What is it that the federales seem to know that you don't? What does keep me
up is the weeping of the Earth... dying trees... dying animals... hungry
children. The Rainbow nation without borders is the modern world's greatest
fulltime nomadic community. Maybe you don't know what Rainbow is? Maybe you
think you know what it is? There are hundreds and thousands of people living
in many dozens of encampments around the world throughout the year. For the
most part, these camps are not permanent, and change locations seasonally.
They are located most often in remote wilderness areas (although not in
designated Wilderness Areas); feds don't usually like spending many hours
daily walking in and out. We are not talking here about a bunch of teenagers
playing indians in the woods; we are talking about three generations making a
life together on the land. We have found that tipis are the ultimate
expression of simple harmonious ecological group living. For the most part,
Rainbow people have learned not to travel together in ostentatious groups or
caravans. When the time comes, they scatter to the four directions using
almost every conceivable form of transporation, intermingling throughout
society at large and coming back together in a new constellation on down the
road, not so different from traditional gypsies.
So, what's the deal here? We have many needs for which we have not yet found
solutions. For the past 20 years the US government has arrived at a status
quo using the strategy of containment. As far as the North American camps are
concerned, there are three basic zones: outside, transition, and inside. We
must communicate within, around the camps. We must improve communications
between inside and outside. Further, and perhaps most important, we must be
able to communicate effectively between diverse camps throughout the continent
and indeed on various continents.
How do we communicate? We use runners, drums, CBs, 2-meter ham, and computer
telecommunication. For the most part we are solar-powered using re-chargeable
batteries. CBs have proved insufficient. (Is there such a thing as a CB
repeater?) We have precious few licensed operators with equipment for 2-meter
ham. Cell sites almost invariably do not extend to our camps. Acoustic cups
and phone booths is the best we've managed with computer telecommunication so
far. There are two major factors that must be taken into consideration.
Rainbow camps have evolved the cultural norm of not playing audible electronic
devices without earphones, and have also evolved a taboo against monetary
exchange within the camps, where barter is the norm. I have lived like this
virtually all of my adult life; send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope for
full color photos of solar tipi computing and solar phone booth computer
telecommunication in action.
Peace on Earth... every day of the year.