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February 05, 2007
Ralph Nader's Seventeen Traditions
Honored by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Americans in the Twentieth Century, Ralph Nader took on the giants of the auto industry and fought for safety, challenged lawmakers to protect Americans from bad products and poor services in the economy, and was a major force in creating OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is 35 years old this year), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency which is 36 years old this year), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (which is 33 years old this year).
Of course, many Democrats remember Nader's part as spoiler in the presidential election of 2000. I never agreed with Nader that the Democratic and Republican parties are merely versions of one establishment. Still, whatever we might think of Nader's decision to abandon Democrats, we can agree that he has typically acted in the truest American tradition of politics: independently for the common good of America.
I am interested in Nader's new book, Seventeen Traditions, because it offers a fuller context for public life. In the book, Nader reaches into his experiences with family and friends, food and health, work and solitude, and more, to demonstrate seventeen areas of life that help form character. Here are the seventeen:
1. The Tradition of Listening 2. The Tradition of the Family Table 3. The Tradition of Health 4. The Tradition of History 5. The Tradition of Scarcity 6. The Tradition of Sibling Equality 7. The Tradition of Education and Argument 8. The Tradition of Discipline 9. The Tradition of Simple Enjoyments 10. The Tradition of Reciprocity 11. The Tradition of Independent thinking 12. The Tradition of Charity 13. The Tradition of Work 14. The Tradition of Business 15. The Tradition of Patriotism 16. The Tradition of Solitude 17. The Tradition of Civics
| By wjbailes | 07:08 AM
Comments
A great interview with Nader by Amy Goodman and discussion of the Seventeen Traditions.
TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:
* Ralph Nader on Why He Might Run In 2008, the Iraq War & the New
Documentary "An Unreasonable Man" *
Consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader says he will
decide later this year whether to run for president in 2008. Today he also
looks back at his childhood and his new book "Seventeen Traditions." In
addition, film director Henriette Mantel joins us to talk about "An
Unreasonable Man."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/05/1532248
Posted by: Penny Gharanfoli at February 6, 2007 09:48 AM
Always glad to see Ralph N. get the positive reconition he deserves.
Posted by: JHPrice at February 7, 2007 12:04 PM
It is a shame that democrats cannot drop the spoiler bit.
It is sad that it takes a green to admit Al Gore won the 2000 election. Or that Kerry probably lost do to voter fraud in Ohio.
And it was a shame that that last election in Tennessee not one democrat would stand up against amendment 1 while green candidates were left to speak against it.
And every major democratic candidate would not identify as a pro choice.
Well it up to greens to be the progressive populist in the south.
Posted by: RW at February 7, 2007 07:33 PM