Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
John Steinbeck - Brilliant Humanitarian
The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed
to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all.
Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to
take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at
twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men
with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the
crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million
people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden
mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for
fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump
potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the
hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them,
and let the putrescence drip down into the earth.
There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow
here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that
topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows,
the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra
must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners
must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food
must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for
potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in
rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed.
And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the
screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime,
watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in
the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the
hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes
of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the
vintage.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all.
Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to
take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at
twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men
with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the
crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million
people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden
mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for
fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump
potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the
hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them,
and let the putrescence drip down into the earth.
There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow
here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that
topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows,
the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra
must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners
must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food
must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for
potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in
rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed.
And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the
screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime,
watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in
the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the
hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes
of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the
vintage.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Monday, May 13, 2013
There is No Right Way to Give out Food, There is only Giving out all the Food You Can
The measure of the greatness of any nation is in how the poorest of that
nation are treated.
The poor are truly people in crisis.
By taking away means after means of survival for people that are in a desperate situation, we are only making the situation worse.
Some make think to put these people out of one's sight improves their own life but in fact it cannot. Only actions taken in love not fear can improve the quality of life for everyone.
We must look to decriminalize poverty and not to shoulder the poor with more and more decreasing quality of life.
We must let those that want to share food and love, with people that need love and food, to share it. To embrace this sharing as a good thing.
You cannot cut government aid to the hungry, then declare it a criminal action for those with the resources to provide food to provide it.
And you cannot tell people who are starving that they cannot ask for money for food when they have no other means to obtain food.
What you are offering these people is equivalent to a death sentence, and I can assure cutting off every means of survival for any individual can only lead to bad never good.
Reach out your hand to help up, not to strike down and when it is your hand that needs help it will be given to you in exact accordance to what you have given others.
That is Karma.
The poor are truly people in crisis.
By taking away means after means of survival for people that are in a desperate situation, we are only making the situation worse.
Some make think to put these people out of one's sight improves their own life but in fact it cannot. Only actions taken in love not fear can improve the quality of life for everyone.
We must look to decriminalize poverty and not to shoulder the poor with more and more decreasing quality of life.
We must let those that want to share food and love, with people that need love and food, to share it. To embrace this sharing as a good thing.
You cannot cut government aid to the hungry, then declare it a criminal action for those with the resources to provide food to provide it.
And you cannot tell people who are starving that they cannot ask for money for food when they have no other means to obtain food.
What you are offering these people is equivalent to a death sentence, and I can assure cutting off every means of survival for any individual can only lead to bad never good.
Reach out your hand to help up, not to strike down and when it is your hand that needs help it will be given to you in exact accordance to what you have given others.
That is Karma.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Feeding Our Hungry Against the Law - A 2015 Tragedy
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/?s=feeding+the+homeless
Feeding The Homeless BANNED In Major Cities All Over America
What would you do if you came across someone on the street that had not had anything to eat for several days? Would you give that person some food? Well, the next time you get that impulse you might want to check if it is still legal to feed the homeless where you live. Sadly, feeding the homeless has been banned in major cities all over America. Other cities that have not banned it outright have put so many requirements on those that want to feed the homeless (acquiring expensive permits, taking food preparation courses, etc.) that feeding the homeless has become “out of reach” for most average people. Some cities are doing these things because they are concerned about the “health risks” of the food being distributed by ordinary “do-gooders”. Other cities are passing these laws because they do not want homeless people congregating in city centers where they know that they will be fed. But at a time when poverty and government dependence are soaring to unprecedented levels, is it really a good idea to ban people from helping those that are hurting?
This is just another example that shows that our country is being taken over by control freaks. There seems to be this idea out there that it is the job of the government to take care of everyone and that nobody else should even try.
But do we really want to have a nation where you have to get the permission of the government before you do good to your fellow man?
It isn’t as if the government has “rescued” these homeless people. Homeless shelters all over the nation are turning people away each night because they have no more room. There are many homeless people that are lucky just to make it through each night alive during the winter.
