A brief description of a Community Gathering

A community gathering is a way for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together around a common theme: to make their lives better through connection and cooperation. Sharing a meal, having a safe place for children to play, providing a space for promotional materials of all types, and creating fun networking tools are the basics.

What are your needs and goals? You have an opportunity to share this at a Community Gathering, and find others with whom you can be mutually supportive. Starting a community garden, getting a neighborhood emergency plan together, getting a play group together, learning and teaching valuable skills and knowledge, creating alternatives to the money system, electing officals who are honest and accountable, finding support in hard times—all of this can happen. And in the process, you might just make some wonderful friends. All of these things can happen at a community gathering, and more.

I hope that Ron Paul supporters, especially ones who have families and who find it difficult to go to meetings and other get togethers where it might be hard for children to attend, might sponsor community gatherings in their neighborhoods and communities. I want to be available to help people to do this, by writing a handbook, providing a forum and continuing to write this blog. I really hope a lot of Ron Paul supporters come to the local gathering on Oct. 5 at Walker Park in Fayetteville at the large gazebo near S. College. You can bring all the Ron Paul promotional material you want, and talk to people as well!

Victory Gardens for Ron Paul

I realized today that I wanted to share some concrete things that people could do in their neighborhoods to simultaneously support Ron Paul and enrich their neighborhood. Although my focus is on the Community Gathering as that vehicle, I want to share some ideas that I hope will benefit. After I wrote this blog, I found out some other folks were on the same wavelength--I hope you will check out this website www.edibleestates.org It has excellent suggestions on how to transform your front lawn into a garden

One idea is that of a Victory Garden. What if people started digging up their front lawns and planted vegetable gardens. Or, in place of some of the flowers and shrubs, edible plants such as strawberries or blueberries were planted. Ron Paul signs reflecting the values he promotes--such as people not needing to rely on the government for everything--could be put up. The Victory Gardens would be a symbol that we want to grow locally, and shop locally--not be dependent on big companies or food stamps for our food.

I've heard it said that growing food is one of the most revolutionary thing we can do. I would add that this can help with the Ron Paul Revolution. I think this is true because of the following:

1. Growing our own food helps us to save money so we aren't so dependent on the money system. We can work less for others, and more on projects like supporting Ron Paul.

2. Growing a garden in your front yard will attract interest. Can you imagine your neighbors asking about what you are doing as you are digging up your front lawn, with your unique sign about supporting Ron Paul. And you telling them about Ron Paul and the value of growing your own food.

3. Exercise and being outdoors working in your garden will give you even more energy to work for the Ron Paul campaign. If you work barefoot, you will experience healing energy from being connected to the earth. (I read some scientific study that shows going barefoot is super healthy)

4. Eating healthy food straight from your garden will also give you more energy. And if you eat it raw, with the enzymes intact, so much the better! Growing food in your own area is so much healthier than importing it from a far--both economically and physically.

5. You will inspire others to grow gardens in their front yards. I just think that with your enthusiasm and joy that you are experiencing in having a beautiful front yard garden, you will see others joining you. If you host a community gathering in your neighborhood, one of the things you can do is have a discussion group or class about organic gardening. I can see it now--every neighborhood with beautiful vegetable gardens, fruit trees, berries, and herbs throughout the neighborhood.

6. You could expand to having a community garden and engage even more cooperation and people power.

7. You could share and trade produce with neighbors, thereby increasing good will and also perhaps even alleviate hunger. All good will that you generate makes it so that people are more receptive when you share how Ron Paul supports this revolutionary action of growing food. (Wouldn't it be great if he would talk about this issue specifically?)

Well, I just found a website that relates to this topic.