is best for everyone even the children...but they'll know that too.

Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home

Happy Birthday Pete Seeger - 90 Years Young!

On May 4, 2009 Pete Seeger marked off his 90th year. There is a fantastic in depth article in the link above from Democracy Now. As a big fan of Arlo Guthrie I couldn't help run across Pete. But truth be known before Arlo and I linked up there was Pete on the Smothers Brother Show. I'm just old enough to have witnessed that show as it ran on CBS but too young to remember anything other than what it looked like this older guy and his banjo. And the vibe was definitely not Hee Haw. Something else was going on and you could tell - even for a kid.

Realizing later in life that the Weavers and Pete had been blacklisted well I was just stunned that the Country could be so paranoid and stupid. It made absolutely no sense. Hindsight is twenty twenty and I fear the same verdict will be leveled by the next generation on George Bush's policies and the whole Republican era of decriminalizing fraud.

Before I digress an album that I really enjoyed and played often on the radio show was Precious Friend - Arlo and Pete Together. It has some of the funniest Arlo bits on it and some very haunting and beautiful moments. When Pete gets half the audience to sing and it's just the ladies - well lets just say if you ever wondered why we love women so much guys just listen to that moment - beauty in a word ethereal and very, very moving.

Some quotes from the Amy Goodman interview I'll paste below but do take the time and visit the link in the title and below especially if you are a musician, activist or just hunger for righteousness.

Paul
Author - Journey Home
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Legendary folk singer, banjo player, storyteller, and political and environmental activist Pete Seeger turned ninety on Sunday. More than 18,000 people packed New York’s Madison Square Garden Sunday celebrate the man, the music and the movement. The all-star lineup included Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Ani DiFranco, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Billy Bragg, Ruby Dee, Steve Earle, Arlo Guthrie, Guy Davis, Dar Williams, Michael Franti, Bela Fleck, Tim Robbins, Dave Matthews, Rufus Wainwright, John Mellencamp, Ben Harper, and Ritchie Havens.

HERE ARE SOME CHOICE QUOTES FROM BACKSTAGE:

"Now, despite Pete’s somewhat benign grandfatherly appearance, you know, he is a creature of a stubborn, defiant and nasty optimism. He carries—inside him, he carries a steely toughness that belies that grandfatherly facade, and it won’t let him take a step back from the things he believes in." - Bruce Springsteen

"But if the human race can keep the scientists from inventing two more foolish weapons, I think we’ve got time to solve our problems. The only question is science—scientists have a religion. They think that an infinite increase in empirical information is a good thing. Can they prove it? Of course not. It’s a religious belief. That’s science for you." - Pete Seeger

"The other thing that [Pete]Seeger taught me was the idea of a working singer, that you did not have to be a star. You had to know you were a singer. You had to know what your music was. And you had to be willing to do it for the rest of your life, as long as you had voice. And people would keep up with you. They would catch up with you if you did not go away." - Bernice Johnson Reagon

"My first memory is not actually hearing Pete Seeger. It’s seeing his banjo and seeing the words written on it, because I was a fan of Woody Guthrie and his “This machine kills fascists.” And Pete had, you know, sort of a subtle twist on it, with “This machine surrounds hatred and forces it to remember,” and then —“surrender.” ...I knew that there was a thoughtful man behind that banjo." - Tom Morello

"I honestly believe that the future is going to be millions of little things saving us. I imagine a big seesaw, and at one end of this seesaw is on the ground with a basket half-full of big rocks in it. The other end of the seesaw is up in the air. It’s got a basket one-quarter full of sand. And some of us got teaspoons, and we’re trying to fill up sand. A lot of people are laughing at us, and they say, “Ah, people like you have been trying to do that for thousands of years, and it’s leaking out as fast as you’re putting it in.” But we’re saying, “We’re getting more people with teaspoons all the time.” And we think, “One of these years, you’ll see that whole seesaw go zooop in the other direction.” And people will say, “Gee, how did it happen so suddenly?” Us and all our little teaspoons..." - Pete Seeger

"And, you know, I’ve been with him at, you know, big benefits and hootenannies, where it’s all disorganized and chaotic, and everybody starts griping at everybody else and forgets why we’re there. And then Pete walks in, and everybody remembers again, you know? So, you know, I just—I’m really glad that we get to gather together while he’s still with us and pour some of that love back into him that he’s been pouring into the world all this time." - Ani DiFranco

"I do remember a friend of mine working at a camp for disabled kids. And I was just out of college, and I was, you know, trying to figure out what my contribution to society would be. And he [Pete]showed up and was—he sang “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain.”

