Petrus Boots ~ Journal ~ Page 4

† February 3, 2007

One man's trash is another's treasure. Or, we all choose to see what we want to see. Perspective.

Viewpoints, their benefits and consequences... a concept which has been roaming through my head as I began work on a bed for my daughter. I have had the idea for some time but not until a severe windstorm blew through last summer was I offered the material to create it. The idea is simply to put the trunk of a tree from the floor to the ceiling and attach the bed to it in a loft, bunk bed style. As with a rustic bed I made previous, this one will be made using what most consider to be a junk tree, Manitoba Maple.

As I worked on skinning the bark off the limb which came down in the storm, the sound of the skidder and trucks passing over my land continued. There were days when it was all so close that the house shook as we watched the trees go down out of our living room window. As I created something special for my daughter out of junk wood brought down in the storm, next door healthy trees were being cut down through the excuse of the storm, it all seemed in such opposite extreme contrast. So that's where my thoughts traveled, one man's trash is another's treasure and it would seem the opposite is also true.

Along with the relative value of things through personal perspective, something else which was said to me regarding the drama of 761 Jacks Lake Road just wouldn't go away. " ...to not only CLEAN the ungodly mess the tornado made, but to clear out some of the trees... " It was the "some of the trees" part which got wedged deeper in my gut with every passing day as it grew into more and more trees.

Some trees. Lets see what constitutes as "some trees". A conservative estimate. Starting with five months, that works out to roughly 100 work days. On a slow day one truck with a trailer in tow, on a busy day we would watch three of these travel across our land. So on average that would bring it to three single truck loads a day. How many trees on a truck? I am not sure but definitely more than just "some". Times that by 100 days at three truck loads a day and I personally would consider that to represent at lot more than just some trees. But even that and how I feel about certain logging practices is not of relevance here. After all, I would be a hypocrite to try and stand on the side of anti-logging or object to what a person has the right to do with or on their own land. As most (if not all) of us, I use wood in various forms whether it is for building or keeping our wooden home warm for the winter. Safe to say, we all use wood in one form or another, even if it is just to wipe our asses.

Despite how I feel about indiscriminate logging practices and how they affect the Earth as a Whole, this latest life drama doesn't really have anything to do with that. What sparked this drama is the fact that my personal space was directly affected by another's actions without respect of so much as notification, never mind any offer of compensation. I mean it's one thing when an easement of right of way to cross a persons property is residential and quite another when it crosses over to commercial. Not that I would want any money made from an act I would not approve of but there have been more than a few people (from the former owners of the logged land to my mother-in-law) who have said, "You should be compensated." My thoughts on compensation is, even if I wanted it, should it be me to demand it or should it at least have been offered?

Which leaves me with this, fully loaded logging trucks with trailers are not kind to the roads they travel upon. Proof of this is in the fact that they are banned on public roadways through load restriction for a certain duration in the springtime because of the damage they cause. So, through the fact that we have had an unusually warm early winter, the trucks and trailers have not been particularly kind to my property and driveway. But I should just ignore this because as was said, "We regret that the logging truck crosses your land; however, it is not OUR fault that when we purchased our land that it came with an easement over your land. This was done long before we ever purchased and I do not believe we deserve to be punished for this. " But I and my property deserve to be. For as far as punishment, my land and brain has received its share of late.

In keeping with the purchase of property that requires an easement over someone else's property to get to it... would it not be wise or just plain practical to contact the individual whose property is involved before the purchase? I know we spoke to those who would be using the easement before we purchased our home and property. Then again, I guess some would not want to inform anyone who might be interested in the property before the purchase. And this too is another indicator of just who moved in next door.

Nevertheless I do what I can do. When the potholes become too deep, I do my best to repair them. When I feel people are not staying within the boundaries of the drive, I mark it out for them with clearly marked stakes. After all it's my land to care take and do I not have the right (as most people do) to determine its appearance? Or should I accept the statement, "I do not believe that (Fill in Blank) widened the driveway. I know that (Fill in Blank) cleared a path for his mother and ME on a snowy night, as he knew I was coming home late. Perhaps he over shot edge in the dark." at face value?

During that particular day I had cleared the entire drive in the morning before I went to help my parents move out of their home of forty years and while I was away Stefanie had cleared it once again. Point being, there was no reason but some kind of weird retribution in plowing down our hard work of the day. And imagine my surprise when I came home late that night to see our combined work plowed under in total disregard. But, I do what I can do. The next day I placed stakes to mark out the driveway limitations. That night I came home from helping my parents to find the stakes were plowed under. Perhaps they were over shot in the dark.

