Democracy Café

The military-industrial complex is growing at a rampant and exponential pace, sensible gun safety measures remain ever elusive, and Americans are more polarized than ever. Not only that, there seem to be deliberate efforts by those at the top of the Executive Branch to foment division and demonization. Is this any way to run a democracy? Will McLamy, a senior at Constitution High School, a public magnet school in Center City Philadelphia near Independence Hall, where I've been holding Democracy Cafes (DemocracyCafe.org) and Declaration Project (DeclarationProject.org) gatherings for many years, doesn't think so. Will, who has witnessed the ravages of gun violence in his neighborhood, believes that the alarming growth in gun violence is tied in telling respects to the record increases in defense acquisitions, and that both contribute to our nation's unremitting path towards ever greater militarization. But all is not lost, by any means, according to Will. Listen to the thoughtful insights of this aspiring mat