"Framed
Up: What the Constitution Gets Wrong" by Hendrik Hertzberg (The New Yorker
Magazine, July 29, 2002). A quote from this article includes:
"Some will take all this as proof that the system has worked
exactly as the framers planned. But to believe that, one must
believe that the framers were heartless, brainless reactionaries."
"The
Frozen Republic: How the Constitution Is Paralizing Democracy" by Daniel Lazare
"Making
A Killing: The Myths of Capital's Good Intentions" by Ted C. Fishman
(Harpers Magazine - August 2002). The lead-in quote to this article goes: ' They call war an art, but it isn't. It largely
consists in outwitting people, robbing widows and orphans, and
inflicting suffering on the helpless for one's own ends -- and
that's not art: that's business.' - Kenneth Roberts.
Quotes from the article include: "Should we be surprised
then, that the freeing up of world financial markets and world
trade has spread an epidemic of violence?" TCF;
"Small arms and light weapons--such as pistols, assult rifles,
and hand-held grenade launchers-- are the T-shirts of the 21st
century." TCF; "This sort of dynamic is as old as colonialism,
of course, but global financial markets have given a dying practice
new life." TCF.
"Opposing
the System", by Charles A. Reich (Public vs. private government,
macht nicht (sp), makes little difference, although public government
offers the possibility of democratic control if we can evolve
it beyond special interest representative government by proxy.)
"America: What Went Wrong," by Donald L. Barlett
and James B. Steele (Also see Time Magazine - November 9 and
November 16, 1998, for information about how Corporate Welfare
is costing us all hundreds of billions nationally, regionally
and locally -- should be called buying down jobs... or how to
subsidize the downsizing of the American economy...
"America: Who Stole the Dream," by Donald. L
Barlett and James B. Steele, [Perhaps a more apt title would
be, "America: The Dream, Who Gave it Away..."], --
clue: we (The People) did. We gave it to the money changers.
This we did, after taking it away from the Crown of England over
200 years ago. Our fore-fathers must be rolling over in their
graves. The corporate thieves are freedomed their way into total
control over our government, not merely just our lives.
"Haves Without Have-nots," by Mortimer J. Adler
(Not all economists are "mean?"*) This is an even handed
although perhaps overly intellectualized assessment of the two
major socio-economic systems and sifts the best from both to
democratically benefit all free people everywhere.
*(An interesting study of students undertaking formal college
training in economics showed that after completing their formal
training, the students were less charitable, i.e., meaner, statistically,
as it were).
"The Future of Capitalism," by Lester C. Thurow,
Professor of Economics, MIT
"The Myth of Free Trade: A Plan for America's Economic
Revival," by Dr. Ravi Batra (Southern Methodist University).
Free trade costs America between $305 and $350 billion a year
in lost quality paying manufacturing jobs which have been replaced
by lower paying service industry jobs. Find out why 80% of American
income earners are working harder and producing more while earning
less and less in real dollars, as we have for the last two decades
(20 + years) -- the longest period of income decline in America's
history. Yep, you guessed it, "Free" Trade and "Free"
Markets, aren't. The miscalculation of the free marketeers (economic
theorists) is that they ignore or seem not to understand that
markets are themselves assets (not unlike products and services),
not to be given away, which is what Free Trade polices such as
NAFTA (Not An F'-ing Thing For America?) and GATT do. Keep your
passport updated. You may need it before the Free Trade dividend
kicks in, to go after paying jobs in Mexico or off-shore. Its
understandable that the multi-national corporations need and
want Free Trade, but if the majority of Americans were calling
the shots in Washington, my guess is that they would choose better
paying quality manufacturing jobs here at home, rather than selling
them across the border at pennies on the dollar... and the rich
would get richer quicker yet... funny thing about workers...
they are consumers too, and consumers with less income buy less...
slap forehead and say "ah-hah!"
"Winner Takes All," author unknown (Hum?) (Beyond
win-win, is this what "we" call winning?).
"Blackshirts & Red: Rational Fascism & the Overthrow
of Communism", by Michael Parenti, Ph.D (Yale, Poli-Sci
1962). Was Newt Gingrich's Contract on American really so revolutionary?
A paraphrased excerpt from B&R, '... The Italian neofascists
were learning from the U.S. reactionaries how to achieve fascism's
class goals within the confines of quasi-democratic forms: use
of an upbeat, Reaganesque optimism; replace the jack booted militarists
with media-hyped crowd pleasers; convince people that government
is the enemy -- especially its social service sector -- while
strengthening the repressive capacities of the state; instigate
racist hostility and antagonisms between the resident population
and immigrants; preach the mythical virtues of the free-market;
and pursue tax and spending measures that redistribute income
upward.' [Why has it taken so long to uncover the stolen property
and money of the victims of the Holocaust?]
"Building A Win-Win World," by Hazel Henderson,
Futurist (Auburn University)
"The Hundredth Monkey," author unknown, availability
unknown. (envision one monkey, er., chimpanzee jumping up and
down on a remote beach somewhere, screeching monkey-like and
scratching its underarms. Now, envision another monkey coming
along and aping the first monkey, and another and another, and
so on until every monkey on the remote island-beach is monkeying
(mimicking) the behavior of the first one. Then envision monkeys
on beaches separated by oceans similarly doing the same without
direct contact with the first monkey, and so it goes, behavior
by osmosis? Corporatization of our culture through ubiquitous
advertising and media are monkeying around with human behavior,--
essentially, contrived reality creation or man-ipulation. Virtuality
is nothing new.)
"The Fourth Turning", by Straus & Howe
Suggests that the future -- over the next hump, if we survive
it, voila, will be great. Ta Da!, but, very different. Get in,
sit down, squeak noisily, and hold on!
Natural Capitalism, by Mother Jones Magazine, April 1997.
Includes information about the hidden costs of automobiles (if
one calculates the costs of our military force needed to protect
oil supplies in the Middle East, the actual pump price of gasoline
is closer to $7 or $8 per gallon [others have calculated the
cost of gasoline at between $5.15 and $15 per gallon depending
on where one draws the downstream direct and indirect costs]),
and a glimpse of the Hypercar of the future.
"Economics Explained", by Heilbroner & Thurow
"Downsize This: Threats of an Unarmed American,"
Michael Moore. The illustrious Mr. Moore, of "Roger
and Me", fame, suggests that if companies are profiting
from periodic downsizing, why not fire everyone and we'll all
be rich...? Well, something like that.
"When
Corporations Rule The World," by David C. Kouten [Unless I'm
terribly mistaken, they already do, in increasingly decreasing
numbers with each new industry or business consolidation and
monopolization within the all-new and-improved downsized,
up-profited "gobblized" economy of the new millennium.]
-- 'just peddle faster if you have a bike...' Perhaps a "free"
marketeer can explain the difference between the centralized
planning of Totalitarian Communism (as we knew it) and totalitarian
compulsory capitalism which is just up ahead around the corner
when OBC, One Big Conglomerate owns and controls everything and
everyone... Onward to feudalism...? Just think of the economies
of scale that one big conglomerate could achieve... look Mawh!
No Competition... whoopee!
"Reclaiming
Our Sovereignty: Reestablishing control over the corporation," by Richard L. Grossman,
(508) 487-3151
'...Sovereign people do not beg of, or negotiate with, subordinate
entities which We (The People) created.' [We the people created
corporations, not the other way around, so why do we passively
pretend and permit otherwise? Corporations were created by We
The People for the public good or interests, not personal gain.
The use of the corporate privilege for personal gain is a modern
day perversion of our nation's Founders' intent. Note that no
corporate rights were Constitutionalized, and for good reason,
as corporate power was seen as little different than taxation
without representation or the divine right of kings...]
