Resources to empower responible citizenship
Books
- Get a copy of The Constitution of the United States of America and read it!. This is foundational to understanding the three branches of government in the USA. Every citizen should own a copy because it puts governance on US!
- Common Sense by Thomas Paine, a beautifully composed intellectual argument for the Revolutionary War, is a masterpiece of persuasive writing which helped me see how different our world is today from the agrarian society of the colonies and also how same we are in our desire for self-rule.
Get a simple Civics 101 textbook.
Most everyone I know fell asleep during Civics class in High School. Our democratic republic requires informed citizens who share their opinions and ideas. Our government only works when we follow the rules, but you have to understand how to go about it. I would love for readers to suggest a textbook here!
Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit by Parker J. Palmer
A must read. Work through the discussion guides with a small group of friends. A perfect resource for church groups looking to engage in citizenship studies. The author has a web site with videos.
News Services
- Reuter TV – Get the app for your phone. This is pure journalism by international Reuters reporters. Reuters is the largest international news agency. Really big pictures focus. You need to know what is happening globally.
- The New York Times subscription service. The daily digital is around $5 a month. This is an important source of national news and opinions. You don’t have to agree, but you should know what others are thinking nationally.
- State and city news. Find the best outlet for state and local news in your area. This may be the oldest newspaper in your state or a local TV station news. Find out who reports on the state legislator and your city government agendas. Find facts and watch for opinions that may express bias. I like newspapers with a letters to the editor section so you can practice reading opinion pieces from private citizens to see if you agree.
Internet/other media
- Your county election office website–bookmark it on your browser.
This is your all things election go to site. Think voter registration, voter requirements, previewing the official ballot for your location, signing up to work the polls, posting election results, announcements of run off and primary elections and the process and rules for absentee ballots and early voting. County government does the heavy lifting for voting of its citizens and you should have easy access to this information.
- Your county election office website–bookmark it on your browser.
- Every elected offical at all branches of government has their own website. Follow those whom you wish to hold accountable for their voting record.
- Each party also has a website which usually shares the party platform. If you are a party member, you will naturally want quick access to your party website.
- At this time it is difficult to offer good suggestions about other media, except to offer warnings of caution. Take information from social media with a grain of salt and look for sources that are reputable and not just reposting questionable material. If you follow blogs that are meaningful and helpful to your civic life please share with me through the contact page.
- I do regularly watch Beau of the Fifth Column on YouTube. He seems to be a voice of reason and common sense. I also gravitate to his sense of humor. He challenged me to continue this project with a faith based niche not seen in his views and work.
Community Groups
- Many community groups do advocacy for political policies and legislation. I want to share two groups that address community needs for the common good and are faith based. One in the Dallas area focuses on local issues and the other works in Texas for state wide issues:
1. Dallas Area Interfaith www.dai-iaf.org
This is a non-profit, non-partisan, multi-ethnic, multi-issue group of religious organizations, schools, and other groups in the Dallas Metropolitan area that develops skills to work with each other to identify common problems, find or create workable solutions, and to work together to implement system changes within society to achieve the common good. I have attended forums with elected officials who share their position on the proposed policies of the organization. They strive for the common good of the community through political pathways. They speak the truth to leaders. If you do not have such an organization in your community, think about starting one! This is a model of how religiously faithful people work together to improve their community.
2. Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy www.interfaithimpact.org
This is an interfaith group much like DAI, but they work mostly at the state level of governance. They have a lobbyist for faith initiatives in the Texas legislature and worked for voter registration state-wide. They are a group of people of faith working for justice.