Democracy Gone A Chronicle of the Last Chapters of the Great American Democratic Experiment

by Abele, Robert P.

• ISBN13: 9780761846758
• ISBN10: 0761846751
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-08-16
• Publisher: Hamilton Books

Summary

In Democracy Gone, Robert P. Abele argues that the last eight years in particular have shown us that our democracy has largely disintegrated, leaving behind only an exoskeleton that was once its original vertebrae of ends and principles. This book questions whether or not the American democratic experiment has run out of steam and if, through our inattention, we have replaced our democracy with politicians lustful for power and central authority that is out of touch with the needs of common people. The essays included in Democracy Gone focus specifically on two questions. First, how true are we staying to our founding values in our national actions and dialogues? Second, how consistent and universal is our application of the principles and standards we claim to hold dear? The underlying call is that it is critical to our form of democracy in the United States that citizens once again become active participants in the issues of the day: nothing less than the reclamation of our democracy is at stake. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Robert P. Abele, Ph.D., is the author of two other books: A User's Guide to the USA PATRIOT Act (2005) and The Anatomy of a Deception: A Logical and Ethical Analysis of the Decision to Invade Iraq (2009), both published by University Press of America, as well as numerous articles on politics and U.S. government foreign and domestic policies. He is an instructor of philosophy at Diablo Valley College in the San Francisco Bay area.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Acknowledgements	p. xi
The Roberts Court	p. 1
Christian America? (Part I)	p. 3
Christian America? (Part II)	p. 5
Christian America? (Part III)	p. 7
History Repeated: The Resurrection of the Intelligent Design Argument (Part I)	p. 9
History Repeated: The Resurrection of the Intelligent Design Argument (Part II)	p. 11
Samuel Alito: The Judge Inside the Black Robe	p. 13
Assault on the Academy	p. 15
A Defense of Liberal Values	p. 19
Primary American Values: Liberty and the Common Good (Part I)	p. 21
Primary American Values: Liberty and the Common Good (Part II)	p. 23
Primary American Values: Liberty and the Common Good (Part III)	p. 25
The Values of the Religious Right are Neither Religious nor Right (Part I)	p. 27
The Values of the Religious Right are Neither Religious nor Right (Part II)	p. 31
Bush and the Abuse of Science (Part I)	p. 35
Bush and the Abuse of Science (Part II)	p. 37
What is a Jihad, Anyway?	p. 39
Democracy and Global Economic Imperialism	p. 43
Is American Culture Dying?	p. 45
Keeping the Enlightenment Alive	p. 49
New Orleans Teachers	p. 53
The Extremist Attack on College Education	p. 55
The Coming War with Iran (Part I)	p. 59
The Coming War with Iran (Part II)	p. 61
The Coming War with Iran (Part III)	p. 63
The Coming War with Iran (Part 4)	p. 67
The Ethical and Logical Need for Consistency	p. 71
Was the 2004 Election Stolen? (Part I)	p. 73
Was the 2004 Election Stolen? (Part II)	p. 75
Are Diebold Machines Reliable?	p. 81
Media Conglomeration is a Bad Idea for Democracy	p. 85
Religious Right Warriors	p. 89
Neocon Philosophy and its Near Demise	p. 93
Vision for a Democratic and Ethical Future	p. 97
A Presidential Signing Statements	p. 99
Privatization of Government	p. 101
Do We Have a Right to Privacy?	p. 105
The Common Good and Democracy	p. 107
Torture (Part I)	p. 111
Torture (Part II)	p. 115
Freedom of Conscience as the Basis of Freedom of Religion	p. 119
The Don Imus Affair	p. 121
Militarism and Democracy	p. 125
Money and Democracy	p. 127
The Lame Democratic Congress	p. 129
Why We Can't Support the Troops without Supporting the War	p. 131
Healing Our Wounds	p. 135
The Meaning of the Fourth of July	p. 137
Why We Need International Law	p. 141
The Art of Reasoning in Democracy	p. 145
How the United States in Conducting the War in Iraq	p. 149
What Do We Do About Iraq?	p. 153
Why Do They Hate Us?	p. 157
How Do We Define "Terrorism?"	p. 159
The Old Hippie and the Republic	p. 161
Chomsky, Jello, and 9/11 (Part I)	p. 165
Chomsky, Jello, and 9/11 (Part II)	p. 169
9/11: Some Political Questions (Part I)	p. 173
9/11: Some Political Questions (Part II)	p. 175
Groupthink versus Critical Thinking	p. 177
"Legislating from the Bench"	p. 181
Mukasey, Torture, and the Democratic Congress	p. 185
A Method for Constitutional Interpretation	p. 189
The Need to Open the Debate	p. 193
Domestic Dissent as Terrorism	p. 197
What Does the Right to Free Speech Mean?	p. 199
History Revisited	p. 201
Democratic Principles and Congressional Legislation	p. 205
"Barackstar" the Actor	p. 207
The New Push for Christian Nation Status	p. 211
Wars and More Wars	p. 215
"Show Me Your Papers!"	p. 217
America for Sale	p. 219
Corporate Personhood	p. 223
What should be the President's Emergency Powers?	p. 227
What True Patriots Fight and Die For	p. 231
The Democrats' War Investments	p. 235
The Radicalism of Originalism	p. 237
Blackwater and the U.S. Constitution	p. 241
Is Terrorism Ever Morally Justifiable?	p. 243
Reviving Democracy after November	p. 247
Socrates and Callicles	p. 251
The Loss of True Liberalism	p. 255
The Problem with Liberals "Framing"	p. 259
The Seventh Anniversary of 9/11	p. 263
Sarah Palin and the Age of Reason	p. 267
The Beginning of the Crash	p. 271
Are We Ready for the Revolution? (Part I)	p. 275
Are We Ready for the Revolution? (Part II)	p. 279
The March toward Authoritarianism in America (Part I)	p. 283
The March toward Authoritarianism in America (Part II)	p. 287
A Charge to President-Elect Obama	p. 291
Progressives, Beware of Premature Euphoria	p. 295
Gay Civil Rights	p. 297
Obama's Actions Show the Need for Real Change	p. 299
Chomsky's Radical Critique of Government	p. 301
Notes	p. 303
Bibliography	p. 317
Index	p. 327
About the Author	p. 331
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.