Thank you, Ms. Klein, for your dedication and brilliant work. You have certainly connected all the dots in your latest book, The Shock Doctrine. I just finished reading it and I must concur with one review that I've read -- it's probably the most important piece of work that's come along in the last 40 years. It's an incredible expose' of Freidmanism, the neocon culture, and the havoc and carnage they have unleashed upon the world's people. It's a must-read for seekers of the truth.

Again, thank you for your perseverance, and for being a prophet during these dark and troubling times.

Bless you, and peace to you always...

Another McNamara Line like the Maginot Line (or Hadrian's Wall or the Great Wall of China) before it is a complete waste of time and money.
It's costing us the Chertoff our backs and what is this claim that the U.S. Government can not, indeed knows not how to, protect America? That is THE job of Government. Now that same Government is saying that only 'industry' can provide or even knows how to provide 'protection' of America.
Egad! This is EXACTLY like having 'industry' build and run the United States of Prisons as well as to wtite the 'laws' that keep that prison industry runing with sadistic profits.
Are we starting to feel like Palestineans yet? All this systamatic looting of our treasury is not to protect the people by the government but it is to protect the government from the people. Remember that when it comes to our Government we can always pay less but we cannot buy worse.

These people (we included) need jobs. There you have it, a reason for the cause.
Call it welfare, lie and call it something else, but this is terrorism. It was never about radical Islam, it is was about giving the lords of Northrup their Ransom for Democracy. It's not going to last, and they know it. It doesn't matter how tall their gleaming office buildings rise in Northern Virgina, these sons of bitches need to be reminded that they live in a world with other people. The Nazis tried to put an end to terror once and for all with gas, let's hope crushing poverty is as bad as it gets in our Police State.

If you think we have too many contractors and two much outsourcing now, consider this: Rudy Giuliani promises to reduce the size of the federal workforce by 10%. He notes that 20% are due to retire in the next 10 years (the older, more experienced ones, of course), and his simple plan is to replace only half of them (with lower-paid newbys, of course.)

The "difference" is to be made up by technology--like the "technology" in the virtual fence, we can presume.

We're told that too many government employees are "deadwood" types, then we're told that private enterprise can do anything better and cheaper (even with an extra new corporate hierarchy to feed in the midddle), then we watch them sign contracts to enrich political patrons and not have even a remote idea what they bought with your contract dollars. Blackwater? Virtual fence? How does that stuff really work? Who knows? Who cares? The multi-media SALES PRESENTATION was fantastic, and the boss (the brass) loved it.

It's time for a pendulum swing-back to the good old days of in-sourcing with government employees on government payroll with government benefits, under government control with a Democratic executive.

Show me private security, private surveillance, private computers doing government databases, private guards with guns, and I'll show you citizens who have reason to be both scared and very, very mad about what has been done to them by Republicans.

Dangerous privatization is not confined to border areas. Here in Cleveland, legislation was ramrodded through city council to replace 47 policemen at Cleveland Hopkins Airport with a private contractor to be named. The rationale was that the cops are needed right now on unsafe city streets and there was not time to hire and train a new class. So take them from the airport and let Blackwater, Wackenhut or whoever have full police powers out there.
It was a classic case of creating a crisis that the government can't meet so private profit makers can ride to the rescue.
Remember, Cleveland is the city that was used to get the Supreme Court to okay public tax support for religious schools because the public schools were overwhelmed.
Talk about the camel's nose.

Just for diversion go to Wikipedia and read about the WPA that was formed during the depression. the government hired just about anyone who needed work and these employees built public building, camps, and many other things beneficial for all people. It provided the desperately needed employment, provided work when there was none, provided on the job training for many. In short it was a pretty good deal. the difference between then and now is that the WPA was a positive idea and the outsourcing of the far fetched ideas of homeland security is entirely negative. A tremendous amount of taxpayers dollars are going to enrich huge corporations whereas the WPA benefitted the people not the corporations.

Privatize We the People. Incorporate to own equal non-transferable shares of stock in our public assets and treasury and accrue dividends from them. Make corporations deal with We the People Inc., not with Halliburton et al.

