Accountability

Poetman, I share your consternation and frustration with institutional types who are wittingly enthralled by self alignment to corporate consumerist politics and collusive self interest.

“Accountability” is bigger than religion (theology) and institutional church (ecclesiology), it pertains to business, economics, public necessity and the accountability of all public servants to serve the public. The spiritual and the material, the religious and the secular are inseparable in the order of social/ moral accountability.

CASE IN POINT, if I may piggyback on your original “accountability” thread:

in my lifetime effort to engage proven science in reducing energy consumption and improving management of grain-keeping by farmers I have experienced the suppressive power of the consortium of Land Grant Universities, County Extension Services and electrical energy marketing interests (Rural Electrical Cooperatives, petrochemical interests in power production, transmission and marketing).

President Eisenhower presciently warned of public threats from the military-industrial complex; we need also to be warned of public interest threats from the collusion of public educational institutions, corporate lobbies and business self-interest.

The global crises of today, economic, ecologic and moral, highlight the fact of failed accountability to reason and faith in joined secular and religious matters.

For purposes of resurrecting the joined interests in religious/ secular matters, I have brought the issue of public accountability to the attention of Iowa State University and the Association of Iowa Rural Electrical Cooperatives in a letter addressed to Dr Charles Hurburgh, Agricultural Engineer at Iowa State University.

The world crises of food and energy are moral issues that directly affect all of us and require accountability at all levels of society.

----- Original Message -----
From: slsteffen
To: Charles Hurburgh, PhD
Cc: Donald N Duvick ; bkading@iowarec.org ; Mark Steffen ; Peter Steffen
Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 5:44 AM
Subject: Storage-Aeration-Cooling, Curing, Drying, Keeping Corn & Other Cereal Grains

Dr. Charles Hurburgh, Agricultural Engineer, Iowa State University

Charles, in the economic/ survival interests of global humanity, perhaps no commodity is more critical than cereal grains. In the matter of these universal interests, the United States plays a critical, global role.

Energy intensive agriculture, as it has evolved in the past fifty years, has become energy profligate, and in so doing now plays a major role in excessive ecological degradation, atmospheric carbon accumulations, nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides residue run-off, species eliminations from monocultural practices, and most recently, the use of food grains in competition with the petro-fuel industry.

Third World Nations are drawn into ever greater food dependency on the petroleum/ food/ industrial complex of First World multi-national corporations, and into ever greater impoverishment. Science and technology should facilitate the greater independence of Third World Nations in their food/ energy needs.

In this regard, the production and preservation of indigenous food crops where they are produced, i.e., cereal grains, becomes a matter of critical importance. In the economy of grain production/ preservation, the storage–keeping of grain is a critical issue, as is the ventilation-cooling of the grain while stored in order to preserve it from mold and insect infestation, and to bring it to full food potential.

While I have developed patents and marketed the HARVESTALL technology of “ChillCuring” in the corn-belt over the course of thirty-some years, I now have no motive or need to profit from the market usage of the Chillcuring Science. In fact I have specifically released any and all my personal/ business interests to the public domain for public interest purposes.

Because of the minimal energy requirements of on-farm chillcuring of stored grain, chillcuring is of particular importance at this time for obvious ecological, economic and food-value-enhancement reasons.

From our past associations, Charles, I know you are aware of the chill-aeration technology marketed by HARVESTALL Industries, and of phenomenal farmer success with it, as the Rural Electrification Cooperatives of the Midwest are also aware. There is every reason at this critical time to de-intensify expenditures of fossil fuels in agricultural practices; the drying and management of stored corn is an area of great energy-saving potential.

I am confident that you share my motives of working in the best interests of farmers in Iowa, and in global food/ ecological interests. Thank you for your interest and cooperation in these matters.

I wish you all the best in your work and would be pleased to hear from you.

Sylvester L. Steffen

http://www.secondenlightenment.org/rightasgrain.pdf
http://www.evolution101.org/RIGHT%20as%20GRAIN.pdf

I think Lexus's and Merc's are the cars of choice. I agree. support Catholic charities and St V de Paul

Georgie, I share your grief. My parish too is in the midst of a fund drive - as many are, I suppose - even as this world-wide melt-down reaches farther and wider out to the many small-scale economies in the larger one. The institutional Church has become, to far too great a degree, an "institution" - a business, an organization having managers more than a living body infused with the One Spirit, led by men in the line of the Apostles.

The mission is so often a nice word in the background, rather than the driving reason for the Church. We are often so focused on maintaining the organization, that the mission lies dusty in the corner, and the world continues to wait for the Gospel of Christ in all its power.

