RE: Gardening AND French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

**m*@netscape.net (melanie blandford)**

Dear Paco,

I appreciate your invitation for consideration of the relationship between gardening and politics.  Having been a recipient of this list serve for roughly 6 years, I too have noticed this debate on presenting the listserve with off topic subjects, yet have never felt the need to respond in offense, until today.

I am not disagreeing with your viewpoint on gardening. I believe it is impossible to garden and not reflect on our species impact and innate connection with the world. Yet, I would invite consideration of the connection between the ability to be a "professional community gardener" and the stability and safety of the community in which you live that has been provided by the millions of American blood sacrifices paid in the "violent paradigm" to which you speak. In my opinion, our discussion isn’t so much about the relationship between community gardening and politics, as the relationship between community gardening and your (or others) political ideology. 

I am curious to know whether those who intend to write in support of the French Ministry will also be supporting the French militaristic impact in Africa. Or for that matter their support of Mugabe (President of Zimbabwe) in the EU, who as we speak is destroying some of the largest African wildlife preserves? Just a thought…

All the best,
Melanie

"John Verin" <jverin@Pennhort.org> wrote:

>Dear Melanie,
>
>I wholly understand your perspective about keeping the list on topic. This debate has been going on since I joined the list in 1995.
>
>In my years as a professional community gardener, I find more and more how everything is interconnected, and that gardening both flowers and vegetables is very, very political.
>
>By the very fact that one chooses to tend to nature in a garden is a transcendent move beyond the violent paradigm, politics and economics that seek to control and eradicate the natural world, and seeks to control your mind to do as they do. There's no way around that.
>
>While I agree that this list mustn't go too far off topic, I invite you to deeply consider the relationships between gardening, particularly community gardening, and politics, including the White House's intention to attack Iraq.
>
>Best regards,
>Paco
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: melanie blandford [m*@netscape.net]
>Sent: Friday, February 28, 2003 1:51 PM
>To: community_garden@mallorn.com
>Subject: RE: [cg] [Fwd: email the French Minstry of Foriegn Affairs]
>
>
>Am I wrong for assuming that this list serve is for community gardening?
>I am offended that due to my interest and career in gardening, I must also be subjected to someone's political agenda.
>
>Melanie Blandford
>Volunteer Coordinator UT Gardens
>University of Tennessee
>252 Ellington Plant Science Building
>Knoxville , TN 37996
>
>
>
><juliepmc1@cox.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>If anyone is interested in trying to support France from buckling under to supporting the US going to war, here is where you can write to support this.
>>
>>Julie
>>
>
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______________________________________________________
The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org

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