wolfdancer
08-10-2008, 01:08 PM
There is one quote from the following that says it all for me:
"...These things would be troubling no matter which party the president belonged to. Being able to take a step back from blind party allegiance to actually see when there is a problem is a key factor in maintaining a healthy democracy. No leader deserves our blind allegiance, regardless of their political party affiliation. Our elected leaders should be accountable to us, not the other way around......"
( but if the board here is a microcosm of party allegiances....)
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"The End of America"
This latest offering from best-selling author Wolf, The Beauty Myth, is a harbinger of an age that may finally see the patriarchal realm of political discourse usurped. Here is Wolf's compellingly and cogently argued political argument for civil rights, not women's rights. She contributes this call to action to a canon that from Plato and Aristotle to Hobbes and Locke and forward, with a few exceptions (e.g., Hannah Arendt), has been largely populated by men. Wolf's work is actually closer to the agitated, passionate polemics of Emma Goldman than the ponderous, philosophical musings of Arendt. Readers will appreciate her energy and urgency as she warns we are living through a dangerous "fascist shift" brought about by the Bush administration. Her chapters outline the "Ten Steps to Fascism" citing historical corollaries (as well as the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm), with headings like "Invoke an External and Internal Threat," "Establish Secret Prisons," and "Target Key Individuals." In other words, fascism can exist without dictatorship. Her book's publication through a small press in Vermont that is committed to "the politics and practice of sustainable living" rather than through a large trade house is itself a political act. Highly recommended for all collections.
Review
"One of the most important books that's been written, certainly in the last decade or two, and perhaps in my lifetime."
-- Thom Hartmann, best-selling author and host of The Thom Hartmann Radio Program
"Naomi Wolf 's End of America is a vivid, urgent, mandatory wake-up call that addresses momentous issues of tyranny, democracy, and survival."
-Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of the three-volume Eleanor Roosevelt
"Naomi Wolf sounds the alarm for all American patriots. We must come together as a nation and recommit ourselves to the fundamental American idea that no president, whether Democrat or Republican, will ever be given unchecked power."
-Wes Boyd, co-founder, MoveOn.org
"The framers of our Constitution fully understood that it can happen here. Patriots like Madison, Paine, and Franklin would certainly applaud Naomi Wolf and recognize her as a sister in their struggle."
-Mark Crispin Miller, author of Fooled Again
"You will be shocked and disturbed by this book. Most Americans reject outright any comparison of post 9/11 America with the fascism and totalitarianism of Nazi Germany or Pinochet's Chile. Sadly, the parallels and similarities, what Wolf calls the `echoes' between those societies and America today, are all too compelling."
-Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights
I was thoroughly frightened by the content of this book, and truly hope others are as well. The path we are headed down in this country should be concerning to both Democrats and Republicans. Loss of our liberties will, after all, affect all of us. I would urge anyone who reads this to keep an open mind, and not immediately discard the message she is conveying simply because it focuses on troubling things being done by the current administration. These things would be troubling no matter which party the president belonged to. Being able to take a step back from blind party allegiance to actually see when there is a problem is a key factor in maintaining a healthy democracy. No leader deserves our blind allegiance, regardless of their political party affiliation. Our elected leaders should be accountable to us, not the other way around.
Americans have sadly taken democracy for granted. The author of this book sends a necessary letter of warning to get Americans to realize that the continuation of democracy depends on the participation and action of citizens. Ms. Wolf's book identifies 10 steps that have historically been used to shut down open societies and how those steps are currently being taken in our nation today. If you are thinking that sounds harsh, this book will surprise you with its research, argument and facts. If you've been feeling in recent years that something is just not right, Ms. Wolf cites historical examples and recent newspaper articles to demonstrate why you are sensing an erosion of rights and justice. This is a brave book and I applaud Ms. Wolf for caring enough about our country to write it. The American people have now been warned that our democracy is more delicate than we think. Time will tell if collectively people care enough to respond in a way that prevents the "fascist shift" Wolf outlines in this shocking new book.
Not quite yet, but perhaps we're close. Naomi Wolf has written a book that fills a significant need at this point in our history. She sounds the call to warn American citizens...warn us that we may be slowly metamorphosing into that which we despise most: a country that bullies its citizens and is unaccountable to any recognized authority.
While some will see this book as alarmist --and reasonable people could debate this-- one of her points is undoubtedly true. That is, the decent into a repressive regime is slow and quiet. It usually does not come as an overnight announcement of martial law or suspension of elections. Instead, it happens over the course of years, so quietly that most may never notice until it's a fait accompli. Only then will people ask "how did this happen?".
Wolf compares and contrasts recent events in American history with those in Communist Russia, fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. This will undoubtedly put some readers off as any one of these references is a hot button that, once pushed, inflames blinding emotion. However, if you can get past that, the parallels are disquieting...even when read with a skeptical eye.
