The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century

Book Description

James Howard Kunstler's The Long Emergency was an underground hit, going into nine printings of the hardcover edition. His shocking vision for our post-oil future caught the attention of environmentalists and business leaders and was the subject of much debate, stimulating discussion about our dependence on fossil fuels. Now in paperback, with a new afterword, The Long Emergency is set to reach an even larger audience.

The last two hundred years have seen the greatest explosion of progress and wealth in the history of mankind, much of it based on the exploitation of cheap, nonrenewable fossil-fuel energy. But the oil age is at an end. Life as we know it is about to change radically, and much sooner than we think. The Long Emergency tells us just what to expect after we pass the point of global peak oil production and the honeymoon of affordable energy is over, preparing us for economic, political, and social changes of an unimaginable scale. Riveting and authoritative, The Long Emergency is a devastating indictment that brings new urgency and accessibility to the critical issues that will shape our future, and that we can no longer afford to ignore.

Customer Reviews:

A very important book..........2007-10-03

There are many reviews here and on the web so I will add only a small amount to the praise. "The Long Emergency" is a very important book since it grapples with the issue of how (and even examines if) western culture can proceed now that we have passed peak oil. I use the past tense since all indicators point to the fact that we passed peak oil at the end of 2005 - so there is a real state of global denial over planning and implementing changes to deal with this problem.

Kunstler guides the reader through the issue - our global reliance on cheap oil - and the ramifications of the fact that this stage of our development is now over. He deftly examines the geopolitical history of the production of oil and the impacts that this history will have shaping the future. He makes his case on the enormous issues that arise because everything is based upon the premise that oil is a cheap and infinite resource. That is, technology (and he nicely separates the concept progress from growth/technology) is dependent on cheap oil so there is no quick fix.

His real aim is to examine the possible outcomes of our lack of response, on any but a very small individual level, to the problems that now face us. This is why the book is so scary - no government action is occurring besides preparations for resource wars and keeping the soon-to-be-irate population under control (hundreds of millions are being spent on incarceration facilities!). Not a good prognosis for the future and a very pathetic legacy for future generations.

It is nicely summed up:

"Some other things about the global energy predicament are poorly understood by the public and even our leaders. This is going to be a permanent energy crisis, and these energy problems will synergize with the disruptions of climate change, epidemic disease and population overshoot to produce higher orders of trouble.

We will have to accommodate ourselves to fundamentally changed conditions."

We are shortly going to look back and wonder why we didn't act when there was still time...You should read this book so at least you know the facts for later years when you and your children are living like we did hundreds of years ago...

Must read, must share..........2007-09-21

This book provides a glimpse into our not-very-distant post-oil world. Realistic, without becoming negative. Fact-based and logical in every respect. The writing is never dull. Since buying this book, I've shared it with five friends. I also enjoyed Mr. Kunstler's book "Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape".

Mr. Kunstler was also very giving of his time in answering some questions I emailed to him after reading this book.

The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler.......2007-09-19

The Long Emergency is an eye-catching book with hits bright alarm-yellow cover and black and red title. It's a book about the future of the world, what's going to happen when we run out of oil, and what to do when this "Long Emergency" begins. The first part of the book goes into depth about when oil was discovered, how it was first used, when and how it was converted into the many products that use oil today. The reader learns what are the events that led up to the discovery of oil in the Middle East and the reason it is in its horrible state today.

After this enlightening history lesson, Kunstler goes on to explain that there is a specific oil production peak that will be reached, when half of the available oil would've been used up, and the other half -- which is harder to get -- will drive up gas and oil prices. According to a number of sources in the footnotes, this peak will be reached some time between the year 2000 and 2008. Kunstler says that they way we will be able to tell is through the oscillation of oil prices rising greatly, then dropping a little, then raising more, but only going down a little each time. Over the past year, this is exactly what has happened, and I'm pretty sure we're never going to see gas go below $2 again.

Kunstler goes on to point out that the supposed alternative forms of energy we're working on will be nowhere near to replacing the oil industry once we dispense with it. This is mainly due to the recent Republican Presidents, starting with Reagan who stopped most funding to alternative energy means and essentially killed the drive for it. Along with Bush Senior and our current idiot, they are all part of a white male arrogant group that believe we will never run out of oil, and it is merely a case of finding it in the earth, albeit by digging deeper and further (re: Alaska!); couple with this is these men's beliefs that the Rapture will arrive tomorrow and they'll be ascending to Heaven, leaving all their problems behind them. Though Clinton is also to blame for looking towards the future and working on prepare the civilized world for the inevitable.

Kunstler predicts all out pandemonium and chaos, worst felt in the United States, of course, where suburbia is in full force. When all the material goods and services we've taken for granted for so long collapse, and our society crashes around us, the Long Emergency will being. This is what Kunstler says. Though he provides little advice and assurance in how one can survive this event. Plus there's the fact that this nonfiction work doesn't have an index or bibliography at the end. I know all nonfiction works don't need this, but when it's a book predicting everything going to hell in my lifetime, I would at least like a list for further readings, or maybe some websites.

It will at least be interesting the see in the coming decades what will begin happening, and I know for now what I most want to get is a hybrid, because gas prices aren't going down ever again.

For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com

Enjoyable read, for the most part........2007-09-11

I enjoyed reading most of this book, except for the rant against Wall Mart, that section seemed unrelated to the rest of the books arguments and subject matter, and a bit lefty to boot whilst most of the rest of the book seemed fairly politically agnostic.

It has been over a year since I read it, so there may have been other bits that bothered me, but I can't recall them.

On target.......2007-08-27

Kunstler does an excellent job of pulling together information on many subjects to provide a coherent forecast of the near future. He then uses his imagination to extrapolate further. An awesome and well written book.

American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury

Average customer rating:

Well researched and balanced
Sharp, Not Balanced, But An Important Read
One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read
Superb account of the state of the USA
Too Many Plums for the Bag

American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21stCentury
Kevin Phillips
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0143038281

Book Description

An explosive examination of the coalition of forces that threatens the nation, from the bestselling author of American Dynasty

In his two most recent bestselling books, American Dynasty and Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips established himself as a powerful critic of the political and economic forces that rule—and imperil—the United States, tracing the ever more alarming path of the emerging Republican majority's rise to power. Now Phillips takes an uncompromising view of the current age of global overreach, fundamentalist religion, diminishing resources, and ballooning debt under the GOP majority. With an eye to the past and a searing vision of the future, Phillips confirms what too many Americans are still unwilling to admit about the depth of our misgovernment.

Customer Reviews:

Well researched and balanced.......2007-09-16

There is (I think) a growing group of people who call themselves Republicans but are increasingly disgusted with the people who lead the Republican party, and the direction that they take both the party and the nation. I am one of those who has been increasingly disaffected for years, and Kevin Phillips appears to be as well based on his recent writing. I am a long-time fan of Mr. Phillips, as someone who has the courage to see something that he has in the past and still wants to identify with unravel and decline in front of him, and give voice to the frustration, as well as the fear for where this alarming trend might take us.

The book takes the reader through a well-detailed account of how we have reached this point, and where this likely leads. The "here" that Mr. Phillips outlines is a country where the dominant political party in the country has entered into a "great alliance" with the dominant religious organizations in the country in order to maintain joint dominance. The religious organizations benefit by continuing to assure that their agenda's are met by the politicians, while the political party benefits by keeping the eye of the governed off of the rape and pillage that is going on within the political apparatus. The focus weaves this involvement of the extreme right-wing fundamentalist clerics through all aspects of government, focusing in particular on the debt that has resulted and the foreign oil dependence that continues to drive most decisions, plunging the nation further into debt, resulting in increasing profits from those few who "own" that industry.

