Rick Gedeon
Activist Post

The sole purpose of COINTELPRO was to destroy individuals and groups perceived as threats to the status quo in the United States. COINTELPRO was “officially” ended in 1971—although it never really ended. After the 911 attacks, the government went at it again, but this time with a scared and more dumbed-down complicit public. Exactly forty-six days after the towers came crumbing down Bush signed the USA Patriot Act. This virtually eliminated restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records. What we used to consider illegal eavesdropping is now reclassified as something else -- an emergency. According to an official DOJ report, the use of “emergency”, warrantless requests to ISPs for customer communications content has skyrocketed over 400% in a single year. No outrage, no accountability. The majority of people are now more concerned about how to feed their families; civil liberties will just have to take a back seat until things improve.

The inequality and oppression in America now resembles that of a third world oligarchy. The only purpose of an oligarchy is to perpetuate oligarchic rule. Hence, "change" is not a choice, lest the rulers might be held to account for their crimes. Upward mobility is no longer attainable; the days of “hard work and dedication bringing success” are over. It would be a slap in the face to say that to the more than “317,000 waiters and waitresses (over 8,000 of which have a doctoral or professional degree), along with over 80,000 bartenders, and over 18,000 parking lot attendants” Americans who graduated from college. The cancer of nepotism and cronyism are the order of the day. It is mathematically impossible to hold a job while paying for exorbitant college tuition, unless of course you come from the fast-shrinking upper-middle class.

The majority of voters voted for Obama in 2008 because they wanted change. The word "change" did resonate in the hearts of Americans, but, unfortunately, the people were once again bamboozled. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Voting appears to be the least viable solution; the more productive path is to organize locally. The following list of books contains sources not often cited by mainstream media . . . and there is a reason for that. These books promote critical thinking, revisit the coverups of history, and promote individual empowerment. They should be read widely in order to raise awareness of the situation facing America today, so that we can take back what has been taken from us.

The descriptions of each book are generally sourced from their product sales points, and have been edited for brevity. In some cases where official product descriptions were not available, a summary of important points is offered. Each title is an embedded link where the book can be purchased.

These are the books that have been most instrumental in my research. I would love to learn what books you have found to be most helpful. Please share your thoughts and suggestions with others in the comments section below.

21. Propaganda, Edward Bernays
Media control and propaganda is how the rest of what is contained in the books that follows is ever made possible. Without belief in the orchestrated events of history, the tactics employed by the ruling elite could never work. This is an essential place to start to learn how human perception is altered so that a false reality can be created and accepted. Or, as Bernays himself said, “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”

20. Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True, Mark Dice
High-tech spy gadgets, mind-reading machines, emerging artificial intelligence systems, and government projects seem as if they came right out of George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Mark Dice illustrates how what was once considered fiction has now become reality. Dice shows you the scary documentation that Big Brother is watching you, and is more powerful than you could imagine. Learn about mind reading machines, cybernetic organisms, neural interfaces, and more.

19. What I Saw That Day Israel's June 8 1967 Holocaust of US Servicemen Aboard the USS LIBERTY and its Aftermath, Phillip Tourney
Personal eyewitness testimony of Phil Tourney, US Navy Petty Officer concerning Israel's 2 hour attack upon his ship USS LIBERTY on June 8, 1967 and the following cover-up by the US government.

18. The County Sheriff: America's Last Hope, Sheriff Richard Mack
Sheriff Mack's latest book covers decades of research to prove once and for all that the sheriffs in this country are indeed the ultimate law authority in their respective jurisdictions. The sheriff absolutely has the power and responsiblity to defend his citizens against all enemies, including those from our own Federal Government.

17. Corporatism: The Secret Government of the New World Order, Jeffrey Grupp
Corporations control all basic resources of the world, all the governments and institutions, and prevent us from solving humanity's problems. Their New World Order plan is the global 'prison planet' that Hitler was aiming for.

16. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins
An extraordinary and gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. Perkins writes about the Enron-style of cooking the books to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies.

15. JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy (Second Edition), L. Fletcher Prouty
Colonel L. Fletcher Prouty, the former CIA operative known as 'X,' offers a history-shaking perspective on the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. His theories were the basis for Oliver Stone's controversial movie JFK. Prouty believed that Kennedy's death was a coup d'etat, and he backs this belief up with his knowledge of the security arrangements at Dallas and other tidbits that only a CIA insider would know.

14. Where Did the Towers Go? Evidence of Directed Free-energy Technology on 9/11, Judy Wood and Eric Larsen
This book is a forensic analysis of what effectively is a crime scene. Ground Zero and the surrounding areas were photographed countless thousands of times, yet no one really assessed all of the phenomena found in these photographs. What is presented in this book is not a theory and it is not speculation. It is evidence. It is the body of empirical evidence that must be explained in order to determine what happened at Ground Zero.

13. Tragedy and Hope, Carroll Quigley
1,359 pages of details about how the New World Order really works. A confession from one of the architects of the power elite and the structures they use to divide and conquer the planet.

12. None Dare Call it Conspiracy, Gary Allen
This is the counterpart to Quigley's tome. At just 197 pages, Gary Allen distills the machinations of the political, banking, and elite think tanks into the most concise book ever written about how it is possible for a small group of puppet masters to direct world events and control entire populations.

11. American Assassination: The Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone, James H. Fetzer
Senator Paul Wellstone was, "the first 1960s radical elected to the U.S. Senate." In Senate Race 2002, the White House made defeating Wellstone priority #1. Karl Rove hand-picked arch Republican Norm Coleman to run against him. Despite massive funding, Coleman was trailing the popular Wellstone two weeks before election day. Then, tragedy struck. Ph.D. Professors James Fetzer and Don "Four Arrows" Jacobs present the harrowing truth. The weather didn’t bring down Senator Wellstone's plane.

10. New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, John Seymour
Packed with comprehensive information on all the practicals, from ploughing fields to milking cows, as well as new information on how to create an urban organic garden and harness natural energy. This full-colour edition of the illustrated classic is an engrossing read and a wonderful handbook for realists and dreamers alike.

9. Human Race Get Off Your Knees, David Icke
The manipulation of the human race and the nature of reality are continually taken to the highest levels by David Icke. Very few researchers are willing to walk the paths David has. In this book, he brings back even more new startling information about the destiny of mankind.

8. The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions, David Ray Griffin
Everyone who cares about the fate of American democracy will want to know something about what the pages of the report actually say. The Commission’s account, by popular reckoning, has made an impression with its heft, its footnotes, its portrayal of the confusion of that sobering day, its detail, its narrative finesse. Yet under the magnifying glass of David Ray Griffin, eminent theologian and author of The New Pearl Harbor, the report appears much shabbier. In fact, there are holes in the places where detail ought to be thickest. Griffin’s critique of the Kean-Zelikow report makes clear that our nation’s highest leaders have told tales that wear extremely thin when held up to the light of other eyewitness reports, research, and the dictates of common sense.

7. 63 Documents the Government Doesn't Want You to Read, Jesse Ventura
The official spin on numerous government programs is flat-out bullsh*t, according to Jesse Ventura. Ventura proves it beyond any doubt with this incredible collection of actual government documents, including previously classified papers that were brought into the public domain by WikiLeaks. He scours through this treasure trove of documents to bring to light how we've been duped into wars we shouldn't be fighting, lied to about intelligence, fed hogwash about terrorism, and tricked into losing more and more of our civil liberties. In addition to providing original government data, Ventura explains what it really means.

6. Stranger Than Fiction, Albert D. Pastore
The true story behind 9-11, delivered by a meticulous researcher. . . "Every news story about 9-11 that is contained in this book is true and easily verifiable," states author, Dr. Albert D. Pastore [a penname]. "My investigation represents 12 months of careful study, painstaking research, detailed analysis, source verification and logical deduction.

