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The People's Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him
by Amul Thapar"Amul Thapar sets the record straight with this can't-put-down series of stories that reveal the courage, decency, and humanity of the man behind what many are calling the Thomas Court." —Megyn Kelly, journalist"Amul Thapar has done what even gifted law professors and professional 'Court watchers' often fail to do: Thapar has focused on the men and women whose lives are before the nine and on how one justice, Clarence Thomas, has carefully, consistently, and compassionately applied his understanding of the Constitution to those lives." — Hugh Hewitt, host of The Hugh Hewitt Show and professor of lawFor thirty years, Clarence Thomas has been denounced as the &“cruelest justice,&” a betrayer of his race, an ideologue, and the enemy of the little guy. In this compelling study of the man and the jurist, Amul Thapar demolishes that caricature. Every day, Americans go to court. Invoking the Constitution, they fight for their homes, for a better education for their children, and to save their cities from violence. Recounting the stories of a handful of these ordinary Americans whose struggles for justice reached the Supreme Court, Thapar shines new light on the heart and mind of Clarence Thomas. A woman in debilitating pain whose only effective medication has been taken away by the government, the motherless children of a slain police officer, victims of sexual assault— read their eye-opening stories, stripped of legalese, and decide for yourself whether Thomas&’s originalist jurisprudence delivers equal justice under law. &“Finding the right answer,&” Justice Thomas has observed, &“is often the least difficult problem.&” What is needed is &“the courage to assert that answer and stand firm in the face of the constant winds of protest and criticism.&” That courage—along with wisdom and compassion—shines out from every page of The People&’s Justice. At the heart of this book is the question: Would you want to live in Justice Thomas&’s America? After reading these stories, even his critics might be surprised by their answer.
The People's Lawyer: The Life and Times of Frank J. Kelley, the Nation's Longest-Serving Attorney General (Painted Turtle)
by Frank J. Kelley Jack LessenberryAfter several years as a small-town lawyer in Alpena, Frank J. Kelley was unexpectedly appointed Michigan's attorney general at the end of 1961. He never suspected that he would continue to serve until 1999, a national record. During that time, he worked with everyone from John and Bobby Kennedy to Bill Clinton and jump-started the careers of dozens of politicians and public figures, including U.S. Senator Carl Levin and Governors James Blanchard and Jennifer Granholm. In The People's Lawyer: The Life and Times of Frank J. Kelley, the Nation's Longest-Serving Attorney General, Kelley and co-author Jack Lessenberry reflect on the personal and professional journey of the so-called godfather of the Michigan Democratic Party during his incredible life and thirty-seven years in office. The People's Lawyer chronicles Kelley's early life as the son of second-generation Irish immigrants, whose father, Frank E. Kelley, started out as a Detroit saloon keeper and became a respected Democratic Party leader. Kelley tells of becoming the first of his family to go to college and law school, his early days as a lawyer in northern Michigan, and how he transformed the office of attorney general as an active crusader for the people. Among other accomplishments, Kelley describes establishing the first Office of Consumer Protection in the country, taking on Michigan's public utility companies, helping to end racially restrictive real estate practices, and helping to initiate the multibillion-dollar Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. Kelley frames his work against a backdrop of the social and political upheaval of his times, including the 1967 Detroit riots, the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. All those interested in American history and legal history will enjoy this highly readable, entertaining account of Kelley's life of public service.
The People's Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy
by Joe MathewsCalifornia voters passed Proposition 13 in 1978. At the same time, a champion bodybuilder named Arnold Schwarzenegger was becoming a movie star. Over the past quarter century, the twin arts of direct democracy (through ballot initiatives designed to push the public to the polls on election day) and blockbuster moviemaking (through movies designed to push the public to the theaters on opening weekend) grew up together, at home in California. With the state's recall election in 2003, direct democracy and blockbuster movies officially merged. The result: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In The People's Machine, political reporter Joe Mathews, who covered Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign for the Los Angeles Times and who has subsequently broken many front page stories about him, traces the roots of both movie and political populism, how Schwarzenegger used these twin forces to win election and, especially, how he has used them to govern. "Let the people decide," said Governor Schwarzenegger after his inauguration. The People's Machine, through remarkable access and whip-smart analysis-there is news in this book-reports on whether this system of governing proves blessing, curse, or mess, and on the remarkable Austrian bodybuilder, movie star, and political man with the nerve to carry it out.