The historical aspects of the book were excellent, helping the reader to understand how we got where we are, as well as making it clear where history would advise that all nations end up when they get on the path that we have put ourselves on. It is not a comforting picture. I have given the book 4 stars because while the message and content are excellent and timely, I do think that the writing became just a little disjointed and rambled down some alleys at times. I would still highly recommend this book.

Sharp, Not Balanced, But An Important Read .......2007-09-15

Former Republican strategist, Kevin Phillips, believes he knows what is wrong with our nation. Chances are, by very virtue of your reading a book review on a Christian e-zine, you contribute to the erosion of our national health. American Theocracy: The Politics and Peril of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century is at times scathing and at times coolly analytical in its survey of dangers Phillips sees threatening our superpower status.

Part I examines the effects of America's dependency on oil. Our industry, automobiles, and military have an insatiable appetite for oil. Phillips argues that this energy dependency gives Big Oil too much sway over our domestic and foreign policies. At home we lax our environmental laws to accommodate oil drilling. And abroad we resort to international thuggery to secure control of Iraq's mostly untapped oil fields. "The war on terror?", "Importing democracy to the Middle East?" Phillips sees these as slogans to sell an imperialistic war.

In Part II: "Too Many Preachers", Phillips takes aim at Christian Fundamentalism, a movement the he sees embodied by the Southern Baptist Convention, Pentecostals, and the charismatic movements. Phillips chronicles these denominations rise to prominence and how they shape national politics. The culture wars are provoked by radical Christians attempting to establish a theocracy--a Christian America governed by God's rules. "Disenlightenment" is Phillip's descriptor for the effect that these empowered believers have on our country: They value faith over science and a literal Armageddon over peace.

Phillips closes his diatribe with Part III on our national and individual debt. Again, Phillips provides a valuable historic context at how debt played a role in the decline of England, Spain, and the Netherlands as superpowers. Phillips offers an undeniable outline of the depths of our national debt as well as personal credit lodes. He argues that our increasing debt and decreasing hard industry has created a thin ice that will eventual give in under our largesse.

American Theocracy finds its value when Phillips is able to sustain his analytical voice, and he's able to do so for extended periods of time. His historical perspective on our oil dependency, the changing face of American religion, and our national debt demand your attention. I'll confess, as an evangelical with political tendencies a few notches right of centrist, this was uncomfortable stuff to read. Even so, Phillips places important issues on the table.

However when Phillips slips into his polemic voice the book becomes tedious. Phillips has open contempt for people superstitious enough to buy into the Biblical creation account, Noah Arc, or a literal interpretation of Revelation, such as the one popularized by the Left Behind franchise. Phillips also makes too many gaps in his evidence with clauses like, "Although the evidence is weak." He's on a mission to connect the dots and is willing to supply any missing points along the way.

Make no mistake; Kevin Phillips wields too much anger and bias to be objective. But are there any takeaways for the evangelical and fundamentalist Christian communities?

I think so. American Theocracy provokes us to ask several poignant questions:

-- Have we developed what Phillip's calls "American Exceptionalism"; a belief that America has an exclusive blessing from God? How does this belief influence our foreign policy?

-- Does our theology concerning the end times make us overly tolerant of military interventions in the Middle East? ("The faster we get to Armageddon the faster we get to heaven.")

-- Should the political arena our primary method of advancing God's kingdom on Earth? Does Jesus truly expect that we establish an "American Theocracy?"

I won't pretend to offer the final word on these questions. Instead, I just note that in spite of all the book's weaknesses, American Theocracy provides the agenda for an important conversation that's long overdue

One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read.......2007-08-19

I read this book 3 times and have encouraged others to read it. I rarely read any book more than once but this one was so thought provoking. Some reviews stress the chapters about religion but the book is so much more than that. Religion has NOTHING to do with the debt which is dragging this country down which is a chapter all its own. There is also a chapter on consumer debt which is dragging us as individuals and families down. Anyone who is worried about the financial state of this country should read this book.

Superb account of the state of the USA.......2007-08-06

This outstanding book is the best study of the current state of the USA. Kevin Phillips, the vastly experienced American political and economic commentator, depicts the USA's economic and religious interest-groups and their effects on the Republican coalition. For this paperback edition, he has written a brilliant 40-page introduction updating his 2006 analysis.

He shows how deindustrialisation is destroying the US economy. The debt-driven finance, insurance and real estate sector accounts for 21% of US GDP, manufacturing for only 13%. 44% of all US corporate profits come from the finance sector, 10% from manufacturing. Household incomes have not risen since 2000. Wages are 62% of national income, compared to an average 73% in the late 1960s.

He describes what he calls the `oil-national security complex' and its `100 years' oil war'. The USA, with 200 million of the world's 520 million automobiles, defeats conservation and energy efficiency. The USA consumes a quarter of the world's energy, but has only 5% of its reserves. Since 1998, the USA has been importing more than half the petrol it uses. A barrel of oil cost $3 in 1970, $10 in 1986, $30 in 2002, $75 in 2007. Non-OPEC oil will peak in 2010.

So the US state wants to secure oil supplies from the Middle East, but in a classic case of imperial overreach, its efforts are counter-productive. White House economic advisor Lawrence Lindsay said in September 2002, "the key issue is oil, and a regime change in Iraq would facilitate an increase in world oil so as to drive down prices." Pre-war, Iraq produced 3.5 million barrels a day, now just 1.1 million, "U.S. mismanagement in Iraq having only aggravated the oil-supply and terrorist threats", as Phillips writes. The war has caused most of the recent $45-a-barrel rise.

Phillips also studies the USA's rightwing religious fundamentalism - a toxic brew of Biblical inerrancy and born-again evangelicalism. It claims that we live in the `end-times', when the defeat of the antichrist at Armageddon heralds the second coming. It is anti-women, anti-science, anti-modernism and anti-Enlightenment. It opposes sex education, women's rights, contraception, stem-cell research and abortion.

He shows how successive US governments have indulged the soaring debt and credit industry. They encouraged reckless credit expansion, blowing up the ballooning national, international, business, financial and household debts. Low-interest rates led to the credit-card boom, to exotic mortgages, derivatives (which the speculator Warren Buffett called `financial weapons of mass destruction'), hedge-funds and debt instruments. Buffett also said, "Hyperactive equity markets subvert rational capital allocation."

Americans now owe more than they make. Finance firms are debt collectors; credit card companies offer to consolidate people's debts, but once the debtor is hooked, the company can raise interest rates to 20-30%. No wonder that in Bush's first term (2000-04), there were five million personal bankruptcies and by 2006, the USA's total debt was $40 trillion, 304% of GDP.

Too Many Plums for the Bag.......2007-07-11

The title is somewhat misleading. We expect the text to dwell on the rise of Christian fundamentalism and its effect upon American democracy. In fact the Southern Baptist Convention, for one, does constitute a major focus. However, Phillips also wants to show how radical religion, debt overhang, and politics of oil comprise three major perils for 21st century America, and collaterally, how this troika has given rise to our current debacle in the Middle-East . If we add to these subtopics, an additional concern with drawing historical parallels between America's trajectory and past empires, we get a pretty complex mix that is difficult to evaluate. In sum, I think this rather unwieldy sprawl does constitute a problem with the book. Instead of coming together in a sharp focus, the needed cohesiveness tends to scatter out over the 400 pages. Radical religion remains the center-piece, but I think a book dwelling on all three perils equally or one on radical religion exclusively would have been more effective. Nonetheless, when a pedigreed conservative like Phillips (no enemy of religion) sounds alarms about the rise of fundamentalism and the Southernization of Republican party politics, many of us not alligned with the right sit up and pay attention, no matter what the overall mix.

