REQUIRED READING/VIEWING for Progressives: Your Picks?

[snot]

I have a lot of progressive friends who know enough to vote Dem and think that's all they need to know but who are in fact shockingly ignorant. As a result, they either fail to act at all beyond voting, or they're easily drawn into efforts that may be well-intentioned but to my mind, are diversions from the most important problems. Indeed, I find a surprising amount of ignorance even on DU.

I find this very worrisome because I believe the forces against us are very powerful, smart, and well-organized; we can't even begin to reign them in unless a lot more of us get our brains around what's being done to us, and fast.

I wonder if it would be helpful to develop a short list or canon of what every reasonably well-informed progressive should have read or viewed.

My own list would include the documentary on Noam Chomsky's ideas, "Manufacturing Consent"; Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine"; Adam Curtis's series for the BBC, "Century of the Self"; and maybe works by Seymour Hersch, John Pilger, or Erick Alterman . . . but I'm sure there are many others I should read/view.

What are your picks?

[blondeatlast]

1. "The Republican Noise Machine" by David Brock. There really is a vast right wing conspiracy,

and the media is as big a part of it as you think it is.

[snot]

26. My thought is, they don't have to conspire; by amassing all the money, they

have the power to simply HIRE people to do what they want done.

[HopeHoops]

2. The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution for starters, $4.95 at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Declaration-Independence-Constitution-United-America/dp/1882577981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263055530&sr=1-1

[JDPriestly]

10. And free on the internet -- in response to HopeHoops

Just Google and bookmark.

[HopeHoops]

21. Yeah, but I still haven't gotten used to using a netbook in the bathroom.

:hi:

[taterguy]

3. A Time to Die by Tom Wicker

First thing that popped into my head

[blondeatlast]

4. Umrecced? this place is nuts. Wow. As much correction as I can provide. nt

[salguine]

5. What do you mean by "progressive friends who know enough to vote Dem"? Does that

mean that progressives who might be considering other options don't "know enough"? Or are somehow uninformed or ign'ant?

[Tuvok Obama]

18. self-delete

I thought I was clearing something up based on the original post, but now I see I misread your question.

[netania99]

6. David Swanson's "Daybreak:

Undoing the imperial presidency and forming a more perfect union." An excellent book.

[Smarmie Doofus]

14. He's ( Swanson) a DUer I believe. No? nt

[Loge23]

7. Today's WSJ: "Undressing the Terror Threat"

Page W3 today's (1/9-10) WSJ, above-titled commentary by Paul Campos should be required reading by every American.
Also, the accompanying bottom page box by Nate Silver " Crunching the Risk Numbers".
Quote:
"Terrorball, in short, is made possible by a loss of the sense that cowardice is among the most disgusting and shameful of vices. I shudder to think what Washington, who as commander of the Continental Army intentionally exposed himself exposed himself to enemy fire to rally his badly outnumbered troops, would think of the spectacle of millions of Americans not merely tolerating but actually demanding that their government subject them to various indignities, in the false hope that the rituals of what has been called “security theater” will reduce the already infinitesimal risks we face from terrorism.”

How infinitesimal? According to Silver’s article, in the first decade of the 2000’s (yes, including 9/11 – the only foreign terrorist incident resulting in deaths in the U.S.) the chances are on airline passenger for every 25 million. The odds for being struck by lightning are one in 500,000.

As progressives, we should not tolerate such a blatant attack on civil liberties such as what we are now subject to in airports. How long before full body scans are stationed at building entrances? IMO, to see so many posts on these pages supporting the insanity that passes for security at the airports tells me all I need to know about losing the fundamental spirit of liberty, freedom, and courage that should be theunderpinningss of any substantial political ideology in America - from either side of the spectrum.

We are smarter and probably better educated than the forces right. Only by sifting through all viewpoints for the pertinent facts about our country's situation, will the truth and proper direction be revealed. It is incumbent on each of us to actually have an informed opinion that is more dependent on our own intellect than it is on any particular group of writers. That said, I do support the writers' unique ability to succinctly present the material in a way that can help establish a politically palpable platform.

[rurallib]

8. Paul Krugman's "Conscience of a Liberal" and some Tom Payne

"Common Sense" I would say.
people need some historical perespective to understand the current situation has much historical precedence.

[MsLeopard]

9. "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein

It's a must read to understand disaster capitalism and how it has become an art in the last 30 years.

[lostnfound]

23. +1 nt

[BurtWorm]

27. So is No Logo, also by Klein.

[asdjrocky]

11. Hard to believe that no one has mentioned-

Peoples History yet. Howard Zinn. Read it people. It's easier to read than Chomsky and it tells the real story.

[Smarmie Doofus]

13. Good also. But not the best read, imo.

A scatter-shot sort of approach. A little of this and a little of that.

[Smarmie Doofus]

12. American Dreamer ( bio of Henry Wallace) by John Culver.

One can't help but wonder if the seriously ill FDR was in good mental health when he scuttled HW ( at the behest of the party 'regulars" and dixiecrats) in favor of the much more modestly equipped HST.

The world would be a a very different place.

[canoeist52]

15. "Free Lunch" by David Cay Johnston

Full title;

"Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)"

Corporate tax breaks- ugh!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. "Catch-22" to show how nuts the whole mess is.

[snot]

28. Thank you for reminding me of "fictional" contributions --

Now that you've reminded me, the first book I read that explored how corps. instigate wars for profit, and otherwise shape our lives, was Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow" (1973). At first, I found it utterly bewildering -- I simply couldn't take in the reality he described . . . .

[dana_b]

17. "Threshold" by Thom Hartmann

"Confessions of an Economic Hitman" was good, "What's The Matter With Kansas",and of course "People's History of the United States".

[Nikki Stone1]

19. Even better than Klein: The Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order

http://www.amazon.com/Globalization-Poverty-New-World-Order/dp/0973714700/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263074617&sr=8-1

[jonnyblitz]

20. "Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics" by Paul

Street of Zmag. It's a leftist critique that his hardcore followers wouldn't care for. I bought it as soon as it came out.

http://www.amazon.com/Barack-Obama-Future-American-Politics/dp/1594516316

[truth2power]

22. Chalmers Johnson's trilogy: Sorrows of empire, Blowback, and Nemesis.

[Hippo_Tron]

24. "What's the Matter with Kansas"

[XemaSab]

25. Lakoff

n/t

[snot]

29. Thank you all!

[BurtWorm]

30. Here are some oldies but goodies that influenced me

Small Is Beautiful, by EF Schumacher (Arguing for sustainable energy use and appropriately scaled technologies for the developing world. Buddhist economics.)

The Ecology of Freedom, by Murray Bookchin (Sophisticated non-hierarchical anarchism.)

Society of the Spectacle, by Guy Debord (Situationist International founder explains the theory of post-industrial social control via propaganda.)