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From Andy at Mass Revolution Now:

Democracy´s Edge by Frances Moore Lappé is a book I think every progressive should read. I finished reading it about two weeks ago and I still find myself thinking about the various themes raised in the book. In some ways it is hard to say exactly what is so amazing about the book but I shall try. Press on...

To begin with I believe the central theory of the book is one we should all take to heart. Lappé reminds us all that democracy isn´t static. Democracy isn´t something that we have but rather something we do, something we must practice. Too often we view democracy as simply what we have when... born; we believe that the freedoms around us are our exclusive entitlement rather than something use and defend. This sort of passivity has [led] us to George W. Bush. While we rested on our laurels assuming that the New Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society would carry us for generations a group of dedicated individuals was at work undermining those great insitutions by taking advantage of our general malaise. This group seemed to realize that the secret of democracy´s power is that it belongs to those who take advantage of it. And take advantage of it they have, the installation of W, and with him the power to appoint a judicial bench whose effect will be felt decades after they are out of power, being their crowning achievement.

We as a society need to wake up and begin participating again; we need to take back the power that is ours and with it regain the rights and freedoms reserved for us. As Lappé believes, we are on democracy´s edge and the only way from this brink is participation and activism.

There are also excellent chapters on the increasing influence of mega-corporations and the success individuals are having in taking on these companies and their wicked ways. One great example is the crusade against Home Depot and old forest timber. One small organization in Washington was able to change the entire corporate practice of Home Depot not by picketing and protesting alone but by working within the corporate structure as well as turning the PR heat up on the devasting eco practices of the lumber being sold by Home Depot. I think that example highlights the stuggle with corporations and progressives.

Personally I have nothing against corporations, it is often their practices that I do not support. I encourage and applaud efforts to reform irresponsible social behavior at companies of any size. I don´t think most progressives support the elemination of the corporation, just the elimination of the bad neighbor attitude that too many companies hold.

For me the book wasn´t so much about what it taught me (though I did learn a lot) as it was about the hope it instilled. People all over this country are doing their part to take democracy back, to practice democracy again.

After laying out her central theme she does a marvelous job of filling the rest of the book with excellent and engaging examples of individuals and groups that working hard in their communities to bring their areas back from the edge. My favorite chapter and examples come from the chapter on food politics (a subject Lappé knows well through her work as founder of the Small Planet Insitute). I was incredibly moved by the efforts underway to bring democracy back to our supermarkets and kitchen tables. The rapid "conglomeratization" of the food industry is freightening. While it seems like our shelves are burgeoning with more and more food choices the reality is that those choices are coming from fewer and fewer companies. Far too much of the food produced for this country and for the world is coming from too few farms. (For more on this check out the cover story of the May/June issue of Mother Jones.) One way Lappé encourages us to turn the tide is by participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). These farms are all over Massachusetts and quite a few of them offer pick up of farm fresh produce in such urban locales as JP, Cambridge, and Somerville. (To find local farmers markets and CSAs check out Local Harvest, a great resource on the subject.)

Lappé also focuses on the issues probably the most central to democracy: elections and voting. She talks about the need to explore fusion voting and instant runoff voting as solutions for the ever decreasing power of the vote in America. (Massachusetts has an organization devoted to bringing fusion voting to our state, Massachusetts Ballot Freedom, if you are interested in learning more.) Fusion voting already exists in New York state where Lappé says it has successfully brought voters that were otherwise disenchanted back into the fold because of the choice offered to voters. She also points out that fusion voting allows for the viability of third parties. I am not sure how supportive of fusion voting I am but any discussion on ways to make our vote truly count and to bring more people back to the booths and voting is a discussion worth having in my opinion.

Lappe also gives examples from around the country of successes on the clean elections front. Like any good progressive she sees the negative impact big money is having on our elections and recognizes that the staggering cost of funding a campaign is seriously straining our electoral process. Lappe also takes on the mega-corporations. Her angle, however, wasn´t about eliminating these big corporations but instead the focus was on the success efforts of individuals to reform the social irresponsible practices of these companies. My favorite example was the crusade of a small group in Washington determined to stop Home Depot´s practice of using old growth forests for their lumber. The group was successful not by protesting and picketing outside of Home Depot´s headquarters. Instead the group devised a brilliant plan to use the corporate structure against Home Depot. By influencing shareholders and waging a brilliant PR campaign this group was successful in changing the companies entire ethos regarding old growth forests. It is examples like this that make the book so excellent, the stories that remind us that small groups still have the real power and that hope must not be lost.

This book is ultimately about hope delivered by example. Each page contains another reason to keep up the fight whether it be because the facts compel us to or because we can see that all over this country success is being had by groups just like those to which many of us belong. We are reminded that democracy isn´t something we "have" but is something we must do and that when ordinary people start practicing democracy again people win. If we truly want change sitting on the sidelines talking about how that change must take place is not enough. I think the "slogan" of the Progressive Dems of Somerville sums it up perfectly: democracy demands participation. If you are not in the game it is time to check in and if you don´t plan on getting in then sit down and shut up because change only comes for those who demand it.