I used to enjoy a roleplaying game called Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. (yes,I am a geek). Stopped playing it because it was too depressing. Found it was getting to be too much like the real world. Now the real world is more extreme than a FICTIONAL setting.

One of the pieces of this fictional future was the seizure of the US government by corprorate forces, who in turn employed mercenary armies to do battle for diminishing resources. This fictional future America was known as the ISA - the Incorporated States of America.

I guess the writers of the game were more than a bit prescient...

And the problem with walls is that they have ends. How well did the Maginot line protect France from Nazi Germany?

The way I see it, this is how it works:

Appoint a political hack to a Director position in a government agency (pick any agency, it's happening in all of them). To gain support, state how private vs government competitions (A76) will provide the tax payers the most for their tax dollars. The private sector company to compete (probably the one the Director will be working for when the whole proccess is over) takes a loss and underbids during competition in order to win. The government agency disbands the section of the agency that lost the competition, sending knowlegeble government career employees home. Now the private sector can jack their prices sky high without fear of the government pulling their contracts since the agency no longer has the personnel to execute the task.

Three flags should go up when you look at the process and how privatizing is supposed to save costs:

1) Companies work for profits, government does not.
2) Companies can support particular political canditates thru contributions, government agencies can't.
3) If A76 competitions were about finding the best cost of governmenr vs private you would not only compete tasks being done by the government, but you would also compete tasks currently being done by the private sector to see if government employees can do it better and more cost effective. As things stands, A76 competitions only exist to move jobs from government to the private sector. A one-way street.

This process is quietly being done thruout the government. By the time the general public finds out, it will be too late. Government agencies can not lobby congress. Thats the main reason they don't stand a chance against the private sector.

Government run for the benfit of business = Fascism.

Bush is deeply in debt paying off these no-bid contracts and, whether the Dems investigate this corporate thievery or not -- when our economy crashes (in progress) the Asians will stop lending us money and Blackwater, et al, will move elsewhere -- where the money is. The future irony may be staggering as Erik Prince's 'all-American' mercenaries are hired by some foreign government to gun down Americans in the Pacific Rim, perhaps even working for North Korea, and I have no doubt they'd take the money and fulfill that contract with a smile.

Ever since I started learning about the "Shock Doctrine" the Bush cabal started making sense. It was like an "aha moment". I congratulate Naomi Klein for doing such an excellent job of connecting the dots and articulating so clearly what these guys are really up to. I believe this explains why there weren't enough troops sent to Iraq from the very beginning. They planned all along to turn security over to the private sector, i.e., Black Water. The Iraq War is only a sideline and a means to an end in implementing their radical economic plan. That's why they've appeared so incompetent and nonchalant. They really don't care. It explains why they haven't done anything that seems particularly rationale in terms of securing the peace or nation building. If allowed to continue, this will have tragic consequences for this country.

Naomi Klein, who is one of my favorite writers, is really on point with this subject. Corporate power is like a boa constrictor around the throat of democratically governed societies. They cannot be handed responsibilities and powers that the government (and therefore the people) must retain for their own protection.
Jobs involving security, elections, the judiciary, essential services like health and primary education, major infrastructure, mass transit, and natural resources must be thoroughly regulated at the very least, or perhaps owned by the people outright. We have to protect our common wealth, not sell it off to the highest bidder, or we forfeit our political power to the corporations. Unfortunately, too much of this process has already happened, and we may never see a restoration of the people's power in our lifetimes, nor will our children see it in theirs. Happy shopping, everybody!

Redjeff: If the attack on Iran goes forward, I bet we will see a shift back to VERY local government within a very short time frame...

Thank you Naomi for checking in. The Boys are doing a great job. All those dissidents for economic and social justice, for all those years, bleeding, dying, falsely imprisoned utterly failed to make this a Just society and got burned for their efforts. And now the monsters are going to destroy this brutal slave empire all by themselves. They lacked the gene for self-restraint. They wanted only one thing: Everything, Forever. They are already dead. Said it before, will probably say it again, Grover Norquist gets his wish, government you could drown in a bathtub. But like my first marriage, it ain't gonna work out quite the way he hopes.

