The Unraveling of the Bush Presidency

Customer Reviews:

The Unraveling of the Bush Presidency.......2007-09-28

Well thought out and balanced regarding how inapropriatley Bush and his administration is marshalling the unique resources of the US and not in the best interests of the world. Among the most precious of these resources is the Values it stands for and the Goodwill it had earned over centuries.

The message is not an argument but a reasoned voice for what is just.

A short book yet not a "quick" read and well worth the time.

Read this review, it'll change your mind........2007-09-06

This is a work which propagates the ills or rather the chills of the Bush administration, meant to inform the readers what is going on, not a biblical study by any means, not sure what the past reviewer is thinking but perhaps I could refer him to A POWER GOVERNMENTS CANNOT SUPPRESS.

This is a pamphlet book, cheap and easy to access.

One has to remember that the sensationalistic media does not allow for much in the way of a large, overburdening text which will never be read.

This is a book of 48 pages! It could have been 1500!.......2007-08-29

This book recaps much of what we have already heard about "Dubya's" corrupt and incompetent administration. No theme was developed beyond a cursory brushover. But why should have Zinn regurgitated all that we already know in a long running tome? It would have been redundant. However, if you are inclined, buy this book and thirty years down the line, in 2037, give it to your grand kids so they might read a good summary of just how dangerous and disgraceful Bush's 8 years in office really were. Hopefully Zinn will have to write a postscript some day about the endless crimes for which many of Bush's lieutenants were jailed -and- hopefully Bush himself. For such a work I might stick around for another 30 years!

Average customer rating:

Recommended for all writers/artists/musicians/etc...
Inane babble,
Do Artists have a Political Role?
A fascinating read in the wake of Fahrenheit 9/11.
manifesto for a generation

Artists in Times of War (Open Media)
Howard Zinn
Manufacturer: Seven Stories Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1583226028

Book Description

Throughout his lifetime, radical historian Howard Zinn has emphasized the crucial role that protest and civil disobedience play in energizing and directing social change. In Zinn's worldview, the rebel who challenges government and authority is usually the one who leads the most progressive advances in peace, welfare, and social justice. "To criticize the government is the highest act of patriotism," writes Zinn. In this new collection of four essays-three of which are previously unpublished-the author of A People's History of the United States writes about the unique role of artists, activists, and publishers in working toward change.

Howard Zinn is a world-renowned historian, author, and public speaker. In February, 2003, he celebrated the publication of the millionth copy of his masterpiece, A People's History of the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended for all writers/artists/musicians/etc..........2007-03-30

It is important for all painters, writers, musicians, actors, photographers, etc. to read books like this one because it is important for artists to ask themselves poignant questions such as, "What is the political effect of my art?", "Should I take on political topics to express how I feel about certain issues?", and "What are the potential benefits/consequences if I do?" Zinn's book offers a springboard toward thinking about these questions, and he puts forth some powerful arguments that, not only should artists create political works, but that when artists do, their works have potential that nonfiction works can never have.

Inane babble,.......2007-03-08

Its a shame Howard Zinn is residing in the bosom of Western Society. This tome rambles and rambles with his inane observations. Zinn is in the same vein as Nietzsche, he uses his hammer to destroy, not to build solution.

Do Artists have a Political Role?.......2006-10-05

Howard Zinn makes fine points about how Artists are the voice of conscience for nations. An artist's role is to tell the truth as he or she sees it. True artistic endeavors are truth, whether music, painting, sculpture or writing - truth through emotion or satire. Artists show us the truth whether we can see it or not. Joseph Heller told the truth of war, even when war was still patriotic social obligation. Mark Twain was the ultimate satirist, against imperialism and no one can accuse Twain of unpatriotism. Who else? Bob Dylan, e. e. cummings, Thomas Paine, Emma Goldman, and others.

Howard Zinn is right and we are all artists in a time of war.

