Books
A short list of very good books
Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?
With Marijuana is Safer, nationally recognized marijuana policy experts Steve Fox, Paul Armentano and Mason Tvert have produced the first book in history fully dedicated to examining the relative harms and the illogical legal status of the two most popular recreational substances in the world -- marijuana and alcohol. Through an objective examination of the two drugs and the laws and social practices that steer people toward alcohol, the book poses a simple yet rarely considered question: Why do we punish adults who make the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol? Marijuana is Safer has something for everyone. For those unfamiliar with marijuana, it provides an introduction to the plant and its effect on the user, and reveals the truth behind some of the government's most frequently cited marijuana myths. For current or future professional marijuana advocates and individuals interested in what is likely to become a major political battle in the not-to-distant future, the book explains why the "marijuana is safer than alcohol" message must be a prominent part of the public debate over legalization.
But most importantly, for the millions of Americans who want to help advance the cause of marijuana policy reform -- or simply want to defend their own personal "safer" choice -- the book supplies the talking points and detailed information needed to make persuasive arguments to friends, family, co-workers, and elected officials. Written in a reader-friendly style, but loaded with facts and insightful analysis about the "war on marijuana" and the drive to end it, Marijuana is Safer is the perfect book for anyone who has - or has not - ever wondered, "Why are we driving people to drink?"
A sampling of endorsements of Marijuana is Safer:
"The follies of marijuana prohibition have never been laid bare with more erudition and plain common sense. Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? is a book every citizen needs to read, and a question we all have to raise our voices to ask." --Barbara Ehrenreich, bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America and This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation
"As one who has been entrusted with maintaining the public's safety, I strongly believe--and most people agree--that our laws should punish people who do harm to others. But by banning the use of marijuana and punishing individuals who merely possess the substance, it is difficult to see what harm we are trying to prevent. From my own work and the experiences of other members of the law enforcement community, it is abundantly clear that marijuana is rarely, if ever, the cause of disruptive or violent behavior. That marijuana causes very little social harm is reason enough in a free society to legalize it for adults. But as Steve, Paul, and Mason so brilliantly demonstrate in this book, an even more persuasive reason is that by prohibiting marijuana we are steering people toward a substance that far too many people already abuse, namely alcohol." -- Norm Stamper, former Chief of the Seattle Police Department (from the book's foreword)
themarijuanabookbomb.com
Swim Against The Current by Jim Hightower and Susan DeMarco
The New York Times bestselling author and America's funniest activist gives the lowdown on how to put up-not shut up-in the fight for our future.
Hightower, the country's #1 populist, has picked up some useful advice over the years, from "never eat at a caf� featuring 'bargain kebobs'" to "never hit a man with glasses; hit him with something much heavier." As he and his longtime co-conspirator Susan DeMarco have rambled through grassroots America, however, they've also come up with more serious words of wisdom to share here, namely: question authority, trust your values, seek alternatives, break away, stand up for your beliefs, and swim against the current!
Their book introduces readers to people across the country who have actually done this-people in business, politics, health care, farming, religion, and other areas who are taking charge, living their values, doing good, and doing well. Hightower and DeMarco show how they are doing precisely what the elites want us to believe can't be done: changing their lives and making a difference. He tells the stories of these people and offers inspiration and information that will help readers tap into their own maverick potential in order to navigate a different, more satisfying course of their own.
Whether they are young and just starting out or older and searching for a different path, the commonsense folks in this book have escaped the corporate tentacles to find their own way toward a richer life and a better American future. They are creating a new, deeply democratic model for the country, edging it back onto the long road toward egalitarianism and the common good.
Hightower and DeMarco are at their contrarian, sharp-witted, and straight-shooting best as they celebrate the triumph of grassroots gumption over the tight-fisted grip of corporate control.
Fritjof Capra's "Hidden Connections"
Fritof Capra, unsung hero of a sustainable future for humanity, continues his quest for a unified theory of "life, the universe, and everything" in his book;
"Hidden Connections".
Begun early on, this quest, started in his book; "The Tao of Physics" and then; "The Web of Life" and it has only gotten more comprehensive as a plan in his latest book.
In "Hidden Connections", Fritjof Capra offers a clear path forward for humanity in our struggle for a sustainable way of life.
Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic by Chalmers Johnson
In Blowback, Chalmers Johnson linked the CIA's clandestine activities abroad to disaster at home. In The Sorrows of Empire, he explored the ways in which the growth of American militarism has jeopardized our stability. Now, in Nemesis, he shows how imperial overstretch is undermining the republic itself, both economically and politically. Delving into new areas--from plans to militarize outer space to Constitution-breaking presidential activities at home and the corruption of a toothless Congress--Nemesis offers a description of the trap into which the dreams of America's leaders have taken us. Drawing comparisons to empires past, Johnson explores just what the unintended consequences of our dependence on a permanent war economy are likely to be. What does it mean when the globe's sole "hyperpower," no longer capable of paying for the ambitions of its leaders, becomes the greatest hyper-debtor of all times?--From publisher description.
More details
Nemesis: the last days of the American Republic
By Chalmers A. Johnson
Published by Macmillan, 2006
ISBN 0805079114, 9780805079111
354 pages
