The Book Bill O'Rielly Doesn't Want You To Read!

Sad but true, the US is not the wandering do-gooder it's made out to be by FoxNews. We've got a long, rich history of meddling in the affairs of other nations with catastrophic results. Chalmers Johnson pulls no punches in explaining why. He details the parallels of the American empire with those of Rome and Britain. Truly scary stuff. You must read this BEFORE appearing on Bill O'Rielly.

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The Tone is too harsh

I agree with everything the author writes, and then some. It's infuriating, what this country's become. The author's self-righteous tone will appeal mostly to the convinced. In his telling, the US is always bad, bad, and has never done anything on the world stage that's the slightest bit altruistic. While this is mostly true, and while the author has his facts perfectly in line (the account of the US soldiers guarding the Iraqi Oil Ministry while allowing Iraq's irreplaceable historical tresures fall to looting - is especially harrowing), I would probably look elsewhere if you are giving this to someone who already thinks liberals can't stop the reflexive America-bashing.

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Part factual, very biased

I found this book to be somewhat interesting but very biased in its political stand.
Mr. Johnson makes some good point about the basis of our economy being artifically held up by military spending, but he seems to place the vast majority of the blame on Republicans. I am not an expert in these matters, but I will go out on a limb and say that Democrat administrations have contributed to the military industrial complex also.
Mr. Johnson repeatedly beats the drum about the CIA wanting secret bases so they can torture people. Mr. Johnson does not define what he means by torture, and given the tone of his work he could mean that making people listen to Rush Limbaugh counts as torture.
After I had listened to this book I did some research and found that this is the third volume in a trilogy. I have not had an opportunity to listen to the other two volumes, so it is possible that in those books he takes Democrat administrations to task for spreading American bad will around the globe.
The book makes some good points concerning American involvement in other countries' political affairs and how our economy is tied to endless war, points that other writers have made. I would be a little more inclined to believe some of his assertions if it were not so obvious that he was gringing an axe.
If I have an opportunity to read some of his other works I will either regard this book as more reliable or as just another screed.

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Well Presented

Though this is a book length diatribe against the Bush administration Johnson is a serious researcher and has a very good reputation for knowing what he is talking about. I have read some other things he has written, but they dealt with other issues. He really digs in and goes beyond the silly chanting you hear at rallies and explains what he is furious about...though after a while it is obvious that he is coming from the far left at which point it is difficult to take him as serious.

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Mr Johnson needs an editor

Very informative and well-researched book and the narrator is very clear and easy to understand. However too one-sided and Mr. Johnson is often in internally contradictory in his efforts to demonize (He criticizes the Americans for both ignoring the language of written agreements and treaties and then later for insisting on strict readings of those same written agreements) There is a fertile area to research and Mr Johnson is an admirable researcher and writer but his impersonation of an left wing version of FOX NEWS heavily damages his credibility.

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Wow... If We Only Would Learn From History!

I thought that this was a fascinating book that really laid out a real possibility of the path that our country is on if we don't start taking measures to do and be better.

I study and appreciate history and can clearly see how the US is is headed for serious changes if we aren't careful.

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2 previous were better

the 1st 2 books in the series are better. This was redundant. Still a clearly written and damning book. Long live Putin.

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Depressing

I get it. The lawmakers and the military are abusing democracy. And this was before cheetolini got elected. The book would have been better if it had offered ideas on how to return us to being a democracy rather than the cradle of fascism, that would have been more enjoyable

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Necessary reading for all who love Democracy

This is not light bedtime reading.

Johnson has made a compelling case that the United States is headed for a catastrophic fall from power sooner or later. The power or the military/industrial/congressional complex has twisted the life out of republican institutions and made a mockery of constitutional checks and balances. We are not that different from Rome or the Soviet Union. Bankruptcy and profound instability are likely in our future if drastic changes do not happen in the very near future. Also, those changes are not likely to happen.

This is a call to action.

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very informative

explains another aspect of the Busch years and why we entered into Iraq and Afghanistan

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