David Swanson's Blog, page 162
November 2, 2012
Pick Any of These Books
Choose any book below and have it signed by the author to you or to a person you plan to give it to. It will be signed and mailed to you right away.
When you donate $20 or more at http://davidswanson.org/donate using credit card or paypal, or by check to the address below, just indicate which book you'd like, where to send it, and how to inscribe it. For $40 pick two books. For $50 pick three! Send questions to david@davidswanson.org
Tube World (2012) -- the brand new children's book made even more timely by Hurricane Sandy. It's received an enthusiastic initial response.
The Military Industrial Complex at 50 (2012) -- the most comprehensive collection available explaining what the military industrial complex is, where it comes from, what damage it does, what further destruction it threatens, and what can be done and is being done to chart a different course.
When the World Outlawed War (2011) -- named by Ralph Nader as one of the six books everyone should read. A key book to understanding the tradition of Armistice Day, which is fast approaching.
War Is A Lie (2010) -- widely praised best-selling classic. "There are three insightful books I've read that explain how and why no good can come of the current U.S. reliance on military force and war in seeking its desired 'Pax Americana': War Is A Racket by General Smedley Butler; War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges, and War Is A Lie by David Swanson." — Coleen Rowley, former FBI special agent, whistleblower, and Time magazine person of the year.
Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union (2009) -- "There have now been many books written which chronicle the imperial, lawless presidency of the Bush era, but Swanson’s superb new book -- Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union -- is one of the very few to examine how we can recover from it and reverse its pernicious trends." --Glenn Greenwald
The 35 Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush (2008) -- Now more than ever.
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David Swanson
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October 31, 2012
Talk Nation Radio: Mike Elk on Employers Telling Workers How to Vote
Mike Elk of In These Times discusses this new / old twist on "democracy".
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Engineer: Christiane Brown.
Music by Duke Ellington.
Download or get embed code from Archive or AudioPort or LetsTryDemocracy.
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Past Talk Nation Radio shows are all available free and complete at http://davidswanson.org/talknationradio
Respectable Murderers: An Open Letter to Dan Ellsberg
Dear Dan,
You and I are getting ready to tape a debate on the question of whether to vote for Obama (in "swing states"). It will air on Lila Garrett's "Connect the Dots" show on KPFK next Monday. I'm looking forward to it, if for no other reason, because I think our public discourse lacks much serious debate between people who respect each other's intentions. I have nothing but respect for you and believe you mean nothing but the best in advocating votes for Obama. You honestly believe I was catastrophically wrong to vote for Jill Stein in Virginia, as I've done, and I honestly believe you are horrendously misguided to be expending your valuable energy trying to get others to vote for Obama. And yet we'll be friends through this and regardless of whether one or both of us ever change our minds.
October 30, 2012
Drowning on Wall Street and Ending World War II
Imagine if George W. Bush had stood on the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center and declared, "We are going to continue our pursuit of world domination and environmental destruction until the oceans rise, the storms surge, and this spot and all the surrounding streets are drowned in routine floods, destroying the infrastructure, and collapsing the buildings of this great city, while you morons are distracted by my screams for vengeance and genocide against people who've never driven an SUV a block in their lives or ever heard of us."
October 29, 2012
Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan Explain the Past Four Years
Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan are touring the country with a new book that everyone should have and read. "The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope" is a history of the Obama Years in the form of a thematically organized collection of columns -- columns that grew out of the reporting done by the most useful show on our airwaves: Democracy Now!
October 28, 2012
Is Our Deepest Desire to Die?
Our so-called self-government rarely agrees with what we tell pollsters, and yet it does what it does with our acceptance. We may have fallen for the pretense that we're powerless. Our ignorance and xenophobia should never be underestimated as explanations for what we do. But consider the following public policy and then tell me the clearest explanation isn't that we all want to rush our arrival at death's door.
John Kerry Must Speak Out on 2004 Election Theft Now
The presidential election of 2004 left much to be desired. Millions of votes were suppressed, and the evidence is overwhelming that votes were flipped by interested parties. Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman summarize:
Military Commander Gets Court Order to Protect Himself from Peace Activists
Some friends of mine have gotten arrested more times than I can count now for the offense of protesting drone use outside Hancock Air Field near Syracuse, N.Y. Sometimes they've blocked the gates to the base. Often they've been aware of the risk of being arrested. But they've gone into court and argued that the larger crime is being committed inside the base by drone pilots. The protesters have gone into court and said things like this:
"I am proud to accept the consequences of my acts and any jail time. I do not want any suspended sentence. If you give me one, also please let me know how I can violate it before I leave the courtroom." -- Elliott Adams
