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| The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot | 
 enlarge | Author: Naomi Wolf
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  175 reviews
Sales Rank: 1599
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 1933392797
Dewey Decimal Number: 323.490973
EAN: 9781933392790
ASIN: 1933392797
Publication Date: September 5, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: GREAT BUY!Brand New From US Distributor! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3,500,000 BOOKS SOLD!!! OVER ~ 600,000 FEEDBACKS ~ POSTED!!!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Very Poorly Written September 26, 2007
54 out of 194 found this review helpful
Yale must have lowered the bar, for this writer is no more eloquent, coherent or convincing than Pres. Bush, whom she so ineffectively attempts to make a case against. The book is so self-indulgent and without fact-based merit, that I began to guess that she had published it herself. Clearly, no one took the time to proofread the book either, as it was fraught with errors in spelling, grammar and sentence structure.
Ms. Wolf's attempt to offer emotional "what ifs" and half truths to make her point were silly to the point of being irritating. For instance, implying that University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill was attacked soley for his criticism of the Bush administration is untrue. He was fired for falsifying his credentials, falsifying his minority status as a Native American, and for plagiarizing the work of others, which are serious offenses for an academic. The author conveniently omits this side of the story to promote her theory. And, yes, the Dixie Chicks (God bless them) took a lot of heat from conservative Americans for their comments, but their SWEEP of the Grammys show that the majority of Americans supported them and their courage, so it seems that, for the moment, America is still working pretty well at resolving injustices. (At least when truly left to the general public). I do agree with Ms. Wolf that there are some disturbing changes going on in our country, and I my biggest disappointment is that she utterly failed in presenting a cogent argument to address them. The agenda-driven "spin" of her book differs little from the tactics used by the media and the administration she criticizes. Because of this, she will be dismissed by any truly serious, concerned citizen who is looking for helpful answers.
A much better book is Morris Berman's, Dark Ages America or David Korten's new book, The Great Turning.
 If you love America, read this book October 1, 2007
51 out of 56 found this review helpful
This is a simple, clear, and deeply alarming book.
Ms. Wolf looks to recent history to derive ten techniques that underpin dictatorships and police states. These are the basic ingredients that tyrants throughout the 20th century used to seize and keep control of their countries.
The ingredients are familiar and not surprising--frighten people by invoking an external and internal threat, establish secret prisons, set up a paramilitary force answerable only to the leader, place ordinary citizens under surveillance, add to the fear with arbitrary arrests and detentions, target actual and potential opponents, restrict the press, cast reporters and whistleblowers as spies and critics as traitors, and, in the end, substitute rule by decree for the rule of law.
Ms. Wolf systematically documents how far down this dangerous road the Bush administration, abetted by a rubber-stamp Congress, has pushed our nation.
We are not closing down Guantanamo, we're increasing its capacity. Blackwater and other paramilitary forces have free rein in Iraq, and, shockingly, contracts are in place for them to play an increasing role within the U.S. A new law is in place to remove control of the National Guard from the states and place it under federal control. Every newspaper reader is aware that the government has given itself the right to spy on ordinary citizens in a variety of ways, and continues to push for more. Through its policy of "special renditions" the government has "disappeared" a number of citizens of other countries, sending them to be interrogated and tortured in CIA-run "black sites" scattered around the world. Here at home, tens of thousands of citizens are on the Transportation Security Administration's secret watch list and are subject to repeated detention and searches when they try to fly. Many of these are people who have done nothing more than be active in groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union or other organizations that the Bush administration finds bothersome. The precipitous removal of Dan Rather is just one of many examples of increasing intimidation of the press. Congressmen and Senators have been accused by administration members of endangering our troops and the nation when they try to exercise their Constitutional oversight and legislative roles. Bush has issued an inordinate number of "signing documents" through which he claims the right to ignore or selectively enforce legislation passed by Congress. Fundamental rights such as habeas corpus--the right not to be arrested and detained without due cause and due process--are under attack.
Ms. Wolf makes and documents the case that the liberty that we cherish, and which has made American great, is under threat. She adds urgency to her plea by pointing out that while it often takes years for a would-be tyrant to put these ten ingredients into place, once they are there, once citizens become aware that voicing an opinion can lose them their job or get them arrested, once they know that their phone calls and emails are not secure, that groups they belong to are infiltrated by informers, that ordinary people can be arrested and held without due process, that agents of the government can do whatever they want with impunity, the final slide into a full-fledged police state can happen quickly.
It's up to each citizen to decide how far down this path our nation has been bullied, and whether or not to heed Ms. Wolf's call for action to stop the slide toward arbitrary rule. But at the very least, every citizen needs to know what is going on. Reading this book is a good place to start.
Wolf calls on both liberals and conservatives, on everyone who loves America and what America has always stood for, to take note and take action, before it's too late.
It's a call that deserves every patriot's urgent attention.
Ignorance. The trichial does not equal the glial. October 27, 2007
49 out of 322 found this review helpful
The author like many Americans, especially of the left wing camp, shows incredible ignorance about the Patriot Act, and the law, in general. First off, like it or not, the law about habeas corpus only applies to U.S. citizens, not to foreigners with whom we engage in combat. Phone tapping is only done on calls overseas, secondly. The secret detention centers, again are only overseas to detain only foreigners.
