"SaPeIsMa"
"Don Kirkman"
On Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:58:29 +0000 (UTC), Gray Guest
[. . .]

But to change the subject and the subject line....
I am looking for a good and readable intro to US Civics for a friend
who
is going to become a US citizen.
He wants more than just to pass the test - which he's already
fully
qualified to do
He wants more in depth analysis and commentary
In a way, I wish that Isaac Asimov had written a book on this
comparable
to his Guide to the Bible..
it would have been a hell of a read...

Democracy In America by De Tocqueville.

de Tocqueville wrote his opus magnus almost 30 years before the Civil
War; it is not a civics book but a commentary/critique of the American
mind and culture at that time. It might be classed as sociology or
anthropology, but not contemporary political science.

Your friend needs a good book on the structure and mechanics of the
American version of a republic within a democracy, as a late 19th
century creed called it. I don't have one to offer; de Tocqueville
would be an interesting read but it doesn't deal with topics like the
effects of the Civil War, the additional amendments to the
Constitution, the wars since 1835, the relationships among
industrialization, massive immigration, the end of slavery and the
subsequent civil rights legislation.

Good points
I believe he's already read De Tocqueville
(But clearly, I need to read him).
So we need something more recent.



What GOOD Points?
LIBs tolerate Debate only
to the extent that you agree with them!

http://mrctv.org/blog/liberals-try-r...ns-new-orleans
Liberals Try to Remove Anti-Obama Signs in New Orleans


They believe that they can fake reality
just like they can fake the character of a man.


LIBs. What PRICE their Vision?
---
LIBs seek first to deprive you
of your Virtue and THEN your very LIFE.


DESERVE PEACE.
DESERVE FREEDOM.
DEMAND COMPETANCE.
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY.
DEFEAT LIB STRATEGIC INSANITY. IMPEACH OBAMA NOW!