There is nothing more prodigal of wonders than the art of being free . . . but nothing is harder than the apprenticeship of liberty.      —Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

 In 1831, the French aristocrat and historian Alexis de Tocqueville toured the United States for nine months. Ostensibly, he came to study our prison system for the new French King. But really, he wanted to answer the burning question of his life” “Why did democracy take root in America but fail in France?”

Mark Duncan has already had a near death experience with a mass shooter.

His daughter Faryn, a 20-year-old student at University of Nevada Las Vegas found herself in the crosshairs at a country music festival.

Sometime during the last set, amid the loud music and flashing lights, she noticed people around her dropping to the pavement and spewing blood. Faryn managed to survive by hiding under the stage until brave strangers ushered her to safety.

If it wasn't clear to Republicans and Democrats before the 2016 election, it should be now, the health of their national parties will likely hinge on their ability to successfully court the independent voter. California candidates, in particular, will have to contend with the influence of independent voters early because of the new nonpartisan primary which allows any voter to vote for any candidate.

Former Republican Rep. Zach Wamp of Tennessee isn't one to back down from a political fight and will tell you exactly how he feels about the state of our national politics.

The people who are calling for Congress to pass legislation to ban a certain model of rifle are just feeding this tragedy to the corrupt political system. And that's not the right thing to do with this, and it's not their place to anyways.

Then you've got the #NationalSchoolWalkout, which is being organized by professional feminists and women's movement activists, not students, and they have no idea what they're doing.

The Unrig The System Summit in New Orleans was a historic event that brought together people from across the political spectrum who could all agree on at least one thing: Our political process is corrupt, rigged, and need of broad systemic reform.

Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, progressives, independents, and more shared the spotlight together not to talk about the political issues that divide them, but the reform initiatives that can unite them.

I am a physician and a black woman who grew up poor and came of age in the 1970’s. I‘ve spent 25 years practicing medicine, mainly in Harlem, and I care deeply about the state of our country, about the state of black America, and about the state of our democracy.

I am also a political independent and reform activist who has worked for years to help generate conversations about our dysfunctional and divisive political system and the overwhelming social crisis that results from it.

Michael Allman would not be the first politician to attempt a successful campaign based on the idea of "Direct Democracy," but he is the latest. And perhaps most surprising, he is a Republican running on that message.

Also interesting is the fact that California is a top two state meaning the top two finishers in the primary will go on to the general election, regardless of party preference.

Welcome to The Pickle podcast. My ambitions are high. I want to interview political, reform, independent, business, creative, nonprofit, entrepreneurial, and cultural movers and shakers about the pickle we are in as a country and as a world.

This is a reflective piece more than a data-driven piece. I’m venturing, foolishly perhaps, into a topic that hasn’t traditionally been “one of my issues.”

Of course, it’s everybody’s issue to some degree, as we all see the news and experience a bit of the heart-wrench of the individuals, families, and communities who experience the unthinkable tragedy of a shooting, especially mass shootings.