Stephan Kinzer does it again with another home run published and delivered to the few remaining independent bookstores. His book called "Overthrown" looks at the century of change the American empire has committed to installing around the world and deciding which leaders they would like to see rule these distant lands. From the seizure of Hawaii and the disposing of queen Liluokalani to the brutal conquest of the Philippines a familiar pattern is set by this new empire and in it their drive for trade and profit at all costs to the natives in life and desultory undemocratic conditions. Kinzer repeats these stories of greedy audacious politicians and businessmen who conspire to see who is best fit to rule these independent countries and it is always to the benefit of American entrepreneurs and landowners instead of the more numerous citizens.
Disposing elected regimes in Central America seemed as much as a pastime as baseball in the fifties and Kinzer's work excruciating looks at all these state sponsored coups that should make any true patriot and American shameful at actions of the wealthy clan ruling America. The story of Sam Zemurray,the banana man , is told how this Jewish peasant rose out of poverty and then used his United fruit Company and profits to keep millions of Central Americans in deep poverty.The second part of the book looks at the covert action of the Eisenhower administration where we disposed leaders of Iran and Guatemala because we could and wanted to keep the cold war frozen and keeping tensions to serve a growing military industrial complex. Kinzer goes on to mention our planning and role of murdering Salvador Allende in Chile who was a committed and elected socialist about to bring communism and equality to this South American nation and how Chile was one of Richard Nixon's biggest fear.
The amount of bloodshed and terror this country caused in the name of the cold war was horrifying and Vietnam was a major step back from a public that was getting more and more aware of these international horror that their country and government was creating to all corners of the world. This is what happens when you have an ignorant uneducated populace who worships the rich and think that it is best to let them do what they want in politics and military affairs. All these Overthrows and military action couldn't have occurred without the support f the American public whose priorities into their own personal space and bubble made it possible to ignore the atrocities and genocide being committed under their flag.
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