As for specific incidents, in an attempt to portray left-wing T-shirt wearers as uniquely persecuted, she is either ignorant of the fact, or neglects to mention that Cindy Sheehan generated and continued to make a loud verbal disturbance while wearing said shirt which created noise while Congress was in session. (The Republican shirtwearer caused no noisemaking.) And the government did not censor the Dixie Chicks, the way foreign dictators controlled the media; various media outlets reacted in fear of public opinion, generated by the withdrawal of an advertising sponsor. (Leftwingers threaten and a lot of times follow through on boycotts of various advertisers sponsoring media which offends them.) Mentioning mellow rocker, the former Cat Stevens (he has subsequently changed his moniker to an Arabic name I can't remember with his embrace of Islam), may I point out that Walt Disney, the creator of that innocuous mouse was a known anti-Semite, and one of the founders of the John Birch society, an organization I'm sure the author would appreciate.
And I recall other incidents of apples being compared to peaches, and citings of incidents and policies, the likes of which have occured in other eras,countries, and situations, yet we're still around. Just off the cuff, with regard to "External and Internal Enemies", anybody remember the Cold War, with "I Married a Communist" and the like pervading our mentality? Yet, we're still around. (Yeah, there was the mistake of Mc Carthyism, but the Cold War and its sentiments, albeit held more strongly by some people than by others extended well into the 1980's and beyond.)
And the author herself, save being detained at an airport (which may have been done for reasons other than what she may have you believe, but it sure feeds a self-image of a martyr)is living a life of adequate comfort, I am sure, and did publish this book and it's comfortably on the shelves at chain stores, everywhere. As for this being able to be published, or at least sold in a few years, then we may (heaven
forbid) have Hilary Clinton in office. Then, we'll really have some fun.
P.S. I really do not enjoy dishing, but I am following my conscience, just then same as leftwingers claim they that they do.
A call to raise our voices.......... September 12, 2007
42 out of 52 found this review helpful
Many people speak quietly, privately to express their anxiety
that our liberties are being slowly taken from
us--Ms. Wolf's book, brilliantly, scarily and eloquently, is a call to
raise our voices in unison, to preserve our nation, and the freedom
that is so essential for our survival and well -being -- as a
citizen of the world, this book is a must read -- and..... an urgent call to action.
Robin Stern, Teachers College, Columbia University
 Apathy and Ignorance March 12, 2008
41 out of 50 found this review helpful
...will kill us all. At least that is what Naomi Wolf claims in this concise and powerful message about the end of America.
It was the Founding Fathers, she explains, who knew that democracy was "high maintenance" and would always be tested by those who would turn it into a tyranny. Having come from repressive societies, and well versed in the power grabs by despots and tyrants throughout history, they feared that an American President might be tempted to seize power unless checked by a vigilant legislature, judiciary, press, and society at large.
Moreover, she claims that it is relatively easy to seize power especially in a democracy because it is fragile in structure, and because we believe it could never happen to us. It begins with: "All dictators: invoke an external threat and [internal] threat; develop a paramilitary force, create a secret prison system, arbitrarily detain and release them; harass citizens' groups; target writers, entertainers, and other key individuals for dissenting; intimidate the press; recast dissent as 'treason' and criticism as 'espionage'; and eventually subvert the rule of law."
These techniques are not exclusive to right wing regimes, she contends. She illustrates how Stalin, Hitler, Communist China, Mussolini, and Pinochet, people with differing political philosophies all had two things in common. They wanted power, and they wanted to replace democracy with tyranny. No matter what part of the political spectrum they are from, she insists any president with increased power would be reluctant to give it up for the restoration of liberty.
Wolf convincingly shows how this administration has employed every tactic of a dictator. Indeed, they have created and nurtured a climate of fear after 9/11, allowed a paramilitary force such as "Blackwater" to operate with near impunity in Iraq and New Orleans. They have seized foreign nationals in our airports and rendered them to Syria, Egypt and other governments notorious for their "interrogations," as well as imprisoning American citizens without charge, or counsel, and tortured them. We are now being wiretapped and our emails read illegally. Entertainers and celebrities such as Bill Maher and the Dixie Chicks have been targeted. Maher had his show cancelled simply because he said the 9/11 terrorists were brave. Donahue had his top-rated show cancelled because he did not support the war, and many stations refused to air the songs of the Dixie Chicks for anti-Bush pronouncements. The message is clear to others who would criticize. This administration has already threatened the NY Times with a lawsuit for having published supposedly secret information. Any unfavorable press is denied the story or the seat up front. The Bush and Cheney team has also taken the charges of treason and raised it to an art form. Anyone who does not support the president is labeled as helping the terrorists, and as being more concerned about their rights than those of Americans. (This can be seen all over Amazon). But one of the most worrisome is the president's signing statements to bills. These statements were once only made for clarification. Now, Bush is using them to say what parts of the law he will recognize and what parts he will ignore. (He has done this over 750 times). Essentially he is saying that an equal branch of government may operate only in an advisory role to him.
With the exception of a few annoying lack of edits, Naomi Wolf uses the powerful lesson of history to show us how tyranny can happen in the one place that we think is immune to it, and she gives us all the parallels one could ask for.
The end of America will surely come. It may come from an external threat, but Wolf shows how easily it can come from within. All Americans have to do is give up liberty for the promise of security, and it will definitely arrive even sooner from apathy and ignorance.
Also recommended:
Gore, Al, "The Assault on Reason."
Goldsmith, Jack L., "The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration."
Greenwald, Glenn, "How Would a President Act: Defending American Values from a President Run Amok."
Mann, Thomas E. & Ornstein, Norman, "The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get it Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy)"
Dean, John W., "Conservatives Without Conscience."
Thomas, Helen, "Watchdogs of Democracy? The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public."
Boehlert, Eric, "How the Press Rolled Over for Bush."
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