Abuse Your Illusions: The Disinformation Guide to Media Mirages and Establishment Lies

I was drawn to the article on "Good Old Days Mythology" because it is so prevalent these days. It can be used to shut down those who are longing for a magical, simpler time where today's cares were absent, a time that never really existed. I'm currently reading the story on the "War on Drugs" and the ignorance that the media has spread. Every item in the book, as in his others, serves to reveal "establishment lies" we have been constantly fed.

Last month I re-read the essay on pp.198-227 pertaining to the events of 9/11/2001. In early February 2010, the idea of questioning the official story of 9/11 became a political hot-topic in the Texas gubernatorial race. Television propagandist (and all-around-idiot) Glenn Beck declared Debra Medina unfit for office for the thoughtcrime of merely questioning the official conclusions of the 9/11 Commission. By her own words, Medina was not advancing any conclusions about the events of 9/11, but merely questions whether the official story is complete and accurate. From the essay in this book, it certainly seems there is plenty about 9/11 not addressed by the official explanations. Reason aside, it now appears that merely questioning the official 9/11 story is portrayed as a sort of "political kryptonite". Citizens need to consider very carefully the implications of this new McCarthyism ("are you now, or have you ever been, a supporter of the 9/11 Truth movement?"). The essay in this book is germane to that discussion. This particular publication, and some of the contributing authors (including Howard Zinn, who incidentally defended the official 9/11 story!) are controversial, but whatever one's beliefs, this essay deserves to be considered on its merits. **This book comprises a collection of essays, so the star rating is an average of just the essays I've read (I admit I've only read about 1/2 of them), and the "read date" is just for the 9/11 essay

Similar to their previous publications "Abuse Your Illusions" by The Disinformation Company, Ltd. is a collection of articles from various sources. Each source is well documented as to their background and why their information and opinion should be seriously considered. Although it follows quickly on the heels of "You are Being Lied To", which we gave a high recommendation last year, this book far better. It contains much better written articles with a great deal more evidentiary matter presented for each article. A fine example is the article "Pieces of the 9/11 Puzzle". While it does not attempt to reach a conclusion, it does point out several very interesting facts that have generally not been released to the public. There are so many strange coincidences that it caused Senator Richard Shelby to remark in November of 2002 that "The American people must know the full story has yet to be told". The article includes photographs from CNN of WTC Building 6 that appears to explode before the twin towers fell on it. The photograph of it afterwards also shows that it blew apart in the middle and apparently did not collapse as the result of the Twin Towers debris falling on it. The author also brings up the myriad problems with Mohamed Atta's luggage, the request by President Bush to Tom Daschele to limit the investigation into September 11, the lack of black boxes from the planes, the fact that for a few weeks before September 11 the employees of the towers were evacuated several times, the fact that the head of the independent probe, Thomas Kean, has had many business deals with Osama bin Laden's brother in law, Khalid bin Mahfouz who is suspected of financing al Qaeda, and many other problems. The articles are sometimes very conservative and sometimes quite liberal, but they are all interesting and pose many, many questions about dozens of media mirages and official establishment positions. Some articles may go too far with a sort of conspiracy theory approach, but most of them present solid evidence complete with thorough documentation. While you will probably not agree with the positions of some of the authors, you can't take an informed position without at least being aware of the information presented in this book. For those who want to know the other side of the story so you can get a whole picture it is a highly recommended read.

This is another in a series of books containing articles on subjects that will not be covered in the mainstream press. Spanning the political spectrum, the independent researchers, media critics and other experts behind these pieces (many written especially for this book) blow away the fog that keeps us confused.Greg Palast catches the news media in several blatant lies; not just misinterpretation, but actual, black and white, lies. The most popular antidepressants can cause suicide. The Watergate break-in may have been all about a call girl ring after all. The producer of the CNN report about Operation Tailwind (asserting that America used sarin nerve gas in Vietnam) gives her side of the story. A former federal drug agent describes first-hand how the Drug War is designed to fail. The New York Times knows about, but refuses to publicize, America's illegal bioweapons program. Howard Zinn brings the US bombing of Afghanistan down to the individual level, looking at some of those who suffered and died. Operation Pipeline is a racial profiling program in California that pulls over minorities on the pretext of minor traffic violations. The editor digs up more neglected information on September 11, including: some of the highest US officials admitted that the attacks could have been prevented, a US Senator has said that at least one foreign country actively aided the terrorists, and one of the warnings received by the US was from the Taliban.Also covered in this book are the diamond trade, child protective services, fluoridation, the Resurrection story, government sponsored anti-drug ads, the US military faces a huge rape crisis, the flexible definition of "terrorism," and corporations that have claimed the "right" to lie.As with its two prequels, Everything You Know Is Wrong and You Are Being Lied To, this is a must read of a book that has something to upset or offend everyone. I learned a lot from these eye-opening articles. This isn't a "liberal" or "conservative" book, but it is very highly recommended.