The new progressives: moving beyond left versus right

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh hour. Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the hour.

Here in North Carolina we are in the process of choosing a senator to replace Jesse Helms, a hero to some in our state, an anachronism to many.

So those of us who support a progressive agenda should be salivating at this opportunity, right? Well, guess again. As a result of the primary election held Tuesday, North Carolinians now have a choice between Liddy Dole, the Republican candidate, and Erskine Bowles, the Democratic nominee. Can you say Tweedledum and Tweedledee?

Sure, one can argue that there are differences: Dole supports some privatization of Social Security while Bowles does not. But we’re talking retail politics here; the candidate with the biggest campaign war chest wins. What I want to know is where these candidates stand on national health insurance, campaign finance reform, civil liberties, corporate crime, and ecological sustainability? And I’m not the only one. (more…)

Saturday, September 14th, 2002

Simply living means living more simply.

Viewed from the distance of the moon, the astonishing thing about the earth . . . is that it is alive.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall teach thee. Or speak to the earth, and it shall tell thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Earlier this month, my wife, Shonnie, and I attended a two-day workshop, Simpler Living as Spiritual Practice, sponsored by Holy Ground, a feminist Christian retreat organization based here in Asheville. Shonnie and I had already taken a number of steps toward a simpler life: we’d moved into a modest condo, given away or sold everything that didn’t fit comfortably in it, gotten rid of one of our two autos, and committed to riding our bikes to work at least one day a week. The no-TV-during–the-week agreement had fallen by the wayside, but, hey, I’m only human. Nonetheless, we thought it might be time to take simplicity to the next level. (more…)

Monday, September 2nd, 2002