Sometimes a well-timed sandwich or a cup of warm soup can make a world of difference for a homeless person. But many U.S. cities have decided that feeding the homeless is such a threat that they had better devote law enforcement resources to making sure that it doesn’t happen.
This is so twisted. In America today, you need a “permit” to do almost anything. We are supposed to be a land of liberty and freedom, but these days government bureaucrats have turned our rights into “privileges” that they can revoke at any time.
The following are some of the major U.S. cities that have attempted to ban feeding the homeless….
Philadelphia
Mayor Nutter recently banned feeding homeless people in many parts of Philadelphia where homeless people are known to congregate….
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has announced a ban on the feeding of large numbers of homeless and hungry people at sites on and near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Mayor Nutter is imposing the ban on all outdoor feedings of large numbers of people on city parkland, including Love Park and the Ben Franklin Parkway, where it is not uncommon for outreach groups to offer free food.
Nutter says the feedings lack both sanitary conditions and dignity.
Orlando
Last June, a group of activists down in Orlando, Florida were arrested by police for feeding the homeless in defiance of a city ordinance….
Over the past week, twelve members of food activist group Food Not Bombs have been arrested in Orlando for giving free food to groups of homeless people in a downtown park. They were acting in defiance of a controversial city ordinance that mandates permits for groups distributing food to large groups in parks within two miles of City Hall. Each group is allowed only two permits per park per year; Food Not Bombs has already exceeded their limit. They set up their meatless buffet in Lake Eola knowing that they would likely be arrested as a result.
Houston
Down in Houston, a group of Christians was recently banned from distributing food to the homeless, and they were told that they probably would not be granted a permit to do so in the future even if they applied for one….
Bobby and Amanda Herring spent more than a year providing food to homeless people in downtown Houston every day. They fed them, left behind no trash and doled out warm meals peacefully without a single crime being committed, Bobby Herring said.
That ended two weeks ago when the city shut down their “Feed a Friend” effort for lack of a permit. And city officials say the couple most likely will not be able to obtain one.
“We don’t really know what they want, we just think that they don’t want us down there feeding people,” said Bobby Herring, a Christian rapper who goes by the stage name Tre9.
Dallas
Dallas has also adopted a law which greatly restricts the ability of individuals and ministries to feed the homeless….
A Dallas-area ministry is suing the city over a food ordinance that restricts the group from giving meals to the homeless.
Courts dismissed Dallas’ request for a summary judgment last week, saying the case, brought up by pastor Don Hart (in video above) may indeed be a violation of free exercise of religion, as protected by the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the blog Religion Clause reported.
In the court filing, the ministry leaders argue that their Christian faith requires them to share meals with the homeless (Jesus did!) and that the requirement that even churches and charities provide toilets, sinks, trained staff and consent of the city keeps them from doing so.
Las Vegas
A few years ago, Las Vegas became the first major U.S. city to specifically pass a law banning the feeding of homeless people….
Las Vegas, whose homeless population has doubled in the past decade to about 12,000 people in and around the city, joins several other cities across the country that have adopted or considered ordinances limiting the distribution of charitable meals in parks. Most have restricted the time and place of such handouts, hoping to discourage homeless people from congregating and, in the view of officials, ruining efforts to beautify downtowns and neighborhoods.
But the Las Vegas ordinance is believed to be the first to explicitly make it an offense to feed “the indigent.”
That law has since been blocked by a federal judge, and since then many U.S. cities have been very careful not to mention “the indigent” or “the homeless” by name in the laws they pass that are intended to ban feeding the homeless.
New York City
New York City has banned all food donations to government-run homeless shelters because the bureaucrats there are concerned that the donated food will not be “nutritious” enough.
Yes, this is really true.
The following is from a recent Fox News article….
The Bloomberg administration is now taking the term “food police” to new depths, blocking food donations to all government-run facilities that serve the city’s homeless.
In conjunction with a mayoral task force and the Health Department, the Department of Homeless Services recently started enforcing new nutritional rules for food served at city shelters. Since DHS can’t assess the nutritional content of donated food, shelters have to turn away good Samaritans.
