Chomsky – Secrets, Lies and Democracy - Review

 

This is an interesting pamphlet of interviews by David Barsamian with Noam Chomsky, which covers a wide collection of topics from defective democracy, health care, religious fundamentalism, the CIA and the media.

The central thrust of these interviews focuses on the corporatization of our democratic system. In one interview, Chomsky cites Thomas Jefferson's warning or fear, made at the end of his life, stating, that, the elites, aristocrats, "fear and distrust of the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes." Democrats, on the other hand, "identify with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the wisest, depository of the public interest." (This has changed in 2021) What Jefferson was saying is that the people should have the reigns of power; we should be in control, and not the centralized, powerful elites. Jefferson's greatest fear was the "banking institutions and monied incorporations" (big business) and if they were allowed to influence politics, they would eventually, run the entire show, benefiting the few at the exclusion of the majority.

It is here, throughout this text, that Chomsky offers several examples how corporate America and big business internationally influence our a democratic system where economically, the "little guy' suffers while big business gets bigger as our basic wages plummet. In other terms, the rich get richer, the gap between rich and poor widens and only the few benefit.

One has only to look at the statistical indicators of countries around the world, comparing rich and poor sovereign states to see that nothing is changing for the better in developing countries but steadily getting worse, while the small percentage of rich countries, ironically exploiting these poorer countries, are improving their wealth. The gap is widening, particularly over the past thirty years, doubling the wealth in the top twenty percent, while the low twenty percent has become much poorer. These statistics speak for themselves, and there are reasons for this dramatic shift in wealth.

Politicians' incestuous connection to the corporate sector is well documented. Tax breaks for the rich, while the man or woman on basic wages supporting a family can pay, in some cases, more tax than a CEO. For the obvious reasons, our politicians protect the corporate sector: campaign contributions, personal investment, etc. Jefferson's fear and warning in the early 19th century against banking institutions and monied corporations' political involvement has been realized.

Chomsky, in most cases, backs his arguments with statistical data and historical documentation that can be researched and checked by any interested individual. His words are never rhetorical, ad hominem arguments, or self-righteous condemnations to push a personal agenda. Instead, he speaks about facts, revealing injustice and, at times, crimes against the common citizen that should not be ignored. This little book is a good starting point for further research into economic and international affairs.

Gore Vidal – Dreaming War... - Review

Some years ago, before ~Dreaming War's~ publication, the article, `Goat Song' was emailed to me by a friend. In this article, Vidal lists the numerous anomalies prior, during, and directly after the events of 9/11.

The questions this article raises are legitimate, considering the U.S. government has spent literally trillions of dollars on national "defense" since 1947. When the alarm bells began to ring on that terrible day, those in charge did not follow military protocol but merely sat on their hands and seemed to let it happen. This is a frightening thought. In the end, the investigation into these anomalies turned into a finger-pointing exercise, and a few scapegoats were made, but to this day, some questions still remain. However, Vidal has no doubts about the aspirations and motivations of the government's actions in the Middle East, as the title of the book makes perfectly clear: Blood for Oil.

To finally read the full article and the ten or so other pieces in the book after reading that initial email was informative and quite disturbing. Vidal certainly lays it all on the line.

Gore Vidal has been called many things, but for certain, he has made it his life's mission to understand American history and point out how and why his beloved Republic has gone off the rails, particularly since the creation in 1947 of NSC-68. He laments the loss of his Republic to a National Security State, (Military Industrial Complex) including a noticeable dwindling of the Bill of Rights. The loss of the rights of citizens in a democratic country is a frightening scenario (in my opinion, the worst scenario), and it's actually happening right before our eyes.

Domination, control and wealth are the motivations and the events Vidal has illustrated over the last half-century, and that is nearly two hundred `incursions' in other countries since 1945...in which The U.S. has been the aggressor, is simply too hard to ignore.

In the article, `Mickey Mouse, Historian,' Vidal discusses the corporate ownership of America and the politicians, but also states, generally, what he would like to see changed:

 I am a patriot of the old Republic that slowly unraveled during the expansionist years and quite vanished in 1950 when the National Security State took its place. Now I want us to convert from wartime to a peacetime economy. But since the GE-style conglomerates that govern us will never convert, something will have to give, won't it? (P.165)

Vidal not only lists the many problems about his beloved country but also offers solutions that sound workable and real. But those holding power at the moment will be hard-pressed to let the current system go. This book is highly recommended to anyone concerned about American and international affairs.

Gore Vidal – U.S: Essays 1952-92 - Review

 

These selections of essays by the prolific and most caustic critics of the American Republic have sat on my bookshelf since the early months of 1999. Included in this overwhelming collection are 114 essays, in some cases, randomly categorized into three chapters - The State of Art, State of the Union, and the State of Being. 

Vidal is an intensely knowledgeable fellow, and therefore has an opinion on just about everything having to do with art, history, politics, the state of literature and his beloved Republic To attempt to read this entire tome (1271 pages) from start to finish over a few weeks (my original intention) proved to be impossible. 

