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>From http://freedom.orlingrabbe.com/lfetimes/police_state_review.htm
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The Rise of the American Police State
by Sunni Maravillosa
The State Vs. the People, by Claire Wolfe and Aaron Zelman. Trade paperback, 517
pages (including appendices). ISBN 096423047, published by Mazel Freedom Press,
$19.95, postage included.
Don't bother with this review�go read this book! Yes, that gives away my feelings on
The State Vs. the People, but it isn't often that I think as highly of a book as I do
this
one. Written by Claire Wolfe and Aaron Zelman, TSVTP documents the rise of the
American police state in very clear, detailed fashion, moving swiftly through eleven
chapters (and six appendices).
Wolfe and Zelman begin with a specific definition of "police state", then apply it to
the
current situation in the United States. Each chapter focuses on one aspect of
potential state tyranny, including obedience, thought control, the justice system, and
gun control. Comparisons to known police states�mostly Nazi Germany and the
Soviet Union�are plentiful, and impeccably documented. Each chapter closes with a
concise list summarizing the most important points from the chapter, usually
organized around two or three themes. As an example, the chapter "Thought
Control: Lies and Language" closes with two statements summarizing why and how
the state engages in thought control, then expands on them under the subheadings
of "Lies", "Manipulation of Language", and "Consequences". If one were really
pressed for time, one could simply read these information- dense distillations.
However, to do so would be akin to taking a bite of chocolate and getting an intense,
brief hit rather than savoring its full, rich flavor in a delicious cake. TSVTP is well
worth a careful, thorough reading.
Lest you get the wrong idea, the contents of the book are disturbing for anyone who
cherishes freedom. TSVTP meticulously documents the existing and encroaching
tyranny we must try to deal with to live. It's depressing to think about, yet the book
itself is not depressing to read. Despite the numerous footnotes (most of which are
worth reading) and citations, TSVTP is not an academic tome. Nor is it a libertarian
screed or rant. To be sure, it is uncompromisingly, passionately pro-freedom, but in
such a way that all but the most rabid statist can read it and find value in it.
Chapter Two, "Learning to Obey", is an example of how well-researched TSVTP is.
Rather than relying on a typical psychology textbook summary of the Milgram
experiments on obedience to authority, the authors apparently read the original
research. They understand the studies he (and others) did on the topic, and
accurately summarize the conditions under which blind obedience is most likely. In
doing so, Wolfe and Zelman provide readers with a deeper understanding of the
concepts involved, as well as tools to help resist authority figures. This depth of
coverage permeates the book, yet does not weigh it down. The references also
make it easy for the interested individual or skeptic to learn more.
The book is not without flaws, however. Typos are usually minor annoyances, but in
a few cases make it difficult to understand a sentence. Footnote foibles (incomplete
footnotes, or notes marked on one page but appearing on another) are more
common, and appear to be due to typesetting challenges rather than author error. All
can be fairly easily corrected when the book comes out in a second printing, which it
well deserves.
A more substantial potential stumbling block for many libertarian readers is Wolfe's
and Zelman's contention that America is not yet a police state. Indeed, after reading
page after page documenting how American atrocities preceded Hitler's or exceeded
those used in the Soviet Union, one may wonder how they can advance such a
claim. According to their definition of "police state" (which is not so specific as to
be
ridiculously restrictive), we aren't there yet. But, as they readily grant, we seem to
be
heading there. Their focus is on the totality, and within that framework, Wolfe and
Zelman are correct.
In the chapter titled "Can We Be Free Again?" Wolfe and Zelman deftly peg daily life
for many Americans:
The result of this bastardization of Western traditions, this perverse mating of
Polizeistaat authoritarianism with the rhetoric of liberty, is so far neither freedom
nor
a total police state. It is a kind of dreary everyday drone in which we tell ourselves
we
certainly must be happy, as long as we have a well- paying job, nightly entertainment,
and food on the table. (p.443, italics present in original)
Perhaps to the dismay of some, they don't offer specifics on taking action. That's the
province of other books, however�for example, Wolfe's own 101 Things to Do 'Til
the Revolution and Think Free to Live Free. That said, however, there are ideas in
here, such as in the aforementioned discussion of obedience to authority. In "Can
We Be Free Again?", Wolfe and Zelman offer sound advice, such as:
Even where we can't directly turn aside the might of omnipresent government, we
can strike many blows against tyranny. The first thing we can do is to determine to be
our highest selves, regardless of what the powerful do around and to us. ... This is
not a mere character-building exercise. This is resistance to tyranny at the deepest
level.
Second to thinking like a free human being is conducting your life as a free human
being. ... For each individual this "living resistance" will mean something different.
(p.
455, emphasis in original)
I generally resist giving pro-freedom books to apolitical friends. Most libertarian
books are so far removed from the framework of a typical American ("sheeple") that
at best they will not be persuasive, and at worst, may actually reinforce the notion
that libertarians are "extremist wacko kooks". The State Vs. the People stands with
The Discovery of Freedom as a book that is wonderfully suited for sharing with the
general public, as well as libertarians.
Read this book. Talk about it and share it with others. In The State Vs. the People,
Claire Wolfe and Aaron Zelman have created a book that will resonate with any
American concerned with the state of the country. It's past time to energize all
available opposition to the encroaching tyranny.
Sunni is co-editor of Doing Freedom! 'zine, an online journal devoted to helping
people create more freedom in their lives.
-30-
from The Laissez Faire Electronic Times, Vol 1, No 9, April 15, 2002
Editor: Emile Zola Publisher: Digital Monetary Trust
End<{{{
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