Can you believe that?
The bureaucrats are officially out of control.
In America today, it seems like almost everything is illegal.
One church down in Louisiana was recently ordered to stop giving out water because it did not have a government permit.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I sure am going to give a cup of cold water to someone if they need it whether I have a permit or not.
It is as if common sense has totally gone out the window in this nation.
Over in New Hampshire, a woman is being sued for planting flowers in her own front yard.
This is the kind of thing that makes me glad that I have moved to a much more rural location. People in the country tend to be much more relaxed.
Sadly, those that love to micro-manage others continue to get the upper hand in America. Back in January, 40,000 new laws went into effect all over America. The politicians continue to hit us with wave after wave of regulations and laws with no end in sight.
All of this is making America a very unpleasant place in which to live.
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/?s=feeding+the+homeless
Monday, January 14, 2013
1/3 Of All Food Produced Each Day is Thrown Away Instead of Being Donated to the Hungry
People are hungry and starving in the United States.
We are throwing away over 1/3 of all food produced each day, and creating anti-compassion, anti-empathy laws that boggle each loving person's soul.
It is time for mandatory food rescue, it is time for mandatory food give out stations
It is time to make it illegal not to share food with the hungry. With this new Law we can totally eradicate all hunger in the United States within 24 hours of it being mandated.
With this free up of money now spent to feed our hungry ( yes you heard right this solution costs absolutely Nothing, no money), we can take the money we are spending on feeding our hungry and spend it around the world to help the world eradicate all hunger.
This is too easy and too simple of a solution to overlook.
It's simplicity is sheer beauty.
What can you do?
We are throwing away over 1/3 of all food produced each day, and creating anti-compassion, anti-empathy laws that boggle each loving person's soul.
It is time for mandatory food rescue, it is time for mandatory food give out stations
It is time to make it illegal not to share food with the hungry. With this new Law we can totally eradicate all hunger in the United States within 24 hours of it being mandated.
With this free up of money now spent to feed our hungry ( yes you heard right this solution costs absolutely Nothing, no money), we can take the money we are spending on feeding our hungry and spend it around the world to help the world eradicate all hunger.
This is too easy and too simple of a solution to overlook.
It's simplicity is sheer beauty.
What can you do?
Friday, May 11, 2012
Madatory Food Donation From All Food Establishment
Over 1/3 of all edible food produced in the United States is thrown away each and every day from Food Establishments. We must have laws passed making it Mandatory NOT Voluntary to donate this food to be shared with people in need of it.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
FOOD IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE DAY
http://www.foodnotbombs.net/food_is_a_right.html
Details
FOOD IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE
Sharing food with the hungry is an unregulated act of kindness.
End all efforts to stop people from feeding the hungry.
Rescind all laws restricting compassion.
“THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO GIVE OUT FOOD, THERE IS ONLY GIVING OUT ALL THE FOOD YOU CAN”
- Kathy Mitro who posted a petition on line after being threatened with arrest for sharing food in Daytona Beach. Florida in January 2012
On Sunday April 1st, we are proposing that people all over the world consider sharing free meals in celebration our right to food and participate in our campaign for an end to laws restricting acts of compassion. Celebrate our right to feed the hungry with music, theater, and the sharing of food.
It has been distressing to receive so many reports in the past few weeks of people being threatened with arrest or cities adopting new laws limiting people’s right to share free food with the public. People in England, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Florida contacted Food Not Bombs about having been threatened with arrest. Others report that their local governments are considering laws to limit acts of compassion.
This new wave of threats is happening as half of all Americans are struggling to survive. The Department of Agriculture’s February report shows that 46,286,294 people relied on food stamps in November of 2011. People have been arriving at Food Not Bombs meals claiming they had not eaten in four days because other food programs had exhausted their resources. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 1 in 7 people or 925 million people world wide went hungry in 2010. We are announcing a global campaign to recognize that sharing food with the hungry is an unregulated activity of compassion and should not be interfered with by the authorities.
