On September 6th President Obama is slated to be nominated for a second term by the Democratic Party at its convention in Charlotte. I won’t be there and I doubt I’ll watch the choreographed proceedings on TV. There’s something else that I’d rather do on that day.

Monday evening I gave a talk at World Fellowship entitled “Eco-Terrorism: the New Communism” with Will Potter, author of Green is the New Red. I addressed some differences between what I called the “traditional left” and the radical environmental and animal rights movement.

Monday I read a report that demonstrators in Burlington, Vermont (a left-oriented city that has sometimes been dubbed the People’s Republic of Burlington), were attacked by police in full riot gear using pepper spray and rubber bullets.

Spending summers at progressive camps was the highlight of my childhood. I attended Camp Woodland and Lincoln Farm, and later was a counselor at Camp Thoreau. These were places where left-wing views were either the norm, or at least not unusual. I flourished in an atmosphere where I felt I could speak my mind and not feel alone. That’s why I felt so good about sending my kids to Camp Kinderland.

The RFC’s income is down this year. For instance, our June mailing is on track to raise $5,000 less than it did last year. Yes, the economy continues to be bad, and too many people are having a hard time making ends meet, let alone maintaining their donations to progressive causes. But we did much better last year, even though last year the economy was equally lousy. What’s the difference?