The People's Mandate: Referendums and a More Democratic Canada
by J. Patrick BoyerA mood of anger with the political system has been stirring across Canada; yet rather than turning away from the system, many Canadians are actually seeking a greater say in matters that affect them. they want to become more effective participants in the political process. In this timely book, Patrick Boyer examines the important role that direct democracy -- through the occasional use of referendums, plebscites, and inniatives -- can play in concert with our existing institutions of representative democracy. This concept is not alien to our country, says Boyer, pointing to the two national plebiscites (on prohibition of alcohol in 1898 and consciption for overseas military service in 1942), some sixty provincial plebscites (on everything from sovereignty-association to abortion, medicare to women's suffrage, prohibition to ownership of power companies), and several thousand at the municipal level. Direct voting is an important instrument in a truly democratic society, Boyer argues, and it has a more important rold in the current reformation of Canada than some in the comfortable growing governing classes want to admit. In addition to clarifying an issue, it is an educational tool, as the plebiscite campaign becomes a national teach-in. Canadians can become participants, rathe rthan mere spectators, in the major changes and transcending isues that affect the future of our country. The People's Mandate is a helpful guide to understanding the distinctions between plebiscites and referendums in a purely Canadian context. It addresses some of the concerns about this unparliamentary practice, and makes a powerful and logical statement about democracy. In sum, Boyer believes it is essential to govern with the trust of the people.
The People's Money
by Scott RasmussenWhen it comes to the economy, American voters can no longer count on the Political Class. We are the ones who truly want progress, and--despite what politicians would lead us to believe--we are the only ones willing to make the difficult but necessary changes that willrestore our country's fiscal sanity.For years, Americans have elected candidates who promise to reduce spending. Yet spending has steadily increased for more than half a century. For just as long, politicians have blamed voters, claiming a lack of public support for the necessary cuts to reduce the budget deficit. On the contrary, evidence suggests that voters are far more willing than politicians to make the compromises to eliminate this massive burden from future generations. Now, influential political analyst Scott Rasmussen, one of the most recognized public opinion pollsters in America, proves that our politicians are intentionally perpetrating a flat-out lie about their short-sighted and destructive economic choices and our hard-earned money. In The People's Money, Rasmussen explores clear-headed, responsible, and reasonable ways to eliminate a deficit that is much larger than politicians would have us believe--$123 trillion and counting--all with the vast support of the American people. This is Rasmussen on:·The bailouts--the cause and effects, and the catalyst that fueled the current era of discontent·National defense--and the $100 billion annual cost that could be erased today with absolutely no threat to security·Social security--and a plan that could not only reduce spending by trillions of dollars but offer a more satisfying plan for retirees·Tax burdens--and the truth behind the changes Americans are willing to make for the sake of their country·Government payroll--and the commonsense cuts that are necessary·Health care--and why the current plans, from both Republicans and Democrats, are financially unhealthy Drawing on a comprehensive review of history, revelatory budgetary documents, and enlightening public opinion polls, Rasmussen lays out a step-by-step budget that could wipe out trillions from the national debt. It's his job to call on the American people for their opinion. Resoundingly, they have called back with a collective voice that is at once hopeful, frustrated, honest, and angry. If only the American Political Class would listen. Until then, The People's Money is a call to arms for the people to be heard, an ultimatum for a grossly out-of-touch American political system, and one of the most provocative, important, informed, and yet hopeful books on the economic state of the country yet written.