Regardless of the lack of night vision or the ability to align a vehicle with a designated roadway, I can only do what I can do. And that is... to keep up with and adhere to my way of doing things. I've thought of saying fuck it and just letting the drive and my rights go but it's not in my nature. I like things done in a certain way and to do any less than my best is just not my style. This principal governs most (if not all) of what I do, whether it is filling a pot hole or painting a picture, it's all the same to me.

There is some good news to report from 761 Jacks Lake Road. I am glad to say here that logging appears to have ceased, but I was surprised to see two logging skidders come down and out my drive where I had assumed only one had ever entered. Before that long awaited day of watching the skidder (or should I say, skidders) leave, I had to capture some of what was happening in pictures. So when I heard a truck coming, I went out to capture the moment. As I was snapping some pics the driver of the truck stopped. He got out and walked over to tell me that I could not take pictures of him. This seemed a bit odd to me, considering I was standing on my own property. I mean, if you can't take pictures of and on your own property, where can you? Anyway, in order for him to tell me of his wishes he had stepped upon property which is not designated as easement. So I told him to get off my property.

Before this incident, I had told the loggers that my argument was not with them but with the instigator of the logging operation, the owner of the land being logged. In fact the driver of the truck had more respect for my property and did a better job staying on the drive than the owner of the land being logged. That said, a logging truck is just that, a big truck and combined with the mild winter, a fully loaded truck with trailer in tow leaves its mark. Nevertheless, the incident with the driver left me wondering. If he is not proud of the job he is doing for fear of a picture being taken, perhaps he should find another form of employment.

I guess this is what it boils down to for me. It's not what we as humans do to each other and the Earth that causes conflict. It's the way in which we do it, where it makes all the difference. Respect garners respect and the opposite is also true. You treat one man's treasure like trash and we as a human race are in deep trouble. To some the Earth is a treasure, a place called home and to others it is simply a commodity to be exploited for profit. Will our and the Earth's needs ever find a balance? I watched "An Inconvenient Truth" last night and I wonder, with not much hope.

February is black history month, a time to remember how an entire nation of people were treated in a manor unjust. To say the least. So I think it is fitting to mention something which I noticed on Martin Luther King's birthday last January regarding his legacy and what it means to people. I heard one senator say on CNN how Dr. King brought us "hope". This was followed by what the free world's fearless leader thought of Dr. King's message. Mr. Bush said something to this effect. That Martin Luther King's message to him was that we should help each other. Help each other... nice sentiment George, but I think you missed the point, as usual and expected. But then, how could George see something he is incapable of doing? Specifically, making change through non-violent peaceful means as opposed to declaring war and shooting anyone who does not fit the global plan for freedom and democracy.

It's in how we create change...

† December 30, 2006

I don't know how I missed one of "The Broken Commandments of George W. Bush" in my entry of December 22, 2006. I believe there is one that goes something like this, "thou shalt not bear false witness". Need I say more? I really wish he had stopped at coveting.

"We know you have
WMDs,
we have the receipts."

~ unknown comedian

Strange days indeed. A state funeral for Gerald Ford while The Godfather of Soul ~ James Brown lays in wake and Saddam Hussein is hung until there's no breath left. A triple bill of death, just in time for the holidays. Happy New Year.

Considering that following sentencing it still takes years to execute someone in the U.S.A., this quick and final exit for Saddam Hussein seems to me... curious. I sure hope he's not one of those exoneries found not guilty through DNA evidence after years of imprisonment. No, I suppose he's not and it's too late now even if he was. He most likely put more than a few people to death, not unlike the President of The United States justifies the same act through the death penalty and war. The question remains. Who were his accomplishes? And why not try him for genocide through the alleged use of chemical weapons on the Kurds?

Most now know and accept it wasn't the "terrorists" who helped in his dirty deeds. That turned out, along with having weapons of mass destruction, to be in error. Or at best, a justified lie. I might be fishing here but one reason that Saddam was not held accountable for the Kurdish genocide might relate to the made in the USA labels gracing the WMDs used. And to thwart any future embarrassment to past and present administrations (all of which most of these guys were participants), it was time to put the tyrant of no purpose out of their misery. Clean up time. You have to wonder... what did he know, what truths were hung out to dry and blow away in the desert sands with his lynching? He was not only a past cohort but was also a witness to the darker side of U.S. middle east foreign policy for over 20 years. What did he know? Now God only knows.

