On behalf of area witches and pagans, I warned Buncombe County commissioners that their practice of inviting primarily monotheistic male ministers to pray prior to meetings was exclusionary, unconstitutional and lawsuit-worthy. It was insensitive to the great diversity of beliefs Ashevilleans have: Buddhist, Jewish, Voudon, you name it. This practice was no oversight, but rather […]

Two years ago I moved from the Ocala/Gainesville, Fla., area to Asheville so I could enjoy some of the best cycling and kayaking in the country. It was also to move away from some of the psychotic Florida drivers who enjoyed threatening and intimidating cyclists with their cars. Many Florida drivers drive within inches of […]

You know, for a time, I was contemplating a conversion to a vegetarian lifestyle — but I was worried that the consumption of an exclusively vegetarian diet might cause me to become smug and self-righteous. Here's a (smug and self-righteous?) suggestion for all you preachy vegetarians out there with your Googled statistical factoids: Why don't […]

There is a lot of talk about love here in Asheville, and I have experienced the crystalline-heart-chakra energy this holy place carries. But why isn't this love being shared cross-culturally? If you are going to talk about love, you better talk about love for your sisters and brothers of different colors, otherwise nothing has been […]

I was extremely saddened to hear that our country will commit some 30,000-plus of our most able and gifted men and women to fight an everlasting war in Afghanistan. But some people can only understand the cost in monetary terms. Let's look at Asheville's cost, according to statistics compiled by the National Priorities Project (nationalpriorities.org). […]

This is an open letter to Rep. Brad Miller. Dear Congressman Miller, I do not know if you'll ever get this, but here is an open letter from the 11th District to the 13th. … Libertarian Ron Paul, socialist Bernie Sanders, conservative Jim Demint and progressive Alan Grayson have all championed the original language of […]

It's a sad fact, but it probably happens everyday across our "fine" country. [Last week], in our city, a white man who fired a weapon at a bicyclist's head (hitting his helmet) was sentenced to four months in jail, and a black man who stole from someone without firing a weapon was sentenced to [nearly […]

Mr. [Asheville Police Chief Bill] Hogan: First, let me say thank you to you and your entire police force for the work that you do protecting our community. It is sincerely and graciously appreciated. Next, I'd like to bring up an (admittedly minor) complaint that I've had for a few months now: specifically, the widespread […]

It is truly sad to see how our politicians in our two-party nightmare turned their backs on millions of American consumers. Five months ago, Congress passed a law curbing credit-card companies and banks from imposing fees and interest rate hikes on consumers. To everyone's amazement, these institutions were given until February 2010 to make corrections. […]

Once again I find myself compelled to respond to an omnivore hater. Now we are responsible for global warming! I will admit that the U.S. is a leader in the production of greenhouse gases, however, the EPA released its annual greenhouse-gas survey and reports that all agriculture in the country accounts for only 6 percent […]

• Last week's Conscious Party feature had some incomplete and inaccurate information about upcoming Asheville FM fundraising events and celebrations. Here are the correct details: The station will host a holiday party at the Rocket Club the evening of Friday, Dec. 11; local DJs will play and tickets are $5. Then, on Saturday, Dec. 12, […]