Terror Nation

By Sam Garchik

It’s been over 30 years since the SLA kidnapped Patty Hearst, 21 since of Philadelphia bombed MOVE headquarters, 13 since Waco, and 11 since the Oklahoma City bombing.

Since the most recent occurrence of large-scale domestic terrorism in Oklahoma, the focus of our government has been on international terrorism, and the great fear is that we’ll be attacked from abroad.

Over the past 5 years, however, the federal government has created the largest government agency in the history of this country, and has spied on its citizens using every tool available. Michael Moore attacked the feds’ obsession with the daily workings of non-terrorist groups in Fahrenheit 9/11 by featuring “Peace Fresno,” and their cookies. Now, Mike Palecek, a former reporter and congressional candidate, does the same in Terror Nation: Notes from the Perimeter.

Although specific details in the outside world, like the militarized Red Sox and White Sox, who wage war in the mountains outside of day-to-day civilization, the main narrative deals with Charlie Johnson, who is forcibly committed to the Saint Smith Mental Institution for writing too many nasty letters-to-the-editor. And it’s through Charlie’s mind that we get the best sense of just how oppressive government can be.

At a time when the current administration conducts secret wiretaps and sends fake reporters to cover real news events, this book presents a clear vision for what America, sadly but not surprisingly, might become.