I read about this in Utne Reader.....looks very interesting! And hopeful, for a change. I'll try to regain my optimism and maybe even think about getting involved, since its coming to St Paul. I'm a fan of Jim Hightower anyway; one of my favorite smart-asses!

Rolling Thunder

-- Anonymous, June 25, 2002

Answers

Interesting site EM. We have a Chautauqua Arts Festival in Indiana each summer, I wonder if it's a remnant of one of the original events?

I looked through the list of sponsors, for some of them I said "cool" and for others I said "naah". My political views are so contradictory sometimes I even confuse myself. I can't decide if I'm an extremely liberal conservative or an extremely conservative liberal! :)

-- Anonymous, June 25, 2002

Sherri, I know what you mean about the sponsors, but I'm thinkin that this is one of the points of the group. To learn that citizens with different agendas and priorities and passions can get together and come up with plans that benefit the planet and her people.

I always find differences in folks I get together with for political reasons. Right now NOW is focusing on, as one of their issues (they just held the national conference here in the Cities) their objection to one-sex schools, and I think those schools are often a good idea, but that doesnt mean I will abandon NOW. Increasingly environmental groups are promoting a vegetarian agenda, which as you know I strongly object to, but I can still find many similarities in our beliefs, and also teach people about the other side of vegetarianism from an environmental standpoint, which would be difficult for me to do if I wasnt involved with them. "Lefty" organizations are often real big on 'education', and like to belittle homeschooling, and when I'm around, they get a new perspective.

I think the point is that the people need to take the power back from the corporate/congress that's running everything into the ground. Grass roots work; finding our commonalities, and learning to compromise and share with each other all our varying experiences and needs, and develop new paradigms, and put them to work. Real people working together.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2002