So Friggin' Smart

I'm about a third of the way through reading Al Gore's brilliant The Assault on Reason. He lucidly and articulately lays out a reasoned analysis of the state of the U.S. political sphere today, particularly with respect to the current administration.

Among the culprits of a damaged democracy are:
-Lack of debate in America
-One-way feeding of information through mass media
-Centralized wealth and power
-The use of fear to overcome reason and logic
-The right wing coalition's coordinated effort to push a narrow ideology

Though Gore has clearly explained (thus far) the causes of what's taking place, I found myself questioning what we as individuals can do to combat this. Also, where are the checks and balances that our founding fathers implemented? How has Bush been able to get away with so much and not be held accountable?

Perhaps Gore will elaborate in subsequent chapters or perhaps I have even more reason to lament the current state of affairs and the seemingly irreparable damage done by Bush and his policies.