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Dear Friends,
I have an interesting situation which I hope you will take a few minutes to consider. The City of Carson, California is threatening to take me to court over my front yard, which they say is in violation of the municipal code. I say the garden is beautiful and environmentally sound, and that it is an important expression of my philosophy. I feel that it should be defended on civil libertarian as well as environmental grounds. Please take a few minutes to look at my web page at http://thedagger.com/garden/ and volunteer for my EMAIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. Be sure and follow the link to BRIAN'S LETTER to read an eloquent statement of the values incorporated in my garden. I must decide whether to cut down my beautiful garden or defend myself against misdemeanor charges in municipal court. Notice the background on http://thedagger.com/garden/ I made it from a digital photo I snapped right from my home/office window, which looks out on a beautiful stand of bamboo. A lone rose pokes out. In the spring, when the new shoots come up, the bamboo is spectacular. Sometimes a mocking bird perches on top of a tall young sprout. If I fight it in court, I'll be devoting a lot of time, energy and money that I can ill afford and that perhaps could be better spent supporting the struggling people of Chiapas or Burma. Or struggling against the terrible internal war machine aimed against our own people in the war on drugs, squandering our resources and energy to fuel a corrupt and corrupting prison-industrial complex. I don't know. There are a lot of things that are more important than my little garden. But here in my little garden, the government is bringing all these issues to me, in miniature, in particular, in a small personal attack which it would be cowardly to ignore. So, I hope you will take the time to look over my page and consent to be on my EMAIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE mailing list. I would particularly like to hear from legal professionals who might advise me on the process of defending myself in court. If you are not a lawyer but know one who might be interested in this issue, why not forward this message to her or him? If you live in Southern California (or are visiting) and would like to see the garden, please call me at 310/518-3425 for an appointment. Thanks for your consideration, Peter Rashkin |