Hello
My name is Tom Brymer. After 43 years in local Texas government, I was deeply disturbed by the increasing social discord fueled by misleading news sources, the root cause of our national civic illiteracy crisis. Our county is at a turning point and we need to "get it right" or we will lose our great country that has been a beacon of freedom and hope to the world. That's the reason I wrote this book — to start the dialog of getting us back to what works.
WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK
American democracy is experiencing its greatest attack since the Civil War. Yet, many Americans cannot answer even basic questions about their government. Fighting for Democracy is a new road map for regaining our democracy. That road map all comes down to effective 21st century citizen education.
The evidence is clear that Americans are civically illiterate, and woefully unprepared for the assault our democracy is undergoing. For Americans to be prepared to function effectively as constructive citizens in their democracy in the 21st century and beyond, they must be equipped with knowledge and a skill set that is not effectively taught today. Fighting for Democracy is a call to deconstruct our civics education in this country and reconstruct it to meet the complex needs and pressures our democracy faces today. Certainly, the civics of tomorrow must include continuing what we teach today about the structure, organization, and how (at least in theory) our government is supposed to function. But there is far, far more that must be taught to deal with the siege our democracy is now under. Fighting for Democracy lays out for reader what these new civic topics must be, and why they should be taught.
Make no mistake about our democracy, “We the People” must learn now, and quickly, how to improve our civic iliteracy, including how to become better informed and more constructively engaged citizens. If we do not, we will not be able to effectively fight to keep our democracy and risk losing everything we have fought for since our nation’s birth. And American democracy is indeed worth fighting for — not just for us today, but most importantly for our children, grandchildren, and all future generations of Americans. That is the purpose of Fighting for Democracy. — Thomas E. Brymer