Re-Linking the Self to Self-Government

This dot org site will be the new home of Song Of A Citizen shortly.

Until then, some of the links here will open in a new window at SongOfACitizen.com, where you can read about the project in detail, watch larger versions of the Video Op-Eds, read about the participants, and view other videos you might like.

We hope you enjoy the videos and return often.  And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.  For if we truly want a wise and effective government, then we truly need wise and effective citizens.  It’s a simple syllogism for a self-governing society, but no one on the national stage ever talks about it.  Others must.

Welcome to the Chorus.

Words matter.

During the holiday season, as you think about donating to your favorite charities, consider “thinking outside the wallet” as well. That’s the message and motivating idea behind GreatNonProfits.org — a wonderful web platform that makes it easy for people to write and read reviews about great charitable organizations.

The idea is simple, but can have huge impact. It’s a way for people who’ve been touched by a nonprofit to make a different kind of contribution by sharing their story about it — and that helps in two important ways.

Most people want to know if their giving is going to make a difference. Don’t you? First hand accounts make for powerful testimony. Real reviews by real people give prospective donors and volunteers additional insight. Just like they help millions of consumers on Amazon, or when we’re researching restaurants, doctors, etc.

The benefits flow the other way too. User-generated reviews give nonprofits a highly effective (and free) form of advertising. They help the organizations recruit new volunteers, deepen connections with constituents, and raise money.

Another cool thing about GreatNonProfits is they host reviews about organizations of all shapes and sizes, from the largest on the national stage, to the smallest grassroots groups in local communities. For the latter, this is especially helpful, as there usually isn’t a lot of media coverage for local nonprofits, unless it’s to report on a scandal.

Of course, nonprofits still need all the money they can get. A recent Harris Interactive poll shows that many Americans have stopped donating to charities, or reduced their donations, because of the tough economic times. Which makes the gift of a review a timely alternative for those who can’t afford to donate (and an additional way to contribute by those who can).

The driving force behind GreatNonProfits is Perla Ni, a 2009 Huffington Post Top Game Changer.   Prior to forming GNP, Perla was the publisher of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the leading journal on nonprofit management and philanthropy. Before that, she was the co-founder and editor of Grassroots.com, a nonprofit advocacy site named by Forbes as “Best of the Web.”

I interviewed Perla to find out what inspired her to launch GreatNonProfits. She tells the story of how her family had only $100 when they immigrated to the U.S. from China many years ago — and how countless nonprofits helped them. “If you look at photos of me when I was a kid, practically everything I wore came second hand from nonprofits. My cavities got filled for free at a nonprofit community dental clinic. So I know how much the help of a nonprofit can mean.”

When Hurricane Katrina hit, Perla and colleagues at SSIR started looking into how well nonprofits were doing on the ground in and around New Orleans. They had access to far more information than the ordinary donor or volunteer, but still found it difficult to learn which nonprofits were really doing a good job of helping those most in need.

It struck her how valuable it would be if there were an online “Zagat” for nonprofits that would collect stories and reviews by people who’ve experienced their impact up close and personally.

And so in 2007, she founded GreatNonProfits — a website where you can find every nonprofit you’ve ever heard of and a million you haven’t.

So whether you’re making donations or not this year, think about how else you can help those who help others. Write a review. Recommend a nonprofit you trust. Give back from the heart. Not only to help your favorte charity, but because there’s something else quite valuable in doing so.

It helps us reflect on how much we, as a culture, have allowed the value of who we are, and what we do, to be defined by a dollar sign. It’s our principal measure of success, status, power, influence, meaning. It drives us to identify more as consumers than ctizens, more as perpetual money machines than active participants in a community of common interest. We long for a life of meaning, but use monetary shortcuts that short circuit more personal acts of meaning.

So consider writing a review not only as part of your personal philanthropy, but as part of your ongoing civic journey. The one we all need to make on the long road back from cash and carry to the more meaningful and valuable function of being a compassionate neighbor and contributing citizen.