The People's Money: Pensions, Debt, and Government Services (The Urban Agenda #21)
by Michael A. PaganoAmerican cities continue to experience profound fiscal crises. Falling revenues cannot keep pace with the increased costs of vital public services, infrastructure development and improvement, and adequately funded pensions. Chicago presents an especially vivid example of these issues, as the state of Illinois's rocky fiscal condition compounds the city's daunting budget challenges.In The People's Money, Michael A. Pagano curates a group of essays that emerged from discussions at the 2018 UIC Urban Forum. The contributors explore fundamental questions related to measuring the fiscal health of cities, including how cities can raise revenue, the accountability of today's officials for the future financial position of a city, the legal and practical obstacles to pension reform and a balanced budget, and whether political collaboration offers an alternative to the competition that often undermines regional governance.Contributors: Jered B. Carr, Rebecca Hendrick, Martin J. Luby, David Merriman, Michael A. Pagano, David Saustad, Casey Sebetto, Michael D. Siciliano, James E. Spiotto, Gary Strong, Shu Wang, and Yonghong Wu
The People's News: Media, Politics, and the Demands of Capitalism
by Joseph E. UscinskiUncovers the surprising cause behind the recent rise of fake newsIn an ideal world, journalists act selflessly and in the public interest regardless of the financial consequences. However, in reality, news outlets no longer provide the most important and consequential stories to audiences; instead, news producers adjust news content in response to ratings, audience demographics, and opinion polls. While such criticisms of the news media are widely shared, few can agree on the causes of poor news quality. The People’s News argues that the incentives in the American free market drive news outlets to report news that meets audience demands, rather than democratic ideals. In short, audiences’ opinions drive the content that so often passes off as “the news.”The People’s News looks at news not as a type of media but instead as a commodity bought and sold on the market, comparing unique measures of news content to survey data from a wide variety of sources. Joseph Uscinski’s rigorous analysis shows news firms report certain issues over others—not because audiences need to know them, but rather, because of market demands. Uscinski also demonstrates that the influence of market demands also affects the business of news, prohibiting journalists from exercising independent judgment and determining the structure of entire news markets as well as firm branding.Ultimately, the results of this book indicate profit-motives often trump journalistic and democratic values. The findings also suggest that the media actively responds to audiences, thus giving the public control over their own information environment. Uniting the study of media effects and media content, The People’s News presents a powerful challenge to our ideas of how free market media outlets meet our standards for impartiality and public service.
The People's Own Landscape: Nature, Tourism, And Dictatorship In East Germany
by Scott MorandaEast Germany’s Socialist Unity Party aimed to placate a public well aware of the higher standards of living enjoyed elsewhere by encouraging them to participate in outdoor activities and take vacations in the countryside. Scott Moranda considers East Germany’s rural landscapes from the perspective of both technical experts (landscape architects, biologists, and physicians) who hoped to dictate how vacationers interacted with nature, and the vacationers themselves, whose outdoor experience shaped their understanding of environmental change. As authorities eliminated traditional tourist and nature conservation organizations, dissident conservationists demanded better protection of natural spaces. At the same time, many East Germans shared their government’s expectations for economic development that had real consequences for the land. By the 1980s, environmentalists saw themselves as outsiders struggling against the state and a public that had embraced mainstream ideas about limitless economic growth and material pleasures.
The People's Pension
by Eric Laursen"Laursen has given us a comprehensive account of the three decade long war against Social Security. . . . This is a fascinating history that progressives must learn, not only to protect Social Security but also to understand the dynamics behind an effective long-term strategy."--Dean Baker, author of False Profits: Recovering From the Bubble Economy "This magnificent history documents the hydra-headed campaign to cut and kill Social Security, conducted over decades by rightwing bankers, foundations, economists, and politicians. [The People's Pension] is utterly urgent."--James K. Galbraith, author of The Predator State The People's Pension is both groundbreaking history and an indispensable guide for anyone concerned about one of the biggest issues in the upcoming election. With 95 percent of Americans participating in the program either as beneficiaries or through their payroll tax contributions, Social Security is quite literally the "glue" that binds Americans together as a community. Yet in the aftermath of the debt reduction deal between Barack Obama and congressional Republicans, the 2012 election promises to be a kind of referendum on the size and role of government--including economic support programs like Social Security. Arguing to democratize, not disable, the program, Eric Laursen suggests that the only solution for Social Security is taking it out of the government's hands altogether. Eric Laursen is an independent financial and political journalist, activist, and commentator. The co-founder and former managing editor of Plan Sponsor, a magazine for pension fund executives, Laursen is also the co-author of Understanding the Crash (2010). His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The Huffington Post, The Nation, Institutional Investor, The Village Voice, and Investment Dealer's Digest.