I hope that when I re-read this review in two years that I will be able to say that my concerns about torture, secret prisons, warrantless eavesdropping, a cowed media, and all the rest have faded away. If not, I'll have to acknowledge the prescience of Wolf's thesis.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And the authors of the next book were particularly scathing on how the media props up Bush
"The Kingmakers: How the Media Threatens Our Security and Our Democracy"
...while they made it seem he piloted the jet to get on board the Carrier for the now famous "Mission Accomplished" photo...he was a passenger, and while it was claimed that the carrier was too far out at sea to arrive by helicopter...truth is the media avoided taking photos which would have shown the nearby city in the background. That was minor compared to writing that the great Presidents of the past would not have hid like a coward after 9/11....but the media instead made GW look like a hero. (Tried to, but the video of him reading to the kids with a dumbfounded look on his face...I didn't need this book to figure out what kind of a man he really is)
Former Senator Gravel and Eisenbach collaborate in this searing denunciation of the American media, which they posit is the biggest threat to our democracy. According to the authors, the media marginalize dissenting voices and fail to provide the public with accurate news coverage, being content with regurgitating unconfirmed and often blatantly untrue reports from establishment figures. The authors dissect the media echo chamber and contagion of lazy journalism, debunking the lies and half-truths that they argue the media have accepted without scrutiny and irresponsibly repeated to the public. In frightening detail, this book illustrates how political elites manipulated the media to deceive the world about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and attempt to pursue war with Iran, using staged photo ops (George W. Bush posing under the Mission Accomplished banner) and fabricating events as in the case of the eventually disproved account of Pvt. Jessica Lynch's heroics. The authors call for participatory journalism, which will empower Americans to engage in online political debate. This important book is a valuable contribution to that debate and ought to be essential reading for all Americans. --Publishers Weekly
Product Description
WHO PUT THE MEDIA IN CHARGE?
Why does the media always blow the big stories? From 9/11 to Iraq's WMDs, from Iran's nuclear program to the inevitable Hillary Clinton the divide between reality and the so-called news has never been more dramatic or dangerous.
In The Kingmakers Senator Mike Gravel and Dr. David Eisenbach argue that the media's failure to present the public with an accurate view of the world poses a greater threat to American lives than terrorism. They also show how the greatest threat to our democracy is not money. It's the media. Long before the majority of voters pay attention to presidential elections, the media Kingmakers filter the presidential field and anoint the leading candidates.
"The Kingmakers: How the Media Threatens Our Security and Our Democracy"
Gravel and Eisenbach propose a powerful antidote to the Kingmakers' poisonous influence on American politics participatory journalism. Blogs, chat rooms, virtual worlds and Internet contributions have empowered ordinary citizens to change the course of American history and inaugurate a new wave of democratization that America hasn't seen since the Jacksonian era.
"...These things would be troubling no matter which party the president belonged to. Being able to take a step back from blind party allegiance to actually see when there is a problem is a key factor in maintaining a healthy democracy. No leader deserves our blind allegiance, regardless of their political party affiliation. Our elected leaders should be accountable to us, not the other way around......"
( but if the board here is a microcosm of party allegiances....)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"The End of America"
This latest offering from best-selling author Wolf, The Beauty Myth, is a harbinger of an age that may finally see the patriarchal realm of political discourse usurped. Here is Wolf's compellingly and cogently argued political argument for civil rights, not women's rights. She contributes this call to action to a canon that from Plato and Aristotle to Hobbes and Locke and forward, with a few exceptions (e.g., Hannah Arendt), has been largely populated by men. Wolf's work is actually closer to the agitated, passionate polemics of Emma Goldman than the ponderous, philosophical musings of Arendt. Readers will appreciate her energy and urgency as she warns we are living through a dangerous "fascist shift" brought about by the Bush administration. Her chapters outline the "Ten Steps to Fascism" citing historical corollaries (as well as the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm), with headings like "Invoke an External and Internal Threat," "Establish Secret Prisons," and "Target Key Individuals." In other words, fascism can exist without dictatorship. Her book's publication through a small press in Vermont that is committed to "the politics and practice of sustainable living" rather than through a large trade house is itself a political act. Highly recommended for all collections.
Review
"One of the most important books that's been written, certainly in the last decade or two, and perhaps in my lifetime."
-- Thom Hartmann, best-selling author and host of The Thom Hartmann Radio Program
"Naomi Wolf 's End of America is a vivid, urgent, mandatory wake-up call that addresses momentous issues of tyranny, democracy, and survival."
-Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of the three-volume Eleanor Roosevelt
"Naomi Wolf sounds the alarm for all American patriots. We must come together as a nation and recommit ourselves to the fundamental American idea that no president, whether Democrat or Republican, will ever be given unchecked power."
-Wes Boyd, co-founder, MoveOn.org
"The framers of our Constitution fully understood that it can happen here. Patriots like Madison, Paine, and Franklin would certainly applaud Naomi Wolf and recognize her as a sister in their struggle."
-Mark Crispin Miller, author of Fooled Again
"You will be shocked and disturbed by this book. Most Americans reject outright any comparison of post 9/11 America with the fascism and totalitarianism of Nazi Germany or Pinochet's Chile. Sadly, the parallels and similarities, what Wolf calls the `echoes' between those societies and America today, are all too compelling."
-Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights
I was thoroughly frightened by the content of this book, and truly hope others are as well. The path we are headed down in this country should be concerning to both Democrats and Republicans. Loss of our liberties will, after all, affect all of us. I would urge anyone who reads this to keep an open mind, and not immediately discard the message she is conveying simply because it focuses on troubling things being done by the current administration. These things would be troubling no matter which party the president belonged to. Being able to take a step back from blind party allegiance to actually see when there is a problem is a key factor in maintaining a healthy democracy. No leader deserves our blind allegiance, regardless of their political party affiliation. Our elected leaders should be accountable to us, not the other way around.
Americans have sadly taken democracy for granted. The author of this book sends a necessary letter of warning to get Americans to realize that the continuation of democracy depends on the participation and action of citizens. Ms. Wolf's book identifies 10 steps that have historically been used to shut down open societies and how those steps are currently being taken in our nation today. If you are thinking that sounds harsh, this book will surprise you with its research, argument and facts. If you've been feeling in recent years that something is just not right, Ms. Wolf cites historical examples and recent newspaper articles to demonstrate why you are sensing an erosion of rights and justice. This is a brave book and I applaud Ms. Wolf for caring enough about our country to write it. The American people have now been warned that our democracy is more delicate than we think. Time will tell if collectively people care enough to respond in a way that prevents the "fascist shift" Wolf outlines in this shocking new book.
Not quite yet, but perhaps we're close. Naomi Wolf has written a book that fills a significant need at this point in our history. She sounds the call to warn American citizens...warn us that we may be slowly metamorphosing into that which we despise most: a country that bullies its citizens and is unaccountable to any recognized authority.
While some will see this book as alarmist --and reasonable people could debate this-- one of her points is undoubtedly true. That is, the decent into a repressive regime is slow and quiet. It usually does not come as an overnight announcement of martial law or suspension of elections. Instead, it happens over the course of years, so quietly that most may never notice until it's a fait accompli. Only then will people ask "how did this happen?".
Wolf compares and contrasts recent events in American history with those in Communist Russia, fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. This will undoubtedly put some readers off as any one of these references is a hot button that, once pushed, inflames blinding emotion. However, if you can get past that, the parallels are disquieting...even when read with a skeptical eye.
I hope that when I re-read this review in two years that I will be able to say that my concerns about torture, secret prisons, warrantless eavesdropping, a cowed media, and all the rest have faded away. If not, I'll have to acknowledge the prescience of Wolf's thesis.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And the authors of the next book were particularly scathing on how the media props up Bush
"The Kingmakers: How the Media Threatens Our Security and Our Democracy"
...while they made it seem he piloted the jet to get on board the Carrier for the now famous "Mission Accomplished" photo...he was a passenger, and while it was claimed that the carrier was too far out at sea to arrive by helicopter...truth is the media avoided taking photos which would have shown the nearby city in the background. That was minor compared to writing that the great Presidents of the past would not have hid like a coward after 9/11....but the media instead made GW look like a hero. (Tried to, but the video of him reading to the kids with a dumbfounded look on his face...I didn't need this book to figure out what kind of a man he really is)
Former Senator Gravel and Eisenbach collaborate in this searing denunciation of the American media, which they posit is the biggest threat to our democracy. According to the authors, the media marginalize dissenting voices and fail to provide the public with accurate news coverage, being content with regurgitating unconfirmed and often blatantly untrue reports from establishment figures. The authors dissect the media echo chamber and contagion of lazy journalism, debunking the lies and half-truths that they argue the media have accepted without scrutiny and irresponsibly repeated to the public. In frightening detail, this book illustrates how political elites manipulated the media to deceive the world about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and attempt to pursue war with Iran, using staged photo ops (George W. Bush posing under the Mission Accomplished banner) and fabricating events as in the case of the eventually disproved account of Pvt. Jessica Lynch's heroics. The authors call for participatory journalism, which will empower Americans to engage in online political debate. This important book is a valuable contribution to that debate and ought to be essential reading for all Americans. --Publishers Weekly
Product Description
WHO PUT THE MEDIA IN CHARGE?
Why does the media always blow the big stories? From 9/11 to Iraq's WMDs, from Iran's nuclear program to the inevitable Hillary Clinton the divide between reality and the so-called news has never been more dramatic or dangerous.
In The Kingmakers Senator Mike Gravel and Dr. David Eisenbach argue that the media's failure to present the public with an accurate view of the world poses a greater threat to American lives than terrorism. They also show how the greatest threat to our democracy is not money. It's the media. Long before the majority of voters pay attention to presidential elections, the media Kingmakers filter the presidential field and anoint the leading candidates.
"The Kingmakers: How the Media Threatens Our Security and Our Democracy"
Gravel and Eisenbach propose a powerful antidote to the Kingmakers' poisonous influence on American politics participatory journalism. Blogs, chat rooms, virtual worlds and Internet contributions have empowered ordinary citizens to change the course of American history and inaugurate a new wave of democratization that America hasn't seen since the Jacksonian era.