Who Is He?

I read somewhere that a very large percentage of blogs don’t have a page that gives a visitor any information about the owner of the blog.  That might be because so many people find it difficult to write about themselves.

I had heard about web logs for several years before I actually started reading them.  I never thought that I would ever start a blog myself, because it seemed so difficult.  I had no idea how to start, but as I read other blogs and investigated, I learned how it was done.  There is an easy way (Blogger, WordPress.com) and a hard way which involves registering a domain name, selecting a hosting company, and installing and customizing the software.  Since I work in the communications industry as a technician, I naturally (!) elected to go the hard way. After looking at the big boys (Network Solutions, BigDaddy, BlueHost and the others) I picked a small hosting company in Texas (DrakNet), because I am a firm believer in “Small is Beautiful”. Unfortunately, after three years, DrakNet sold out to A Small Orange, but after some adjustment, I’m happy with them also. 

I initially tried to set up a webpage, but that proved to be too difficult a task for me, so I fell back on my second choice, blogging, and it has actually turned out to be much more suited to me.  I have a lot of interests and blogging allows me to post whatever intrigues me.  I’m approaching retirement age, so the title, “Turning Points” seems appropriate.  I have my own turning points as does this country and the world.

When I was younger, I was pretty far out there on the left side of the political spectrum.  I voted for McGovern in my first election and have been disappointed over the years to see my country lurch ever-further in the direction of social and economic inequality, intolerance, and materialism.  The selection of Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential candidate was the tipping point for me that led to the establishment of this blog.  I’ve had enough of the religious right (note that I do not label them as the Christian right) and part of the reason for the existence of this blog is to document my journey to a better understanding of the danger that the religious right poses to the future of this country.   Labels are always tricky things, and I still don’t like them, but I would describe myself as fiscally conservative, socially tolerant, and personally responsible.  I’m socially tolerant in the sense that I don’t believe in subjecting others to my views, an agenda that I saw in the supporters of Sarah Palin.  Unlike those followers, I see many shades of gray in the world and I don’t presume to impose my beliefs on others.  I grew up poor, so I have a lot of empathy for social justice movements and those who struggle in life.  I also grew up in an environment that encouraged reading and an appreciation for the arts, so I read a lot and remain keenly interested in the arts.  I do not own a TV and have no use at all for “talking heads” who style themselves experts on the subjects they speak on.  I much prefer to read and discover for myself.  I have a B.A. in cultural anthropology and am interested in myth, world-view, storytelling, and the power of language to influence thought.

So where do I stand on the political spectrum now? I am very impressed with the philosophies of Distributism, Agrarianism, and Mututalism – these philosophies encompass a great deal of my world view.  Some contemporary writers who espouse Distributist/Agrarian thought include Joel Salatin, Wendell Berry, Aldo Leopold, E.F. Schumacher, Kirkpatrick Sale and Chet Bowers, who all see the importance of a community grounded in tradition and ecologically sustainable methods of sustenance.  I particularly like Chet Bowers’ essays in which he identifies Liberals as “social justice liberals” and Conservatives as “market liberals” and shows how both schools of thought support the ecologically destructive corporate model rooted in the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. In his essays, he shows how Wendell Berry’s ideas apply to the world beyond Port William, Kentucky. I firmly reject bigotry, racism, classism, sexism and authoritarianism, of whatever stripe.

It has taken four years of blogging, but I am no longer a liberal or a progressive – I have migrated to what some might call the “hard Left” – the Left inhabited by the anti-imperialists, the anarchists, and assorted left-libertarians. I view the world through the lens of Marxist class analysis and that method of analysis works better and better, as anyone following the OWS movement can attest. This statement of orientation may well bring down the forces of the burgeoning police state in this country upon me. If, one day, you try to access this blog and it is no longer available, you will know what has happened – it got hacked by the fascists who are on the ascendant in this country. Just sayin’.