Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing is Turning America Into a One-Party State

Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing is Turning America Into a One-Party State, Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, Jeremy Tarcher/Penguin, 2004

This book looks at how the Republicans, now in control of every major part of the federal government (Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court and the mass media), are now working to maintain and strengthen that hold through manipulation of the American political culture.

Republicans have worked hard, and very methodically, for at least the last 20 years, to build the conservative movement. It now ranges from conservative think tanks, like the Heritage Foundation, to K Street lobbying firms, to right wing media (especially talk radio). Starting from the grass roots, Republicans have become very good at getting their message to the public. The weekly Republican "must attend" meeting in Washington is run by tax opponent Grover Norquist. It is there that the message of the week is chosen. Democrats are nowhere near as organized.

Even inside the Republican Party, moderation and disagreement are squelched, and traditional oversight agencies are stripped of their influence. The National Cancer Institute's website was altered to say that abortion increases a woman's chance of getting breast cancer, even though actual research overwhelmingly shows the opposite. The CDC's website has been altered, in that information showing that condom use is effective in preventing AIDS has been removed. This is in line with the Christian Right's opposition to sex education.

Woe unto that person or group who uses their constitutional right to oppose the war in Iraq. Tennessee State Senator Tim Burchett has advocated the deportation of war critics. Who can forget the experiences of the Dixie Chicks? A number of recently published books equate liberals with hating America, and generally betraying the nation. Ann Coulter has called Democrats the Treason Party. It has now become popular among Republicans to label any dissenter, whether environmentalist or senior citizen, as a terrorist.

This is an excellent book from Rampton and Stauber. The brains behind "PR Watch", they have created another Must Read look at how the US Government really works. This is highly recommended.

Trust Us, We're Experts!

Trust Us, We're Experts! How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles With Your Future, Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2001

This is a very eye-opening look at how corporations and public relations firms manipulate public opinion and science to get people to believe, for instance, that a chemical company is actually full of closet environmentalists. There are any number of methods by which this is done.

People are more likely to believe that Product X is not bad for them, or the environment, if they hear it from a doctor, or a soccer mom, or an institute with a liberal-sounding name, than if they heard it from the maker of the product. The fact that these "third parties" are bankrolled by the product maker is conveniently not mentioned.

Scientists have been paid thousands of dollars to simply sign their names to a letter, written by a corporation or PR firm, for instance, extolling the virtues of a certain drug, even if nothing has been proven in the lab. Research dollars are few and far between, except from corporations like Dow or Monsanto. Along with the check is the expectation that a favorable (to the corporation) result will occur, even if fudging the data is required.

Another tactic is to sow doubt in the minds of the public, to say that more study is needed. The general consensus is that global warming must be tackled now, but there are enough scientists who feel that all the questions must be answered first, before we do anything. It's enough to make a person throw up their hands in disgust.

Among the advice from the authors are: recognize the various types of propaganda; realize that, to some extent, science is supposed to be uncertain; demand accountability from the scientific press; get active and follow the money.

This is a first-rate chronicle of just how easily supposedly impartial "experts" are subject to corporate manipulation. To begin to learn the ins and outs of modern day lying and deceit, this is a wonderful place to start. It is well worth reading.

Mad Cow USA: Could the Nightmare Happen here?

Mad Cow USA: Could the Nightmare Happen Here?, John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, Common Courage Press, 1997

        Mad Cow Disease is the informal name for a fatal cow disease called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or BSE. It is transmissible to other cows through the factory farming practice of rendering, or feeding the ground up remains of dead cows, to other cows. People get the disease by eating tainted meat. BSE takes a long time to become noticeable in a cow, so by the time a cow is ready for slaughter, it could be BSE positive and no one would know it. The human version of BSE, called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or CJD, kills by creating millions of tiny, spongy holes in a person's brain. It is 100% fatal.

        Stauber and Rampton have written a fascinating and very detailed book about the BSE epidemic in England, which killed about a dozen people and forced the killing of thousands and thousands of cows. They also go into detail on the history, looking at a sheep version of BSE called scrapie, and a variant of BSE called kuru, which was decimating a tribe in New Guinea until the practice of cannibalism was stopped.

        The authors also have things to say about an American meat industry seemingly more interested in public relations and suppressing critics (like the Oprah Winfrey trial in Texas) than in cutting back on, or stopping, the potentially deadly practice of grinding up dead animals and feeding them to other animals.

        To get the undiluted facts instead of diluted nonsense on this urgent issue, this is a Must Read of a book.