The Rise of Counter-Establishment and Blinded by the Right

The Rise of the Counter-Establishment

Where did the modern conservative extreme right come from.? Sidney Blumenthal explains this, in rich detail, in his book “The Rise of the Counter-establishment”. This book starts in the beginning of the twentieth century by explaining the roots of the neo-cons and ideological roots. In Blumenthal’s book we get extreme which include the rise of Milton Friedman, the Reagan Revolution, and the merger of the religious and economic right.

What is most interesting about Blumenthal’s book is that we can see the feudal out look of some of the leaders of the conservative movement. There is a belief in a type of capitalism that is more akin to a feudal world where the wealthy dominate, social movement is limited, and religion is homogenized. We have nearly one hundred years of the history of one of the most influential movements of our lifetimes in one place. Its worth buying and I rate it a buy.




Blinded in the Right

Imagine being a gay man in the closet working for the far right during their rise to power. That is what David Brock was as a hard core right wing pundit who was well enmeshed in the power structure of the Republican and conservative movements. He went from being a darling of the right, to an outcast shortly after he was “outed”.

Brock’s story is fascinating as we watch him argue passionately against his own interests, and then see his tumble on the road to Damascus. He rights well, and it is very difficult to put the book down once it is begun.

This is a fantastic book, a quick read and well written. It’s worth buying as well, if for no other reason than to be able to loan it to friends who are curious about the inner workings of the modern Republican Party.

The Looting of America

Les Leopold’s “The Looting of America” is one of many books that have analyzed the economic crisis of 2008 and its causes. While it may seem to be a bit of a retread as financial instruments are explained in numerous publications, Les does manage to make the subject interesting. He begins by giving an example of a small town in Wisconsin that lost millions of dollars due to being sold derivatives. Leopold then goes on to discuss the origins of the economic crisis and possible solutions.

Les gives a history of money and lending which is quite interesting. He begins to explain how each civilization handled debt laws differently, some allowing interests and some banning it out right. He gives a history of money and how it came about and then explains how the modern financial innovations of the United States last two decades have lead to devastation in the present.

He also makes an argument, similar to Paul Krugman’s in “The Conscience of a Liberal” that the redistribution of wealth from the production economy to the finacncial service economy has been bad for the middle class and has benefited the upper 5% of Americans. Leopold gives possible solutions and approaches to solving the economic problem and possible preventative measures that are quite interesting. One of these solutions, insurance paid by financial institutions to the government to help protect citizens from the effects of the boom bust cycle, was especially fascinating.

The book is well written, although occasionally Leopold comes off as silly when he makes a point. The wine analogy that he uses to explain derivatives and credit default swaps gets tiresome too. Overall, it’s a short, information packed, and interesting book that is worth reading. I rate the book a borrow.

The Conscience of a Liberal

The Conscience of a Liberal, by Paul Krugman, is an analysis of what brought the Republican Right to power and what needs to be done to undo the damage that their anti-government policies have wrecked on the United States. Krugman, a Nobel winning economist, explains that the high quality of life that the middle class of the United States possessed during the fifties and sixties was due to a lack of economic inequality. He also argues that the prosperous era of the mid-twentieth century came to an end because of the policies of the hard right, rather than because of a change of economic circumstance.

Krugman’s analysis of the conservative right was covered more in depth in “The Rise of the Counter-Establishment” and its political machine is made more clear in “Blinded By the Right”. However, Krugman adds more context by explaining how specific conservative policies have led to the wealth of the nation has been shifted to the top 5% by political means and that the middle class has been mugged by those whose money can influence elections. Anti-union policies, as the elimination of many taxes on the wealthiest Americans, are blamed for the United States current circumstances as well as a Republican party willing to use racism, regionalism, and bigotry to win elections.

Krugman wrote the was published in 2007 but manages to explain the problems of creating universal health care and the importance of health care being passed if progressives are to pull the nation from the precipice that the radical right is pushing it towards.

This was a great book, well written, and a surprisingly quick read. I would recommend reading it and rate it a buy.

