8 of 10 most violent states in america are - you guessed it - red

[kentauros]

97. I agree with you about developing trust and loyalty.

That's part of developing a community

Of course, there are many ways of creating communities. A few years ago, I was involved in our local community gardening organization (I helped with their seed-stocking group.) Everything I've read about community gardens and their successes amaze me. It really brings people together, and in such a beneficial way.

I believe it was also chef Alice Waters that discovered when kids in poverty and prone to joining gangs were introduced to growing and tending to their own plants that their violent tendencies dropped. I know it wasn't a scientific study, just observation about those children in the garden she helped develop for them. Imagine what that could do for people across the country, no matter what the economic problems?

I perused your Christian group a little last night, and didn't see anything disruptive. Even in the ASAH forum, we've had our fights, but they are few and far between, and nothing to bother remembering Only the Religion forum seems to be a magnet for the full-on negativity. The smaller groups are "safe havens" and tend to keep things that way.