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January 22, 2004
INTRODUCING A NEW GUEST BELI-BLOGGER: BRADLEY WOLAVER!
For months I've been posting comments to Mikal's blog, and now I have the honor of truly serving the Beli-Blog "community" with some well-intentioned fore-thoughts, critiques, and after-thoughts (as it may be). I must also introduce myself, as demanded by Mikal (without too much arm-twisting), and because my views are probably going to ruffle (few for some, many for others) some feathers with my more conservative view than most who post to the Beli-Blog, you all should know a little about me. My intentions are to provide a more "fair and balanced" perspective... just joking! Really, I'm seeking middle-ground on many issues, and hope that we can generate some good dialogue in the process.
I'm a 30-year-old (single), white American male (for those interested in demographics), birthed to, and currently residing in St. Louis, MO. (yes, I do say "worsh", not "wash"). I've made the requisite secular humanist, Buddhist/deep ecologist, back to my Catholic roots, journey. As a political independent, with a French-Canadian Catholic heritage, I'm pro-life, pro-environment, an abolitionist, want less welfare and more job programs, less government, and more privatized education. At heart, I'm a small-farm boy who seeks the simplicity and complexities of life.
Currently, I'm a graduate student working towards an MA in environmental and religious studies. Passions in my life run deep, with the mountains demanding the most of my life physically, spiritually, and intellectually. Professionally, I've been involved with the outdoor industry for the last 12 years on various levels. One of my initial experiences in the industry was a wonderful requisite encounter with Mikal in 1995 in Boulder, Colorado, when he worked for the Association for Experiential Education (AEE). He's been a good and close inspirational friend and mentor ever since.
Home and family has much meaning to me, despite having lived all over the world, including Ohio, Australia, Colorado, Alaska, Washington, and Missouri. Most of my time is spent either in intellectual endeavors, working in the outdoor "industry", climbing mountains, or traveling to far-flung corners of our great planet to climb mountains. I have a deep abiding appreciation for mountain cultures and the implications the current state of the world has on their evolution.
Once again, I look forward to engaging discussions, and I hope to meet many of you in the trenches of these digital dialogues.
Cheers,
Bradley W.: brad_wolaver at hotmail dot com
PLEASE READ MY FIRST POSTING... THE UNCOOKED FACTS OF THE BUSH ASSAULT ON THE ENVIRONMENT... BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW!
excerpt from Sierra Club RAW newsletter:
"If you are not a regular reader of the Sunday Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, chances are good you haven't heard of the latest gem bouncing around the halls of the West Wing: The Bush administration is proposing that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have final authority on "scientific and technical evaluations - known as peer reviews - of all major government rules, plans, proposed regulations and pronouncements." (article in St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1/11/04).
"This enormous policy shift would also put the OMB in charge of how much information the public should be given regarding the "release of emergency declarations from the federal agencies responsible for public health, safety, and the environment."
We'll just let that sink in for a minute, so feel free to re-read the paragraph if you're in minor shock.
The OMB contends there is insufficient peer-review of many environmental, public health, and safety concerns, and therefore this responsibility should belong to budget bureaucrats. In other words, all regulatory proposals will be "peer-reviewed" by whomever the economists at the OMB deem most appropriate before being given a green light. And even then, OMB may decide to delay announcing a policy change or a new finding for weeks or months, or simply determine to alert the public of only that information the OMB officials feel the public should know. Keep in mind, the OMB is the same office that proposed the "Senior Death Discount," whereby a 70 year-old's life is assumed to be worth 37 percent less than that of a younger person when assessing health impacts of environmental protections (Los Angeles Times April 30, 2003). If you think giving final responsibility for all health and safety measures and announcements to the executive branch's "green-eye-shade division" might be a bad idea, imagine how scientists feel!
Twenty former agency officials co-signed a letter to the OMB "asking the White House watchdog agency to withdraw its proposal, saying it 'could damage the federal system for protecting public health and the environment.'" Lest you think this is some partisan attack on the current administration, you need look only to Michael Taylor, former deputy commissioner at the FDA under the first President Bush and among the most critical voices of the OMB's proposal.
Further troubling is the fact that the OMB, which cites inconsistent peer-review policies and practices as the primary reason for this change, has not presented a single example of the type of abuse or unnecessary precautions necessitating the office's co-opting of the review and approval process. Instead, OMB simply refers "reporters to the comments of the American Chemical Council," a business association for the chemical industry. In other words, if you want to determine whether certain corporate policies really are in the best interests of children, the environment, or public safety, simply ask the corporations.
