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chris - 2006-01-30 12:44:07
Cant say I agree with you on the Perkins book. I agree with one of the more negative reviews when they said "the story as presented is implausible to say the least, offering so few details that Perkins often seems paranoid, and the simplistic political analysis doesn�t enhance his credibility." But my guess is hes no J. Frey. No one can be that flaky
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Sporktoast - 2006-01-30 13:02:17
Funny you should mention Perkins' book. It just came out in paperback, and he was gave a reading at Politics & Prose in DC, which was featured on C-SPAN Book TV last week.
http://209.144.51.202/feature/index.asp?segid=6634&schedID=397
As near as I understand the history, particularly in Central America, he didn't contradict any of the known details. When he gets to the less-than-public aspects, he's not outside of the realm of what is suspected already.
I had the most difficult time towards the end of his book. I realize that he has reformed himself, and is working to undo the efforts of his former associates. I think it is important to detail that. But after spending most of the book laying out the case for how bad things have been, and how much worse the EHM system is now, I don't think he made a good enough of a case for hope. So much of the description of the problem was outlined in concrete cases; details of the movement of money and power. Who the big players were, what they did, why they did it, and what rewards they reaped. The hope and transformation he preached seemed to have a foundation that was a lot more spiritual and fluffy. While I don't necessarily disagree that "redefining what it means to be human" is an important step toward turning things around, it is difficult to understand how this might affect whether or not Evo Morales is going to go down in a helicopter "accident".
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Paula - 2006-01-30 13:13:08
The hope and transformation he preached seemed to have a foundation that was a lot more spiritual and fluffy
He puts a lot of stock in the dynamics of an "idea whose time has come," and the power of faith. I gotta side with him there. (But you already know I'm fluffy!) I think he sees real public servants who meet with "accidents" as martyrs for now, with real gains coming later as people start seeing the world differently.
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Paula - 2006-01-30 13:28:05
I think he sees real public servants who meet with "accidents" as martyrs for now
And he doesn't say it lightly, I didn't mean to imply that he is being glib. He acknowledges this with a heavy heart.
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