Product Description

This book begins where You Are Being Lied To left off. Once again, an amazing group of investigative journalists, researchers, insiders, dissidents, and academics peels back consensus reality and shows us what's really happening. Hard, documented evidence on the most powerful institutions and controversial topics in the world. Among the revelations:

Antidepressants trash your brain.
China has repeatedly threatened to nuke the US.
Young people are less violent now than they have been in over 30 years.
Mad Cow disease is killing people in America.
Many disabled people don't want to be "cured" and don't admire Christopher Reeve.

Plus previously unpublished revelations about the International Monetary Fund, the Vatican Bank, the Olympic Games, Henry Lee Lucas, the drug war in South America, unpublicized accidents at nuclear power plants, and much more. Includes reproductions of rare documents and photos, including an unpublished eyewitness sketch of a mysterious third gunman at Columbine.

Among the 50+ contributors: Naomi Klein Douglas Rushkoff Arianna Huffington Howard Zinn Paul Krassner Gary Webb Howard Bloom Noreena Hertz Alexander Cockburn Thomas Szasz William Blum James Ridgeway Kalle Lasn Wendy McElroy

Marketing Plans:
Heavy promotion on Disinformation site (500,000+ unique visitors/month) and Disinformation email newsletter (50,000+ subscribers).
Disinformation TV series will air nationally on Sci-Fi Channel during 2002; contains profiles of several of the book's contributors.
Marketing campaign by Green Galactic publicity agency.

Disinformation Books editor Russ Kick has previously written two popular alternative reference books: Outposts and Psychotropedia. The Disinformation Company operates the most popular counterculture and alternative news site on the Web, Disinformatio

Also Available:

You Are Being Lied To

TP $19.95, 0-9664100-7-6 CUSA

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220527 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780971394209
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Library Journal
From the people who brought us You Are Being Lied To, here is another engrossing and infuriating compilation of muckraking articles, expos s, and provocative claims. Some of the pieces in the book are very timely: an assertion that the government had advance warning of the September 11 terrorist attacks, reports of additional gunmen at Columbine High School, and additional details on Senator Bob Kerrey's actions in Vietnam. Most of the articles were written for this volume, though some appeared previously in reputable magazines and journals (e.g., the Village Voice, Toronto Globe & Mail, and Journal of Medical Ethics). Not all the pieces deal with political issues; readers will find a wide range of social ("Mad Cow Disease"), financial ("World Bank and the WTO"), and cultural topics. A few familiar names appear among the contributors (Howard Zinn, Paul Krassner), but most are investigative reporters not well known to the public. This contrarian collection will attract a diverse readership from conspiracy nuts to academics and is recommended for most public libraries. Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Even if you just check it out from the library, you owe it to yourself to read it." -- Movement (Jacksonville, FL), May 2002

"It's a great read." -- Jane Magazine, August 2002

"Much of it will shock your sensibilities. It's mindboggling stuff. But read it you should." -- Discourse & Disclosure, Summer 2002

"The kind of book you want to buy and give to everyone you know" -- Rain Taxi Summer 2002

"These stories can be scary" -- Seven Magazine, July 2002

"This book could change the way you process information. This book could actually make you smarter." -- Tacoma Reporter, July 25, 2002

"[A] fun and compelling read" -- Enter Stage Right, June 2002

"[A]nother engrossing and infuriating compilation of muckraking articles, exposes, and provocative claims ... recommended for most public libraries." -- Library Journal

"a bracing collection of contrarian articles covering a broad spectrum of subjects" -- The Guardian, October 5, 2002

"bold and brash and just a little bit frightening, irregardless of which side of the political center readers find themselves" -- The Boox Review, July 10, 2002

From the Publisher
In “Burn the Olive Tree, Sell the Lexus,” Greg Palast and Oliver Shykles show precisely what globalization hath wrought, using exclusive leaked documents from the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. Political commentator Arianna Huffington then offers stinging criticism of the pharmaceutical industry in “Drug Companies: Sell Hard, Sell Fast...and Count the Bodies Later.” We’re proud to present a groundbreaking article on the Vatican Bank’s seamy side by attorney Jonathan Levy. Dominick Armentano shows that antitrust law actually hurts consumers and is used almost exclusively by businesses to kneecap their competitors. Investigative journalist Lucy Komisar follows the worldwide trail of laundered money in “Dirty Money and Global Banking Secrecy.” Noreena Hertz shows us that globalization isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it must be modified drastically before it will benefit everyone.