Food for thought as we set the table and give thanks on Thursday for all good things in life. And as we contemplate the fact that far too many tables in America would be bare, far too many desperate hopes dashed, if it weren’t for the selfless work of great nonprofits.

So head over to GNP’s website to learn about some new groups you might like to support. And if you have direct experience with a charitable organization, by all means share that knowledge so other people can learn about and support those who are truly making a difference in people’s lives.

They came, they talked, they listened — to each other. They were attentive and respectful, with nary a voice raised in anger. A most unconventional political gathering. No, this wasn’t a preview of Jon Stewart’s Rally To Restore Sanity. It was the first national convention for the Coffee Party, held last weekend in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Coffee Party you say? Still in its infancy, it was born with a single post on Facebook in January, its founder conveying deep dismay at what passes for political discourse in this country, and wondering if it was possible to counter alienating hyper-partisanship with something different, so we might finally get on with addressing the serious problems facing our nation today.

Tens of thousands roared their approval. By March a full fledged movement had erupted, comprised of red, blue, and purple Americans from all across the land — united by their disgust with all forms of politics-as-usual. In the ensuing months, the movement self-organized and coalesced into Coffee Party chapters in communities nationwide. Six months later, a national convention.

One wonders what’s next for this cross between a viral phenomenon and a face-to-face army of serious citizens.

The Tea Party has long been seen as self-organized to some extent, but it had the benefit (or curse) of deep pocketed funders and old political hands supporting and influencing it every step of the way. The Coffee Party is, by contrast, free of outside influence — and funded (to the extent that it is) only by its members. And somehow, miraculously, that was enough to stage a convention for the hundreds of citizen activists who flew into Louisville, and tens of thousands more who watched the whole thing unfold online via the Coffee Party’s new live Streaming Channel.

A political convention truly by and for the people.

While they rightly resist lazy media tagging them as the progressive response to the Tea Party, it is probably fair to say that a majority of Coffee Party members lean left in their personal politics. But many don’t. The movement has no interest in party or ideology, seeking instead to be as big a tent as possible. To crystallize that point, a number of prominent Republicans were invited to the convention, where they were warmly welcomed and well-received as speakers and presenters.

These included former Bush and McCain strategist Mark McKinnon, who co-chaired a mock Constitutional Convention with Harvard Law professor Larry Lessig. Even Tea Party Express Amy Kremer was scheduled to speak, but apparently cancelled at the last minute.

So it is an aggressively inclusive operation. And for one shining moment in American politics, one and all gladly checked their partisan passions at the door, in deference to this decaffeinated altar of reasoned reflection.

That’s not to say these well-informed, highly opinionated folks didn’t quibble a bit here and there, as befits such an unusually diverse political gathering. But true to their founding mission statement, they discussed a hundred and one subjects in a civil and reasoned manner.

High decibel enthusiasm. But no screaming.

So what do they stand for?   Simple.  Small ‘d’ democracy.  Not democracy as a team sport — but as an ongoing  experiment in governing ourselves.  One in which free individuals recognize that their own self-interest is inextricably bound up wiith the common good — a delicate balance that will only remain stable with the active participation of a supermajority of citizens getting in the game, getting informed, and making their reasoned voices heard — and acted upon.

In other words, the tiny task of revitalizing democracy from the ground up.  Armed only with the logic that unless Americans get off the couch, we will never be able to truly fix broken government.

While they’ll ultimately use their growing numbers and influence to support simpatico candidates, they decided to turn their attention next to helping build civic muscle in the body politic.

With midterms fast approaching, they’re pulling out all the stops at their disposal to try to inspire fellow citizens not just to get out and vote, but to vote smart. Not just to choose frik or frak based on party affiliation, or snarky TV commercials, but based on where they substantively stand on issues that matter to you, issues you’ve done your homework on. And to help, local chapters are holding regular Coffee Vote meetings, and preparing informative voter guides, tailored to their own local communities, to help people in those communities get up to speed on the issues, and the stakes in the coming election.

