Cob: Re: Re: "objectivity" vs. "philosophy" vs. (The Book)

[Robert Waldrop]

I'll contribute my deeper than surface reasons for interest in cob.

We live in solidarity with the poor and do various food security
projects.  We take food every week to people in need in the central
Oklahoma City area who don't have transportation to get to a food
bank, 40 to 60 deliveries each week.  We also do community gardening,
are learning and practicing permaculture on our property, and do other
occasional rescues as people come to our attention and we have
resources available.  I founded this community in the summer of 1999,
and it is clear to me that things are going from bad to worse for the
poorest of the poor here in Oklahoma City.  There are more homeless on
the streets, more "homeless on couches" (that is, they are staying
with a friend or family member), more people who can't keep all their
utilities on all the time, etc.

So I am looking for an answer, and housing is certainly one of the
major issues.  City government here keeps destroying poor
neighborhoods, and the affordable housing they contain.  A road
widening project here, oops there goes another 12 blocks of houses.  A
new freeway here, oops there goes two more working class
neighborhoods.  A big box store there, and oops there goes a World War
II subdivision of elderly widows and their affordable, paid for
housing.

Every year, more vulnerable people get left behind for the wolves to
devour.

There is no lasting and just resolution to this that doesn't include
empowering poor people to build their own housing.  We can find land,
land here in Oklahoma is not the issue, but construction costs (and
then ongoing maintenance and energy costs) are the big issues.  I am
looking for a way to build housing, that can be done by amateurs, that
doesn't cost huge bucks, and that provides energy operation savings
over conventional construction.

The obstacles are huge, especially in urban areas like Oklahoma City.
But those obstacles look easy compared to the construction and
operation costs (not to mention the environmental disaster) of
conventional construction.  I think we're headed for another Great
Depression, and if we don't figure this housing answer out,
homelessness is going to mushroom.

Being able to construct your own dwelling has to be a very empowering
and liberating experience.  In this day and age, such experiences are
desperately needed.

Robert Waldrop
Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House
http://www.justpeace.org
http://www.bettertimesinfo.org



-----Original Message-----
From: Ocean <ocean at peacemaking.org>
To: coblist at deatech.com <coblist at deatech.com>
Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 2:48 PM
Subject: Cob: Re: "objectivity" vs. "philosophy" vs. (The Book)


>Hello Cobbies!
>
>Regarding my wholesale lack of "objectivity"...I did consider editing
>the outrage out of my last posting, and just discussing the
>philosophical issues, but I was sure this would just invite more
>slamming and reaction from Mr. Henman.
>
>So instead I chose to respond in the same childlike manner as his
>original posting.  Predictably, all he did was repeat over and over
"I
>was just looking for information" and deny his criticism of an unread
>work and reactionary stance against philosophy.  This is the
>manipulative behavior of a passive-aggressive personality, and I was
not
>surprised, in fact somewhat pleased to see him defend his being such
an
>a**hole...