TREE TOP PROTESTERS AT TITNORE WOODS

[Luz de la Luna~]

Hi Destiny & Pagan!  :hiya:

I so wish I could be there with you to help out.  I'm sorry I missed this when you first posted it.  Sometimes if there is a link in a post, i go to the link & end up spending so much time there that I forget to come back & post!!  :oops:

Anyway, keep up the great work, and don't give up on us!!!

Many blessings & positive energies to everyone involved,

Luz

[rainbow2]

Hi folks,

having rootled around on the two websites you mentioned, I have to say something I find unpleasant and a bit sad, but true. Both websites are great, and I could put this link in an e-mail to go on the stateside lists I'm on to great effect I think, http://www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/titnore.htm

but.... although it gets me where I live, I fear the Porkbolter website looks too 'radical' to get much support (or many cheques) from our chums in the US. I believe it looks too underground and dangerous for most of them to drop thier defenses, come to thier senses, and help out. I see post McCarthy (enduring Bush and Cheney) subliminal intimidation patriotism of the worst kind and jingoism here, just like the start of our thatcher years... To paraphrase the views of the late, tiny-minded, Kenny Everett (booo...) 'pinko commy-fag subversives'.... We need all nature lovers to sympathise with us here, not just the radical right-on ones. Sigh..... We need everyone...... not just those brave enough to buck a huge aggressive system. Methinks POW needs its own pot for collecting spare change. I'll try to contact them.

I am just off to investigate what/how/howmuch it would take to set up a paypal account for the POW. With no disrespect to the birds of my own feather (ex-peace camper) they are a 'safer bet' for eliciting donations this side of the pond and a much more cash-friendly website I reckon. Most pagans here would identify quite readily with these 'regular' local guys rather than any colourful mavericks. (not my personal position)

I find the americans to be wildlife friendly in general, very generous, but also mostly (there are WONDERFUL exceptions like Cindy Sheehan) very unwilling to step away from the 'mainstream good guys', or to be seen as much of a rebel. Its not patriotic or something. Generally I have found being a pagan is weird enough for them, and to ask them to think about sociallism or environmental issues makes their eyes glaze over even although they will tell you they walk an earth-centric nature loving path. They move away from you on the bench....  Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings is a different matter though, they are also fascinated by 'Olde England', Albion and Erin etc... so a carefully angled spin could find a lot of help ~I really dislike the idea of spin, but I also dislike hieghts, yet would dearly love to be gritting my teeth in a treehouse right now......

Yours in hope Rainbow ...xxxXXXOOOXXXxxx...

[Oriondruid]

Hi Rainbow2,

We're glad to have you and other good people in the US on board.

I fully understand any reluctance that American Druids may have engaging with any organisations such as Porkbolter or similar groups with anarchistic anti governement leanings. However, in this country our anarchsist and socialist groups tend to be more rational and peacefully oriented than the maverick groups that you may know 'over there'.

Whilst a very tiny minority may use violence in the main they tend to be more focussed on social and ecological issues. The Reclaim the Streets actions, where people gather on cycles and on foot to protest at excessive car usage and their engagement with issues like Eco protests such as Titnore Wood are more typical of what most of them do and believe, the ski masked 'black flag' vandals at the anti globalisation rallies are a tiny minority and unwanted by most people.

More typical of anarchistic and left wing thought in Britain would be the kind of events that the following message and links from Viziondanz, a well known veteran activist and Stonehenge Peace Process member leads to, I'm re-posting it as it seems such a brilliant idea!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FWD: Pointless Picnics - a new phenomena

Please Fwd to your contacts
This is a very interesting project - check it out
........................................

Venue: A Picnic Spot In Your Local Town, City Or Village.

Time: Midday Every Sunday
Place: Everywhere Picnickable on Our Planet

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pointlesspicnic/

Pointless Picnics are to be held every Sunday at Midday, providing
the weather is fine. They offer an opportunity to get away from the
consumer work ethic.
Tell your friends to tell their friends and come along to share your
food, play music and games or just relax.

There is no reason for the picnics they're just something you don't
have to think about, enjoy them, they're fun.

The time of 12 noon (local) has been arranged to avoid the need for
organisation. Everyone is welcome and don't forget..... it's just a
Global Picnic!

