On the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Consequences of American Conquest and Carnage (Paperback)

~ Ward Churchill (Author) "September 11, 2001..." (more)
Key Phrases: genocide convention, benevolent assimilation, disappeared persons, Security Council, New York, South Africa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Few are as eloquent or as able to maintain lucidity for the lay reader as is Churchill." -- Bloomsbury Review

Product Description

The book that caused a media firestorm. An expanded and meticulously annotated version of Churchill's essay "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens," which had the honor of being attacked by both Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh.

As far as Ward Churchill is concerned, the record speaks for itself. The "Most Peace-Loving of Nations" has been engaged in brutal military campaigns in every corner of the globe, unceasingly, since its inception. In attempting to forever alter Americans false self-concept, Ward Churchill contextualizes US aggression and the most effective response to it yet--the attacks of Sept. 11th--in a readable format. Churchill has meticulously chronicled both U.S. military campaigns--domestic and foreign--from 1776 to the present and U.S. attempts to violate, obstruct and/or subvert International Law from from1945 to the present. Drawing from US military and interventionist history, lessons from Nuremberg and the UN's own voting records, the two Chronologies, exhaustively researched and annotated, illustrate a heart-wrenching history of senseless butchery and democracy deterred. In this context, the only fitting question for a nation still reeling from the wake-up call of Sept. 11th is "How can they not hate us?" In his newest offering, Churchill demands that the American public shake off its collective unconscious and take responsibility for the criminality carried out in its name. Introduction by Chellis Glendinning.

"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 forgotten, marginalized, or suppressed. These are achievements of inestimable value." —Noam Chomsky

"Churchill is right: until we take responsibility for terrorism perpetrated in our name, and until we end it, we can’t stop the terror returned." —Lip Magazine

"This book should be required reading for everyone residing in the United States." —Scribbles in the Margins

"…screams WAKE UP and TAKE ACTION! The urgency with which this scream is made is nowhere more loud or clear than in this powerful and timely analysis of the genocidal imperial violence perpetrated by the U.S…." —Left Turn Magazine

"…the shockingly thorough timelines of U.S. imperialism will surely earn this book a place on the shelf next to Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States as classics in the canon of radical history texts." —Clamor Magazine

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Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: AK Press; annotated edition edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902593790
• ISBN-13: 978-1902593791
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #253,309 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

179 of 218 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars why they hate us, February 5, 2005

By	Mark Campbell (Benton, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before 9/11 I had read practically nothing in the area of politics, but afterwards, as I assume most Americans were, I was terribly interested in the question "Why do they hate us so much?" Unlike most Americans, I began to seriously look for an answer to this question in the writings of Noam Chomsky, Chalmers Johnson, Samantha Power, William Blum, Ramsey Clark, etc., etc., etc., and most recently Ward Churchill. By presenting two chronologies Churchill demonstrates that a more appropriate question following 9/11 would have been "How could `they' possibly not hate `us'?" followed up with "Why did it take `them' so long to arrive?" and "Why, under the circumstances, did they conduct themselves with such obvious and admirable restraint?" The first chronology debunks the myth propagated by Woodrow Wilson that America is the "most peace-loving of nations." As the chronology shows, the U.S. "has after more than two centuries yet to evidence a single year during which it was not making war upon someone, somewhere, for some reason". The second chronology lists obstructions, subversions, refusals, and violations of international law by the U.S. since 1945. Upon reading this chronology it becomes painfully obvious that, contrary to the claim made by Justice Henry Brown, there are not "certain principles of natural justice inherent to the Anglo-Saxon character". Rather, it would seem that former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark was closer to the truth when he said that the "overriding purpose" of U.S. foreign policy is to "maintain the capacity to coerce everybody else on the planet, nonviolently if possible, violently if necessary, and once in a while just for kicks." Readers should be cautioned however. Those Americans with a shred of decency are likely to come away from this book rooting for the other side, the other side being for the most part the rest of the world. Holding such an opinion in a country where the average citizen, as defined by Churchill, is sanctimonious, smug, duplicitous, hypocritical, and ignorant could be unpleasant for those who'd prefer to avoid controversy. As for myself, in the immortal words of the Chief Ignoramus, "bring it on".

61 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest Review, February 2, 2005

By	Avid Reader (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

It seems that due to the highly inflammatory atmosphere surrounding the author in the media right now that many ill-informed customers have been posting reviews. As someone who has read the book cover to cover I can say that it is a highly valuable tool in placing US foreign policy in context. As for the outrage the book supposedly has caused amongst conservatives, Churchill's social criticism is aimed at liberals and "radicals" in the US who seem confused as to the nature of state violence and have failed to force the government's hand to comply with International Human Rights Standards. The assembled chronologies are truly breathtaking and warrant serious reflection. Whether or not readers agree with every aspect of Professor Churchill's analysis they should decide for themselves as they will get a much different picture than the one that has been painted over the last week or so.

59 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Justice of Roosting Chickens (AK Press, 2003), February 5, 2005

By	Concerned Citizen (Red Oak, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This book is a chilling 172-page "chronology of criminal comportment" documenting the true underpinning of US legalistic pretentions between 1945 and 2003 and exposes the lethal, mind-numbing efficiency with which the US has repeatedly violated international law in the past, and continues to do so in the present. A steller and eye-opening book, to put it simply.