Hey all, Just wondering if you could take time to answer a few questions for me. I am currently finishing up 2 degrees and starting on a master's degree for social work at the university of babylon. What I was hoping to do is gain funding/land grant to begin an orphanage ranch where we taught kids how to play music and most importantly saved them from babylonian socialization. Here's my dilemma, I will need a staff who would be willing to tough it out for a year or two while we got off the ground. I'm talking commune with a cause. Farming, light caprentry, maybe a little industry (to keep the books moving). What I am asking you is, if something like that did exist, would you be willing to participate? I'm not asking for anyone to sign anything or even give a verbal commitment. I am just researching. If not, could you tell me why so I can refine the plan. Thnx Ryan
well i dont deal well in the hypothetical,,, so before i even answer id have to ask what your assets were before even begining to articulate further,, because your land grant chance is 1 in 3 million, and if you got it it would be blm land,, an we all know thats some inhospitible shit... the farming and light carpentry light industry etc,, what ya plan on takin over a old army base with a inferstructure already intact? tell ya why i wont comment further,,, i just did.. Luv~N~Lite..
Absolutely I would be interested.. as well as several brothers and sisters I know. I have been thinking about becoming involved and/or starting a commune for some time now, and now I have little to no ties to babylon to hold me back. My biggest concern for the moment is location.. where would you be thinking about establishing such a place? I myself am a master of many trades and would be willing to contribute to carpentry, farming, healing, music, etc... and helping to keep the community love-based. There would need to be some standards as far as who is allowed, in that we would only want peace-loving humans that contribute to the community.. except of course to allow new people to come in and see if they would like to adopt that lifestyle. I am not one for living with fear and demons. I can handle these things I would just rather not be surrounded by them. As far as getting people interested, I already know of many.. our first concern was how to get the funding and the land. We were thinking Canada.
Well, first hippiehillbilly, I'll have a master's degree in socialwork from the largest university in the nation, this will gain me a lot more credibility than just some guy wanting free land. I have the backing of the head of my sociology department who has ties at oxford and is fairly well renown for her demographic work, this should grant a larger window of oppurtunity to recieve grant money to start a community organization. You also shouldn't discount the willingness of some babylonians to finacially help a good cause. Especially a domestic one. Infrastructure is an issue, but one that can be overcome. It happens everyday. I have possible lines of initial investment. It would take a 'from the ground up' approach. This is why I am approaching the rainbow. You all seem to be hip the the inherent flaws of our current domestic situaton. Also, you all seem to want a way out of babylon and at the same time a way to live a life full of purpose and kindness. I am simply testing the waters. I am going to do it either way, I am just figuring that the rainbow are the people who share my beliefs the closest. Shoom, I was thinking appalachia, but I am not closed to suggestion. I live in ohio and a majority of grant money available is in those counties. Also, land is dirt cheap unbelievably beautiful. As far as entrance standards, absolutely. When children are involved the utmost caution must be executed when selecting environment. And people's behavior creates environments. What we have to keep in mind is that the reason for this project would be the kids. Also, it would be a terrible amount of work at first. So I'm guessing that anyone who wasn't serious enough about the things that constitute goodness (caring for those in need) wouldn't last through the building process. Those with a pure heart would make it through without a problem. As far as demons go, i wouldn't worry about that. God is all over this. I will keep you updated on this thread. I was figurativly casting my hook in the water to see if the rainbow were really what I thought the were. Your enthusiasm is encouraging me to think that they are. God Bless Ryan
contradiction number 1... so already ya for whatever reason have chose to deceive my brothers an sister here... Now ya will try an convince us that one or the other is true,,but that doesnt change the fact that there is already deceit in your own words.. So now how are we suppossed to believe anything you type as fact? sorry im anal that way... nuthin personall brother,, i see ya dreamin,, i also see ya contradictin yourself.. Already... Luv~N~Lite...
Our advise is that you should watch 'Billy Jack' and 'The Trial of Billy Jack', especially 'Trial'. Though they may only be movies, they might give you ideas about this hope of yours, McCooly. The fictional Freedom School in Billy Jack is a ranch/school for 'societies orphans' and in 'Trial' the school has expanded to work with young abused & negelected children.
