November 4, 2004 link
Like many of my countrymen and countrywomen, I believe in God. Like many of my countrymen, my faith is personal—not based in any institution, but in a daily appreciation of God’s presence in the world. Like many of my countrymen, my moral values determined who received my vote on November 2nd.
I am dismayed at the results of this election. I am disappointed that George Bush and the religious right are being described as the champions of moral values. What about the moral values of environmental stewardship, the war on poverty, affordable healthcare and the public good—not to mention the moral dilemma of pre-emptive war?
I am frustrated that the media follows the script, which describes abortion and gay marriage as moral issues, while other concerns are economic or social. I am furious that the newspapers refer to Bush’s supporters as “values voters”, implying that these voters have values while others do not.
It angers me that influential evangelicals (I’m looking at you, Dr. Dobson) can claim God’s political backing, while those who are ambivalent about making such claims are labeled as anti-religious liberals.
I am concerned that my countrymen are not paying serious attention to the fundamentals: air, water, soil, energy, agriculture, community. I wish these topics would be at the forefront of every debate, every election.
Are these reasons for me to become depressed and cynical? They could be; or they could be reasons for me to continue the modest work I’m doing in my backyard and on this Web site. Science tells me that global warming is dangerous. Faith tells me I have a moral obligation to address it. But my faith doesn’t lead me to make judgements on what other people should do; it tells me to just take good care of my small patch of Earth. It doesn’t tell me to complain; it tells me to lead by example. It tells me that individual daily decisions and actions are valuable. It tells me that I’m doing the right thing for me, and who cares what Dr. Dobson thinks?
Like many of my countrymen, faith played a role when I cast my ballot. It told me to follow my conscience and not some bogus propaganda about George Bush’s morals.
October 28, 2004 link
The garden project is not dead, and neither is this site. In fact, the 2004 garden season ended very well, and I will
write more about that soon. The Great Growing Experiment will continue throughout this winter and into next year.
I haven’t updated this site in a long time. You may have read the announcements about a server crash, or noticed some missing photos on previous pages. Truth is—it was a huge bummer to almost lose a year’s worth of journal entries. Luckly, I grabbed them from Google’s cache before they disappeared forever.
But the server crash was a major blow to the momentum I’ve built over the past two years. Not only was I doing battle with the Forces of Nature, but then the Forces of Technology started picking a fight, too.
Without being overly dramatic (or maybe it’s already too late), let me make a bold pronouncement—this project will not be set back by minor obstacles. I believe in the Great Growing Experiment, and I know there is a strong audience for this site. I appreciate the letters of support you’ve sent. I’ll try not to let you down again.
Expect frequent updates this winter, starting with a summary of the 2004 season. You’ll also learn about my experiments with “cover crops”, and hear my EXTREME ideas to make gardening more appealing to young men. Thanks for reading.