Douglas Valentine examines former Senator Bob Kerrey’s active role in the CIA’s ultrasecret Phoenix program, which involved torturing and killing civilians in Vietnam. Sports professor Helen Lenskyj reveals the hidden costs, arrogance, and corruption of the Olympics. Lindsay Jenkins spills the beans on the plan to destroy the nations of Europe by turning them into one big (undemocratic) country ruled by a secretive, unaccountable bunch of bureaucrats. “Watchdog Nation” exposes the problems with the groups that earn their multi-millions by magnifying the threat of political extremists in America.

Investigator Brad Shellady presents a devastating look at the case of Henry Lee Lucas, alleged to be one of the worst serial killers of all time. British reporter Rory Carroll examines new developments in the case of “The Monster of Florence,” which inspired Thomas Harris to create his intellectual psychopath, Hannibal Lecter. In “Charlie Manson’s Image,” counterculture legend Paul Krassner adds new twists to the famous case. “Witnesses to a Massacre” by Russ Kick assembles ignored reports by numerous eyewitnesses who saw multiple gunmen perpetrating the massacre at Columbine. “Free Lauriane” reveals that, for the first time ever, the US has granted political asylum to a French citizen. Retired police chief Joseph McNamara reveals the existence of gangs of renegade cops in every major US city and confirms the existence of the “blue wall of silence” in “When Cops Become the Gangsters.”

Gabe Kirchheimer uses medical studies, expert opinions, and scientific facts to demonstrate that mad cow disease has indeed invaded the US. Then Mickey Z. widens the subject to look at further problems associated with meat and other animal-based food in “Fear of a Vegan Planet.” The legendary Thomas Szasz demonstrates that the concept of “mental illness” is a ruse, while prominent psychiatric-drug whistleblower Peter Breggin, M.D. explains what’s wrong with Ritalin.

Mike Males shows us in “Myths About Youth” that kids nowadays are less violent and use less drugs and alcohol than their parents’ generation. Phillip Cook reveals that men comprise a significant portion of domestic abuse victims (one third to one half). Lucy Gwin tells the shocking truth about disabled people in “Postcards From the Planet of the Freaks.” Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn presents the scientific evidence that our media-saturated consumer culture is extremely damaging to our psyches, and Preston Peet has harsh words for the current trend toward forced treatment for drug users. In a pair of essays, Wendy McElroy presents old-school, individualist-feminist takes on pornography and prostitution. Our own sexual adventurer, Tristan Taormino, looks at the full spectrum of relationship options in “Two’s Too Tough.” Turning to the big questions, Nick Mamatas examines the relatively recent origins of the supposedly universal good/evil dichotomy, and Annie Laurie Gaylor eyes! divine misogyny in “Why Women Need Freedom From Religion.”

There are a startling number of accidents, near-misses, and other problems in nuclear power plants, a subject near and dear to nuclear safety engineer David Lochbaum’s heart (his “Fission Stories” tells all). Attorney David Hardy has uncovered even more skullduggery surrounding the Waco incident, including a smoking-gun document. William Blum completely savages another Official Version of Events in “The Bombing of PanAm Flight 103: Case Not Closed.” Meanwhile, “Leaders Against the Drug War” shows that over 70 government officials in the US and around the world have called for the relaxation of drug laws. Jonathan Vankin reminds us that the ludicrous events of the 2000 presidential election were nothing new. Our man in India, Dr. K. Jamanadas, offers an unflinching look at the horrors being endured by Untouchables in his country. Robert Sterling gives an acid take on the demonization of the leaders of developing countries in “Viva Kadaffi!” Howard Bloom and Diane Starr Petryk! -Bloom reveal the frighteningly underrated military and economic power of China. Living in Peru, Peter Gorman has an ideal spot from which to report on the war the US is covertly waging in neighboring Colombia.