We're just waiting for the corpse to fall down. Soon. The carcass will feed many for a long time. Some will call that Justice for Genocide.

Luv ya always Naomi - Best of Class.

Peace.

The difference between a real army and a mercenary army, is that a real army should wants the hostilities to cease so that they can stand down and go home while a mercenary army is only making money because the hostilities continue.

So in a case where the odd sectarian bombing or civilian contractors' killing can insure not only the continuation but escalation of conflict and therefore the multi-million dollar contracts that they incur, especially in a lawless environment where meaningful forensic investigation is impossible, it is easy to see how private mercenaries can easily load the dice in their own favour.

If a mercenary company making millions dollars a month and it costs 3,000 or so to pay a couple of local Iraqi fighters to blow up a mosque, it is difficult to depend on the ethical or moral attitude of the contractors, if such untraceable expenditure could help extends the conflict.

That's why some forms of privatization are self defeating and are endless money making opportunities for the right minded people.

If instead of a war on terror, you got the Home Land Security to issue hundreds of contracts to track down and trace little green men, I wonder what the statistical increase in alien sightings would be? If your promotion in the private sector or the public one for that matter depends on finding terrorists I bet the world would suddenly be crawling with them, and that is for sure! Hell, even if there were none, you'd just have to make them up would you not? That poor boy, Padilla!

What a pathetic mess, greed and corruption has led to, and all through ignorance and apathy of citizens. And now you are becoming slaves of the new system, the industry of fear, and mind you, if you criticize too loud, sure it's a free country, but they don't even need to tell you why they put you on "the list"…..

Wake up and get a grip people. Take your country back from the corporatocracy and their paid political lackeys.

My friends have worked with other non-DOD federal departments and I can tell you that most departments and agencies are equally corrupt. Most federal employees acknowledge that this started since RAYGUN came into office in 1981 but has SEVERELY escalated since 2001. Everytime there would be a budget cut in one department, everyone would know that another load of money in the budget was siphoned to DOD or agencies like CIA, FBI, etc ...

I second spicegal's sentiments. To read "The Shock Doctrine" is like receiving your very own set of glasses to see the world of Bushco with a clarity and focus that is both alarming and reassuring.

It is alarming what this bunch has gone about doing to the commons that belong to us all and are the core of our wealth, strength, and power as a people. It is reassuring because Naomi blows away all the smoke and smashes all the mirrors that keep those of us being impoverished and robbed from understanding what has been done, is being done, and is on the drawing board to be done to our lives.

With such knowledge we can see through all the deceitful frames of Frank Luntz and those of his ilk.

Anyone out there interested in putting their full energy into creating a separate reality where people acknowledge their inter-connectedness and interdependence with alllife on the planet? Hell! How about all of creation? This reality controlled by such dark and sinister forces is just too damned depressing and I for one am seriously considering totally unplugging from it. What we resisit persists. I don't watch TV and even public radio depresses me. I know the Truth already and unfortunately it feels it is under seige and not enough seem ready to defend it. What else to do but withdraw one's attention and proceed to build a different world, even if it is just a few people at a time?

Right again, Daniel David.

What a great theme for a political party, "we're not deadwood like everyone else".

They're not building a wall; they're tearing down a country.

starofthesea,

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined."
Henry David Thoreau

"And remember Hurricane Katrina, when contractors — including Blackwater — descended on New Orleans?"

Actually, Jeremy Scahill reports that Blackwater invaded New Orleans on ErikrazyGodwarrior Prince's order only; Chertoff then retroactively awarded them a "peace and stability" contract, in spite of the fact that they had already illegally deployed heavily armed mercenaries trained to kill, not enforce laws and assist rescue and recovery, onto American streets, and were not under the command of anyone - not State, not the locals, and certainly not moron crony Chertoff.

On a larger note, isn't it great how patriotic Americans invest so much time and energy into scaring each other for profits?

Universities all across the US ought to be teaching their students how to operate that government ATM instead of wasting time on non essential stuff like humanities and arts.