With regard to recent entries dealing with neighbor issues, I have been pondering their deletion. This time I actually changed the page within the editor. What I ended up with was journal entry titles such as "Free Speech" and "Mutual Respect" followed by the word "Deleted". The words free speech and mutual respect deleted did not sit well on the page or in my mind. So I will ponder the issue no more. Besides, it wouldn't change anything at this point. We still wake up most mornings to the drone of the skidder. It's an ugly noise which reminds me of this ugliness as I start my days, not leaving me much inspiration to hit the delete button. And so it stands.

"But now," says the Once-ler
"Now that you're here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It's not.

~ Dr. Seuss ~ The Lorax

† December 22, 2006

Unimproved road, enter at your own risk. Perhaps a sign which should be placed before my person or printed across my forehead. An open book was the destined coarse and outcome of my life since I picked up a pencil and began to draw. Maybe that is what I need, a warning that comes along with my presence. Beware to all who should unwittingly enter these pages. It's my life and I live it unlike most do.

Throughout my life I have had some hard lessons on truth, hearing it as well as speaking it, and I am not about to negate the personal costs of such lessons to the forgotten. Having gone through such experiences in the past and moving on with the lessons learned, I now give warning while giving people the benefit of the doubt. It may not be as blatant as a sign proclaiming a possible bump on the road ahead but there is more to what I say then just the obvious issue at hand. For example when I say something like, "if you do that, then I will be forced to do this", it not only relates to the specific issue but also to the wider issue the particular incident brought to light. So maybe it's not so much a sign of warning I need to wear in public but more an instruction manual which is required. And number one on the list of things required for smooth operation would be respect. Small word, big deal.

I admit it, at times I have overstepped the bounds of common courtesy but when I look around this globe I see such acts and actions are not in short supply. And to be honest, I am at a loss at what if anything I can do about it. So we try to ignore it hoping it (whatever it may be) will be over soon. Then through progressive steps it turns into an eye for an eye and what do we end up with, just more blindness and blinders in place of understanding. Gandhi was right, it just makes the whole world go blind. But what is the other side of that statement? Because if one feels disrespected, ignored or simply negated you can't just lay there and take it forever? Can you? I mean, you only got two eyes to give and what then, your arm, your leg? Even Gandhi marched and Christ, well... according to legend, he made good use of his staff at least once or twice. Not saying I compare to either of these spiritual icons, more the point being, their focus was deeply spiritual and humanitarian and there were times when even they felt there was no other option but to react in the way they saw fit.

And so the story goes... Gandhi was shot, Christ was crucified and that's what you get for your troubles. And what was it Martin Luther King was after and what was John Lennon about? Humanities list of dead truth seekers relegated to premature and early retirement is long and bloody. What was it Lennon said? That he had no desire to be added to this list? I guess the choice was not his to make, or at least not on a conscious level.

So after all the sacrificial lambs of history are laid to slaughter and free at a last, what has humanity learned through their selfless examples? Not a whole lot if one looks at the big picture today. Action, reaction, re- reaction, re-re-reaction... seems to be the "stay the coarse" way prescribed by the leader of the "free world" today. Then there's the Middle East itself, more tit for tat and who can remember what it was about? Talk about an action which could have been avoided, that was just what the Middle East and its people needed, another destabilized country in the mix. And what is the latest rhetoric coming from both sides of the coin of U.S. politics as to who is responsible now? Well it's the Iraqi's of course. Whatever happened to the maxim, you broke it you fix it? It must be forgotten along with the countless innocent Iraqis buried under the desert sands of the Holy Land.

As far as I am concerned, anyone who thinks that a war is a good idea and something worth starting, all responsibility for all innocent lives lost in the battle is on their head and no one else's.

The Universal Law of Cause and Effect. Not a difficult concept to understand. For every action an equal and opposite reaction. Skimming the surface of the media information provided, you could almost assume that this law was ignored or misunderstood somehow before the Iraq problem bloomed into full color, high definition picture with digital surround sound. So the word is, the problem is the Iraqis. Wait a minute. Who dropped the first bomb? Seems the whole world knows who did that. I mean who could miss it with its Shock and Awe, Mission Accomplished headlines and visuals. And with George W and the boys as the starting point to this mess, or as Jon Steward likes to call it "catastrofuck", that is where the hot potato of responsibility needs to stay. All the talk of the buck stopping here, it's all bullshit, isn't it? The blame is now going to be passed onto the Iraqis and once again in defiance of universal law the effect is blamed and saddled with the responsibility. And the initial cause? All but forgotten. I don't and won't buy it.