The People's Pension
by Eric Laursen"Laursen has given us a comprehensive account of the three decade long war against Social Security. . . . This is a fascinating history that progressives must learn, not only to protect Social Security but also to understand the dynamics behind an effective long-term strategy."--Dean Baker, author of False Profits: Recovering From the Bubble Economy "This magnificent history documents the hydra-headed campaign to cut and kill Social Security, conducted over decades by rightwing bankers, foundations, economists, and politicians. [The People's Pension] is utterly urgent."--James K. Galbraith, author of The Predator State The People's Pension is both groundbreaking history and an indispensable guide for anyone concerned about one of the biggest issues in the upcoming election. With 95 percent of Americans participating in the program either as beneficiaries or through their payroll tax contributions, Social Security is quite literally the "glue" that binds Americans together as a community. Yet in the aftermath of the debt reduction deal between Barack Obama and congressional Republicans, the 2012 election promises to be a kind of referendum on the size and role of government--including economic support programs like Social Security. Arguing to democratize, not disable, the program, Eric Laursen suggests that the only solution for Social Security is taking it out of the government's hands altogether. Eric Laursen is an independent financial and political journalist, activist, and commentator. The co-founder and former managing editor of Plan Sponsor, a magazine for pension fund executives, Laursen is also the co-author of Understanding the Crash (2010). His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The Huffington Post, The Nation, Institutional Investor, The Village Voice, and Investment Dealer's Digest.
The People's Poet: William Barnes of Dorset
by Alan ChedzoyBorn the child of an agricultural labourer in Dorset’s Blackmore Vale, by self-education William Barnes (1801-1886) rose to be a lawyer's clerk, a schoolmaster, a much-loved clergyman, and a scholar who could read over seventy languages. He also became the finest example of an English poet writing in a rural dialect. In this book, Alan Chedzoy shows how, uniquely, he presented the lives of pre-industrial rural people in their own language. He also recounts how Barnes’s linguistic studies enabled him to defend the controversial notion that the dialect of the labouring people of Wessex was the purest form of English. Serving both as an anthology and an account of how the poems came to be written, this biography is essential reading for anyone who wants to discover more about the man who, in an obituary, Thomas Hardy described as ‘probably the most interesting link between present and past life that England possessed’.
The People's Princess
by Larry KingIn the ten years since Princess Diana’s shocking and tragic death in 1997, her hold on the world’s imagination has only increased. ForThe People’s Princess, Larry King asked many people who knew Diana, some officially and some more personally, for their favorite memories. Sir Richard Branson recalls Diana sitting in the cockpit of one of his private planes with baby Prince William on her lap; as they flew past Windsor Castle she announced, “On our right you have Grandma’s house!” Heather Mills, who, like Diana, has been a tireless campaigner for charitable causes, recalls Diana’s work to eradicate the scourge of land mines, as well as the time she was photographed shaking hands with an AIDS patient in a London hospital, doing so much to counteract the stigma associated with the disease at the time. British radio and television personality Chris Tarrant recalls how clearly nervous he was upon meeting Diana for the first time, and how she put him at ease with an incredibly rude joke about Kermit the Frog. Photographer Tim Graham remembers Diana lying on the floor with baby William in order to coax a smile from the young prince. And her chief bodyguard recalls how happy and at peace she seemed on the day he agreed to her simple request: to be allowed to walk, truly alone for once, along a beautiful, deserted beach. Some of these recollections are warm and intimate, celebrating Diana for her ability to make a human connection with everyone she met, others are perceptive and revealing, even about Diana’s human failings and frailties. Together, they coalesce into a multifaceted portrait of a woman that the world has long desired to know a little better.
