Last Weekend's Peace-In

It was truly an honor to be among such thoughtful and committed presenters, organizers and attendees present at the Denton Peace-In. Loathing much of the human species as I do, no one would mistake me for a joiner. But knowing that which I resist is often the very thing I should be embracing, I'll occasionally force myself to do the right thing - if not always for the right reasons - and, subsequently, more often than not, I'm glad for having made the uncharacteristic effort. That's certainly the case with this weekend, and I look forward to future involvement with Peace Action Denton, Peace Action Texas and Peace-Action.org.


Stealing a few hours of conversation with Joe Bageant (pictured above) this past weekend, it occurred to me what a weird and wonderful and rare thing it is to meet someone whose karmic coordinates correspond so closely with my own. Our kinship as heretical southerners, surly leftists and unapologetic advocates of cognitive exploration was a joy to discover in person. Joe is every bit as charming, insightful and fun as one might imagine from reading his essays. It will be nothing less than fascinating to witness reactions to his forthcoming book - Drink, Pray, Fight, Fuck: Dispatches From The American Working Class - when Random House rolls it out in grand style (which, I think, is set for Spring 2006). America is not the least bit prepared for the encounter.