Topic: George Lakoff's book, Don't Think of an Elephant
(lists for $10.00, avail. from bookstores, Amazon.com, etc.)

• Buy or borrow and read the book. Here's a list of reviews.
• Go to the Rockridge Institute Web site.

Related materials:

• Here's an organization taking a long-term view. And their Principles Project takes up Lakoff's theme of building a progressive infrastructure.
• Here's a "mom and apple pie" frame: Bush's "ownership" society. (NYT, Jan. 16, 2005).
• Building a progressive infrastructure (and how the Right built theirs) (from AlterNet)
• Progressive Priorities Series (Center for American Progress)
• Blog from Mid-South Peace & Justice Center

Topic: Based on Howard Dean's plan to organize at the grass roots. Bring your suggestions on how to organize our GDC and grow into a strong, dynamic, ready-for-action club for the '06 elections.

Other resources:

• "Creating Progressive Infrastructure" (Commonweal Institute)
• "Talking Politics with People Unlike Ourselves," (Commonweal Institute)

Topic: Social Security

Topic: Health care crises in the U.S.

Resources from the forum co-host:

• Physicians For Natl Health Plan Proposal- JAMA 2003 (Adobe PDF document)
• Response to Proposal for US National Health Insurance
• Will Any Plans Work in U.S.- Circulation 2004 (Adobe PDF document)
• Administrative Costs U.S. v Canada- NEJM 2003 (Adobe PDF document)
• Canada Reform Delayed- NEJM 2003 (Adobe PDF document)
• Canada revisited- NEJM 2001 (Adobe PDF document)
• Data from U.S. Canada Germany- Data Watch 1996 (Adobe PDF document)
• High Costs of For Profit Care CMAJ 2004 (Adobe PDF document)
• Who Has Best Health Care System- Data Watch 1995 (Adobe PDF document)
• Admin Costs Challenged- NEJM 2003 (Adobe PDF document)

More resources (added 5/22):

• Lessons from Canada- AJPH 2003 (Adobe PDF document)
• Lessons from France- AJPH 2003 (Adobe PDF document)
• Lessons from Britain- AJPH 2003 (Adobe PDF document)
• Bush Health Plan analysis by Center on Budget and Policy Priotities 2004 (Adobe PDF document)
• Natl Health Plan need McCanne 12-04 (Adobe PDF document)
• Mandatory Health Insurance Now!

More resources (added 5/23):

• Lessons from Germany- AJPH 2003
• Covering America-Analysis of Ten Proposals-The Lewin Group 2003
• Why is US Healthcare Spending So High?
• The Moral-Hazard Myth: The Bad Idea Behind Our Failed Health-Care System, by Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker

Books recommended:

• The Public-Private Mix for Health [recommended by Joe Weinberg, M.D., 7/14/05]

Topic: Separation of Church and State

Resources (and date added):

General (or multiple categories):

• Church-State Separation: A Keystone to Peace, Pennsylvania Alliance for Democracy (PDF document). This is long (66 pages, but half of it is endnotes) but thorough and comprehensive. If you don't have time for all the rest, read this one! (It's at http://www.padnet.org/CSS3/CSS3Intro.html but not as easy to read in the Web format.)
• "Separation of church and state," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (6/6/05)
• "Separation of church and state in the United States," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (6/6/05)
• "Our Issues," Americans United for Separation of Church and State (6/6/05)
• "Separation of Church and State," United Methodist Church (6/6/05)
• "Separation of Church and State," TheocracyWatch.org (6/6/05)
• "Separation of Church and State: A First Amendment Primer," Anti-Defamation League (6/6/05)
• "Separation of Church and State: Politics, Religion, and Culture," About.com (6/6/05)
• "Is America a Christian Nation?," Freedom from Religion Foundation (6/6/05)
• "Overview of Church and State Separation Debate," and linked material on specific issues; Atheist Ground (6/6/05)
• "Separating Church and State," CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION, Bill of Rights in Action, Fall 1997 (13:4) (6/6/05)
• "Separation of Church and State: A Most Important Decision," Teaching About Religion (6/6/05)
• "Separating Church and State," NOW with Bill Moyers, PBS, 9/26/03
(6/6/05)

• "Notes on the Founding Fathers and the Separation of Church and State," Quartz Hill School of Theology, Quartz Hill, CA (6/6/05)
• "History of the Separation of Church and State in America," rationalrevolution.net (6/6/05)
• "Thomas Jefferson on Separation of Church and State," First Amendment Cyber-Tribune (6/6/05)

• "The Separation of Church and State: Have We Gone Too Far?" ExpertLaw (6/6/05)
• "Introduction to the Establishment Clause" with U.S. Supreme Court cases, Univ. of Missouri School of Law, "Exploring Constitutional Conflicts" (6/6/05)