And an ongoing series of local meetings will unfold after November, to help us stay awake once the heat of the election dies down. For as Bill Clinton said recently on the PBS “Newshour,” “Citizenship is a lifetime job.”

Idealistic? No doubt. But rather intoxicating for those who hope to reboot the American Dream for future generations.

Other groups wave their flags and spout the names of founding fathers, along with narrowly-interpreted nostrums about our founding values and Constitutional strictures — but these Coffee Partiers are doing the actual hard work of democracy, thinking through the issues, and finding ways to help shape outcomes. And they’re doing it in a manner that would make the founders truly proud.

Increasing informed participation by alienated citizens is their overarching goal. But they also focus on certain core issues that 80-90% of their members agree upon.

One such issue they’re gung ho on (along with a long list of other political groups from all sides of all aisles) is limiting the corrupting influence of big money in politics. Their current vehicle of choice is the Fair Elections Now Act, which was just voted out of committee and is awaiting word of whether it will get to the floor for a full House vote.

To underscore their commitment to this cause, several of the convention speakers and panels were devoted to this issue — featuring leading light activists like Professor Lessig and David Donnelly.

Beyond grand goals and issue initiatives, perhaps the most impressive thing about the Coffee Party is their chapters who regularly host face-to-face meetups in their communities to engage in civil discourse on political issues.

That simple act — of sitting down with your neighbors and having a rational conversation about issues that matter to you, helping each other learn more about them, then developing action plans to bring them to the attention of policy-makers –.and using the power of networking to link your local voices to amplify them nationally — well, that’s what true democracy is all about in the 21st century.

It puts the citizen back in the center of political decision-making, which is where we belong.

And it’s only serious way to practice democracy in modern times.

So one can only wonder about what might happen if these self-governance role models — born and bred online, and currently boasting nearly 300,000 Facebook members — could somehow inspire 300 million Americans to view democracy less as a noun than a verb.   Not a place or a thing — but an aspiration of a people audacious enough to govern themselves in a productive manner.

An aspiration that we’ll probably never fully realize, but an opportunity that we can and should regard as the greatest gift any generation can ever leave to the next. As such, we all have an obligation to keep it flourishing.

And the only way we can do that is through active, informed participation. For a passive or uninformed citizenry creates a power vacuum that special interests fill with glee. If we could refill that vacuum with seriously engaged citizens, we’d crowd out monied interests overnight. It’s simple physics.

The downside to that equation is that if we don’t, we’re done.

As Coffee Party founder Annabel Park says, “Democracy is a fragile thing. It’s not something to be taken for granted. It’s a very fragile thing that we have to nurture and protect. So we have to get in there and be active.”

Yet most Americans remain stuck in the rote repetition of the stale, false, and counter-productive belief that there’s no way for us to make our voices heard, so why bother even trying. Or we justify our disengagement by asserting that we don’t have time to follow the issues (as we flip channels on the evening ‘reality’ shows). Or “that’s their job, not mine.” Well, how’s that attitude been serving us lately?

So how do we avoid subjecting our fragile and precious blessing of self-governance from decay or worse? There’s only one way — the true red, white, & blue American way — which is for each of us to take our jobs as citizens more seriously. Much more seriously.

And if you already do, then turn to those in your orbit who toil in the darkness of apathy or cynicism, and help them turn the lights on.

Because each of us has a vital role in democracy, a role that is irreplaceable if we really want it to serve the needs of all of its people. Whatever your reason for tuning out, you better pick up a cup o’ joe and tune back in. Cause it should be painfully obvious by now that there are no political superheros coming to save us. Not from the powerful forces that fill the power vacuum created by passive citizens — and not from our own righteous civic cynicism, no matter how justified it feels to think that way.

This is the core value I took from three days of listening and talking with these diverse, thoughtful, and inclusive patriots — and filming interviews with an array of convention speakers and Coffee Party activists.