And nobody really knew he was coming. It was a camp for disabled kids. You know, there was nothing—it was just he was there to sing music that would include people. And kids in wheelchairs were singing; kids were singing in sign language; kids with disabilities, with very limited abilities to, you know, participate, were participating.

All the counselors were in tears. I was in tears, because he was just—and I just thought, you know, that spirit of inclusiveness, that spirit of unity. Of all these different abilities, these kids who have this, you know, desire to express and be a part of it, he’s completely succeeded. You know? And everyone was going, Whoo-hoo!

That’s when I realized what his power was and that the power is—what Spalding Gray called ...“horizontal.” You know, it wasn’t vertical, from on top of a mountain speaking down. It was radiating outwards. And that’s when I realized that that’s the kind of power, that if I ever had it, that’s the way I would do it. - Dar Williams

Pete Seeger Article - Thank You Amy Goodman

Single-Payer Health Care Myths and Facts

Repost from Public Citizen
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Myth: Single-payer would cost too much.

Fact: Because of our patchwork system of private insurance, more than 30% of every health care dollar is spent on administration rather than on care. This includes underwriting, marketing, billing, denying claims, profit and paper-pushing that is foisted on hospitals and physician offices. By eliminating private insurance, a single-payer system would reduce administrative spending by roughly half (nearly $400 billion annually). These savings are enough to provide every American with comprehensive health insurance, without increasing total spending.

Myth: Single-payer would cost businesses too much.

Fact: Because a single-payer system is more efficient than our current system, health care costs would be lower, and businesses that already provide health care benefits would save money. In Canada, the three major auto manufacturers (Ford, GM and Daimler-Chrysler) have all publicly endorsed Canada's single-payer health system from a business and financial standpoint. In the U.S., Ford pays more for its workers' health insurance than for the steel to make its cars.

Myth: Lines for care would be extremely long.

Fact: In countries with single-payer, urgently needed care is always provided immediately. People in these countries may have to wait for some elective procedures like cataract removal or knee replacement for arthritis, but because the U.S. spends double what they do on health care - and would continue to spend this much under a single-payer system - access to care here would be better and our waits would be much shorter.

Myth: People would overuse the system.

Fact: Most estimates do indicate that there would be some increased use of the system, mostly by the nearly 50 million people who currently do not have health insurance. However, the dramatic savings from a single-payer system would easily cover the increased use of some services. Remember, doctors would still control most health care utilization - patients don't typically receive prescriptions or tests just because they want them, but because their doctors have deemed them appropriate.

Myth: Government programs are wasteful and inefficient.

Fact: Some are better than others, just as some businesses are better than others. Just to name a few of the most successful and helpful: the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Social Security. Consider Medicare, which is national health insurance for the elderly; its overhead is approximately 3% of every health care dollar spent on administration, while overhead and profits for private insurance can add up to more than 15%.

Myth: The government would make health care decisions for patients and dictate how physicians practice medicine.

Fact: In countries with a national health insurance system, physicians are rarely questioned about their medical practice, and usually only in cases of suspected fraud. Compare this to our system, where patients and doctors routinely must ask insurance companies for permission for certain procedures, tests and treatments.

*Information compiled from Physicians for a National Health Program, part of the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care

Thoughts on the 60's and Reagan

A lot has been said about the 60's - when you talk about the assassination of the Kennedy's Robert and John - live on TV and Martin Luther King, the poor policy decision and horror of war nightly from Vietnam, the violent side of the Black Panthers, and then the perversion of Charlie Manson - from out of all that negativity comes "flower power" - "give peace a chance" - communes, alternative lifestyles, grow your own, dropping out and a mad attempt at brother and sisterhood and utopia.

Is it any wonder in direct response to all of this political evil up pops in the streets peace, and love. The kids rejected the status quo and why wouldn't they?

The thing that strikes me is that during this time the political muscle put Regan in as Governor of California and then made him President. Guess what - we are still suffering from the dogma and doctrine of that political muscle, their war machine and of those who allegedly "knew better" than the liberals - even going so far as to making that word evil, and creating a myth that a loving peaceful society is some how bad for business.

They carry their bible and church attendance around with them like a billboard and sanction torture. These are the same people who beat the kids in the streets of Chicago and shot the students at Kent State. They are now screaming socialism (as if anyone is really scared of that word) and are doing everything in their power to prevent our new President from helping those less fortunate, forging a new sustainable economy and bolstering education. What exactly is it they are scared of - peace, love and understanding? At this point there is no other question and no other answer. Either we get with the program or implode from within.

With that in mind I suggest the “drill baby drill” crowd actually open and read that bible they advertise so loudly before it’s too late.