Democracy and Tradition or MoveOns 50 Ways to Love Your Country

Democracy and Tradition

Author: Jeffrey Stout

Do religious arguments have a public role in the post-9/11 world? Can we hold democracy together despite fractures over moral issues? Are there moral limits on the struggle against terror? Asking how the citizens of modern democracy can reason with one another, this book carves out a controversial position between those who view religious voices as an anathema to democracy and those who believe democratic society is a moral wasteland because such voices are not heard.

Drawing inspiration from Whitman, Dewey, and Ellison, Jeffrey Stout sketches the proper role of religious discourse in a democracy. He discusses the fate of virtue, the legacy of racism, the moral issues implicated in the war on terrorism, and the objectivity of ethical norms. Against those who see no place for religious reasoning in the democratic arena, Stout champions a space for religious voices. But against increasingly vocal antiliberal thinkers, he argues that modern democracy can provide a moral vision and has made possible such moral achievements as civil rights precisely because it allows a multitude of claims to be heard.

Stout's distinctive pragmatism reconfigures the disputed area where religious thought, political theory, and philosophy meet. Charting a path beyond the current impasse between secular liberalism and the new traditionalism, Democracy and Tradition asks whether we have the moral strength to continue as a democratic people as it invigorates us to retrieve our democratic virtues from very real threats to their practice.

See also: Leadership and Self Deception or The Trillion Dollar Meltdown

MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country: How to Find Your Political Voice and Become a Catalyst for Change

Author: MoveOnorg Staff

With more than 2 million members, the flourishing online activist group MoveOn is at the cutting edge of a new model for political activism with its ability to mobilize thousands of volunteers and millions of dollars. Best known for its recent grassroots efforts in protesting the war in Iraq and opposing the California recall election, and credited as a major player in the significant gains made by Howard Dean's presidential campaign, MoveOn takes its message offline in this timely book that provides inspiration and ideas for becoming a responsible member of our democracy. The 50 ways range from simple ideas such as "Tell a Friend about a Petition" to more dynamic suggestions like "Organize a Constituent Meeting." For those who feel powerless or hopeless, angry or apathetic, confused or disgusted, this clear and compelling how-to guide helps Americans become more accountable, progressive, and peaceful as it answers the question that more and more citizens are asking: "What can I do?!"

Publishers Weekly

Fifty members of the online activist group MoveOn.org provide tips on how to take political action in this inspiring audiobook, which is impressive not only because of the breadth of its suggestions, but also because 42 of the 50 contributors lend their own voices to the recording. Although this makes for an uneven listening experience, as not all of the contributors possess velvet voices, it drives home the audiobook's message: that people of all ages, races and income levels can make a difference. The essays--which cover everything from starting an online petition and hosting a political salon to writing letters to congress and organizing a political book club--each end with a set of "action tips" summarizing the steps the writer took in achieving his/her goals. The most useful component of this audiobook, however, may be its enhanced CD features. Those with access to a computer can browse these "action tips" and link directly to any Web sites mentioned in the material. Based on the Inner Ocean Publishing paperback. (June)n Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Table of Contents:

	Introduction
I	The power of connecting	1
	Introduction	2
	Create an effective online petition	4
	Spread the word about online petitions	6
	Sign a petition	8
	Share informed political recommendations	10
	Speak out online	12
	Email the President (and other politicians)	14
	Meet with your representatives	16
II	Every vote counts	19
	Introduction	20
	Vote, no matter what	22
	Mobilize underrepresented voters	23
	Register voters in unlikely places	26
	Organize an issues-specific voter registration drive	28
	Get your office to vote	30
	Maximize the vote on election day	32
	Make a personal request to nonvoters	34
	Participate in a phone bank	36
III	The many faces of the media	39
	Introduction	40
	Read more, watch TV news less	42
	Write a letter to the editor	44
	Respond to biased reporting	48
	Alert the media to uncovered events	50
	Place an ad	54
	Reform the media	56
	Make your own media	58
	Write an op-ed piece	61
	Start a political book club	64
	MoveOn's suggested media sources	67
IV	Political action is personal	69
	Introduction	70
	Write letters to Congress that work	72
	Talk to the officials you did't elect	74
	Support clean elections	76
	Volunteer for campaigns	78
	Help run a campaign	81
	Hit the streets for your candidate	84
	Run for office to challenge incumbents	86
	Donate money	88
	Host a house party	90
	Petition effectively	92
	Attend a meetup	94
	Serve as an elected official	96
	Act outside the box	98
V	Personal action is political	101
	Introduction	102
	Serve your community	105
	Defy City Hall	108
	Respond locally to national issues	110
	Attend a rally	112
	Instigate protective laws	114
	Initiate a constitutional amendment	117
	Get a socially responsible day job	120
	Take action with your family	122
	Host a political salon	124
	Let your money speak	127
	Help others express their political views	130
	Express your views through art	132
	Advertise your political vision	134
	Afterword	137
	Acknowledgments	139
	Index	141
	MoveOn information	145