Someone referred to them as the Thinking Man’s Party. Sounds about right to me. But don’t mistake intelligent and civil for boring or wonky. After the first 12-hour day of thought-provoking panels and presentations, the lights came down on a multi-genre concert featuring musician members from across the country — and they rocked the house. And the house rocked back.

Bottom line is that if the Coffee Party can contribute to even a modest increase in the number of Americans who walk the walk of the serious citizen — who shift their attitude about politics from it being a fatally flawed game rigged in favor of “them” — to a fluid, living, productive process by and about “us” — then it will have made an indelibe mark in the pantheon of political movements in America.

No matter how big or small their numbers in comparison to conventional parties, and no matter how long they last as a movement, this is the most refreshing version of political activism to emerge in a long long time. One that’s clearly tapped a nerve. Which is why I’ve little doubt that we’ll be hearing a lot more about them in the months and years to come.

Video interviews and concert performances to be posted shortly at Coffee Party USA and Song Of A Citizen.

(Video Below).

Today is Constitution Day, aka Citizenship Day — a little noticed federal holiday celebrating the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. It’s also a day to reflect on our extraordinary form of government, and re-connect with what it means to be an active citizen, and why it matters

For, in the words of former Congressman Lee Hamilton, “The success of our democracy is determined by the participation of its citizens. (But) America’s citizens today are voting less, volunteering less and complaining more. The antidote for this cynicism and apathy is to learn how to become good citizens.”

Well, how do we-the-people do that exactly?

For some Americans, such as the angry but loud minority who mobilize under the banner of the Tea Party, they’ve said goodbye to apathy by first taking to the streets, and now to the ballot box. Regardless of what you think about their political views, you can’t say they’re apathetic. They are, in fact, the most active citizens in American society. We should all match their level of civic commitment.

But if you’re interested less in pushing a narrow ideology, and more concerned with finding ways to build consensus among 70-80% of an informed engaged public so as to enable politicians to enact the kind of truly transformative policies we so desperately need — but have zero chance of ever getting with the way politics is practiced today — then there is a better way to make your voice heard — without yelling and screaming.

And that process starts with citizens participating in face-to-face meetings with fellow citizens in their communities to identify issues they care about, and develop effective ways to act on them. This can be done in a civil non-partisan way, and to great effect. Especially when local community groups link up with like-minded others, and powerfully amplify their well-reasoned voices.

To some, this may sound difficult or even naive, but it is not. Many Americans already do it effectively every day. But they’re just a tiny percentage of the American public.

Fortunately, there’s a growing number of organizations creating such opportunities. The Coffee Party movement does it by encouraging local Coffee Strategy Meetings, where self-organized citizens come together in a non-partisan way to help each other learn about and act on an issue, and to learn how to become more active citizens in general. In a more structured and professionally facilitated way, this is also the realm of the highly skilled practitioners of Deliberative Democracy whose work, if scaled up, could become something of a magic bullet. And, of course, single issue advocacy groups of all kinds also provide forums for citizens interested in making a difference on a given issue.

If this kind of activity were occurring in every community in America, on a regular basis — before, during, and after elections — we would have more than a revitalized American Dream. We would have finally resumed our journey started over 200 years ago toward becoming a truly enlightened society. Finally capable of grappling with the matrix of challenges and crises facing us in a way that was both effective and sustainable.

But our only chance is if all Americans start taking their jobs as citizens more seriously. Much more seriously.

For as Congressman Hamilton also said in an op-ed today, “With freedom comes obligation, with liberty comes duty. If you and I do not fulfill our side of that wager, our democracy is doomed. If we become a nation of spectators, we will surely fail.”

