BECOMING A BEE

Last night our local PeaceWorks group hosted an event at Bowdoin College in Brunswick that featured two activists associated with the Beehive Design Collective. The group of young folks, who are based in Machias, Maine, describe themselves this way: "The work of the Beehive Collective has three major facets: the Hive is appreciated internationally for its educational graphics campaigns, at a regional level for it’s stone mosaic murals and apprentice program, and locally for it’s dedication to the revitalization of the old Machias Valley Grange Hall, a landmark building in our small, rural town. The Hive has been going and growing since 2000, at full speed!"

In the talk last night the bees detailed how their creative and intricate artwork is designed to show the reality of corporate attacks on the natural word. Their art work does not feature humans, instead bees, flies, ants, and other animals are the victims and heroes that are in danger from "civilization and progress" and are fighting to dismantle the industrial system that is destroying all life on the planet.

The corporate monoculture, whether in farming, forestry, education, media, legal system, or politics, is laying waste to the future by colonizing our minds, the Earth's resources, and our cultures.

The enormous graphics that the Beehive Collective create, always with a theme and part of a larger education and action campaign, weave together the evils of militarism, resource extraction, agri-business destruction of the land, privatization of water, and more. And in the middle of it all you find the smallest of insects working away trying to bring back hope and the natural order.

They also spoke last night about a new corporate plan called Atlantica which is a NAFTA-style trade zone. Atlantica would include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Eastern Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

According to the newly formed Maine Atlantic Watch, "The proposal for Atlantica focuses on 'deep integration' of the economies of New England and the Canadian Maritimes that would occur by building massive trade infrastructure throughout the Atlantica region. Deep integration of Atlantica would also involve 'harmonizing regulations,' creating regional trade agreements and laws that would override existing local rules, threatening home rule and democratic principles of local self governance. Atlantica infrastructure projects include the proposed private East-West Toll Highway through Maine, Super-Ports that could accommodate 'Post Panamax' cargo ships able to carry enough cargo to fill over 20 miles of tractor trailer trucks end to end, biorefineries that could process cellulose ethanol from genetically modified trees, pipelines to carry oil and natural gas, new nuclear power plants and the mines for the uranium power them. The framework also promotes liquefied natural gas terminals, new waste dumps and incinerators, and new oil refineries."

The corporate world is mortgaging (define as death grip) our future. In other words the plans are BIG biz-ness without borders.

It was a quite inspiring presentation and the work that goes into the Beehive's graphics is just stunning. Everyone should take a good tour of their website.

In the end the evening was a great reminder to me about why we do our political work. We don't just organize to make life better for the humans. We are now losing hundreds of plant and animal species each year due to the way we live. We all need to become one of the bees.

Resistance to monoculture and industrialism! That is the change we need to be fighting for.