The Men Who Stare at Goats

This book isn't funny. Mind you, Ronson knows exactly what he's doing by presenting the book as "hilarious" - it starts out completely absurd, with the high-minded hippy ideals of a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran presented to a beleaguered military under siege. Jim Channon, seeking solace in the emerging human potential movement in California, struck a chord with the top brass, and the repercussions are still felt today. But instead of being used as a positive force for peace, the military twisted it into a force of evil. Ronson ties it all together: September 11, Heaven's Gate, sticky foam, Abu-Grahib, Waco, Art Bell, Projects STARGATE, MKULTRA, and ARTICHOKE, and yes, Barney. Goat-staring is the least of our worries. The thread running throughout all these seemingly disconnected blips in history is that they are a new form of psychological warfare that is innocuous, ruthless, and entirely effective. The Men Who Stare at Goats would be just another conspiracy-laden anti-government diatribe if it wasn't for the fact that Ronson always takes the next step as an investigative reporter. He finds people to back up the wild claims, interviews them, and often challenges their wild theories. The sad thing is, very few of these shadowy contacts hide their past. Almost unilaterally, Ronson calls them all out by name and they step forward, sharing a story that sheds a disconcerting light on America's human rights record. Where is the vigorous conversation, the protests, the discord over these revelations? The facts are right here before us - even photographic evidence -- but we laugh about Barney being used to torture prisoners and we shake our heads at the poor, misguided psychics. But outrage? There's no outrage. We save our vitriol for partisan debates in our own government. Eric Olson, son of Frank Olson, a military scientist who died under mysterious circumstances while working on MKULTRA, sums it up best: "The old story is so much fun, why would anyone want to replace it with a story that's not fun. You see...this is no longer a happy, feel-good story...People have been brainwashed by fiction...so brainwashed by the Tom Clancy thing, they think, 'We know this stuff. We know the CIA does this.' Actually, we know nothing of this. There's no case of this, and all this fictional stuff is like an immunization against reality. It makes people think they know things that they don't know and it enables them to have a kind of superficial quasi-sophistication and cynicism which is just a thin layer beyond which they're not cynical at all." Have you heard? There's a movie based on this book coming out starring George Clooney. It's a comedy.

Military techniques vary with the Administration, the challenges faced and the level of brain power sitting on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the Cold War a lot of outlandish spying and interrogation techniques were tried out, including psychics and 'remote viewers,' giving prisoners LSD without their knowledge, getting them hooked on heroin, using subliminal messages, psychological torture involving humiliation, fear or cultural prohibitions, and various other alternatives to respected methods. The clear result from all of these experiments -- not all of them non-lethal, by the way -- was that they were all completely worthless. It is somewhat surprising therefore, that after 9/11 many of these same failed programs were quietly reactivated, with the miserable results we have subsequently seen at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and on the battlefields. Well, maybe not so surprising if you consider the Presidential Prayer Team, the unsuccessful search for 'missing' WMDs, the quagmire from having no exit plan and the general wanton disregard for the lessons of history. This book is proof positive that a government conspiracy could never be successful with the current crop of comedians running things.

Fascinating material presented in a well written objective format. At first i was skeptical but apparently the NY Times and various other newspapers have investigated his work and given it a thumbs up.

Some reviewers have completely missed the point. This is the author's journey researching an inane army experiment, and what manifestations may remain. This book is no more an investigative proof than Ronson's last novel was an argument for joining extremists. This book is Errol Morris, not Art Bell. Wholly enjoyable and entertaining, it's hard to remember at times this is non-fiction, as some of the interviews seem insane. The presentation base comes from declassified goverment documents. However, they are not included, nor are there any footnotes, because Ronson is not trying to convince the reader of anything. He is writing about his interviews and conversations investigating the chronology of the "First Earth Battalion" manual. I believe Ronson started this project intending it to be much funnier (he is a comedian after all), but some of the subject matter and personas he found, though entertaining, aren't laughable: staring at a goat trying to kill sounds funny, but imagine the views of a person who wishes they had the ability to kill people with their mind. So it is a perspective on the legacy of a few persons relieved of common sense, that were given a little power and a budget. You might enjoy this book if you: - Find Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) funny. - Like character documentaries, like those by Errol Morris. - Enjoy psychology. - Want a light introduction to a bizzare goverment-funded experiment. You probably won't enjoy this book if you: - Are looking for hard documentation on goverment conspiracy - Believe our goverment would never do bad things to people - Are uncomfortable with light critisism of George W. Bush

Jon Ronson writes in a very relaxed, entertaining style. Almost too relaxed and entertaining. I picked up and read the first third of the book in one sitting and enjoyed it deeply. I'd frequently laugh out loud at the completly insane ideas these government officials were devoting their lives to. They seemed essentially like harmless quacks (or, at worst, snake oil salesmen) who ultimately weren't doing a whole lot of harm. Then Jon started making connections to Abu Ghraib and programs of assassination. Jon's style is so accessible that you occasionally have to remind yourself that either this stuff if true or (at a minimum) there are people in fairly high positions who believe in it and act on it. Either way, this is that rare book that has both interesting subject matter and is a great read. My only regret is that the style of the book will probably prevent it from getting widely read or seriously discussed. I'm not into conspiracy theories (I think I'm the last guy who really thinks Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK) but this book definately has me scratching my head. A great read! I couldn't recommend it more highly!