Although informative and extremely entertaining, there was just too much to digest, too important to scan through, thus I would mark the essays read with a tick on the contents page, place the book back on the shelf, only to return when the time felt right to take them up again.

Vidal is not only a great historian, but he is also one of America's great literary radicals. He was experimenting with the literary form, attempting to apply critical theory to the Novel very early in the piece with such works as Duluth, Mira Breckinridge, and the post modern religious satire, Live from Golgotha. These were indeed "radical" departures from the standard fare of American novels coming out at the time. In mainstream circles, however, these novels were not well received, but were critically acclaimed, calling them subversive, iconoclastic, original, and extremely funny.

As an essayist, Vidal really has no match in American letters. These essays reveal a master at the top of their form. What is interesting as well as admirable, Vidal was criticizing literary theory, which had infiltrated academia in the late '60s and early '70s, al la, post structuralism and deconstructionism, but unlike the so-called "experts" in the university's across the western world, (he calls them "Hacks of Academia") Vidal attempted to put these theories to the test in the form of a popular novel (Duluth) and succeeded. In his essay, French Letters -Theories of the Modern Novel, Vidal attacks these modern theorists, who state that language and literature as an art form is dead, in elegant prose and biting gusto, revealing their empty (headed) arguments,

"In any case, rather like priests who have forgotten the meaning of the prayer they chant, we shall go on for quite a long time talking of books and writing books, pretending all the while not to notice that the church is empty, and the parishioners have gone elsewhere to attend other gods, perhaps with silence or with new words." (1967, p.110)

In "The State of the Union" essays, Vidal expounds upon American politics and his views on the National Security Council, the CIA and America's ongoing imperialistic intentions, which interestingly, have not dated in the least. Most of these essays are as relevant as ever despite the passing of over thirty years.

There is no doubt in my mind that reading Vidal is an education, showing us a way through the miasma of received wisdom, relentlessly thrown in our direction. In many respects, Vidal is a beacon of light during dark times, a writer who had never pulled any punches regarding the things he believed in, namely writing, politics, and his beloved Republic. This book should be a standard issue for anyone interested in literature, politics, art, and American history.

“On these Days”

 

These manifestations only happen on days when calmness engulfs the atmosphere and the blue of the sky, a beautiful autumn light. 

On these days, the man walked along a path that passed through a dense forest. Butterflies surrounded the man as he stood motionless, never touching his body but prodding him to move on.  

At a fork along the path on an old wooden stump a Kookaburra landed, laughing at him; this made the man laugh. Further along, a family of ducks waddled past, squawking. The man would stop and watch the family proceed to their unknown destination. 

On these days, a soft, warm breeze rustled the leaves. Coming to a small embankment, a Kangaroo hopped through the trees, seeming to the man to be smiling at him. He was sure the Kangaroo smiled. The animal hopped into the brush in long graceful strides. Turning back, a wild dog pranced around the man’s side, dancing, jumping, and wanting to play, following him the rest of the way home. “Go home, boy! Off you go!” 

As the man unlocked his door, a bird he had come to name Beethoven sang parts of the maestro’s 5^th symphony. 

 On these days, the man would put his provisions away and lay down to sleep and dream of places long forgotten and sometimes missed.

Political Infighting & Friend's Lost

 

One cannot deny that, when the Trump regime came into power in 2016, the country, if not the entire planet, came into “political attack mode”. During the last years of the Obama regime, there were a few political pundits writing and voicing their two cents, yet when Trump came to power, millions came out of the political woodwork, and everyone had a “valid” view about politics and the state of the world.

Back in the day I was active on Facebook, and after the 2016 election, the absolute vitriol online was palpable. An old friend from California turned on me when I pointed -out my understanding about the football players 'taking a knee' during the anthem. He said I was “unpatriotic” and never really was an American. He was right on that point, having been born in Montreal, but spent 30 years in Denver and 10 years in LA. I thought the players taking a knee were protesting racism and particularly police violence against the African American community. But he said this was all about disrespect of the flag and America as a country. He un-friended me without engaging in any meaningful discussion about the issue; instead, he called me names and empty accusations. We haven't talked since.

Only Last week, I commented to a friend in France about the US's disinformation campaign and regime change efforts in Cuba. My friend's partner is a Cuban expatriate living in Paris. Evidently, he had a terrible time during the revolution and escaped to another country ending in France. I don't know the details, but in an email, I mentioned Cuba to my friend (probably without enough empathy), and she attacked, calling me “narrow-minded” and an “idiot.” This person currently wants nothing more to do with me, even though we've been friends for over 5 years.

I guess this is my general point: when someone disagrees with your politics, even in the slightest way, they're triggered and resort to name-calling and character assassination rather than discuss their differing points of view. Name-calling is a repetitive arguing strategy, from Nazi, misogynist, racist, Russian asset or an Assad sympathizer. These are not arguments. They're ad hominem tactics, distracting from the issues under discussion. This, of course, is stupid and infantile, but more importantly, at least since the Trump era, this type of behavior has spread throughout the world like a pandemic.

This behavior can be seen online daily.

