Tuesday, August 5, 2008

GREENYA: Righteous anger

OP-ED:

You have to admire a man who can stay mad for almost four decades. No matter how dedicated and fired up most of us may be initially, we cop out, wear out or burn out long before that. Not former Democratic Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, again this year, long-long-shot presidential candidate. Mr. Gravel gets mad, usually for good reason, and then, eschewing the conventional wisdom, never gets over it. You gotta like the guy, and thanks to his able co-author, Joe Lauria, you gotta like his book.

What made Mr. Gravel mad back in 1971 was the arrogance of power, especially as wielded by democratically elected leaders to favor the defense industry over the common good. "The separate histories of my life and American militarism collided in 1968, when I arrived in the Senate at the age of thirty-eight," he writes. "My fight against militarism turned into a personal battle with Scoop Jackson, the senator who personified the military-industrial power even more than I personified its opposition."

In the Senate, Mr. Gravel was never a go-along-to-get-along kind of guy, displaying an independent streak right from the start. Eventually, he was a major thorn not just in the side of other senators, but also in that of the president of the United States, Richard Nixon, whom he infuriated by reading into the public record 4,100 of the 7,100 pages of the Pentagon Papers. By publishing the Pentagon Papers, Mr. Gravel cast a very large and ominous die that didn't stop until the war in Vietnam came to its ignoble end.

"A Political Odyssey" lays out Mr. Gravel's thesis that, far more often than not, our leaders have used fear - of the British, the Indians, the Communists, the radical Islamic terrorists - to justify ever larger outlays for defense, whether we happen to be at war or not. During his time on the national stage, however, Mr. Gravel's main causes were the war in Vietnam and nuclear testing. But after fighting those battles throughout the 1970s, he was "swept out of office when Reagan and resurgent militarism were swept in. I sank into a long political and personal despair, only to start climbing out of it in the '90s, seeking ways to reform the political system."

Mr. Gravel's main reforms are direct democracy, the national initiative and the flat tax. Before you groan, stop and think what a transformation these ideas would produce in this country. (Better yet, read this book, because it is filled with information and insight.) As a prime example of the workability of the first of his ideas, Mr. Gravel cites Switzerland: "In 168 years of direct democracy, the Swiss have built the most peaceful and prosperous nation in Europe. The United States would become unrecognizable, if the people would have this same power."

There are several other good reasons to read this book. One is that it's very well-written (Mr. Gravel's collaborator, Mr. Lauria, is an experienced New York-based journalist whose specialty is foreign affairs). Another is that it's refreshingly candid. He says that Republican Sen. William Saxbe of Ohio "really loathed me," Jimmy Carter was "more Stevenson than Eisenhower," Bill Clinton "was the first president since FDR who did not feel obliged to scare that hell out of people to pump up profits and power," and he describes the late Rev. Jerry Falwell as "the extreme-right political operative masquerading as a preacher."

It's difficult to sustain anger, even righteous anger, for almost 100,000 words, and yet Mr. Gravel manages to do it without sounding shrill, probably because he doesn't take himself anywhere near as seriously as he takes the issues.

By the end, the tone is, to my ear, just right, as when he tells us, "History is irrational. Powerful people think they can control it. They are fools. The lawlessness unleashed by the supposedly rational schemes of American, Pakistani, and Saudi intelligence beginning in the 1970s, in which terrorists and extremists were used for short-term political gain, resulted in September 11, 2001."

And don't make the mistake of thinking Mr. Gravel is impressed by all the current talk about "change." This is how he ends "A Political Odyssey": "[Americans] cling to anyone who promises them change, however superficial. Under the current system that's all they've got. They deserve more. They must participate in power to alter this nation's march to disaster. That's the only change we can believe in."

John Greenya is the author of "Silent Justice: The Clarence Thomas Story."