I'll follow up on this more next week...
Posted by at January 22, 2004 7:02 AM
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I have long been a believer of the fact that we have all been victims of TMI (too much information). Actually, TMI and inaccurate information at that. But, my complaint was about what I considered nationaly security type information, the type of stuff that might compromise people, troops, missions, etc. Or, in the case of Hollywood, just plain "Crap." The area you are talking about is very disconcerting. Keep us posted.
3 comments today:
1. Welcome aboard, Bradley. Nice to have you join the BeliBlog team. We're a crazy bunch! I, too, live in Missouri and grew up here since I was 2 years old, with a 12-year stint in Providence, RI and Cape Cod for college & subsequent career. I have a Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies from Brown and am contemplating divinity school. I own a mortgage and credit consulting company in Joplin. I can get you a mortgage when you need one! I am a liberal Democrat with a strong libertarian streak. As you may know, I am a strong Wes Clark supporter. You have quite a background. I've know Mikal since about 1989 or 1990. What's your focus on religious studies - comparative, historical, thought, practice, Christian? Now, for the good stuff.
2. What do you mean when you write that you're an abolitionist? The traditional term means you would oppose American slavery? It would be odd to identify yourself in this way simply because it's not really an issue here anymore. Do you mean you are for limited government or abolition of government intrusion in to personal lives? If so, I'd think it's best to identify as a libertarian. I'm also pro-life, but I'm at the same time pro-choice. It's not pro or anti life. I believe in the inherent value of all life and in the ability of individuals to determine the course of their own life, hence a woman's right to choose and a person's right to end their life through euthenasia. This is both my deeply held political and religious belief. To me, life begins at birth, not conception.
3. I agree that OMB should not be in the business of peer-review. The problem with this administration in general is its disdain and mistrust of academics and intellectuals. Nixon, anyone? I don't think science should be replaced by politics, so let scientists do their jobs and let budget folks deal with the budget.
To answer your questions Lee McD...
1. My area of expertise in religious studies is primarly theology and ecology, with a heavy emphasis on the doctrine of creation, Christology, and soteriology. I utilize Karl Rahner (the greatest Catholic philosopher since Thomas Aquinas in my opinion), Jurgen Moltmann, Thomas Berry, Matthew Fox, and many of the mystics and modern nature/spirit writers to present "real" Catholic theology, informed by the ecological sciences. My ancillary studies are in broad Himalayan Buddhist religions, eastern philosophy, and nature/culture. In the field of environmental studies, I've combined a unqiue religious interpretation with a focus on humanity-environemnt duality, perceptions, attitudies, values, and ethics. My professional background in experiential and adventure education lends itself well to teaching these topics, which has led me to developing my own expedition learning program.
2. When I mention abolitionist, I mean against the death penalty. Abolitionist is used commonly today to represent the fight against the use of the death penalty as capital punishment, and euthenasia in general.
To a "certain degree" I can, and have, identified with libertarian's, but I'm cautious about aligning to closely. Individual right's is one thing, ethical and moral is another. Since I'm an ardent Moral Objectivist, I run into some "issues" which we will be discussing on the Beli-Blog.
Speaking to your pro-life/pro-choice stance, I can only say right now, watch for my guest posting next week.
Thanks for you answers, Bradley. I, of course (as a liberal Protestant) believe Walter Rauschenbusch's social gospel theory is a good guide to Christianity in action. I have studied theology at Baylor (Southern Baptist) and comparatively at Brown. I like Aquinas and take from many strands, including some Catholics. I'm ecumenical in nature and believe we have more in common than most realize. I also embrace an open & affirming theology in reference to acceptance of gays and lesbians. I remain unsure about the death penalty (have leaned against it in recent years) but do favor most forms of euthanasia.
I'd be interested in your doctrine of soteriology - salvation seems to be so central to modern Christianity, but generally this is a modern, post-Reformation phenomena. I come from a fundamentalist, Southern Baptist background, but now am a memmber of a predominantly gay & lesbian UCC church (www.uccff.com) here in Joplin and am a member of First Baptist Church in America (fbcia.org) in Providence, RI. I travel back & forth frequently.
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