David Ray Griffin's Foreword to "America in Peril"
(Bob Aldridge, the author previously of First Strike! The Pentagon's Strategy for Nuclear War, has a new book out; America in Peril. The foreword is written by David Ray Griffin, and Griffin has supplied the text for visitors here to see. -rep.)
Bob Aldridge’s America in Peril is a wake-up call for Americans. Several such wake-up calls have been published recently. But this book is different.
Aldridge not only points out that many developments since 9/11 have moved us toward fascism; he also discusses in detail these post-9/11 developments---such secret detentions, military commissions, extraordinary renditions, torture, the loss of habeas corpus, the Patriot Act, extraordinary military spending, unprecedented government secrecy, and unprecedented claims for presidential authority---all in the name of “national security.” He also shows how the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan have been justified on the basis of 9/11 and demonstrates that these wars and most of the other developments are in line with neoconservative ideology, which 9/11 allowed the administration to turn into official policy.
Aldridge’s book is distinctive because, besides highlighting all these things, he resists the standard explanation, even among left-leaning thinkers, according to which the Bush-Cheney administration simply took advantage of the shock created by the 9/11 attacks. Rather than portraying these attacks as merely good fortune from the point of view of the Bush-Cheney administration, Aldridge comes right out and says what millions of Americans---including growing numbers of architects, engineers, pilots, scientists, and former military and intelligence officers (see the Patriots Question 9/11 website) believe---namely, that the 9/11 attacks were planned and carried out by this administration, precisely for the sake of putting its preestablished agenda into effect.
Then, bringing this analysis to bear on our present peril---which is the imminent danger of martial law---he says: “All that is needed is a ‘catastrophic emergency’ to set the wheels of martial law in motion. 9/11 illustrates how easily such an emergency can be orchestrated.”
If Aldridge is right about this, and I believe he is, then America truly is in peril. Aldridge suggests that the remedy, in the first place, is simply truth. Another great American patriot who believed this was the Reverend William Sloane Coffin Jr., who said shortly before his death in 2006: “9/11 truth is a very important issue with the power to bring lasting change to our country.”
As Aldridge’s book shows, the idea of “9/11 truth” needs to be understood broadly as including not only the truth about 9/11 itself, but also the truth about its not unintended consequences, which we can call 9/11 Wars and 9/11 Social Policy.
A more inclusive remedy, Aldridge then adds, will require a spiritual perception of life. And by this Aldridge means something quite different from the kinds of American pseudo-spirituality that either remain indifferent to social-political issues or else support the imperialist drive toward a Pax Americana. This genuine spirituality will be needed to counter the bogus spirituality of neoconservatives inspired by Leo Strauss (see Shadia Drury’s two insightful books, The Political Ideas of Leo Strauss and Leo Strauss and the American Right). Strauss, having accepted Nietzsche’s dictum, “God is dead,” said that Nietzsche’s only mistake was to utter it out loud. Rather, Strauss counseled, religion should be used to control and mobilize the masses behind the policies of their rulers.
A genuine spirituality, one that engenders respect for all peoples and hence mobilizes us to work for the common good, will be needed to reverse the developments that have brought us to our present peril.
---David Ray Griffin, author, 9/11 Contradictions: An Open Letter to Congress and the Press
Note: This is the foreword to Bob Aldridge, America in Peril (Pasadena: Hope Publishing House, 2008); available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/America-Peril-Bob-Aldridge/dp/1932717153/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204753147&sr=1-2).
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Twilight of the Psychopaths
"Strauss counseled, religion should be used to control and mobilize the masses behind the policies of their rulers."
I am hoping this emerges from our victory:
"A genuine spirituality, one that engenders respect for all peoples and hence mobilizes us to work for the common good."
Other Information
This article has good information but please go read my newly uncovered research at:
http://www.911blogger.com/node/14014
MP3 Audio Clip - David Ray Griffin
Tuesday February 19, 2008
Charles Goyette, recently honored as "Best Phoenix Talk Show Host", talks to David Ray Griffin about his new book 9/11 CONTRADICTIONS: An Open Letter to Congress and the Press. (Full interview sans breaks 12 Meg 43 Minutes)
* source = http://www.1100kfnx.com/index.php?/hosts/charlesgoyette/
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Thursday February 7, 2008
Dennis Bernstein (KPFA, Flashpoints) talks to David Ray Griffin about his new book 9/11 CONTRADICTIONS: An Open Letter to Congress and the Press.
* source = http://www.kpfa.org/
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More MP3 Audio Clips >
America in Peril
I have not read the book yet, and I admit that until this post I had not heard of Bob Aldridge, so although I would almost take anything that David Griffin recommends for granted, I googled "America in Peril" and came up with some links that worry me, although they don't seem to have anything to do with Aldridge. I am referring to the Mark Koerner and "militia" links, about which I also admit ignorance, but I am glad that Aldridge and his Pacific Life Research Center (http://www.plrc.org/), which promotes conscience objection, apparently has nothing to do with them.