“The Accidental Operative,“ by two Village Voice reporters, is a groundbreaking look at the Taliban’s unofficial US ambassador, who happens to be the niece of a former CIA Director. Alex Burns deals with the complexity of the terrorist mindset in “A Canticle for Osama Bin Laden.” Naomi Klein (of No Logo fame) shows us why America was/is so woefully unprepared for a biowarfare attack. In “September 11, 2001: No Surprise,” Russ Kick offers a huge amount of evidence indicating that the upper levels of the US government knew what was coming.

Howard Zinn’s “The Ludlow Massacre” resurrects a mostly forgotten governmental slaughter of men, women, and children. In “Mushroom Clouds in Paradise,” Jack Niedenthal details the shameful treatment of the people of the Bikini Atoll. Former teacher John Taylor Gatto uses the writings of the men who created and implemented the US public school system to show that they purposefully designed the system to keep us dumb and docile.

Appendix A has short takes on 35 more secrets and lies, including the multimillionaire officials who run the US, corporate malfeasance, AIDS, Hollywood’s propaganda, exotic weapons, civilian deaths in Afghanistan, and income tax. Appendix B looks at 35 books dealing with Kissinger, innocent people in jail, antidepressants, guns, Islam, the swastika, and other juicy topics.

Customer Reviews

Everything You Know Is Subject to Debate
Richard Metzger claims, in his preface to this book, that concensus reality laid over and died in 1996. If that's true, why is this book necessary? Rather than support his claim, the book as a whole supports the exact opposite, reminding us that everything we think we know is subject to debate by someone.

This book is of uneven quality. Some of the articles offer information that really does challenge readers' expectations. Howard Zinn's history of the Ludlow Massacre is an excellent example, and should be shown to all Libertarians who think that Industry serves the common good. Editor Russ Kick offers ample documentary evidence that the Columbine school shooting was more complex than we realize, while Mike Males comes from another direction, suggesting that kids are a lot healthier and more law-abiding than we realize.

Other articles aren't so hot. Tristan Taormino's praise of polyamory uses vulgar terminology sure to keep anyone on the fence from changing their minds. Are we really likely to agree to multiple partners if our best argument is full of language to make sailors blush? Greg Palast and Oliver Shykles' condemnation of the International Monetary Fund, though probably correct, refuses to cite sources and has a flip tone that won't sway any key undecided minds. Thomas Szasz, in claiming that mental illness is a fiction, simply states his opinion that psychoses don't exist, and then behaves as though his assertion is as good as proof.

This is not a scholarly book. It is written with a distinct popular tone, though no clear political position. Some articles are liberal, some conservative; some pro-industry, some anti-neoclassical economics; some pro-religion, some openly athiest. David T. Hardy claims that law enforcement was too proactive and caused the disaster at Waco, but Philip W. Cook claims law enforcement doesn't do enough to protect men from domestic abuse.

In the end, this book, despite the declarative title, isn't trying to prove a point or change your mind. It's trying to remind you that your belief doesn't equal ultimate truth. It simply calls the opinions many of us share into question in a sheer attempt to keep us from marching lock-step into the slaughterhouse.

This is an excellent book if you're seeking to expand your thinking or if you want to hold your own in an argument. If you can't handle a challenge to what you believe, don't bother with this book. If you don't mind changing your opinions to suit the facts, this is the book for you.

Getting the other side of the story
Have you ever wondered if the media is telling you the complete story? Have you ever wondered if there is another side to the stories that is just plain not being told? Is it possible that everything you are being taught is not necessarily true but is instead just the position that the government, media or other group wants you to believe? If you have then you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Just a couple of examples from the book include the current situation with Mad Cow disease in America, the fact that violence involving young people is at it's lowest level in over 30 years (despite the impression you get from the news), how French authorities kidnapped a girl in California and took her to France. Other areas include nuclear safety, globalization, serial killers, the Vatican Bank, Olympic Games, the Columbine murders and many others.

While at times the book seems like a series of articles from a "conspiracy theory" group, it has the advantage of each article being contributed by an authority in that field. The authorities include everything from investigative journalists to researchers to commentators and academic authorities. Each article includes well-documented evidence to backup all claims.

If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to learn the alternative possibilities and explanations that are out there, most of which are at least as plausible and sometimes more so than the "official" or "accepted" version. A fascinating read that opens the mind, answers many questions and at times creates more questions than it answers. Fun and irreverent, sometimes politically left, sometimes politically right, it is a recommended read.

