The Assault On Reason — The SCV Talk Archive

The Assault on Reason by Al Gore New York: The Penguin Press, 2007 273 pp. By Cal - Al Gore’s supporters are still making last-ditch efforts to convince him to run for office. Websites to draft Gore Although he has not agreed to run, he can still be ‘drafted’ so that his name is placed on the presidential primary ballot. His supporters can recruit him by obtaining a minimum of 500 signatures of registered Democrats from each of California’s 53 congressional districts. The signatures must be collected by December 4. On that day, California’s Secretary of State (S.O.S) Debra Bowen is scheduled to announce the names of individuals that she has recognized as actively seeking the nomination of the California Democratic Party for president. Visit S.O.S Website for details on the announcement process.

Following this announcement, Bowen may add names to the candidate selection until December 7 provided that these individuals have met the criteria and completed the ‘Candidate Qualification Procedures . If Gore is drafted against his will, he has the right to ask that his name be removed from the ballot. Gore has repeatedly stated that he is not a candidate however some view his latest book “The Assault on Reason” as a thinly disguised campaign platform. Why did he write this book? Judging by its content and writing style, one could say that Gore is angry…very angry. Gore observes that there is a trend in U.S politics towards ignoring facts and analysis when making policy decisions. The Assault on Reason is nothing less than a passionately argued commentary that is based on the author’s first-hand observations as well as documentation sourced from Congressional testimony and commission reports. Gore accuses those in power of concealing facts from the public, controlling the media, and stifling vigorous discussion and debate among the citizens. And in no uncertain terms, Gore places these violations squarely on the shoulders of the current administration -whose highly questionable actions have been facilitated (intentionally or inadvertantly) by the method of operations of our media (television in particular). His book is well-documented as he proceeds to give examples of violation after violation of U.S laws by those in power. While Gore stops short of flatly calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, he certainly gives the impression that, in his view, such a move would be well deserved. There has been a concerted effort to destroy the ‘rule of reason’ according to Gore. Why? Wealth is the principle source of power in this country. However as soon as political decisions can be freely discussed and debated, then reason will displace wealth as the main source of power, according to the author. When the operations of a government are open to full examination by its citizens and subjected to vigorous discussion and debate, then the ability to reason poses a serious threat to those who willfully misuse public power for private gain. What alarms Gore the most is the fact that citizens and politicians (who are supposed to represent the interests of their constituents) have shown so little outcry or resistance to blatant violations of our constitutional rights. The remedy for this is not just better education for the citizens, or increased civic education, according to Gore. What is needed is the re-establishment of a genuine democratic discourse in which individuals can participate in a meaningful way. People must have access to facts and information and they must be able to exchange ideas. Citizens must be able to discuss and compare opposite opinions. They must be allowed to ‘reason’. Enter the Internet. Gore states that the Internet is a platform for reason. He explains how the Internet has the potential to revitalize the role played by people in our democratic republic. Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can participate, and it is the most interactive medium in history and the one with the greatest potential for connecting people to one another and to information. Gore explains how faith in the power of reason-the belief that free citizens can govern themselves wisely and fairly by resorting to logical debate on the basis of the best evidence available instead of ‘raw power’ was and remains the central premise of American democracy. In addition, Gore points out how the high capital investment required for the ownership and operation of a television station and the centralized nature of broadcast, cable and satellite networks have led to the increasing concentration of ownership by an ever smaller number of larger corporations that now effectively control the majority of television programming in America. "In the world of television, the massive flows of information are largely in only one direction, which makes it virtually impossible for individuals to take part in what passes for a national conversation", states Gore. He continues “Individuals receive but they can not send. They hear, but they do not speak. The “well-informed citizenry” is in danger of becoming the “well-amused audience" In an effort to reverse this situation, Gore co-founded Current TV in 2005. It is being billed as “The TV network created by the people who watch it” On September 16, 2007, Current TV won the Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Television award at the 2007 Primetime Emmys for its use of online technologies with television. In his acceptance speech, Gore stated, "we are trying to open up the television medium so that viewers can help to make television and join the conversation of democracy and reclaim American democracy by talking about the choices we have to make. Gore warns that “the Internet must be developed and protected, in the same way we develop and protect markets—through the establishment of fair rules of engagement and the exercise of the rule of law. The same ferocity that our Founders devoted to protect the freedom and independence of the press is now appropriate for our defense of the freedom of the Internet. The stakes are the same: the survival of our Republic. We must ensure that the Internet remains open and accessible to all citizens without any limitation on the ability of individuals to choose the content they wish regardless of the Internet service provider they use to connect to the Web. We cannot take this future for granted. We must be prepared to fight for it,” I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand how and why so many of us stood by while a select few in power proceeded to damage our republic by ‘gutting’ the principles of democracy in our country from the inside out. These few individuals did this by the elimination of reason from our thought and decision processes. Most importantly, through this book, Gore provides readers hope for the future by informing the public as to what steps can be taken to reverse this damage. The Internet plays a big role in this reversal. For a discussions as to how You Tube and CNN are revolutionizing the public’s participation in Presidential debates using the Internet, visit On Point Radio-Boston’s NPR Source and Computerworld