Excellent idea. Excellent location choice. Don't worry about hippyhillbilly, he seems to like to find the negativity in everything. I'd recommend WV for something like this. People here seem to be friendlier than run of the mill, and they're used to living hard. Anything such as this would probably be met with open arms, due to the economy here being so poor. AND there are alot of very intelligent, and open minded folks ("hippies") in this state who are politically motivated and would be supportive in many ways.
p.s. WV is FULL of musicians, music being part of the local heritage. Teaching these kids to play music would be the natural choice. Make a joyful noise...
I think it has the potential to be an excellent idea. It seems the "hippie" culture always has embraced those who are less fortunate, wandering...The music aspect could give the kids identity and a sense of worth and accomplishment. I, myself, am a dance instructor and work with kids both fortunate and less fortunate. It's certainly rewarding work. Once you work out the details, I'd love to consider the opportunity to work with you...both in the beginning stages and if you were interested, maybe add an element of dance to the curriculum. I certainly think it's an interesting and plausible idea.
Once some more details are worked out, I might be able to help you guys out some. I have lots of experience in Building Construction/Trades.
All i found was two contraditory statementes in two posts.. I wasnt even goin to reply again (as i said i dont deal well in the hypothetical world) untill he started re inventing himself.. Strange to me how i point out ones deceit and im called out as being negative... If you feel negativity in my words on your screen perhaps you should look whithin yourself..
Aw, c'mon, guy, I've read alot of your posts, and you do have a tendancy to go the negative route. Ya even call yerself "the old asshole" so ya must have a clue. I'm not really putting it down too much tho, 'cause ya can't have yin without yang, or good without bad. It's balance. But It can become a bad habit to always look for something wrong. I re-read the wording you protested here, and I really don't see any contradiction at all. In a case like this, being nitpicky about your understanding of what was said just detracts from the intent of the subject matter, and makes a sidetrack that isn't necessary. Like this one. We have a term around here that might fit better than hippiehillbilly. 'Round here, we call 'em "Ripbillies". That's a redneck hippy hillbilly. Hey, don't take offense. It takes all kinds. But I'm older and more crotchety than you are, so I get seniority. Ha! Love ya, man
you found no contradiction in him sayin he was begining to work on his masters in his first post,, then in his second saying he had a masters?? Well if that isnt contradiction then what may i ask is it? An for the record, "the old asshole" was put there by skip after the forums crashed the last time,, i had nuthin to do with it.. Also id like to add that im not this way in the real world..just ask anyone on here thats came an stayed a bit here. after typin in these forums for the last 4 years ive pretty much had a ass full of the dreamers who never do,, so when i see contradictions,or unrealistic dreams etc.. i call them on it.. If folks like you wanna call that negative then so be it.. Luv~N~Lite
O.K. O.K. I FEEL LIKE A IDIOT,, ive read this thread 5 times an dilligaf just pointed out it said "ill have" not "i have".. Guess because its the same old hypothetical dreaming of one day shit that i had blinders on... my bad,, no contradiction,, appologies all that good shit.. <======= gos to the holler to sit in the kitchen an eat some humble pie...
Your first problem would be getting the babylon government to give you the kids, instead of thinking you're a bunch of idealistic hippiesthat shouldn't even have custody of your own kids. (That's not ME saying that, that's what I bet THEY'D say!) I've dealt with the fostercare system a lot through work and also through caring for children of relatives or neighbors, and I can tell ya they are a nosey bunch who want it done THEIR way or the HIGHWAY! On the other hand, I often wonder why that same system lets children go into foster homes where they suffer through MORE abuse and trauma than they did in the first place! I think it's an awesome idea though and can do a lot of good for these kids. Hypothetically speaking it WOULD be something I'd want to be a part of, although REALISTICALLY speaking I don't think I'd be able to because I'm about to start college myself on a similiar dream. I am getting a degree in special education but I also plan to be a foster parent while in college (I'm a little older than most college students and will have my own apartment instead of living on campus) and EVENTUALLY I dream of starting a school or home of some sort for kids in foster care, with some of the same premises you speak of, although probably not as much based on music and more based on art and animals, since those are the things I know more about! - Angel
A well rounded program would consist of music, animals, art & crafts, and SURVIVAL SKILLS, including gardening, canning, camping, and the ART OF GETTING ALONG. This is starting to sound like summer camp! At any rate, not all govt. agencies judge you according to the clothes you wear. They would, of course, want to keep an eye on things, no matter who you are. If you appear intelligent, serious, committed, and have all your ducks in a row, you should have as much of a chance as the next guy. I'll say again, if you start with the right place, perhaps where the economy isn't so good, or the education level isn't so high, you would have better luck impressing the right folks...
