Reply #7: Naomi Klein's "Shock Therapy -- The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" [View All]

[Time for change]

is a real eye opener on this subject.

Recently I've developed a better understanding of how intimately involved in these sordid affairs our country has been. I already knew about our regime changes in Iran and Guatemala in the 50s, our School of the Americas, and our support of the right wing death squads in Central America in the 80s.

But the fuller picture is dark indeed. Klein talks about how our support of brutal regimes in South America in the 70s resulted in the overthrow of several pretty decent governments, including Chile, Argemtina, Uroguay, and Brazil, and how we trained them in and supported widespread torture regimes in all those countries, resulting in probably over 100,000 individuals suffering long standing torture of several years' duration, usually ending in death. South America probably would have had a much better history if not for us. And this was all done to prop up the rich at the expense of the poor and the middle class.

It's hard to imagine. I can believe Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and the Bushes being involved in these sorts of things, and condoning them. But I really have to wonder what Carter knew about it all. I just can't imagine him condoning these things if he knew. And yet, how could he not have known? I really would like to understand better how this was allowed to happen.