But what about the huge majority of people who’ve grown frustrated by politics, who’ve tuned out, and become apathetic and disengaged? How do we connect with them, and re-enlist them as full time citizens

After all, their reasons are many, and deeply felt. Many have tuned out because they’re disappointed or disgusted by what passes for political discourse. Others look at government gridlock, and polarization, fanned by sensationalists in the media, and understandably grow cynical and question whether government can ever again do the big things it needs to do. Yet others see the corruption and outsized influence of special interests and therefore feel their one lonely vote doesn’t matter, that they can’t make a difference, so why bother trying. And most of us are just so damn busy trying to keep our heads above water and take care of our families, that it leaves little time to do the hard work of everyday democracy.

But do it we must, because there are no political white knights coming to save the day. Only serious citizens can do that.

The only interests that apathy serves are those not-so-special interests who fill the power vacuum created by passive citizens, and who then use their exclusive access to influence policy to serve their needs rather than ours. The only way to effectively fight back is to refill the vacuum. With us. The People.

Either citizens become better informed and more actively engaged in democratic politics — or (fill in the blank with your own nightmare scenario).

The bottom line is that as long as most Americans remain addicted to apathy, the job of every serious citizen must be to help them kick the habit. Because we need all of us in the game, not just the angry ones.

To help get the conversation started, take a look at the video below called “Apathy Is The Enemy” — featuring some serious inspiration from some very inspiring American icons.

And take a minute out of your busy day today, and consider just how lucky we are to live in country with as much raw potential as America. And then help us all get to work.

And of course — Happy Citizenship Day! Happy Constitution Day!

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(Cross Posted at The Huffington Post)

Since the founding of the republic, editorial cartoons have played a meaningful role in shaping political discourse.  But they depended on a flourishing newspaper industry, and comfort with controversy.  It should come as no surpise then that political cartooning is a dying art form today.  And as the last of the true titans of the field die off, it will soon be little more than a fond memory.

But one with serious civic overtones.

The truly legendary political cartoonist Paul Conrad departed this mortal coil on Saturday. He was 86.

For 30 years, Paul Conrad was the poetic conscience of the Los Angeles Times. A three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he was a lion in the field, hugely admired by friend and foe alike. He epitomized the fiercely independent voice that has been rapidly vanishing from American newspapers in recent years.

Conrad’s searing images, always controversial and sometimes shocking, forced readers to think through an issue and take a stand In so doing, he made us also think about ourselves — and what it means to be a moral human being and a responsible citizen in modern times.

And he did it, more often than not, by making us split our ribs with laughter.

I had the great pleasure of co-producing a PBS documentary about Conrad a few years ago. By plunging into his archives and reviewing thousands of eye-popping cartoons, and after many days and nights hanging out with him, I got to know the man well — as an artist and a journalist, as a WW2 veteran, and as a cantankerous yet exemplary citizen.

This was a man who reveled in his relentless skewering of the powerful and pompous, quick to pounce whenever he felt they’d forgotten or abandoned their public obligations, or engaged in deceptive or hypocritical behavior. He took on eleven presidents — from Truman to Obama — and every major social and political issue of his time.

Conrad’s evisceration of Richard Nixon earned him his most prized possession — a slot on Nixon’s enemies list. Nixon struck back by having the IRS audit his taxes — four times.

Commenting on Watergate, and Conrad’s incredible cartoons from that era, the late great cartoonist Doug Marlette wryly observed:  “Great Constitutional crisis?  Who ya’ gonna call?  Call Conrad.  It’s like “Ghostbusters.”  You gotta call Conrad!”

The next joy of Conrad’s cartoon  life was his relentless pursuit and provocations of Ronald Reagan — as governor and president — spurring a furious Nancy R. to repeatedly call LA Times publisher Otis Chandler, begging for mercy. Mercifully, to no avail.

Conrad’s concepts were ingenious, but his execution brought him acclaim on a whole other level. His cartoons were frameworthy, drawn in a very distinctive style — intricate black & white line drawings — with little or no text to explain. The image spoke for itself. Loudly.

