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See also: Domestic Issues page for more on policy focus.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
-- John F. Kennedy, U.S. President
Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced from pressures from below.
-- Roger Nash Baldwin, founding member, ACLU
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
-- Thomas Paine
It is not, perhaps, unreasonable to conclude, that a pure and perfect democracy is a thing not attainable by man, constituted as he is of contending elements of vice and virtue, and ever mainly influenced by the predominant principle of self-interest. It may, indeed, be confidently asserted, that there never was that government called a republic, which was not ultimately ruled by a single will, and, therefore, (however bold may seem the paradox,) virtually and substantially a monarchy.
-- Alexander Fraser Tytler
- President Bush Discusses Freedom in Iraq and Middle East
- Remarks by the President at the 20th Anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy at the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. discussing the roots of our democracy, commitments abroad, soviet tyranny, free nations and lessons in our own time.
- Three Cheers for the Bush Doctrine
- Viewpoint column by Time's Charles Krauthammer in the March 7, 2005 issue. "America, using power harnessed to democratic ideals, could begin a transformation of the Arab world from endless tyranny and intolerance to decent governance and democratization."
- World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability
- by Amy Chua
- While the author didn't pick the book title, she puts forth a powerful argument about the unintended consequences of implementing laissez-faire free-market democracy with universal suffrage when there is a market-dominant ethnic minority and great disparity between rich and poor. From Publishers Weekly: "...globalization has created a volatile concoction of free markets and democracy that has incited economic devastation, ethnic hatred and genocidal violence throughout the developing world." The author presents her thesis as a cautionary tale to balance the unbridled enthusiasm of free-market advocates like New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, who wrote the article "It's A Flat World, After All [NYT]", adapted from his book "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century".
It is worth reading the review from Salon.com books and another review from Mother Jones magazine. There is also an abstract page with link on the World Bank site to a must-see (i.e., if you have a large bandwidth connection) 84-minute video presentation by the author followed by a discussion. It is interesting that in that presentation's Q&A, she mentions meeting with a corporation that wanted to know how to best avoid backlash when doing business in new democracies. It's a great book and essential reading for policy makers, in my opinion. (Read 2003)]
- International Republican Institute
- Web site describes it as "a non-profit, non-partisan organization, supports the growth of political and economic freedom, good governance and human rights around the world by educating people, parties and governments, on the values and practices of democracy."
- The Coup Connection
- "How an organization financed by the U.S. government has been promoting the overthrow of elected leaders abroad." This is a critical article from the Nov/Dec 2004 issue of Mother Jones magazine about the work of the International Republican Institute.
- When Democracy Failed - 2005: The Warnings of History
- "The Warnings of History" by Thom Hartmann. Written on the 72nd anniversary of a terrorist act, this article by an author and liberal talk radio host is a brilliant example of rhetoric in describing parallels between the past and our own times and the two past leaders who chose very different courses to bring their nations back to power and prosperity.
- 50 American Revolutions You're Not Supposed to Know: Reclaiming American Patriotism
- It's a small book. It's cheap. It's a primer on events of progressive dissent. Whether you consider yourself conservative or liberal/progressive, it is a fascinating read. [Read 9/2005]
- New Mexico ACLU wants apology to employee investigated on 'sedition'
- In these times, writing a letter to the editor on your own time can get you fired from a government-related job. The comments section after the article includes a vigorous discussion of language, laws against possible subversion, etc.
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We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
-- Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, 1787
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.
-- John F. Kennedy
A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election.
-- Bill Vaughan
All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures.
-- Julius Caesar (100 BC - 44 BC)
Politics is not a picture on a wall or a television sitcom that you can decide you don't much care for.
-- Molly Ivins
- Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction
- by David Kuo
- The story of one evangelical political operative's work to use the political process to help the poor and needy and how little was delivered. Kuo worked in the White House at the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The book covers how faith in Jesus changed his life as well as his previous work in the political arena.
The spirit of Washington is arrogance, and the spirit of Christ is humility... Put on the spirit of Christ. Nothing of lasting value has ever been accomplished in arrogance. (Senator John Ashcroft's father in a private gathering before Ashcroft's swearing-in.)
The book ends with his 2006 recommendation that people of faith fast from political involvement for two years, for either political party, rather than continue their unquestioning support with little results. (Read 12/2006)
- What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
- by MIchael Frank
- Extremely well-researched description of the Middle America — represented here by Kansas — march to vote against their own economic interests through a diversion to a fight against a cultural elite over what it is to be an authentic American. Many, many notes and footnotes included. (Read 03/2005)
- Fanatics and Fools: The Game Plan for Winning Back America
- by Arianna Huffington
- A passionate review of current policies and players by a progressive Republican (I know, an endangered species). Both Democrats and Republicans are beholden to special interests. Bottom line is get involved and work diligently for public financing of elections. (Read 2004) Arianna Huffington also has a discussion Web site called the Huffington Post with an interesting array of commentators.
- Electronic Voting Technology
After the voting irregularities in Florida in 2000, a strong effort to implement electronic voting occurred. There are only a few providers of machines using proprietary software. Here are sites of groups covering the issues.
- Links to Information on Election Issues
- Rules for Radicals
- Here is the list of the rules from Saul Alinsky's book. If you search Google for this title and the author's last name, you will find they appear on many sites and can obviously be used by both progressive and conservative activists.
- Amazon Listmania!