There are two points regarding the nation's current borrowing binge (one of Phillip's three perils) I want to briefly mention. This issue ultimately pivots on whether the national economy has genuinely entered a newly international phase such that old borrower-lender risks no longer apply. If that's the case, then the many parallels he draws with past debt traps, despite appearances, are rendered moot. I wish he had given this key aspect more critical attention than merely marshaling the adverse debt numbers, informative though these trends are. Then too, for some reason the discussion pays surprisingly little attention to defense expenditures which-- whatever their intimidation value-- are eating up much of the federal budget. Some perspective is in order here since weapons sales amounts to one of our few export bonanzas, while military R&D amounts to one of our few remaining sources of industrial innovation. How this aspect of budgetary policy affects the broader national trajectory would have been a valuable inclusion. Of course, whatever relevance value these have to the borrowing binge, such additions would add to the sprawl.

Nonetheless, behind the largely detached prose, Phillips is clearly worried about longer term trends propelling the Republican party and the nation as a whole. Moreover, there's some irony in his current electoral findings. If liberals underestimated the role of religion in American life in past decades, conservatives now risk overestimating it, creating a base too narrow to sustain the politics of fundamentalism. Coming from the strategist who was an earlier voice in the wind, such words should resonate in the age of Falwell and Robertson. There are a number of works discussing these pressing topics available. However, as a principled conservative and proven trend-detector, Phillips should not be passed up.

Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak

Average customer rating:

Very good and very disappointing
Alternatives to Oil?
Interesting but almost a review of university chemistry
Enjoyable and informative
Beyond Petroleum!

Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak
Kenneth S. Deffeyes
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0809029561
Release Date: 2005-02-24

Book Description

With world oil production about to peak and inexorably head toward steep decline, what fuels are available to meet rising global energy demands? That question, once thought to address a fairly remote contingency, has become ever more urgent, as a spate of books has drawn increased public attention to the imminent exhaustion of the economically vital world oil reserves. Deffeyes, a geologist who was among the first to warn of the coming oil crisis, now takes the next logical step and turns his attention to the earth's supply of potential replacement fuels. In Beyond Oil, he traces out their likely production futures, with special reference to that of oil, utilizing the same analytic tools developed by his former colleague, the pioneering petroleum-supply authority M. King Hubbert.

The book includes chapters on natural gas, coal, tar sands and heavy oils, oil shale, uranium, and (although not strictly an energy resource itself) hydrogen. A concluding chapter on the overall energy picture covers the likely mix of energy sources the world can rely on for the near-term future, and the special roles that will need to be played by conservation, high-mileage diesel automobiles, nuclear power plants, and wind-generated electricity.

An acknowledged expert in the field, Deffeyes brings a deeply informed, yet optimistic approach to bear on the growing debate. His main concern is not our long-term adaptation to a world beyond oil but our immediate future: "Through our inattention, we have wasted the years that we might have used to prepare for lessened oil supplies. The next ten years are critical."

Customer Reviews:

Very good and very disappointing.......2007-08-30

The book is very good, i.e. very instructing, in the part where the author has most expertise, i.e. oil field geology.
If you want to understand the theory behing the often referred-to Hubbert's peak, this is the book to read. The author, i.e. the professor, takes you through it, one step at a time, and even if you are not a science major, you think you get most of it, at least enough of it to buy the author's 3 main conclusions, i.e. that oil production has peaked on Thanksgiving day 2005 or thereabout, that the decline is inevitable from that date onward and that oil & gas production will have ceased altogether by the middle of the present century.
As to the balance of the book, the author warns the reader that his undertanding of economics and political science is rather limited; and he actually delivers on his warning. His views on the future of the non-oil energy sources, i.e. nuclear, coal, wind, etc. are quite superficial, alredy somewhat dated and not particularly enlighting.
In a nutshell, read chapters 1 to 3, or possibly 4, and skip the rest.

Alternatives to Oil?.......2007-07-01

4 Stars.

Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak, by Kenneth S. Deffeyes, is an excellent accounting of the coming oil depletion and some quasi-alternative geological energy sources. Mr. Deffeyes' experience and expertise is brought to bear on the problem of finding short-term alternatives to crude oil, recognizing that the development of clean energy can't happen fast enough to address the problem.

Unfortunately, Mr. Deffeyes is right -- it's too late for market forces or political will to solve our short-term energy problems. We're stuck with "alternative" fossil fuels (bonus points if you can say that with a straight face) for the time being. With this in mind, Beyond Oil offers an interesting survey of the options available to us.

This is the only book on oil depletion I've seen that includes an actual description of M. King Hubbert's methodology (or, at least, a variation on it that provides similar results). The reasoning behind the method is sound, and the empirical data shows a clear trend -- suggesting that perhaps Hubbert's Peak has already passed.

Also recommended is The Party's Over: Oil, War And The Fate Of Industrial Societies, by Richard Heinberg.

Interesting but almost a review of university chemistry.......2007-05-01

I enjoyed the style and attitude of this book, because it was written by a teaching geologist who adds color to the overall story. But I found it pretty dry and inaccessible in places, because of the chemistry and geology terminology that was used. It felt like a review of my university chemistry in many places.

What bothered me most about the book was that it made lots of claims and statements, and talked about lots of chemistry/geology/energy stuff, without using the descriptive information to make a point that advanced the narrative story. I'm not disputing the truth of the statements, but after reading pages and pages of stuff, I was left wondering, "So what? What's the point here? How does this tie in with the story line?"

This book is definitely not like most other peak oil books that I've read. And for sure its not the best one, or the most accessible one. I think Twilight in the Desert is a far better book for arguing the case for peak oil. The primary point of this book "is the disruption of our energy supplies over the next five to ten years," and it does a reasonable job at doing that.

I think the strong points of the book are the explanations of the practical aspects of the "real world" oil and gas industry--the oil window depth, how drilling depth is related to oil and gas discovery, why some oils are different than others, how tar sands oil is produced, and so on. Probably the paperback version of the book is worth its price on the basis of this book alone. If you want to see lots of data that proves peak oil is here, try Twilight in the Desert. But if you want to know more about the practical aspects of discovering and producing oil and gas, this is a good book for that. (BTW, it's definitely not about how to invest around peak oil.)

Enjoyable and informative.......2007-03-24

This is a great book. Prof. Deffeyes obviously knows his stuff. He displays an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge about all forms of energy production and a whole lot more. Given the amount of information in the book, it's nothing short of amazing how much fun it is to read. His plain-spoken style and humorous comments make it a pleasure from beginning to end.

Beyond Petroleum!.......2007-03-17

Welcome to the post-Hubbert peak, the world beyond oil!

"Business as usual is not in the cards," writes author Kenneth Deffeyes, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University and a recognized expert on energy. "Whether we like it or not, there will be major rearrangements in the world economy. It would be more orderly if we were to generate a blueprint for a society constrained by the availability of resources. Then we need a noncatastrophic pathway that takes us from here to that blueprint."

Unlike his previous book ("Hubbert's Peak. The Impending World Oil Shortage") "Beyond Oil" is my more readable and accessable to the layman. Deffeyes reviews the origins of oil and Hubbert's calculations, but then goes on to discuss gas, coal, tar sands and heavy oil, uranium, and hydrogen. He then sums up the world's energy situation in a chapter he calls "The Big Picture".

Deffeyes argues that the world has already reached its peak oil production and that henceforth oil production can only decline.