The People's Property?: Power, Politics, and the Public.
by Donald Mitchell Lynn StaeheliThe People’s Property? is the first book-length scholarly examination of how negotiations over the ownership, control, and peopling of public space are central to the development of publicity, citizenship, and democracy in urban areas. The book asks the questions: Why does it matter who owns public property? Who controls it? Who is in it? Donald Mitchell and Lynn A. Staeheli answer the questions by focusing on the interplay between property (in its geographical sense, as a parcel of owned space) and people. Property rights are often defined as the "right to exclude." It is important, therefore, to understand who (what individual and corporate entities, governed by what kinds of regulations and restrictions) owns publicly accessible property. It is likewise important to understand the changing bases for excluding some people and classes of people from otherwise publicly accessible property. That is to say, it is important to understand how modes of access and possibilities for association in publicly accessible space vary for different individuals and different classes of people, if we are to understand the role public spaces play in shaping democratic possibilities. In what ways are urban public spaces "the people’s property" – and in what ways are they not? What does this mean for citizenship and the constitution of an inclusive, democratic polity? The book develops its argument through five case studies: protest in Washington DC; struggles over the Plaza of Santa Fe, NM; homelessness and property redevelopment in San Diego, CA; the enclosure of public space in a mall in Syracuse, NY; and community gardens in New York City. Though empirically focused on the US, the book is of broader interests as publics in all liberal democracies are under-going rapid reconsideration and transformation.
The People's Republic of Chemicals
by Chip Jacobs William J. KellyMaverick environmental writers William J. Kelly and Chip Jacobs follow up their acclaimed Smogtown with a provocative examination of China's ecological calamity already imperling a warming planet. Toxic smog most people figured was obsolete needlessly kills as many there as the 9/11 attacks every day, while sometimes Grand Canyon-sized drifts of industrial particles aloft on the winds rain down ozone and waterway-poisoning mercury in America. In vivid, gonzo prose blending first-person reportage with exhaustive research and a sense of karma, Kelly and Jacobs describe China's ancient love affair with coal, Bill Clinton's blunders cutting free-trade deals enabling the U.S. to "export" manufacturing emissions to Asia in a shift that pilloried the West's middle class, Communist Party manipulation of eco-statistics, the horror of "Cancer Villages," the deception of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and spellbinding "peasant revolts" against cancer-spreading plants involving thousands in mostly censored melees. Ending with China's monumental coal-bases decried by climatologists as a global warming dagger, The People's Republic of Chemicals names names and stresses humans over bloodless numbers in a classic sure to ruffle feathers as an indictment of money as the real green that not even Al Gore can deny.
The People's Republic of Walmart: How the World's Biggest Corporations are Laying the Foundation for Socialism (Jacobin)
by Leigh Phillips Michal RozworskiSince the demise of the USSR, the mantle of the largest planned economies in the world has been taken up by the likes of Walmart, Amazon and other multinational corporations For the left and the right, major multinational companies are held up as the ultimate expressions of free-market capitalism. Their remarkable success appears to vindicate the old idea that modern society is too complex to be subjected to a plan. And yet, as Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski argue, much of the economy of the West is centrally planned at present. Not only is planning on vast scales possible, we already have it and it works. The real question is whether planning can be democratic. Can it be transformed to work for us? An engaging, polemical romp through economic theory, computational complexity, and the history of planning, The People’s Republic of Walmart revives the conversation about how society can extend democratic decision-making to all economic matters. With the advances in information technology in recent decades and the emergence of globe-straddling collective enterprises, democratic planning in the interest of all humanity is more important and closer to attainment than ever before.
The People's Republics of Eastern Europe (Routledge Library Editions: Revolution #20)
by Jürgen TampkeThis book, first published in 1983, goes beyond the ‘black and white’ literature of many East–West observers to offer a more nuanced assessment of the achievements of the Eastern bloc countries of the early 1980s. It covers the emergence of ‘Eastern Europe’ from revolution and war, the politics and economics of the new countries and their relationships with the West.
