Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
This all-encompassing encyclopedia provides a broad perspective on U.S. politics, culture, and society, but also goes beyond the facts to consider the myths, ideals, and values that help shape and define the nation. Demonstrating that political culture is equally rooted in public events, internal debates, and historical experiences, this unique, three-volume encyclopedia examines an exceptionally broad range of factors shaping modern American politics, including popular belief, political action, and the institutions of power and authority. Readers will see how political culture is shaped by the attitudes, opinions, and behaviors of Americans, and how it affects those things in return. The set also addresses the issue of American "exceptionalism" and examines the nation's place in the world, both historically and in the 21st century. Essays cover pressing matters like congressional gridlock, energy policy, abortion politics, campaign finance, Supreme Court rulings, immigration, crime and punishment, and globalization. Social and cultural issues such as religion, war, inequality, and privacy rights are discussed as well. Perhaps most intriguingly, the encyclopedia surveys the fierce ongoing debate between different political camps over the nation's historical development, its present identity, and its future course. By exploring both fact and mythology, the work will enable students to form a broad yet nuanced understanding of the full range of forces and issues affecting—and affected by—the political process.
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
This book presents articles, analyses and Congressional testimony which has been carefully edited, excerpted and indexed with regard to actual and potential terrorist attacks. Excerpts are also presented from reports issued well before 11 September 2001 which predicted the country's vulnerability and which were promptly buried in the graveyard of unread and unacted-upon reports. Questions are raised whether the dozens of federal agencies charged with aspects of homeland security can ever be co-ordinated by anyone without seriously reshuffling various government agencies which may turn out to be more difficult than eliminating terrorism.
"On January 6, 2021, Americans and the world witnessed a mob ransack the US Capitol, the "People's House," as the US Congress attempted to carry out a basic function of democracy, the certification of an election and the peaceful transfer of power. While this attack was unprecedented in its scale, threats to the Capitol are not new; and since the 1990s have included a crazed lone gunman, the attempted Al-Qaeda attack of 9/11, and bioterrorism in the form of anthrax. In addition, time and the weather have taken their toll on the building itself, as Congress chronically does not appropriate enough funds for the Capitol's preservation. The job of sustaining the Capitol building and grounds - as well as the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court - falls to the Architect of the Capitol, who also supervises the Capitol police with the sergeant at arms of the House and the Senate. As the steward of the People's House, the Architect must balance secuirty for the building and members with access by the public. As the 10th Architect of the Capitol, Alan Hantman oversaw the largest development of the Capitol in more than a century, the construction of the Capitol Visitor Center. This book describes the struggle to build the CVC, along with Hantman's negotiations with members of Congress for the funds to repair the Capitol dome and balance security with openness. Hantman was eye witness to some unforgettable scenes with new resonances after January 6th: Al Gore presiding over the certification of his own defeat in January 2001; the shooter who breached the Capitol in 1998 and murdered two police officers; and the evacuation of the Capitol on 9/11 as a hijacked plan approached. This book will be of interest to anyone who, after the tragic events of Jan 6, wants to know more about how the Capitol works a physical space; who runs it, how and why decisions are made about the security of the Capitol and the people who work there; and how politicians think about the Capitol Building"--