There are, however, shortcomings to Deffeyes methodology. He greatly underestimates, in my opinion, the impact of ethynol. Currently, ethynol comprises 2.5 percent of America's energy (about 5 billion barrels a year) and this is due to double within the next two years. Yes, it is not as efficient as oil to produce - it takes more energy to produce ethynol than the ethynol itself produces - but America has land and corn (and other crops) to produce ethynol in relative abundance.

The author also fails to discuss in any depth the development of synthetic fuels, which the U.S. government has been pursuing very aggressively and, if reports are to be believe, successfully.

The author also writes briefly and incorrectly about the growing world population, a topic well outside his realm of expertise. Recent trends in demographics indicate that the population of the world will actually stabilize at around 9 billion and then decline in around 2050. The problem will not be an exploding population; the problem will be a shortage of labor worldwide.

Still, this is a tremendously well written book. And to his credit Deffeyes discusses what the individual American citizen should do to make his or her life easier. (The author begins this portion of the book with the following sentence: "Lets have a private talk around the kitchen table.")

In short, this book is everything that "Hubbert's Peak" is not.

And its message is clear: We are finally running out of oil and as a result, we are headed for major dislocations in the world's economy.

Average customer rating:

Good for the beginner who has basic knowledge of contracts
Good book for mineral owners as well as students

Oil and Gas Law in a Nutshell
John S. Lowe
Manufacturer: West Group Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0314144552

Book Description

Reliable source on oil and gas law. This authoritative coverage focuses on the legal rules that govern the development of privately owned mineral rights, which often also apply to governmentally owned resources. Text covers topics such as the nature, protection, and conveying of oil and gas rights, leasing, and taxation.

Customer Reviews:

Good for the beginner who has basic knowledge of contracts.......2006-02-27

I bought this book because I have to be involved in oil and gas transaction. It is very useful to cover basic cases and theories on this business area. However, because this book presumes that they understand the basic concepts of contract laws and realty laws, the readers are required to know 101 of, say, what is the reminder or what is the fee simple absolute etc. If you are not educated in the country which takes case law system, before reading it, it would be better to skim through the outline of contracts/realty law.

Good book for mineral owners as well as students.......2002-01-28

The third edition of this book was very helpful, and also included more recent case law cites than the second edition. I would assume this it true with the fourth as well (and there have been quite a few post 1995 court cases affecting royalty payments among other things). John Lowe is a well-respected professor of oil and gas law and has written many papers as well as several books on the subject.I find his writing style easy to understand, even for a layman like myself.I also found it to be much more than a "nutshell" approach in that the explanations of complicated ideas are fairly complete in most cases. He even touches on the structure and content of oil and gas sales contracts near the end of the book, which I found helpful as well.

Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction

Average customer rating:

A Must Read for Citizens Concerned about Our Energy Future
a must read
If anything, puts the problem too mildly
The Ugly Truth About Fossil Fuel and More
Fantasic information but flawed conclusions

Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction
Terry Tamminen
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future
Dr. Deming: The American Who Taught the Japanese About Quality
Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do
The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization
When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century

ASIN: 1597261017

Book Description

How much would you pay for a gallon of gas? $2.50? $10.00? Would you pay with the health of your lungs or with years taken from your lifespan?

The infamous "pain at the pump" runs much deeper than our wallets, argues Terry Tamminen, former Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and current Special Assistant to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Petroleum may power our cars and heat our homes, but it also contributes to birth defects and disorders like asthma and emphysema, not to mention cancer. In Lives Per Gallon, Tamminen takes a hard look at these and other health, environmental, and national security costs hidden in every barrel of oil.

While the petroleum industry is raking in huge profits, Tamminen shows, it is studiously avoiding measures that would lessen the hazards of its products. Using the successful lawsuits by state governments against big tobacco as a model, the author sets forth a bold strategy to hold oil and auto companies accountable and force industry reform. He also offers a blueprint for developing alternative energy sources based on California's real world experiences.

Certain to be controversial, Lives Per Gallon is an unblinking assessment of the true price of petroleum and a prescription for change. The choice is clear: continuing paying with our health, or kick our addiction and evolve beyond an oil-dependent economy.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read for Citizens Concerned about Our Energy Future.......2007-05-19

Terry Tamminen has seen the ravages of big oil first hand in many places around the world. A skilled and engaging writer, he weaves his experiences into a compelling narrative that includes a lot of well documented research to make the case that the world must end its dependence on fossil energy in general and oil in particular. In his former role as California's Secretary of the Environment, Tamminen helped design and implement a series of initiatives that have made California a world leader in the emerging era of clean, renewably generated energy. Lives Per Gallon reports on the technology now available that will fight global warming and end our dependence on dirty energy. Tamminen shows that hydrogen, serving as a pollution free energy carrier, is a big part of the answer. I think he is right. This is a great read for anyone who wants to get involved and back a winner in the energy endgame.

a must read.......2007-05-07

Tamminen does a superb job of detailing how the oil industry has put the world in such a precarious position, both environmentally and human health wise, all just for corporate greed. He makes a startling comparison of the same actions taken by the tobacco industry that should make all users of petrolium think twice before continuing to support this destructive industry's path.

If anything, puts the problem too mildly.......2007-03-15

Terry Tamminen points out the stupendous costs of America's oil addiction. I certainly recommend the book, if only as a starting point for discussion. I found the section on hydrogen particularly interesting. I had been under the impression that hydrogen was more of a boondoggle pushed by the oil and gas companies than a serious transportation technology. I can't say that I'm convinced that hydrogen will play the large role that Tamminen thinks it will, but maybe there's some value there.

Tamminen misses entirely one of the largest contributors to the costs of our oil addiction: parking. Parking sounds harmless enough, but free and subsidized parking costs the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Most U.S. localities have parking requirements that require businesses and residences to provide a certain number of parking spaces. Everybody pays for providing and maintaining these spaces, even people who don't own a car. The result is that enormous amounts of land and money are wasted on parking lots and parking structures. Free parking works like a fertility drug for cars. For a more thorough discussion of this issue, I would suggest pairing Tamminen's book with Donald Shoup's "The High Cost of Free Parking."

The Ugly Truth About Fossil Fuel and More.......2006-12-25

Terry Tamminen has put together a monumental expose' of the true cost of our fossil fuel addiction and the U.S auto industry collusion to mislead both consumers and government alike on the health hazards of fossil fuel exhaust- not much different than tobacco smoke and that industry's playing-down the health risks of their products.

The history of oil use is well covered including wars and potential wars over it's control, government subsidies, fossil fuel contribution to global warming and the global crisis we face when the oil reserves run out. After reading about the multiple ways that fossil fuel consumption has polluted air, water and land, one is left with a feeling that the world oil supply will hopefully run out sooner than later.

Tamminen paints a bleak picture of the corruption and pollution of fossil fuel use, but he also gives positive coverage of the emerging clean/green ZEV (zero emission vehicles) technology such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell propulsion and electric generating systems coupled with solar, wind, and photovoltaic systems to replace the out-dated fossil fuel systems. Also covered are the many things individuals can do on their own to reduce their personal energy consumption footprint, i.e., use low-watt bulbs, drive a hybrid or electric car and boycott wasteful products- buy green. Collectively, these actions add up and make a huge difference in total energy consumption while sending a strong message to the merchants of toxic products that their products are no longer desired.

Fantasic information but flawed conclusions.......2006-12-17

This is a great book and an easy read. I've never been a "environmentalist" so I'm not familiar with most of what was in this book, I've only recently started reading this kind of information and coming to believe that we really have to change. From that perspective, I thought what he was telling us about the health dangers of gasoline and oil, the similarities between those dangers and the dangers of tobacco, the similarities between the way big oil and auto respond to these dangers (and deny them) to the same behavior from big toboacco, were all things I'd never really thought of. And while we all probably know at some level the envorommental cost of oil drilling, he gave some pretty stark examples of where the 3rd world is being exploited to give us a few drops more thanks to their lack of regulations.
And the military cost of protecting our oil interests (or the costs of some other country trying to fill their own oil needs in the case of Japan and WWII) are things we all really need to think about in terms of deciding what our priorities are.

