The 2008 (and beyond?) Climate Fast
 
February 18, 2008
 
Ending last year’s long fast,
I resolved to continue,
   as best I could,
the spirit and intention
of those 107 days
by fasting every Monday
 
Every Monday
for some undetermined
period of time
on water only.
 
I’m thinking as of now—
   seven weeks into it,
   seven Mondays since
   the beginning of the year,
   in the late [...]

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Two days ago, December 19th, Congress’ last day of work for this fall, following the House’s vote in support of $70 billion in no-strings-attached money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and, as a result, in support of an appropriations bill for 2008 that includes almost $30 billion in loan guarantees for nukes and [...]

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I had what I guess was a moment of weakness earlier this evening. I was taking a walk on my way to the store to get some juice and veggie soup but also just taking a walk to clear my head. I started meditating on the question, what should I do now about this fast, [...]

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I was reminded about why I began this fast 100 days ago when I read a column last night about midnight by my good friend Ross Gelbspan, Beyond the Point of No Return (http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/10/165845/92). It was very sobering, at its root a heart-felt cry by this great man, this hero of our generation, for [...]

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Yesterday was the 91st day of this fast, and I spent it on Capitol Hill, on a very windy late fall day. It was a day on which I began to feel that this fast could actually have a relatively happy ending with the passage of a pretty good energy bill. Over the weekend, press [...]

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Wanting Food
 
Making a veggie soup
in my kitchen
and I open
the refrigerator door,
see the cheese,
and feel a
Very
Strong
Longing
to eat.
 
That hasn’t happened much
on this now 84-day fast.
 
As I said today,
when asked about
how I dealt with
being around people
eating turkey
and the rest
over Thanksgiving,
 
“I’ve turned off my brain
to food
until this fast is over.”
 
Brave words,
human being,
“man of actions,”
“national leader.”
 
Right now,
all [...]

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Only One Life
 November 25, 2007 “Those who do a coward’s toe dance through life may please the immediate audience, but history acclaims those who are willing to march for their beliefs, even though the terrain may be rough and there will be missteps.”
“There is no scarcity of people who are oppressed. There is only a [...]

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It’s the day before Thanksgiving, day 79 of this fast.
This has been an ambivalent holiday for me for a long time. I like the time with family and I like pausing to give thanks for those things I value. That’s something we should all do more often.
But the fairy tale story about Thanksgiving as a symbol of [...]

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Fasting and Victories
 
(I wrote the column below on November 14th.)
 
As I was picking up my mail at the local post office yesterday morning I saw two friends of mine talking with one another. They looked at me like they were seeing a ghost and asked how I was doing. I knew they meant more than [...]

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It was gratifying, humbling and very rewarding to be at the Power Shift 07 conference and lobby day over the past weekend. Many young people told me tht they had been inspired by this fast. And in return, I was incredibly inspired by all of them and the whole event. Here’s what I wrote about [...]

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