On four successive Mondays in Tacoma, July 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2007, UFPPC's book discussion group will examine some books that question whether broad sectors of the public and many American leaders have lost their grip on reality.[1]  --  This topic is inspired by the publication of The Assault on Reason by Al Gore.  --  Other volumes to be discussed: Greg Palast's Armed Madhouse: From Baghdad to New Orleans—Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild, Chris Mooney's The Republican War on Science, Kevin Phillips's American Theocracy: The Perils and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century, and, for something less heavy, Carl Hiaasen's Basket Case....

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WHAT: Digging Deeper XXXIII: Have they lost their minds?
WHO: Led by Mark Jensen
WHEN: Monday, July 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2007 -- 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Mandolin Café, 3923 South 12th St., Tacoma, WA 98405

Al Gore’s new book, The Assault on Reason, is a national bestseller—number one in the week ending on June 2, according to the New York Times Book Review. Its publication offers an occasion to ask:  Have broad sectors of the public and many American leaders lost their grip on reality?  Faced with deepening social, economic, political, and climatic problems, have they come under the sway of ideologies and mind-sets that render them incapable of responding to the challenges we face?  Are we in the midst of what Kevin Phillips calls “a national Disenlightenment”?  If so, what can we do to bring our fellow citizens and our leaders to their senses?

United for Peace of Pierce County’s book discussion group, “Digging Deeper,” will spend four weeks examining some books that share these concerns:

— Al Gore, The Assault on Reason (Penguin, 2007).  —  "We are at a pivotal moment in American democracy.  The persistent and sustained reliance on falsehoods as the basis of policy, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, has reached levels that were previously unimaginable. . . . Today, reason is under assault by forces using sophisticated techniques such as propaganda, psychology, and electronic mass media.  Yet, democracy's advocates are beginning to use their own sophisticated techniques:  the Internet, online organizing, blogs, and wikis.  Although the challenges we face are great, I am more confident than ever before that democracy will prevail . . . It is my great hope that those who read my book will choose to become part of a new movement to rekindle the true spirit of America." —Al Gore.

— Carl Hiaasen, Basket Case (Knopf, 2002; Grand Central Publishing, 2003; paperback).  —  "A hilarious sendup of exotic Floridian fauna in the newspaper business, the novel offers all the same treats Hiassen's fans have come to crave." —Publishers Weekly.

— Greg Palast, Armed Madhouse: From Baghdad to New Orleans—Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild (Plume, 2007; paperback).  —  "At once scary, infuriating, fascinating, and frustrating, this book covers almost all the controversial political territory of the new century (see the subtitle), including Hurricane Katrina." —Publishers Weekly.

— Chris Mooney, Republican War on Science (Basic Books, 2005; paperback 2006).  —  "Chris Mooney ties together the disparate strands of the attack on science into a compelling and frightening account of our government's increasing preference for ideologically driven pseudoscience over legitimate research."  —Book jacket.

— Kevin Phillips, American Theocracy: The Perils and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century (Viking, 2006; paperback 2007).  —  "Phillips (American Dynasty) expounds upon historical parallels for each of his three subjects. . . . The lesson of the past, he warns, is that intractable national issues 'generate weak and compromising politicians or zealous bumblers.'"  —Publishers Weekly.

Since July 2004, United for Peace of Pierce County has been conducting “Digging Deeper,” a Monday-night book discussion group, often in the form of a study circle.  Topics have included peak oil, climate change, the corporation, Iran, the writings of Robert Baer, Islam, the evolutionary psychology of human aggression, and American fascism, as well as abiding themes of war, peace, politics, and social change.  Occasionally, the group has spent several weeks reading longer works, like Daniel Yergin’s The Prize or Robert Fisk’s The Great War for Civilisation.

DIGGING DEEPER meets every Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mandolin Café, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, WA.

Participation is free.  Some copies of these volumes are available for lending or purchase.  Info:  contact Mark Jensen (jensenmk@plu.edu; 253-535-7219).

Regular meetings of United for Peace of Pierce County are held at 7:00 p.m. on 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings at First Congregational Church, 209 South “J” St., Tacoma, WA.

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United for Peace
of Pierce County
Study Circle:
July 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2007
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