He lists some great, feasible options for putting our oil thirst on a diet and what we can do in the short and medium term to reduce oil dependence. But his flaws came in his suggestions that we essentially litigate the snot out of the oil companies much like we're done and are doing to tobacco. sorry. The only people that plan will benefit are the lawyers. And his main conclusion pushing us toward 1 single oil/fuel alternative seems to turn the end into a sales pitch.

Oil & Gas Production in Nontechnical Language

Average customer rating:

Oil & Gas Production in Nontechnical Language
Martin S. Raymond , and William L. Leffler
Manufacturer: PennWell Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Prospecting & Mining | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling and Production (2nd Edition)
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Let's Talk an Oil Deal: Your Key to Oil Patch Lingo

ASIN: 1593700520

Book Description

This nontechnical treatment is a great introduction to oil and gas production for anyone from beginning petroleum engineering and geology students to accountants, salespersons, and other professionals interested in the industry. Co-authored by Martin Raymond, a veteran production manager, and William Leffler, one of the top petroleum nontechnical writers, it is an easy-to-read reference for those who deal with petroleum industry personnel and production issues in their jobs, but need a quick overview of the technical and business issues. Complete with helpful charts and diagrams, this book covers everything from production equipment and processes to theory, business operations, and strategies.

Petrodollar Warfare: Oil, Iraq And The Future Of The Dollar

Average customer rating:

Interesting Book with Some Problems
A valid theory stretched a bit too far
A summative work, focus on fall of dollar versus rise of euro
must read
Refreshing the tree of liberty with the blood of tyrants (T. Jefferson)

Petrodollar Warfare: Oil, Iraq And The Future Of The Dollar
William R. Clark
Manufacturer: New Society Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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A Century Of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order
The Coming Economic Collapse: How You Can Thrive When Oil Costs $200 a Barrel
How The World Really Works
The Party's Over: Oil, War And The Fate Of Industrial Societies
PowerDown: Options And Actions For A Post-Carbon World

ASIN: 0865715149

Book Description

The invasion of Iraq may well be remembered as the first oil currency war. Far from being a response to 9/11 terrorism or Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, Petrodollar Warfare argues that the invasion was precipitated by two converging phenomena: the imminent peak in global oil production and the ascendance of the euro currency.

Energy analysts agree that world oil supplies are about to peak, after which there will be a steady decline in supplies of oil. Iraq, possessing the world's second-largest oil reserves, was therefore already a target of US geostrategic interests. Together with the fact that Iraq had switched to paying for oil in euros-rather than US dollars-the Bush administration's unreported aim was to prevent further OPEC momentum in favor of the euro as an alternative oil transaction currency standard.

Meticulously researched, Petrodollar Warfare examines US dollar hegemony and the unsustainable macroeconomics of â€~petrodollar recycling,' pointing out that the issues underlying the Iraq war also apply to geostrategic tensions between the United States and other countries, including the member states of the European Union, Iran, Venezuela and Russia. The author warns that without changing course, the American experiment will end the way all empires end-with military overextension and subsequent economic decline. He recommends the multilateral pursuit of both energy and monetary reforms within a UN framework to create a more balanced global energy and monetary system-thereby reducing the possibility of future oil and oil currency-related warfare.

A sober call for an end to aggressive US unilateralism, Petrodollar Warfare is a unique contribution to the debate about the future global political economy.

William R. Clark is manager of performance improvement at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research on oil depletion, oil currency issues and US geostrategy received a 2003 Project Censored Award and was published in Censored 2004. He lives in Columbia, Maryland.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Book with Some Problems.......2007-08-31

This is a very good book for the first 5 chapters. It basically claims that the invasion of Iraq was instigated by the need of the Bush Administration to maintain the value of the US dollar by controlling the continuing international trade of oil in dollars.

Please note that the views that the author gives are little more than the summary of the work of other authors, which the author of the book freely admits. Also the views in the book are not independently verified anywhere else. So the first 5 chapters, although presenting a very plausible reason for the invasion of Iraq is largely a re-hash of previous authors work without proof of their position.

A good point about the book is that has many references so it is a good base for additional research.

The disappointment in the book is the last two chapters, which are a rambling view of why the US is headed down the wrong track in terms of monetary, foreign, energy, etc. policies. Some of the conclusions are interesting, while others are overly simplistic and naive.

All in all an interesting read for the first 160 pages.

A valid theory stretched a bit too far.......2007-06-01

This is an eye-opening and useful book, but narrow to a point that unfortunately becomes paranoid -- and a little outdated in some key premises. He essentially regards all US foreign policy in the last 30-40 years -- ALL of it -- as having the dual goal of ensuring the primacy of the US Dollar as the world currency standard, and to ensure access to (and now control over) oil. This became crystallized under Kissinger and increasingly militarized under the GOP and neoCon administrations, which he says have tied all domestic policy to the same albatross. He's definitely convinced me 100% we went in to Iraq only because of dollar/euro conflict and oil reserves.

The book was written shortly before the London and Madrid bombings, and reflects the then-European view that there was no clash of cultures or religiously-based jihad of any general concern -- that it was all a perfectly understandable socialist-nationalist reaction to US greed and power. That view is now understood in Europe to have been self-indulgently naive, although they are still appropriately uneasy about this administration's policies and actions. The EU is more aware than 2-3 years ago that a real dollar collapse will open world-wide economic disaster, and they will lose access to ME resources just as we would, not to mention the world's biggest consumer market, if the jihadis have their way.

Where Clark discusses the ongoing dollar-euro-Saudi oil situation, I think he's right on, and it's a clear, concise presentation of complex economic and political interactions. Tying in domestic changes in media control and homeland security/civil liberties solely to these two policy goals (dollar/oil) I think ignores way too many additional factors, economic and otherwise. It felt by the end like he's distorting an already damning perspective on our current foreign policy to force it to serve as a Unified Field Theory.

A summative work, focus on fall of dollar versus rise of euro.......2007-02-19

I was tempted to give this book only four stars, because as some reviewers suggest, it is mostly a summative work, drawing heavily on several books I have already reviewed, as well as a number of studies and article. In the end I decided to go with five stars because this is the only book I have found that really drew my attention to the turning point in US-Iraq relations: not Gulf I, but rather Iraq's declared intention to break the dollar monopoly and begin trading oil in Euros. Today of course we have Iran, Russia, and Venezuela trading in currencies other than the dollar.

First off, this is one of those rare books where in addition to carefully studying the table of contents, which is superbly devised, almost an executive summary on its own, you should also *first* read the End Notes and also the Afterword by LtCol Karen Kwiatkowski, now retired, who earned lasting recognition for resigning and challenging the lies coming out of the politically-appointed Pentagon officials.

Although this book is labeled by some (who would have us ignore it) as part of the "conspiracy" literature, I find myself reading more and more books in this vein, spanning 9-11, peak oil, corporate personality, and Wall Street-Washington corruption. I have to say, with all humility, if there is one privilege I would claim as the #1 Amazon reviewer of non-fiction, it is the privilege of stating clearly and on the record that this book, and other books in this vein, are NOT conspiracy literature, but rather the survivors, the vanguard that has avoided censorship. This book may not be perfect, it may overstate the case (personally I think Bush is as dim as Feith and did not understand the Euro issue while having a childish mind easily led by Dick Cheney), but it is part of an emerging literature that cannot be denied and must be given full attention.