"Without Marx or Jesus," by B. F. Skinner [Explains
the science of operant or behavioral conditioning and manipulation
(works on chickens, dogs and other animals, including humans.
Safeway's and other retailer "member-ship" discount
cards are a form of operant conditioning marketing... making
you believe you are getting a good deal, while the retailer laughs
all the way to the bank posting record profits year after year...
"good doggie," now y'all come back real soon for more,
ya-hear?]
"Inside Congress," by Ronald Kessler
"Monopolies In America: Empire Builders & Their Enemies
From Jay Gould to Bill Gates", by Charles R. Geisst
"The More You Watch (TV), The Less You Know," by
Danny Schechter. Suggests that corporatization of television
news bureaus is dumbing down America., '...where advertising
takes precedence over content, and journalism is mired in a censorious
culture of its own creation'. Unfortunately, this is happening
at a time when reliable information is very critical to democracy
itself. [ so its TV that causes low inteligence auto consumption
? ]
"Anger At Work: Learning the Art of Anger Management
on the Job," a book by Hendrie Weisinger, Ph.D.
"When Anger Hurts: Quieting the Storm Within," by
McKay, Rogers, McKay
"The Cultivation of Hatred: The Bourgeois Experience
-- Victoria to Freud, by Peter Gay, Sterling Professor of History,
Yale University.
Alibis
for hatred:
(1) Social
Darwinianism {Dar-lose-ian-ism ?},
(2) The
Convenient Other, i.e., racism, homophobia, sexism, and other
otherisms,
(3) The
Cult of Manliness
(4) Religion
Time Magazine (November 9, & 16, 23, 30, 1998), "What Corporate
Welfare Costs You," A special investigation by Donald L. Bartlett
and James B Steele, authors of "America: What Went Wrong"
Good
Smart Growth and Bad Smart Growth
"The
Growth Illusion"
by Richard
Douthwaite
"The Ownership Solution: Shared Capitalism for the
21st Century," by Jeff Gates
"What Americans Really Think, and Why Our Politicians
Pay No Attention," by Barry Sussman... [Clue: Corporate
Welfare coming back around as soft-money political campaign finance
reform...] the answer? -- ReDemocracy / ReGovernment / ReCommunity
"Free
Speech; For Sale", by Bill Moyers, available in video (Approx
$30.00) 1 (800) 336-1917 -- Find out how "your"
federal government gave away over $70 billion in publicly owned
broadcast band and airwaves channels to the broadcast media monopoly
and cartel... actually the monopoly paid for it, but not to the
American people, rather they paid their representatives and senators
who voted not to auction these public assets, who received hard
and soft money political kickbacks... sometime referred to as
campaign financing... for services rendered.
"Charging Ahead: The Business of Renewable Energy and What
it Means for America" by John J. Berger
Center
for the New American Dream
Manufacturing a Culture of Dissatisfaction
and Craving
20 easy (relatively) things to do
to help clean up the air and environment.
The Energy Foundation: Addressing the Transportation
Crisis
The
Energy Foundation: Sustainable Energy
"Karl
Marx: A Life", by Francis Wheen [ A capitalist's capitalist?]
"The
New Politics of Consumption" by Juliet Shor
"Lead
Us Into Temptation: The Triumph of American Materialism",
a book
by James B. Twitchell [Perhaps the game is over? But it really
is only half-time.
"One Market Under God", a book by Thomas
Frank
"The
Activist's Handbook: A Primer" by Randy Shaw
"Shoveling
Fuel For A Runaway Train: Errant Economists, Shameful
Spenders, and a Plan to Stop Them All" by Brian Cech
"The
Battle For God" by Karen Armstrong (good reference and historical
perspective on fundamentalism, in re & vis a vis September
11 - WTC-NY (Y2K1)
"BLOWBACK:
The Costs and Consequences of American Empire" by Chalmers Johnson
(good reference and historical perspective in re & vis a
vis September 11 - WTC-NY (Y2K1)
"Emergence:
The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software" by Steven Johnson
