-Caveat Lector- ---------- Forwarded message --- > > Dear readers, > > > > The book I would like to bring to your attention is DISCOVERING AMERICA > > AS IT IS by Valdas Anelauskas, a monumental study of the devastating > > effect American-style ultra-capitalism is having on the American people > > -- something that people in other countries, and Europeans in > > particular, need to know, as the American Way is going global. This book > > raises serious questions concerning America's role as a leading model > > for development, and even as to its future capacity to compete due to > > the deterioration of its "human capital" -- the American people -- > > resulting from its anti-social domestic policies. > > > > Valdas Anelauskas is a Lithuanian journalist and former anti-Soviet > > dissident who was expelled from the USSR for his human rights > > activities. He was received in the U.S. as a high profile political > > dissident, and initially even addressed American audiences alongside > > powerful right-wing American politicians like Newt Gingrich. While many > > anti-Soviet human rights activists turned to the United States to > > champion their cause, and many even emigrated to the USA, few have > > publicly exposed their view of human rights as practiced in the United > > States. That fact, in itself, would make DISCOVERING AMERICA AS IT IS an > > important book, coming as it does from someone of this background. > > > > Ten years of observation of American reality has led Anelauskas to > > conclude that the U.S. extreme capitalist system represents an even > > greater threat than Soviet mock-communism to the well-being of the > > world. He paints an extraordinary portrait of the America he discovered > > -- the true America, as it exists in actuality, for most Americans. His > > book explores with shock and indignation the lot of vast millions of > > ordinary people in the richest country in the world, which surely could > > treat its citizens at least as well as other industrialized nations do, > > but refuses to. Thirteen highly documented chapters -- on poverty, > > crime, health, education, homelessness, income inequities and the > > replacement of welfare by "workfare" (which appears to be reintroducing > > slavery to America) -- detail the public disarray which results from an > > unfettered system of great wealth where the rich determine the social > > priorities. This is hardly the America of the movies and the slick > > magazines which bedazzle the world with images of American prosperity. > > > > This blistering reality is not "one man's opinion," but rather has been > > scrupulously culled -- in nearly 600 pages with literally thousands of > > citations -- from the very latest researches by international > > organizations, domestic and international NGOs, independent U.S. think > > tanks and experts, and even from American government and business > > sources. While most critiques focus on one social sector or another, > > Anelauskas' multidimensional study brings them all together, and the > > impact is staggering. What this book enables us to grasp -- both > > intellectually and emotionally -- is the predatory and wasteful > > operation of unbridled capitalism as practiced in America, and the > > needless, preventable injury it is wreaking upon millions. > > > > Anelauskas' study makes detailed comparisons between the U.S. and the > > former Soviet Union, and also, even more tellingly, with the capitalist > > countries of Western Europe. What people need to consider is: Does > > capitalism have to weigh upon people so mercilessly -- or is the > > American version more extreme, more pitiless than that of other > > industrialized nations? Anelauskas found the U.S. shockingly deficient > > in the areas of economic and social human rights, and extensively > > documented the extent to which citizens of all other industrialized > > countries generally fare far better than, actually, most Americans. > > > > So... how long will the relative prosperity of the citizens of other > > industrial nations be able to continue, in face of the extension of the > > American model? Truly, should the countries of the world be rushing to > > follow the American example -- or rather, moving strenuously to protect > > their social structures from the future that America seeks to impose, as > > forewarned in Anelauskas' final chapter, "The New World Order Takes > > Shape." This culminating chapter provides a clearer understanding of > > the true source of America's "know-how" as it relates to accumulating > > wealth and to maintaining it. From the expropriation of Indian lands, > > and the exploitation of African slave labor, to a taste for empire which > > spread to the continental rim, then jumped across many waters in a > > hundred-year history of invasions all around the globe, culminating at > > last in the hegemonic military-economic grip on the world by what many > > in the world view as a Rogue Superpower -- from the loot of domestic > > colonialism to that of colonialism, then neocolonialism abroad -- this > > is America as it is. > > > > Perhaps the popular vision of America has been wrong for a very long > > time, as the book's Foreword by international legal specialist, Y.N. > > Kly, suggests? > > > > Famous American historian Howard Zinn (Professor Emeritus, Boston > > University and author of A People's History of the United States) wrote > > about this book as follows: "This is an extraordinary book, especially > > startling not because it is a diligently researched and scathing > > critique of contemporary America, but because it is written by a Soviet > > dissident who arrived here with great expectations and discovered a > > sobering reality. The scope of the book is breathtaking, a sweeping > > survey, factually precise and philosophically provocative, which > > deserves to be compared to de Tocqueville's 19th century classic. I > > hope it will be widely read." > > > > According to David Gil, Director of the Center for Policy Change at > > Brandeis University, Anelauskas' book is "a veritable tour de force... a > > rich source for understanding the forces which shape the quality of all > > our lives." > > > > Well-known American Indian author and activist, Ward Churchill, writes: > > "If just one-in-ten lifelong Americans had ever bothered themselves to > > learn as much about their country as has this recent Lithuanian > > immigrant, the horrors he writes about would never have existed. This > > is must reading for the entire population." > > > > This is why I took liberty of bothering you with this information. If > > you would like to find out more about DISCOVERING AMERICA AS IT IS, you > > can visit the website of the publisher, Clarity Press, Inc., at: > > > > http://www.bookmasters.com/clarity/ > > http://www.efn.org/~rolanda/discovering/america.html > > > > Thank you for your attention. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > ROLANDA PETKUTE > > Independent Activist > > > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ > > Share what you know. Learn what you don't. > > -- > ********************************************************* > Penney Kome, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > author & journalist. Latest book: > Wounded Workers: The Politics of Musculoskeletal Injuries DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! 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