CITIZEN POWER gives all Americans the know how to become no-blame problem solvers and be part of what is emerging as a new model for a citizen driven national public service

From the national legal director of the ACLU, an essential guidebook for anyone seeking to stand up for fundamental civil liberties and rights One of Washington Post's Notable Nonfiction Books of 2016 In an age of executive overreach, what role do American citizens have in safeguarding our Constitution and defending liberty? Must we rely on the federal courts, and the Supreme Court above all, to protect our rights? In Engines of Liberty, the esteemed legal scholar David Cole argues that we all have a part to play in the grand civic dramas of our era -- and in a revised introduction and conclusion, he proposes specific tactics for fighting Donald Trump's policies. Examining the most successful rights movements of the last thirty years, Cole reveals how groups of ordinary Americans confronting long odds have managed, time and time again, to convince the courts to grant new rights and protect existing ones. Engines of Liberty is a fundamentally new explanation of how our Constitution works and the part citizens play in it.

Traces Napoleon's rise to power, early mistakes, and military campaigns, while considering the emperor's darker side and the lengths to which he went to establish himself as a legitimate ruler.

Portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Martin Scorsese movie The Aviator, Howard Hughes is legendary as a playboy and pilot—but he is notorious for what he became: the ultimate mystery man. Citizen Hughes is the New York Times bestselling exposé of Hughes’s hidden life, and a stunning revelation of his “megalomaniac empire in the emperor’s own words” (Newsweek). At the height of his wealth, power, and invisibility, the world’s richest and most secretive man kept what amounted to a diary. The billionaire commanded his empire by correspondence, scrawling thousands of handwritten memos to unseen henchmen. It was the only time Howard Hughes risked writing down his orders, plans, thoughts, fears, and desires. Hughes claimed the papers were so sensitive—“the very most confidential, almost sacred information as to my innermost activities”—that not even his most trusted aides or executives were allowed to keep the messages he sent them. But in the early-morning hours of June 5, 1974, unknown burglars staged a daring break-in at Hughes’s supposedly impregnable headquarters and escaped with all the confidential files. Despite a top-secret FBI investigation and a million-dollar CIA buyback bid, none of the stolen secret papers were ever found—until investigative reporter Michael Drosnin cracked the case. In Citizen Hughes, Drosnin reveals the true story of the great Hughes heist—and of the real Howard Hughes. Based on nearly ten thousand never-before-published documents, more than three thousand in Hughes’s own handwriting, Citizen Hughes is far more than a biography, or even an unwilling autobiography. It is a startling record of the secret history of our times.

I, the Citizen is an attempt to understand citizen development and engagement. R. Balasubramaniam takes the reader through interpretations of development initiatives at the grassroots and what good governance means to ordinary people. He unravels the power of citizen engagement through his experiences of leading civil society campaigns against corruption and towards strengthening democratic participation of people. I, the Citizen also deals with the philosophical underpinnings of public policies, drawing from his on-the-ground experience as well as engagement with those in the higher echelons of policymaking and implementation. The last section of the book provides glimpses into milestones of a development movement, which Balu founded and led, milestones that are responsible for a continued faith in citizen engagement despite the hindering forces.

"After Brazil's transition to democracy in 1985, a number of progressive actors, including a new political party -- the Workers' Party -- championed a raft of participatory reforms. Today, these reforms have garnered global attention for their effectiveness at combating inequality, encouraging active citizenship and reshaping state-society relations. However, no democratising project can entirely cast aside the existing state structures that pattern and give shape to political life. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research, Victor Albert provides a critical analysis of citizen participation in Santo André, in the region of Greater Sao Paulo where the Workers' Party was founded, by exploring the challenges participants face as they take part in institutions pervaded by the administrative culture of the state."--Back cover.