The idea behind the picnics is to give us the
opportunity to meet up with like minded people and
feel less isolated. If all goes well, one day you may
be able to walk into any town at noon on a Sunday, go
to the local picnic spot and meet up with a lot of
folk with ideas for a peaceful future!

Yes... And
relax a while too.

This is a movement that has no vertebrae - because of this it is
powerful and effective,
there is no structure other than what YOU are motivated to do.

Its is an idea that is carried in the wind, trusting the process of
life. Like the oak tree sleeping inside of every acorn, just waiting
for the environment to be amenable to its awakening.

Our lifetimes are very short in the face of existence - we will not
see all the fruits of our actions, but we are witnessing the
fruits of the seeds planted by those who came before us - relax,
serve life and trust in the universal wisdom - step back take a ten
thousand year view and see how quickly we are evolving


Quotes by John Harding initiator of "pointless picnics"

"Yes the picnic idea is still very close to my heart and on
Sundays if the weather is fine you may find me picnicking somewhere."


"Hopefully picnics will be worldwide
and easy to find just by talking to friends."

"The picnics are also pointless, not in one place and with no
agenda apart from sharing food in peace. I like pointlessness,
constantly searching for reasons and solutions is tiresome and
unrewarding."

"The idea of having no agenda, no speeches, no fixed meeting
point, no organisational structure and no money involved does prevent
this type of event being usurped by political groups with hidden
agendas, it also keeps things understandable, if someone tells you
the
picnic is for any purpose other than sharing ones food in peace they
do not understand the picnic concept."

"We need to be constantly monitoring our environment and adopting
the most
efficient responses in order to conserve our energies and retain our
freedom to think."

"The weekly Sunday picnics could prove to be very
strong, they provide a method of networking which does
not rely on technology".

"People NEED to talk, to discuss, to communicate face to face,
allow our 'auras' to mix, create new philosophy"

We don't wear labels Its called the pointless picnic.
Spread the word!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pointlesspicnic/

Forwarded by :
viziondanz@infinitepossibility.org

"there is nothing wrong with our world,
we are just having a weird conversation"
http://www.infinitepossibility.org
http://www.myspace.com/viziondanz

[i think a picnic at Avebury is a lovely idea! Ed :]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardly threatening is it?

That is more typical of the kind of activism that the majority of anarchistic and left wing groups are into (as well as more serious issues such as eco protests).

Our dissenters don't for the vast most part gather together huge arms caches, go off into the hills and threaten to shoot tax collectors or governement officials, they do not form 'millitias' or blow up official buildings, that is not in general the British way of doing things!  

The Porkbolter group are more of an information spreading and action facilitating organisation and I'm sure they are to be trusted with any donations for the Tiitnore Wood camp, but in any case I think the people on the site are looking into setting up a direct paypal link.

Once again thank you all for getting on board with this issue, we must save this beautiful wood and we here in Britain will be doing our utmost to ensure this housing estate is stopped!

BB. Onion.

[rainbow2]

I hear you, and agree in spades about the forthright and righteous Porkbolter site, and the majority of Britain's protest movements..... I too would trust them before any suited jobsworth to collect funds, and wish I had a job in Worthing again, or Brighton, or anywhere in the UK for that matter. Both websites will get people interested and draw them in, I didn't mean one was better than the other. I just feel the POW site would reach a broader audience here in the USofA. And cheques are very last century. I couldn't work out who pays for paypal, but there is no such thing as a free lunch is there...  

I have only been in the states six months; policeing of events is much heavier on much fluffier events, as they are truly deeply paranoid here at the heart of the capitallist empire. I feel sometimes that the only things separating me from the middle ages here (torture, plagues, internment) are things dependant on fossil fuels and they are running out.... Good people are doing nothing all over the place. And plenty are still trying their best to change opinions about all sorts, mostly by song and street theatre, e-mail petitions, and phoning their representatives. Sigh... not really my thing, although I like a wee bit of fancy dress.

