Wingnuts

Wingnuts exist on the extreme edges of the political spectrum. They're the professional polarizers and the unhinged activists, the hardcore haters and the paranoid conspiracy theorists. They're people who always try to divide us instead of unite us. And at a time when the fringe is blurring with the base, they've hijacked American politics. The Obama era has been a boom-time for Wingnuts, kicked off by a financial collapse and the election America's first black president. For some, losing an election feels like living under tyranny. John Avlon tracks down preachers who pray for the president's death, goes inside the growing "Hatriot" militia movement, and identifies the fright-wing swamp where the Obama "Birthers" and the Bush-era "9/11 Truthers" bubble up. Wingnuts echo earlier fear-fueled movements in American history. But bolstered by the rise of hyper-partisan media, the Wingnut echo chamber is more influential than ever before and it has led directly to the division and dysfunction in Congress. Avlon asserts that the time has come for the moderate majority of Americans to straighten their civic backbone and hold the extremes accountable while restoring a sense of perspective to our politics.

In How to Humble a Wingnut, leading constitutional scholar, behavioral economist, and former Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Cass R. Sunstein examines the unconventional impetuses behind human decision-making. Why it is that people often choose to behave so strangely? Sunstein’s incisive commentaries point to recent empirical findings to demonstrate how and why people convince themselves they are right despite evidence to the contrary; fear dangers they are unlikely to encounter; and ignore real risks. Mining developments in recent behavioral studies for tips on everything from holiday shopping and political biases to staying healthy and clear thinking in general, Sunstein nudges his reader towards that rarest of grounds—understanding.

Wingnut, a ten-year-old boy becomes best friends with the boy next door and they embark on a series of adventures, dares, mishaps and close calls, but they always manage to make it out in one piece. When a group of bullies target the duo and make life miserable, it's time to take a stand. The two decide to implement an elaborate plan that will stop the bullying once and for all.

Webster’s ll says “wing nut a nut with wing like projections for thumb and forefinger leverage in turning.” Jadyn says, “Wingnut has long silky ears to use as leverage to turn him away from trouble. That’s why he is such a good dog. Go, Wingnut. Go.”

This hilarious collection of offbeat poetry introduces senryu, a cousin of haiku featuring punchy and punny poems that tackle a range of child-friendly subjects. Full color.