Bob Marley and Trains, Planes and Automobiles

POST #72


The Bob Marley song "Three Little Birds" came to mind early this morning just after I awoke due to some chirping birds outside my window. It has to be one of the most pleasant sounds to wake up to.

However, last night around 11pm and for the first time that I can ever recall, there were some birds chirping in the trees outside under the cover of darkness. At the same time as that was going on, fighter jets were flying past, creating a very disturbing noise. The sound coming from the birds was almost like a cry for help, and I commented to my friend Mary about whether there might be a connection between the two things.

As I am currently in between housesits, my dear friend Mary has offered me shelter here at a place called Shelter Bay. Shelter Bay sits right across the water from Whidbey Island upon which sits Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. On a daily basis, a multitude of fighter aircraft use this base for training. And sometimes,like last night for instance, they practice night operations and this was probably why my bird friends were feeling so stressed. I commented to Mary that for us, the sound was just an annoyance but to people in other parts of the world, the same sound would make a person feel fearful. From my point of view, the roar of the jets brings up a combination of anger, disgust and sadness.

According to some, the US consumes around 20 million barrels per DAY of oil and it has been suggested that approximately half of that amount is used just to keep the military machine functioning. Even though the justification for all of this military infrastructure is under the guise of bringing "freedom and democracy" to the world, the real reason is to continue to try and secure more oil resources to keep things running. Since I've been on the planet, the military machine has only gotten bigger which means of course that even more energy is required. It seems to me that this can't possibly end well in the long run. Many people around here, when they hear the jets fly past will say "that's the sound of freedom" however I am more inclined to agree with my friend Guy who says "it sounds like oppression to me."

And speaking of my friend Guy who writes at a website called "Nature Bats Last", I have just returned from my second visit to his place which he calls the mud hut, in southern New Mexico. I had a wonderful three plus days there during which time we had plenty to talk about. On my return journey to Washington state, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit with Mike Ruppert in Colorado. Mike is another person I've been learning from in recent years having read a couple of his books and viewing the movie "Collapse" back in 2009. Both he and his friend Doug made me feel very welcome, and I was grateful for the chance to spend time at their place.

The past week to ten days has seen me moving around using a combination of trains, planes and automobiles but now I will be settled in here at Shelter Bay courtesy of my friend Mary, prior to heading back to Canada in early June to begin my next housesit.

That Bob Marley song from back in the '70's which I mentioned at the beginning of this post has as part of the lyrics "baby don't worry about a thing,cause every little thing's gonna be alright". I wonder, if Bob were still alive today and heard the sounds of those birds last night, whether he would have written those same lyrics in 2013?

Happy Trails

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer