Book reviewed: Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein

About seven years ago I read another book by Naomi called “No Logo”. It was a great subject, about the rise of brand capitalism. To quote my friend Howard, it’s just a shame that Naomi can’t write. Well in the time between that book and this Madam Klein learned how to write.

Once more I delve into the world of global activism, trying to understand the reason why thousands of people throw themselves into fences and eat tear gas and rubber bullets to fight the World Bank and the IMF. I used to think that these two organizations were the good guys, like UNESCO or Medicins sans Frontiers. Now I know a lot more.

Wow, who knew those bastards could be such, well, bastards. Freidmannite capitalists raping their way through the peoples assets, stealing public utilities and resources and shelling it over to a handful of the elite. Holding onto these riches by the use of dictatorships or worse, they have basically worked their way through Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. This book brings what happened in Iraq, Sri Lanka and New Orleans into real focus for me.

You should read this book, it’s important.

Oh Canada!

I must admit to a fondness for what my wife calls “conspiracy stories”. I believe in peak oil. And I believe that the invasion of Iraq was driven by greed and corruption, not by the desire to free anyone. I am a little picky about what conspiracies Ido believe in, for instance I must admit to being 51:49 that Human Induced Global Climate Change actually exists. I know, I know, I am educated but I also hate strident mung bean eaters. And my loathing for extremists of any ilk makes it hard for me to get past them to listen to their message.

So when, a couple of years ago, I saw a bunch of people getting tear gassed outside of Ottawa while protesting a heads of government meeting there I was a little under-informed. What could possibly motivate someone to eat a face-full of pepper spray and risk a batoning or a rubber bullet here in Canada. I had always intended to find out a little more about this issue but never got the momentum required.

Then last night I accidentally watched “The Nation’s Deathbed“, an independent film (although one with some balance issues of course, but since MSM has the same issues the other way I gave it a break). What a terrible issue it raised. I really had no idea things had gone so far in this country. Whether the rabid fear of the SPP treaty is correct or not, the fact that the Canadian government was so easily able squash public discord, the exercising of our guaranteed rights under the Charter, stunning.

You need to spend an hour and forty five minutes watching this. It’s important. Don’t smoke sh*t before you do it or you’ll end up with a shocking case of dry mouth from staring dumbfounded at the screen the whole way through.