From uncovering major retailers' links to sweatshop abuses and revealing the deception of American tobacco companies, to questioning corporations' ties to repressive dictators, shaming food processors into selling dolphin-safe tuna and demanding that businesses stop destroying old growth forests, citizens have become far more aggressive in directly

The Citizens Campaign, co-founded by the author and his wife, Caroline B. Pozycki, offers citizen leadership training and citizen leadership service opportunities for regular citizens. CITIZEN POWER gives all Americans the know how to become no-blame problem solvers and be part of what is emerging as a new model for a citizen driven national public service. Citizen Power portal (https://thecitizenscampaign.org/register/).

CITIZEN NINJA stand up to power in pursuit of freedom, truth, and justice. Citizen Ninjas speak up; they don’t wait for others to speak for them. Citizen Ninjas are prepared, discerning, self-reliant and assertive. They step out of their comfort zone to nimbly challenge powerful entities that disenfranchise the public and reduce citizen power. Citizen Ninjas respond to community issues and actively engage City Hall to make a difference. They pay attention to government business and actively direct elected public servants to create policies that benefit the interests of the whole community. They are the activists who demand government transparency and are the watchdogs who speak out when there is corruption or ethical wrongdoing. Citizen Ninjas are passionate. They know that their civic participation places them in a better position of influence when new regulations, mandates, and ordinances are enacted. Citizen Ninjas are activists who strive to preserve the power of self-government—a representative republic that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. They actively engage in the public square rather than passively allowing government agencies to make decisions on their behalf. While being passionate, Citizen Ninjas avoid throwing vitriolic word bombs like “fascist pig” or “baby killer” and instead build trust, find common ground, and work toward constructive solutions. Showing up at a city council meeting, a public workshop, a rally, or a town hall meeting to express dissatisfaction is the right thing to do, but being effective takes more than good intentions. Citizen Ninjas are smarter, more cunning and strategically savvy in approaching highly organized government agencies, powerful corporations and established non-governmental organizations they partner with. In CITIZEN NINJA author Baker presents a peaceful approach to political activism espousing an exchange of ideas, robust debate, respect, and tolerance as opposed to tactics which promote violence, hatred, prejudice, and bullying. Every two years, many Americans get busy and campaign for the candidate of their choice. Activity ranges from simply speaking to friends and family about their choices, to donating money, walking precincts, and voting. Then after the election the majority go back to working, playing, and raising families. CITIZEN NINJA explores the importance of continuing participation in government after elections. Baker stresses that We the People keep informed about what is going on in local government agencies—city council, school board, county board of supervisors, and metropolitan planning organizations, to seek opportunities for civic participation. In CITIZEN NINJA shows that we are the boss, politicians are the employees who require supervision and guidance and are more effective when having our support and attention. When we are part of the process, we are part of the solution. In CITIZEN NINJA readers learn how to speak up in public without being scared or intimidated. CITIZEN NINJA shows that to be effective in civil discourse, we must transform the way we think about activism. Standing up to power is not about acting out in anger, condoning violence, or relying on mean-spirited tactics. Rather it is about honesty, building trust, treating others with respect, working towards constructive solutions, and effective communication. With practice, CITIZEN NINJA readers will master skills that enable them to respond intelligently rather than to reacting to stimulation or provocation. These skills include how to seek opportunities for engagement, assess a setting, ask a question, discern a person’s knowledge on an issue, neutralize a bully, and more!

This book investigates the changing meanings of power and politics in the Internet age and questions whether the political category of the citizen still has a meaningful role to play in the highly-mediated dynamics of an increasingly networked world. To answer such questions, the book analyses and compares the impact of the Internet on the relationship between state, citizens, and politics in three countries: the USA, Italy, and China. The book’s journey starts in the mid-90s and ends in 2016. It pays particular attention to Obama 2008 and Trump 2016 presidential campaigns, the ascendance to power in Italy of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, and to the enduring Chinese government’s struggle to control the Internet public opinion. The book challenges the traditional understanding of power through which the strong typically prevails over the weak. This leads to a clearer understanding of the wider role citizens can play (and must play) in a networked political sphere, while it also warns the reader on the many risks citizens face in a post-truth world. The book challenges the traditional understanding of power through which the strong typically prevails over the weak. This leads to a clearer understanding of the wider role citizens can play (and must play) in a networked political sphere.