 

This book masterfully weaves together the life of Senator Mike Gravel and numerous key moments in the evolution and growth of the Military-Industrial-Complex. From his formative adolescent years in Springfield, Mass to years as a spy in Cold War Europe to staring down Vietnam as a US Senator, Gravel has been in the thick of it for much of his life.

Without citing specific examples (many great moments, no need to spoil them), the book is a swift, pleasurable read. Joe Lauria really channels Gravel's no-nonsense attitude and unabashed criticism, often sarcastic and hard-hitting, towards our culture's obsession with war. Ever since WWII, American military has maintained a positive image and been able to push war after war onto the American people. Gravel cuts right through to who really amped up the Arms Race (USA, as we're doing again today) and the shortcomings of our leadership when they had the opportunities to steer our society away from war. Reading about Gravel's battles fought and his personal experiences really gives a sharp insight into how the Congress can buckle on such fundamental moral issues as life & death. Sufficed to say, most politicians and nothing like Gravel, and that's a very sad thing.

The book is rife with personal reflections and candid stories from a man whose life path has been so dramatically involved with the core force in American society. Sadly, it is a heart beating to the pulse military-industrial-complex and its warmongering desires. Read about Mike going toe-to-toe with Scoop Jackson, an unabashed warhawk (and a fellow Democrat). Candid encounters with Ted Kennedy and Frank Sinatra--the book has some real gems. Gravel's life really represents the French "bon vivant" spirit. That, combined with his ferocious moral courage, show how a real leader of the American people can be.

Gravel's life story and the history of American militarism really flow together seamlessly thanks to Joe Lauria's masterful writing. I am also currently reading James Carroll's "House of War," nearly 600 pages on the rise of the military-industrial-complex post-WWII. In 250 satisfying pages, this book gives a good run-through of how arms manufacturers have crept their influence deeper and deeper into our society (starting soon after the country's founding, often intertwining with executive power being stretched (starting even with Washington) to its rampant abuses today. Read this book as a primer and THEN read House of War if you want to read up on US militarism.

I'd recommend A Political Odyssey to not just followers of Gravel's recent presidential campaign, but anyone looking for some insight into how the military-industrial-complex controls American society, and how one citizen can work within that system and achieve massive successes. Gravel's story is as American as anyone's. First-generation-immigrant, scrapping different jobs together, enlisting in the Army, moving to the frontier of Alaska and becoming a self-made-man, it illustrates a fascinating life guided by the same human strengths and vulnerabilities that we all possess. Senator Gravel is a great patriot and hopefully this book cements that for perpetuity.

Overall a very satisfying read exclusive of the subject matter, so I sincerely recommend to anyone looking for a good historical-political read. If you're in the slight bit suspicious about why America is so war-hungry, read this book. It won't knock you over the head about why it's wrong or not--but it will show how Gravel came to realize how it has affected us and why he has fought so fiercely against it. You make your own decision, and the read will be worth it.

 

 

 

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A Political Oddity, Gravel would indeed appear to be a rare cocktail of vanity (Hillary Clinton: my part in her downfall) and humility (the wilderness years). But that's his problem.
The central theme of the book, conversely, is everyone's problem: that the North American political establishment's embrace of the continuum of fear-mongering, military spending to propogate war or - when none is readily available - to "prevent" war has warped and wounded a nation that might have been entitled to expect far better.
Lauria performs a masterful task of marshalling (no pun intended) the evidence to support a case that is undeniable unless, of course, you are one of those who believes that Granada, for instance, ever posed a threat to the United States.
Gravel's remedy - and credit where it's due: at least he has one - for this monumental waste of human and financial resources, though, is a little naive. Power To The People made a very fine title for John Lennon. But does anyone really doubt the outcome should "the people" be offered the choice between a new car and universal health care? In effect, that choice is exercised every two or three years at a Toyota dealership near you.
Anyone with only a passing interest in events beyond the scope of Nascar racing and Entertainment Tonight was well aware by the presidential election of November 2004 that the Iraq war was a monumental blunder and that weapons of mass destruction were as readily identifiable in that country as is an avowed aetheist running for Congress. So they - or at least the 50 per cent who could be bothered - gave our hero another chance to compound his, and his coterie's, self-serving errors.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, the Obama campaign is so terrified - probably correctly, in the context of his new job - of the "low-information voter" demographic that it feels obliged to simulate outrage at a satirical New Yorker cartoon about the Democratic candidate and his wife.
That this sort of fluff might detain a reader/viewer for the merest fraction of a second makes Lauria's endeavour all the more worthwhile. Someone has to fight the good fight (without guns). Oh, and A Political Odyssey is written with a clarity and style that would not alienate many of those reading the top story on Yahoo news right now :'Ugly Betty' Gets Dumped. 

