On a library façade, in a university in which one of us matriculated, are written these words: "In darkness dwells the people which knows its annals not." Portentious perhaps, but in a world where everyone with an ax to grind pretends history is on his side, it's likely high time we all knew from whence we came. We'll be adding as time permits.

DOCUMENTS:

PREFOUNDINGOO|OOFOUNDINGOO|OO19TH CENTURYOO|OO20TH CENTURY

CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTS FOR REVIEW

If we could wave our wand, and confer on every citizen a particular talent or knowledge, other than that for a keen sense of the difference between an inconvenient truth and a comforting lie, it would be for economics. Economic choices range just below moral ones as far as the citizen is concerned (and sometimes even that is reversed) and so some knowledge of the dismal science is more than an ornament for the committed American. This category takes application. Spend some time; learn something.

HISTORY & HISTORICAL LITERATURE OO|OOLEARNING OO|OOMEDIA OO|OOTHINK TANKS OO|OOFACTS & STATISTICS

Someone once said that a nation gets the government it deserves. Perhaps it's truer to say that we get the government we settle for. And for all the talk about money and special interests (and we talk about such things ourselves), no one, save the judges, got there but that a majority of persons just like you and me went to the polls on election day and thought he or she should be. So, this is it. This is who "they" are - and they, of course, are us.

EXECUTIVE OO|OO LEGISLATURE OO| OOJUDICIARY

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT | STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT STATUTES

SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

There is much overlap both within this category and with the category below. "Think Tanks & Policy Institutes" includes those of all political stripes which attempt research and/or honest policy analysis; and while most "Political Journals" partake of news, their essence is their editorial policy. Our only caveat is that opinions are just that, opinions; and the facts offered to support them are usually not the only facts.

THINK TANKS & POLICY INSTITUTES | POLITICAL JOURNALS

It is our goal to provide responsible spokespersons or organizations for both sides of every issue. In the interest of space, we have limited the number to ten on each side. The sites chosen are scarcely exhaustive in most cases, but they are meant to be representative of the general range of opinion. We have done our best to list organizations which actually articulate their positions, rather than merely solicit support for them; thus, many worthy advocacy organizations are not listed. Persons or organizations who believe their or another's site better represents a certain point of view than the ones listed here are welcome to submit them for review.

ISSUES A-H OO|OOENVIRONMENTOO |OO ISSUES H-Z

As a source for citizens and citizenship, we are aware of the many ways we can act as citizens. Certainly how we choose to donate our time and money is as important to our relationship with our communities and our nation as are our choices in a voting booth or the marketplace. We have tried to avoid politics (advocacy organizations will one day be elsewhere) in an honest attempt to guide our readers to "do good". Unfortunately, politics cannot always be avoided, and we are mindful that some may find our choices less neutral than they might wish. So be it.

VOLUNTEER

Media in this case is primarily news media. You will find the major national dailies as well as a sampling of both regional and alternative newspapers. Television and radio are limited to the national networks, some of which have online feeds. This is especially true of the publicly-funded electronic media. Foreign media, especially the newspapers, often provided a refreshing perspective on America and its place in the world. We offer those in English wherever we find them, as well as those published in the major European languages. We have tried to offer a diverse and balanced collection of resources. As always, suggestions and recommendations are welcome.

DOMESTIC MEDIA OO|OOFOREIGN MEDIA

"Voting" will lead you to web sites that we hope illustrate how the process works and how you should go about it. The rest are self-explanatory. As for the process itself, It isn't always pretty, but in the end, most of it does belong to us, no matter what the weary or cynical would like us to believe. In an ideal world, the voter would act as much from head as well as heart, would put away prejudices, would learn the issues, and would transcend "self" for the better prospects of the nation. But in the end, it's up to you. It's a democracy, after all. Use it.

VOTING | PARTIES AND CANDIDATES | INITIATIVES | ISSUES | MONEY & FINANCE | ANALYSIS & POLLING | LAWS & REFORM | MEDIA | HISTORY

Libraries is intended to provide you with access to primary source materials in American history and literature. We have always been fascinated by the number of these texts on line. (Our own documents section is hardly exhaustive). The links below will guide you to the best collections of documents we know of so far. Be forewarned, however; some are more easily searched than others, and many provide a simply overwhelming number of documents of all sorts. Those interested in secondary historical materials will find them around here, somewhere, someday, when we get to it.

HISTORYOO|OOLITERATUREOO|OOLAW & RELIGIONOO|OO MAPS