Comments on: Chalmers Johnson

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:13:51 +0000

I wanted to warn about something in the book “Blowback.” Johnson refers to Islamic militants as the “mujahideen.” This is consistent as to what they may call themselves and with what many talking heads refer to these militants as, but we should not give them this title. Mujahideen has a very positive connotation in the Islamic world. Militants should not be held in such a positive light. This only exacerbates the problem.

By: RFM

RFM — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:03:31 +0000

I have read all three of Johnson’s blowback books. They illuminated the state of our militancy and its seemingly irreversible character in vivid detail. In Nemesis, his comparison between the U.S. of today and the decline of the Roman Empire is seemingly appropriate and more than worrisome. In some ways that comparison disadvantages us because the Roman leaders had to have military experience to justify their authority. In Bush and Cheney we have military dodgers and war profiteers. But, for a country that simply doesn’t know its own history and its own atrocities done in the name of democracy and freedom, when all the while it was corporate interests that were being protected, the American public looks more like a compliant slave to corporate commodity hawking rather than a literate, educated people. Is it really too late for the country to wake up and learn about itself? The military budget of today is a noose around our neck that prevents us from solving our real problems, yet promises to view them only as threats to our future.

By: MOT

MOT — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 21:47:37 +0000

Bill, you're absolutely correct about democracy. It's a flimsy excuse for all sorts of criminality. I have to laugh at how folks will hem and haw about "democracy" as though it were a god and could heal the sick etc…. but jeepers creepers watch out if you get in its holy rollin way because you just might end up dead!

By: Bill Federkiel

Bill Federkiel — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:41:47 +0000

Chalmers leaves other historians in the dust…he sees it..The U.S. became an empire a long time ago and has become a hyper-empire since the end of the Cold War..
Bush talks about democracy in the Middle East but the word is only a weapon that he can use to beat the regimes the West doesn’t control…Democracy? Poor Lebanon is a democracy but Bush gave the OK for the pointless, sadistic and brutal carpet bombing of Lebanon’s infrastructure and civilian areas last summer because two of their soldiers were captured..( And they still haven’t gotten them back )…Bush doesn’t care about promoting democracy in our puppet regimes-only those who won’t kiss Zionist ass…Honestly, I don’t care about democracy either..Benevolent dictators or Monarchs is what the region really needs as far as I can see…( Saddam was an ENEMY of Al-Quaeda and was protecting the Christians in Iraq )…
Chalmers is a non-ideologue who sees the world the way it is.