Super Nintendo Chalmers

In case you missed it, Chalmers Johnson was on Talk of the Nation recently. I highly highly encourage everyone to check this guy out.

Check out the show and a book excerpt here.

One great part of the interview is that you can practically hear host, Neil Cohen, freaking out like a square after everything Johnson says. When Neil does have a chance to speak, he has to furiously backpedal to keep the show in line with the current Americanized view of history and foreign policy. Johnson, on the other hand, is all over the map discussing topics ranging from the kidnapping and rape of a 12 year-old girl by US soldiers on Okinawa to Greek mythology to current federal budgetary considerations. Suffice it to say that I doubt that he will be invited back to the show (or any other show on npr for that matter). So, don't worry, his name will be going down right after Noam Chomsky on the old blacklist and we'll be listening to the opinions of media-controlling think tanks like the Heritage foundation again tomorrow.

You can also read a great article about national security here.

I just have to reiterate that this guy is the best. His new book "Nemesis" just came out and I haven't gotten a copy yet but it looks great. I started reading his other books "The Sorrows of Empire" and "Blowback" after a good friend pointed me in that direction. These are scholarly but approachable books written with rare clarity and consistent insights. He presents original perspectives sharpened with repeated evidence and first hand experience at a speed that is almost breathtaking. I had to stop reading after every chapter just to digest.

One last Johnson article. This one is free economic advice.


While everyone was shrugging their shoulders over how the Japanese economy explosion occurred in the 80s Johnson investigated and came out of nowhere with what is widely considered the most plausible explanation for what happened in his book "MITI and the Japanese miracle". It sounds like a book for robot children and sadly it's not exciting reading unless you're an economist.

His later work "Blowback" warns of impending terrorist dangers facing the US in the form of terrorist activities as reciprocity (i.e. blowback) for US interference in other countries. The book essentially predicted a 911 like scenario before it was on anyone's radar.

"The Sorrows of Empire" reveals a hidden truth in the formation and preservation of the US empire of military bases. If you're still reading this post, please go and listen to the show.