A fascinating read in the wake of Fahrenheit 9/11........2004-07-03

This slim volume (I read it in an hour) by famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) revisionist historian Zinn is direct and to the point: "It is the job of the artist...to think outside the boundaries of permissible thought and dare to say things that no one else will say." Of course, what Zinn thinks that artists should be saying is to speak out against war in ways that traditional journalists do not, CAN not. He cites Catch-22 by Joseph Heller as a case in point: "If, right after World War II, someone had written a nonfiction book on the ambiguities of war and the atrocities committed by the supposed good guys...such a book would have been difficult to publish. But...artists can be sly. They can point to things that take you outside traditional thinking because you can get away with it in fiction."

This makes me think of the movie Fahrenheit 9/11 and how remarkable it is that Michael Moore has broken through that wall to bring forth a nonfiction artistic statement about the current administration and war. I think Zinn would be pleased. Now if only someone would make some of the movies he suggests in this book (the story of Emma Goldman, the Ludlow Massacre, the Phillipine-American war to name a few).

manifesto for a generation.......2004-03-23

Dr. Zinn does a great job in this collection of essays letting a new generation understand that an untold section of American history involves, as Dr. King put it in his last speech, "our right to protest for right." This manifesto which urges people to speak out on what's going on no also includes historial precedents of this in his discussion of stories Hollywood doesn't tell (It$ not hard to gue$$ why). But in either case, read this book and then FIGHT THE POWER!

Masters of War: Latin America and United States Aggression from the Cuban Revolution Through the Clinton Years

Average customer rating:

A Long Narrative of US Agression towards Latin America
A must read for the student of Latin American history
Excellent account of recent Latin American history

Masters of War: Latin America and United States Aggression from the Cuban Revolution Through the Clinton Years
Clara Nieto
Manufacturer: Seven Stories Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

International | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1583225455

Book Description

In Masters of War, Clara Nieto adeptly presents the parallel histories of the countries of Latin America, histories which are intertwined, each reflecting the United States' "coherent policy of intervention" set into motion by the Monroe Doctrine. As the value of this continued policy comes increasingly into question, Nieto argues for the need to evaluate the alarming precedent set in Latin America: the institution of client dictatorships, the roles played by the interests of U.S. corporations, the enormous tolls taken on civilian populations, and the irreversible disruption of regional stability.

Clara Nieto's Masters of War first appeared in Colombia, where it became a national best seller. Now available for the first time in English, it has been revised and expanded to address new developments in U.S. and Latin American politics such as the conflicts in the Middle East, the U.S. rejection of the International Criminal Court, recent controversies over globalization, and the new governments of Chavez and Uribe in Venezuela and Colombia.

Drawing from an impressive array of documents and sources as well as from her unique first-hand insights as a participant in crucial meetings and negotiations in the region from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, Nieto chronicles the Cuban Revolution, the CIA-sponsored coup against popularly elected President Allende in Chile, the U.S. invasions of Panama and Grenada, U.S. support for the cultivation and training of paramilitary death squads in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Colombia, as well as similarly severe but less well-known situations in other countries such as Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Nieto shows how movements for social change and economic progress among the farmers and factory workers of South and Central America raised alarms in Washington as manifestations of the threat of Communism while the brutality used to suppress these movements was actively supported by the U.S. as an instrument of freedom and democracy. She introduces us to the presidents, government advisors, generals, guerrilla leaders, and intelligence officials who kept the region ablaze with political turmoil and bitter armed conflicts.

Masters of War is powerful in many respects: it offers, from an informed perspective, perhaps for the first time, a distanced, objective analysis of recent Latin American history, and the book revisits this history at a crucial moment. Developments in U.S. foreign policy are drawing sharp criticism from all over the world for espousing double standards, unilateralism, and unprecedented displays of military force as appropriate means to further its own interests. Clara Nieto's depth of knowledge and understanding is an invaluable resource at a time when the media is seen as unapologetically aligned with the interests of major corporations and policymakers, and the American public has reached a new height of apprehension regarding the intentions behind and consequences of its government's policies.

Customer Reviews:

A Long Narrative of US Agression towards Latin America.......2007-06-17

This book is a typical denunciation of US policy towards Latin America. It focuses on Cuba since the Revolution (1959), but covers events from countries throughout the region, including the Central American civil wars and the Southern Cone military dictatorships. Everything is true in the book; but its great weakness is that it is nothing more than a long list of events trying to show that US policy towards Latin America was belligerent in the latter half of the twentieth century. It lacks any original or dynamic interpretations. I would only recommend this book to someone who does not know, or believe, that the United States has behaved as an imperial power in Latin America.