From Alternate Brain:

I'm almost done reading a wonderful book I'd like to share with all you Brainiacs out there. I was reading it and just thinking"wow, now THIS is some good stuff, and just crazy enough that it might work."

It's called Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life by Frances Moore Lappé. If that name sounds familiar, Lappé is the author of an old classic, Diet for a Small Planet. Her son Anthony is one of the creators of the Guerrilla News Network website. Her daughter Anna is also a writer, writing about our food supply, ways to make it healthier, and how the people can wrestle back their food supply from large companies who control most of what we eat and drink. Anna and her mom team up to write quite often.

What I like most about this book (and its earlier companion piece, Hope's Edge) is Lappé offers up not just a laundry list of problems facing our country and telling us how we got into this mess, she gives examples of citizens, just regular folks like you and me, who are actively doing something about these problems. Her basic philosophy is "Democracy is not something we have, it's something we DO." Simple, but true. It's the concept of creating a Living Democracy. And this, dear readers, is something I believe that is missing from how we go about things as the fight to save ourselves heats up.

For way too long, most of America has been convinced that they hold no power in changing"the way things are." We've been convinced, by media, by politicians and their operatives, by CEOs and corporate monopolies, that we have no say. And after all,this is America, we're lucky to live here in freedom and all that, right? It can't be THAT bad,can it? And besides we've limped and leaped along this far, why change how we do things ? Well, for one thing, if we don't change how we view ourselves and others, and we aren't willing to try something different once something breaks, Democracy Will Die. It will be lost. Only we can save it. Democracy is a living and breathing entity, it's supposed to change and adapt to suit our needs(wants is another matter entirely, and today those lines are very blurred. Most of America is spoiled rotten, and we behave accordingly too much of the time)not remain stagnant. Our core principles are unmovable, as they should be, but the way we implement and use those principles is key.

Yes it can die, it is dying, we all know it, even if we can't admit it to ourselves. And even if we can admit it, very few solutions are offered up, other than winning elections or running for office. Yes, those things matter too, but to forget that politics and elections are only two tools available is to get in our own way.

As things stand today, it's clear the leaders of our nation do not believe or trust in us.They lie,manipulate us, steal from us,and make damned sure we keep fighting among ourselves so we don't watch what they're doing in secret. They've dumbed us down, peddled and pandered to hatred ,fear, shame, and humiliation, forcing us to accept their will, making us irrelevant.

We tend to look at the big picture, and overlook our own backyard.

The ideas and programs highlighted in this book cross party lines, lines of religion, color, and culture. Because really, if you think about it what do we all have in common? Think of it:

1) Basic needs being met. Food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education are not only for the well off, they are essential to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

2) A means for each and every one among us to work to provide those basic needs, a Living Wage. This preserves the Dignity of All,nothing is more humiliating than being unable to provide for the needs of yourself and those you love. It's demeaning. A hand up,not a handout. You cannot pull yourself up by a damned bootstrap if you have no boots and no where to get a pair.

3) Education. This is HUGE. Public schools are in trouble,but most of the trouble lies in a series of policies made from a distance that get in the way of children leaving their school years with usable skills. Community involvement is a key to stopping these destructive policies and directing funding TO the classrooms.Things can change on a local level. I know from personal experience,with my intervention and giving dedicated teachers information they could use,our county now has Autism classes in their Special Ed curriculum. I can't take credit for this,it was all the teachers' doing. I just brought them the info and spoke to administrators and board members as an assist. If I had remained silent,many boys (and it is almost exclusively boys who find their way to these classes. In seven years I think I've seen two girls in my son's classrooms) wouldn't be getting the help they need. Good ideas are catchy. Our program is based on some excellent work being done in Seattle for autistic children in public schools.One of our teachers went to Seattle on her summer vacation, talked to the teachers there and came back with an excellent Power Point presentation that sold everyone on the idea. We have our problems in this school system (attack of the killer fundies anyone?), but we do have an excellent Special Education program.

4) A safe community. Today we live in fear and mistrust of one another. We've been manipulated to be afraid of some "other"that lurks in the shadows of every street. If we can shed that fear and work together, neighborhoods by extension become safer. Democracy is not a passive exercise.

There's just so much good stuff in this book, it's impossible to condense it all into one post. I got my copy of Democracy's Edge for under 15 bucks at Amazon, a small price to pay to be inspired.

In the coming weeks, I'm going to try to dig up some info on various Living Democracy Projects taking place in various places around the country. And maybe I'll share some of my own ideas. Because really, in the end, the only way to stop feeling helpless is to help.

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Lappé is a pioneer in democratic thought and action. Democracy's Edge exemplifies her path blazing role in keeping democracy alive in our time.
-Cornel West
Professor, Princeton University

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