Crunchy CONS

I am reading a very interesting book called "Crunchy CONS" by Rod Dreher.

I am only on the second chapter, but I am liking it.  In a nutshell, it discusses some of the hypocrisy of those who label themselves conservatives and discusses the thousands of Americans who live the "crunchy con" life.  'Crunchy' here refers to the slang term for earthy, you know, granola....   The book discusses how typically, being crunchy is seen as leftist, when it in fact can flow from true conservatism.

One of my favorite quotes (page 12-13).  "Too often the Democrats act like the Party of Lust, and Republicans the Party of Greed.  Both are deadly sins that eat at the soul, and crunchy cons believe that both must be resisted in our personal and communal lives.  Mainstream liberalism and conservatism, as the agrarian essayist Wendell Berry said, are "perfectly useless" to combat the forces in contemporary American society that are pulling families and communities apart...."

As a 'conservative' who makes our own homemade bread, sometimes using our own ground wheat and/or rye berries.   Over the last couple years, I have developed a bit of a loating of pre-packaged, processed foods...  Also, I have been more and more drawn to hormone free and free range meats....  Unfortunately, they are also more expensive, but very worth it.  Had we not moved, we were going to join a local farmers co-op for fresh fruits and vegetables...  I have always been very conscious of recycling and reusing and tryting to do what is right for the environment.  My husband and I take the kids to the local park with rubber gloves and a garbage bag occasionally to pick up trash...  If it were solely my decision, we'd not own a TV.  As I delve further into the earthy life, and find people who are like minded in that regard, many tend to be very stereotypically 'lefty'....  Reading this book has been a bit refreshing.  I know that there are others out there like me that are too conservative for the Democrats but do not really fit into the Republican camp, either. 

I am finding it a very interesting book.  And I love the subtitle:  "How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardners, evangelical free range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of coutercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party)" oh, and I also love that the author is an eastern rite Catholic who's wife homeschools the children... Now, I am going to go read another chapter :)