A review of America’s Conscience: Facing Threats to Democracy, the Middle Class and Our World, By Bernadette T. Vadurro, Speakers Live Books,
ISBN: 878-0-9793580-0-5,  Library of Congress: 2007900982

2008 is a presidential election year in America. Citizens not only have to choose the respective nominee of the Democratic Party (McCain is already the presumptive Republican nominee), but to determine which of the myriad issues facing us are the most important. If you are ahead of the game perhaps you have already thought deeply about the issues that are significant to you and know the candidates’ policy positions.

There is considerable excitement for the Democrats, as they will be making history with the nomination of either a woman or a black man as their standard bearer. As this is being written, Obama has a very slight lead over Clinton with Texas and Ohio primaries coming up the day the March edition of Boom! Magazine hits the stands. These two candidates have energized the electorate and the voter turnout has dramatically increased. I am heartened to see an increased turnout especially among the younger generations and the independent voters. Both groups will play critical roles in determining the next president.

Before you decide for whom you will vote and which issues are most important, I propose that you read the book entitled America’s Conscience by Bernadette Vadurro. As the subtitle declares, we currently face challenges to the functioning of our democracy and the health of the middle class. America is struggling mightily to determine the proper role we should play in the world.

America’s Conscience does a superb job of outlining the long-term decline in the economic and social fabric into which Americans have allowed our democracy to descend. Each chapter of the book provides source materials so you can research the information yourself. The first chapter, The American Apple Turnover provides an overview of how Americans have become disconnected and largely apathetic about how our democracy’s checks and balances have all but disappeared. Our citizens have been led astray and overwhelmed trying to determine “the truth” as presented by the various media outlets. We have allowed ourselves to become victims of a long-term assault on the truth and search for facts. Factual information has been replaced by half-truths, innuendo and topic distractions that fail to pose and answer the pressing questions we should all be asking.

The chapters devoted to America’s continuing reliance on foreign oil, and involvement in the Middle East are eye opening, although most of us already know the facts. America has been discussing this topic seriously since Jimmy Carter. We have lost 30 years since he went on national television April 18, 1977 to warn us of the dangers of our dependence on oil. Read this prophetic speech by visiting http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ amex/carter/filmmore/ps_energy.html. Ronald Reagan and two Bush Administrations, along with big oil and automakers, reversed any progress obtained in our attempts to reach energy independence and sustainability. Instead of an honest analysis of the catastrophic consequences of our dependence on foreign oil (two Iraq wars, unsustainable economy, and environmental damage) the George W. Bush Administration foisted upon us the “values” distractions posed by gay marriage, flag burning, public prayer and right-to-life issues. It is clear to me, and I believe Ms. Vadurro would agree, that there could be no greater impact on our foreign policy and, America’s role in the world, than to make oil irrelevant immediately utilizing every resource at our disposal. This project should equal the size, drive and intensity America committed to building the A-bomb and reaching the Moon.

Other chapters address the influence over our government by the Neocons. Outlined is this group’s infiltration of the corporate/political/military complex to achieve unwarranted influence over our country’s actions. As we are all now too painfully aware, their crusade for unilateral political and military action in the Middle East has been a disaster. The Neocons responsible for these failed policies are - right now, today - talking about America staying in the region for 100 years!

Important details are also presented in the book regarding the failure of the media to truly inform Americans, the effects of media ownership consolidation, and the price dissenters paid when they contradicted the Bush Administration. The chapter, The Cost of Dissent reveals the actions taken against courageous Americans, Joseph Wilson and his wife Valerie Plame, Paul O’Neill, Richard Clark, Dan Rather, Dana Priest, Rep. John Murtha, George Clooney and Rep. Cynthia McKinney when they strove to find the truth, ask the right questions, and refute the information provided to the American public by the Administration.

The final chapter, World Redemption, presents 10 critical matters Vadurro believes we must fix to restore and safeguard America’s future. These points are paraphrased below:

1. Stop wasting our resources, get out of Iraq and gear our policies to the real sources of threat such as al Qaeda.

2. Leaders and public servants who have lied and misled us must be held accountable to the fullest extent allowed by law.

3. Seek to understand the reasons for anti-Americanism around the world, live our American values (practice what we preach) and stop exploitative foreign policies that cause us to be despised.

4. Reform campaign laws so government reflects the will of the American people and not special interests.

5. Assure our elections are secure and honest and that every vote is counted.

6. Break up the media consolidation so we can receive accurate, thorough, and timely news reports.

7. Find clean renewable energy sources and reduce global warming.

8. Affordable, accessible healthcare for all Americans.

9. Fix the educational system to ensure our competitive global position.

10. Reduce spending and the largest national deficit in U.S. history [$9 trillion dollar national deficit incurred since George W. Bush took office in 2000].

December 2007: Inside the Subprime Mortgage Meltdown, Part II

November 2007: Inside the Subprime Mortgage Meltdown, Part I

September 2007: Wellness: First Things First

May 2007: The State of our Health Care System: Part II

April 2007: The State of our Health Care System: Part I

February 2007: The American Dream vs. The Gospel of Weath: The Fight for a Productive Middle-Class Economy

November 2006: Iraq: What Should America Do? Part II

November 2006: Iraq: What Should America Do? Part II

October 2006: Iraq: What Should America Do? Part I

August 2006: Global Warming–We Can Make a Difference

July 2006: I am a BAD American

June 2006: What’s Wrong with America’s Dialogue? The Three Ds

April 2006: One American’s Response to the State of the Union Address, Part II

March 2006: One American’s Response to The State of the Union Address, Part I

December 2005: An indictment of American public school education and federal initiatives and "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America"

September 2005: The Wilson-Plame-Rove Sideshow, Part II

August 2005: The Wilson-Plame-Rove Sideshow, Part I

June 2005: Paying Your Fair Share: American Tax Relief

April 2005: Core Values, Part II

March 2005: Core Values, Part I

February 2005: "Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas" by Elaine Pagels