We went to a 'Stop the War' rally, all entrants to the park were searched with metal detectors and frisked albeit 'in good humour'. The march was lined by cops on horses, cops in 4X4s, cops spewing out of humvies, with their own counter demonstrators coralled off and rabid, and guns. This big statewise anti-war demo had about 500 marchers with banners, all feeling pretty brave and hardcore. That is a poor showing in Glasgow, but near miraculous here in good ole North Carolina I gather. The south was an epicentre of the civil rights movement, but now NC has the site of the largest airbase sending stuff to Iraq. They know about suffrage here in the south, but have paid dearly for it with state sponsored terrorism. Check out my new local police's reaction to 'Reclaim the streets' in 2002, Durham NC; http://chapelhill.indymedia.org/news/2002/06/85.php
The police almost always gets away with this stuff here. Check how the govt dealt with MLK, JFK, the weathermen, the panthers, and anyone who even smelt like them let alone stuck his head above the 'parapet'.

People over here do tend to get Ireland and Britain mixed up. I have been asked what the ferry is like between Scotland and England (very short). The states are so huge and diverse, they don't seem to have room for the rest of the world's geography.

I put my life into Faslane P.C. 10 years ago and got burnt out. I have recently been massively dissapointed by how unappealing they have become (were we all along??)to joe public who appear 'too straight' for them. There is a place for everyone, and every kind of protest. We need everyone on board. I'm scared eco-protesters get pigeonholed, and ignored like anti-nuclear protesters are. Swampy had his appeal, but the villagers are cute too... Didn't you just relish the broad appeal of the veal export protests? Thornburgh and Lungerabay would never have been so succesful if everyone had had extensive piercings and tatoos like mine. Please don't see this comment as criticism or dicatating about how folk should be, I'm only talking about outreach to 'Muggle Street'  or OBODs thousands of american memebers or whatever. The world and his rich but concerned aunty.

Furthermore, I feel honesty bound to point out that at the G8 protests in Scotland there WAS an international and growing black block presence that scared the c*** out of me and many others. Rumours are organisers were into football once. They seemed h*** bent on 'revenge' for previous police action on G8s. They were a vocal hormonal minority, but got ALL the media attention (!!!) And there were the London buses... Check out 'the festival of full enjoyment' that was supposed to be sooo fluffy in Edinburgh on http://www.clownarmy.com This sort of full on confrontation is relayed around the world by 'journallists' as examples of bad bad discontented boys-and used as an excuse to ignore even massive valid protest. We had 2,000 at Faslane that monday and no-one heard about it. I am more in to the old blockade and banners stuff myself, although the clowns had their moments... especially defusing baaad situations. There is a cracking book about last summers fiasco I will post to Box 4144 about all this stuff and more... It's called 'Shut them down'.

I think the POW site is more likely to be effective at fundraising over here, was my point. Druids can be pretty reactionary outside LAW. I think Porkbolter is a great site for getting folks together that feel the same as we do. But I am pretty skint.

 :where:  :hiya:

We can and will convince the world to fix itself!!! In the love of Lugh, Gia and all their babies beautiful and rank, Rainbow.

[Oriondruid]

Hi Rainbow2.

Yes I would agree the POW website is more 'user friendly' not just for Americans but for many others who may be unused to the protest movement in general. The sight of pierced and tatooed eco warriors and 'crusties' may seem a bit bizzzare to those unsused to meeting these people , even though the majority are very articulate, sensible and passionate about their causes, and nice people too!

I agree also that the phenomena of trouble making 'Euro Rioters' travelling from one legitimate protest to another, (such as anti globalisation rallies), with the specific aim of causing violence is becoming a serious problem to those who organise such valid protests.

As yet our police are not so heavy handed in general but there have been instances, such as the Stop The War campaign where legitimate protestors on busses were prevented from joining the protest by the police illegally.

Even some small marches are now regularly over policed, such as one of those I attended against the planned massive Blairport three runway airport propossed at Cliffe in Kent a few years back.

The police at that march demanded a massive and unreasonable number of stewards be appointed totally out of proportion to the numbers there and routed the march behind a maassive shopping centre car park well out of sight of anybody who may have been interested in the cause!

Also, as is all too common, Special Branch spooks were photographing people who attended, even though most of these were ordinary families with their children and certainly no 'black flag' types were in evidence!

