This book provides an important look at the well-being of Democracy in the United States of America. It is broken into five parts: a brief history of the framework and foundations of our Constitutional Republic, an analysis of the major changes that occurred in the last one hundred years, a look at where the United States of America is now, recommendations for saving the Republic, and a look at what awaits us in the future of our Nation.As Woodrow Wilson proclaimed almost a century ago:"The task is no longer to make the world safe for democracy but rather to safeguard our own essential democratic values."This shift is reflected in much of the current literature which, upon review, brings to mind Rousseau''s saying that:"Liberty is a food easy to eat, but difficult to digest."Since the early 1960s, something has dramatically changed in the deepest levels of American society. After the brief period of Pax Americana in the 1950s, it seemed as if some invisible switch was flipped in the heart of the United States, and the very fabric of the nation began quickly unraveling. Almost overnight, we went from light to darkness, from optimism to pessimism, and from America the Great to America the Guilty.A marvelous trust, a country like no other in the history of mankind has been entrusted to us. A country where we have had the freedom to grow and thrive, to be free to achieve our full potential, to shape the futures of our children and grandchildren — that is what is at stake. Freedom of speech, one of our most sacred trusts, is already being taken from us; in its place is politically correct speech, where some minorities can say anything they want without censure or condemnation. A country where all members of mankind are recognized as equal, but certain minorities are protected and have heightened rights — is this the intended heritage of our Founders? If we fail to do our duty, we shall be judged much more harshly than any other country in existence, because we have had so much more delivered to us for which we will be held accountable.What shall be our future? We are coming, potentially, to a crossroad in our nation.We are being pushed toward one of three ultimate endgames: the imposition of the socialist state, a conservative reversal of the Nation at the ballot box or another Civil War.Richard Castagnerauthor
