Events of the last 12 months have led to a crisis in American values. With the passage of the so-called Patriot Act, the War Powers Act, and the presidential edict establishing military tribunals, with Congress and the major mass media championing the government party line, civil liberties and the founding democratic principles of the United States of America are in grave jeopardy. Dissent and disagreement have become "unpatriotic" and "un-American."
A Time for Choices addresses these contemporary challenges to democracy through dialogues that expand the field of possibilities with the views of leading thinkers, educators, political analysts, activists, social innovators, clergy, journalists, philosophers, and spiritual teachers. These are the voices of the fourth branch of government, the bedrock of American democracy-the people-speaking out and questioning policy. The dialogues are grouped in nine sections and include:
Reflections on 9-11: Terry Tempest Williams and Robert Fuller
What is Democracy: Kevin Danaher and Lynne Twist
The Media is the Message: Paul Hawken, Anita Roddick, and Norman Solomon
Giving Peace a Voice: Howard Zinn and Susan Griffin
The Search for Security: William McDonough and John Mohawk
The People - The 4th Branch of Government: Noam Chomsky and Amy Goodman
The Spiritual Dimension: Joanna Macy and Thomas Moore
Other Voices: As'ad Abukhalil and Tahmeena Farval
Visions of the Future: Vicki Robin and Jean Houston
The book will appeal to all seeking to understand the deeper roots of the crises facing the United States.
Michael Toms is the co-founder and principal host of New Dimensions Radio-heard on more than 350 stations in the U.S. He has spent 30 years covering social change and global transformation issues. The Board Chairman Emeritus of the California Institute of Integral Studies, Toms is the author of many books on business, work, Buddhism, and social issues.