Global warming is not the problem, what we do to cause or contribute to the phenomenon is the problem. The Iraqis are not the problem, George W. Bush and Company were and remain so. And not until all Iraqi children feel it is safe to play in their neighborhoods again will this truth be absolved.

History needs to remain intact and not altered to suit the present or future circumstance. With all the talk of six million Jews or not, why do I feel that even our present and most recent history is on the way to being rewritten before our very eyes. And not revised by the Iranians or some Bond villain but modified through trying to put a brave face on it by our own democratically elected governments. As far as I'm concerned and whether six million or even one Jew perished, the second world war in its entirety was a horror everyone who experienced it first hand would not want to experience again. I know my parents would agree.

So there is history and its lesson. A lot of death and hurt, because really what constitutes as too much or too many, and in the end the instigator of the preliminary (what today would be labeled preemptive) strike or action... fell. Strangely enough in this correlation I find a sliver of hope for our world of today. When all this started I truly feared that through media manipulation, propaganda and George's dream fulfillment it might finally be proven that might equals right. But as the world and everyone but the dreamer now sees, might and the preemptive invasion and occupation of another country without just cause is not an option worth pursuing. Just because you can invade and destroy doesn't mean you should. Is this one going to stick? Will humanity take this lesson on the "way forward"? Or will we find its twisted remains buried along with countless other examples of history's lessons on the consequences of war. We'll have to wait and see.

I'll say it here. The U.S. can not "win" this war. And not because they can't muster the necessary fire power or public opinion but because of the precedent it would set upon the world stage. Imagine what would have happened if Hitler had won. I suppose that statement could label me a terrorist but then I would be the terrorist who wouldn't kill a mouse. I prefer live capture taking them for a drive and setting them free. I guess you could call it, "Operation Mickey Mouse Freedom".

When one person's dream becomes another's nightmare. Or more to the point regarding today's dreamland. When one person's dream becomes a whole nation of peoples collective nightmare. Or worse, that one person's dream should start off a chain of events which creates an unstoppable nightmare of biblical proportions affecting all of us. It's to late, you've chopped down the cherry tree and there is no longer any point in continuingly lying about it George. Even Hitler had a dream, shit everybody dreams, this doesn't mean we have the right to force our dreams on others. No matter how good we think they might be. If that is even the case.

Personally I still feel like that 14 year old girl must have felt when taken down for expressing herself publicly in the only way she could think of. She let the world know what she thought with concern for a leader who she did not elect and who is dictating her present and future experience. What was she left with, it's not like she has any right to fire the leader she didn't pick. And what about that phenomenon of how an obviously incompetent leader has not been fired or even considered by the now empowered opposition for impeachment. Just fire the fucker and leave Iraq and the worlds people alone, there's a good start on the "way forward". What is so difficult about that? With all the talk of surgical strikes perhaps a little practice of the Hippocratic Oath is also in order. Do no more harm is a good place to start.

Recently I have had the word covet tossed my way. With its biblical connotations it got me to thinkin'. So much so, that I had to look up its definition. And when it is used biblically as in "thou shalt not covet .... whatever" it basically says to me, don't be jealous of others and what they have. But in how it was delivered to me, it did not fit with this meaning. How many interpretations are there of the bible? As many as there are people who will twist its meaning.

So let's look at Born Again George, did he break a basic Christian tenet, did he covet? Would it be unreasonable to assume that at one point or other there was a moment or thought like, "ooo... look at all that easy to drill oil, slurp, slurp, slurp". Last I heard, George hadn't gone off in the desert to battle his demons for forty days or nights. Even in creating that visual, all that comes to mind is the ridiculous, a "Zen moment"* if you will. When oil runs through your bloodline I would hazard to guess that, yes... George must have looked at that oil and coveted. So we throw "thou shalt not covet" to the wind, next on the burn pile the commandment of "thou shalt not kill", followed closely by "thou shalt not steal". At this point "thou shalt not covet" becomes a minor Christian infraction without action. A better Christian would have whipped himself for coveting and avoided the rest. But not George, because George had a dream, a vision an epiphany. The rules don't apply or are only present at all to aid in the smoke screen of lies and deception. Perhaps that's why some evangelicals are now giving him a wider berth, he gives them a bad name simply by calling himself one and adopting their style.