The People's Revolution of 1789
by Micah AlpaughThe People's Revolution of 1789 analyzes the historic events that unleashed a vast panoply of anarchic, destructive, and creative disorders that demolished France's Old Regime and founded a new revolutionary order. It captures the complex and dynamic interplay of uprisings, elections, meetings, and revolutionary moments that helped create modern freedom. The People's Revolution of 1789 is the first book to chronicle the Parisian, provincial, and colonial movements of 1789 together. In doing so, Micah Alpaugh builds from hundreds of local and regional studies and sources on the French Revolution to provide a new interpretation of the powerful contestations that created the modern revolutionary tradition. He explores the multiplicity of movements—anarchistically operating without a common leader and usually in only loose coordination—that gave the revolutionary dynamic its power, without which the legislators' revolution at Versailles would have failed or been severely curtailed. The rapid onslaught of protests across the First Year of Liberty compounded their effects, overpowering authorities' efforts to maintain a degenerating order and forcing the establishment of a more open system. The People's Revolution of 1789 reveals in new ways how the French revolutionaries ended feudalism, established human rights, abolished the police, and instituted new elected governments. By returning emphasis to the people's revolution, we can better understand how world history's most consequential revolution developed, as millions of French people embraced direct action in hopes of fundamental change. Through the movements of millions, the French created the most powerful revolution the world had yet experienced.
The People's Right to the Novel: War Fiction in the Postcolony
by Eleni CoundouriotisThis study offers a literary history of the war novel in Africa. Coundouriotis argues that this genre, aimed more specifically at African readers than the continent’s better-known bildungsroman tradition, nevertheless makes an important intervention in global understandings of human rights.The African war novel lies at the convergence of two sensibilities it encounters in European traditions: the naturalist aesthetic and the discourse of humanitarianism, whether in the form of sentimentalism or of human rights law. Both these sensibilities are present in culturally hybrid forms in the African war novel, reflecting its syncretism as a narrative practice engaged with the colonial and postcolonial history of the continent.The war novel, Coundouriotis argues, stakes claims to collective rights that contrast with the individualism of the bildungsroman tradition. The genre is a form of people’s history that participates in a political struggle for the rights of the dispossessed.
The People's Train
by Thomas KeneallyArtem Samsurov, an ardent follower of Lenin and a hero of the rebellion, flees his Siberian labor camp for the sanctuary of Brisbane, Australia in 1911. Failing to find the worker’s paradise and brotherhood he imagined, Artem quickly joins the agitation for a general strike among the growing trade union movement. He finds a fellow spirit in a dangerously attractive female lawyer and becomes entangled in the death of another Tsarist exile. But, Atrem can’t overcome the corruption, repression, and injustice of the conservative Brisbane. When he returns to Russia in 1917 for the Red October, will his beliefs stand? Based on the true story of Artem Sergeiv, a Russian immigrant in Australia who would play a vital role in the Russian Revolution, The People’s Train explores the hearts of the men and women who fueled, compromised, and passionately fought for their ideals.
The People's Victory: Stories from the Front Lines in the Fight for Marriage Equality
by David Thompson John Lewis Scott Smith Robert Sullivan Edie Windsor Del Shores J. Scott Coatsworth Alex Mccord Amos Lim Anne Tischer Baltimore Gonzalez Beau Chandler Billy Bradford Brian Maschka Brian Silva Carmen Goodyear Cathy Marino-Thomas Charlie Scatamacchia Cheryle Lambert-Rudd Christine Allen Colleen Mewing David Cameron Strachan Davina Kotulski Ellen Pontac Frank Capley-Alfano Fred Anguera Gender Offenders Geoff Callan Jamila Tharp Jan Thompson Joe Capley-Alfano Jokie X Wilson Jolene Mewing Joseph Vitale Joy O'Donnell Kate Burns Kirsten Berzon Kitty Lambert-Rudd Laurie York Leslie Stewart Mark Major" Jiminez Marriage Equality Usa Martha Mcdevitt-Pugh Marvin Burrows Matthew Baume Michael Boyajian Michael Farino Michael Markiewicz Michael Sabatino Mike Goettemoeller Mike Shaw Mir Reyad Molly Mckay Peter Mesh Robert Voorheis Roland Stringfellow Sam Thoron Sean Chapin Shelly Bailes Simon Van Kempen Stephanie Stolte Stuart Gaffney Tim Garcia Tracy Hollister Will Scott Zack Lyons"“The People’s Victory is a mirror for each of us to see our own power to fight for justice and create the change we want to see in our world.” – Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of CaliforniaIn 1996, a small group of Americans from all walks of life banded together to create one of the most miraculous political victories in modern American history. Opponents attacked the issue of marriage equality as amoral and a direct threat to families. Allies warned that it was a generation away from being practicable and a selfish drain of precious political capital. A stirring oral history told by those who almost inexplicably found themselves fighting on the front lines, The People's Victory recounts the successes – and the setbacks – that only served to strengthen everyone’s resolve to resist, fight, and bring