5. 9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA, First Edition, Webster Griffin Tarpley
The thesis of Webster Tarpley's book has been enthusiastically received with its working model of the 9/11 plot - a rogue network of moles, patsies, and a commando cell in the privatised intelligence services, backed by corrupt political and corporate media elites. Buttressed by historical examples like the Baader-Meinhof Gang and the Gunpowder Plot, this model makes it clear how such a monstrous false-flag or self-terror exploit is possible even under a largely benign government.

4. Snitch Culture: How Citizens are Turned into the Eyes and Ears of the State, Jim Redden
In this alarming exposé, investigative journalist Jim Redden examines how snooping has become so much a part of American culture that it is practically a family value, encouraged on billboards, television, and even in classrooms. From employees hired to spy on their coworkers to doctors forced to disclose medical information, the U.S. has developed a chilling network for monitoring its citizens. Worst of all, the information gathered - and widely disseminated - is often unreliable, solicited from paid and anonymous informants. This book was written in 2000 and is even more disturbing to witness in hindsight all that has come to pass both domestically and abroad as the War on Terror has been given carte blanche to use any means necessary to expand the power of the State. A citizen spy network is the hallmark of tyranny and Redden's book concisely presents its evolution even within democratic countries.

3. The Creature from Jekyll Island : A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, G. Edward Griffin
This is the classic exposé of the Fed that has become one of the best-selling books in its category of all time. Where does money come from? Where does it go? Who makes it? The money magician's secrets are unveiled. Here is a close look at their mirrors and smoke machines, the pulleys, cogs, and wheels that create the grand illusion called money. A boring subject? Just wait. You'll be hooked in five minutes. It reads like a detective story – which it really is, but it's all true. This book is about the most blatant scam of history. It's all here: the cause of wars, boom-bust cycles, inflation, depression, prosperity. Your world view will definitely change. Putting it quite simply, this may be the most important book on world affairs you will ever read.

2. War at Home: Covert action against U.S. activists and what we can do about it, Brian Glick
This book was written in 1989 is provides thorough coverage and analysis of the FBI's COINTELPRO program which targeted political activists. Beyond the program itself is the cultural analysis which is more important than ever, as COINTELPRO 2.0 has been launched in the wake of the War on Terror. The methods used abroad in counterintelligence have come home to roost. The plan for what activists can do to protect themselves is more valuable than ever.

1. Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations
Iraq Veterans Against the War
“The only way this war is going to end is if the American people truly understand what we have done in their name.”—Kelly Dougherty, executive director of Iraq Veterans Against the War. In spring 2008, inspired by the Vietnam-era Winter Soldier hearings, Iraq Veterans Against the War gathered veterans to expose war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Here are the powerful words, images, and documents of this historic gathering, which show the reality of life in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq Veterans Against the War argues that well-publicized incidents of American brutality like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the massacre of an entire family of Iraqis in the town of Haditha are not the isolated incidents perpetrated by “a few bad apples,” as many politicians and military leaders have claimed. They are part of a pattern, the group says, of “an increasingly bloody occupation.” If we are ever to restore sanity to our foreign policy, we must have all of the facts. Empire America is bankrupting its citizens and leaving a legacy of shame. This is the single most important book in stripping away the naive and innocent version of war that the mainstream media fosters at the behest of the American government.

Please don't forget to leave your favorite book in the comments section below and help others to wake up.

Rick Gedeon is graduate from USAF Air University, amateur historian, and anti-imperial/anti-police brutality activist. Rick Gedeon has traveled extensively throughout the US and Asia. A political marketer, routinely bringing together and forging alliances with different political organizations that share similar goals. He considers himself a Political Atheist and sympathizes with many Libertarian causes. He can be reached at rick_gedeon@hushmail.com