What They Can't Teach You in School
This book has 46 articles whose purpose is to educate you about some story that has been ignored, or is in error, by the Corporate Media. Its human nature to listen to gossip that pretends to give you secrets. Sometimes these facts can't be corroborated easily. So when you read these articles, consider that they may be one-sided. But you have to be one-sided to correct a widespread error. Anyone who's had years of experience with events in the news has figured out "you are being lied to".

The 'Introduction' mentions the censorship about various events. The contributors of these articles do not necessarily agree with each other. That is a sign of "objectivity", not printing to fit. The articles will challenge or educate you, they shouldn't bore you. You can decide which you like better. You are not likely to find them in your local newspaper or national magazines.

The first article "Burn the Olive Tree, Sell the Lexus" is a good overview on the disastrous policies of globalization. Arianna Huffington writes a good report on "Drug Companies". Is this why her column is no longer printed in NJ? Jonathan Levy's article will not be found in your local newspaper; stories like this are too hot to handle. Dominick Armentano's essay is an example of sophistry; don't believe him. It denies the history of the late 19th and early 20th century. Lucy Komisar explains how corporations and the rich avoid taxes by using secret offshore bank accounts. Taxes are for the middle-classes. Noreena Hertz tells how globalization has impoverished more people than before.

Mike Males' discusses the "Myths About Youth". They are not more violent, homicidal, criminal, suicidal, or smoking and drinking more. They are in general more responsibly behaved than their Baby Boom parents (p.115)! Special interest groups, like the Carnegie Corporation, are pushing an agenda to convince people that more repression is needed. Many of their claims are false and deliberately misleading, like "injury and violence have now replaced illness as the leading cause of death for adolescents". Many fewer teens die from the infectious diseases common before the mid 1950s! The truth is that poverty correlates to the problems of teens, but this fact is banned by the politics of those spreading fears. It would require changes that they don't want to discuss (p.118). "Toxic TV Syndrome" by Kalle Lasn explains why watching TV makes you sick: the more you watch, the more depressed you become (p.142).

David T. Hardy reports the truth about the Waco Incident, when the ATF raided a communal church (p.183). It debunks the story in the Corporate Media. William Blum presents the censored facts about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, "a mass of conflicting evidence" (p.190). Peter Gorman tells of the secret coup that overthrew the President of Peru, and how this relates to another secret war to seize control of the coca fields of Colombia. Are there hidden oil fields there?

Russ Kick explains why 9-11-2001 was not a surprise: there were many warnings that something was going to happen (pp.241-257). In Manila 1995 they found plans to hijack a commercial plan and crash it into CIA headquarters, the Pentagon, the White House, the Sears Tower, the Transamerica Tower, or the World Trade Center (p.246). Crashing a plane into a Tower was attempted in December 1994 (p.247). Were telephone calls being intercepted (p.249)? [But some of these stories sound like "urban legends" (p.253).] Was this attack as big a surprise as Pearl Harbor?

Howard Bloom's article on the Chinese Century is must reading! J. T. Gatto's hidden history of American education is very important for your understanding on how the system works. Before WW I "the Education Trust" was created to attack the middle-class of owner-operated businesses (p.274). Future generations were to be trained as economic serfs for the big corporations. Children would be deprived of the traditional education learned in farms and villages, and be told of what to think. Schools were like factories that took in raw materials and shaped them into finished products (p.275). The hidden policies created a rise in school violence and chaos due to the process of restricting the ability of teachers to control and discipline children. This created a market for drugs for kids. Big corporations would control schools and children, not the family and church (p.277). The literacy rate for soldiers in WW II, Korea, and Vietnam kept dropping; this measured the "dumbing down" in the education system (p.278). This was due to the "whole-word method" (p.279). Was the schooling of the masses aimed at destroying democracy (p.285)? Were today's high-cost, low-value schools created for big corporations (p.286)? What will be the effect of well-educated people who can't find work (p.287)? Can the perverse education philosophy of the last century be cured and corrected? Can we afford anything else? If illiteracy causes crime and violence, doesn't that make our schooling system responsible (p.279)?