equal marriage rights to an entire nation. Through it all, these love warriors found their voice and home in Marriage Equality USA, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots organization of its kind. While high profile books, articles and documentaries have covered the judicial and legislative machinations, this book puts a human face on the people who made the everyday personal sacrifices to keep the movement alive. The People’s Victory shares deeply moving personal testimonies of over sixty people, from Marvin Burrows, who was forced out of his home and lost many treasured possessions after losing his lost his partner of fifty years; to Kate Burns, who risked arrest for the first time when she stood up for her relationship; to Mike Goettemoeller, who pushed his mother in a wheelchair with Marriage Equality USA to fulfill her dream of marching in a Pride parade.Edie Windsor, the triumphant lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case United States vs. Windsor recounts shouting down a major LGBTQ organization with “I’m 77 years old and I can’t wait!!” when they attempted to belittle marriage as a critical issue. Writer and producer Del Shores shares the touching moment his young teenage daughter used tears and laughter to console him after the passage of Proposition 8 in California dealt a blow to the cause.The People’s Victory is an inspirational roadmap for anyone who has felt passionately about an issue, but has questioned whether one person’s contribution can make a difference. These candid accounts once again prove that every movement for important social change must be built on the acts of everyday. In fact, that is the only way the people have ever been victorious.In his introduction, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom writes: “I hope these stories inspire you to resist, to fight, to win and in the end write the next stories in our continuing push for a more just and perfect union.”
The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism
by Thomas FrankA &“brilliantly written, eye-opening&” look at how elites distort the meaning of populism by the bestselling author of What&’s the Matter with Kansas? (The Washington Post). Rarely does a work of history contain startling implications for the present, but in The People, No, New York Times-bestselling author Thomas Frank pulls off that explosive effect by showing us that everything we think we know about populism is wrong. Today &“populism&” is seen as a frightening thing, a term pundits use to describe the racist philosophy of Donald Trump and European extremists. But this is a mistake. The real story of populism is an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of American democracy itself, of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all. Taking us from the tumultuous 1890s, when the radical left-wing Populist Party—the biggest mass movement in American history—fought Gilded Age plutocrats to the reformers&’ great triumphs under Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, Frank reminds us how much we owe to the populist ethos. Frank also shows that elitist groups have reliably detested populism, lashing out at working-class concerns. The anti-populist vituperations by the Washington centrists of today are only the latest expression. Frank pummels the elites, revisits the movement&’s provocative politics, and declares true populism to be the language of promise and optimism. This is a ringing affirmation of a movement that, Frank shows us, is not the problem of our times, but the solution for what ails us. &“Frank describes an indigenous radical tradition that descends from Jefferson and Paine and stretches forward to Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. . . . Compelling.&” ―The New York Times Book Review &“Tom Frank does what few writers today are capable of doing―he criticizes his own side.&” ―The Wall Street Journal &“Readers come away knowing that at its heart, populism means just one thing: This land was made for you and me.&” ―The Washington Post
The People’s Constitution: The Populist Transformation of Constitutional Law? (European Union and its Neighbours in a Globalized World #17)
by Costas Stratilatis Akritas Kaidatzis Eleni Kalampakou Ifigeneia Kamtsidou Christos PapastylianosThe book explores in both theory and practice the challenges that various forms of populism pose to the dominant understandings of democratic representation and liberal constitutionalism. The volume brings together conceptual, analytical, and empirical dimensions of the relationship between populism and constitutional democracy. Moving beyond the dominant depiction of populism as “anti-pluralist”, scholars of legal and political theory, both well-known and early career researchers, discuss the paradoxes of constitutional democracy that populism brings to the surface, the complex role of the judiciary both as an enemy and as a potential ally of populism, the relationship between economic power and populism and ultimately the impasses of liberalism that populism forces us to revisit. These are highly topical issues that they have not been sufficiently explored in the literature. A significant asset of the volume is that it includes chapters on empirical studies from under-explored cases such as Southern Europe and the Balkans. Thus, the volume poses an original contribution to the existing literature on constitutional populism. Its originality along with the high quality of the research will make this book necessary for any constitutional and political theorist who aims to delve into the relationship between constitutionalism and populism.
