By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Anne Sundberg | Ricki Stern
Country: united_states
Year: 2008
Running time: 75
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294790/
Bruce says: “Based on Naomi Wolf’s book of the same name, filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg have chosen to present the material to the viewer as a series of Wolf’s lectures and interviews as well as gathering the opinions of many other subject matter experts. Good choice since Naomi Wolf is one of the most inspirational and magnetic presences currently in the public eye.
“THE END OF AMERICA follows ten steps which Wolf claims are a blueprint for closing down a normal society. She compares what has happened under the Bush Administration in the United States since 9/11 with what happened in Germany as Hitler destroyed civil liberties in his rise to absolute power. She discusses each in detail, giving precise examples of what has happened under the watch of George Bush.
- “Invoke Terrifying Internal or External Threat – that was done for Bush with the 9/11 attacks. Wolf compares the Bush reaction to the more controlled and intelligent reaction of countries like England and Spain which have had similar disasters that were not used as an excuse to erode civil liberties. Israel takes pride in protecting its citizens without instilling fear.
- Set Up a Prison System Outside the Rule of Law. Torture the prisoners to obtain confessions.
- Develop a Paramilitary Force – award no bid contracts (Blackwater, for example) and make sure forces are unaccountable similar to Mussolini’s use of blackshirts and Hitler’s brownshirts.
- Conduct Surveillance of Ordinary Citizens – create fear by making it known that everyone is being watched all of the time.
- Infiltrate Citizens Groups – The ACLU has many cases serving as example such as the New York City protesters at the 2004 Republican Convention.
- Arbitrarily Detain and Release Ordinary Citizens – one of the most famous cases is that of Maher Arar whose case was fictionalized in the riveting SORRY, HATERS.
- Target Key Individuals – the Dixie Chicks are a perfect example. Their story is well documented in SHUT UP AND SING.
- Restrict the Press – the New York Times was targeted for treasonous behavior – essentially making it a crime to practice journalism.
- Recast Criticism as Espionage and Dissent as Treason – protest is treated as terrorism as we watch Amy Goodman being brutally arrested in Minneapolis outside the 2008 Republican convention.
- Suspend the Rule of Law – Purging US attorneys similar to the way that Goebbels cleaned out the judiciary in Germany to avoid opposition.
“THE END OF AMERICA is a call to action, a plea for us ordinary citizens to fight for their civil liberties, ones that most take for granted. Those civil liberties are the cornerstone of democracy. George Bush has eroded the foundation on which this country is based. 4.5 cats”