Postcards from the tour: Clean elections in CT

Greetings from Massachusetts

From Boston’s classic South End station, I took an Amtrak train through Rhode Island into Connecticut– a beautiful ride along the sea coast. At 5 pm, I entered the old town Hall of West Hartford (home of Noah Webster), filled with a crowd of Common Cause supporters, peace and Justice advocates, union members, students–and of course–Lowdowners!

This year’s election in Connecticut is the first to be run under the state’s new clean election law–a landmark reform passed over the opposition of the old guard by the tenacious, grassroots efforts of Common Cause, USAction, and other activist groups. People are excited, engaged, and on the move, and it’s energizing to amongst them.

On to Maine!

Hightower

Postcards from the tour: “On Point” storytelling

Greetings from Massachusetts

As I travel I’m doing many great radio shows–one of my favorite mediums. In Boston, I had a most enjoyable, hour-long interview on the NPR show “On Point” with Tom Ashbrook. He takes calls from across the country, and a caller from upstate New York added her “buck the system” story to the ones that DeMarco and I’ve written about in Swim Against the Current. In her town of 5,000 people, rather than recruiting a chain store, she says they’re opening a community-owned department store. It’s one more example of the innovative ways people are devising to escape the corporate tentacles. Remember to send your own examples to our YouTube storytelling contest: www.jimhightower.com/storytelling

Hightower

Postcards from the tour: Local beer and Jobs with Justice

Greetings from Massachusetts

Ireland Parish is what the area around Holyoke, MA was called in the 1800s. And on my visit there yesterday, I enjoyed good local beer, a spirited benefit for Jobs with Justice at the wonderful Odyssey Book store in South Hadley, and a rousing evening book event for a crowd of over 300 Mount Holyoke college, including a great group of dynamic and enthusiastic student activists. On to Boston!

Hightower

Postcards from the tour: NYC’s food fiesta

Greetings from New York

Eating Liberally, whose motto is “Free yourself from the fossil fuel food chain,” provided the tasty snacks for our first NYC book event on Sunday — and we just couldn’t resist sharing the menu with you:

Dead Fish Cakes — Ride the Hightower tide with this populist patty. Made from wild Alaskan salmon, local sweet potatoes & collards, scallions, whole wheat bread crumbs and local pasture-raised eggs.

Pork In A Barrel — Our corruption of the classic pig-in-a-blanket. Featuring Hawthorne Valley’s biodynamic and organic hot dogs encased in puff pastry

No Bunkum’ Buttermilk Biscuits — Because biscuits, like democracy, can’t afford to be half-baked. Our whole-grain version features whole wheat flour, leaf lard from Flying Pigs Farm’s heirloom pasture-raised pigs, buttermilk and grass-fed butter from Organic Valley.

Jim-gerbread Men — Like their namesake, these crisp, ten-gallon-hatted fellas are gingery and full of bite. Made with Organic Valley’s grass-fed butter, fair trade organic brown sugar, whole wheat flour, local pasture-raised eggs, molasses and spices.

King Coal Cupcakes — Flat-topped and bereft of frosting, in solidarity with the coal-industry flattened Appalachians. Our bittersweet chocolate tribute features whole-wheat flour, organic spelt flour, Valrhona cocoa powder, fair trade organic sugar, Organic Valley buttermilks, local pasture-raised eggs and Callenbaut bittersweet chocolate chips.

Dairy-free Dairy Cows — No birds or bovines were bothered in the making of these egg- and butter-free spice cookies. Made from whole wheat flour, spices, fair trade organic dark brown sugar and local bamboo honey (we forgot to give these bees a break, too — sorry vegans.)

Don’t Sell Yourself Shortbread — Every vote counts, and every bite, too! Pull that lever on Election Day and use your leverage as a consumer everyday. Featuring Organic Valley’s grass-fed butter, fair trade organic confectioners’ sugar, organic whole-wheat flour and almond meal.

More food news and good eats are available at eatingliberally.org. Thanks, y’all!

Hightower endorses Barack Obama

AUSTIN, TX–The most exciting thing about the Obama phenomenon is the phenomenon–the fact that millions of grassroots Americans have self-organized and become the driving force in a presidential campaign. They feel that they matter again in politics and that some real progress might finally be at hand.

In 2006, an awakened political majority tried to send an electoral message demanding real change in Washington’s business-as-usual, money-driven policies. They “won,” but were disappointed by the new Democratic leadership in Congress, so this year, they’re back with an even more vociferous, insistent, message of change–and they’ve found their messenger in Barack Obama.

I believe he will win the nomination and win in November, but most importantly, I believe he can govern as a progressive president. This is because Obama will not be going into the White House alone or with the usual coterie of special interests and old party operatives–rather, the democratic force that he has excited at the grassroots (especially among energized young people) will go in with him, demanding progressive policies and providing a counterpunch to the lobbyists who will try to capture his presidency.

Senator Obama represents the bright future that is possible in America when ordinary people begin to take charge. Clinton and McCain certainly have a wealth of Washington experience, but Obama has tapped into our country’s enormous democratic potential, and that’s not merely exciting, it is invaluable to our future.