A must read for the student of Latin American history.......2005-10-06

Overall an excellent book that deals with U.S. military interventions in Latin America from the perspective of a Latin American scholar. My one critique of the book is an obvious bias against the United States with no intent on even trying to be objective. I would still highly recommend it. The obvious biases aside it is an excellent tool in understanding why Latin American people and leaders have negative feelings towards the United States and why Latin Americans see the U.S. as the bad guys.

Excellent account of recent Latin American history.......2004-07-12

In this excellent history of Latin America since 1959, the Colombian diplomat Clara Nieto surveys the continent country by country, showing how the US state has consistently intervened in their internal affairs.
The alliance of neo-liberalism and social democracy internally, the USA and the EU externally, has kept capitalism in power in Latin America. So half its people live in worsening poverty, a third are unemployed, and foreign debt totals $400 billion.
Nieto focuses on the Cuban revolution and its effects. In March 1959, President Eisenhower ordered CIA sabotage and terrorism against Cuba. Kennedy was worse: Nieto writes, "His policies opposing the Revolution were more aggressive than Eisenhower's." Two days before the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, US planes bombed Cuba's cities, under Kennedy's orders. Kennedy started the US policy of counter-insurgency in Latin America (and Africa and Asia), supporting death squads and military dictatorships. Nieto shows how the US state sponsored counterrevolutionary wars in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Guatemala and Chile.
Johnson carried on Kennedy's policies: he backed the generals' fascist coup in Brazil in 1964, and attacked the Dominican Republic in 1965. Nieto depicts Reagan's wars - occupying Honduras, arming the death squads of El Salvador, running the Contras' terrorist war against Nicaragua, attacking Grenada - and Bush's attack on Panama.
The US state has never ceased its illegal, terrorist attacks on Cuba. The New York Times reported in 1983 how the head of a Miami-based anti-Cuban terrorist group admitted in a US court that he had taken germs to Cuba in 1980, proving Cuba's accusations of CIA biological warfare against Cuba. The US state made Armando Valladares - a former Batista police officer and convicted terrorist - ambassador and president of its delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission.
But the Commission's 1989 report refuted all the US slanders about Cuba's torture and abuse of political prisoners. The world knows now who tortures and abuses political prisoners detained without charge or trial.
Nieto's final chapter examines how Cuba has survived and kept its revolution going. The key is that its people, determined to defend their democracy, independence and sovereignty, actively prevent the counter-revolution from organising.

A People's History of the United States, Vol. 2: The Civil War to the Present, Teaching Edition

Average customer rating:

HOWRD ZINN KNOWS WHATS UP
Episodic, antithetical diatribe - with added questions!
Outstanding Economic History
Herstory and History from the bottom up
Unbalanced Overall

A People's History of the United States, Vol. 2: The Civil War to the Present, Teaching Edition
Howard Zinn , Kathy Emery , and Ellen Reeves
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1565847253

Book Description

The New Press's Abridged Teaching Edition of A People's History of the United States has made Howard Zinn's original text available specifically for classroom use. Each chapter in Volume II provides exercises and teaching materials that allow students to begin a critical inquiry into the American past. Volume II covers the Civil War through the present, with new chapters on the Clinton Presidency, the 2000 elections, and the "war on terrorism."

Customer Reviews:

HOWRD ZINN KNOWS WHATS UP.......2001-10-15

I READ THIS BOOK WITH FULL AGREEMENT. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH DOCTOR ZINN THAT THE VERY IDEAS AND POLICIES OF THIS "NATION" HAVE BEEN BASED IN HATEFUL EVIL AND RACISM. THE FOUNDATIN OF THIS COUNTRY IS OF OPPRESSION AND WE HAVE NOW SEEN IN NEW YORK THAT THE RIGHTEOUSLY OPPRESSED WILL PREVAIL, LIKE PROFESSOR ZINN SAYS. POWER TO THE PEOPLE, NOT THE AMERICAN HATRED!

