On the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Consequences of American Conquest and Carnage | 
|  | | | Title: | On the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Consequences of American Conquest and Carnage | | Author: | Ward Churchill | | Publisher: | AK Press | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 01 November, 2003 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 1902593790 / 9781902593791 | | List Price: | $15.95 | | You Save: | $5.10 | | Amazon Price: | $10.85 | |
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Product Description
The United States has long been considered a deadly foe by the inhabitants of its ever-expanding "spheres of influence." In Reflections on the Justice of Roosting Chickens, Churchill examines the toll U.S. policies have taken on civilians around the world and the role activists are (or aren't) playing to stop the carnage. The Western world was stunned to wake up on 9-11 to find that the Third World had "pushed back." By ignoring the suffering and loss of life of their victims while grieving over our own, Amercans have made themselves complicit in their government's global slaughter. In a heartwrenching recount, Churchill reminds us of the untold millions who have perished as a result of U.S. military intervention (in either a physical, diplomatic or economic sense) in Iraq, Cambodia, Palestine, East Timor, the Americas . . . and the list goes on. To further illustrate his point, included are annotated chronologies of U.S. military actions from 1776 to the present and a compilation of International Laws either broken or ignored by the United States. Comprehensive, yet remaining concise, this book cannot be overlooked by those still asking: "Why do they hate us?" "Few are as eloquent or as able to maintain lucidity for the lay reader as is Churchill."-Bloomsbury Review "Ward Churchill has carved out a special place for himself in defending the rights of oppressed people, and -exposing the dark side of past and current history, often marginalized or suppressed. These are achievements of inestimable value."-Noam Chomsky Ward Churchill is co-director of the American Indian Movement of Colorado, a national spokesperson for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, and an associate professor of American Indian Studies and Communications at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Author of more than a dozen titles, he is also an indefatigable lecturer on government repression, American Indian affairs and global politics.
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Customer Reviews:
• What Goes Round... 29 March, 2005
This is a great read!
Only someone choosing to remain blind, or supremely arrogant, could argue the lucid points made by Churchill. His arguments are backed by well documented facts that should have screamed from page one of every major newspaper. Of course, in keeping with the policies of right wing owned outlets, these facts are buried.
Those tactical nukes will start going off in our major cities soon enough. If you want to know why, read this book!
- Reviewed by customer ID: ALMVMCHXVA7ZL
• A Chance To Open My Eyes 22 May, 2008
Ward Churchill has been persona non grata in America since he has made strong criticisms of this country. In this book, he has listed an astounding array of factual examples of America's past role in world events. It is nothing less than an eye-opener for the objective reader.
Obviously, the average American citizen will be offended at this criticism. But Churchill "tells it like it is" and it is too bad every American citizen is not exposed to these thoughts so that we might change our national behavior in the future.
Or else, as Churchill says, (and the Reverend Jeffrey Wright recently expounded) " the chickens will continue to come home to roost!"
- Reviewed by customer ID: AL5OYR0CWD7AQ
• A Must Read 30 March, 2005
I'll make an admission up front: until the recent brouhaha regarding an out-of-context quote by Professor Churchill, I had never even heard of the guy. That's not uncommon, as most of us in the academic world toil in relative obscurity and rarely know much about what other academicians are doing outside of our own narrow specialties. Suffice it to say, with the issue of academic freedom on the line I felt compelled to at least read the original essay that caused so much disdain among America's right-wingers and to follow that up with some reading of his more scholarly work. Hence, I chose to pick up "On the Justice of Roosting Chickens" and find out for myself what all the fuss was about.
Having now read this book, I'm willing to give it a top rating. The essays are well-written and thoroughly documented, and the chronologies of US military interventions since the Declaration of Independence and of US double-standards and outright violations of UN resolutions since its inception are invaluable. Those features of the book give the lie to the commonly held myths that ours is a "peace loving nation" and a nation dedicated to "upholding laws". Historically, we've been neither, it pains me to say.
