Kind sir, would you please elaborate...because you're right, most of us don't know what you're talking about! Expand! expound! elaborate! educate us!

Hans Eisler is another good example - he was a composer that had an international reputation for using music for political ends, communistic ends, and he was very vocal about it. He was brought up before the committee on UnAmerican Activities at one point. Though he defended himself against the charges (it's amazing how the committee bought his arguments at the time) he was finally nailed on technical charges.

He was the first hollywood artist brought before the committee, if I remember correctly. This was back in 1947.

Nothing in tomasino's post contradicts what I have read. Much of this ground is covered in the books of Noam Chomsky, and I would urge anyone with an open mind to check them out. Be warned: they don't make easy reading. And one does tend to see the flag in a different light.

Noam has some interesting reading at times, though I don't agree with everything he says.

I especially like his thoughts on sports being a replacement for gladiatorial events - a convenient way to let your citizens expend their testosterone and brain power on a harmless endeavor, rather than using them to start a revolt, or make serious changes in government. The regularity of sports is also something that makes for a concrete grounding to some people's lives, something they don't want to upset by being activists.

Frank Herbert had a similar idea in God Emporer of Dune - when he allowed the citizens to have their little religious riots, which would expend a lot of violence - with little effect on the overall stability of the society.

Are there any specific books you reccomend, Jason?

I've always thought that American football is a modern form of gladiatorial combat. Where else can you cream someone without getting arrested for assault? As far as American sports go, baseball >>> football.

Hi Mattardo,

Two books I would start with: 'Hegemony or Survival' and the subsequent book, 'What We Say Goes'.

The latter makes for embarrassing reading. There is a lot on the US involvement in Latin America, and how the US has systematically undermined every single attempt at democracy in Latin America. The US has always supported the most brutal dictators (memories of Indonesia?), and has even tried to undermine the Catholic Church's attempt to help the citizens of those countries.

US Big Business can only thrive under a dictator with the backing of US dollars. Americans need to understand that their 'freedoms' and plush way of life come at a terrible price to the rest of the planet. But nothing new there, eh? Look at the British Empire.

For all that, no one forced me to move to the US back in April, and in early July no one forced me to apply for citizenship. Obviously there were some extremely powerful factors involved. At 27 I made a life changing decision to leave the UK and jump-start my life. How many people here have done something so drastic? I gave up everything, took the train to Heathrow with only two suitcases (plus my laptop!) and took British Airways flight 49 to the US. I will not be returning to the UK.