Peel away the layers of shit and even coveting the oil is not really how this got started or what it's about. Is it? Boil down the oil or burn it up and what's left? Power. Power not only for our cars but power over, upon and through us. The male ego generated powerplay. Who's got control? I see it every day as the dead go rolling by and wonder if it will ever stop. Power without the responsibility for the consequences of using or abusing it. Would Condi be able to say through a smirk, "of course there will be more violence in Iraq", if she was standing naked in the middle of Baghdad outside the Green Zone? And what's a female doing playing this male game anyway? I guess Colbert would consider her to have what he likes to call, "Thatchers". I suppose this control stuff transcends physical make up, gender or position.

Powerplays? Are we bored to death yet? Uneasement? Is there enough yet? Excuses? How many will it take to skirt respect and responsibility permanently? Yes George, as you have said, "It's hard". In fact, shrapnel indiscriminately cuts clean through with little regard for skin and bone, or in your wisdom, didn't you know that? No, and I suppose any true wisdom can only come through direct experience.

There are some who say it's all in my head and that to change my world all I need do is adjust the brightness and contrast levels of my mind. And to a certain extent I believe this to be true. The choice is always ours to play the victim or the creator. But as far as all this, including you reading this, as just being a projection of my imagination open for my alteration, I feel no sense of such autonomous authority. We are a collective. If I hold the power of creation so does everyone else who walks the earth. So it goes to say, when control over our creations overlap, conflicts, resolutions and drama ensue. It's called life. Avoiding such issues in life is not the answer, dealing with them in the best way we know how is. No matter how much I wish it were different the dead keep piling up and rolling by. It wasn't me who set up the experiment of, lets do this and wait for the reactions and consequences. My only power of the collective creation lies in the ability to pull back, stay calm and refuse to play the part of the proverbial rat in the maze. I will not follow nor board your twisted train of thought and I'm still waiting here, at the start. At the original act, or sin if you must.

A little poem to wrap this Christmas present up. It may not be pretty but it does reflect accurately what lies inside.

Here I sit
Bathing in another's shit
With barely the right
Of rhyme or reason
To say, "it stinks".

At the start of this entry I spoke of needing a sign posted or instruction manual for proper operation. In a way this journal is my instruction manual and should anyone care to know who I am it's available twenty four hours of each and every the day as a guide when making my acquaintance. It's more than most people give you. Through reading these pages one should be able to decipher what I care about and what would piss me off. Some will question this method of communication and ya, I'll admit, in the act of refusal to accept I've on occasion played the dick. The asshole, the dick, or any other private body part one might wish to call me, is not a part I feel comfortable playing, being only slightly preferable to the part of rat in a maze. It's just, when pushed, it leads to shove. It's Universal. And where there is no respect, fear (it's illegitimate offspring) seems to take it's place in one form or another.

With regard to some of my most recent and questionable journal entries they have served their purpose. It was only in going to such extremes of dickish behavior that anyone would even so much as take notice and acknowledge my presence or relevance. And in realization of my being a dick, there is still part of me which will not go so far as to play the prick and I will stop in publishing any further specific updates unless otherwise inspired. I would like to turn the page, as they say.

With acknowledgement of my presence (if not my position) came some form of communication even though it has regrettably moved from common courtesy to finding some semblance of legal definition and guidelines. And still I find myself in the peculiar position of not being able to fire someone I never hired regardless of whether I approve of the job done or not. The uneasement remains uneasy.

Nevertheless, I've thought so far as to have my finger on the delete button but I hesitate. I hesitate for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is, removal of those entries would be like taking away the bump ahead sign while the bump remains. Me not work good without respect. Much like a chainsaw, it's nature demands respect or there are consequences. It's not just me, it's life itself which requires Respect for All to Live in Peace.

So have a Merry Christmas everyone.

My Hope and Prayer for 2007
May we find Recognition and Respect for our common Boundaries and Borders.
Globally as well as Locally.

"and so this is Christmas
and what have we done..."
~ John Lennon

*Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

Note: To reach other entries of the past just use the Index on the right by choosing the date, a flyout title will also appear to help in your inquiry. Or click here for Page 3 of the Journal.