Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1486804 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-05
• Released on: 2006-09-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 196 pages

Review
"What sets the books above the heap of other politically-inspired manuals is Wokusch's writing style. She is punchy but not preachy and her ability to synthesize information, giving readers everything they need to know and leaving out the rest, is invaluable." -- Tara Lohan, AlterNet.org

"Heather Wokusch stands in a fine - though scarcely flourishing - tradition of American journalism: she's committed to serving the people for whom she writes, to giving a voice to the voiceless and not taking buzzwords for an answer. If you want to know what's at stake in today's politics, don't rely on the corporate-controlled media: read The Progressives' Handbook." -- Steven P. McGiffen, Editor of Spectrezine.org and author of Biotechnology: Corporate Power Versus The Public Interest

"Heather Wokusch's political essays stand prominently among a noble American tradition of dissent and free thought, and provide vital ammunition for all who seek to realize a world where peace and social justice may prevail. Wokusch's exceptionally intelligent, witty, and passionate work beckons us to action." -- Sunil K. Sharma, DissidentVoice.org Editor and Publisher

About the Author
Heather Wokusch is a blogger and the author of The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now series. Her political awakening came in 1986 when she spent a year doing development work in the Philippines and witnessed the People Power Revolution firsthand. Her commentary is regularly featured on major progressive sites and her articles have appeared in publications such as The Baltimore Sun, In These Times, Foreign Policy in Focus and Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung. Heather's a former jazz singer, has an MA in clinical psychology and more than 20 years of experience in education.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction

Elections & Voting

The Return of Jim Crow

Flawed lists

"Spoiled" ballots

Keeping voters from the polls
Corruptible Voting Machines

Touchscreen

Optical-scanning
Jebster Strikes Again

Absentee-ballot fraud

Florida's vote hacked?
Harris, Hood and the same damn list
Swing State Scandal: Ohio

Blackwell's disgrace

A pattern of racism and lawlessness

Rigged recount
Electronic election theft
Covering up the crime
What Stolen Election?
Iffy exit polls
Congress caves
Hari-Kerry
Business as usual
Reforming Crooked Systems

Electoral College 101

IRV and full representation

The joys of gerrymandering

Politicians for sale
Ten Easy Ways to Make a Difference Now

Environment

Bulls in the China Shop
Water, Water, Everywhere, Nor Any Drop to Drink
Coffee, tea and atrazine
Drinking from the toilet
Back to burning rivers
Pass the Inhaler
Clear skies, black lungs
Grandfathered plants and New Source Review
Extra mercury on that tuna melt, please
Drowning in diesel
Mom, apple pie and SUVs
Raping Mother Nature

Paving paradise

Our broke, polluted national parks

Arctic oil drilling

From wetland to slime pit
Mountaintop-removal mining
Superfund, R.I.P.
Contaminated military bases
Bulldozing Bambi

Species on the brink

The bear necessities
DoD exemptions
Climate Change

Shameful denial

Global warnings
Keeping the Rabble in Line

Tell me lies

OIRA, sweetheart suits and stealthy riders

Goodbye class-action suits

Backroom deals

Hard cash and the rapture index
Sustainable Living
Ten Easy Ways to Make a Difference Now

Foreign Policy

Deadly Doctrines
Neo-conned
Preemptive murder
Messing with Mesopotamia

Ulterior motives
Lies, lies, damn lies
Privatize and pillage
The joy of chaos
Who's Next?
The Trail in Our Wake
The Salvador Option
Increased global terrorism
Plamegate
Meanwhile, back in Darfur...

Heading to the Hague

Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr. and the war crimes left behind
Why Do They Hate Us?
Lipstick on a pig
It's the policies, stupid
Friends in High Places
A Wolf at the World Bank
Bonkers Bolton
Condi, at His Majesty's Service
With God on Our Side
Ten Easy Ways to Make a Difference Now

Final Thoughts

Notes

Customer Reviews

Mandatory reading
Just like The Progressives' Handbook (Volume 1), this book lays out the truth in a clear and entertaining way, with hard facts and great action tips. The chapter on Elections & Voting is critical in light of the 2008 presidential race and the chapters on Environment and Foreign Policy spell out the Bush administration's rollbacks, no holds barred. But Wokusch doesn't leave you wondering how to counteract the Bush administration's evil deeds. Instead, she gives pages and pages of tips on effective armchair activism so we can start taking back the country. It's a great book - uplifting and enlightening.

Excellent book
Wokusch convincingly lays out the Bush administration's misdeeds and then explains what WE CAN DO to fight back.

The first chapter details corruption in the US election system. It's all there - Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004 and challenges to a fair vote in future elections. The writing is fun and witty (subheadings like "Hari-Kerry" and "The joys of gerrymandering") but the information provided is devastating and important.

In the Environment chapter, Wokusch shows how Bush and his cronies have sold out America's natural resources to their corporate benefactors. She covers the administration's Clear Skies program ("Pass the Inhaler"), threats to endangered species ("Bulldozing Bambi"), assaults on water, forests and even regulatory rollbacks designed to keep the public in the dark.

The chapter on Foreign Policy is great too. Wokusch moves seamlessly from the neo-cons' influence on the Bush White House, to the preemptive attack doctrine and other steps along the way to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It's gloves-off. She goes into war crimes charges against administration members and "loyal henchmen" put in place to carry out the administration's misdeeds (including "Bonkers Bolton" and "Condi, At His Majesty's Service").

The great thing about these books is that Wokusch always brings it back to how these changes affect each of us personally, like decreased national security and increased environmental health risks. And after breaking the bad news about what's really going on, she offers pages and pages of "Easy Ways to Make a Difference Now." It makes the book motivating and fun.

I read Volume 1 of The Progressives' Handbook first and now this one. They both are highly recommended.