The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot

This is a very frightening book. Frightening because it connects the current events of today with the events that led up to that mid-20th century horror of fascism, WWII, and the aftermath. Drawing on history, from both European and other authoratarian risings, the author paints a grim picture of what could happen here. Ms. Wolf shows ten steps that all tyranical governments seem to enact in some order and shows the parallels between history and today. I became more and more chilled as I progressed down the chapters: Invoke a Internal & External Threat, Establish Secret Prisons, Develop a Paramilitary Force, Surveil Ordinary Citizens, Infiltrate Citizens' Groups, Arbitrarily Detain and Release Citizens, Target Key Individuals, Restrict The Press, Cast Criticism As "Espionage" And Dissent As "Treason", and Subvert The Rule Of Law. Sound like the headlines? At times the author comes of as strident, but 14 pages of endnotes and 4 pages of bibliography make for a convincing case, as does her plain language and multiple examples. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a view into what could happen or who just wants to avoid the worst case scenario that seems to be approaching if no one stands up to it. I have already ordered ten copies as Christmas presents.

This is a simple, clear, and deeply alarming book. Ms. Wolf looks to recent history to derive ten techniques that underpin dictatorships and police states. These are the basic ingredients that tyrants throughout the 20th century used to seize and keep control of their countries. The ingredients are familiar and not surprising--frighten people by invoking an external and internal threat, establish secret prisons, set up a paramilitary force answerable only to the leader, place ordinary citizens under surveillance, add to the fear with arbitrary arrests and detentions, target actual and potential opponents, restrict the press, cast reporters and whistleblowers as spies and critics as traitors, and, in the end, substitute rule by decree for the rule of law. Ms. Wolf systematically documents how far down this dangerous road the Bush administration, abetted by a rubber-stamp Congress, has pushed our nation. We are not closing down Guantanamo, we're increasing its capacity. Blackwater and other paramilitary forces have free rein in Iraq, and, shockingly, contracts are in place for them to play an increasing role within the U.S. A new law is in place to remove control of the National Guard from the states and place it under federal control. Every newspaper reader is aware that the government has given itself the right to spy on ordinary citizens in a variety of ways, and continues to push for more. Through its policy of "special renditions" the government has "disappeared" a number of citizens of other countries, sending them to be interrogated and tortured in CIA-run "black sites" scattered around the world. Here at home, tens of thousands of citizens are on the Transportation Security Administration's secret watch list and are subject to repeated detention and searches when they try to fly. Many of these are people who have done nothing more than be active in groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union or other organizations that the Bush administration finds bothersome. The precipitous removal of Dan Rather is just one of many examples of increasing intimidation of the press. Congressmen and Senators have been accused by administration members of endangering our troops and the nation when they try to exercise their Constitutional oversight and legislative roles. Bush has issued an inordinate number of "signing documents" through which he claims the right to ignore or selectively enforce legislation passed by Congress. Fundamental rights such as habeas corpus--the right not to be arrested and detained without due cause and due process--are under attack. Ms. Wolf makes and documents the case that the liberty that we cherish, and which has made American great, is under threat. She adds urgency to her plea by pointing out that while it often takes years for a would-be tyrant to put these ten ingredients into place, once they are there, once citizens become aware that voicing an opinion can lose them their job or get them arrested, once the

I was thoroughly frightened by the content of this book, and truly hope others are as well. The path we are headed down in this country should be concerning to both Democrats and Republicans. Loss of our liberties will, after all, affect all of us. I would urge anyone who reads this to keep an open mind, and not immediately discard the message she is conveying simply because it focuses on troubling things being done by the current administration. These things would be troubling no matter which party the president belonged to. Being able to take a step back from blind party allegiance to actually see when there is a problem is a key factor in maintaining a healthy democracy. No leader deserves our blind allegiance, regardless of their political party affiliation. Our elected leaders should be accountable to us, not the other way around.

Americans have sadly taken democracy for granted. The author of this book sends a necessary letter of warning to get Americans to realize that the continuation of democracy depends on the participation and action of citizens. Ms. Wolf's book identifies 10 steps that have historically been used to shut down open societies and how those steps are currently being taken in our nation today. If you are thinking that sounds harsh, this book will surprise you with its research, argument and facts. If you've been feeling in recent years that something is just not right, Ms. Wolf cites historical examples and recent newspaper articles to demonstrate why you are sensing an erosion of rights and justice. This is a brave book and I applaud Ms. Wolf for caring enough about our country to write it. The American people have now been warned that our democracy is more delicate than we think. Time will tell if collectively people care enough to respond in a way that prevents the "fascist shift" Wolf outlines in this shocking new book.

One of the classic findings of contemporary Psychology is the `hopelessness/helplessness' syndrome. The idea is that once a person has become conditioned to believe that no matter what they do, the outcome will be the same, they become overwhelmed with feelings of confusion, hopelessness, helplessness and apathy. Living in North America in the twenty first century is a study of this phenomenon. I experience this sense of helpless dread and its accompanying apathy every time I turn on the TV, listen to the radio or read the newspaper to hear yet again about our continuing loss of liberties and the tragedies that ensue as a result. It was thus all the more refreshing to read Wolf's book "The End of America" and feel, much to my pleasant surprise, a rare sense of optimism at its conclusion. Using the same accessible and passionate voice that has made "The Beauty Myth" and "Misconceptions" bestsellers, Wolf eloquently argues that Americans are rapidly losing their liberties under the Bush regime and that the political tactics being used to implant these policies have historical parallels in other fascist dictatorships including Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. Using example after example spanning from personal accounts of young jailed bloggers and peace activists to the very public crackdowns on dissidents like the Dixie chicks, to curtailing academic freedom in universities across the country, Wolf illustrates how our open, democratic society is being systemically shut down by the Bush administration. The beauty of this book, however, lies not so much in its thoroughly researched and clearly articulated thesis, but in its ability to offer an optimistic alternative to the apathy that is plaguing the young patriots that this book addresses. Reading "The End of America", although seemingly depressing at first, is enlightening in its ability to offer its own thesis as an antidote to the trajectory America is on. It is only awareness of our own history and a clear sense of what is currently happening around us that can dismantle the governmental authority that is so threatening to us now. As Wolf writes, "..the founders did not mean for powerful men and women far away from the citizens or people with their own agendas or for a class of professionals to perform the patriots' tasks, or to protect freedom. They meant for us to do it: you, me, the American who delivers your mail, the one who teaches your kids" (p.5). Wolf could not be more accurate in her statement. Psychology has taught us that the only way out of the helplessness/hopelessness cycle is by asserting control and recognizing that we have the power to change and shape our environment. In an era where nihilism and despair predominate, "The End of America" is a refreshing, accessible, passionate, timely and engaging guidebook to help us on our way.