The book highlights and reminds that we have lost the Republic to four interacting influences: concentrated wealth including perpeptual compounded wealth concealed in corporations improperly given personality rights; a completely corrupt Congress serving corporations rather than the public interest; the end of a free press with five media conglomerates happily practicing perception management on an ignorant and inattentive public; and a Federal Reserve that is not part of the government and not acting in the public interest, but instead creating credit out of thin air, and selling that to the government at a price that is both dear, and unconstitutional.

Having come late to much of this literature, the term "proto-fascism" was new to me, but it fits: Wall Street wealth, plus political corruption, plus a military too eager to follow orders without thinking. I remind all who care to understand a military perspective that General Smedley Butler's book, "War is a Racket," recounts his disdain for being a an "enforcer" for corporations.

The author of this book on petrodollar warfare does an excellent job of recounting the history of the dollar, setting the stage for both the end of the gold standard under Nixon, and the manner in which petrodollars from the 1970's were recycled as loans to the Third World.

There are two really superb charts from other sources in this book, one on page 105 showing "The Lie Factory" led by Dick Cheney and Doug Feith; and another on page 112 showing the claims by Cheney and others about Iraq having Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), both before (of course they do) and after (none found).

Today an attack on Iran looms. I have done everything I could as an individual citizen, including a protest package to the Senate, press releases, a fax to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a posting at OSS.Net of Howard Bloom's memorandum on a potential nuclear ambush by Iran, and Webster Tarpley's powerpoint on the fragile ground supply line from Kuwait to Baghdad. I share his view that the Siege of Baghdad will make the Siege of Stalingrad look like mercy killings. Think Black Hawk Down times a million.

This is a very fine book. It took me a year to notice it, but I will be more attentive now. New Society Publishers is in my view a national treasure. I admire them and will look forward to reading and reviewing many more books that they publish for the right reasons: to inform citizens and improve society.

must read.......2007-01-11

This book is a must read for anyone interested in what's really going on in the Middle East, not the BS version you get from the mainsteam media!

Refreshing the tree of liberty with the blood of tyrants (T. Jefferson).......2006-07-10

By analyzing the US policies behind the Iraq war, William R. Clark unveils the real reasons behind this illegal (R. Perle) invasion: maintain the US dollar as a world monopoly currency for oil and, in the era of Peak Oil, dominate the region with the world's largest remaining hydrocarbon reserves. The war in Iraq is also a currency war against the euro. S. Hussein's oil had to be paid in euros and a further momentum within OPEC for the euro had to be prevented at all costs.
A swift out of the dollar would force oil consumers to sell dollars for euros, provoking a dollar crash with as a result massive inflation, a possible run on the US banks and unserviceable budget and current account deficits. One of the 2 pillars of the US hegemony (military superiority and the dollar) would crumble.
By the way, Iran is planning a euro-based oil Bourse in Teheran.

At home, the author sees record trade gaps, record levels of financial leverage, of personal debt, of bankruptcies, of budget deficits and abysmal saving rates.
He sees a state governed by authoritarians, by a proto-fascist military-industrial-oil-Congressional complex: a circular relationship between wealth and political influence. An exploding defense budget for and `endless war' against an obscure group of non-state actors is a monumental but highly profitable aberration.

Behind the authoritarians at the helm stands the philosophy of Leo Strauss, a mixture of Carl Schmitt and Friedrich Nietzsche: 'Men can only be united against other people', and `Those who are fit to rule are those who realize that there is no morality and that there is only one natural right - the right of the superior to rule over the inferior.' In other words: war, not peace.

This end-justifies-the -means policies are gladly swallowed by the media monopolies which are divulging manipulated and filtered news and disseminating fear, the greatest ally of tyranny.
Fortunately, we have Internet, the last bastion of free speech and unfiltered news.

The (or, at least, most of the) remedies proposed by the author will be extremely hard to realize:
Nationally, restructuring of campaign financing, a viable energy strategy, massive reallocation of public funds away from military spending, revolutionary change in the political establishment.
Internationally, no pre-emptive wars, non-interference in the internal policies of foreign oil states, a balanced policy regarding Israel, repair the damaged relationship with former allies, fair trade, full participation in multilateral accords, a global monetary reform.

All in all, W. R. Clark has written a powerful, fascinating, disturbing but frank book.
A must read for all those interested in the future of mankind.

I also recommend the works of W. Engdahl, W.G. Tarpley, W. Klare and J.Dale Scott.

Small Engine Repair (Up to 20 Hp): Total Service Series

Average customer rating:

Out of Date
small engine repair book
Dated material, marginal index
Lack of Information - WHAT A RIP OFF!
Check your library before you buy

Small Engine Repair (Up to 20 Hp): Total Service Series
The Nichols/Chilton Editors
Manufacturer: Chilton Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Foreign | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Reference | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0801983258

Book Description

Covers repair, maintenance and service of gasoline engines up to and service of gasoline engines up to and including 20 horsepower (except OHC). Engines included are Briggs & Stratton, Clinton, Kawasaki, Kohler and Tecumseh. (Keywords: General-Interest Manuals)

Customer Reviews:

Out of Date.......2007-08-14

The "Product Details" Amazon lists for this book which states "Haynes Manuals, Inc.; 1 edition (September 25, 1998)" is WRONG. Haynes is a different publisher and their 1998 publication is a totally different book. This Chilton book is copyrighted 1994 and is, consequently, 13 years out of date as of this review (August 2007). I verified this by ISBN number to a copy I checked out from my local library. Further, 1994 is the current edition listed on Chilton's website. So, if your engine is newer than 1994, the data will not be current.

That said, this seems to be the most detailed and useful small engine repair book I have found. It may still be useful for some later models that may not have changed much. As previous reviewers have recommended, check your local library copy to see if the information might apply to your engine.

small engine repair book.......2007-01-03

My husband was very excited to get this book - now if he would just repair all of the small engine things we have to be fixed it would be great!

Dated material, marginal index.......2006-02-23

I can't bring myself to be as harsh as the one star reviewers, but they more or less have it. If your engine is 10 years old or newer, you might be disappointed.

My other complaint is that the index is not very good. It is not comprehensive, and it is split up by manufacturer (the latter could be good or bad per search).

Lack of Information - WHAT A RIP OFF!.......2006-02-01

The book, "Small Engine Repairs" was from 1992 and earlier. When I ordered the book, there was no information on the book to tell me what years the book covered. I paid $19.95 for the book and shipping. When I returned the book I was re-imbursed under $8.00, half of what I paid for the book. I needed a repair manual from 1995 to current. I will tell everyone I know what a rip off amazon.com is! I could understand paying for return shippment, but half for a book I could'nt use? I am very dissatisfied with your services. Brenda

Check your library before you buy.......2001-06-19

Don't buy this book unless you're absolutely sure it will help you. The other reviewer had it right, go to the library, match your engine with those covered. If you have an older small engine this book may be of use, if your engine is newer than 1994, good luck. Many of the diagrams are small and compact, a magnifying glass helped.

If you have some knowledge of small engines it is a good publication as you'll know what is being discussed. If you have little knowledge, phrases like "drain the fuel tank" will you leave you wondering HOW to drain the fuel tank. If your library can't help, hire a small engine mechanic.

