Did a book or a writer change your life? One changed mine. It was Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, a slim volume first published in 1845 and lent to me when I was 14 by the editor of a newspaper where I had a sweeping-up job. Frederick Douglass became my hero and remains so today.

Two other books also spun me around..

One was The Invisible Government, written by David Wise and Thomas Ross, and published in 1964. Theirs was the first exposé of the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and other covert operations, written at a time when spooks and "ex"-spooks didn’t appear as cable-channel analysts and 95% of Americans didn’t know that their government was overthrowing other governments. The CIA tried to censor their book, and when that failed, sought to get bad reviews written. This was, of course, before it became known how many journalists the CIA used to get its message into the media.

Then, in 1969,  Custer Died for Your Sins  was written by Vine Deloria Jr., a member of the Dakota and Lakota peoples of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. That book spurred me to join the American Indian Movement, of which I was a member until 1986.

Yesterday, I finished for the second time (and I rarely read books twice these days – does anyone have that much spare time?) The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein. This book has had a greater impact on me than anything I have read in many years. Not that I didn’t know anything about what she wrote, but seeing it all together brought so much into focus in a rarely done way.

So, back to where I started, what about you? Did a book or writer change you?

Days since Mission Accomplished: 1785

The Overnight News Digest is posted.

If you're a political activist or a student of humanity, it's not enough to go after the bad guys. Spiritually, you need your vitamins. As part of your daily suplement of KOS, you need to be reminded of people who are truly admirable. One of America's greatest had his obit. in today's Washington Post. Probably you never heard of him, but you can now....

In the spirit of Mother Jones, who famously said:  Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living,  I've got a small update on the Pombo Amendment, below.  Attached to the Budget Reconciliation, it's still there.  And set to make the (to put it politely) archaic 1872 Mining Act even worse.  And one of the provisions that's been in the way of the Budget Reconciliation passing. So far.

Respected Native American activist, Vine Deloria, Jr, died Sunday, November 13th, succumbing to complications from surgery.  The author of many books, his most well-known title was Custer Died for Your Sins.  Amongst other things, this book is credited with helping return artifacts and human remains back to the appropriate tribes.

 

More on Deloria on the flip.  And on Pombo Amendment.