My political views are distinctly antiwar with strong socialist leanings. Aside from antiwar, moving to the Left was a long process of education and observing other countries. When I migrated to Australia, those in power were Labour, the left-wing of Australian politics. We now have been run by the Conservative party, decidedly right-wing, for well over 20 years. I will not go into details, but the country is certainly not better off with 2 decades of neoliberalism. That said, I'm willing to discuss policy with anyone on either side of the political spectrum without resorting to ad hominem arguments.

Because of my interest in geopolitics and American politics specifically, I read and watch so-called left-wing pundits. What I've seen over the last 6 months, at least, is constant infighting between these left-wing commentators. Intelligent people who once agreed on many policies are now attacking each other on silly political strategy and foreign policy points. (Standing from afar, halfway around the planet, I can almost believe this split in the Left is by design.)

Indeed many so-called progressives have revealed themselves to be nothing more than voices for the establishment. I guess they have their reasons, but this does nothing for progressive issues like ending wars, a $15 minimum wage, and medicare for all.

From my personal point of view, US politics is going farther Right, and this is worrisome for a variety of reasons.

Politics is war, and the strategy of 'divide and conquer' is a successful tactic against the enemy.

This is what I see on the Left in the United States...and this bloody well has to stop.

To lose a friendship over a disagreement on a specific policy or point of view about the world is ridiculous and just plain dumb.

I hope those who really care about the world join and finally get their shit together. Otherwise, the worst is yet to come.

Michael Crichton – Travels - Review

 

In the Preface of this highly informative and entertaining collection of musings, experiences, and travels of the body, mind, and spirit, Crichton explains the reasons that prompted him to write this book:

"If you are a writer. The assimilation of important experiences almost obliges you to write about them. Writing is how you make the experience your own, how you explore what it means to you, how you come to possess it, and ultimately release it."

Crichton explores our need for direct experience. His premise is that modern man has lost his innate sense of himself and existence, relying on opinions, concepts, and information structures, second-hand knowledge to make sense of the world, which, in the end, is a false perception. He proposes that the modern city-dweller, for example, cannot even see the stars at night due to the false light around him, causing a serious alienation from himself and reality. We've become so reliant on the media, hyper-realty, that simulation has become the real; thus, we have generally lost our bearings. We have lost track of ourselves concerning the greater scheme of things. Travel for Crichton helped him have "direct experience," thus achieving a greater sense of himself and his place on the planet. This book is about these direct experiences.

In Travels there are twenty- eight essays covering the author's early life in medical school and his bout with psychiatry, moving on to his first years in Hollywood as an aspiring writer and filmmaker, to his experiences in exotic lands and his musings on his experiences with the esoteric and the unexplained. These last essays are extremely interesting because Crichton attempts to rationally explain those a phenomenon that dwells in the irrational - entities, other-dimensional realms and the underrated "sixth" sense that we've come to know as intuition. His proposition is that, fundamentally, just because certain phenomena cannot be explained "rationally," doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And to dismiss such phenomenon because it cannot hold up under the rigors of scientific analysis, is a mistake.

Crichton's Travels is a writer's exploration of himself and the world. It is an entertaining chronicle, at times hilarious and sad, and ultimately a strong argument for the need for all of us to have "direct experience", reinforcing his view that we also need greater insight into the mystical as well as the scientific, to truly understand ourselves and our existence.

As usual, similar to all his books, Crichton has given us something informative, as well as tremendously entertaining.

The Third Voice (Music)

 

Beethoven believed that music is the breath of God. A German philosopher once wrote that a life without music would be a mistake. A friend once commented that he had never met a person who did not like music, no matter its form – music is the universal language. Attempting to wrap my mind around this idea, my only conclusion is that all the above musicians, lovers, and thinkers are correct – especially when playing music or writing a song.

Music is not only cerebral but also visceral and a player can remain planted in one of the other.

“Classical” musicians are a perfect example of the cerebral vs. visceral approach to music.

I once listened to a young woman play Chopin (my favorite “Romantic” composer) with nano-second perfection, a display of years of practice and training, but what was lacking was Chopin’s intent, his feeling, his “beautiful sadness” and his subtle nuances of tone and, well, emotion. Though this woman played the piece by note to a specific/perfect time, it lacked, well again, heart. As a musician, listener, I hear this time and again:

“You play the notes but you do not feel the composer’s soul!”

Again, the “head and heart” dilemma: The “right brain” vs. the “left brain.” neurological stance.

The famous 19th-century French composer Satie once had written at the top of his new piano composition: Not to be played with the hands. 

I failed music theory in a big way – too mathematical, too stringent, and too structured.

But, once picking up the guitar, music came easy – I learned the chords and could hear the beat, the tone, and the intent of the song.

Now, when playing with another musician or band, something mystical happens. Our souls tune into each other. And what is most phenomenal, an “ invisible third voice or instrument” joins in on the jam, creating the most perfect sound. If one observes a band carefully, one can see and hear this phenomenon occur – all the musicians look at each other and smile.

To be a truly great musician one should have both theory and heart – and surly that “third voice” will join in, and Beethoven’s “breath of God.” should touch us all.