Privatize everything, including the enterprise of Philosophy, in the name of Randian Capitalism.

A mad goal, you say? Yes, but it is being achieved.

The bible for Capitalism-as-religion is Ayn Rand's tome, "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal."

If you read this book (and other Rand writings) with the understanding that the Objectivist philosophy advocated therein has become the underlying belief system of scores of powerful, lavishly-funded right wing think tanks, billionaire neo-robber barons, and the present Republican Party, you'll have a better idea of what normal people are up against: A kind of maddness predicated not on Reason, but on Revealed Truth Dicta cloaked as Reason - no different than literalist Christian Fundamentalism.

Rand was no philospher, as evidenced most crucially by her systematic dismissal of the philosopher's sine qua non: ongoing self-questioning. But she was a highly gifted polemicist whose melodramatically portrayed idealizations of truth remain able to convince others of the absolute certainty of her ex-cathedra principles; principles, in Rand's case borne out of personal hysteria at becoming an 'almost-victim' of the 1917 Russian Revolution.

It's no big surprise to me that, in America, Rand's Objectivism and Christian Fundamentalism fit into each other and work together, politically, like Hand-in-Glove. Both ways of knowing are trauma-rooted, authoritarian worldviews which, lacking any system provision for ongoing re-examination of premises, inevitably reproduce the same organizational ego-driven governance disasters their footstampings ardently promise you will be avoided-- if only you will throw down your common sense and Just Believe!

What is surprising is that, much like metaphysical Christianity, more than a few otherwise intelligent people have adopted Objectvist Doctrine as their personal and political philosophy, and that such adherents have managed to capture not only the functional control of America's government, but also much of the normative high ground of our society's academic and civil institutions.

Objectivists pretend to use Aristotlean principles to 'extend and complete' the modern western Enlightenment, declaring their provably unprovable certainties to be the unquestionable blueprint for the next great leap forward in human comprehension and virtuous organization.

I say 'pretends to,' because in fact most of Objectivism's premises (e.g. "...the Rational individual's judgments are, by definition, socially supreme...") turn Enlightenment epistemology (which disallows any argument from personal authority and requires collective, reproducible proofs for both social and scientific claims) upside down.

The aim of Enlightenment thinkers wasn't to reveal absolute Truth (a personal ego goal which they understood to be a kind of mental illness), but to provide the most self-correcting method by which humans might investigate, adduce, and declare further truth-as--process. Beyond this aim, there were no capital 'T' truths to be adduced for Enlightment thinkers.

Science (previously, mostly Alchemy) finally flourished out of the Enlightenment's epistemological honesty, as did political theory and applied structure - the US Constitution being a prime example of the latter: Neither claiming perfection, but both grounded and adjustable via principles of self-challenging, reproduceable proofs.

That civilization-fostering Enlightenment principles are now being overthrown in the west by the solipcisms of Aristotle-cum-Rand-&-ilk (to say nothing of doctrinal Christianity's collusion), is only possible because enough people fail to appreciate that for most of human history the politically organizing principle was: Truth via unquestiontionable authority.

Perhaps the most telling maddness in Objectivist philosophy's premises is seen in its adherents' inability to come to grips with global environmental crises: Doctrinal Objectivists are not allowed to acknowledge that all actions in Nature are interconnected by a reality which transcends human ego fancy. In this regard, Objectivists are identical to doctrinal Christian who alternately, but equally-madly, believe that their god intends humans to bring themselves to ruin, so that His wisdom may [again] manifest Itself in their rescue.

Unless Objectivism's bogus philosophy can be met and surpassed, on the both formal-analysis and commonse sense planes, its religion-like certainties - absurd they may be notwithstanding - will become just one more bogusly-normative high ground, driving humanity into yet another deep and protracted Dark Age, assuming humanity can now survive at all.

Jake Jaspers : Great comment,
"people fail to appreciate that for most of human history the politically organizing principle was: Truth via unquestiontionable authority."

---Which truth? You'll have to tell me. How can I figure it out?

