Getting back to basics
Identity theft is about the taking, not of your papers, but of cutting close to the bone of your very being. There are many other areas where we are being manipulated by the 1%'s (The one percent who have bought, signed, sealed, and delivered your government down the river). Sadly some of our so-called leaders are buying this corporate program against the will of "we the people". Here are some of the signs of the times just around the corner or already here.
It is real , but helas it is not new !
I realized the control of all governments and business through power and money at the age of seven (in 1949) in History class (in another country!). You know: Aristocrats and Clergy owned all the lands and the riches and did no work, and the People, who worked very hard and paid heavy taxes. But then at age 7, I believed in Democracy overcoming the centuries of control and surveillance. There had been "people revolutions" afterall giving us this democracy. We had Republics, not Monarchies anymore.
When I grew up I voted, and supported Unions, and believed that people, together, could win eventually. (Do you remember Poland's "Solidarity" Movement? )
It has taken me many many years, the present American Government and its export of torture, and the wonderful book of Derrick Jensen, to realise that technology has added unbearable tools to "The Powers" to control the people.
And we are screwed once more. "Plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose..."
It does not matter if you are Democrats or Republicans. It does not matter if you are Americans or Chinese, Russians or Nigerians. I cry with Mr. Jensen and his co-author, to see planet Earth and its "animals" (human and non-human) going toward extinction because of the greed of the corporations and governments. And, sorry everybody, but I will not vote anymore. I will retreat my brain into some art or music study and try to calm the inner turmoil I feel right now.
I highly recommend the reading of this book by everyone who is of the age to rise up and resist. It is a very important book.
No conspiracy theory: only ignorant people who have not studied World history will say that and of course there are plenty of them around.
I have not given up hope alltogether. But I am old and tired.
Your turn.
Evelyne
This book WILL scare you...
As scary as this book is, I thank Derrick Jensen and George Draffin for writing the truth. Modern survalence is a threat to our freedom. Anybody who wants to know what those in power are doing to monitor us, or what they plan to do read this book. Not only is it full of facts, but Derrick helps you come to terms with what all of it means. People now-a-days dont have a huge problem with giving up some of their freedom for security. But what those in power are doing with this information is down right scary, and un-acceptable. It is a quick read too. It will bring up huge topics, define and break them apart, and open your eyes to modern technology; all in a days/weekends read. Overall great read. A+++
Not Jensen's best, but still worth the read.
Having read some of Jensen's material before, I had an idea of what to expect. With this book, the authors compare all of the attitudes and institutions of society to a machine, designed to convert "human beings to workers", to turn individuals into "cogs". Basically, the machine exists to control and direct the actions of the masses, for the purpose of achieving the goals of the few.
While I like the writing style, the second half of this book can be quite tedious. During the first half, the basis for the machine is established, and the arguments made by the authors can be humorous and compelling. As the book progresses though, I got the feeling that every point had already been made, and the rest of the book mainly consists of those points being reinforced by listing endless examples. In the chapter "Money", the author spends several pages simply listing ways in which the government spends money. While this does help to hammer the point home, it makes a tiresome read. Still, the first half of the book alone makes it worth the read, and the second half comes in handy if you get into an argument with someone and want to bombard them with facts and numbers. If you like Jensen, this book shouldn't disappoint.
The most depressing author alive
Even as a converted Jensen-ite, there were times during this book when it came across as the "horrible conspiracy theory crazy talk" that the one-star reviewer below described. However, I came to see those moments as rhetorical exaggerations in the service of a deeper underlying truth.
If we agree that Starbucks is not going to be beaming advertising directly into your cerebral cortex any time soon, it behooves us to ask why we're so sure. Because that corporation would certainly have the modesty and decency not to saturate our environment with their product and advertising? Uh... hmm... Because of the fundamental respect they have for our individuality? Well, probably not. (And why should they? If you're getting your coffee at Starbucks, how individual do you think you are?) Because scientists would never lend themselves to such a dehumanizing project? Their record strongly suggests otherwise. Because no one would ever sign up for it? Do you know how many hours of television the *average* American watches in a day to numb them to the alienated misery of their life? [And who says you'll have a choice? How much choice did you have about getting your kid injected with a disease... excuse me, I meant "immunized"? Or having them assigned a tracking number... excuse me, I meant "Social Security number"?] Because it's just too science fictional? Not a safe bet. Could you have imagined 20 years ago how the Internet would change your life? Not just the convenience of book buying on Amazon, of course, but the end of written correspondence and the skyrocketing of identity theft?
If you're honest, I think you'll have to concede Jensen's real point here. Which is that if Starbucks is not *already* beaming advertising directly into your cerebral cortex, it is only because the Machine has not yet provided them with the means for doing so. And that the Machine will *inevitably* seek out this power (or some more cost-efficient alternative) to make you a better-fitting cog for its operation - in the pious name of "boosting the economy" or "homeland security", of course.
So long story short: the Machine is already at least 90% finished "processing" the indigenous peoples of the world, the large fish population, and first-growth forests into corpses (fishsticks and junk-mail brochures are corpses too) - which is its ultimate Product. In the course of that achievement, it has created measurable level of dioxins in the breast milk of every woman on the planet, flushed away millions of tons of topsoil, and set us speeding down the path to irreversible global warming. Our middle-class American hope is that It will be kind enough to stop there - while we can "enjoy" our frozen dinners, SUVs, and "reality shows" - without killing all of us as well.
But a Machine doesn't have feelings. And it has gotten terribly efficient at what it does.
(14 reviews)