Our movement started when the “Diggers” occupied St George’s Hill in Surrey, England on April 1, 1649 in a protest for the right of landless people to feed themselves. We are announcing our global campaign for the right of all people to share food with the hungry without regulation on the anniversary of the first act of the peaceful resistance by the “Diggers” of St George’s Hill.
The public is encouraged to share meals with their community on Sunday, April 1, 2012 in defiance of government’s efforts to restrict acts of compassion. Please email our office so we can post your event on our website.
FOOD IS A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE – End all efforts to stop people from feeding the hungry
http://
FOOD IS A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE – End all efforts to stop people from feeding the hungry onblog.foodnotbombs.net
http://
ENDORSED BY
Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed
Noam Chomsky, author and professor M.I.T.
Eric Holt-Giménez, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy
Bill McKibben, author Deep Economy
David Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio
David Rovics,musician, USA
Kevin Devine, musician, Brooklyn, NY
Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Michael Stoops, National Coalition for the Homeless
Kathy Mitro, Daytona Beach. Florida
Keith McHenry, Co-founder of the Food Not Bombs Movement
###
PLEASE ENDORSE THIS CAMPAIGN
Please consider endorsing this nonviolent campaign. Email us you name, position and city or if your group is endorsing the name of your organization and city. Seek to overturn all local laws restricting the sharing of food.
Thanks so much.
menu@foodnotbombs.net
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The current cities actively seeking to restrict the sharing of food are Los Angeles, Daytona Beach,Tampa, St Petersburg, Dallas, Myrtle Beach, Philadelphia.
A PLACE AT THE TABLE
http://
Food is a Right Jean Ziegler
http://
Hunger Is a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’, says Jean Ziegler
http://www.opednews.com/
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: NUMBER OF PERSONS PARTICIPATING
http://www.fns.usda.gov/
2012 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics Food and Agriculture Organization
http://
Anti-Poverty Groups Alarmed At Obama Budget
http://www.npr.org/2011/
PETITIONS
If you have been threatened with arrest for sharing food please contact us. menu@foodnotbombs.net
Speaker of the House: Change the laws that criminalize sharing food with
hungry individuals
http://www.change.org/
Allow Food Not Bombs Myrtle Beach to Feed the
Hungry
http://
The City of Dallas: Stop
threatening people for feeding the homeless
http://www.change.org/
NEW REPORTS ON EFFORTS TO LIMIT THE SHARING OF MEALS
PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia may start requiring permits for those who feed the homeless
February 10, 2012
http://www.newsworks.org/
Proposed rules for feeding homeless on Parkway assailed February 9, 2012
http://www.philly.com/
Proposed rules for feeding homeless on Parkway assailed
http://
Ronnie Polaneczky: Dinner for the homeless, with a side of dignity
http://www.philly.com/
Let Donald F. Schwarz, know there should be no restrictions to the sharing of food in Philadelphia
Donald F. Schwarz, MD, MPH
Deputy Mayor for Health and Opportunity and
Health Commissioner
1401 JFK Blvd, Room 600
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: 215-686-5000
Fax: 215-686-5212
healthdept@phila.gov
MYRTLE BEACH
WMBF Special Report: Homeless Bound
http://www.wmbfnews.com/
Myrtle Beach Deals With Homeless, Or Do They?
http://www.nowpublic.com/
Please Don’t Feed Our Homeless, Many Cities Say
http://news.change.org/
Sharing food with the hungry is an unregulated act of kindness.
End all efforts to stop people from feeding the hungry.
Rescind all laws restricting compassion.
“THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO GIVE OUT FOOD, THERE IS ONLY GIVING OUT ALL THE FOOD YOU CAN”
- Kathy Mitro who posted a petition on line after being threatened with arrest for sharing food in Daytona Beach. Florida in January 2012
On Sunday April 1st, we are proposing that people all over the world consider sharing free meals in celebration our right to food and participate in our campaign for an end to laws restricting acts of compassion. Celebrate our right to feed the hungry with music, theater, and the sharing of food.