Episodic, antithetical diatribe - with added questions!.......2000-10-05

To those who will read this review: this review was written specifically for the "Abridged Teaching Edition", which is rather different from the full version in both length and content. The type is bigger, the chapters are smaller (thus "abridged"), and at the end of each there is a section of rather simplistic discussion questions (whose idea was this?).

I completely agree with Zinn's thesis, but can't say the same about his approach. This history book is divided into episodic chapters, the only link being their arrangement in chronological order. Some chapters take the detailed, small scale approach, while others aim at the grand scale and describe "general trends" in rather vague terms. In other words, the only logical way to read this book with the goal of learning something is either to read it as a supplement to another text, or already possessing a rich store of knowledge on the subject.

In his approach Zinn reduces every subject into a flat, two-dimensional semblance that reflects his opinion - and he does a fairly good job of engineering everything to fit his opinion. And since his thesis is to focus on the oppressed and the neglected, you should get ready for some really grim history. Nevertheless, there are a few chapters where he seemingly forgets to add the "grimness filter", and what the reader ends up reading is vague, abstract history (as in "Tyranny Is Tyranny").

The idea of adding a questions section to Zinn's book seems laughable and absurd, but, alas, it's there. THESE "QUESTIONS" ARE ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC! They follow the course of the chapter, most of them simply repeating various sentences in question form!

A moderately interesting history book that was deeply hurt by abridgement.

Outstanding Economic History.......1999-10-14

Zinn's book is an essential antidote to the standard histories that glorify the elites and ignore the working people and all of the other folks who have been trampled on during our history. I highly recommend the abridged edition for use in classes -- it contains the same analysis with fewer supporting examples, and is thus easier for students to get through.

Herstory and History from the bottom up.......1999-05-11

Unlike the reader from Cal Berkeley, I am willing to give my name, Dan Krejci, my location, Boise, Idaho, and that as a graduate student in history I have found Howard Zinn's fabulous textbook a great asset to both my research and my pedagogy. This is the textbook that Todd Gitlin, Gary Nash, and myself have been looking for as a guiding light to a history curriculum that will embrace American multiculturalism and demystify the antiquated Bancroftian historiography that perpetuates old myths rather than deal with new realities. Zinn's history is a small step for humankind and a giant step away from Rankean orthodoxy. Zinn's book is a cry for a rejuvenation of our discipline where interdisciplinary studies are paralleling the pluralism that makes up American values and style and need to be addressed in both the classroom and the boardroom.

Unbalanced Overall.......1999-01-13

This is a pretty unbalanced and simplistic book that only roots-out the truth in a very superficial manner. Historians will certainly dismiss the method here and find many conclusions laughable. Some of the historical interpretation left me stunned. The truth _is_ hard to take but the truth here remains well hidden beneath scores of inaccuracies, discounted mythology, and baseless personal rants. Extremely silly stuff and highly attractive to the uninformed conspiracy nut to whom it should be dedicated.

A Young People's History of the United States: Class Struggle to the War On Terror (Volume 2)

Average customer rating:

A Young People's History of the United States: Class Struggle to the War On Terror (Volume 2)
Howard Zinn
Manufacturer: Seven Stories Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 1583227601

Book Description

In volume two, Howard Zinn's lively, clear prose guides the reader through the wars and revolutions of the twentieth century. Zinn continues his retelling up to the policies and resistances that have characterized the war on terror and that shape the United States of America today. Includes a final chapter updating our country's history to the present moment.

Howard Zinn is the author of numerous books, including his epic masterpiece, A People's History of the United States, as well as many recent books published by Seven Stories Press: Voices of a People's History of the United States and Terrorism and War, both written with Anthony Arnove, and The Zinn Reader. He is professor emeritus of political science at Boston University.

A Young People's History of the United States: Columbus to the Spanish-American War

Average customer rating:

A Young People's History of the United States: Columbus to the Spanish-American War
Howard Zinn
Manufacturer: Seven Stories Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1583227598

Book Description

Praise for A People's History of the United States:

"Professor Zinn writes with an enthusiasm rarely encountered in the leaden prose of academic history, and his text is studded with telling quotations from labor leaders, war resisters and fugitive slaves. There are vivid descriptions of events that are usually ignored."-Eric Foner, The New York Times Book Review

Howard Zinn's first book for young adults is a retelling of US history from the viewpoints of slaves, workers, immigrants, women, and Native Americans with color images, a glossary, and primary sources. Volume one begins with a look at Christopher Columbus' arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians and leads the reader through the strikes and rebellions of the industrial age.

Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and Justice

Average customer rating:

Good read
Keeping democracy alive

Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and Justice
Howard Zinn
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Political | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0060557672
Release Date: 2003-06-17

Book Description

From the bestselling author of A People's History of the United States comes this selection of passionate, honest, and piercing essays looking at American political ideology.

Howard Zinn brings to Passionate Declarations the same astringent style and provocative point of view that led more than a million people to buy his book A People's History of the United States. He directs his critique here to what he calls "American orthodoxies" -- that set of beliefs guardians of our culture consider sacrosanct: justifications for war, cynicism about human nature and violence, pride in our economic system, certainty of our freedom of speech, romanticization of representative government, confidence in our system of justice. Those orthodoxies, he believes, have a chilling effect on our capacity to think independently and to become active citizens in the long struggle for peace and justice.

Customer Reviews:

Good read.......2005-07-25

An inherent problem with any work that is written to prove a particular point of view is that it just collects and presents evidence that substantiates that point of view. This book isn't so much an exception, delectable, though, it is in its language, and grand in its scope.

Dr. Zinn articulates with considerable passion the many facets of American politics and its society - just about all of it driven, as Dr. Zinn advocates, by ruthless capitalistic mindset & a very misplaced sense of nationalism.

It dwells on the history of many American wars, its anti communist passions, its social classes, Afro-American experience in the USA & shows how all these nuances are just manifestations of Machiavellian attitudes & a capitalist bent of mind.

Beyond any doubt, each essay is splendidly articulated, each conclusion analytically arrived at, & each belief he expresses has deep roots in compassionate human experience.

Since the agenda was only to write about the many difficulties of the American experience, the reader should understand that this book is, by no means, a sum total of American social and political history; & therefore, I'd advice some more reading about America (not sure which books though) before the informed reader forms a concrete opinion of the country and its policies.

S!

Keeping democracy alive.......2003-10-10

"Passionate Declarations" by Howard Zinn is an outstanding collection of essays that were originally published in 1990. The new edition from 2003 features a Preface that was written just prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In my view, Dr. Zinn's essays are helpful in understanding many of the forces that have influenced international events today.

A theme that runs through most of the essays pertains to the contradictions of U.S. rhetoric and policy. While the U.S. consistently espouses democratic principles, Dr. Zinn asserts that the country often acts in a Machiavellian manner in order to protect deeply embedded corporate and elitist privileges. However, Dr. Zinn is most interested in highlighting some of the individuals and organizations who have spoken truth to power and have struggled to keep democracy alive. The author reminds us about forgotten heroes from the past -- such as the laborers from the Colorado coal strike of 1913-1914 -- and helps us appreciate the hard-fought victories that were won against significant opposition from capital and government.

Dr. Zinn's personal experiences as a World War II airman and as an organizer during the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s adds vibrancy to the narrative; you soon realize that the author is an intelligent person who has had meaningful first-hand interactions with some of the important historical events of the 20th century. Dr. Zinn helps the reader understand that freedom and democracy depend more on an informed and active citizenry than on the government, whose elitist political class more often represent their own self-interests than those of the people.

One of my favorite chapters was Dr. Zinn's refutation of the idea of a just war. The author contends that the most damaging popular legacy of WW II is that the U.S. can and should use its military superiority to achieve political and economic objectives whenever it is convenient to do so. Dr. Zinn challenges this widely-held belief by highlighting the many atrocities committed by the U.S. and its allies during the war, the most spectacular of course having been the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. He goes on to illustrate the corrupting effect that this immense military power has had on American leaders ever since; the reader is able to easily connect these tendencies with the current abysmal situation in Iraq.

Book Description

Taken from new interviews conducted since September 11 and the bombing campaign in Afghanistan, Terrorism and War provides Howard Zinn's most up-to-date thinking on war, terrorism, and the new global order.

