On the advice of my friend Lauren . . .

I decided to check out the book "A Letter to America" by David Boren, a Rhodes scholar and president of the University of Oklahoma. I checked out the Ad Fontes Catalog at our Law Library and the book is on order, so hopefully it will be in soon. Here's what his website says about the book:


"A Letter to America boldly faces the question of how long the United States, with only six percent of the world’s population, can remain a global superpower. University of Oklahoma president David Boren explains with unsparing clarity why the country is at a crossroads and why decisive action is urgently needed. He draws on his experiences as the longest-serving chair of the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence and as a state governor and leader of a major public university.

America is in trouble because its people are losing faith in the country’s future. What the country needs, Boren asserts, are major reforms to restore the ability of our political system to act responsibly. We have shared values, and we should use them to replace cynicism with hope and the determination to build a better future. Bipartisan cooperation on behalf of national interests needs to replace destructive partisanship, and we should not rule out electing a president independent of both existing parties. We must fashion a post–Cold War foreign policy that fits twenty-first-century realities—including several contending superpowers. We must adopt campaign finance reform that restores political power to the voters, rather than special interests. Universal health care coverage, budget deficit reduction, affordable higher education, and a more progressive tax structure will strengthen the middle class.

Boren also describes how we can renew our emphasis on quality primary and secondary education, revitalize our spirit of community, and promote volunteerism. He urges the teaching of more American history and government, for without educated citizens our system cannot function and our rights will not be preserved. Unless we understand how we became great, we will not remain great. The plan Boren puts forward is ambitious and hopeful. It challenges Americans to look into the future, decide what we want to be and where we want to go, and then implement the policies and actions we need to take us there. A Rhodes Scholar, David Boren is President of the University of Oklahoma. A former governor of Oklahoma, he served as U.S. Senator from Oklahoma from 1979 to 1994 and chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1987 to 1993."

If that doesn't convince you,

“Wise, timely, and constructive views from one of the leading public servants and educators of our time. This book should be read, re-read, and passed along to all who care about our country and its future.”
David McCullough
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of John Adams


“Here now is the letter to us all, the one we have been waiting for—and sorely need. It is a message of alarm but also of hope. Our problems as Americans are huge but most are of our own making and thus capable of our own fixing. I say, Amen, David Boren.”
Jim Lehrer
Executive Editor, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer


“David Boren’s unique insights present us with a summons to action. Not all that he suggests will be palatable, but all should be debated. Above all, his letter calls us back from the precipice of narrow self-interest to the solid ground of the public good.”
Ruth Simmons
President of Brown University