Topic: Immigration

Resources:

• U.S. Immigration Policy, Close Up Foundation [added 7/12/05]
• Immigration to the United States, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [added 7/12/05]
• Immigration reduction, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [added 7/12/05]
• The Brookings Institution: Immigration Policy. [added 7/12/05]
• Cato Institute (!): Immigration
• "Talking Points on Guest Workers," by David Bacon (from truthout.org) [added 7/14/05]
• Federal government site: Overview of INS History
• Federal government site: INS into DHS: Where is it now?
• Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. (Read the "Findings," pp. 3-6, then read the following "Analysis.") From U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants: "USCRI applauds senators McCain (R-AZ) and Kennedy (D-MA), along with representatives Kolbe (R-AZ), Flake (R-AZ), and Gutierrez (D-IL), for introducing legislation that would bring our immigration system into the 21st century." [added 7/12/05]
• Section by Section Analysis of the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act
• Senate Resolution on Refugee Rights (SRes177)
• Federal government site: United States Immigration Support [added 7/12/05]
• National Immigration Forum: "The mission of the National Immigration Forum is to embrace and uphold America’s tradition as a nation of immigrants. The Forum advocates and builds support for public policies that welcome immigrants and refugees and are fair and supportive to newcomers in the United States."
• The Debate
• Immigration Basics 2005. "...basic facts and figures on immigrants in the U.S. and a basic explanation of U.S. refugee and immigration policies. Updated January 2005" (PDF document)
• The Century Foundation: "Immigration, Jobs, and the American Economy" (PDF document)
• ImmigrationOnline.org, A Century Foundation Project:
• "Immigrants & the Economy"
• "Comparing Proposals for Immigration Reform"
• Urban Institute:
• "New Jobs in Recession and Recovery: Who Are Getting Them and Who Are Not?"
• "Undocumented Immigrants: Facts and Figures"
• "Crossing Borders: The Impact of Immigration" [transcript]

Topic: TennCare and Medicaid Reform

Resources:

• The Association of University Centers on Disabilities Medicaid Reform Information Page
  www.aucd.org/aucd_medicaid.htm
• Families USA: The Fight to Save Medicaid
  www.familiesusa.org
• Tennessee Health Campaign
  www.tenncare.org
• The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: A Timeline of Key Developments
  www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid_timeline.cfm
• NEW! The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid
• NEW! Bureau of TennCare
  http://www.state.tn.us/tenncare

Thur., September 22, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
8241 Pine Valley Lane
Germantown, TN 38139
Chris and Candi Schoenberger, 757-8241
Gschoenberger@midsouth.rr.com

Topic:  Iraq WAS NOT DISCUSSED! ("Katrina and the aftermath" was substituted.)

Resources:

• IRAQ INDEX: Tracking Reconstruction and Security in Post-Saddam Iraq. Saban Center for Middle East Policy, The Brookings Institution
• Articles on Iraq — National Security: The Middle East, Center for American Progress
• Articles on Iraq — Project for Defense Alternatives: War Report
• "The Final Draft of the Iraqi Constitution: Analysis and Commentary" By Nathan Brown, September 8, 2005. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
• "No Alternative" By John Judis, The New Republic, September 13, 2005 (reprinted, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
• "War on global terrorism was destined to fail," By John Judis; publisher: The Australian
• "The Gulf and U.S. National Security Strategy," by Lawrence Korb, May 10, 2005 (looks long, but half is endnotes and bibliography!)
• "Operation Homecoming," By Erik Leaver, YES! Magazine. Posted September 13, 2005 on AlterNet.org.
• "Achieving 'Total Victory' in an Unwinnable War," By Scott Ritter, AlterNet. Posted August 26, 2005.
• Project for the New American Century, from Wikepedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Thur., October 27, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
2307 Dogwood Glen Cove
Germantown, TN
Vincent Miraglia, 759-1157
Co-host, Joyce Andrews, 754-5191

LAST ISSUES COMMITTEE MEETING OF 2005!

Topic: Supreme Court Nominations

Resources:

• Center for American Progress. Supreme Court Nominations - A Resource Guide
• Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Supreme Court of the United States
• National Women's Law Center. Judicial Nominations: Myth v. Reality (PDF file)
• National Women's Law Center. NominationWatch.org
• American Civil Liberties Union. Supreme Court - Court Is Confronting a Series of Critical Cases
• Moving Ideas: The Electronic Policy Network. Progressives' Guide to the Harriet Miers Nomination
• People for the American Way: SaveTheCourt.org
• The Brookings Institution: Governance - U.S. Judiciary
• "High Court, High Stakes: On morality, regulation, and privacy, the right seeks a Supreme Court revolution. Senate hearings have one job: to block it." By Bruce Ackerman. From The American Prospect, August 2005.