Customer Reviews:

The Real Left.......2004-12-31

"Terrorism and War" presents a clear, concise explanation of Howard Zinn's views on war, terrorism, democracy, progressive movements, and capitalism. This tiny book is based on a series of interviews (Dec. 2001-Jan. 2002) with Zinn, who was a bombardier in World War II and now a well-known historian. (He wrote "A People's History of the United States"...)
Zinn makes a strong case for opposing the war on terrorism. His ideas are basically those of the antiwar, socialist Left. Not much new here, but he does a good job in the interviews of explaining his views. My basic complaint is that Zinn, like many Leftists, makes facile, broad generalizations about "capitalism." He also fails to properly distinguish between violence perpetrated by states and that done by non-state actors. They are all "terrorism" for him, which is not a very rigorous argument, and certainly not compelling to the American public. The issue of intentionality and moral relativism must be tackled head on if the Left is to win the war over the American mind. We can do better.

Is war terrorism?.......2004-12-29

Politics,history, foreign policy and current events are topics I used to avoid, but Zinn presents these subjects in language that is accessible. He makes abstract ideas and historical facts relevent to our lives. This book provides historical context to the tragedies this world has endured over the past few years. The information may not be new since Zinn has imparted these perspectives in many forms over the years, but his views concerning the U.S. role in a global society does need to be revisited and re-evaluated in this post-9/11 world. Terrorism and War is thought provoking, and its juxtaposition of war and terrorism and their causes and consequences is enlightening. The book has led me to ask, "Is there a difference between an act of war and an act of terrorism?" and "Is one action more noble than another?" Further, if one does believe that either action is justified, is the justification strong enough to rationalize the consequences of such violent acts? I do not feel that the book answers these questions, but I applaud its attempt to implore readers to consider such ideas. The book is concise and a quick-read. Yet, the ideas and opinions I formed when I initially read this book two years ago have remained with me. Even if one does not agree with Zinn's views and I'm sure that many do not, the discussion concerning U.S. actions needs to continue and this book sustains the dialogue.

Can I get a Table Dance?.......2003-08-11

The wide blue yonder
Zinn dissents in black and white
Is it read, or red?

Highly relevant to current times !.......2003-01-17

Howard Zinn puts forth two most important points in this book. Firstly, governments lie. Secondly, war is another form of terrorism. In these days of mass hysteria about terrorism and cries for war, these points should be drilled in the minds of people who blindly believe in what the government is telling them to achieve their war objectives for financial gains. He puts to rest the argument that "We are a peaceful nation" as stated by George W. Bush, by bringing forth various example showing that our government has been the aggressor in several conflicts in this century. History should not be forgotten as we are once again repeating the terrible mistakes we have made in the past.
He questions the need for the US to become a military superpower with over $300 billion annual military budget when for a small fraction of this money, millions of people dying of diseases throughout the world could be saved.
Indeed, in these days of misplaced patriotism, people like Zinn are called traitors when in fact, it should be people like Zinn who have defined democracy by questioning the government and questioning the true motives of those in power. Governments lie, and lie a lot for personal gains.

Namby-Pamby In Its Approach.......2002-12-03

Zinn defends the terrorists against certain accusations. For instance, he says that terrorists have demands that we should consider meeting and that terrorists are not like insane people who simply go berserk on a killing spree.

Zinn thus creates a false dichotomy between the rational terrorist who would stop if only you would go far enough in meeting his demands, and the crazy person.

But a moments reflection would reveal that terrorists can have political motives and be crazy too. The Nazis for instance.

The DC Sniper who was attacking people this year discussed with a friend in Washington state how unjust US foreign policy was. The DC Sniper claimed that what Al Qaeda did should have been done a long time ago. The DC Sniper travelled to the only synagogue in Tacoma, Washington and shot at it.

Yet the DC sniper was also shooting some people for no reason at all. To say that if one has some political beliefs about injustice then one cannot be killing people at random in an insane manner is contrary to common sense. What about the Manson Family who believed that they were precipitating a race war.

As mentioned, the Nazis were political, and crazy too.

