Welcome to A Better Nation

Greetings friends, old and new. My name is Lawrence Walker, American Studies guy, saint o'secularism, big-hearted philosopher, salacious arbsurdist, bodacious pundit, die-hard romantic. I've been posting political punditry for about four years, since Gore won the popular vote in 2000 - and posts of personal philosophy since before that, but my work has needed a home. I recently reserved the web domain abetternation.com, and so I'll eventually go bigtime to fame and fortune, but I want to get the name and my stuff out there now, so here I am at blogger.com.

For several years, I'd thought of various names for a web magazine, but after the election, the phrase "a better nation" occurred to me - because that is what so many of us want and what so much of the world needs. Left or right, red or blue, flock of the fearful or land of the brave, secular or faith-based, sensible or silly, there is so much we can do to turn this country toward becoming A Better Nation.

I have a master's degree in American Civilization (interdisciplinary, thematic cultural history). I've been corresponding with a growing listserve for years, mostly about politics and culture. I was a regular (and earnest) poster to The New York Times community site Abuzz, now defunct, and to a local salon which, even as it grew, seemed to implode - so I hit the ROAD to Blogger Boulevard, right here.

My special interests are presidential politics, the arts of all sorts, smart growth, natural resource and environmental concerns, wilderness protection, the persistence of regressive religion, language and the future prospects of the progressive message and progressive virtues - in other words, cultural values of all sorts and stripes (FAR more than the litmus test "values" being bantered about these days by what David Brooks calls "the commentariate").

Some posts will be earnest and careful considerations of what's up. Others may veer toward the snide rants of Op-Ed satirists.

Especially after readers have gotten a sense of what I might have to offer, I would welcome questions - questions regarding breaking news, movies, quotations, events, political ploys, propaganda, social episodes, cultural curiosities about which you'd like my spin. My thanks to all who dip their toes in these wordy waters or come here to steep their brains.

I'd be glad to hear from you. Onward!