THE DISCUSSION GROUP

Listed below are items considered but have not yet selected for discussion. The group shares these to give you a sense of the subjects we’re willing to tackle.

This list, plus other subjects no yet identified—including any great ideas you suggest—will be used to identify the focuse of our next extended conversation.

So join and help us decide which.

YouTube Videos

“Is America Due for a Revolution? How to fix a broken system. Some Americans have claimed that the time has come for another revolution. See what others think.

Is America due for a Revolution? A Braver Angels Debate

Podcast The New Liberals Podcast: When it comes to the political, it’s not unusual to agree to disagree. But when our modern discourse so often feels toxic, how can we be more agreeable in our disagreement? “Disagreeing Better” with John Wood, Jr. https://newliberals.fm/episodes/1-disagreeing-better-with-john-wood-jr

Book Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World. This book by Jason Hickel due to come out Nov. 1, 2021, in paperback and Kindle, is described as “A groundbreaking exploration of the best possible solution to the climate crisis: a new economic model, and a new way of viewing our relationship with the natural world

Weblinks “Death of local newspapers: 2,” 100 or 25% of 9,000 local newspapers published in 2003 died by 2018, creating news deserts with no coverage of critical local issues; many in rural places but also wealthy suburbs. Numerous causes and dire consequences aggravate divisiveness and political divide. Why a problem? How can we fight back and better support local news sources?

and

Book Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford. The Texas revolt, for 150 years, was largely ignored by academics, in part because…state government of Texas…for 120, 130 years, made very clear to the University of Texas faculty and to the faculty of other state-funded universities that it only wants one type of Texas history taught … and that if you get outside those boundaries, you’re going to hear about it.

Book 12 Rules for Life, An Antidote to Chaos ©2018 Jordan B. Peterson Renowned psychologist’s answer to most difficult questions combines truths of ancient tradition with stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research. Humorous, surprising and informative. Why why skateboarders must be left alone, terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street. Shatters modern commonplaces of science, faith and human nature, while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its readers.

Book On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century ©2021 Timothy A clear picture of how to learn from history in order to protect and preserve democracy Snyder uses 20th-century moments to teach 20 lessons on resisting modern-day authoritarianism. Among them are: warning how symbols used today could affect tomorrow, reminder to fully research everything for yourself, use personalized / individualized speech rather than mass appeal clichés. Emphasizes importance of being active, conscious, and deliberate participants in resistance. Nora Krug uses highly inventive art style to breathe new life, color, & power into historical references, making a quick-read pocket guide visually striking rumination.

Book Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents ©2021 Isabel Wilkerson From NY Times (highly rated): Wilkerson’s book is about how brutal misperceptions about race have disfigured the American experiment. This is a topic that major historians and novelists have examined from many angles, with care, anger, deep feeling and sometimes simmering wit.

Book On Corruption in America – And What Is at Stake ©202016 Sara Chayes Zepher Teachout Filled with colorful anecdotes about Americans getting away with all sorts of chicanery… shows that it is possible to establish and maintain governmental institutions that shield us from our worst instincts. This was the goal of Madison and his peers, and it could still be achieved with a better public-election finance system, which could be constitutional under Citizens United if the system did not restrict private donations. Democrats who will be looking for a fresh agenda in 2016 should read Teachout’s book carefully.”—Max Ehrenfreund, The Washington Post

Book The End of White Christian America, Robert P Jones. The religious right may be even more “dangerous on its decline than in its triumphant phase.”

Book Surviving Autocracy, Masha Gessen. …the Trump phenomenon and how it has transformed US society

Book The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, Walter Issacson. Explores significant advance in biology… important consequences for the future of the human race…presents a set of ethical questions on the issue of gene editing – should we or not, who decides, what should be permitted

Interested?

Send an email to José at

elmerojose@gmail.com

to let us know and to suggest other topics

Current participants

  • Bruce Carpenter,
  • Carolyn Carr,
  • José Antonio Contreras,
  • Mary Hitch,
  • Irene Keller,
  • Bob Keyser,
  • Ted Mills,
  • Mary Powel,
  • Toby Tate,
  • Tricia Stevens,
  • Kathryn Walker