First of all, you guys are great. Even you hillbilly. I want to thank you for you responses and honest opinions. Hippiehillbilly - I'm glad that you are pessimistic. Iron sharpens iron. I, myself sometimes feel like all of this is just a dream. It's a quite a large task. But I spend every waking minute of every day thinking about this. Everything I do is a part of achieving this dream. I need to hear from people like you because there is a lot of truth in what you say. It would take a lot of kindness and self-sacrifice from a lot of people. It would take a lot of luck concerning the government. It would take a lot of trust from investors (currently in progress). But what it takes right now is people like you all sharing what you know and what you think. Even if what you think isn't what I want to hear. I hope you continue to reply to this thread. Brutal honesty is a virtue, even when it's slightly negative. Earthmother - I like WV and definitely plan on doing it in an impoverished rural area. About 50 million dollars (in ohio) for rural community service grants, a year, goes untouched back into the babylonian war machine because nobody either knows about it or wants to move to those areas. I am almost counting on the collective goodness of our rural "hippie" community to make this work. It is their lifestyle that had inspired me originally (SE Ohio). Please keep an eye on this thread and share your encouragement, criticism and life experiences. People like you are invaluable. We will need people with roots in the community (and especially culture) with mature attitudes. Dancer annie - Dancing is a wonderful idea. I believe that there still are some pure ways to enjoy yourself in this world and dancing is at the top of the list. I plan on the kids eventually developing their own style of performance art and showing the world a combination of 2 of the last pure things: music and children. But, I must say that wearing pants may be a requirement. Midget- You sound like a 'phase one' cat. We will need a small army of you to make this even a possibility. First thing (post-planning) will be figuring out a way to sustain on the property so we can build and begin infrastructure. I have alot drawn up on this phase and would be willing to discuss it further if you are interested. Chytown angel - Yeah, I've thought this own through and through. There's 2 ways to populate with children. First, I am going to swing open the doors to any single mom's who are having a rough go at it. They need love just as much as the kids do. Second, as we have seen 'the farm' do, you can skip the bureacracy by having a situation created where mother's can give custody over to you directly. There is still red tape involved, but not as much as trying to go through the agency. Keep in mind, figuratively, that you will no longer be "hippies" as far as the government is concerned. You will be "volunteers" at a community service facility. This status of yours will allow me to increase the amount tax deductable donations I am allowed to accept and give you a shiny new babylonian disguise. If you are blameless in your ways (more so than merely not hurting anyone, but living to help people) what bad things can they say about you? I am dredging through this dreary institution just to combat this problem. As far as they're concerned, I'm one of them. I'll cut my hair and wear mall-clothes if it results in the sparing of children from the horrors of (most) foster homes. It's what I call the "front man/woman" theory. If your interested, I'll explain in detail. Even though you are going to school, keep in touch. It's going to be quite awhile until this leaves the planning table. Everyone - PLEASE KEEP REPLYING. I love you all and need to hear your thoughts. This is nothing without planning. And I only know so much. I promise you that the contribution you make now will help in the end, one way or another. God bless you. Ryan
Alrighty - I'm interested. Like I said, I have to finish up school...but if the oppurtunity for building/maintenance needs still exist in two years, I'd be willing to give it a try, I think!
I know many single mom's who have been left to raise their kids alone and are beautiful and loving. They are the ones who are need of this kind of place. I too a single mom was forced to go to work and put my child in daycare, not an easy thing to do for me, and now stuck in the whole babylonian system relying on welfare and EBT to get me by. I am due for my second child in two weeks. I did choose to go to college for nursing last year and now oficially a sophomore after a 5 year highatus from high school. This is something mamas like me dream of. I commend you on your idea and hope the best for it. I would love to come to a place like this just like I like going home to gatherings. Someone like me would be valuable to a place like this. Not only because I believe in the cause but because I will be medically trained and have experience with kids, my own and they can be apart of it too. I do want to emphasize what I said though, this is something I dream of. That is it. I have yet to see it actually coming together and working. But that doesn't mean it can't. You just never know.
