Thinking About Democracy

There are a few basic concepts we must start re-thinking in order to understand what they mean for us as citizens of our communities, our nation, and the world. One of these is the concept that is at the center of how we define ourselves as Americans. "DEMOCRACY"

The best collection I have found is, Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillan, edited, The Radical Reader NY: The New Press, 2003.

It would be great to teach this collection with a contemporary volume that has an international perspective, perhaps something like, 'We Are Everywhere: The irresistable rise of global anticapitalism' edited by Notes from Nowhere and published by Verso. It is described as '... a whirlwind collection of writings, images, and ideas from direct action by people in the frontlines of the global anticapitalist movement' and involved the untold stories of resistance, reclaiming and subversion all in a positive and life-affirming fashion. Its a huge, inexpensive collection of activist statements/reports from around the world. It covers the years 1994-2002. An excerpt states that:

It's a radical intervention in publishing - a celebration of direct action movements across the planet, unfiltered by the mainstream media, and told through the words and images of the people who were (and still are) there. Framing and connecting their stories are seven essays , written by the editors, which explain some of the defining characteristics of this movement. We've also included how-to boxes on direct action tactics. Running along the bottom of each page is a time-line of actions and victories which spans from 1994 with the Zapatista uprising to the present. Interspersed amongst everything else are gorgeous photographs, which capture the diversity and playfulness of our actions. These elements all add up to a real overview of the movement: where we came from, what we want, who we are, and where we're going. We Are Everywhere is history as it should be told.

The We Are Everywhere website includes excellent links, essays and references to inspire any activist. Of course, if we are talking activism, lets not forget the patron saint of community activism, Saul Alinsky and his classic Rules for Radicals.

Another periodical that consistently questions, challenges and (re)defines the democratic project from an environmental perspective is Orion magazine. Orion magazine inspires me because its definition of radical democracy rests upon the cultivation of open spaces and the recognition of the interconnectedness of our lives.

Homeland (Seven Stories Press, 2004) by Dale Maharidge and Michael Williamson is an important book that seeks to plumb the soul of post 9/11 America and documentary filmmaker Mark Wojahn traveled the nation to ask us What America Needs