burn baby burn

To mass fires, yes! One hundred stories high

People gettin' loose y’all gettin' down on the roof - Do you hear?

(the folks are flaming) Folks were screamin' - out of control

It was so entertainin' - when the boogie started to explode

I heard somebody say

Burn baby burn! - Disco inferno!

Burn baby burn! - Burn that mama down

Burn baby burn! - Disco inferno!

Burn baby burn! - Burn that mama down

Burnin'! “Disco Inferno”, by the Trammps

My first year as a camp counselor at Emma Farm Camp brought with it a whole lot of firsts. One of the firsts for me was to actually go into the woods, clear a camp site, and make a fire. I had to gather the necessary elements for the fire, build a fire and keep it glowing so my campers and I would be able to make dinner, have s’mores, and keep warm during the night. I loved being a camp counselor but hated the woods part of it. But to be professional and to make sure the kids thought of me a woodsman I had to fight my fear of fire making and learn just how to do it and doit well.

During orientation week, the Outdoors Specialists, there were geeky kids before there were computers in which to be geeky, would take all the staff into the woods and demonstrate the appropriate way to build a fire. My attention span was more concentrated on the bugs, the darkness, and the fact that a local tree would have to suffice for a restroom, so i hardly paid appropriate attention on the skills necessary to build a fire. BUT, this was was an important feature in the skill set of counselors and I had to learn it in spite of my fear of everything woods.

Part of the deal at Emma Farm was receiving a One Match Card. This was a reward for building a campfire, maintaining the fire and using the fire for positive purposes teaching the campers how being the woods was fun. The Outdoor Specialists demonstrated the how’s and why’s and then tested all of the staff. Needless to say it took me the entire week to achieve a One Match Fie, and finally the day before the campers arrived I did it. To this day i still have my One Match Card.

There were three words repeated and repeated by the Outdoor Specialists and they were Tinder, Kindling, and Fuel. These were the elements of life in building a fire, remember these and one could become woodsman/woman and live off the naked necessities of the woods. And more importantly one could be a super hero counselor.

TINDER

Place your tinder in a small pile in the middle of the fireplace.

Crumple the sheets of newspaper loosely and individually.
Mound them in the fireplace, ring or pit.
Distribute the kindling above the paper.

KINDLING

Build the kindling around your tinder,
making sure that you do not pack it too tight,
as the fire will need oxygen to burn well.

Stack loose enough to allow air flow but close so it catches fire

FUEL

Gradually add the fuel into the shape that you want. Don't rush this stage and make sure that the wood you are adding is less than twice the size of that which is already burning.

Larger sticks & logs should be added as the fire is going well.

To this day I remember the the three words that could when used together take the quiet of the world and brighten them up with flames and fire. It seems all we need is tinder, kindling and fuel to create something as simple as a camp fire or something as combustable as hate.

Tinder, tell the dumb, the fearful, the lemming the President is not an American, not a Christian.

Kindling, have the liars on FOX News or the bigots like Limbaugh, Coulter, Beck, Palin repeat the lies as they place their hands on a Bible, the Flag, their version of the Constitution.

Fuel, permit the preachers those who say they invented God remind those who love to hate that a hateful God is selective as to who is good and who is bad.

Tinder, inform the masses that fair wages, fair work conditions, health care for all is not the American way.

Kindling, explain to the stupid that you need to earn your way in this world and if the government assists you in any which way then you are a failure,

Fuel, have really wealthy people pay for really poor people to recite some mantra that never states the obvious but is full of innuendo and fiction.

Tinder, blame your woes on someone else.

Kindling, find a scapegoat to blame for all the ills in the nation and instead of really finding resolve, find reason to accuse someone else.

Fuel, really wealthy people pay to keep really poor people dumb. Demonstrate the negative of others never providing the positive for your point of view.

Politics in this nation over the past dozen years has been about building fires, never putting them out. Politics has become about savvy selfish men and women laying the tinder and kindling using the fuel of of ignorance, fear, loathing, bigotry of those so willing to cast doubt, deny, excuse, and lie. And through the efforts of those who care little for anyone but themselves fires have been raging in this nation ready to burn down a country so full of promise, equality and freedom for all.

Burn baby burn! - Disco inferno!

Burn baby burn! - Burn that mama down

Burn baby burn! - Disco inferno!

Burn baby burn! - Burn that mama down

Burnin'! “Disco Inferno”, by the Trammps