Hugo Chavez: Oil, Politics, and the Challenge to the U.S.
Average customer rating:

Challenging neoliberalism

WORST BOOK EVER--

For Chavez-watchers

Honest Writings

horrible

Hugo Chavez: Oil, Politics, and the Challenge to the U.S.
Nikolas Kozloff
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Hugo Chavez: The Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela

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Understanding the Venezuelan Revolution: Hugo Chavez Talks to Marta Harnecker

ASIN: 1403973156
Release Date: 2006-07-20

Book Description

This is the riveting and frightening story of ambitious, tempestuous and avowed anti-American Hugo Chvez, who is making waves through South America. Ex-paratrooper, outspoken socialist, and brash personality, Chvez is known for his stance against big business, fearless threats to the Bush administration, social reforms that have violently polarized his country, and claims that he will soon unite South America. As gas prices rise to unprecedented highs, Venezuelas importance surges as the fifth largest oil exporter in the world. Nikolas Kozloffs access to top advisors, members of the opposition, and leaders of Chvezs own political movement has allowed him to present a comprehensive portrait of Chvez as he runs for re-election and moves into the global spotlight.

Customer Reviews:

Challenging neoliberalism.......2007-09-01

With all the criticism of neoconservativism (which is appropriate), it's good that Chavez and this book bring up the issue of neoliberalism. Chavez accomplished quite a bit to educate the world on the issue when he held up Chomsky's book Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance (American Empire Project) during his famous "el diablo" speech at the United Nations.
Kozloff does a great job of laying out how the current regime in Washington tried to overthrow Chavez. There's actually an incredible documentary about that event called "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" that can be found at a British Venezuelan Solidarity site.

There are several books that are sympathetic to what Chavez and his supporters are trying to achieve. Our corporate media tends to ignore their socialist movement, or to misrepresent it. If his proposals were honestly portrayed, like his recent move to shorten the workday from 8 to 6 hours, Chavez would be inspiring people here to change the system of wage slavery we've accepted. Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure

It's interesting to read the one-star reviews pro-Chavez books get. While I appreciate their perspective, my guess is that many anti-chavistas come from the wealthier classes who may not have the same advantages with Bolivarian socialism. They may even own the food stores that Chavez is saying the poor should not be punished for stealing from. That's a quandary, and maybe they could somehow be subsidized/insured for their losses. That would beat investing in a massive prison system as we have here in the United States. We have 2.3 million people behind bars, and the number of prisoners and the costs are rising. The Perpetual Prisoner Machine: How America Profits from Crime

As a little act of solidarity, I hope to spend some tourism dollars in Venezuela in the not-too-distant future Lonely Planet Venezuela ; and to share extra copies of subtitled progressive films with the people of South America. The Corporation
In an era of transnational corporate tyranny, we need transnational labor, environmental, peace and justice efforts.

"Full opportunity for full development is the unalienable right of all. He who denies it is a tyrant; he who does not demand it is a coward; he who is indifferent to it is a slave; he who does not desire it is dead.
The earth for all the people. That is the demand." -Eugene V. Debs

WORST BOOK EVER-- .......2007-08-22

This book is beyond HORRIBLE. I even went and consulted with the Oxford's alumni office and checked if the credentials of this author were genuine.
The book is confusing, lacks comprehensive references, and sounds like an "ode to Chavez" instead of true investigative journalism. He uses this book to express his frustration towards Bush over and over, without providing real facts and analysis about the situation in Venezuela.
Do not waste your time nor your money. I wished this author had taken the time to speak with poor people in Venezuela who are not members of the "one Party" that Chavez has created

For Chavez-watchers.......2007-08-03

Very good history of HC, also good facts about current situations. Very approving of Latin American shift to the Left!

Honest Writings.......2007-06-04

Most books involving such notorious figures are often disgustingly bias. This book is written by a leftist who does not allow his stance impact his writing much. To saying anything is completely unbiased is ridiculous.

The title really explains the book. Oil is such an important aspect, and it ties right into American politics. He also gives some background about the history of many important figures.

The book is well written, and is a good read. Since I'm a poor student, I normally sell my books, but this is a keeper!

horrible.......2007-04-15

Judging by the author's credentials and the book cover I was certain this would be a good read. I was definitely mistaken as the author constantly rants about meaningless things completely unrelated to Hugo Chavez or Venezuela. For example, in Chapter 4 he goes on and on in the first person about his email campaign with an anarchist in London to organize a Seattle style WTO protest in Europe. This, like most of his pointless rants, have no purpose and must be some method to add pages for the publisher. Save your money and just read the latest Foreign Affairs article on Chavez, you'll get more substance than this entire book offers.

Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta

Average customer rating:

The Hobo Philosopher
eh...
Thought provoking......
The United Oil Oligarchy of Amnesia and Entropy
Gore Vidal Has Done His Homework and Relates Unpleasant Truths

Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta
Gore Vidal
Manufacturer: Nation Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace
Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia
Decline and Fall of the American Empire (The Real Story Series)
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United States

ASIN: 1560255021

Book Description

When Gore Vidal's recent New York Times bestseller Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace was published, the Los Angeles Times described Vidal as the last defender of the American republic. In Dreaming War, Vidal continues this defense by confronting the Cheney-Bush junta head on in a series of devastating essays that demolish the lies American Empire lives by, unveiling a counter-history that traces the origins of America's current imperial ambitions to the experience of World War Two and the post-war Truman doctrine. And now, with the Cheney-Bush leading us into permanent war, Vidal asks whose interests are served by this doctrine of pre-emptive war? Was Afghanistan turned to rubble to avenge the 3,000 slaughtered on September 11? Or was "the unlovely Osama chosen on aesthetic grounds to be the frightening logo for our long contemplated invasion and conquest of Afghanistan?" After all he was abruptly replaced with Saddam Hussein once the Taliban were overthrown. And while "evidence" is now being invented to connect Saddam with 9/11, the current administration are not helped by "stories in the U.S. press about the vast oil wealth of Iraq which must- for the sake of the free world- be reassigned to U.S. consortiums."

Customer Reviews:

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-12

I wouldn't have said everything exactly the same way but on the whole Mr. Vidal has it pretty much as I see it also. He hit the Military Industrial Complex right on the head and even mentions the fact that we do live in a socialist state - it is just that it is only for corporate America and the super rich and needlessly wealthy. This is good "liberal" political science. Conservatives won't be reading this book no matter what it has to say, I'm sure. this is an easy book to read. Mr. Vidal doesn't mince any words. He says it as he see it. Sometimes he see it a little exaggerated for me but yet his conclusions are right in line, I would say.

eh..........2006-11-21

Boilerplate rhetoric about how the US is the global policeman and no longer a republic but an empire. We've heard it all before...yawn...

And I even agree!

Thought provoking.............2006-10-20

I thought this latest collection of Mr. Vidal's work was timely and well worth the read. I applaud his bluntness and 'tell it like it is' attitude concerning the U.S. and it's push for world domination. This book will be interesting to anyone who is searching for an alternative view as to what is going on in our crazy, sordid post 9/11 world. Highly recommended.

The United Oil Oligarchy of Amnesia and Entropy .......2006-10-17

...with free enterprise for the poor and socialism for the rich.

The label "conspiracy theorist" holds a powerful stigma. For the most part, the conspiracy theorists themselves are to blame for that. For the most part the people I've run across who propagate and perpetuate these wild schemes are not the most critical thinkers out there. The evidence of this is the way conspiracies run in packs. Once they're talking about secret societies, secret connections and plots, more and more unfold, running off in tangents. It might start with the Kennedy assassination but soon area 51 and Roswell are evoked, the moon landing is a hoax, the Loch Ness monster and the inner Earth people. Not to mention the Catholics, the Masons, and the Jewish-communists.

But that shouldn't dissuade us from investigating anything. The fact that conspiracy theorists are nuts doesn't mean conspiracies never happen. People who believe everything that's slightly exciting to believe are no less critical thinkers than those who dismiss outright anything that threatens the veneer of civility and order.