Reading this book will not make you feel good. It will likely leave the reader angry, frustrated, and/or depressed - and that is the point. If this book can convey to its readers even an inkling of the pain that has been inflicted upon both our own people and those in developing nations by our own government in our own names, then the author has done his job. The one hope we have as a society of averting a state of perpetual war is to increase the level of empathy that US citizens have towards their counterparts elsewhere. Alternative histories such as Churchill's (along with of course Chomsky and Zinn) are important precisely because they do invite readers to challenge their assumptions and to see our potentially great nation through others' eyes.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1U5DW1YB423OV
• Lies And The Liar Who Tells Them. 22 May, 2006
Once again "Dr." Churchill (he of course could never actually submit himself to the discipline and hard work necessary for a doctorate} steps forward to spew forth his usual set of lies and distortions calculated to promote his extreme and anti-American ideological agenda. Hitler was right, and Churchill knows it: the bigger the lie and the more often it is repeated the more believable it becomes. In Churchill's case the lie that is implicit in his every word and contention is that America is a place of injustice, racism, and greed. Of course, what Churchill cannot provide is a reasoned account of the human past that makes meaningful comparisons between America and other mass societies. So if Churchill were actually a scholar and met his responsibility to place American history in context by referencing other cultures what other societies would he decide have a better humanitarian record? India, surely not, they still have unofficial untouchables there, and a hundred and fifty years ago they burnt widows alive. Russia, not worth discussing. China, yeah right. The British empire? Native American societies? Well, almost without exception they were warrior cultures in which men killed and stole from other Indians (or as in the case of mesoamerica ripped the bleeding hearts out of living adults and children) and that practiced slavery - not the idea most of us have of a just society.
No, Ward, America is not a place of injustice, racism, and greed, though of course as in all societies those elements are present. America is the place where popular sovereignty was implemented for the first time in the human experience, the place that in its two hundred years of history has steadily become more democratic, inclusive, and just, the nation that created the United Nations and that torpedoed Europe's hopes of reestablishing colonialism after World War II, the country that was instrumental in defeating fascism, the country that faced down the geniunely evil Soviet Communism (60 million unnecessary dead between 1917 and 1953)while spreading Western enlightenment ideas like natural rights and women's empowerment throughout the world, and the place that two to three billion people elsewhere would dearly love to live (gallup poll in Mexico showed that 46% of its people, for instance, wish to live in the United States). Were Indians displaced? yes. Did Indians die off from new and unfamiliar diseases brought to the Western Hemisphere by Europeans and Africans? Yes, but it is a fact that all of human history is a litany of stronger cultures overwhelming and frequently destroying weaker cultures. Indeed, human social and technological advancement has been held by some to be a function of that process. But of course, Ward Churchill is not interested in discussing this truth, just making points.
The other side of this book is the fact that it is written by a man who has been judged by an objective panel of his peers as a thief and a liar, and who have in detail demolished the factual basis for virtually all of Churchill's assertions (go see online the report of the faculty review committee of the University of Colorado). Inevitably there will be those so dissatisfied with their own life and reality that they will find in Churchill's work reenforcement for the righteousness of their own alienation. For the rest of us, Churchill's chief contribution is that he illustrates just how farcical and bizarre academia can be. It would be risible if it were not so tragic. Garbage, true, but interesting garbage that sadly speaks to our time and place.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2ONF6ZDGZOM5G
• Every American Should Read This Book 03 April, 2008
This book presents a side of American history that is NOT taught in typical history classes. In the Declaration of Independence our founding fathers codified their belief that it is the responsibility of good citizens to continually scrutinize their government, hold it accountable for its actions, and if necessary, change it. Those who subscribe to the "America can do no wrong" belief do neither the world nor their country any favors.
Churchill has done a very thorough job of documenting American's offenses against human rights in other countries through an astounding chronological compilation of the many acts of war committed against other soverign nations virtually since the inception of the United States as an independent country. Although I have been studying many of these incidents for years, even I had forgotten some of them, and some of the details. Almost seven years after 9/11, those who are still wondering "why do they hate us so much" will find many of the answers in this book.
As a patriotic American I believe that the great experiment of the United States has the potential to be one of the best governmental systems ever devised. Unfortunately those charged with running that system all too often have feet of clay, and have manipulated it into yet one more greedy attempt to establish empire.
The only reason I don't give this book five stars is that I feel Churchill went in two directions at once. On the one hand he documents a wealth of real, historical events which are too often swept under the carpet; on the other, he presents his own political interpretation of the events he has chronicled. I feel that the raw historical facts speak loudly for themselves. The political comments are unnecessary, and may put off some readers who will focus on them and miss the historical message; those comments would have been better saved for a separate book.
Be that as it may, it is the task of all American citizens to end the 'reign of terror' America has perpetrated on the world for too long, and focus instead on expanding the many good works America has performed. This country is capable of leading by moral example rather than force, if only we are willing to make the effort, and hold out politicians' feet to the fire. Changing the status quo begins with understanding the history of how the status quo came to be; that is where this book fills an important gap. Disagree with Churchill's politics if you like, but pay attention to the history he relates. Seek original sources to confirm his facts -- the book is heavily footnoted and full of citations. Only by knowing the full history of America in the world -- the good AND the bad -- can we make intelligent and moral choices for our future.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1H2D403IZ5E6K
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