That is why I say that Zinn is namby-pamby. He assumes the best in other people instead of the worst. But in the case of 9-11 is his namby-pamby view of the pure motives of Al Qaeda likely to result in a proper response to the tragedy?

Book Description

This stunning, hilarious, and politically incendiary full-color poster book by U.S. Airborne Ranger-turned-dissident-comic-book-artist Micah Wright reworks classic American World War I and II propaganda into biting commentaries on war and pariotism for the post-September 11 era.

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious, timely, incisive.......2007-04-14

First, yes he lied. Wake up, the author is just another reader, as is said in postmodernism. It doesn't matter whether Micah lied, or whether he is a murderous demon or another incarnation of Hitler.
It's the book that matters.
It's very funny and well taken.
The followup book is decent as well, but round 3 is getting a little repetitive and uninspired.

It's all made up... fiction.......2007-01-04

Those of you who are in the "don't shoot the messenger" camp, wake up! He made the whole thing up, he never served in the Rangers, and now has made up another book. He could have presented it as fiction, but he tried to pass it of as fact.

I don't take cooking tips from Jeffery Dahmer.
I don't turn to Brittney Spears for parenting advice.
I don't look to Dr. Phil on how to lose weight.
I don't rely on George Bush for advice on how to govern.
I don't turn to a Kennedy for driving lessons.
I don't look to OJ Simpson for relationship advice.
I don't look to Micah Wright for lessons on the military.

It's fiction, folks. And it's offensive to those who really served in the military to try to pass it off as fact, seeking to gain from their hard lives.

These made me laugh.......2006-08-25

You know what? These posters made me laugh. I have posted them around my desk at work. They make statements with which I agree.

Lighten up, all of you reviewers who have written screeds about whether or not the author was an army ranger. Who cares?

Some people don't have enough to do, apparently.

A LIAR! A FILTHY HYPOCRIT!.......2006-05-23

This guy Wright lied about being an army ranger, kinda like lying about one's air national guard service. how can these disgusting commies keep supporting this guy's work when he isn't even running for office (then it'd be okay).

I Don't Like The Message So I'm Attacking The Messenger!.......2006-01-14

What Micah Ian Wright expected to gain from lying about being a ranger in Panama I don't know. All he's done is give people something to attack other than the actual book itself. Well done, chief.

Yes, Wright lied. He did a stupid thing. However his message is still valid. And most of the people giving it 1 star know it, which is why they didn't even mention it.

Don't trust reviews that attack the messenger over the message.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful Humanity Realized

Green Parrots
Gino Strada , and Howard Zinn
Manufacturer: Charta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Medical | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Emergency Medicine | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 8881584204
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Book Description

Designed to look like toys, green parrots are small, winged cylinders roughly four inches long that flutter over lands devastated by war, but are, in fact, antipersonnel mines. This book introduces us to the endless destruction that the green parrots have spread throughout the world, and in so doing raises an urgent question: Is it legitimate to accept war as an inevitable prospect for current and future generations? After appearing in numerous languages since its initial publication in 1999, this English edition is particularly timely. The appendix of Green Parrots contains the complete text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, approved on December 10, 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, which begins by proclaiming: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Humanity Realized.......2005-04-08

"Green Parrots: A War Surgeon's Diary" is a remarkable book with frank reality coming from a true humanitiarian.

Dr. Gino Strada has been been helping victims of war, 90% civilians, for over seventeen years. His experience has brought him to Afghanistan, Iraq, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Sudan, Cambodia and other countries affected by war. Dr. Strada cuts through the clutter revealing what truely matters.

Government A fights government B with a devastating price being paid by C, Civilians. More than talk or protest, these civilians need real help immediately.

Dr. Strada and his organization EMERGENCY has been offering that help for over ten years but it is still just a drop in the bucket.

Green Parrots is an anaesthetic-free-root-canal into humanity's irrational cruelty and violence and simultaneously and more importantly, it is about profound empathy and the real love countless 'Gods' of this world continuously attempt to take credit for. Green Parrots is about sovereign human conscience driving sovereign human action, collectively of course!"

This book is be required reading. I DECLARE IT! Read it and share it.

And check out [...]

-Jason Bosch, Founder of ArgusFest.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books