 

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We have to fight militarism, Gravel gave it a try , July 25, 2008 By  Anthony Aalto (NYC, United States) - See all my reviews    If you watched the Democratic primary debates you probably saw two Mike Gravels. One was the candidate who most directly spoke truth to power: he challenged Hillary on her preparedness to nuke Iran, challenged Obama for voting to fund the Iraq war, challenged the "mealy mouthed" Democratic Congressional leadership, condemned the `war on drugs,' condemned Bush for creating "a nation ruled by fear" and denounced America for allowing itself to become Number One in production of weapons, consumer spending, debt, people in prison, energy consumption, and environmental pollution. The other Gravel came over as the crazy uncle who should have stayed locked in his attic. This book helps us to understand why. Lauria manages to get Gravel to confess to all his human flaws: his vanity, his ambition, his opportunism, his naiveté. Would that all our politicians were so honest. But he also reminds us of his lonely fight to end the draft in Vietnam, his determination to stand up to Nixon over the Pentagon Papers and his vehement opposition to American militarism. For all his foibles, the man is a genuine hero. The book is written with a light touch. It captures Gravel's voice and his no b-s attitude perfectly and it reads in places almost like a novel - who knew that Gravel was once a New York cabbie, a railroad brakeman in Alaska, much less an American spy in Europe? Yet Lauria also manages to interlace it with some heavy-duty historical research into the birth of the military-industrial complex and the way in which so many of our presidents have chosen to exploit fear and twist our Constitution in order to justify huge arms expenditures and bloody foreign adventures that have generated huge profits for the weapons merchants back home. Gravel's solution to the way in which our democratic republic is periodically hijacked by what is in effect a fear-mongering elected monarch and a Congress in thrall to its corporate backers and their imperial ambitions, is government by national initiative - legislation initiated by The People and voted on in national referenda. At first blush it is hard to see how such an idea could ever gain traction. And when one thinks of initiatives like California's Proposition 13 which decimated the best public education system in the country, it's hard not wonder if direct democracy might not be worse than the (un)representative version we have now. But it does make one think. America's revolutionary experiment was supposed to be a permanent revolution... ever more perfectible. And, given the way the Internet is tying us all ever closer together in a network of instant communication and given the galvanizing effect of online organizing evident in Obama's campaign, it makes one wonder if Gravel will simply prove to be a prophet before his time. If we could all vote directly, would we really spend close to 50% of our national budget on the Pentagon, national security and war, as we do today? It is that monumental folly that seems to unite Gravel and Lauria in their passion and that makes this book such a good read.

 

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A Political Odyssey
The Rise of American Militarism and One Man's Fight to Stop It
by Mike Gravel, Joe Lauria, and Daniel Ellsberg


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

Tnis book is a post-mortem of Sen. Gravel's quixotic race for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008. It is also an historical analysis of his career in the Senate in the 1970s. And finally, this book is about where his National Initiative is going next.

Gravel started seeking the Democratic nomination before any other candidates announced. He focused his campaign on the National Initiative -- a means for citizens to get ballot questions into the national vote and thereby passed into law, as is done in about half the states now. Gravel managed to get into a few nationally-televised debates, where he mercilessly bashed Hillary Clinton and others for their pro-Iraq war vote. Gravel realized when he started getting excluded from the debates that he had lost his bully pulpit, and withdrew, briefly seeking the Libertarian Party nomination as well (losing that to Rep. Bob Barr in May 2008).

