Lords of Secrecy: The National Security Elite and America's Stealth Warfare
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.48 (940 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1522694099 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 182 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-05-03 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
American democracy is in deep trouble. Lords of Secrecy explores the most important national security debates of our time, including the legal and moral issues surrounding the turn to private security contractors, the sweeping surveillance methods of intelligence agencies, and the use of robotic weapons such as drones. Never before have the American people had so little information concerning the wars waged in their name, nor has Congress exercised so little oversight over the war effort. Secrecy is justified as part of a bargain under which the state promises to keep the people safe from its enemies, but in fact allows excesses, mistakes, and crimes to go unchecked. In lucid and chilling detail, journalist and lawyer Scott Horton shows how secrecy has changed the way America functions. Horton reminds us that dealing with the country's national security concerns is both a right and a responsibility of a free citizenry, something that has always sat at the heart of any democracy that earns the name.. But American political consciousness has drifted. Bureaucracies use secrets to conceal their mistakes and advance their power in government, invariable at the expense of the rights of the people. National security issues have increasingly faded from the political agenda, due in part to the growth of government secrecy. As the ancient Greeks recognized, too much secrecy changes
A gem of a book."Ariel Cohen, Visiting Fellow, The Heritage Foundation. Every American who cares about democracy should read this book.”Washington Book Review"Scott Horton delivers the goods on many fronts. "Details some remarkable abuses. And by understanding the secret of secrecy, Horton discloses just how the mysticism surrounding it has created a momentum that threatens what Hannah Arendt once called a crisis of the republic.’”Sidney Blumenthal"Lords of Secrecy is one of the most important contributions to the vital debate about democracy in the post-Cold War era yet published. It is permeated with a real love of our country and a burning concern for the future of our democracy. drone program, from spying on terrorists to targeting and killing them with surgical strikes, has run amokAnyone in or outside the legal profession who doubts the unfettered growth of the U.S. The lethal challen
The Chapter Epigraphs Alone Are Worth the Price of Admission Barry Eisler A superb examination of the ever-ratcheting regime of official secrecy that is inexorably strangling democracy in America. The chapter epigraphs alone are worth the price of admission. I had to resist the urge to live blog my reactions because there’s so much I loved about this book.At times depicting a bureaucratic world worthy of Joseph Heller or Kafka, the book is a clear and compelling call for citizens to recognize secrecy for what it is: a weakness, not a strength; an addiction, not a choice; a disease of democracy and ultimately democracy’s death. For anyone who wants to arrest the domestic growth of the same kind of . Keith A. Comess said The Fix. It's a bit difficult to conceive of a book on US government transgressions that can remain both interesting and current in the context of the ongoing Snowden revelations, but "Lords of Secrecy" accomplishes both goals. Not only that, it does so in a compelling, objective, direct and cogent manner. It succeeds by avoiding the taint of more polemical expositions (see, for example, Glenn Greenwald's book) and sticking to the facts as they are known.Scott Horton is a lawyer by training and practice. To provide necessary context, he carefully yet succinctly summarizes relevant legal proceedings and describes how these have been consistently . Disappointing This was extremely disappointing. What is worse is that Horton advocates for an informed citizenry that is given unmanipulated information. Yet, he manipulates his reader with poor logic, unsupported assertions, and false footnotes.As a couple quick examples:Page 98-99 he talks about the rise of the national security state with the National Security Act of 19Disappointing SK This was extremely disappointing. What is worse is that Horton advocates for an informed citizenry that is given unmanipulated information. Yet, he manipulates his reader with poor logic, unsupported assertions, and false footnotes.As a couple quick examples:Page 98-99 he talks about the rise of the national security state with the National Security Act of 1947. After quoting the Act in regards to the definition of covert action, the need for a written finding, and the Congressional oversight, he asserts: "The national security state that came into existence in 1947 thus reflected deep concern about the unchecked spread of secrecy and a. 7. After quoting the Act in regards to the definition of covert action, the need for a written finding, and the Congressional oversight, he asserts: "The national security state that came into existence in 19Disappointing SK This was extremely disappointing. What is worse is that Horton advocates for an informed citizenry that is given unmanipulated information. Yet, he manipulates his reader with poor logic, unsupported assertions, and false footnotes.As a couple quick examples:Page 98-99 he talks about the rise of the national security state with the National Security Act of 1947. After quoting the Act in regards to the definition of covert action, the need for a written finding, and the Congressional oversight, he asserts: "The national security state that came into existence in 1947 thus reflected deep concern about the unchecked spread of secrecy and a. 7 thus reflected deep concern about the unchecked spread of secrecy and a