We need renewal, conversion, zeal! We need the power of the Word to so pierce our hearts, that we become transformed - and thus able to be agents of transformation.

Thomas

Once Leo the Great was asked, "What is the greatest treasure in the Church?" Perhaps the person thought Leo would answer that gold or buildings were the greatest treasure. Or that that spiritual gifts of redemption, or the sacraments were the greatest treasures. But Leo took the individual to where the ordinary people lived and pointed to the orphans, widows and the poor living in the area and stated, "These are the greatest treasures in the Church."

But here we have the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that is not only losing its treasures, but it is losing its very soul in the process. It has forgotten what its real mission should be. It believes that affluence and the appearance of affluence, are its quest. Philly is neglecting the poor and the needy---its real treasure.

Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the many religious orders of men and women who taught in the Catholic schools in America, worked for a dollar a day until the 1960's. Then the religious received $100 a month. Often these religious congregations would teach in a few schools in an affluent area, and with the money received there, were able to maintain the poorer inner city schools. The idea always was that the poor were to be served and supported.

But with the numbers of religious rapidly diminishing, the inner city schools cannot afford to pay the teachers an adequate salary. The Archdiocese hasn't figured out how to fund the education of the children of the poor in today's world. And the Archdiocese hasn't reworked the social infastructure for individuals and families in the inner city. Hint: Nothing will work unless there is dialogue with the people to find out the real needs, the real services needed---and the Archdiocese doesn't have the willingness to make the changes to meet those needs.

So Philly will indulge in the "Field of Dreams Mentality" ('If you build it, they will come') and refurbish its cathedral and seminary--hoping that it will once again have a full seminary. And since the suburbs are growing in population, then build more schools for the upper middle class---but nothing for the poor in the city.

The arch/diocese has forgotten that the poor are called blessed by Christ, not because poverty is good, but because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And in serving the poor first, only then can the Church realize the commission of radical servanthood given to it by Christ. Only then can it encounter the reality of God and model it to others.

The gems of the church are St Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities and the food pantry. There is another fight going on that the bishops seem to have a say in and that is the fight for life. Is there an adoption center in Philadelphia? Is there a center for women who are considering abortion? Is there a center for unwanted children? Is there a center for those suffering from AIDS?. A restored Cathedral in the city would be nice and of interest to those who are historically inclined but remember you can't invite the Pope or neighboring bishops to the opening of a homeless shelter. On the other hand I'd be willing to make a donation to the homeless shelter.

Georgie, Butterfly!
Slow as I am, I have discovered yet another "New Term!" I gathered it from some articles pertinent to the present economic debacle. (It didn't "just happen!" the ominous "they have been working toward this for nigh on to sixty years. Search George Herbert Walker and Prescott Bush. Unbelieveable!) I too have a rather childlike vision of My church!
The New Term I allude to is Gaming! In that our financial system, as has Our Church, been "Gamed" by a bunch of "Gamers!" Gamers get no rush from low scores. $700Billion plus is the jackpot, hopefully! However $105Billion is a respectable score! That's the reputed budget of the RCC in the U.S.! I counsel (listen to me! I'm into the IRS up to my neck, and my kid took everything I own, home money, property real and personal and moved to Dallas!) still I counsel, patience and withholding of donations of any sort to the gamers. Patience in waiting for "The Coming CHURCH of RECONCILIATION" AND FAITH in God to see us through! This is my TESTIMONY, this is my WITNESS! I'm sixtyseven years old! And there has never been, in my lifetime, a Need, not a WANT, a NEED! That has not been filled! Never through, and often in spite of my own machinations! Your FAITH! Will be your salvation!
Georgie, Butterfly! FEAR NOT! GOD IS WITH US IN OUR FAITH! AND God ain't no Gamer! And neither, by God, am I!
James Edward

Just a little synchronisity in this posting Georgie/poetman. My car insurance payment was 10 days late and if I didn't cough up the money TODAY they were going to discontinue coverage IMMEDIATELY. First, it is against the law to drive without insurance and if you are caught without it you are fined a lot of additional money, second one can't get to work without driving, because there is no mass transit system out where we live, so cough it up, we did. Thankfully, the money was in the account. Barely.

$200 Million for what? Fix up the cathedral, a building. Build more buildings. Good grief! Where are their heads? What world do they live in? What planet? What year? They are out of touch with the times and the people.

Thousands of people are being laid off their jobs and many are on the brink of losing their homes. Food pantries are empty.... My heavens, what a Church hierarchy! So busy getting money for buildings. Forget about the people. Who are they?

I won't give them a dime. All donations, and we still donate, even though we're broke, go to the food pantry!