What patriots do

Glenn Greenwald's new book is #1 at Amazon - after one day, with no marketing or PR blitz, for a book that hasn't even been released yet. If nothing else, here is powerful evidence that the blogosphere is a force to be reckoned with. New voices are forcing their way into what used to be a closed media system and changing the terms of political debate. New arguments get a hearing outside of DC's airless pundit pool and come back sharper than they went out. Online citizens - as a group wealthy, well-educated, mature, and voraciously well-informed - are furious at the state of their government and appalled at the lapses of the fourth estate. And now they can do something about it.

But Greenwald, thrilled and grateful at the response, hopes for even bigger impact. He wants his book to start at long last (and have you no decency, sirs, at long last?) a nationwide debate on this administration's radical theories of executive power, theories that are well on their way to changing our nation forever. Whatever you think of this president and his policies, change of this scope deserves full, measured hearing and debate. Which we're not getting.

Says Greenwald:

Americans are instilled from an early age with a commitment to our political values and liberties, even if it buried by other distractions and life concerns, but that deeply felt commitment has been triggered and galvanized to great effect many times before in our history, and can be again. If the media fails to perform its central function to serve as a watchdog over the government and to ensure that citizens are informed about what the government is really doing -- and it has been failing in that function, dreadfully -- citizens who are committed to defending the principles of our country will find other ways -- will create other ways -- for that to happen.

(Emphasis mine.) So read Digby's powerful endorsement and if you can spare $12, pre-order a copy of this book. Share it with politicians and other activists. Be ready to defend our constitution and American values. It's what patriots do.

P.S. Bloggers, we need to thank Tom Allen for doing the right thing on today's internet vote.

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