Nice to hear :)

Not that there have never been successful revolutions, of course, but I think it's a good point to consider that a societal blank slate simply doesn't exist.

But y'all already know I exist on the anti-revolutionary side of leftism, so, take what I say with a grain of salt I guess

Or don't! I have dearly held reasons for being anti-revolution!

Given that I don't think I've talked about them in a while, here are my points. Note that this is primarily directed toward fellow Americans.

Revolution has to be considered in two paradigms, partial or total, and let's address them in turn.

Total revolution (i.e. overthrow of the US gov) is, frankly, delusional, at least at this current point in time. If you genuinely believe leftism has progressed in the US to such an extent that an immediate counter-revolution wouldn't immediately rise to power, and if you don't think the people in charge of that counter-revolution aren't better armed, better trained and more numerous, I have a bridge to sell you. I have less objections to trying to build coalitions in our current time with the idea of revolution as an ultimate, (very) long term goal, but I do have to wonder if, at that point, your time isn't served better otherwise.

As for partial revolution, do you really think you're going to be left alone? That the US gov is simply gonna wash its hands and say "well, they're free now, I guess?" Civil wars go on for year upon year, and unless you're under the impression that you can weaken the operational capacity of one of the most powerful war machines in history into submission, and that it isn't going to escalate its operations with each year the conflict goes on, you're clowning. I'd rather not deal with endless attempts of the fed to try to reestablish control, thanks.

I do, however, believe the goal of leftism, at the time, to be something addressed in the first point: coalition building. More than that, I believe the goal of leftists should be to build alternate means of survival, outside of the capitalist system. Shared food networks. Hyper-local means of addressing community problems, town councils. Build resilient systems such that the people don't have to rely on corporations to sustain themselves. If, ultimately, violence becomes the only way to defend those systems, then so be it. But, first, those systems have to exist, because without a net to catch people and those ideals already *being* in the public consciousness, I have EXTREME doubt they'll emerge powerfully enough in a vacuum of power to survive.

Anyway, I am prepared for the onslaught of clown reacts, and go boldly into their pale-faced cruelty.

Oh, and on a finally note, perhaps contrary to some of the more libertarian-leaning preferences of my followers, I DO believe participatory, overarching government can be useful, and, ideally, serves as a means of protecting from the abuse and incursions of corporate interests and other malevolent entities. The US government has, in large part, failed massively at performing those duties, however.

I don't think that, in this current state of the world or anytime in the near future, we will be free of powers seeking to abuse others for personal gain, and we do need an overarching means of expressing popular power, such that those can be fought.

I made a tiny, shitty little butterfly garden full of grass and weeds and hardly any flowers. I really sucked at building this butterfly garden, but it had milkweed and cilantro and a bunch of different tall flowers.
After just one year, there is so much more life. So many more birds. It doesn't take a lot to make a big difference.

Good Idea: Dig some holes!

https://www.climatelinks.org/blog/lunar-landscaping-how-digging-half-moons-helps-re-green-niger

In the arid landscape of the West African Sahel, where climate change and desertification threaten livelihoods, innovative approaches like "half-moons" offer hope for water conservation and landscape restoration. These semicircular ponds, implemented by initiatives like the World Food Programme, help retain rainwater in dry and degraded soils, supporting vegetation growth crucial for farmers and herders. Satellite imagery analysis reveals significant improvements in vegetation health post-intervention, showcasing the efficacy of these low-cost and sustainable techniques. With the potential to stabilize communities' livelihoods and enhance regional water resilience, initiatives like half-moons represent a promising step towards a more resilient future in the face of climate change and desertification.

🙏to our friends @klimadeswandels

This is such a basic, classic permaculture technique that works so well it's insane.

It's spring, and I am honing my observational skills and planning my garden, and I want to share some tips for building these skills in a way that lends itself to practicing permaculture.

When building an ecological mindset, it's essential to start with the practice of simple observation, noticing the plants and animals without making any assumptions or judgements about how the land came to be. It takes a lot of practice, but from then on you can start formulating questions that will lead to a greater understanding of how the land around you is or wants to be.

OBSERVE THE EDGES: If you look at the edge of your yard, or the edge of a sidewalk, you may notice a greater abundance of growth. The edges between biomes are often the most biodiverse because it effectively doubles the amount of species present, but even the edge between grass and concrete, or rocks and flowers, gives a lot of insight into where plants like to grow - is the shade cooling the plants? Is there a dip in the landscaping where water is pooling? Are rocks bolstering the insect population in the area?

OBSERVE THE PIONEER PLANTS: Although "weeds" such as dandelion, kochia, and mallow can and will grow in very poor soil conditions, where they accumulate is still in an indication of soil quality and water retention. If there are no pioneer plants in a given area, could the soil be too rocky? Too compacted? Too polluted?

OBSERVE THE TOPOGRAPHY: Even fairly flat stretches of land have some degree of incline and decline. Are some plants growing more successfully in low areas compared to high areas?

The half moons are for retaining water on gentle slopes, with the flat side pointed uphill. The major function besides water retention is to prevent topsoil erosion by wind and water. They still need about two feet of annual rainfall and some soil fertility to work.

There's a similar method for highly degraded and hardened soil called a 'zaï hole' where one foot deep holes are bored at regular intervals and filled with compost. This, combined with shallow half moon walls built similar to the crescents pictured above provide a low-dig method with broader application and similar results.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za%C3%AF