- Amazon lets its member/readers create lists of related or favorite books. Here are a couple such lists:
- When You Don't Like the Facts, Just Change Them
- An article listing modifications to scientific reports by the Bush Administration.
- Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush
- by John W. Dean
- A legal and policy review of the current administration by one who has been there in the Nixon administration. Includes a large bibliography for those challenging research and precedents. (Read 2004)
- Constitutional Topic: Checks and Balances
- A lot of information in a balanced presentation that includes commentary and analysis. Includes information on separation of powers and links to current news on constitutional issues. See The U. S. Constitution Online Web site.
- CorpWatch: Holding Corporations Accountable
- Will the market and its rewards and consequences be sufficient? Is self-regulation enough? The articles on this Web site cover news I haven't seen elsewhere. Valuable reading for the informed citizen.
- A Question for Journalists: How Do We Cover Penguins and the Politics of Denial?
- Journalist Bill Moyers gave a keynote speech in which he describes how investigative journalism has powerful forces working against it, giving examples from his tenure at the PBS show Frontline.
- Information on Legislation and Legislators
- OpenSecrets.Org - Describes itself as "Your Guide to the Money in U.S. Elections". Includes campaign finance and race profiles of legislators, key legislation and special interest watch information. This is a valuable site.
- Tracking Federal Legislation - This is a page of links to resources provided by the University of Chicago's Law Library.
- House and Senate Roll Call Votes - listed by year and session. Each session lists a spreadsheet with headings such as "Roll" (who voted yea or nay), "Issue" (a link to a description of the legislation being considered), "Result" (pass, fail, agreed to), and title/description. Very current.
- Vote-Smart.Org - "Project Vote Smart covers your candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and interest group ratings." (Note, voting records are not agressively updated daily.)
- United States Constitution
- Available from Project Gutenberg as an ebook to read online or download.
- United States Bill of Rights
- Available from Project Gutenberg as an ebook to read online or download.
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I remember the phrase "glittering generalities" from my high school Problems of Democracy class. These are things that sound good but describe little. Its entry at Wikipedia includes examples from President Bush and 2004 Democratic candidate John Kerry. It use is a foundation of political speech. One has to make a concerted effort to insist on details of policy implementation. It also appears that outrage at and contempt for the opposition by both sides are too often used to set the environment where issues are decided. Certainty of one's position often results in gridlock or cycles of victory and defeat. Respect and a level of humility—not having all the answers, and being willing to listen—could better establish common ground. Here are a few books and articles on the subject. (See also the "News About the News" section of the "Media, News, and Advocacy" page.)
- Don't Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate
- by George Lakoff
- Valuable reading in a short book; aimed at progressives looking to respond to conservatives. There are two chapters that briefly describe the divide: "What the Right Wants" and "What Unites Progressives." (Read 01/2005)
Lakoff describes the concept of frames, an over-arching concept that gives a context for discussion of issues. An example is the conservative's "strong father" frame epitomized by conservative James Dobson's "Dare to Discipline" book on child-rearing. In contrast, the progressive "nurturing parent" frame might be characterized by a book such as "Growing Up Again: Parenting Ourselves, Parenting Our Children", which describes parenting as a balance between nurturing and structure with age-appropriate re-negotiation of rules. Lakoff states that political philosophies follow from these approaches. One interesting finding is that if facts don't fit a frame, the facts are ignored. This is a fascinating book and essential reading!
The conservative right's guy on policy language is Frank Luntz.
- Press Bias and Politics - How the Media Frame Controversial Issues
- by Jim A. Kuypers
- Book compares the content of speeches with the news coverage of those same speeches. Read the featured book review on LibertyGuide.com, which notes usage of "priming" and "framing." (I haven't read the book, but it seems a good companion to the Lakoff book above.)
- Propaganda Critic
- This site has a number of articles concisely describing the various uses and techniques of propaganda. It was inspired by a pre-World War II Institute's work. Here is a quote from that earlier group:
It is essential in a democratic society that young people and adults learn how to think, learn how to make up their minds. They must learn how to think independently, and they must learn how to think together. They must come to conclusions, but at the same time they must recognize the right of other men to come to opposite conclusions. So far as individuals are concerned, the art of democracy is the art of thinking and discussing independently together.
-- "Fine Art of Propaganda", Institute for Propaganda Analysis (1937)
- Wikipedia: Neutral Point of View Tutorial (NPOV)
- This is a fascinating article. The online open-source encyclopedia Wikipedia has a policy "that all articles should be written from a neutral point of view." The tutorial covers citation and attribution, language, accusation, insinuation, bias, and balance. I found it when researching the prominent governing ideologies. I'll include links to those ideologies here. Each article on a political philosophy lists related terms near the bottom of its page.
There are a number of blended political philosophies available in this encyclopedia. Here are two whose characteristics I recognize and that I find valuable reading for discussion:
The entry on political philosophy gives a brief history of how philosophy of governance developed from Classical, through Islamic and Medieval periods, the Enlightenment to modern times.
- Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
- This film version of George Orwell's classic fiction stars John Hurt and Richard Burton. It is a fascinating and compelling drama. I include it here as counterpoint to the language used in federal legislation: "Clear Skies Initiative"; "Freedom to Farm"; "Patriot Act", "Healthy Forests Restoration Act", "American Jobs Creation Act", etc. It appears you can read 1984 online and read a series of comments by others. [Roger Ebert's review of "1984" - "This version penetrates much more deeply into the novel's heart of darkness."]
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Last Modified: 23-Dec-07
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