RE: Who's Stepping Up To The Plate?

**"John Verin" j*@Pennhort.org**

We all wonder, buddy.
As it is, many/most Americans don't have values grounded in gardening, food, etc. so surely those who are "politicians," would not either.

During a Republican convention, I believe for G. Bush Sr, they had an African American senator boast how he "... a black man, got off the farm he grew up on to make it in this world, and isn't America great?" (It was a vulgar racial prop if you asked me). So the farm and being a farmer is something to reject and get away from. However, every politician in history was able to live thanks to farmers.

The saddest thing of all is we think "power" is about politics and money. A farmer strike would get heard real fast.

As you sit down to your next (and every) meal, I invite you to thank the land and the people that work it, for they allow you to live.

Paco Verin
Citywide Project Coordinator - Philadelphia Green
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 N. 20th St.
Philadelphia, PA  19103
215-988-8885
http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org 

-----Original Message-----
From: Adam36055@aol.com [A*@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 5:12 PM
To: John Verin; community_garden@mallorn.com
Subject: Who's Stepping Up To The Plate?

Where is tribune of the peole, the  demagogue (in the nice sense of the word) 
 who will get herself elected to the city council and say to the massed group 
of legislators, who want to spend as little as possible on social programs, 
and say: 
 'Lookit - If you won't build housing, job producing businesses or anything 
of value on this land, then please let us clear it and feed our hungry. We 
have the backs, some, tools and folks who know how to build the soil up, once 
we've hauled away the rubble and located the lots that aren't superfund toxic 
sites.  We'll do the work, but we need you to help us with connecting water, 
some grantwriting, the sanitation dept trucks to haul away the rubble we dig 
out., and some leases that will allow us to do the work of feeding our city's 
poor. "

Where is that future Mayor of Philadelphia?

Best wishes,
Adam Honigman

<< ubj:  [cg] RE: 35,000 Vacant Lots?
 Date:  3/31/03 4:41:55 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:  jverin@Pennhort.org (John Verin)
 Sender:    community_garden-admin@mallorn.com
 To:    community_garden@mallorn.com

 Numbers are rounded, but yes, there is an official count that is near 
35,000. There are also some 11,000 building yet to be torn down, thus the 
vacant lot number will only continue to increase.

 It takes huge compassion and patience for me to accept this land isn't used 
to grow food, given the amount of poor and malnutrition going on in Philly. 
Then again, it's just a small mirror of our national attitudes towards food, 
farming, nature, etc. and our general lack of awareness about any of them.

 So, I watch, and wait and do my best to cast seeds about. When we are truly 
hungry we will grow food.

 Paco Verin
 Citywide Project Coordinator - Philadelphia Green
 The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
 100 N. 20th St.
 Philadelphia, PA  19103
 215-988-8885
 http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org 

  >>

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