Fw: from Terry Binnersley / with apt song by the late Link Wray

A cheerful and supportive note from the indefatigable Ms Terry Binnersley of Ottawa is certainly a fine way to start the morning in fire-jittery Pocatello, Idaho.  The attached song by Link Wray, "Fire and Brimstone", is appropriate.

Terry, as I've noted before, was some years ago the editor of Steel Rail Press which produced some excellent no-punches-pulled Left books on Labor, Canadian radicalism, and women's rights.  Among them was the fine book by Mike Solski and John Smaller, Mine Mill: The International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers in Canada Since 1895, Steel Rail Publishing, 1985.  I reviewed it at length, very favorably, in Labor History, Fall, 1986. http://www.hunterbear.org/jrs.htm
Here's a contemporary ABE listing which provides its contents in great detail.  
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=mike+solski&sts=t&tn=mine+mill

Despite set backs and a certain amount of contemporary confusion in the U.S. labor movement, my faith in the future of militant and democratic and visionary unionism continues to prevail -- and there are certainly many indeed who join me.  I've always found a worthy nugget of enduring hope and faith in the comment, with reference to Labor, made by Clarence Darrow during the Boise frame-up trials of Bill Haywood and associates in 1907:  "I know its cause is just."

This excellent book on Mine Mill -- which includes something of the Union's history in the United States -- can be very productively read by anyone who seeks to draw rich insight from the long and effective life of a genuinely Fighting Union.  [H]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Terry
To: Hunter Gray 
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2012 8:33 PM
Subject: Re: HELL FIRES


All my best wishes that you keep well -- get out if you have to, but as always I admire your determination to fight (with insight).  Global warming it is, and people are unaware of the scientists' predictions.  All my hopes are with you, and here is a song to go with "Hell Fires" from an old Indian rocker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXrV9mBM7Pk

Terry Binnersley
Ottawa Ontario K1S 2P3


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Hunter Gray 
  To: SNCC ; Bear Without Borders 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2012 12:12 PM
  Subject: HELL FIRES


  Note by Hunter Bear  (July 3 2012)

  A couple of days ago, Sam Friedman asked on Redbadbear discussion how our fire situation was doing and I posted, among other things, the following two messages.  These will serve to inform interested and concerned family and friends -- some of whom have called or written from far away. And they should deepen the fire awareness of others.  While the local fire and its damage are much smaller than, say, that of Colorado Springs, Pocatello is a very small Idaho city and the effects of this fire assault have been catastrophic.  Other fires are going in Idaho and the general situation is super dangerous

  Fires of many sizes, some major by any yardsticks, are raging in adjoining states.  The East certainly has its own versions of Hell.  At the time we were conversing via posts, Sam's spouse, temporarily in Ohio, was threatened by swirling tornadoes but they passed her by.  I commented to Sam that there was a time that, "These weather and related gauntlets used to be the exception."

  I have now heard a number of "authorities" via national media attribute the scope and intensity of these Western fires to "over-protection" of the timberlands for many decades and the consequent accumulation of brush of various kinds.  I have been hearing about that problem since my first fire at 16 in 1950 in Northern Arizona and, while there is certainly something much to that, it falls, in my opinion, 'way short of fullness.  Brush and lumbering slash do accumulate and very problematically so but much timberland with fire potential is in high snow areas which, over time, return slash and dead brush into the Earth.  And a great many fires travel by "crownfire" -- traveling from tree top to tree top faster than a person can run.

  As I've noted in earlier writings, until the beginning of this new century, most forest fires rarely exceeded nine or ten thousand acres, and were usually much, much smaller.  What's happened in the West is that we've now been having extremely prolonged super hot periods, often prolonged drought, and extremely strong and intensive  and very prolonged winds.  This has been the prevailing pattern for the past more than a decade -- with a sharp increase in truly huge mega-fires.

  I personally have heard nothing in these mainline media discussions of fires about the contributing role of global warming/climate change -- an increasingly inescapable conclusion.

  Anyway, here is our local report:


  Post #1)  The one here at Poky -- that took 66 homes plus various other buildings and burned around 1200 acres -- is essentially controlled though there are still some breakouts.   The wind situation has been helpful -- pretty moderate but picking up again.  There are other fires in the general region that are not yet fully controlled -- but they're in far less "inhabited" areas.  But, of course, all fires are tragedies.

  People in the burned area had been advised at several points over the years to clear brush from around their homes which were scattered out in timbered [mostly juniper] slopes.  Some did, some didn't.  Didn't make any difference in this situation as the fire, propelled by extremely high and strong winds, swept up the slopes "crowning out" (traveling fast from treetop to treetop).  The hot weather has made everything super dry and pulled much pitch-sap out in the open on all coniferous trees -- yellow pines, spruce, fir, junipers -- and that's created an explosive potential in the gasoline sense.

  Lots of heart-breaking stories.  Plenty of relief agencies and churches involved.  But, in the last analysis, a lot of dreams have probably died for good.  Many pets died or are scattered to the four directions -- and the animal groups and agencies are busy.  Lots of livestock killed.

  We ourselves have worked out some basic plans -- should something develop up here in our immediate bailiwick.  We've always had exit plans, much of this involving possible earthquakes, but now we've done a little finessing.  

  I hope you all in the East are essentially OK.  Looks like another kind of Hell has ripped through your broad region.

  Our best to you all!  Solidarity,  Hunter

  Post #2)  Our little family decided a couple of days ago that, should fire be heading toward us, we won't be evacuating quickly.  I've lined up some "resistance" tools -- shovel, axe, etc -- in our garage.  This is a rather rugged group of folks up here and I much imagine some neighbors are doing the same.  And there is good road access for fire control vehicles and men and, should fire come here, we'll all join forces.  If we have no alternative but to leave, we have determined what we'll take in addition to ourselves and the pets, including the turtle.  I lined up cat boxes for quick use and the dogs can reside in the Jeep's rear area.  We could probably wind up with daughter Josie and her Cameron and the Babies who all reside 'way down below -- out of any fire danger.

  I do feel that, tallying up our geographical factors, probable wind currents, likely neighborhood solidarity, expected fast response from firefighters, etc, we're fairly safe from home-burnings up here..  But we might well have to fight, and we will.

  This is, of course, an increasingly dangerous situation all across the Mountain West and, I'm sure, in the some of the West Coast areas.  The number and nature of these fires and the attendant climate factors all bespeak of something 'way beyond the "norm" [awful as that can be.]  I have to see global warming/climate change as a significant factor.  And I also think that National Guardsmen and Federal troops are needed in some of these situations.

  Best, Hunter   http://hunterbear.org/forest_fires_in_the_west.htm


  HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis 
  Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk 
  Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ 
  and Ohkwari' 
  Member, National Writers Union AFL-CIO
  www.hunterbear.org 
  (much social justice material)
   
  See the Stormy Adoption of an Indian Child [My Father]:
  http://hunterbear.org/James%20and%20Salter%20and%20Dad.htm
  (Expanded and with more photos in June, 2012.)
   
  For the new, just out (11/2011) and expanded/updated
  edition of my "Organizer's Book," JACKSON MISSISSIPPI -- 
  with a new and substantial introduction by me.  We are now at 
  the 50th Anniversary of the massive Jackson Movement of
  1962-63.
  http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm
   
  And see My Community Organizing Mini-Course -- with much 
  down to earth how-to material and updated into 2012:
  http://hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm