This book equips readers to analyze and understand divisive issues threatening the foundations of the American Republic. In a series of 31 essays, Stephen Tryon has crafted a brilliant, interdisciplinary survey to empower citizens, students, public officials and those aspiring to serve. Close Encounters With Accountability Citizenship is a guide for the practical application of critical reasoning to matters of governance and public policy. Informed by concise overviews of the science of truth, history, behavioral psychology and current events, the author presents substantive discussions taken from his eight-year tour of duty on the front lines of America's political blog wars. Key terms and study questions guide the reader at the end of every section. Solutions at the end of the book reveal the logical structure supporting essays highlighted in the study questions. As a whole, this collection is an accessible, practical aid for improving the ability of American citizens to process information effectively. As we pursue this goal, our society must embrace humility and tolerance while recalibrating political systems to value compromise over conflict.