Napoleon Matheus Matheus itibaren Semboja, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan, Endonezya itibaren Semboja, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan, Endonezya

In a chillingly cogent treatment, Lapham chronicles the many instances in American history where the powers that be convince the masses to forego civil liberties in the name of chauvinism, er, patriotism. The motivations of these powers range from ideological convictions to naked greed, but the underlying impetus always involves a concerted effort to bamboozle the general populace into accepting the time-honored tiering of power in the United States of America. Ultimately, Lapham makes the case that, while they certainly have some competition from the annals of our country’s history, the current Bush administration has proven to be one of the most adept (and crooked and self-serving and duplicitous) at convincing people to allow them to strip their rights away for the good of the land. Of course, it’s not the good of the land these power merchants are most concerned with—it’s the maintaining of hegemony via concentration of wealth and influence at the top.

I need to finish reading this...