Now, I know this is stepping into a hornet's nest (if anybody reads this), but I think it is important and it has not been squarely enough faced in the "9/11 movement." What is the relation between the "militia movement" and other groups usually referred to as "extreme" right wing, to the "9/11 truth movement"? This is not the place to go into this, because, as I say, despite the perhaps unfortunately chosen title, Aldridge has nothing to do with militia's, "American Firsters," etc. This "etc." needs to be expanded, though.
Why? I'll tell you. It's because no matter what people (and I know there are many of them here) think, armed revolution has no chance whatsoever in the US, and anyone who even appears to advocate it is either very misguided or, worse, an agent provocateur.
To those who may have read my "Sunrise at Buchenwald" and other stuff, especially, I know what your objection is to this seemingly "roll over and die" attitude, but it is not that at all. I am simply trying to be realistic. Violence is not the answer, and that is not so much because I am against violence (which I am) but because it (violence) will not work, and in fact will breed much more violence. Seems a truism, but look at the number of people who see it (not only the militias) as the only antidote to fascism. I believe there is--must be--another way.
It's a confusing, chaotic time of opportunity....
The Military Commissions ACT of 2006 and The John Warner Defense ACT of 2007 followed up by NSPD 51 got my attention! 9/11 Bloggers are aware of the rising tide of fascism but a question remains, "What to do about it?"
It would be ignorant if not insane to attempt to resist by force the weapons in the government's hands! On the other hand, we may not be given any choice? Do you allow yourself to be rounded up to toil and then executed or resist a rain of bullets with what little firepower you can muster? These are hideous thoughts but must be considered in light of the creeping facism very reminiscent of the thirties in Europe . I believe in encountering reality as head on as I can muster the courage to face?
"America in Peril" by Bob Aldridge may assist in bludgeoning the public into some kind of recognition of our present predicament?
It's only by appealing to human emotions of good that a real tragedy will be avoided? It's only by illustrating the barbaric path we are on, perhaps, a new one will be chosen? There will be a point where a spiritual choice is made by each individual. We can only work to influence it.
We can only hope,...it's a long way to January 20, 2009 and there's no guarantee beyond that date either!
...don't believe them!
America in Peril
A reader has responded to me privately:
"I'm sure most people would agree that violence is not the way. I'm sure
Christianity should have some suggestion that violence is not the way.
"However we could look at the possibility of an increasingly violent
America. British citizens are having their freedoms tripped from them,
but they have no access to arms. American citizens have access to arms.
"I presume that John McCain is a man who is controllable by the military
industrial complex. Judging by some of her contributors so is Hillary
Clinton. But what about Barack Obama? He seems to be something of a
bridge player because no-one seems to know what he would do if elected
as President.
"How long would a peace-making President last in office if he tries to
rein back the military, the multi-nationals, the covert agencies? It
will be interesting to see how long. I'd guess 'not long'. If Ron Paul
were President they would have to kill him, wouldn't they? And then
you'd hope that some Americans would stand up and say, "Now we know
that there is something wrong with our country."
I want to respond to this, as follows:
I see your points. Obama, despite his weak record, is something of a dark horse (no pun intended), if only because he raises hopes, which automatically makes him dangerous to the powers-that-be and therefore desirable for us. Same, but more so, I suspect, for Ron Paul. Kucinich would be even more dangerous.
Killing our leaders would be nothing new (JFK, RFK, MLK, Wellstone most likely, etc.), but this is another issue which should be faced head on. The public should realize, if they don't already, that running for president or any high office is a life-or-death matter, and I mean for the candidates themselves, not just the people. If we ever get a candidate brave enough to do so, s/he should talk about this danger specifically and loudly, so that if it happens everyone will know why. In addition, the candidate(s) should provide for a succession (VP) that would carry on the same course in the case of assassination. The more openly this danger is faced, the less likely it will be to occur.
This in my view is one of the important things we can do without resorting to violence. And it can--and perhaps should--be done outside of the established political parties. Everyone running for office should have a "stable" of let's say at least a dozen like-minded and capable wo/men ready and willing to take up the cudgels and the lead should the the leader (point in military terms) fall. This is different from party politics, because it would not require such a broad base. It would, however, require extraordinary courage and also the willingness of all of us to abandon the personality/star cult of individuals and focus on ideas and policies.
The problem with personality cults, which of course our mainstream media encourages, is that such "leaders" can be easily eliminated, popped like soap bubbles, and once they are gone, we have nothing but a void, and worse, disillusionment and more disempowerment. The new type of leader would say, loud and clear, here I am, but there are these other 12 men and women beside me who will carry on exactly as I would if I fall. Let them try killing that many. Imagine if we had had such a situation in the case of JFK et al. Imagine if RFK had made explicit (I don't think he did) why JFK was killed and that he was carrying on for him. Even so, he was killed, too. But now imagine not only two brothers, but a few more, like 12, making the danger clear and explicit, and on top of that, now, having the history of it already having happened!
Michael