That's why its someone else's fault all these problems and its up to them to fix it, right? And they know it, so that's what they are doing with all that data on bad people in their super-computers. They can profile them and sort the good ones from the bad ones. They know the truth. Then if they lock the bad ones up, or kill them or bomb them, or keep them "out" I'll be safe, because I'm a good one. I voted for them.

So, they always look after me, just like my Mom and Dad did when I was a kid. Sure they too gave me a hard time some times too, but I don't really have to think about all this, because there's nothing I can do about it any way, its all much bigger than me. Its up to them. What I do doesn't effect anything anyway, does it?----

Dark ages, Ya, here we come. I guess we will just have to let the karma do the walking, and the reality will swing around sooner or later. Someone will survive. But, the fact that I can read your comment gives me hope for today. Thanks

I will second Jake Jasper's comment -- well said and succinctly summarized. Ayn Rand was the "Great Prophet" in the house I grew up in. Unfortunately, the Real World didn't match up with her vision. I was doomed to always fall short of being John Galt who, one would now assume in Neo-Con theology, is Dick Cheney or one of his pals. That's pretty damn scary -- that these yahoos have the reigns of power.

Ayn Rand was on Phil Donohue back in the '80s. One person asked her, and I paraphrase, "I used to be a follower of yours, but then I went to college and learned that the world was more complex than presented in your writings. Now what I see in Objectivist philosophy is a kind of blueprint for fascism," or words to that effect. Rand wouldn't respond to the point because she said she'd been insulted. Interestingly, Ayn Rand's sister came to visit from the Soviet Union and concluded that the West was not for her.

Fascism isn't where we're going, it's where we are. We still have a shredded Bill of Rights to wave in the wind, as well as some measure of cultural plurality. But totalitarian thinking is not hard to find in the halls of power. How long before such fora as these are illegal?

We need to rally around defense of the planet, social, cultural, and bio-diversity, and the Bill of Rights. Differences among those of us on the Left are increasingly irrelevant. Forced labor, perpetual debt, totalitarianism is where where headed (where we are?) if we don't stop it. As Jose Delores said in the movie "Burn!" - "Freedom is not something another man can give you. Freedom is something you alone must take."

Courageous people cross that border every day intent on helping their families and their villages; don't wall them out, elect them to Congress, put them in charge of 'homeland security'.

Another interesting example of outsourcing of government activities in recent years is the "public relations" or some might say "propaganda" activities of companies contracted to produce persuasion communications.

Although government officials and employees themselves often create their own deceptive persuasion information, contracting this out to companies like The Lincoln Group and others seems part of the overall picture that Naomi Klein describes.

More thoughts on this in the article ...

"Mind wars: Americans, global community are targets of deception on Iraq, threats to peace"

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=14097

"Outsourcing" is not as simplistic as saying if you get a private company to do it, it is corrupt and costs more. Circa 1960's: All new highways were built by private construction companies who submitted bids to the government Corps of Engineers. The lowest bidder got the job and had to follow the plans in strict compliance, submitting to inspections continually. It was illegal to give the inspectors even a trifle in thanks. No bribes allowed. These companies had to be efficient, quick, and accurate or they would perish. Profit margins were around 5% because of the fierce competition for contracts. This was the face of "outsourcing".

Contrast that to working for the government highway department at the time, say in Kansas. An office full of guys sitting on their butts, taking in their government checks and doing as little as possible. That was the face of "government doing the job itself".

Having privately owned companies doing work for the government is not a boogeyman when done correctly. It has worked for decades and is responsible for much of this country's infrastructure. Privatizing done in a corrupt manner as a way of rewarding friends and political contributors is what is wrong.

Kalia writes: "Universities all across the US ought to be teaching their students how to operate that government ATM instead of wasting time on non essential stuff like humanities and arts."

I'm too busy teaching *The Shock Doctrine* this term.

mairs - no argument with much of what you say. As a fiscal conserative, I don't want a huge, lumbering, costly bureaucracy wasting taxpayer money. Human scale, accountable capitalism is fine with me.