In reality, a conspiracy doesn't have to be an intricate web of deception, some brilliant design everyone but you is in on. A conspiracy can be lots of powerful people acting in a similar way, through sneaky means and propaganda, for the sake of strengthening and securing their own power. Hillary Clinton was lambasted for speaking of a vast right-wing conspiracy, but as the story unfolds, we see a small handful of very powerful, rich people using their influence to try and drag down a President and his administration by any means necessary. She was right.

This book is a collection of essays unified by the assertion Gore Vidal is making that American is an empire, and that American military action and behavior, since before world war 2, has been an imperial attempt to control as much of the world as possible. If one looks at the whole of human history, none of this should come as a surprise. But in the modern debate, where Neo-con imperialism is compared to Nazism, Mr. Vidal is telling us that a better analogy would be the ancient Roman Empire, and that this has been going on a whole lot longer than since the neo-cons have been in power. The primary difference today is near-transparency of the current administrations goals, and the deplorable depths of depravity to which they'll sink to accomplish it. The unprovoked, unilateral invasion of Iraq was just one of hundreds of unprovoked, unilateral military actions the American empire has engaged in post-WW2. But in the past, America had the self-awareness, pride and patience to do things in a deceptive manner, exercising domination economically (the Marshall plan), or through low-key military presences (like NATO in Western Europe) and by meddling around the world with an alphabet soup of secret police (CIA, FBI, DEA, DIA...). So, there's nothing new going on in the Bush-Cheney Junta. It is a matter of degrees, but previous presidents and previous administrations don't get off the hook unscathed.

And the media, owned by powerful, rich, well-connected corporations, don't get off unscathed. Vidal discusses the role of the media, paid off to keep two major characteristics of the America off the radar off the people, the first being the existence- not to mention the pervasiveness- of a class system, and the second being the nature of the U.S. Empire. Outside of the United States, these are not secrets. When the twin towers fell, Americans turned to each other and asked in genuine bewilderment how anyone could hate us. When the answer was supplied for us, "they hate us because they hate freedom," enough people could actually get themselves to believe this to accomplish the re-election of the worst, most venal bunch of ganefs in American history. American people could accept the premise that people around the world want to attack us with suicidal acts simply because they envy our goodness. That's not just us being stupid, that's us being uneducated and misinformed. (And distracted! Was that really a partial breast seen during a football half-time show? Heaven forfend! Let's have congressional hearings about it.)

Drawbacks? Because this is a collection of essays written for different sources at different times, you get a lot of redundancy if you read this book cover to cover. Also, while I'm not a knee-jerk pro-Israel kind of guy (I have plenty of criticism for the way Israel has acted and I see a lot more complexity in the situation than people on either side ever acknowledge), I do cringe a little bit when Mr. Vidal gets on the subject of Israel's role in today's geopolitical scene. He hints at Israel's mistakes, but then, in his wonderfully droll, mischievous style, declares that one can't criticize Israel without being accused of anti-Semitism, complete with a sarcastic tone that says `gosh, what could be worse than being an anti-Semite?' I know he's making an important point but, as someone who grew up being taught that they will eventually get around to blaming everything on the Jews again, I can't help but feel a touch queasy.

All that being said, this is an important book, it offers an alternate take on the modern situation that needs to be heard. And Gore Vidal, as opposed to someone like Noam Chomsky, reports in his inimitable sassy style, which turns a painful topic into pleasurable reading. That takes some talent. Thumbs up.

Gore Vidal Has Done His Homework and Relates Unpleasant Truths.......2006-07-30

Gore Vidal wrote DREAMING WAR:BLOOD FOR OIL and the CHENEY-BUSH JUNTA shortly after he wrote PERPETUAL WAR FOR PERPETUAL PEACE. The second book is just as good and as well written as the first. Vidal states obvious truths which anger some because they are so obvious and true.

Vidal's collection of essays deal with the American Empire which is a term that the Establishment does not like because the word empire is an accurate term in describing U.S. Government meddling. Such a term might give Americans an uncomfortable view of the reality of U.S. diplomacy.

Some of these essays confront the unconfortable truths regarding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Vidal gives a brief but clear account of the FDR lads goading the Japanese to attack this naval base in response to U.S. pressure that would have reduced the Japanese to famine had they adhered to U.S. policy. One should note that U.S. foreign policy against Japanese presence in China was due to some vague nonsense about the Open Door Policy in China. One should note when the Chinese Communists came to power in 1949, the Open Door was slammed shut in everyone's face. By eliminating the Japanese as a power in China, the road was wide open for Mao tse-Tung and the Chinese Communists to take power after a prolonged civil war that lasted from 1927 to 1949.

Vidal is also very clear that the use of nuclear weapons against the Japanese in 1945 was unnecessary. Vidal cites a letter dated July 18, 1945 written by the Japanese Emperor begging to surrender and ending the war. This is a matter of public record now, and few if any "mainstream" historians have mentioned this. Vidal makes effective use of Alperovitz's book THE DECISION TO USE THE ATOMIC BOMB: THE ARCHITECTURE OF A MYTH. Vidal notes that many well known military men including Admiral Nimetz, the General Eisenhower, etc., were very much opposed to the use atomic bomb. Or course, none of this is very well publisized as it undermines the political myths upon which the American Empire is built.

Vidal also deals with more recent events such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, U.S. destructiveness in Latin America,etc. These interventions fit the classcial definition of empire which is largely unknown to Americans. Vidal destroys the myths that have been presented as truth regarding these events, and he undermines the official truths of these events.

Vidal has some interesting remarks re "Official Truth." He well knows that Lord Acton's dictum that, "Official truth is never actual truth" is an accurate statement. When Vidal made a production for The History Channel, some Establishment hacks formed a panal to smear Vidal. Vidal notes that he was not invited to defend himself, and Vidal further conclusively refutes the hacks on this panal. One should note his remarks re this attempt to smear him.

Vidal has some interesting remarks about U.S. domestic policies. He mentions that government authorities have made a war on alleged domestic policies to divert attention from foreign interventions. Americans have had a war on illteracy, a war on poverty, and a war on drugs. If anyone is interested, illiteracy, poverty, and drugs have won.

Vidal has some interesting suggestions for solving or reducing problems. He suggests, to use the expression, "Smaller is better." Vidal cites Thomas Jefferson's remarks re making Washington, D.C. about the centralization of power in that city and the destructive consequences of such a concentration of power. Vidal suggests that Americans should live in confederated sections which, while not eliminating corrpution and economic ruin, would significantly reduce such problems and give Americans more direct control.

Vidal has some interesting comments on American "education." Vidal comments on the ignorance of Americans re their own history or any history. Vidal also condemns the ignorance of geography whereby Americans do not even know where interventions take place. One should note that the "experts" in Congress do not where these areas are either. They have shown their ignorance when some un-American has asked them to locate any of these places on globe, and these "experts" did not know the difference between South American and Antarctic or anywhere else for that matter.

Vidal has been accused of hating America. Vidal does not hate America. Alleged proof is that Vidal lives part of the year in Italy. So do many other Americans. Vidal does not hate America. He hates what the corporate CEOs and government authorities have done to America and Americans. He is very clear about this. Vidal has been accused of being a Bush Basher and opposed to Republicans. These remarks betray these critics who obviously have been watching too much TV and have not read Vidal's books. Vidal is an ardent supporter of limited government, the Bill of Rights, etc. If supporting lawful restraints on federal power and support of the United States Constitution is un-American, we are in bad shape.

Vidal uses public sources and comments to support his views. He does not refer to arcane nonsense, and readers can read Vidal's books and decide for themselves. Again, readers should note that Vidal displays knowledge, reason, and an exceptional ability to write.

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