Don’t take my word for it — dive into Conrad’s oeuvre, and witness his sheer audacity and transcendent talent. Or you can view a small sampling here and here.

Like so many in his field, Conrad was invited to prematurely ‘retire’ from his perch at the L.A. Times by new publishers with a new attitude about the priorities of the enterprise. But ever indefatigable, he continued to turn out 4 syndicated cartoons a week right up until the end.

His passing is a profound loss for all who knew and loved his work. But it also represents the end of an era with equally profound repercussions for the nation at large.

Long before Jon Stewart started regaling us with his delicious combination of humor, wit, intelligence, outrage, and creatively crafted imagery to make sharply pointed political statements, a posse of fearless editorial cartoonists did much the same thing in the medium of their day.

Conrad — along with Herblock and Pat Oliphant — ruled the roost from the 1960′s forward.   Their cartoons were the first thing many readers looked at when they opened their morning paper. They are what drew those people to newspapers to begin with, and helped catalyze and cultivate the habit of reading the other sections of the paper. It was good for journalism, good for business, good for the community the paper served, and good for democracy.

Good cartoons are works of art that also serve as powerful political commentary, reducing the point and persuasiveness of an insightful op-ed into a single image. Great cartoons, like Conrad’s, are so well conceived and drawn that they’re also able to generate a profound response in the public mind. In days past, they could actually influence policy debate.

When you look at many of the cartoons Conrad drew 30 or 40 years ago, you can’t help but marvel at how relevant and contemporary they still seem — how they could have just as well been drawn yesterday — stark reminders that the social and political issues they addressed still haunt us, some more corrosively than ever. They are a time-shifted finger in the eye of governments of both parties which have failed for decades to make meaningful progress on America’s biggest problems — another indictment (as if we needed it) of the dysfunctional nature of our politics, our news media, and the state of our democracy.

He was definitely from another era. A proud liberal, screaming from the rooftops for all to hear. As he says with a sly smile in the opening line of the documentary: “Nobody ever accused me of being objective.” His candor was as bracing as his scorching imagery. Both will be sorely missed. Along with big league editorial cartoons in general.

Of course, nothing lives forever. Throughout history, art forms of all kinds have their heyday and then leave the scene. But it’s usually due to the public (or commissioning authorities) growing indifferent to the form, or preferring new ones instead. With editorial cartoons however, there was never any fall off in interest in the art form per se — it was the the priorities in the medium in which they had long been published that changed, and forced top notch cartoonists into near oblivion.

A predicament that is part and parcel of two trends that have been escalating and converging over the past couple decades, and which are tearing a hole in the soul of journalism, and the fabric of democracy.

The first trend is driven by the corporate conglomerates that now own the  majority of newspapers, as their sole goal is to wring as much profit as possible from their ‘assets.’ They have no passion for, or commitment to, journalistic excellence in and of itself. And they sure don’t like to upset advertisers, which provocative cartoonists have a habit of doing.

As Tom Brokaw (who narrated the doc) said in the film: “Conrad’s exit from the L.A. Times before he was ready to retire was not an isolated event. It happened in the context of the takeover of the media by large corporations and a resulting shift toward avoiding controversy.”

When the current wave of corporate takeovers started back in the 1980′s, the first to feel the axe was the staff cartoonist. There used to be several hundred cartoonists working at American newspapers. Now it’s down to around 80 and shrinking quickly. Cost-conscious and risk-averse papers might run ‘safe’ syndicated cartoons, but only a tiny percentage of dailies have a hard-hitting cartoonist on staff anymore. Fellow Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Tony Auth says: “If I were starting out now, I don’t know what I would be doing because I don’t think I would be looking at newspapers as the future of what we do.”

Doug Marlette put it even more starkly: “cartoonists were really just the canaries in the coal mine” — as the profit-first agenda soon expanded its sweep by cutting editorial staffs across the board.

On one level, you can understand the cost cutters. Newspaper subscriptions have been going down, year after year. And those numbers hurt advertising rates.