But that's not what we have in the US - nowhere near it. Most Rand followers I talk to applaud the present 'state capitalist' system; see nothing wrong with its political/organizational premises; still believe that state-chartered for-profit corps should enjoy the constitutional rights of personhood and the ability to funnel millions into election campaigns -shredding thereby the principle of one person, one vote, etc. (No large corp or interest group, Left or Right, or Otherwise, should be able, in election campaigns, to corrupt one-person, one-vote principles)

All of this ultra-privatization, though, is simply a prescription for Plutocracy/tyrannny, fostered by mega-thieves and insider, power mad oligarchs. You must separate your valid, common sense concerns about legitimate government subbing-out of open-market contacts to certain areas of capital constraction/maintenance, from the reality of what is happening now, at the larger scale.

Four years ago, I wrote that BushCo. was "deconstructing the country from the Constitution down"... I still believe that is accurate.

Please Allow a President His Legacy

I just don't know what all the fuss is about.

President George Bush needs a legacy, and he has found it. He has ended government as he knew it, in his own time.

I know some women are dissappointed, but, really only the government types.

It may just be that women are favorably blessed, or constitutionally incapable, as a general rule of thumb, from becoming killers-for-hire, or heads of American governments, as they have a more natural inclination for survival, and home-service, knowing how important they are to the well-being of their children.

It has also been noted, and perhaps this is solely the outcome of rigorous religious training early in the childs developement, that for some a pre-disposition, or a desire, for lambs-hair over corn-salad, or even dead-bolts, is present.

Women are, perhaps, less aggressive, confrontational, prone to gambling, or intent on becoming priests, monks, or nuclear submarine commanders.

So it may indeed be that over 50% of Americans don't really care much about goverance or government.

We do call our nannies Eloise, Lucendra, Francine, Shan-Lee, Shawnee-Joy or Sheba-Mae, rather than Governess, Shark Sucker or Liquid Natural Gas.

This may be another indication of the ability, if not preference, for comfortable inter-action between consenting adults, and/or a genuine gestalt of harmonous relationships, bonded on cooperation, and a peaceful understanding of the quid pro quid of the human experiment, while carrying in the third trimester, without undue hardship, or gun-play.

And it just may be we don't like governments, well, because they don't seem to work for anyone, although they do seem to work adequately well for some, specialized minorities, in the corporate or other religious spheres..

Enough to say it can be demonstrated, quite clearly, that endless maintenance fees doom give-away programs for citizens-at-large, for in the beginning, there is always the need for a huge influx of private capital tax funding for start-up costs, and then, after some indeterminate period the new enity begins to, ever so slowly, show some small, progressive tendency, they fall away from market realities, and tumble into the dust bin of overly centralised servicing-centers.

These 'programs' are never either cost-effective, or necessary, for societies cohesive, basic, bodily-functions. .

These functions have long been established to be: supply of the basic human resource, the recycling of same at the termination of the use cycle, and the levying and collection of all necessary fees-of-obligation crucial for continuation and comprehensive 'cloning' of the busines cycle.

All of this has been clearly demonstrated, time-after-time, in the brillant Charloton Hessian, Edgar B. Robutsun classic 1996 film, Soil-Rent Fiend.

This is often mistakenly descibed as a 'bloom and burst' cycle. With the long discredited 'Certainist' view proclaiming, ad absurdum, that such a concept reeks of 'birth, death, and taxes'.

The argument that clearly clears-the-field of all useless and counter productive fear, that bemoans and hamstrings even the slightest degree of absolute scientific uncertainy, is as simple as it is elegant in-the-extreme.

Namely the spontaneous and completly lucid personal transfiguration, caused by nothing less than a total epiblast to the central region of the cerbellum, experienced by President Bush while standing firmly in the rarified vorlage poition, assumed while servicing his weed-wacker on a very hot day, in Crawford, Texas, in 1973.

President Harrry S, Truman was noted for his quaint "The Buck Stops Here."

President George W. Bush is now and forever to be known as the man who cut the middleman, the tax-sucker, and the bureaucrat-boo-weevile, down-to-size, and left them kneeling, on the bloody stumps of their knees. What-a-guy.

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