We're eager to help provoke meaningful social improvement and real political change—both worldwide and in our home country, the United States.

Humanity is destroying our planet, fostering global inequalities, violating human rights, stretching the gap between have's and have-not's, and failing to nurture the best spirit of humankind.

We hope to make a small contribution towards bringing positive progressive change. We're acting locally, thinking globally, and welcoming everybody in-between.

Politically, we lean progressive left, but we are not affiliated with—nor highly impressed by—any specific poilitical party.

When edgybear.com covers factual information (such as Who Stands for What?), we make a sincere, good-faith attempt to be accurate, complete, and fair-minded towards all sides.

We work and live by a Declaration of Progressives Values, adapted from a declaration of values developed on December 11, 2004 by the Sevier County Democrats of Tennessee. These values are grounded in respect for others and faith in a healthy democracy based on progressive values.

In these values, we expect a responsible government to:

• faithfully protect and enrich the lives of all its citizens;
• preserve and protect our natural environment;
• inspire--not terrorize--its own people;
• tell the truth, openly and honestly;
• stay fiscally responsible;
• obey its own laws;
• foster a just and peaceful international community based on human rights, democratic principles, and international justice.

Our Declaration of Progressive Values states:

1. We are loyal patriots who love America.
2. We gladly serve our community, state, and nation.
3. We fight to protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

WE BELIEVE THAT:


4. No one is free until everyone is free.
5. Good citizenship is an everyday duty.
6. Real democracy is open, not hidden in secrets.
7. America spreads its values best by moral example.
8. Legitimate government is of, by, and for the people.
9. God gave humanity science to reveal the wonders of the universe.
10. Great nations care for the vulnerable and disadvantaged.
11. Our environment must be saved for all generations.
12. By separating church and state, we protect both.
13. America's greatness is the right to be different.

The EdgyBear Community is a group of like-minded people who work for social and political change based on progressive values. On-line, they share views, bounce ideas, and help keep each other well-informed. Off-line, they work with passion in the "real" world, taking meaningful action to help bring positive change.

You are already part of the EdgyBear Community, just by being here. Soon, you will be able to join the community officially and post comments on the EdgyBear Blog. There will be no cost.

We welcome anyone who wishes to just read our website and enjoy its content. There are three different levels of participation. You choose the one that's best for you.

• Visitor:  A Visitor is anyone who visits and reads the EdgyBear website. That's it. There is no password, no sign-in, no information required, and no cost. Just show up. You can read the site as you wish and do nothing more. The only requirement is that, by using this site, you are implicitly agreeing to our Terms of Service.


• Member:  A Member is someone who joins the EdgyBear Community. There is no cost, and the only information required is your name and email address. As a Member, you can post ideas and comments on the EdgyBear Blog, plus other benefits. If you'd like to join EdgyBear as a Member, stay alert for an announcement soon.
  
  
• Supporter:  A Supporter prefers to work more actively for positive change, bioth on-line and in the real (off-line) world. Supporters in the EdgyBear network may receive event alerts, special announcements, or notices of local events. There is no cost to be a Supporter. A Supporter provides a little more information (like zip or postal code), so information sent is relevant to your community.
  

PRIVACY NOTICE:  Hey, we hate spam as much as you do. We will not sell or share your contact information with any outside group or third party. So, you don't need to worry—if you join EdgyBear—that you'll suddenly get new, annoying, unwanted emails offering to make you rich from Nigeria, help you find your missing high school sweetheart, or increase the size of vital body parts. Your information stays in the family.

We are blessed to have some clear-minded, usually-articulate, sometimes-even-eloquent Contributors who speak up regularly and growl their edgy viewpoints here. For more about them, see Contributors.

From time to time, we also invite others who have strong voices and good ideas—regardless of their politics—to publish a guest column, add a commentary, or allow us to reprint a high-value piece from elsewhere.

Anyone who joins the Edgybear Community (it's free) will also be invited to contribute by posting on the EdgyBear Blog.

Finally, anyone (member or not) who visits EdgyBear is invited to give feedback, report news, share updates, and spot glitches. For the right email addresses, see: Contact EdgyBear.

We want the EdgyBear Community to be open and available to all like-minded grassroots progressives. EdgyBear thinks and acts more like a movement than a business.

Others have suggested we charge a fee, at least at the Sponsor level. So far, we're not eager to do that, though it could happen at some future time. Right now, anyone who joins the EdgyBear Community—as a Member or Sponsor—will be "grandfathered in" and will never be asked to pay a fee to be a member.

Income for supporting this site (and the EdgyBear Community) comes from our users, mostly indirectly:

• Products:  If you buy a download, e-book, or other product from this site, that helps support EdgyBear.


• Advertising:  When you support our site's advertisers, that helps support EdgyBear.


• Affiliates:  If you order stuff through EdgyBear from other companies with whom we are affiliates, that helps support EdgyBear.


• Direct Ads:  If our readers reflect your market, you can advertise directly on EdgyBear. That's a "win-win": you get a highly-targeted audience; we get support for EdgyBear. (See Advertise on This Site.)


• Classified Ads:  If you'd like to place a Classified Ad, we have modest fees for reaching the EdgyBear audience on-line. (See Classified Ads.)


• Donations:  Occasionally, people become an EdgyBear sponsor by making a donation. All forms of support are welcome, but none is required to enjoy and benefit from EdgyBear. (See Make a Donation.) Sorry, donations to the cause are not tax-deductible.


• Word of Mouth:  If you get value from EdgyBear, please spread the word. Tell others who might enjoy EdgyBear, too. That costs you nothing, but could help us a lot.

Honestly, we got tired of watching self-serving politicians on the right who successfully--but cynically and destructively--used wedge issues (like gay marriage), phony slander (like the Swift Boaters), and propaganda bloviation (like Limbaugh) to spread venom and sidetrack the major, serious, real issues now facing the people of the United States and world.

So, we worked hard to pinpoint and focus on the key issues (and choices) that--if sincerely addressed--can help fulfill the promise of a progressive society.

The 12 Progressive Issues are:

1. Saving Plant Earth
2. Peace and War
3. Global Living Conditions
4. Human Rights
5. Economic Justice
6. Opportunity for All
7. International Balance
8. Democratic Reform
9. Universal Health Care
Lifetime Education
10. Energy Freedom
11. Fiscal Responsibility

We work hard, daily, to make EdgyBear a comfortable, honest gathering place where you can kick back, show your authentic self, learn, share, and expect a good time.

We do have some Rules--some for ourselves (like protecting your Privacy and getting our facts straight), and some for visitors and members (like about protecting our Copyright and posting on the EdgyBear Blog).

If you use this site, you are agreeing implicitly to honor and abide by our Terms of service.

For full information, see Using This Site.