...that government of the people, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the Earth. -- Abraham Lincoln
From _The New Field Guide to the U.S. Economy_, by Nancy Folbre
and The Center for Popular Economics; The New Press, N.Y., 1995,
ISBN 1-56584-153-0:
Share of total value of family-owned assets in 1989
The richest 1% of families held:
45% of all nonresidential real estate
62% of all business assets
49% of all publicly held stock
78% of all bonds
The richest 10% of families held:
80% of all nonresidential real estate
91% of all business assets
85% of all stocks
94% of all bonds
Is this the best way for human society to function?
Are war, genocide, bigotry, exploitation, and the destruction
of our planet really necessary? Is this the natural way for
humans to be? Are we born wanting to act this way?
Or are we living under the influence of cultural traditions
that *teach* us to hurt each other, and to waste our energy
in conflict instead of using it for cooperation and
creativity?
Here are some very informative Web pages. Descriptions of
five excellent books appear afterward.
_The Chalice and the Blade_, by Riane Eisler, 1988, ISBN
0-06-250-289-1, HarperSanFrancisco, $16. An overview of the
archaeological work of Marija Gimbutas and others. It explains
the macro-history of human culture, and proves that domination,
patriarchy, and war are culturally programmed, rather than
biologically innate.
_Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body_,
by Riane Eisler, 1996, ISBN 0-06-250283-2, HarperSanFrancisco
In the spirit of _The Chalice and the Blade_, Eisler passionately
envisions a future when women and men face each other as equal
partners, and sex and spirituality are once again entwined.
_Reich for Beginners_, by David Zane Mairowitz, Writers and
Readers Publishing Cooperative (New York, London) and Unwin
Paperbacks (London), 1986, ISBN 0-04-921032-7 or (U.S.)
0-86316-031-X, $6.95. Order from W&RPC at 212-982-3158.
Wilhelm Reich discovered that most people are afflicted
with a contagious psychological/physiological illness, which
causes (in various circumstances) anxiety, bigotry, hatred,
depression, sexism, exploitation, militarism, genocide, etc.
These phenomena are *not* natural to human beings. This book
is currently out of print until 1999; however, the publisher
may move it up on the reprinting schedule if they get requests
for it, which should be made to Deborah Dyson at 212-982-3158.
Other books by and about Wilhelm Reich can be found by searching
www.amazon.com .
_Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World
War II_, by William Blum, ISBN 1-56751-052-3, $19.95, 458 pp.,
Common Courage Press (Monroe, Maine), ph. 207-525-0900.
Organized as dozens of concise chapters, each on the destruction of
democracy in a particular nation by the U.S., through military and
covert means. A superb and very readable resource, with copious
references.
_It's a Conspiracy!_, 1992, ISBN 1-879682-10-9, $9.95. EarthWorks
Press, P.O.Box 1117, Ashland OR, 97520. ph. 541-488-4642.
This book covers, among many other topics, the financial and
industrial aid and cooperation rendered to the Nazis by Hearst,
ITT, GM, Ford, Standard Oil, Curtiss-Wright, and Chase-Manhattan
Bank; also the Reinhard Gehlen story. It provides a quick intro-
duction to dozens of covert Nazi/Fascist/Republican operations
carried out over the last 70 years, with a concise and readable
style and a good bibliography.
Please address comments to Mark S Bilk -- msb@netcom.com