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The US is now bogged down in a guerilla war in Iraq. The political leadership misled the people in a pattern of deception that Machiavelli would have admired. The media, with few exceptions, never challenged the official stories. Only a handful in Congress asked questions. In a remarkable propaganda triumph, the Bush Administration managed to conflate the country and the government as one and the same. Mark Twain, a fierce opponent of an earlier outburst of American imperialism, declared that he supported the country all of the time and the government when it deserved it. Citizens can cut through the spin if they are armed with independent information, knowledge of history and critical thinking. Without those tools then people are easy prey for Swift Boat and wolf pack ads. Howard Zinn, professor emeritus at Boston University, is perhaps this country's premier radical historian. He grew up in a poor immigrant family in Brooklyn. During World War II, he saw combat duty as an air force bombardier. After the war, he went to Columbia University on the GI Bill. He was an active figure in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements. Today, at 82 he speaks all over the country before huge audiences. His masterpiece, A People's History of the U.S. continues to sell in huge numbers. His latest book is Voices of a People's History.
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