It has been distressing to receive so many reports in the past few weeks of people being threatened with arrest or cities adopting new laws limiting people’s right to share free food with the public. People in England, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Florida contacted Food Not Bombs about having been threatened with arrest. Others report that their local governments are considering laws to limit acts of compassion.
This new wave of threats is happening as half of all Americans are struggling to survive. The Department of Agriculture’s February report shows that 46,286,294 people relied on food stamps in November of 2011. People have been arriving at Food Not Bombs meals claiming they had not eaten in four days because other food programs had exhausted their resources. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 1 in 7 people or 925 million people world wide went hungry in 2010. We are announcing a global campaign to recognize that sharing food with the hungry is an unregulated activity of compassion and should not be interfered with by the authorities.
Our movement started when the “Diggers” occupied St George’s Hill in Surrey, England on April 1, 1649 in a protest for the right of landless people to feed themselves. We are announcing our global campaign for the right of all people to share food with the hungry without regulation on the anniversary of the first act of the peaceful resistance by the “Diggers” of St George’s Hill.
The public is encouraged to share meals with their community on Sunday, April 1, 2012 in defiance of government’s efforts to restrict acts of compassion. Please email our office so we can post your event on our website.
FOOD IS A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE – End all efforts to stop people from feeding the hungry
http://
FOOD IS A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE – End all efforts to stop people from feeding the hungry onblog.foodnotbombs.net
http://
ENDORSED BY
Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed
Noam Chomsky, author and professor M.I.T.
Eric Holt-Giménez, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy
Bill McKibben, author Deep Economy
David Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio
David Rovics,musician, USA
Kevin Devine, musician, Brooklyn, NY
Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Michael Stoops, National Coalition for the Homeless
Kathy Mitro, Daytona Beach. Florida
Keith McHenry, Co-founder of the Food Not Bombs Movement
###
PLEASE ENDORSE THIS CAMPAIGN
Please consider endorsing this nonviolent campaign. Email us you name, position and city or if your group is endorsing the name of your organization and city. Seek to overturn all local laws restricting the sharing of food.
Thanks so much.
menu@foodnotbombs.net
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The current cities actively seeking to restrict the sharing of food are Los Angeles, Daytona Beach,Tampa, St Petersburg, Dallas, Myrtle Beach, Philadelphia.
A PLACE AT THE TABLE
http://
Food is a Right Jean Ziegler
http://
Hunger Is a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’, says Jean Ziegler
http://www.opednews.com/
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: NUMBER OF PERSONS PARTICIPATING
http://www.fns.usda.gov/
2012 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics Food and Agriculture Organization
http://
Anti-Poverty Groups Alarmed At Obama Budget
http://www.npr.org/2011/
PETITIONS
If you have been threatened with arrest for sharing food please contact us. menu@foodnotbombs.net
Speaker of the House: Change the laws that criminalize sharing food with
hungry individuals
http://www.change.org/
Allow Food Not Bombs Myrtle Beach to Feed the
Hungry
http://
The City of Dallas: Stop
threatening people for feeding the homeless
http://www.change.org/
NEW REPORTS ON EFFORTS TO LIMIT THE SHARING OF MEALS
PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia may start requiring permits for those who feed the homeless
February 10, 2012
http://www.newsworks.org/
Proposed rules for feeding homeless on Parkway assailed February 9, 2012
http://www.philly.com/
Proposed rules for feeding homeless on Parkway assailed
http://
Ronnie Polaneczky: Dinner for the homeless, with a side of dignity
http://www.philly.com/
Let Donald F. Schwarz, know there should be no restrictions to the sharing of food in Philadelphia
Donald F. Schwarz, MD, MPH
Deputy Mayor for Health and Opportunity and
Health Commissioner
1401 JFK Blvd, Room 600
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: 215-686-5000
Fax: 215-686-5212
healthdept@phila.gov
MYRTLE BEACH
WMBF Special Report: Homeless Bound
http://www.wmbfnews.com/
Myrtle Beach Deals With Homeless, Or Do They?
http://www.nowpublic.com/
Please Don’t Feed Our Homeless, Many Cities Say
http://news.change.org/
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