Mandatory Reading

As painful as it is to read these books, as citizens who desire a more humane and egalitarian world, we must know what has been done in our names. At least three books are mandatory: Philippe Sands "Torture Team"; Jane Mayer "The Dark Side"; and Naomi Klein "The Shock Doctrine."

Each points a finger at top members of the Bush Administration for taking the reigns of our government and turning our resources to defiling America, eroding a commitment to civil and human rights, devastating the efficacy of government, and all the while making exorbitant profits. The hundreds of thousands of lives destroyed by the Bush Administration during the course of its "war on terror" is horrifying in and of itself. However, the profits made by American corporations as the functions of government here and abroad were privatized add another dimension to the last eight years, especially when one sees just how much Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and George Bush, Sr. made through the war in Iraq and the more pervasive "war on terror."

As informed citizens of this country and of the world, we must insist that the Obama Administration take the steps necessary to investigate, prosecute, and undo the damage done by the ideologues of the last presidency. We have no choice. This information is out there, and to choose not act is an act of such hubris and arrogance that I doubt the rest of the world will ever respect the United States again. No matter how popular Obama might seem today.