Today's interviewee is Tory Fodder. I met him several years ago in a little town called Walters, Oklahoma. I'm tempted to list his accomplishments and interests, but I think it would cheapen him and just encourage you to start pegging him into various boxes. So instead, read his responses, and if you like what you find, check out his blog.
Chris: Tory, we met several years ago in Walters, Oklahoma. You grew up there if I'm not mistaken? What was it like? Will you ever return in a more full-time capacity?
Tory: Yes, I grew up in Walters. As you know, the town is quite small with a population just under 3,000 people. If there is a town in reality that mirrors Andy Griffith's Mayberry, then Walters very much fits the bill. What I remember most about it, and this is reinforced every time I go back - is how loyal the community is to the town. Families that live there tend to stick around, almost to the point where the locale itself becomes an identity for its residents.
My wife and I are actually planning to return to Oklahoma once I've finished my dissertation here at Arizona. Barring an exceptional change of plans, our intent is to return 'home' in May, possibly to Walters, and eventually to start a family. The town really is a great place to set down roots - although I wonder a bit how we'll adjust to living in such a small place.
Chris: You have Native American blood and you also integrate Native American topics into your law studies. What are some of the traditions that will always be a part of you?
Tory: I am, indeed, Native American. Blood quantum is 4/4's, or full-blood, from four different tribes (Taos Pueblo, Comanche, Kiowa, Cherokee). I like to think that if I were at Hogwarts I would be a 'pure-blood' instead of a 'mudblood.'
Growing up, my family was heavily involved in inter-tribal social gatherings called 'pow-wows.' We travelled extensively across the American Southwest during the summer months, often with friends and extended family in tow. My sisters and I all had our particular dance regalia for the various dances we knew. Usually, these gatherings lasted over the course of an entire weekend. This tradition is something I will always remember because it completely shaped my childhood. Some kids did little league during the summer - we went to pow-wows.
Chris: According to your blog, you are a Republican. During these past few years, I've definitely become pretty disillusioned by partisan politics. Can you make the case for a loyal allegiance to a political party?
Tory: I've been a Republican since I first registered to vote. Given the Nation's political history over the same stretch of time (11 yrs or so), disillusionment is something I understand, too.
I won't pretend to have any new insight into selecting a party affiliation, but I think one important thing to keep in mind is that our political system requires compromise. No political party can, or will check every box on one's list of issues. Ideological grandstanding that assumes the contrary really annoys me. Still, my loyalty to the GOP results from a continual reassessment of the issues that are most important to me. I make my list, assess my position, and then see which party aligns with the majority of my views. Uniformly that has been the GOP.
The thing about this approach is that it allows for personal change over time. When I was younger, I penned fiery op-eds in my campus newspaper about gay marriage. Today, I wouldn't approach the issue in the same way - even though the GOP still aligns with the majority of my policy views.
Chris: Who do you like in the 2012 election?
Tory: My personal preference in the race would be former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. But of the entire field, including President Obama, I think that former MA Gov. Mitt Romney is the candidate most likely to win in 2012. In the GOP primary, Romney has a political operation that the rest of the field can't match, and equally as important, he has the cash on hand to keep the machine running. During the general election, President Obama has a similarly formidable election team, but his leadership on the economy has been dismal. I just don't see how the President wins with a 9% unemployment rate. And for my money, I don’t think he deserves to.
Chris: You write a blog called Pax Plena. If we were to give it a browse, what are some of the kinds of topics we would find?
Tory: Well, as you can probably tell from some of my replies, Pax Plena covers a lot of political and policy issues. I also make quite a few posts about current events, and things I read that amuse me. I broadly categorize these under "life." You'd also find a fair amount of posts on faith, which typically amount to some of my reflections about God, existence, and grace.
Over the past year, however, I've tried to broaden the scope of the blog by incorporating book reviews into my coverage. I've had good feedback from publishers and authors, so that's something I hope to do more of in the future.
Chris: I do believe you married a hoosier, which confirms to me that you have good taste. How has marriage changed your life?
Tory: I am very much indebted to the Hoosier State. Any place that's home to my wife, Larry Bird, and Leslie Knope, can't be all bad. This will probably sound slightly cliché (nearly all descriptions of marriage are), but being married has utterly reoriented my life's focus.
Decisions that I would have made without much thought, now require me to take my wife, and our future into account. And this thought process applies (ideally) across the spectrum of life, from family visits during the holidays, to job prospects, to our monthly household budget. I'm not perfect at it, but I try to think outside my own self-interest and motivations, which really changed my life's focus from when I was single and in my early 20s.
Chris: Thanks a ton, Tory. Maybe someday we'll rendez-vous in Walters again!
0 comments:
Post a Comment