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A book I plan to read soon

Discussion in 'Alley of Lingering Sighs' started by dmc, Oct 30, 2007.

  1. dmc

    dmc Speak softly and carry a big briefcase Staff Member Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Naomi Wolf wrote a book called The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot that I intend to read when I get some time.

    She has some interesting points to raise about what Bush has done in America and what we can expect. My understanding is that, while she looks at Bush's track record, she also says that she does not have any great hope that a Democrat would roll back what was done. However, as I have not read the book, I will freely admit to ingorance as to the true extent of her bias.

    I read an article on line that was interesting, although I found some of her arguments flawed or less than persuasive. It basically listed a "blueprint" to overthrow a democracy and looked at the US in light of that idea.

    Article

    Some interesting topic headings and content:

    General theory:

    9/11 - nuff said.

    Gitmo, "black prisons" Further quote:

    Mercs and other "security contractors" in Iraq, but it hits closer to home. Apparently, some of these people were used after Katrina.

    Errr - Patriot Act anyone?


    This one I'm not so sure of. The author points to harassment of a church in Pasadena where the minister preached that Jesus was in favor of peace, but added that churches that got Republicans out to vote were left alone. My understanding of the Pasadena issue is that the minister may very well have preached WHO TO VOTE FOR, rather than just go vote. The former is not permitted, the latter is. Also, the concept of keeping tabs on activist groups is not particularly new. That said, there is a claim that: "A little-noticed new law has redefined activism such as animal rights protests as "terrorism". So the definition of "terrorist" slowly expands to include the opposition." I would need to seem some backup for this.

    In light of the other topic on the British minister taken aside and questioned a second time for 40 minutes seems appropriate. Also, the author states:

    The recent firings of the US Attorneys of "questionable" loyalty.

    The Joe Wilson/Valerie Plame outing is sort of obvious here, no matter what the administration claims about it. There are more unsubstantiated claims in the article:

    That last one I can easily see.

    Now THAT'S scary.


    Now that's an ominous laundry list to contemplate. Again, I see that there are plenty of unsubstantiated claims and allegations, but it calls for a lot of thought.
     
    dmc, Oct 30, 2007
    #1
    Nakia likes this.

  2. a soubriquet Gems: 5/31
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    Strangely enough, some of that reminded me of a movie I just saw - Zeitgeist. I wonder if there is any relationship between the two, beyond what they're about? I agree, though; the entire issue does cause one to contemplate the current condition of the U.S., and why we got to that condition.
     
    a soubriquet, Oct 30, 2007
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  3. Drew

    Drew Arrogant, contemptible, and obnoxious Adored Veteran

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    I can corroborate this. Donating money to something as innocuous as a tree sitting is, in at least a few states (offhand, Oklahoma comes to mind), now considered supporting terrorism.
     
    Drew, Oct 30, 2007
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  4. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

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    Naomi Klein's column's are excellent. I doubt the Book is much different. Sounds like a good choice to me :)
     
    Ragusa, Oct 30, 2007
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  5. Montresor

    Montresor Mostly Harmless Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder

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    dmc: Thanks for referring to this one - I am definitely going to read it soon. :thumb:

    /me opens Amazon link ...
     
    Montresor, Oct 31, 2007
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  6. The Great Snook Gems: 31/31
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    Thank God for the second amendment
     
    The Great Snook, Oct 31, 2007
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  7. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    TGS - While you are at it be sure to thank Thomas Jefferson and James Madison for adding the Bill of Rights.

    The scary part is, they even have their own private army, the Blackwater goons.
     
    Chandos the Red, Nov 1, 2007
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  8. Cernak Gems: 12/31
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    Now that Naomi Wolf has turned you on, DMC, you should go to read "Nemisis" by Chalmers Johnson. It's like the second bowl of porridge on the table.
     
    Cernak, Nov 2, 2007
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  9. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

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    It's Nemesis :p and it's the third book of an "inadvertent trilogy" of excellent books by Chalmers Johnson.

    Blowback - The Costs and Consequences of American Empire
    The Sorrows of Empire - Militarism, Secrecy and the End of the Republic
    Nemesis - The Last Days of the American Republic

    With them I recommend the outstanding book by Andrew Bacevich:

    The New American Militarism - How Americans Are seduced By War

    Order them through SP's links :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2007
    Ragusa, Nov 4, 2007
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  10. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    DMC - Is this thread only for the one book? or may I add another? The Fall of the House of Bush: The Untold Story of How a Band of True Believers Seized the Executive Branch, Started the Iraq War, and Still Imperils America's Future" is the book I'm considering.

    A very interesting article regarding this book, which appeared on Salon, caught my interest. Here is an excerpt:

    Many tend to see the modern conservative movement as monolithic, with little room for dissent. While that may be true of the more recent GWB brand of "conservativism," it would not appear to be a valid view of how all "conservatives" see things. I mean, who can forget the remarkably bad treatment that was heaped upon Ron Paul by fellow conservatives for taking an opposing view of the Iraq War during a recent debate? Many of us believed that the old conservative movement morphed into the more recent mutation. Yet, it appears that some in the old guard are under many of the same apprehensions and constraints as those who are unaligned with any type conservative movement. Here's more:

    The interesting thing about this comment is that GWB was not referring to liberals or moderates who oppose the war, but his own father.

    This is the most interesting aspect:

    This seems an odd thing to me. I would think that there would be an exchange of ideas between two presidents, considering the current state of things regarding Iraq, and the high stakes of the current Bush regime. And Bush 41 was president less than 20 years ago. So, why does the old conservative approach - the Reagan/Bush approach - seem so ancient, like a page from antiquity in 2007? Better yet, why are there no answers to these questions from the conservative camp?

    http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/11/07/house_of_bush/
     
    Chandos the Red, Nov 8, 2007
    #10
  11. dmc

    dmc Speak softly and carry a big briefcase Staff Member Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    In answer to the question, no, the thread is not limited to that one book, yours looks interesting too.
     
    dmc, Nov 8, 2007
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  12. Montresor

    Montresor Mostly Harmless Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder

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    While waiting for my copy to arrive, I am reading up a bit on Alan Bullock's "Hitler - A Study in Tyranny". This book can definitely be recommended as well.

    Hitler essentially followed the same blueprint after he became chancellor in January 1933. The burning of the Reichtag provided the terrifying event, and the "Enabling Act" gave the government the necessary power to effectively shut down democracy. Everything done quite "legally", of course (any SA or SS thugs were either part of the official police force, or they couldn't be linked to Hitler).
     
    Montresor, Nov 18, 2007
    #12
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