There’s no question that the Internet, cable TV, and other media formats have become fierce rivals for eyeballs. But a key problem facing newspapers isn’t that people are reading the news elsewhere, it’s that they are not reading serious news at all. Sure, they might surf headlines online, and scan some popular blogs, but the dirty little secret in the death of newspapers and the decay of intelligent governance is the evolution of a citizenry that, by and large, shirks its responsibility to stay sufficiently informed on the big issues that affect all our lives — a civic responsibility that can only be exercised by reading serious news on a daily basis.

If this civic trend could be reversed, newspaper reading would go up, and cost-cutting pressures would relax. More importantly, the general public might gain the knowledge and motivation to start repairing our broken government that we endlessly complain about while refusing to do the only thing that can fix it.

Unfortunately, we’re never challenged to rise to our necessary civic roles by politicians or pundits or public figures of any stripe. And we wonder why this self-governing country is on the wrong track.

Meanwhile both trends escalate, and toxically reinforce each other.

As we read less about current events, the number of newspapers continues to shrink, the remaining staffs are gutted, edgy voices silenced, coverage cut back, and what remains is homogenized to avoid controversy that would offend advertisers, filling pages with fluff to attract “readers” who are not interested in actual news – and a nation of once informed and engaged citizens devolves into a gaggle of apathetic citizen slackers, and angry partisan mobs.

And the spiral continues.

In this context, does it matter if there’s a future for editorial cartooning?

Maybe not. But what does matter is the quality of journalism in nurturing democracy, and the quality of thought engaged in by its citizens.

So as we listen to the next round of calls for change in the upcoming midterm election — let us also give some consideration to the changes we the people need to make in ourselves.

But first say goodnight to an amazing artist/journalist/rabble-rouser. Then heed the canary’s song.

When asked when he was going to retire, Conrad always quipped that as long as politicians make fools of themselves, as long as their behavior demands that he (quoting Marlette again) “show their asses to the world” — he would never quit.

Something tells me that Heaven’s Editor-in-Chief is going to have his hands full with his new arrival.

Well, the Lincoln Memorial Beckanalia has come and gone, and all the handwringing and ridiculing that led up to it has subsided.  But there’s one critical thing that still needs to be said.  Regardless of what you think about Glenn Beck, or his crowd’s political views, you at least have to give them credit for being politically active.  America’s meta-problem is not a couple hundred thousand conservatives rallying in DC.  The problem is the couple hundred million citizens who are tuned out of politics altogether.

To help drive home that point, here’s a 4-minute mashup video — a taste of some true American originals — serious thinkers and doers, past and present, who made and continue to make the mold that others make cheap knockoffs from.  They embody root American ideals and values to the core of their being, and in all their public actions.  They never fail to uplift.  Or to tell the truth, especially when the truth is difficult to hear.

And that truth is that the vast majority of Americans are far too passive in their roles as citizens.  Which virutally ensures dysfunctional government.

It’s a message most don’t want to hear, as it places responsiblity back on ourselves.  It’s so much easier to blame big government, or big business, or big media.  But an honest appraisal of the true state of mass America’s civic denial is a necessary companion to the celebration of our better angels.  A potent reminder of the full nature of the challenge ahead.

So take a few minutes, and take to heart the call to action in this video — a call to the general public to abandon apathy and cyncism, and rejoin the great American conversation, regardless of one’s ideological inclinations, or lack thereof.  And then turn to everyone in your life who’s living in the darkness of civic apathy, and help them turn the lights on.

And help move America one day closer to realizing the dream.

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I spoke on a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival called “Making Ideas Come Alive In Film.”  It was a lively discussion, with two other great filmmakers, and moderated by Carey Perloff, the artistic director of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.  Generated some great questions from the crowd, who laughed in all the right places and loudly applauded the one Video Op-Ed I played them — the one featuring Dana Gioia, the former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

I also played them a 1-minute promo video for the project, which set the stage: