In this 4th edition, we hear from Dark Rain Thom, clan mother in the Shawnee Remnant Band. The Shawnee approach to group decision-making is quite different from our own. She does not have high hopes for democracy in this country. I highlight the "5 minutes with Wichita" podcast and The Alliance for Democracy. My quote of the week is Aristotle's declaration of the importance of a large middle class.

In this 3rd edition, we hear from Indiana State Senator Vi Simpson and from one of her constituents, Joan Bennett. They both rate our democracy at the state and federal level rather low. I highlight KCRW's Left, Right, and Center podcast and WILPF. My quote of the week is Aristotle's description of the perversions of the three major types of governments.

In this second edition, we hear from Andy Ruff again briefly and from Bill Baus, one of Andy's constituents. They share a concern about the influence of corporations on democracy. I highlight the Lee Hamilton Comments on Congress podcast and the POCLAD organization. My quote of the week, from Aristotle's Politics, concerns slaves.

Shades' objective is to stimulate conversation and critical thinking about democracy. In this first edition, I share excerpts from an interview with a city councilman who expresses his take on democracy. I refer to the Annenberg/CPB site at www.learner.org and the Digital Flotsam site at digitalflotsam.org. I quote Noam Chomsky who paraphrases some interesting comments by Aristotle about democracy.