Unsorted Holdings
Last updated 20030112 by jow
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Supplemental Reviews
and References
Killing Hope, by
William Blum
Reviews:
Here's an actual verbatim review we found published on the Amazon.com site by a reader
who clearly believes Mr Blum's work is a disservice to our nation. We've
included it below for the simple reason that it at once provides a respectable
opposing view and ironically reinforces both the source credibility and many
potent motivations, for those seeking unvarnished truths, to want to read
further. Some times, the opposition can be our best friends. We wish
it were more often.
A disservice to the
nation., November 13, 2002
Reviewer: A reader from
Idaho
Many would argue against the validity of Mr. Blum's facts. I do not. If
you closely examine his sources, they hold up well under rigorous
examination. What I dislike about this book, and the likes of Mr. Blum, is
the agenda of anti-Americanism. Mr. Blum is quite correct in implicating the
US government and American corporations in a spectrum of mass murders,
assassinations, tortures, rapes and terror in general. This is all correct
but he fails to acknowledge that this is the manner in which all empires
have comported themselves. There is no reason to expect us to behave
differently. These are the necessary means of maintaining an empire as well
as the costs required to sustain the American lifestyle. Insisting on
anything different is not only unrealistic, but asks us to betray of our way
of life. George Bush Sr. put it clearly, "the American way of life is not up
for negotiation." The price of our cherished lifestyle is high. Whether its
5,000,000 dead Southeast Asians or 500,000 dead Iraqi children, the price is
worth it. Even Secretary of State Madeline Albright, a lefty Democrat, said
so on CBS' 60 minutes. Blum and his anti-American agenda refuses to accept
this fact.
What Mr. Blum refers to our "killing hope" in the world is nothing less than
what pumps money and oil into our economy. It is the tribute due to the
nation that dominates the world. Mr. Blum fails to mention a single word
about our civilizing effect on what he calls the "victims" of our actions.
It is as absurd as claiming that the "victims" of slavery gained nothing
from their association with the civilizing force of a morally advanced
Christian society. (I'm sure Chris Matthews of MSNBC and his comments on
Muhammad Ali would back me on this point.) Mr. Blum's unwillingness to refer
to these trickle-down benefits exposes his bias. Likewise, Blum lacks a
balanced perspective. He could learn a lot about fair and balanced reporting
by simply watching some television. He ignores the positive effects of our
interventions while monotonously pleading a case for either the millions of
dead that the process of keeping the world in line requires, or anyone that
might foolishly resist our efforts in incorporating their natural resources
into our corporate and national interests. One thing doesn't do is spend
time on the obstinance of these people. How dare they resist our advances?
What right do they think they have to their labor or natural resources?
What Mr. Blum says is true only to a degree. His greatest inaccuracy is that
he has divorced his account of American foreign policy from the context of
our unique virtue and God-given mandate. At times I felt myself trembling
with rage at how he freely soils our good name, (another reason the 1st
amendment needs to be restricted). His ignorance of our purity is enraging.
America is almost a second Israel. How could anyone argue with that? Books
like this threaten our national security by exposing dangerous facts that
might sway public opinion against our behavior abroad. For such reasons it
might be a good idea to ban or censor this book.
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