The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror

by David W. Orr

"Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels" -SAMUEL JOHNSON, 1775
"a tightly reasoned, excellently written book that should be lethally effective in helping readers who aren't experts understand the contours of the crisis." -TOLEDO BLADE
Updated and revised following the 2004 elections, The Last Refuge describes the current state of American politics against the backdrop of mounting ecological and social problems, the corrosive influence of money, the corruption of language, and the misuse of terrorism as a political issue.
Setting out an agenda that transcends conventional ideological labels, David Orr contends that partisan wrangling is only a symptom of a deeper The whole political machinery that connects Americans' fundamentally honorable ideals with public policy is broken. The book offers a withering critique of the failings of the Bush administration, supplemented by new essays that look at the national-level dominance of the Republican Party and examine the fallacy that the evangelical right represents a Christian majority.
After analyzing the challenges of reforming the current system, Orr offers an empowering vision of a second American Revolution that peaceably achieves sustainability and charts a hopeful course for forward-looking citizens.

Genres: Nature, Social Science

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Kathy]

very good. from the introduction: "We are ruled by a plutocracy, distracted by the entertainment industry, and frequently misinformed by an increasingly concentrated news media that puts the pursuit of market share above telling the whole truth. And, part symptom, part cause, we have state legislatures and a Congress with many members who haven't read widely, thought deeply, or imagined much beyond their own pecuniary gain."

[Mark Valentine]

I'm glad I finished reading this on Earth Day. Although I wish I had read it when it was first published. Orr's book has the patience in presenting reasoned alternatives and disciplined suggestions for viable solutions. His chapter called, "Four Challenges of Sustainability" is worth the entire book, but I am glad to have read all of it.

I will photocopy the bibliography and use it as an itinerary for additional books to read.

[S]

This is an awful cover.
Mine didn't have that.