The People’s Plaza: Sixty-Two Days of Nonviolent Resistance
by Justin JonesFrom June 12, 2020, until the passage of the state law making the occupation a felony two months later, peaceful protesters set up camp at Nashville's Legislative Plaza and renamed it for Ida B. Wells.Central to the occupation was Justin Jones, a student of Fisk University and Vanderbilt Divinity School whose place at the forefront of the protests brought him and the occupation to the attention of the Tennessee state troopers, state and US senators, and Governor Bill Lee. The result was two months of solidarity in the face of rampant abuse, community in the face of state-sponsored terror, and standoff after standoff at the doorsteps of the people's house with those who claimed to represent them. In this, his first book, Jones describes those two revolutionary months of nonviolent resistance against a police state that sought to dehumanize its citizens.The People's Plaza is a rumination on the abuse of power, and a vision of a more just, equitable, anti-racist Nashville—a vision that kept Jones and those with him posted on the plaza through intense heat, unprovoked arrests, vandalism, theft, and violent suppression. It is a first-person account of hope, a statement of intent, and a blueprint for nonviolent resistance in the American South and elsewhere.
The People’s Revolt: Texas Populists and the Roots of American Liberalism
by Gregg CantrellAn engaging and meticulously researched history of Texas Populism and its contributions to modern American liberalism In the years after the Civil War, the banks, railroads, and industrial corporations of Gilded‑Age America, abetted by a corrupt political system, concentrated vast wealth in the hands of the few and made poverty the fate of many. In response, a group of hard‑pressed farmers and laborers from Texas organized a movement for economic justice called the Texas People&’s Party—the original Populists. Arguing that these Texas Populists were among the first to elaborate the set of ideas that would eventually become known as modern liberalism, Gregg Cantrell shows how the group broke new ground in reaching out to African Americans and Mexican Americans, rethinking traditional gender roles, and demanding creative solutions and forceful government intervention to solve economic inequality. While their political movement ultimately failed, this volume reveals how the ideas of the Texas People&’s Party have shaped American political history.
The People’s Zion: Southern Africa, the United States, and a Transatlantic Faith-Healing Movement
by Joel CabritaIn The People’s Zion, Joel Cabrita tells the transatlantic story of Southern Africa’s largest popular religious movement, Zionism. It began in Zion City, a utopian community established in 1900 just north of Chicago. The Zionist church, which promoted faith healing, drew tens of thousands of marginalized Americans from across racial and class divides. It also sent missionaries abroad, particularly to Southern Africa, where its uplifting spiritualism and pan-racialism resonated with urban working-class whites and blacks. Circulated throughout Southern Africa by Zion City’s missionaries and literature, Zionism thrived among white and black workers drawn to Johannesburg by the discovery of gold. As in Chicago, these early devotees of faith healing hoped for a color-blind society in which they could acquire equal status and purpose amid demoralizing social and economic circumstances. Defying segregation and later apartheid, black and white Zionists formed a uniquely cosmopolitan community that played a key role in remaking the racial politics of modern Southern Africa. Connecting cities, regions, and societies usually considered in isolation, Cabrita shows how Zionists on either side of the Atlantic used the democratic resources of evangelical Christianity to stake out a place of belonging within rapidly-changing societies. In doing so, they laid claim to nothing less than the Kingdom of God. Today, the number of American Zionists is small, but thousands of independent Zionist churches counting millions of members still dot the Southern African landscape.