Janet : Thanks for the letter. I can give you my interpretation of RC, and would be glad to do so. It won't be exactly the same as Ernie's, or David's, or Chris or Lennart, etc, but for the record, here goes. As for this group, as far as I can tell, 90 per cent are professionals of one kind or another Now and then a student gets involved for a while, but mostly they come and go. There also are unclassifiable others who make themselves known at completely unpredictable intervals. The core consists of about 7 or 8 people. I'm a former college social science & history of religions teacher ( etc ) Ernie is in marketing and is a former physicist, others are computer types, and so forth. Most are Evangelicals of one kind of another. I am completely idiosyncratic and very ecumenical, the exception to the rule, but my background many years ago was Baptist, so we at least all "speak the same language." I respect all of them, and , however strange they may think my beliefs are, they respect me. Chris and myself are the two ex-hippies in the group, about which we make no bones. But like you, well, "one toke over the line" was some years ago. Lots of good things from that era, but some things we would just as soon forget, thank you. Radical Centrism is what has drawn us all together, that and Ernie's personality. Since 2004, when I became part of the group, we have been through a lot. Some fairly heated political disputes now and then, but we have persisted. The key is a real desire to be civil with one another, and the view that everyone has something to teach the others. RC is a philosophy intended for political independents for the most part. You --anyone-- can be a registered Democrat or Republican, but no-one is a "party line" voter. As you will find out , soon enough, one leans strongly Libertarian, one leans classical Democratic , one is Right-leaning Republican but clearly anything but "orthodox" about it, and so forth. But by and large we all feel that the 2 major parties have shafted us so often and so thoroughly that we cannot in conscience support either party except on the basis of particular elections and individual candidates. I can't speak for the others, but can tell you that I split my ticket every election, including votes for minor parties as circumstances warrant. Where are we geographically ? Oregon, California, Texas, Montana, Wisconsin, etc, with a voice from Singapore about once per year. Singapore ? If there is a bias in the group, it is pro-Asia. This has to do with our backgrounds, which in cases includes India and the Philippines But if you are part German or Irish, etc, that is also part of the picture. Others may give you a different definition of RC , but here is mine We seek a radical approach to centrism, not by compromise toward the middle, but by picking and choosing among available alternatives, in each case taking as strong ( radical ) a position as possible. But added up, the overall mix of stands will be, as an example of myself, 40 % conservative, 40 % liberal, and 20 % "other," including ( non-Marxist ) democratic socialist, libertarian, Green, Constitution party. etc. This past election it was more like 50 % conservative, other proportions adjusted accordingly, but in the past is was 50% liberal and God only knows what it will be in 2010 or 2012. We also tend to seek out new ideas from almost any source, and we may invent new ideas on occasion, so there is also this to consider. Ernie will slice things up his own way, Jordan his, David his, and so forth. We have no RC party line we all agree upon. This is essentially a discussion group Some of us hope to eventually see a third party rise out of this, but that would be independent of Centroids if it ever happens. The "if" is very large. But take any 10 issues of consequence, each of us will support some mix of Left and Right , plus Other. Mostly we are curious about the logic of other members of the group in arriving at their own conclusions Not the least pressure to conform to any overall ideology. And lots of Very Unusual combinations of ideas.
Will spare you the details for now, but this is the overall picture. Hope this is helpful. Billy ========================================= Not to change the subject (okay, that’s a lie)….I don’t remember exactly how I found your website. I remember looking at the libertarian party websites around the same time. This last national election knocked the wind out of me and left me wondering if there was any hope left for our country and our society. Brief background: Raised in Washington DC area, typical anti-establishment, war-protestin’, flower child in the late 60’s – early 70’s. Converted to fundamental, evangelical Christianity in Houston TX in ’77, which turned my whole worldview and political outlook around 180 degrees. I’ve backed off of the hard line legalism in both my spiritual beliefs and my political views and don’t seem to fit in anywhere!! Libertarianism is closer to the way I think than what oozes out of the Democrat/Republican camps, but there’s something there that doesn’t sit right with me either. I’m intrigued by what I’ve read on your website and in these emails, but I can’t quite figure out the RC movement. I read the manifesto, which was refreshingly brief, but still a little too poetic for me to wrap my brain around. I made this same request of someone in the local Libertarian group, but only received links to other websites. I would so appreciate it if someone out there would just explain to me in their own words what it means to you to be a Radical Centrist and what you hope to accomplish as a (movement?). I am as sincere about this as I am in my quest to find a Christian fellowship that isn’t brainwashed by the far liberal and conservative blather that is so prevalent in the churches. Thanks, Janet
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