This book covers numerous issues from Gravel's two-term Senate career, with sort of "lessons learned" applied to Bush and the current Congress, focusing on:

Gravel's actions with regards to releasing the Pentagon Papers, the documents that Pres. Nixon kept secret because they proved that the Nixon Administration lied to the American public about the Vietnam War Gravel's disdain for secrecy, as applied to Pres. Bush's current reluctance to release documents that might demonstrate the same about the Iraq War as the Pentagon Papers revealed about Vietnam Gravel's view that the military-industrial complex should really be called the military-industrial-Congress complex because Congress is so tied into it Gravel's lengthy historical analysis of how the military-industrial complex came about and is sustained How the Supreme Court case of United States vs. Gravel today still allows members of Congress to release war secrets, but that members of Congress don't use it. How the people can take back power from Congress and the military by ballot initiatives.

Overall, this book is a fine read for political junkies, especially those who have strong feelings about secrecy or the military. It does not delve into the "left-libertarianism" issues that would have been raised had Gravel won the Libertarian Party nomination, however. We'll deal with those issues in our upcoming interview....

-- Jesse Gordon, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, June 2008

P.S. Mike Gravel granted OnTheIssues.org a phone interview about this book -- excerpts will be posted shortly!

Click here for 43 full quotes from Mike Gravel in the book A Political Odyssey, by Mike Gravel. OR click on an issue category below for a subset.

Civil Rights    Bush's overblown War on Terror is modern McCarthyism.    Established first in-state high school for native Alaskans.

Education    Science must guide us, not religious extremism.

Energy & Oil    Implacably opposed to civilian nuclear power.    Using H-bombs to build harbors is an "insane idea".

Foreign Policy    Sanctions never work, unless regime's victims ask for them.    1970s self-examination of US role is needed again.    American messianism: Christianizing & democratizing abroad.    1948: Volunteered to fight for Israeli independence.

Free Trade    Tariffs on China could spur worldwide economic downturn.

Government Reform    Secrecy makes democracy a sham.    Presidents often tend toward monarchy, especially during war.    1972: Senate presented evidence for 1st time in Gravel case.    1972: Lost Supreme Court case, United States v. Gravel.    Senators can & should reveal secret war plans with impunity.    I hate government secrecy; it only protects government.    Use political power to accomplish something.

Gun Control    Doesn't hunt, but shot moose injured by Alaskan trains.

Homeland Security    In Congress, personified opposition to American militarism.    Soldiers die in vain if war serves only elite interests.    President's job since WWII is pitchman for war industry.    Released full Pentagon Papers when Nixon stopped publication.    Made into Senate pariah for releasing Pentagon Papers.    Bush uses Patriot Act to gut international law.    Boston publisher finally printed Pentagon Papers.    Sued by Nixon in Supreme Court case.    Bush & military-industrialists rule by fear-mongering.    Presidential imperialism feeds the arms industry.    CIA NIE ignored in 1947 about Cold War; & in 2004 about Iraq.

Immigration    Nativists who want to fence us in are dead wrong.

Jobs    Communists helped unions end child labor & set 8-hr workday.

Principles & Values    Served in US Army in the Cold War in Europe.    Withdrew from politics for 26 years, ashamed of politics.    Political career started as teen handing out campaign flyers.    Dyslexic, hence became avid political reader at a late age.    As army spy, felt rotten spying on innocent people.    Moved to pre-statehood Alaska because no political elite.    1958: Ran for Alaska Legislature as prep for US Senate.    1965: False promise to opponent to get House speakership.

War & Peace    Iraqis never asked for invasion; don't shift blame to them.    2001: Should have made deal with Saddam to fight extremists.    Unconstitutional to defund war; so criminalize it.    Iraq war was propagandized like 1898 "Remember the Maine!".