Cabin in the Sky

Cabin in the Sky is a classic African American film. It came out back when we were still Negro’s and is a film about a man, Little Joe, who is killed while gambling. He is a borderline soul and is given a short amount of time to come back to Earth so that he can earn his way into either heaven or hell. An Angel and a devil both try and nudge his soul in their respective directon It’s a musical, that stars the likes of Lena Horne, and many other classic actors.

I watched this film quite often as a child, and never ceased to enjoy it. It shows the dedication and artistry of African American film makers during a time when their abilities were not respected. Besides being a great African American film, it is also a great American film.

I would recommend this as a buy for several reasons. It is well written, well filmed, and truly entertaining. It is a historical film that will allow you to see a glimpse of how the pre civil rights African Americans lived in their own communities and you’ll enjoy it.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Jared Diamond’s “Guns, Germs, and Steel” is a brilliant analysis of how societies form and how technology is developed. He shows that, while culture and native intelligence is important, environment has a great impact on how a society develops. I first read this book for a Technology and Culture class in graduate school and was very impressed by it.

Jared Diamond starts with the premise that humans are basically similar in intelligence and drive on average. He then explores the environmental differences throughout history that each group of human beings has faced, and how these differences affected the development of technology, culture, and society.

Jared demonstrates that human beings, when shown new technology and foodstuffs that are useful, take advantage of them, and that much of the success of many societies has to do with experience learned from the past and advantageous environment. Diamond shows how agriculture throughout the world came about. He explains how the geography of an area could affect the nature of the crops that were available to a population and in turn the cultural development of a society. His largest example is comparing the cyclical crops of Eurasia. The Eurasian crops, due to the changes in weather, had regular growing and planting times allowing agriculturalist to plan for the future. In climates that were more extreme, such options were not there and this slowed down their agricultural development. This is just one of many interesting agricultural facts that he brings up in his book.

Jared also explains how the availability of animals that could be domesticated was important because it lead to the contraction of diseases for which immunities could be developed. When the West entered the New World, they found populations that had not domesticated many animals and so the West infected them with diseases for which they had no immunities. I am oversimplifying his argument, but hope that what I have written in regards to agriculture and animal husbandry inspires you to buy the book.

Diamond discusses how cultures either embrace or reject technological advancements based on how connected they are to other societies, or how decentralized and interactive their cultures are. He also explains how elites, or plutocracies, evolve. It is a fascinating book. I would recommend buying the “Guns, Germs and Steel” I bought the hardcover and it sits prominently on my bookshelf.

Slumdog Millionaire

Wow. The film is about a poor kid from the slums, or a “slum dog” who is one question away from winning the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The film begins with the police torturing him to find out how he cheated because it is assumed that an impoverished product of the slums could not possibly have known the answers to such difficult questions as those asked on the show. As he explains to the police how he knows the answers, we are shown flashbacks of the significant moments of his life that are tied to his knowledge.

The film is in both English and an Indian language with subtitles. We are able to see the plight of the Muslim minority in India. The abuse of women, children, and the poor is also highlighted in the film. The industry and grit of the Indian people is displayed in every moment of Slumdog Millionaire. The lead actor Dev Patel, is brilliant in the film, making the audience feel happy when he is happy, and sad when he is as well. His brother, Selim, is played by three different actors throughout his life, all of whom make you both love and hate the character.

Slum Dog Millionaire is a movie that has won many awards and much critical acclaim. You have doubtlessly heard of it. I want to let you know that, besides being a darling of the critics, it is also a watchable and engrossing movie that you will enjoy. It’s a buy.

Mongol

Mongol is the story of how Genghis Khan came to power. It is a quite interesting portrayal of a man who is usually portrayed as a heartless and barbaric conqueror. It is a foreign film, so you have to read the subtitles, but it appears to be well funded and is quite interesting. The audience is afforded the opportunity to see inside Mongol culture and witness how cultural mores and values can be both harm and help the life of an individual.

Aside from the action and historical aspect, the focus on how culture tears apart the friendship of Genghis and his blood brother, how it leads to his fathers death and then saves his own life, is a fascinating part of the story. We do not get the opportunity to see Genghis conquer the kingdoms of Asia, but we do get an opportunity to see him conquer the many barriers cast in his way.

I would rate Mongol a buy. It may not be a film that you watch every other weekend, but it will be one that, when you do sit down and watch it, you will enjoy thoroughly.