Lots of things to think about lately. Have a local issue I'm semi-involved in starting up. There's another CAFO wanting to be built in East Central Indiana. This just may be a bigger issue, though. It's happening all over the state, I think, as the large farming corporations are getting pushed out of the East Coast because of all the problems with CAFO. See, I'm already a little one sided on the issue.

I did meet with some locals last night, though, who were preparing to stop the newest CAFO from coming in. (There's already one nearby with 4,000 pigs bred in boxes from birth. The main environmental problem is removal of the pig manure. Over 3 million gallons of it per year...)

I was surprised a little because it was mostly women - strong willed farmer's wives for the most part, I think. Also, I was maybe a little taken aback at how nervous they were when I showed up with my CitJ gear (paper, pen, camera and audio recorder...)

The woman leading it let me know it wasn't an open meeting. I explained how my parents lived in the area affected and I was there for that side of it too. I told her I probably wouldn't publish anything about it yet, but I wanted to meet 'their side' (my side, I told them off the record) of the issue.

Being a small town, I think some of these were connected pretty well in town. One was going to bring the issue to the local Mayor (who, for a completely other reason, I've contacted already about doing an interview...) This will give me something real to talk to him about, though.

Anyway - this is the start, I think, of an extended series on CAFO farming in the Midwest.

In other thoughts, I've been studying some of the battles won and lost by Hannibal. Rome was the 'big boy' in that war, as you know, and Hannibal the small guy. He used things other than large numbers to his advantage, though. He rallied other cities and tribes to fight with and for him.

He also lost in the end, but he won a lot of brilliant battles. Maybe he was doomed to win the battles but not ever the war against Rome.

Picking your own battleground has a strategic advantage - one I think I can transfer to my 'battle' with the local Empire run from far away. I can't field as many reporters or photographers or sales people - can't field as large and organized army as them - but I need to pick my terrain carefully. I think I've done that so far (with flanking in mind), but I need to keep it top of mind.

He lost in Africa to his own strategy, and that lesson's a keeper too. I can't let the Empire defeat me by replicating what I'm trying to accomplish. They still don't see me as a threat (even though I loudly blunder about here online, for the whole world to hear, with my blog. Does anyone really listen yet, though?) - and not seeing me as a threat is a mistake on their part, I think.

In other thoughts semi-related, I finally got ahold of the audio interviews the BSU student (Charles) did for a story for one of his classes. He grabbed it on an iPod with one of those recorder thingies, so the quality is pretty awful (I sound like I have a lithp! heh.), but it was interesting to hear. I wish I would've recorded it myself.

Lots of good thoughts from Larry Riley, though, about what's happening out here in America's Hometown.

Finally, I also have a plan forming in the back of my head (it got me out of bed last night to flesh it out some more) for MFP's one year birthday this coming July 4th. I don't want to share that yet, though.

Give me some love, world. (Link, word or cash varieties - all welcome) I sure could use it right about now. ;)

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