Within days however the pro fox hunting so called Countryside Alliance march was allowed to go through the middle of London in large numbers, with a far lower stewarding requirement and lighter policing.

However these Countryside Alliance types are very much the titled land owning establishment on the march, protesting against the prevention of their cruel so called 'sport' and dragging their serfs and local estate and hunt workers with them on pain of being thrown out of their 'tied cottages' to bolster numbers.

And guess which group eventually ended up violently rioting in front of the Houses of Parliament? Yep you guessed it, the pro hunting types!

We anti airport protestors wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the place in numbers, still rank has it's priviledges eh?

Still this is all largely 'off topic' and I would suggest that we might be better off to start a Civil Liberties and Legitimate Protest thread in this section, rather than divert this one from it's proper focus on Titnore Wood and it's preservation.

All support for Titnore Wood is most welcome, however people choose to exhibit it. Be it financially, by donations of 'goodies' and 'stuff', by turning up on site and sharing a brew around the camp fire or building a tree house and moving in , all are valued contributions. Also those who act by web support and 'spreading the word', by their prayers or magical means. all ways are valid and very gratefully received.

This is a site that we must protect or if things are allowed to go along as they have been it will become a place of tarmac, brick and concrete along with all the other green fields and woodland of South East England within a few more years.

This region of England is already running out of drinking water, why are the Governement and local councils so blind as not to be able to see it simply cannot support any more housing, at least on this scale!  

Whilst drought is a problem so paradoxically and increasingly will be flooding, due not only to climate change but the fact that SE England itself is sinking geographically and the tarmac and concrete coating we are covering it with gives nowhere for the runoff of heavy rains to be absorbed. The Government advises we shouldn't build on river flood plains and then urges massive housing and other construction in the so-called Thames Corridor project, MADNESS!

BB. Onion.

[Destiny]

Hi Rainbow

Have to agree with Onion, I have met some of the Pork Bolter people, they had a stall set up in the town centre to raise awareness for the Titnore Camp, which they would not have been able to do if they were a dodgy bunch. I have also come into contact with them a few years ago now, when they handed out their free flyers in the Town centre.

They are members of the Green Party amongst others, everyday folk who just try to raise awareness in issues they feel they should, nothing underhand or illegal to my knowledge, the 'Anarchist' bit, is just a little English humour, they DO speak up and are not wannabe rebels, they really do use thier energies creatively for the better, local issues mainly. They are good people to my mind.

Hi Luz de La Luna

Thank you for your post and blessings, we won't give up here  :grin:

In Peace
Destiny

[Destiny]

Back again

Titnore Woods is perhaps one of the last remaining Woodlands of this area, in this area it is the last, this is an area with many small houses crammed into tiny estates, affordable housing I guess it might be called.

There is one extremely busy doctors surgery, under great demand, no facilities for teenagers, hence a local crime and ASBOE problem, we are on a stand pipe waterboard order, that could be enforced at any time, the only real shop is a Tesco store, in fact that is probably the highlight of some folks day round here, the walk to Tescos and back !

But there is the Woods, these woods have got to survive !!

If Niamh/Manda reads this, sorry I missed you when you went over the camp, we will meet soon I hope. Once again many thanks for your support in this important cause.
Destiny  :hug:

[rainbow2]

I truly did not mean to suggest that Porkbolter were in any way dodgy!!! Not everyone will click with a site that claims as a central theme to disbelieve everything any government agency says fullstop. I tend to agree with Porkbolter on that personally, but here they have a great deal of faith left in thier elected reprasentatives believe it or not. It is as if they are just entering thier Thatcher years- dissent is small but growing but in punk and heavy metal scenes rather than huge conservation or druidry groups. Conformity and 'patriotism' are still a heavily peer pressured norm. They rally round thier aggressive forein policy like so many at home did around the Falklands at first.....

I will post appeals as soon as there is paypal or a credit card line for reasons stated before (catching folk on a reflex before compassion fatigue and absent mindedness), and search for other sympathetic lists here to appeal to.
I will check the sites from time to time for Paypal now that I have a job and will have more cash, but less time. I'll send that book to Porkbolter for the camp as it is inspirational.


Yours in spirit if not in body, Rainbow

[Luz de la Luna~]

Titnore Woods is perhaps one of the last remaining Woodlands of this area, in this area it is the last,

 :-(  :-(  :-(  THAT is sooo sad!!  It is hard to imagine being in an area that had no woods whatsoever!  :gloomy:    You know it is hard for we Americans to understand the severity of what is happening because being the huge country that it is, you don't have to go that far to get to some woods, since thankfully, one thing we have here are areas of woodlands that are protected by our National Park Systems.. Since I was a young person, I have seen many areas that had been privte properties bought by the state parks system and saved them from being developed.  Although, I have seen a thousand times more beautiful wooded areas clear cut for housing developments.  :x  :gloomy:  Sadly though, since US Americans are used to seeing many parks, they seem to think it is alright to tear down those other wooded areas.  But what is happening there will eventually happen here, but it is hard to fathom for most people here who are busy trying to make money and only worry about greenspace when they get their yearly vacations & want to have a nice place for their kids to play.  :-(  :x  
There really is too much apathy here, but until people band together like you are, nothing is going to be sacred, and I don't know what it will take to make enough people realize it to make a difference...  

I just wish you all the good luck in the world. Please let some of those people know that there ARE some decent US Americans, who really do care about their situation and that we are behind them!  

If I were there I would tie myself to a tree!!!  :treehug1:


Luz

[Oriondruid]

Hi Luz.

There certainly are a great many sensible and concerned Americans. I didn't doubt it for a moment.

Indeed this morning I received from America a book I ordered by a guy called Jim Hindle and entitled Nine Miles. It is about the two years he spent out in all weathers, road protesting in Britain at the famous Newbury Bypass protest camps.

You'll find his book's website at:-

http://www.ninemiles.co.uk

Now some might say that Newbury wasn't his fight, that he was an American and therefore what did he care about the trees and the wildlife destroyed by the building of this hugely unpopular road.

However Jim Hindle came to realise, as are many Americans, that to degrade the environment in one part of the world affects the whole world and that some of us need to take a stand against these kinds of damaging projects no matter where they are. Hence he spent two years in a foreign land living in the woods surrounded by the trees and birds he loved, and which sadly, despite his own and the very valiant efforts of so many others could not be saved.

However his experience both practical and spiritual is shared in this book, so much vital knowledge and insights are not lost.

The eco protest movement rallied and moved on after Newbury and indeed even though the fight there was lost it made building the road so expensive and unpopular that virtually no major new roads were planned or constructed for ten years afterwards!

Since then there have been other defeats, but also victories and we're still here fighting and saying Enough Is Enough!

BB. Onion.

[Destiny]

Quote Luz    " If I were there I would tie myself to a tree!!! "  



Thank you Luz    

I too know many lovely Americans, my Dad lives in Georgia (he's non American) but he has chosen to live out his days there, I have visited, though it was quite a while ago, we travelled around the Southern states, the images of this beautiful land has stayed with me.

Druids and Pagans are coming together and united in support.I will mention support has come from across the Waves too ( USA, also had some positive European posts on NOD)  :D  

Thank you again

Now where can I find a padlock ?  :-)
Destiny

[Pagan]

Hi  :D

Just to let you know, if it really matters! I am busy doing stuff for my elderly parents for the next few weeks, so visits to the camp and other stuff from me will be minimal, if at all.

Once I've finished what I'm doing, I'll be in a better position to help, if it is needed and wanted!

Thanks to all those who have posted here and continued to raise the profile of this issue. If anyone wants to contact me for any reason, please don't! (JOKE)! No, seriously, just post here, PM me here or on the warband, or just send me an email! I will do what I can to help because I want to.

BB  :hug:

[Oriondruid]

Hi Pagan.

Hope this weekend went well for you and your feeling well.

I went to the Anderida Gorsedd ritual at the Long Man as we discussed and it was fantastic!

It was a lovely day, a brilliantly conducted ritual and harmonious group of celibrants. Damh, myself and others were able to speak about Titnore Wood situation and other eco matters in the Eistedfodd section.

Damh made an eloquent and impassioned speech regarding the matter and I in my own small way was able to contribute, not just about Titnore But also the Camp Bling and White Horse Stone situations as well.

