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The Leonard Lopate Show / May 12, 2008 / America on the Verge

America on the Verge

Monday, May 12, 2008

Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi says that America is a nation on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He traveled across the country in the post-9/11 era and wrote about what he found in The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire.


Comments

  • [1] hjs from 11211 May 12, 2008 - 01:11PM

    I agree 100% we are deluding ourselves if we think the empire can be maintained with credit and cheap goods from china and oil, and by electing presidents who we want to have a beer with, voting against gay right when we should be voting for modern healthcare, education and infrastructure and fighting wars without the facts.

    it's not just denial it's a national mental illness.


  • [2] Bonnie Rothman from Staten Island May 12, 2008 - 01:50PM

    Congress is incapable of action so long as 1) the Democratic party doesn't have veto proof superiority 2) the President subverts Congressional bills (signing statements etc. 3) Congress hasn't the number of members necessary to impeach see #1 above.

    Another thing to remember is that members of Congress support those who support them. That means businesses have more power than individual citizens or citizen groups. Congress throws a bone unless everything is on the line for them. That's just how our system works.
  • [3] rich from ridgewood nj May 12, 2008 - 01:53PM

    When trying to assist a rebuilding effort in Mississippi, I questioned why particular emphasis was being placed on homes that were less than 1' above sea level. I was told that my northern bias was so strong, that I thought myself capable of second guessing the almighty, and that it really wasn't up to us mortals to decide where or how to build.


  • [4] Michael from NYC May 12, 2008 - 01:58PM

    As a foreigner I think that it's based on a world view where America is all you need to know of the world as I have a few friends who are into conspiracy theories. But everytime I hear the theories they reflect that the US is the only world player and that there are other forces (read other countries) who have their own agendas.
  • [5] mc from Brooklyn May 12, 2008 - 01:59PM

    I'm glad this guy writes about conspiracy theories on both sides of the political spectrum because they really exist everywhere. No one seems to have the monopoly on this. People will belive what they want to, even in the face of empirical evidence to the contrary.
  • [6] Liz May 12, 2008 - 06:08PM

    What an articulate guest. He was very well-rounded in his knowledge of history and current events. Please invite him back! Your conversation convinced me to pick up his book.

This thread is closed.


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