Walden, Found

Last month, I traveled up to Burlington, Vermont, where I had previously lived for two semesters while attending Burlington College. While there, I stopped by Phoenix Books, where I stumbled across an intriguing title, The Road to Walden North, written...

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A Commuter Tax for Albany?

This past week, I attended the summer staff meeting for the organization that I work for. During a conversation with one of my colleagues, the concept of levying a commuter tax came up as one way of raising revenue for Albany, New York, the city where...

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Vision Project: The Politics of a "New Economy"

Anthony Flaccavento’s run for Congress in Virginia’s 9th district suggests a new way forward for progressive politics. His issue platform incorporates many of the ideas he puts forward in his book, Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up:...

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A Well-Regulated Militia: Perspectives on the Second Amendment

I have recently taken the time to read two fascinating books on the history of the Second Amendment: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment, published in 2018, and Michael Waldman's The Second Amendment:...

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A Tale of Two Colleges

Earlier this evening, I finished reading Part II of Johann Hari's Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions. In this part, Hari lays out what he describes as the nine real causes of depression and anxiety,...

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On Gun Control, Disarmament, and Demilitarization

There has been a renewed call for gun control legislation by liberals in the wake of the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, just one of many daily acts of gun violence that take place in the United States. Given the size and scope of the problem, this response is reasonable. However, I am concerned that the push for such policies misses the...

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On Objectification and Possessiveness

One of the major consequences of patriarchy in our society is the dehumanization and objectification of women. Despite decades of feminists working to tear down sexism and misogyny, far too many men still treat women as sexual objects to be used primarily for their sexual gratification. Following from this objectification is a possessive attitude...

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Launching the “Vision Project”

I have recently conceptualized something I am calling the “vision project”. As I conceive it, this project has three parts: what does our society look like today, and how did we get here; what is the vision for a new society that we would like to see in the future; and, what would be a possible strategy for achieving that future vision.  It is...

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