Many people were very supportive and positive about the Titnore protest and we had a good chat in the pub after the ritual.

Damh is planning a musical 'benefit' type event for the site plus also a ritual there and my liege lord King Arthur Pendragon is also possibly planning a visit to the site.

I will of course be coming down to the benefit and ritual when it is on, come hell or high water, and also hopefully to visit the site and probably stay for the night. Plus see you and Destiny and perhaps even Cissbury Ring too, gotta plot a way to wangle a couple of nights away though, if possible.

You go off and 'do your thing, you could probably use a bit of 'time off' as you have put so much energy and enthusiasm into this protest, for which I thank you and also Destiny so much.

Catch you later Pagan and hope the 'family stuff' goes well.

BB. Onion.

[Destiny]

Thank you Onion  :D

Glad the Anderida Gorsedd ritual and get together went well  :)

Also I'm happy to hear Camp Bling and the White Horse Stone were also given awareness  :grin:  All other worthy causes!

We are checking the Warband and here, so's we stay in touch.

Hope the sneezes are better  :)

I am also putting the link to the Camps Website : ~
http://www.myspace.com/camptitnore

[Oriondruid]

Hello Destiny.

Well as long as I keep 'drugged up to the eyeballs' with anti histamines I can function, but I am still 'stuffed up'.

Still, not so much longer and the season will be over.

In fact it's mainly London I'm allergic to, as pollen alone, (without the pollution), does not bother me so much and I was pretty good out on the Downs on Sunday with only a couple of sneezes.

Answer, get the hell out of London and stay out, which I will most certainly be doing when I am eventually free to do so!  I'm gonna become an Old Age Traveller and Senile Delinquent me!

Here's wishing you, Pagan, the Titnore Protest and All a Happy Solstice, may the sun shine on all our celebrations.

Once all the Solstice activity is over we can really get down to clobbering this planned housing estate at Titnore!

BB. Onion.

[Pagan]

Thought you might be interested to know the protest has political support from Green Party MEP.


http://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/


BB  :hug:

[Oriondruid]

Hi Pagan, Destiny and All.

It's good that at least one democratically elected politician for the area opposes this atrocity, it's not suprising that she is a Green Party representative.

The local Tories from what I've read seem to have spent their last campaign trashing the reputation of eco protestors and condemming locals who support their efforts!  The Tories probably receive large donations from the very rich Somerset family who own the land and who want to profit by this planned destruction.  Thankfully the Tories were punished heavily in the polls for these underhand tactics and lost to the Lib Dems!

Here are some links to articles regarding the protest at vTitnore Wood thanks to Rowan of the Warband message board and the Paganwarriors UK group.

http://www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies/bat ... -woods.mpg

This is a movie of the protest, as far as I know this link seems to work, but I cannot get my 'puter to stream the video. I'll try downloading it and playing it later as I have broadband so I can do it in a reasonably short time.


http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news547.htm

This links to the SchNEWS website and articles about this and other protests.


http://www.schnews.org.uk/sotw/titnore.htm

This is another SchNEWS page regarding Titnore Wood.


http://www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/report.htm

Finally the latest updates from the protests website.

Hope you all find these useful.

BB. Onion.

[Oriondruid]

Hi All.

The link to the Mpeg video I posted above will let you download the film and save it to your video file if like me you can't get it to strean on your 'puter. Just right click and use the Save Target option.  

However only do this if you have broadband, as it is a 57 Meg download and dial up will take ages!  

At the 120 odd KB/Sec speed their server is pumping out it will take about seven or eight minutes to download on broadband.

It's a good film and raises a lot of valid points, interviews supportive locals and also shows that the people who engage in such protests are not drug crazed destructive hippies, as the powers that be would have us believe!  

BB. Onion.

[Destiny]

Hi Onion, Hope you had a good Solstice  :sun:

Excellent media coverage and was also pleased to see that the MEP has taken an interest, it's looking positive  :)

In Peace
Destiny

[Oriondruid]

Hi Destiny,

I had a quiet 'actual' Solstice, the weather was to manky to see sunrise at Coldrum, but I greatly enjoyed joining Damh and the other Anderida Gorsed celebrants at Sundays ritual.

Hope you and Pagan had a good'un.

BB. Onion